Hello, faithful readers! WritingAmateur here with Roses and Thorns chapter two! We're just getting this strange journey underway... and unfortunately, updates will not likely happen this often because of schoolwork and such-I think me finishing this chapter so quickly was a fluke...
Each chapter will be titled after a specific type of rose. A little bonus for those of you who are familiar with the language of flowers...
Please don't hesitate to fave/follow/review! Enjoy!
Ishizu Ishtar normally dreamt at night. Ever since she could remember, as she'd lain in her bed, eyes pressed closed together with all the weight of slumber, she'd gone on fantastical, improbable journeys-flown with or without wings, leapt among the stars-and, occasionally, those more sinister dreams that shocked her awake, shaking with a quiet fright. Even if she tended to forget each night's dream as the day went on, she awoke nearly each and every morning with the stirring of some vivid dream trailing through her mind.
The first night she spent at Kaiba Manor, Ishizu Ishtar didn't dream.
After being swept away by Seto Kaiba in his limousine-that ostentatious shark of a vehicle-she'd been led-not only by Kaiba himself, but accompanied by two beefy-looking security guards (she supposed)-through the dimly lit mansion, through corridors and up and down various staircases until a door had been opened before her. With a sudden cry she'd found herself being pushed across the threshold-quite rudely, she'd thought angrily-door slamming behind her. The finite click of a lock turning.
She'd truly become captive.
Hostage-
The idea of it hadn't really dawned on her in full until she'd felt the endlessly compressing darkness of the room threaten to engulf her completely.
She'd fumbled around for a few moments, smoothing her hands over the wall until she found a light switch and flicked it on. Squinting her eyes against the bright yellow ceiling light that flooded through the room, Ishizu had taken stock of her surroundings, heart rate eventually calming as she realized that she hadn't exactly been cast into a dungeon.
After all, even for Seto Kaiba, that would have been slightly overdramatic…
The room was spartan. Simple. Plush white carpeting on the floor. Expensive. A large bed with a deep blue coverlet in one corner of the room. Opposite, a pair of drawn curtains before what seemed to be a full-length window. A high, vaulted ceiling-the light emitted from a rather elegant modern chandelier. White curved moldings along every wall-to-ceiling joint. A finely carved wooden chest of drawers against another wall. A low wooden table slightly off-center with two matching chairs placed on either side.
She'd walked into the middle of the room and slipped off her shoes before another door, this one in the corner, nearly hidden by the dresser, and padded over to it, trying to keep her breath even. Her mind had felt murky then, limbs breaking out in pins and needles with surprise as she'd pushed the door open and caught a glimpse of a shiny porcelain tub, its clawed feet rendered down to the minutest detail-a toilet-a sink-
Ishizu had swallowed hard as she'd pulled the door closed and walked slowly back into the middle of the room. So I won't even be able to get out to use the bathroom-
I guess it's naive of me to assume he's never had a hostage before-
Well, it certainly wasn't as awful as she'd expected-being spirited away from her home in the night, forbidden from taking any personal possessions-much larger than her room in the Ishtar apartment-
-but sterile. Utterly so.
A cell.
A prison.
She'd shuddered then, her palms breaking out into a sweat that she'd wiped self-consciously on her skirt before walking over to the first wall and tapping the light switch, throwing the room into stifling, unknowable darkness once more.
As she'd lain in bed, she'd seethed. Raged. Silently. Fought the urge to cry.
I will not-must not-
The only thing keeping her from screaming out-
Her promise to herself, congealing the instant she'd volunteered to take Marik's place as Kaiba's prisoner. Setting like iron in her veins as she'd sat in the backseat of the car, looking for all the world like a naive, nervous, fragile woman.
It roared within her. Soldering itself to her heart.
You threatened my family, Seto Kaiba.
I don't care who you are-what power you may have-
Any man can be conquered.
I will conquer you.
I will destroy your company.
And then I will slit your throat.
Ishizu opened her eyes. Realized with a shiver that she must have slept-for hours or for a day, she couldn't be certain. She'd fallen asleep, curled up on top of the coverlet-that was why she suddenly felt cold, skin rippling in gooseflesh beneath her dress.
And unnerved by the lack of dreams. The emptiness of her slumber. How it had passed through her, cleanly and neatly like a sharp blade. No traces or ghosts of adventures undertaken lingering within her bones.
It seemed as though not even her mind would be granted escape, no matter how temporary-
She yawned and stretched briefly, sitting up as her mouth tasted bitter. Stomach empty. Hollow. Issuing a contrarian growl as she rolled her eyes, willing the noise to stop.
The sound of clicking-coming from the outside of the door. Then a knock, clear and firm:
Rap-rap-rap-
The sound echoing throughout the cavernous dim room. Still shrouded in a gray-blue.
Ignoring the knocking, she rose from the bed and walked over to the window, untying the slips of rope and pulling the curtains apart, allowing sunlight to flood into the room from floor to ceiling. Imbuing the room in warmth. Through the window she saw an endless lawn, a fresh green carpet dotted with neatly trimmed hedges, then at the far edge, a thick cluster of trees.
She almost found herself smiling at this simple thing. Forgetting herself for a moment.
Then-
Rap-rap-rap-
More rapidly. Impatient.
She untied her sleep-bedraggled plait and ran a hand through her hair as she approached the tall wooden door.
If it's not a guard, perhaps I can slip past-
The thought bloomed and wilted as she opened the door to find Seto Kaiba. Tall, slender. Finely combed brown hair through which impenetrable blue eyes peered. Looking down his nose at her. Holding a tray containing a plate of something bready-looking, a silver pitcher, a small china pot, two cups…
Well, at least he brought breakfast…
A tiny smirk curling on his lips as he took her in. Evidently she just woke up-what ridiculous bedhead- He moved his gaze along her form, noting that she hadn't changed out of that shapeless sack he supposed she called a dress. I should probably get her some nightgowns…
They stood there in silence for a moment, Ishizu looking up at Seto and trying to stop herself from wrinkling her nose in disgust at the man, Seto looking back down at her and trying to stop his eyes from fixating on her in a way that could be construed as impolite.
How to speak… who should I be now…?
