A/N: Well, I had to go and get sick. No seriously, at 11:30 I got a sore throat and then an hour later I had a full on fever, was freezing cold, shivering, my body ached and was hypersensitive to the point of pain, i had a severe gray out event and got nauseus. Good news, that was all yesterday and last night. I feel better now, but my sinuses have decided to kick into high gear and I feel like coughing more. Not good.

In reply to Sorrynoaccount, the main baddie in this a canon character and a bad guy at that. This baddie is not an OC. Kudos to you if you can figure out who it is but I won't reveal the baddie's identity until I feel good and ready. I'm evil like that.

Insults, Introductions, and Shadow Business

Oliver kept an eye on Seto as he hurried their little group to the waiting limousine at the entrance of the hotel. The way the KaibaCorp CEO reacted when he first saw Luthor was promising but curious. The poorly hidden surprise on the bodyguard's face when Seto asked to leave sooner rather than later was telling. It would appear the Japanese businessman was not used to expressing gratitude openly or at all.

The bodyguard continued to follow his charge closely, eyeing anyone who dared venture to close to the tall brunette coldly through dark sunglasses. This man had seen combat, perhaps he had a military background of some kind like Oliver's own bodyguard and friend John Diggle. Either way, Seto obviously knew what to look for in a bodyguard.

"This way," Oliver said, guiding their group into the vehicle, closing the door behind them.

Seto seated himself on the far side of the limo studying the interior and his companions cautiously. He did not relax until his bodyguard slid in next to him, separating him from the car door and the Queens.

"So," Thea said, gaining Kaiba's attention. "This your first time going to a club?"

Kaiba hesitated looked back out the car window before turning back to Thea. "I never had a reason or the time to go before."

"Why not? It's fun," Thea pressed.

Kaiba snorted. "You and I obviously have very different definitions of 'fun,'" he said softly. "I prefer the companionship of my computer and coffee to hundreds of people in close quarters with little to no room to move."

Thea frowned in mild annoyance. "Then why are you coming?" Kaiba faced the window and did not answer. Unfortunately, this caused Thea to snicker. "You're playing hookie."

"Excuse me?" Kaiba blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar word.

"That's it, isn't it? You're avoiding something, or someone." She leaned forward in interest. "So spill. Who is it?"

Kaiba 's lips twitched, impressed by the heiress's boldness. A smirk tugged at his lips. "A certain idiot who insists I meet with him but seems utterly incapable of reading the atmosphere or catching subtle hints to back off."

"Ooh, anyone I'd know?" Thea's eyes practically glittered as she went through a list of names of people she knew had been at the press conference and narrowing down the potentials. She latched onto the one name that made sense in her mind and blurted it out. "It's Lex Luthor isn't it?"

Kaiba blinked in surprise, the smirk making itself known. He breathed a soft laugh staring at Thea with renewed interest.

"See something you like?" Thea asked with a winning smile.

Oliver watched one of Seto's expressive eyebrows lift and fought down a smile. This was shaping up to be an interesting ride.

"Hai?" Kaiba asked in confusion.

"I said, see something you like?" Thea repeated, eyes sparkling playfully. "I see you staring at me and was wondering if anything caught your interest."

Seto leaned back and turned his head away to stare out the window at the city life passing just outside it, smirk fading to something closer to his usual glower. "I was wondering where you hide your intelligence."

The smile became strained. "Excuse me?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my sister," Oliver said in a calm, unwavering voice staring hard at Seto.

"I was not," Seto replied without removing his gaze from the window, what little sunlight was left through the rain clouds fading under the horizon. "If anything it was a compliment."

"Then perhaps you should clarify 'cause that sounded distinctly like an insult," Thea said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

Seto paused before turning to her and replying. "You remind me of my little brother. Both of you are smart, perhaps more so than you let on or even realize yourself. I know where Mokuba hides his intelligence," Seto said, lowering his eyes, lost in a memory. Not a second later, he met Thea's eyes once more. "I was wondering where you hid yours."

"I don't see how that's a compliment," Thea said, huffing in frustration.

"Nor do I," Oliver said, leaning forward resting his forearms on his knees. He noticed the slight tensing of the bodyguard's shoulders. Curiously, Seto showed no discomfort, practically radiating a lack of interest in the situation.

