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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 20, 2012 23:01:35 GMT -5
"This is not acceptable." Seto Kaiba groused, which he did not do. He was stern as steel, cold as ice, he glared and spoke with a curt, tight-cut tone that could rupture an artery if handled carelessly. Yet he could see it quite plainly in Isono's face, this was the reaction of a man who'd just been groused at.
"I'm sorry sir, but the situation is what it is; you have to make an appearance at the mayor's party and he insists that you bring a guest."
"And I can't just drag you along?"
"Beyond the fact that I'm your employee, I'm not the sort of guest that you would be expected to bring."
"I need to bring a woman." Seto did not care to mince around the subject any further; he had strenuously avoided this sort of activity beyond his own innate disinclination towards the subject, and now, in order to maintain the social alliances necessary for Kaiba Corporation to do its work, he had to indulge it.
"Shall I start looking into finding an appropriate guest for you."
"No. Something this distasteful should be handled personally." Isono bowed and departed, and so Seto contemplated, wondering who would be the least intolerable for an evening of pretending to be amicable, civil even?
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 21, 2012 0:20:42 GMT -5
The plain fact was that Seto didn’t know that many women. He had plenty of female staff, but he tended to see the world in terms of politics and power-plays. He was much more likely to recognise whether or not someone was a threat to his company or a good Duel Monsters player than whether they were male or female.
He did have a little black book of names he sometimes he used. The problem with that was that, ever since Pegasus’s Duellist Kingdom, he hadn’t needed to use it and hadn’t bothered to top up the names inside. It had just been accepted whenever he turned up at functions stag. It had even added to his reputation in some circles; the lone wolf, totally focussed on his business to the exclusion of all else. Some businessmen appreciated that level of dedication – especially when they had wives at home who liked spending their money and harping on about them ogling pretty girls at parties. As an added difficulty, those black book names Seto had called on before rarely wanted a second date. His personality habitually rubbed people up the wrong way. All that was left were the staunchest of gold-diggers, and frankly, those women he could do without.
Could he approach some celebrity-of-the-moment? There were always enough C- to Z-listers eager to attend the opening of an envelope. Not really the impression he wanted to create, though.
Honestly, why did life have to become so difficult on such a small scale? He had better things to think about than who he was taking to some city function. Maybe he should let Isono take care of it. Then again, the last time he did that, he had ended up trying to pry a young debutante off his arm for most of the evening. Her braying laugh and determination to drape herself all over him had gotten tiresome inside five minutes. Then there was the girl before her, who had seemed to think shoving her sizeable breasts at him all the time would automatically get her an engagement ring and access to the Kaiba fortune. And before that had been the girl who wrote him bad poetry and got up on stage to drunkenly read it out to the assembled guests. And before that had been the animal rights activist who had brought a bottle of red paint and tossed it at a prominent politician’s wife because she was wearing a fox-fur scarf. And before that …
On second, third and fourth thoughts, Isono was NOT the right man for this job.
But that still left Seto with the same conundrum: who the hell was he going to take to the mayor’s party?
Sometimes fate likes to step in when we are presented with problems to which we can see no answer. Equally, sometimes doesn’t just step in, but steps on us, kicking us in the head to make sure we get the message.
Seto’s secretary, one of many he had hired and fired this year without learning their names, appeared nervously at his office door. This one was male, which was unfortunate. The last one had been female, he was sure, and would have solved his problem easily. Turning up with another guy at the party would create entirely the wrong impression with that crowd, however.
“Um, sir?”
“Yes, what is it?” Seto snapped.
The secretary flinched. “Your five o’clock is here, sir.”
“And who is my five o’clock?”
“Yuugi Mutou, sir. He’s here for the magazine interview.”
Months ago Seto had agreed to an interview and photo shoot based on Yuugi’s wins at both the Battle City and Grand Prix tournaments. He had kept putting it off because of work commitments and the fact that being interviewed about how many times Yuugi had beaten him wasn’t high on his Want To Do list. Eventually the magazine editor had cornered him at a distracted moment and somehow conned him into doing both interview and photos here at Kaiba Corp’s HQ. The magazine was prestigious enough – and international enough – that he couldn’t put it off any longer.
Sighing irritably, Seto rose from his desk. “Fine. I’ll be down shortly. Show them into Board Room 4. Serve them coffee and whatever else is applicable.”
“Yes, sir,” the secretary squeaked and gratefully fled.