She spoke first. A hint of wryness in her tone. Innocently asked. "I'm assuming you do this kind of thing often, Mr. Kaiba?"
Seto's eyes widened, surprised at her words. "I-I'm sorry?"
Ishizu cocked her head to the side, modulating her tone. Soft. Slight humor. Catch him off guard. "Take hostages, I mean. After all, you had this room all nice and ready for me… do your servants know in advance to prepare the room in case you're feeling particularly capricious on any given day?"
Seto chewed on the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to snap at her. This woman thinks I do this on a regular basis-what kind of soulless-
So early in the morning and already his patience was being tried… by this woman-
"May I?" He lifted the tray and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ishizu stepped aside and allowed Seto to cross the threshold, catching a glimpse of one of the large men from the prior night, hands folded before him, at attention in case trouble should arise. Of course… of course he would have a guard…
Seto smoothly placed the tray on the table and took a seat as Ishizu closed the door. "If you'll join me, Miss Ishtar…?" He reached for one of the teacups on the tray and filled it with coffee from the pitcher. Black. Smooth. Rich. Bitter.
Ishizu swallowed a rude series of remarks involving telling him to get the hell out of her room before allowing her eyes to widen, her posture to shrink slightly, demeanor to shift into something more girlish and demure. Throw him off-
"Ah-of course, Mr. Kaiba-but don't you have somewhere to be-you know, work and all…?"
Would twirling my hair around my finger be too much?
Seto sipped at the coffee. "What time to do you think it is, Miss Ishtar…?"
You didn't exactly give me a clock, you cretin. "Um-well, the sun's out, so-maybe ten in the morning?" She walked over to the table and took a seat, crossing her ankles and reaching for a slice of toast from the tray.
Seto glanced at his watch. "It's around seven-I'm usually at the office at this time, but I figured I'd at least be a gracious host and bring you some breakfast-I do hope you don't mind a Western-style breakfast, I'm quite fond of it myself-and, of course, let you know how things are going to be around here."
Ishizu bit off the corner of the toast and nodded. "Hm. That's early-and if I hadn't been awake?"
"I'd have woken you up." Seto's voice was firm as he leaned down towards the table. "Coffee?"
Ishizu nodded; Seto poured some into the other teacup and handed it to her as she finished her toast. "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba."
Seto frowned briefly as she took a sip. "You can call me Seto, Miss Ishtar." Or is that too familiar?
Ishizu nodded again, placing her cup back onto the tray and reaching for another slice of toast, this time opening up the tiny pot and, upon discovering the ruby-red jam inside, lifted a small butter knife beside the pot, spread the jam on the toast and sat back up, flicking her eyes back to his face.
She took a bite of the toast, swallowed, and spoke quietly. Lacing a hint of awkwardness into her voice. "So-well, I've-I've never been a hostage before…"
Hostage-
The word suddenly sounded so cruel in the light of day, rolling softly, fragile, off her tongue in that way-almost patently ridiculous-theatrical, even…
Seto took another sip of coffee. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not exactly an expert on this sort of thing, either." What kind of person truly is an expert in such things…?
Ishizu's eyes narrowed; before she could stop herself she quipped sourly under her breath, "well, you could have fooled me…"
Seto started, not quite sure what he'd heard. Was that- "Excuse me?"
Blast. "I'm sorry…?" Calm. Sweet. Cheeky, even.
Play it so…
He cleared his throat, sure and continued. "Well, while you were asleep last night I was thinking of the terms of your-your stay here, Miss Ishtar…"
-If that's what he's calling it, the prick-
"And, well, it's quite fortuitous for me that you chose to come instead of your brother. You see…" and he shifted somewhat uncomfortably-Ishizu bit her lip to stop a brief smile at his clear discomfort- "I have a bit of... well-you could say- a public image problem. You see- I'm a wealthy, reasonably attractive man in my late twenties, and I have been-quite annoyingly and rather inappropriately, mind you-pestered by various colleagues as to why-ah-ahem-why I'm single."
Understanding gripped Ishizu as she struggled to keep her voice under control. "Seto-you cannot possibly mean-" This strange, sick man-
Seto swallowed loudly, ducking his head in slight embarrassment as he continued. "Well-yes. And having you-I mean, you're an attractive woman, I'm not going to lie about that, Miss Ishtar-"
His tone steadied, eyes boring into hers.
"While you are staying here with me, you will pretend to be my girlfriend for all public intents and purposes. For the media. For the paparazzi and such. You will accompany me on various dinner outings and to parties as my date, and we will be photographed together."
Ishizu found herself tensing, hand gripping subtly but tightly at her skirt in her lap. "I see..."
"And after each outing you will be returned to this room. There will be nothing of that nature between us privately. I promise you that."
Ishizu resisted glowering at him. "And I assume you're going to tell me that Marik would have served a similar purpose had I not taken his place?"
Seto's face twitched-almost a smile-well, now that you mention it- "I never said that, Miss Ishtar-though, of course, you being a woman makes the whole affair considerably less worthy of being tabloid fodder-"
He shifted in his seat and crossed his legs, draining the teacup of coffee. "Now-as for the rules of your stay here-"
Ishizu pressed her lips together and waited.
"Until I know that you won't be any trouble, you will not be allowed to leave this room except for when I have an evening work function and require your attendance. Meals will be provided for you at regular intervals. You will have television; there's a flat-screen that folds out from inside the wall by the door. I'll expect you to be able to make small talk about the news and whatnot with my colleagues and clients, if necessary. I take it you've found the en-suite bathroom."
She nodded, trying to keep calm-from rising in a rage and striking him-lunging for his neck-
"If I decide that you've earned the privilege, you will be allowed to move about the house and the ground-accompanied, of course-and you will have access to my library. Additionally, at that time, I will allow you to use the phone to get in touch with your family. The line will be monitored-in fact, all the lines in this house are monitored, save for the one in my private study, where you are certainly not allowed." As if she would get past the security in any case...
Ishizu's cheeks reddened. "You mean you'll let me speak to my brothers?" Monitored line, but still-
"Of course. I'm not a monster, Miss Ishtar."