The Japanese businessman flicked his eyes to him briefly before returning to Thea's. "Mokuba is a prodigy in his own right, though he either refuses to believe it or is simply comfortable residing in my shadow. You are intelligent but you hide it well. It's your choice whether or not to use it." The eyes narrowed and brown bangs slipped across the pale forehead as Seto leaned back in the leather seat, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in a clear end of the conversation.

Oliver glanced at Thea sitting next to him and was concerned by the fascinated expression on her face. He did not get the chance to think about it further because his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and opened the message.

/From: J.D.

Received: 9/22/2014 8:46 P.M.

"Found something. Details later. There's a stray bird here, fyi."/

Oliver slipped his phone back into his pocket. His face showed none of the raging emotions he felt inside. Hopefully whatever the others had found would lead to the end of these massacres in his city. When he lifted his eyes, he saw Seto staring at him with an unreadable expression. He smiled and nodded. Seto merely smirked and turned back to the window leaving Oliver with the peculiar feeling he was not exactly comfortable with.

When they arrived at the Verdant, Oliver climbed out of the limo helping his sister out behind him. Seto and his bodyguard followed after, the bodyguard looking distinctly disconcerted. Oliver bit his lip in concealed amusement. The bodyguard was probably not looking forward to keeping track of his charge in this place. Of course, Seto did not look as enthused about the situation either but he had asked to come here. You reap what you sow.

"Welcome to the Verdant," Oliver said, spreading his arms in an over the top greeting. Seto merely crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow. "Let me get you a drink." Seto opened his mouth the remind him of their deal when Oliver waved it aside. "Non alcoholic, I promise. How 'bout a virgin Bloody Mary, yeah?"

"Bloody Mary?" Seto repeated hesitantly, his accent making the name sound creepy.

"It's just a drink," Thea said, smiling as she swept into the club.

"Non alcoholic, like I promised. Anything virgin is non alcoholic," Oliver assured. "You have my word."

Seto sighed in resignation. "Very well."

"That 'a boy," Oliver said, laughing and guiding his guest inside, careful not to touch him. The way the bodyguard was watching him gave him the impression touch was not necessarily welcome.

The moment they entered the Verdant, Seto tensed. Oliver would not have noticed the subtle tensing of the proud shoulders and narrowing on the corners of the alert blue eyes if he had not been looking for it. So the Japanese businessman was not fond of crowds, good to know. He made his way over to the bar, constantly looking over his shoulder to be sure Seto was following him, and ordered the virgin Bloody Mary.

By the time Seto had joined him on one of the barstools, the drink was placed on the counter. Oliver smiled to the barista and pushed the glass over to Seto who eyed it suspiciously. The brunette lifted the red drink to his nose, sniffing it cautiously before taking a sip. Blue eyes flicked to Oliver as he took a longer drink. Setting the glass down, he nodded.

"Not bad."

Oliver smiled. "Glad you like it."

"I prefer traditional sake myself, but," Seto shrugged, "tequila will do I suppose. However, no alcohol while working is a rule I have no intension of deviating from in the future."

"Tequila?" Oliver repeated in interest. "Have a preferred brand?"

Seto took another sip and shook his head. "Not particularly. I don't drink it as often as sake. I typically drink it when abroad where sake is not easy to get."

"Huh. I didn't peg you for a heavy drinker," Oliver commented casually, turning in on the barstool to watch the other guests drink and dance.

Seto's eyes hooded. "I wasn't."

But I am now, hung heavy in the air, audible to both young men. Oliver wisely let the subject drop. He instead focused on listening to the music that pulsed through the air and bodies to the beat of the bass. He noticed Thea mingling with the patrons. She really knew what she was doing. It had indeed been the right decision to make her the manager.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he almost did not notice the subtle shift in his partner's attention. Almost. He followed Seto's gaze to the back entrance. It took him a minute to differentiate John Diggle through the crowd. But when he did, he could not help but wonder how Seto knew he was there, or if Diggle had not been the focus of his companion, what had drawn his attention?

The tall African American wove through the crowds as best he could obviously looking for something. When he caught Oliver's eye, he made his way over. Oliver shifted to face his friend and bodyguard while keeping Seto in his peripheral vision.

"Hey buddy," he said jovially. "Wanna join?"

Diggle rolled his eyes in mock annoyance before settling his attention on Seto. "Who's your friend?"

"Hardly friend," Seto corrected, sipping his drink dismissively. "Business acquaintance only."

"Aw, hey, you don't mean that. I've at least earned the rank of companion right?" Oliver teased, earning him a glare. He laughed and turned back to Diggle. "Sorry, this is Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corporations. He's visiting Starling City on business."