Your actions would indicate otherwise. "Ah-well, in any case-thank you. I hope to prove that I won't be a problem for you soon-" Layering a thin quavery strand of supplication into her voice.
Seto leaned down to refill his coffee cup. "You will be clothed, fed, and cared for in any medical way that ends up being necessary. You've heard the terms of your stay; now, do you have any questions, Miss Ishtar?"
"How long will I be here, Seto?" She gazed up at him, eyes slightly pleading, framed by thick lashes. Tell me, you asshole-
Seto's face darkened. Voice slightly rough at the edges.
"Until I determine that your foolish family has suffered enough."
The fury-the humiliation he'd faced-all because of this woman's idiot brother-
Ishizu nodded, lowering her eyes to her lap. "I see."
I will kill him. By all the gods-I will make him suffer, and then I will kill him.
Seto rose from his seat and studied her, pursing his lips. Her posture straight. Calm. Dignified. Like a queen.
She's taking this rather well, considering…
"My personal tailor and stylist will be coming shortly to take your measurements. He and his assistants will be making you a dress. You will be accompanying me to a work dinner this evening, and I will expect you to be ready at seven o'clock-in fact, let me introduce you to the household staff…" Before Ishizu could protest, he walked over to the door, cracked it slightly, and crooked his finger, calling the guard outside to him. Whispering a few words in his ear, Seto nodded at the guard for confirmation before the beefy man walked down the hallway, his heavy tread fading in Ishizu's ears.
Ishizu gritted her teeth, not moving a muscle as the door opened again and pleasantries were exchanged. A few male and a female voice chattering amongst themselves and with Seto quietly. "Mr. Kaiba-" "sir-" "After all, sir-"
What the hell is he playing at, the bastard-pretending to his staff that I'm a guest here-how dare he-
"Miss Ishtar…" Seto walked over to her and cleared his throat, making her jump slightly.
She looked up to take in a cluster of four men and one woman, all young with the exception of a grizzled shorter man in the front, dressed in all black with a white apron tied around his waist.
One of the men was the guard she'd glimpsed earlier, with close-cropped brown hair, spiked slightly in the front, with a stolid, neutral expression on his face. Beside him stood a tall woman with gentle blue eyes and brown hair that framed her face, dressed in a sensible gingham dress emblazoned with the KaibaCorp logo on one shoulder.
Behind her stood a blond man with unkempt hair, dressed in a similar suit to the brunet, and by the older man stood another man, shorter than the other three but taller than his elder neighbor, with fairly odd-looking tri-colored hair-blond in front, red and black where it grew to points in the back. Dressed rather ostentatiously in black leather pants and a sleeveless black shirt, both tightly fitted, and a mass of silver and gold jewelry-in his ears, rings on his fingers, wound in chains both thin and thick around his wrists and neck...
"I'd like to introduce Tristan Taylor and Joseph Wheeler, part of my security detail."
The brunet and the blond stepped to one side, smiling rather broadly at her, and bowed their heads to her.
"Téa Gardner, my housekeeping chief of staff." The woman smiled sweetly and nodded.
"Solomon Moto, my personal chef." The gray-haired man, face traced with deep, intricate patterns of wrinkles, bowed his head.
"And Yugi Moto-Solomon's grandson and my personal tailor and stylist." The small man with the strange hair grinned and gave Ishizu a little wave.
Ishizu bowed her head at each employee in turn. She lifted her eyes to Seto, a faint sardonic smile curling on her lips. "And they all know that I'm not here willingly, Seto?"
Ha. See how he likes that-
The staff members all looked rather uncomfortable at her question, but not surprised.
Ishizu swallowed hard, her brow furrowing as ice trailed down her spine. They knew. All of them.
And they did nothing-
Seto nodded at the motley group of employees, who began to trickle out of the room and to their assigned duties, with the exception of Tristan, who resumed his perch outside of Ishizu's room.
A moment of silence as Ishizu tried desperately not to cry out-to scream-to release the full extent of her fury-
Seto's voice. A drawl. "Have you finished eating?"
Ishizu managed to nod shakily as he bent down, picked up the tray and straightened in one fluid, graceful motion.
He carried the tray over to the door and opened it before pausing. Not looking at her. "Anything else I can do for you, Miss Ishtar?"
Ishizu fought a growl from creeping into her voice. Kept it low. Almost pathetic. "You realize that despite all this-all these niceties-you're still kidnapping me."
He bit his tongue, refusing to let this silly woman wheedle her way into his mind in this manner. I have done what needed to be done.
"I know." And then he pulled the door open, stepped into the corridor, and closed it behind him. The clatter of the tumbling lock.
Alone and trapped once more.
Ishizu let out a thick, heavy breath she didn't know she'd been holding in as she rose from her seat, willing her pulse to quiet down-to cease its violent racing throughout her veins-
Gods give me strength… please, give me patience and the strength to control myself…
She cast a dark glance at the door before smoothing out her skirt and sweeping her eyes over her surroundings, trying to familiarize herself with this heartless, lifeless room she was to her call her own for the foreseeable future.
-No.
This will never be my room.
Not as long as I'm his prisoner-
She jumped slightly as the sound of the door unlocking, then a gentle knock interrupted her reverie. "C-come in…"
The door opened slowly and the small, pretty man-Yugi, was it?- stuck his head into the room, violet eyes round. "Miss Ishtar? I'm Yugi Moto- Mr. Kaiba introduced us earlier-"
Ishizu forced a small smile, walking towards him and extending her hand. "Of course-may I call you Yugi?" He stepped into the room and took her hand in his before kissing the back. Ah, a gentleman…
"Of course you may, Miss Ishtar." Yugi strode into the center of the room confidently and turned around, his evident excitement and good cheer growing as he took her in. Unabashedly. Studied the way her dress flowed over her body-the cream-colored fabric loose, baggy-revealing little about the form underneath-such a shame. She's quite pretty-
He pulled a tape measure out of his back pocket and beckoned her. "Miss Ishtar, do you mind? Mr. Kaiba has asked me to make a dress for you today for this evening-and, well, while I and my assistants do work fast, I can't work miracles-may I take your measurements?"
Ishizu sighed to herself and walked towards Yugi, who smiled brightly at her, his eyes like stars, before gently lifting her arms away from her sides until her arms were extended out from her shoulders.
"Wingspan…" he murmured to himself as he held the tape measure against her arms, one, then the other.
"Bust…" He met her eyes apologetically before wrapping the measure across her breasts and around her back, clicking his tongue when he settled upon a number.
"Waist…" He repeated the process, wrapping the tape measure round her waist, causing the dress to blouse itself out above the thin strip of plastic. "So you do have a waist, Miss Ishtar…" He grinned at her once more as Ishizu couldn't help but blush.
"Hips…" Once more.
He handed her one end of the tape measure. "Miss Ishtar, please place this at your hipbone…" She did as he requested; the smaller man crouched down and held the tape measure perpendicular to the carpeted floor, just grazing the edge of her toe, clicking his tongue once more in satisfaction.
He moved the end of the measure to the front of her other foot; Ishizu moved her end to the other hipbone to allow him to take that number down as well.
Ishizu finally spoke, unable to hide a thread of curiosity from creeping into her voice. "You remember all those measurements in your head, Yugi?"
Yugi stood up and took the tape measure back into his hands before shoving the ribbon back into his pocket. "I've been doing this for a while, Miss Ishtar-now, I'll be back to help you get ready at around six o'clock, since Mr. Kaiba wants you to be ready by seven-is that all right with you?"
It's not like I have anywhere else to be-
Ishizu nodded quickly as Yugi's smile faltered for an instant. His eyes wide with pity, he suddenly began to pick at one of his nails. Ishizu couldn't help but chew on her lip to fill the ensuing painful silence.
Then-unfurling between them-a near apology- "I-I-I do wish to… well-I'm glad have met you, Miss Ishtar, but I understand why you might not be glad to have met me…" He scratched the back of his neck self-consciously, lower lip nearly wobbling
Ishizu regarded him for a moment with a cool gaze, wondering if she could hate him as much as she hated his employer-if she ought to hate him that much-before deciding to shrug her shoulders casually, as if to say, "what can you do?" and extending her hand towards him once more. "I'll see you later, then, Yugi."
Yugi lifted her hand to his lips once more, causing Ishizu to chuckle quietly, before bowing his head to her, that remorseful look still lingering in his eyes. "Indeed, Miss Ishtar."
Lunch came and went. She was summoned to the door by a knock. Upon opening it, Ishizu was greeted only by another tray, laid out all nicely on the floor. Rice. Steamed vegetables. Exquisite golden-brown shrimp tempura. A teapot, along with a matching cup. As she brought it inside her room, pushing the door closed behind her with one foot, she heard that now-familiar clicking of the lock settling back into place.
She almost wanted to cry upon hearing that sound-
She paced back and forth, sure her feet would wear a hole in the carpet. Sat on one chair. Then the other. Placed her feet onto the coffee table. Then removed them. Lay on the bed. Face up. Face down. On her side. Pounded, fluffed the pillow. Dropped it to the floor. Walked over to the window, with its verdant green vista stretching as far as she could fathom. Twiddled her thumbs. Walked over to the wall by the door and searched for some kind of lever or button-Seto had said there was a television, after all-
"Oh!" she gasped aloud in surprise as her fingers stumbled upon a tiny switch in the wall, painted so that it blended in-without warning, the wall seemed to split apart in the center as a good-size screen emerged, blank and dark, with a small remote-control device attached to its side.
Ishizu reached for the remote control and removed it, backing up and pressing the power button, before sitting in one of the chairs by the coffee table and flicking through channels to find the midday news channel.
Seto's voice, casually cruel, ripping through her-
"I'll expect you to be able to make small talk about the news and whatnot with my colleagues and clients, if necessary."
A twig within her snapped. A string cut loose. She heard a heart-stopping, piercing scream, shuddering as the pure, inhuman sound flooded her ears, raising the hair on the back of her neck, before she realized she was the one who had uttered it.
Eyes suddenly blurred with hot, unmerciful tears, she lifted her arm; the remote flew out of her hand at a wild speed, hurtling towards the wall and bouncing off, its fall muffled by thick carpet.
Still possessed by that primal, wobbling hurt, she found herself walking, a slight stumble in her tread, over to the wall where the remote had hit.
Not even a scratch-
Nothing.
It was then that she finally allowed herself to weep.
Ishizu breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the fragrant oils and washes she'd poured into the steaming water of the bathtub. Hoping they would soothe. Lavender. Mint. Honeysuckle… all blending together, cool and warm, sweet.
The water around her body a warm liquid embrace. A caress. Almost tender in its actions, though, of course, entirely without the intention to do so.
If she was going to be imprisoned in quarters with such a nice bathtub, she damned well was going to make use of it.
She'd foolishly promised herself that she would not cry. Would not let him win that way. To wound her pride-
Yet she'd cried herself to sleep on the floor, clutching at the carpet as if it would save her-
She inhaled once more, brushed a thick, wet clump of hair out of her face and briefly submerged herself under the surface of the soothing hot water, closing her eyes tightly, breath leaking out of her nose in tickling bubbles.
I'll come out of the water, and this will have all been a dream.
Only a dream-
Upon breaking the surface of the water she was only slightly disappointed, but not in the least surprised.
That bastard-
As the water chilled around her, she still felt warm. That crackling ember. Hatred. Within her belly. The heat emanating throughout her body. Imbuing her every crevice and cell with fire. Rage. A fury she had to control. Swallow. Bide her time.
Get close.
Get him to trust me-maybe even fall for me-
Then I will kill him.
I swear by all the gods-
I will make him suffer-
And I will kill him.
She shivered as she stepped out of the tub, wrapping herself in a thick, fluffy towel, beginning to dry herself off as she heard that familiar sound-unlocking, that false promise of freedom- followed by yet another knock on the door.
Rap-rap-rap-
Ishizu froze for a moment, the remaining water now ice-cold on her skin. Could it be six o'clock already?
Blast-
She walked quickly into the bedroom and called out. "Is that you, Yugi?"
From the other side of the closed door, voice ever light and friendly: "It is indeed, Miss Ishtar-may I come in?"