"Nice to meet you," Diggle said extending his hand politely.

Kaiba eyed the hand for a moment before setting his drink down and grasping the hand firmly. Blue eyes gazed at their joined hands for a moment before snapping up to meet John's eyes. "Soudesyo," he murmured.

"Excuse me?" John asked confused.

"Nothing," Seto replied. "English is not my first language."

John laughed but it did not quite reach his eyes. "I understand. English is not an easy language to learn."

Seto grabbed his drink in what could be considered a minor sulk. "Not even close." John's smile became more genuine. He would have spoken once more if Seto had not done so first. "Are you military?"

John paused. "Army, retired."

Seto lifted an eyebrow. "Just army?"

"Ranger."

Seto nodded. "Your stance gives you away."

This time John nodded. "I get that fairly often."

"Are you military?" Oliver asked the Japanese businessman, seizing the opening.

Seto smiled sardonically. "Of a sort." He set his glass down and sat up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. "Running a multimillion dollar business is a cut-throat career." Gr grinned like a predator. "I find I enjoy the challenge."

That was not much of an answer but it hinted of volumes worth of stories better left untold. Taking the subtle hint, Oliver backed off. That's when Seto twitched and pulled out a sleek KaibaCorp cell phone. He took note of the caller and stood. "I need to take this." He answered and walked away to the exit to escape the thundering music, his bodyguard trailing loyally behind him.

"So," Oliver began, keeping his eyes on Seto's retreating back. "What do you think of him?"

John Diggle crossed his arms and leaned against the bar by Oliver watching the young CEO through the windows of the club. He shook his head. "He's a fascinating character, I'll give him that. Struck me as probably having some sort military background, though he's a bit too young for retirement and no soldier I know of has managed to be in service, active or reserve, and still be a CEO of a huge company."

"My thoughts exactly," Oliver agreed. "But we both know he has no military experience whatsoever."

"That we could find," John correctly. "Speaking of, I just heard, apparently the rodent has had about as much success breaking into the KaibaCorp mainframe as we have."

"So in other words, no such luck."

John hummed in response. "Think you can sneak to the Arrow Cave in around a half hour or so?"

"Don't call it that," Oliver said half-heartedly. "And yeah, probably. I think Seto'll be okay on his own. He seems perfectly capable of handling himself."

"Not much of a people person though."

"No, not really," Olive replied chuckling. "Should I expect guests?"

"Two, maybe three. Depends on whether the third decides to keep her distance of not. I'll let you know."

"Good."

Kaiba had been keeping his Shadow senses open on the off chance he felt a Shadow user in the vicinity or, heaven forbid, another Shadow Game start. He was not looking forward to dispelling a Shadow Game. Knowing his luck, the Game would start at an inopportune moment which would leave many feathers ruffled.

So when he felt a twitch in the Shadows nearby, he immediately narrowed his focus and turned to the source. It was just a faint signature but Kaiba recognized it as the pinprick of the Shadows' interest. Naturally, he wanted to see this potential Shadow user in person. His eyes scanned the crowd before settling on a tall, bald African American man who obviously had military experience.

It was not until they shook hands that he was absolutely sure, however. The few Shadows following the man reacted to Kaiba's presence. This man was indeed a potential user, though with not as much promise as Oliver Queen, or Arrow as the the city Shadows preferred. If things kept up, then this John Diggle could perhaps learn to conceal his presence much like Kaiba could. Such a skill could come in handy. However, even though Kaiba doubted the man's skill and talent would progress much further than that, it would still make the man a member of the Shadow Kingdom and thus under Kaiba's jurisdiction on some level.

The cellphone call had been unexpected but welcome all the same. The loud, rhythmic music and flashing lights were beginning to get to him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped out into the cool air letting the door close behind him, muting the noise.

"Mushi mushi," he said in Japanese.

"You are a bastard," a rough voice speaking fluent, if accented Japanese replied.

Kaiba smirked. "I knew you were slow, but this is a new record I believe. What was your first clue, Thief?"

"Cut the crap, Regent," the voice growled out switching to hieretic.

Immediately, Kaiba's amusement faded. The Thief only ever referred to his rank or spoke hieretic if it involved Shadow business. "What happened?" he demanded in hieretic.

"A Justice Twat is here asking questions."

"About what?"

"Seems to think the break-in at Ishizu's exhibit was an inside job. Idiot thinks Marik did it."