Ishizu dashed back into the bathroom, looking haphazardly for some sort of dressing gown-a robe-another towel-anything. Coming up short, she groaned quietly to herself before securing the towel in place and walking through the bedroom to open the door for Yugi.
Not just Yugi-
Yugi and two younger women, one green-haired, one copper-haired, him carrying with utmost delicacy a black garment bag, the women with armfuls of neatly folded clothing and-atop the pile-several pairs of shoes; they bowed their heads in greeting to Ishizu before rushing over to the dresser drawer and carefully placing each perfectly folded garment in the proper drawer.
Despite herself, Ishizu smiled briefly at the small man, who had brushed past her and laid the garment bag upon the bed. "Yugi, are these women your assistants?"
Yugi walked over to her and took her hand, kissing the back of it dramatically. Eyes twinkling. Cheeks pink with pleasure. "My apologies, Miss Ishtar-my assistants are Miho-" the green-haired woman turned and smiled at her- "and Serenity-she's Joseph's sister-" the other woman turned and waved before the pair of them resumed their work.
Ishizu thought of the large blond man from earlier. Seto sure hires a lot of families, doesn't he-
She adjusted the towel around herself. "Are those…"
Yugi nodded, practically beaming. "Yes, Miss Ishtar-Mr. Kaiba said you were to be given everything you would need. I presumed that included undergarments and shirts and the like…"
"I see." Ishizu pressed her lips together, the thought of Seto Kaiba having anything to do with her undergarments making her slightly queasy. Well, if it was Yugi-I don't mind quite so much-
She turned towards the bed, topped with the garment bag and its mysterious contents. "Yugi, this is the dress, correct?" This… thing…
My costume-
Yugi blushed with pride at the thought of his own fine handiwork. "Indeed it is, Miss Ishtar-" He strode over to the bed and carefully unzipped the bag, reveling in the feel of the black silk beneath his fingertips.
He gently lifted the dress from the bag and held it up against her. "Take the dress to the bathroom and put it on, Miss Ishtar… I think it'll look excellent…"
Ishizu, slightly at a loss for words, gingerly accepted the mass of fabric and carried it over to the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind her.
Then it was out of the towel, her fingers warily floating over the black silk to find some sort of enclosure-ah-a tiny row of buttons running along one side-sliding the sleek material over her head, smoothing it over her hips, not daring to look in the mirror, feeling for all the world rather silly, rather disgusting that she was managing to take any amount of pleasure in this…
Yugi's voice from the other side of the door. "Of course, Miss Ishtar-if I'd had more time-I could have made it truly spectacular…"
She rolled her eyes at the surely unnecessary disclaimer, wrapped her hair up in the towel and opened the door, stepping into the room slowly, adjusting her bearings, disappearing behind her veneer of calm, poised grace. This is ridiculous-all of it-
Yugi's eyes were massive as he regarded her, making Ishizu feel like cringing and covering her surely reddening cheeks. "Miss Ishtar-well-you look lovely." There's that waist, after all-didn't leave too much room in the bust-excellent-
Serenity and Miho, having since finished filling the chest of drawers, looked similarly pleased with Yugi's handiwork. "Miss Ishtar-" "Miss Ishtar-indeed, you look splendid-" "-Mr. Moto's done quite good work here-"
Ishizu yelped as Yugi suddenly took ahold of her wrist in a slender, elegant hand and led her back to the bathroom, back to where the mirror above the sink beckoned. "Miho! Serenity! Please bring my makeup kit and a smock, if you would-"
She couldn't tear her eyes away. Gone was Ishizu Ishtar, ordinary graduate student-in her place was some sort of spectral creature, all curves and smooth skin and piercing eyes, accentuated simply and effectively with kohl, her lips painted a deep red, her hair arranged into a French braid, then wound into a bun with some wavy strands pulled out in front to frame her face-and the dress, that wicked thing, leaving as it did her shoulders and collarbone exposed, winding around her body, clinging to her breasts, her hips, her rear…
Eat your heart out, Seto Kaiba.
Seto Kaiba studied his watch for a moment before rolling his head back and cracking his neck a few times. Seven o'clock-
Any minute now-
He unlocked the lock on the outside of the door, and, for politeness' sake, knocked a few times. Give her the illusion of control.
"Coming, Mr. Kaiba!" Yugi's voice. High-pitched. Excited.
Evidently Yugi Moto was glad to have the opportunity to be designing and fashioning clothes for women again-after all, suits, no matter how fine, really could be only so interesting until a certain point…
Seto waited for a moment, irritation rising in his chest. It is seven o'clock. Why can none of these idiots-
His thoughts trailed off quite abruptly as the door swung open and he caught a glimpse of her-Ishizu-
That woman-
-she cleans up rather nicely-
-that's an understatement-
He fought to move his eyes away from following the soft, sleek figure highlighted by the dress-Yugi had outdone himself, over and beyond-from getting caught in her confident, electrifying stare-
She was hiding that under that damned dress of hers-?
Seto suddenly wished that he had a stiff drink in his hand.
Ishizu slipped on the shoes Miho had laid out for her, reveling in the extra two or so inches of height they lent her, feeling acutely Seto's intent gaze as it swept over her body, drinking her in once, twice, three times, never satisfied, never having its fill-of her.
He doesn't look half-bad, himself-
-she couldn't help but noting. Fighting the strange wobbling of her stomach-
She looked down at the floor demurely; couldn't help but smile quietly, darkly to herself.
Perhaps getting closer to Seto Kaiba won't take as much time as I'd thought…
"Now, Miss Ishtar," Seto began as Roland drove them away from Kaiba Manor, "tonight we'll be dining with an old-well, friend is not exactly the word I would use-colleague of mine, a Mr. Pegasus Crawford. Recently back in town from vacation, I believe…" He trailed off, imagining snidely what kind of idiotic trouble the white-haired dandy could have gotten himself into.
Ishizu raised her eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Ah-yes. Well, when I was poised to take over my father's company-the Kaiba Corporation, obviously-there were several other local and international corporations that had been interested in-in, well, acquiring me away from the company. Installing me as their second-in-command-a useless, perfunctory position. After all, it wouldn't have done for the largest arms manufacturer in Asia to be controlled by a teenager…" Seto smirked to himself at the thought of those endless fools-among whom Pegasus was included-who had tried to save his father's face-to stop Seto's ascendance-to halt his precocious rise to power-
-and they had all failed. Utterly. Seto had managed to wrest control from his father, even with heads of nearly all the other local major companies desperate not to lose control of the status quo-
Ishizu fought from rolling her eyes at Seto's incessant pausing-for preening, no doubt-during his story.
"Well, Pegasus' company, Industrial Illusions, was one of them. But there are no hard feelings between us. He's quite excellent company, despite his insistent whimsy, and a major stakeholder in the Kaiba Corporation to this day."
"I see." Ishizu directed her gaze out the window, praying he would cease talking. Allow her to collect her thoughts. Try to pretend she wasn't merely being used as arm candy for one of the most ruthless men in Japan-
Seto scowled briefly at her lack of interest-her reticence-and modulated his tone to be slightly more… friendly. "So, Miss Ishtar, this is rather a test run for you. After all, the stakes are rather low- you're to smile and be polite, charming, witty-I'm sure that won't be a problem for you…"
A compliment slipping from his lips…
Ishizu turned her head to face him, lips curved upwards seraphically. "I don't think that will be a problem, Seto."
As she looked away, Seto exhaled sharply, his eyes coming to rest upon her. That dress. Her legs. Under that dress-
As the limousine pulled up in front of the hoity-toity-looking restaurant, located in an equally fine hotel, Seto cleared his throat and finally managed to rip his eyes away from her body, coming to focus on the side of her face.
"Miss Ishtar-"
She turned her head from where she'd been watching the streets melt into one another through tinted windows, feeling his eyes crawling over her like tentative fingers, and met his gaze. "Yes, Seto?"
Seto gestured for her to look out her window. Ishizu did-and before she could stop herself, gasped quietly.
As soon as the limousine had parked-an endless glittering clutter of flashbulbs and cameras, glowing harshly against the darkening sky-
-the damned paparazzi-
Ishizu quite abruptly felt at a loss for words. This is what he meant-
-and these idiots follow him around when he goes out-?
In that moment, she almost pitied the man.
Seto ducked his head in recognition, a small embarrassed smile flashing onto his face-a most strange look, Ishizu noted with some shock-he almost looks-
-human-?
"Now you see what I have to deal with." And the cold Seto Kaiba she was accustomed to was back, voice frosty, contemptuous, endlessly arrogant.
Ishizu bit the inside of her cheek as Roland opened Seto's door; Seto climbed out of the car gracefully, carelessly-then he was outside her own door, pulling it open-the masklike expression on his face giving way to what looked like-
-an almost genuine smile-
-no-
She couldn't bring herself to believe it.
He extended his hand to hers as she got out of the car, then dropped it to rest against the small of her back -playing the part of the devoted boyfriend, I see- as they peeled through the various photographers and tabloid reporters screaming his name, clamoring for their attention, wondering aloud who this woman with Seto Kaiba was-
As soon as they entered the foyer of the hotel building, a blessed quiet enveloping them, Ishizu couldn't help but quip, "it's not every day when an arms dealer is treated like a teenage heartthrob…"
Seto smirked, moving his hand from her back-immediately regretting it. "Well, Ishizu-" he remarked, savoring this first use of her given name-the rich feel of it on his tongue- "it's not every day when an arms dealer looks like me."
Ishizu couldn't hold back a groan at his own self-aggrandizement as a man dressed in black opened the door before them; Seto placed his hand once more to the small of her back and escorted her inside the dimly-lit restaurant.
As the heavy door swung closed behind them, Ishizu couldn't help but getting the nagging suspicion that she'd ensnared herself in yet another trap.
The restaurant was one of those ultra-modern, low-lighting, square-plate affairs where entrées were merely listed, no price given-no description given, for it was expected that the clientele would understand what the various foodstuffs and their composite ingredients were. People clustered at tables, all finely dressed. Wine glasses twinkling in the light. Delicate hands with forks and knives, clattering against fine china. Murmurs. Warm tones. Ishizu swallowed hard as she tried to take in all of her surroundings, waiting for her eyes to adjust to this warm, disgustingly intimate setting.
"Kaiba-boy!" came a mellifluous voice from deeper within the restaurant. Emitting from a flamboyantly-dressed white-haired man rising with no small amount of grace from a table, his face half hidden by that sleek curtain of hair, beginning to approach them with arms extended.
Ishizu could have sworn she saw Seto grit his teeth at the endearment, his eyes briefly flashing coldly. Found herself reveling in his annoyance.
They approached the white-haired man, Ishizu suddenly feeling a queasy thrill ripple through her at the prospect of Seto's demands for the evening.
Witty. Charming. The perfect dinner guest-
-the perfect girlfriend-
"I see we've not stopped using that nickname, Pegasus." Seto's voice wry.
The men shook hands as Pegasus replied, "oh, never, Kaiba-boy; not when it irritates you so delightfully…" He turned his twinkling gaze towards Ishizu, beginning to beam as he took her in. Appraised her. "Why, Kaiba-boy-you never mentioned you'd taken a lady-friend… such a exquisite creature she is…" He bowed low before her, then stepped in closer and kissed her on both cheeks. Ishizu found her cheeks reddening slightly at the gesture.
He swept his manicured hand along hers. These rich men, with their soft hands… "My name is Pegasus Crawford. I'm an old friend of Kaiba-boy's here. We go quite far back, he and I…" his voice trailed off nostalgically as Seto fought from rolling his eyes at his colleague's utter ridiculousness.
Pegasus snapped his eye back to Seto. "And how long have you two lovebirds been together? You simply must tell me everything..."
"It's relatively recent-several weeks," Seto replied smoothly, pressing his hand against Ishizu's spine softly, feeling her shiver strangely and subtly against his touch. I do hope she remembers that for our purposes-
Pegasus looked utterly chuffed. "Ah-you must still be in that honeymoon stage... I bet you can't keep your hands off one another…."