"Marik? Why?"

"Because the innocent and oh-so-helpful-and-innocent clutz Ryou could not possibly be the culprit," the Thief snickered.

Kaiba closed his eyes in annoyance. "I see. Does this...twat have a name?"

"Calls himself Green Lanturn," Bakura said, sounding like he was examining his fingernails. "I'm fairly certain he does not know of the Shadows but some of the things he's been asking have been...too close to make me or Ryou comfortable."

"Questions like what?" Kaib asked, his tone stern and businesslike.

"I get the feeling this Lantern thinks the robbery here could be connected to your case of uncontrolled Shadow Games."

Blue eyes opened, staring at the cityscape coldly. "I see. I'll get Mokuba to look into it."

"What? Too beneath your own skills?"

"I'm busy hunting a serial killer who uses Shadow magic and Noa is busy keeping the Justice League from breaching my computers," Kaiba snapped.

"Oh, they don't trust you?"

Kaiba snorted. "I'm rich, powerful, foreign, and new to the area. They're doing exactly what I would do. They're just nowhere near my skill level at hacking."

Bakura cackled. "There's the arrogant bastard I know. I assume the Sorceress hasn't joined you yet?"

"No, and I'd prefer it if she kept her distance," Kaiba sniffed. "Her Shadow powers are strong, but still nowhere near our level."

"What's this? Do I detect worry for a compatriot, Kaiba Seto?" Bakura said in mock shock.

"You're reading too much into things."

"Of course," Bakura replied. "Do you think our gracious rulers could spare me a moment of their time?"

Kaiba felt his eyebrow twitch. "How would I know? I'm not their babysitter."

"No, but they'll be more likely to answer the phone if the call was from you."

"Only because I call for business, not for pleasure."

Bakura cackled aloud, a hysterical edge to it. "Of course. No pleasure for our Kaiba Seto. Ishizu sends her regards," he said in the last in Japanese.

Kaiba switched to his native language easily. "Tell her to shove it."

"She said you'd say that." Kaiba swore he felt a twitch. "Do let me know if anything interesting happens. I'll keep in touch."

"I'd really rather you not." It was too late. Bakura had already hung up. Kaiba fought down his frustration. He never liked the spirit Bakura, not even his host Ryou. Ryou acted too innocent and naive while Bakura was unhinged and not good for Kaiba's mind. But the two were members of the Court and thus Kaiba had the misfortune of constantly interacting with them.

Marik was not much better. Both the Ishtars were wild cards. Ishizu, the Priestess, was strong willed and stubborn has a rock while Marik, the Priest, was slightly sneaky and slightly insane. Rishid, Marik's stepbrother, was stoic and absolutely loyal to Marik alone. Even Ishizu did not have as much influence over him as Marik did. The idiotic Tomb Keeper had Rishid wrapped around his little finger. Thankfully, Ishizu answered to Kaiba as a member of his Triad.

Altogether, the five of them made for some interesting company, especially since Marik started letting the former Spirit of the Ring screw him. The two separate were bad enough, together they were a bomb, fuse lit and waiting to explode in his face.

At least Yami and Yuugi were more subtle with their affections and did their best to keep their romantic interactions behind closed doors. The idiotic Thief and manic Priest threw propriety out the window and would often be caught screwing on the couch. Now there was an image Kaiba could not soon forget. He shivered.

"Kaiba-sama," Fuguta asked in Japanese, mildly concerned.

Kaiba shook his head. "Nothing. I need brain bleach," he muttered earning a soft chuckle from his bodyguard.

"I'm afraid I can't help with that. But I think it would interest you to know several people have entered alley to the left."

"So?"

"One appeared from thin air."

Kaiba stiffened. He had not felt the Shadows move, not a Shadows user then. He smirked. "So, I guess I'll have to see what a couple members of the Justice League want with a simple club like this."

Without further comment, Kaiba strode back into the mass of noise, bodies, and lights, returning to his seat at the bar. Oliver grinned at him.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry but there's something I have to take care of. If you need anything, get Thea. She's brilliant."

Kaiba nodded and watched the two Americans leave. He waited several minutes before he picked up his drink and moved to a more secluded seat in the corner. "Don't let anyone disturb me," he said.

He did not need to see Fuguta to know the man had positioned himself between Kaiba and the pulsing crowd. Satisfied, Kaiba sipped his drink and let his vision fade into the Shadows. Perhaps he could learn something useful tonight