Ishizu grinned cheekily, turning to look at Seto, her eyes never leaving his as she replied, a hint of implications in her voice. "That's right, Mr. Crawford-in fact, over the course of the dinner, I would highly discourage you from looking beneath the table-unless you're in the mood for a little shock, that is…"
Seto nearly swallowed his own tongue.
Pegasus clapped his hands together in evident pleasure. "Ah! Kaiba-boy! You've found a treasure-both beautiful and a mind to her as well. Oh, this will be a splendid dinner-I can tell already."
He took Ishizu's hand and guided her over to the table, Seto following in tow, already regretting choosing Pegasus as their trial run dinner. Better make that two stiff drinks-
Pegasus pulled out Ishizu's chair for her with a flourish. "Please, Ishizu, darling, call me Pegasus. I can tell we're going to be fabulous friends."
Ishizu lowered herself into her seat, allowing herself a broad grin as she looked back up at him. "I think so too, Pegasus."
I regret this already- Seto sighed quietly, imperceptibly, as he pulled out his own chair and sat across from Ishizu at the square table, with Pegasus settling in between them.
Pegasus lifted his hand in a lazy, graceful gesture; a suited waiter appeared, seemingly from nowhere, to proffer menus, printed on elegant parchment in neat, tiny black handwriting.
Ishizu took a deep breath sharply as she scanned the menu, realizing that a good number of the options-duck rillettes, stuffed choux puffs, Veal Oscar, bouillabaisse-did not exactly ring a bell for her...
Clearing her throat gently, Ishizu leaned across the table towards Seto and murmured quietly, keeping all traces of panic from her voice. "Seto, would you mind ordering for us?" The bastard didn't even prepare me for dinner- I have no idea what the hell half of these things even are-
Seto saw the flash of discomfort in those dark eyes and nodded curtly. "Of course." I ought to have clued her in on this place-
Pegasus summoned the waiter again. "Would anyone like wine? The selection here is fabulous…"
Ishizu bit her lower lip. "I'll be fine with whatever you order, Pegasus-I'm not much of a wine expert, myself…" I could use a shot of vodka to get through this dinner, though…
Pegasus smiled and leaned over towards the waiter. "We'll have three glasses of the 2009 Chave Hermitage Blanc, s'il vous plait." The waiter bowed his head and left.
Ishizu shifted in her seat and crossed her legs at the ankles. Picked up the intricately folded napkin underneath the heavy silver fork. Placed it in her lap, smoothing out every last wrinkle before settling her hands there. Clasping. Breathe. In. Out-
"So, Ishizu, my dear, you simply must tell me how you two darlings met-I'm sure it's quite the story, knowing this one…" Pegasus jerked his head towards Seto, who was beginning to look quite cross at this whole affair, and winked at her with his one visible eye playfully.
Ishizu felt a droplet of sweat form under her chignon. We probably should have discussed this beforehand-
Well, I guess it's my turn to dictate the terms for once-
Inwardly enjoying a smile at Seto's expense, she spoke, mind racing to form coherent sentences and string them along into a plausible story. "Well, Pegasus-if you must know-it's not a particularly interesting story…"
Seto clenched his fists together in his lap, paling slightly as Ishizu bought herself time-damn-he's going to realize something's up if she doesn't pull some believable bullshit together-
She cleared her throat and gripped the napkin tightly in one hand, feeling Pegasus' eye boring into hers. "Well, I'm a graduate student in curatorial studies at the Courtauld Institute in London, but my family lives here in Domino-we moved here from Egypt when I was just a girl, you see-and, well, I'd decided to fly home during my break to see my family-my two brothers, that is-instead of traveling with classmates or working on my thesis-I'm slightly behind on that front-" she allowed herself a girlish giggle of self-deprecation- "and, well, I decided to take a trip to the museum here in the city to see, perhaps, if I could find an area in which I wanted to focus my research, and-well-his driver nearly ran me down-"
Pegasus clapped his hands together and released a melodic peal of laughter, leaning back and patting Seto on the shoulder in an almost parental way. "Oh, Ishizu-do go on-"
Seto bit his tongue hard, fighting the urge to retort something caustic in defense of Roland; as Ishizu's eyes met his own, she subtly raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a smirk. "Well, as you can imagine, Seto here was slightly mortified over the whole thing, seeing as how he only hires the best to work for him, you know, and, well, he decided to be a gentleman, for once-" winking at Seto, who gritted his teeth and smiled back at her, nails digging into his palms- "and decided to buy me lunch as an apology." She looked back at Pegasus and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "So-we got to talking, and he offered to give me a ride home, and, well…" she trailed off, allowing Pegasus to imply what he might- "the rest is history."
As the waiter returned with the wine, temporarily distracting Pegasus, Seto finally blinked as the muscles in his back unclenched. Well done, Ishizu. Well done.
Take a sip of wine. Smile. Laugh. Allow Seto to order. Listen. Watch. Smile. Take a bite of food. Interject when appropriate. Look at Seto. He's looking at me- Take another bite of food. Accept when Pegasus offers to share. Laugh. Look at Seto. Smile. Take a sip of wine. He's still looking- And so on...
"You two were holding out on me-why, I assumed you two lovers would be playing a merciless game of footsie beneath the table!" Pegasus grinned brightly at her as the trio made their way to the hotel foyer.
Ishizu gave the white-haired man a crooked smile. "Ah, well, we refrained for your benefit, Pegasus-after all, we are headed home now..."
Another laugh from Pegasus. "Ah, I do like you, Ishizu. I hope our paths cross again soon." He leaned in and kissed her quickly, once on each cheek, before shaking Seto's hand.
As he walked towards the front door of the hotel, he called back: "Kaiba-boy, you've got quite the treasure on your hands!"
"I count my lucky stars every day," quipped Seto in response, prompting Ishizu to gnaw on her lower lip.
Once Pegasus was out of earshot, he moved his hand to the small of her back. "You did quite well, Ishizu." Better than I could have anticipated- the woman is a chameleon-
Ishizu looked up at him through lowered lashes, knowing she looked fairly irresistible in this moment.
Honey. Fly into the trap, Seto Kaiba.
"Thank you," she whispered, the slight huskiness of her voice sending shivers down his spine.
Seto pushed open the door to the hotel, grimacing as the bright yellow flashing lights of the paparazzi greeted them, snapping to attention once their target had made himself visible and swarming them, a group of vicious lamps to two slight moths.
"Seto-Mr. Kaiba-" "Mr. Kaiba, who is she?" "Mr. Kaiba, the president of the United States has condemned the proliferation of nuclear weapons-" "Mr. Kaiba, do you have a comment-"
Seto kept his face stony as he guided Ishizu through the throngs of reporters and photographers, the eager muckrakers reaching out, trying to grab at him-at her-at them-
"Mr. Kaiba, who is she-" "Mr. Kaiba, are you finally dating someone?" "How long have you been keeping her a secret, Mr. Kaiba-"
Then he was opening the door, pushing her gently into the backseat, then sliding in alongside her, closing the door, letting out an aggrieved sigh as the car pulled away. Slumping against the seat. Head thrown back. A faint sheen of sweat in the moonlight on his forehead.
Ishizu took a deep, slightly shaky breath as she regarded him-her captor-her target-as his chest rose and fell at increasingly longer intervals.
The way he was looking at me all night-
If I can do this-
-tonight-
I can be out of here by the morning.
Forget the company-though, of course, the untimely death of its CEO would certainly be more than enough to send the stocks plummeting-
She turned her gaze to him, lowered her eyelids. "Well, Seto Kaiba-you were right about why the paparazzi follow you around like that…" Her hands-oh-so-gently-brushed against his chest with as she trailed her fingers upwards. "Mind if I…" she asked quietly, loosening his tie, watching his Adam's apple move as she pulled the fabric knot apart.
Seto's heart began to pound in his chest at her sudden closeness. Her hands now on his shoulders. Lips full. Eyes heavy. Alarmingly so. What is this woman-
It dawned on him.
-she must be drunk-
Ishizu scooted in closer to him so that their hips were touching. Turned in the seat to face him. Studying his profile as he lifted his head, then looked directly at her, eyes narrowing, the vivid pale blue startling.
"Ishizu, you're drunk. This is not happening." His voice was just slightly fraying at the edges. I'm keeping her as a prisoner, dammit. I'm not a monster-
Besides, I promised her brother I wouldn't touch her…
He grasped her wrists in his hands and moved them back into her lap. Firmly.
Ishizu lowered her head, glad for the night's darkness hiding her infuriated scarlet cheeks.
The limousine pulled up in front of Kaiba Manor. Roland excited the car, and before he could open Ishizu's door, Seto had opened the door opposite and climbed out of the car, taking long strides to the front door.
Ishizu wanted to kick herself. Hard. So close-and, of course, he proves himself to be a decent human being in that regard.
Of course-
She slid towards the open door and climbed out, only to find the sweet, tender features of Téa Gardner-Seto's housekeeping chief of staff-awaiting her, eyes looking sisterly and concerned.
"Seto mentioned you had a little too much to drink, honey…" She extended a hand to Ishizu, who, sighing under her breath, made her body appear loose, intoxicated, looking up at Téa and nodding weakly, crinkling her forehead for effect.
Slowly Téa helped her up the steps and throughout the endless maze of passageways of the Kaiba Manor until Ishizu, thoroughly disoriented by the layout of the place, found herself in the room-she refused to call it hers-and then Téa was helping her unbutton the ridiculous dress and handing her a nightgown from the chest of drawers. Seating her carefully on the bed.
"Would you like some water, Miss Ishtar?" A hand on her forehead. Cool. Soft.
Ishizu shook her head. "No, thank you, Miss Gardner-I think I just need some quiet…" She stretched and yawned for effect as the other woman nodded and left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Ishizu leapt up from the bed, rushing to the bathroom, scrabbling for the soap to wash this wretched makeup off of her face-fat lot of good it had done her-
She wanted to scream, so she muffled her cry with a balled-up hand towel.
I wouldn't have been able to escape anyway-even if he had taken me to bed and I had succeeded...
As she walked back into the room-
-she heard a faint twitching noise.
Not animal-not a rat, certainly-
She walked over to the windows and drew them closed.
That noise again-
She walked towards the television against the wall, searching for the hidden switch that made it go away-
-and as she moved closer, the twitching sound grew louder-
-almost…
… mechanical-
Ishizu's blood iced in her veins as she walked towards the door…
-and heard it again-
A motion sensor?
A terrible thought gripped her tightly.
Or-
-a camera?
She swept her eyes wildly along the wall with the mounted television-the screen, the hidden switch to show and hide it, the light switch… coming to rest upon the door itself. That innocuous thing. Tall, wooden, painted white, almost blending into the wall… that pretty crown moulding above the door.
She looked up and squinted-saw a flash of light, heard that twitching sound-then, quickly, disguised the gesture as a yawn-
Above the door-
She stretched her arms above her head to continue the yawn, then turned around and walked back to the bed, looking at the floor, keeping her face and posture normal-calm-as if she hadn't just discovered that Seto Kaiba had the ability to track her every move in the room.
He saw me cry-earlier?
The thought wracked through her. Rippled within her.
No.
That-that wasn't there before-no. I would have heard it earlier…
Mind scrambling. Putting the pieces together…
Seto must have had it installed during our dinner-
-that bastard-
She walked back to the bed and sat down slowly, not daring to glance in the direction of the screen, yet-
I have to act natural.
I cannot let him know that I found it-
As her breathing steadied, a low, dull heat burned within her. Curling. Coming to a point. Beneath her skin.
You want a show, Seto Kaiba?
You want to see me break?
She made herself hiccup loudly. Punctuated. The sound coming out like a sob.
Then again.
Tearing from her lips, her throat, a mournful wail-
Abbreviated.
Then another sob.
Another.
A wail-interrupted by a sob.
Hands to her face. A shudder of her shoulders.
Followed by another sob. Wail. Sob. Sob. Wail-sob. Shudder.
Then all over again. Expanding to allow a keening noise to pop up here and there.
Once and again. Finding a rhythm. Beginning to rock back and forth on the bed.
Almost managing to work up real tears.
I'll give you a show, Seto Kaiba.