Seto busied himself for a few minutes writing post-its about what he had to finish when he got back. He locked his laptop, turned and pocketed the key to the desk drawer where he kept his Duel Monsters deck and swept out of the room.
When he opened the board room door, he was surprised to see not only Yuugi and the magazine team. Then he wondered why he was surprised. Yuugi never went anywhere without the rest of the Dork Patrol. Then, with the subtlety of a boot to the head, he realised that here was the answer to his party conundrum, delivered to his door for added alacrity.
Anzu Mazaki.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 21, 2012 1:24:14 GMT -5
To be honest, Yuugi had actually been looking forward to the interview and photo shoot; it was for a really big, prestigious magazine and being considered important enough, nay, indispensable for the shoot, it would boost the ego of anyone who'd gotten used to quietly sitting in the corner, hoping no one would notice him and how weird he was. Matter of fact, once this was over and done with, Yuugi was sure that he'd have enough confidence to bite the bullet and tell Anzu how he felt, how he really felt about her.
"So I, a three-thousand year old nameless pharaoh, can't give the confidence you need, but some photographer you don't know, working for a magazine you don't even read, can?" Yuugi knew his other self wasn't mad, just puzzled and amused by it all. He himself couldn't really explain it in a way that made sense, but that was the way it was.
"Now Seto, even though you said you would not be participating in the Grand Prix itself, you intervened against that foppish fellow, Siegfried von Schroeder. Why then, did you not do the same to duel against Yuugi following his victory against the younger Schroeder brother? Were you afraid of yet another defeat?"
"Ooh, this is gonna be good." Jounouchi whispered even as Anzu motioned as though to box his ears.
"I intervened against that clown in order to preserve the integrity of the tournament. Engaging in petty opposition to interfere in my rival's lawful victory would have ruined that effort." Yuugi wasn't surprised at all by Seto's answer, he was always prepared for almost anything, his and his other self's victories against him in Duel Monsters the exceptionally rare exception.
"I see..." And so the interview continued until it reached its inevitable end.
"All right pal, here's your chance." Honda said as he gave Yuugi a supportive pat on the back. "Get your game face on and knock all your fans down." Jounouchi and Anzu gave Honda quizzical glances. "Whatever, you know what I said was good."
Yuugi chuckled nervously as he was directed where to stand, how close or far he was supposed to be to Seto, what sort of expression, what to do with his hands, his eyes, he felt like a puppet on a string. Eventually that came to an end as well. "All right then, you'll be seeing this in the next issue, which you'll both receive complimentary copies of. Toodles!" The interviewer and photographer took off.
"So now what do we do?" Anzu asked aloud.
"Actually, Anzu, I was wondering..." Yuugi felt his heart beat, and both Jounouchi and Honda made themselves scarce, heading down the hall, not daring to interfere with what should have happened a long time ago. Anzu herself looked upon Yuugi intently
"Anzu Mazaki, I will require your accompaniment this Saturday." It took Yuugi and Anzu a moment to realize that Seto had spoken, that he'd spoken unprompted to Anzu, and the nature of what he'd just said. "This is not optional."
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 21, 2012 4:10:01 GMT -5
“The hell it isn’t,” she replied. “Who are you to be giving ME order, Seto Kaiba?”
Seto was implacable. “I am in the unfortunate position of having to attend a high-status black-tie event hosted by the mayor. I find myself also in the position that I have no affiliate with whom to attend, and the event is not one I would be permitted to attend alone. Therefore I require your services, as a female of the appropriate age and semi-appropriate etiquette. Despite your personality defects, you have an appropriate body type for formal eveningwear and your face is not entirely un-photogenic. The event begins at eight sharp; therefore I will pick you up at –”
“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, time out.” Jounouchi made a T with his hands. “Let me get this straight: you, Seto Kaiba, billionaire asshole and all around moneybags, have to go to a party, but you can’t get a date? And now you want Anzu to pose as one for you because she’s young, she’d look hot in a prom dress and she doesn’t have a face like Quasimodo?” He grinned wickedly. “Did I leave anything out?”
“Thanks, Jounouchi,” Anzu muttered. “With friends like you, who needs enemies?” Rounding on Kaiba, she said, “And just why, after that WONDERFUL request, would I go on a date ANYWHERE with you, let alone a big fancy public party?”
He thought for a moment, as if it genuinely hadn’t occurred to him that should could – and would – say no. “I’ll pay you.”
“Now you want her to work as your escort!” Jounouchi was creasing himself with laughter. Even Honda chuckled, though his came more from her bopping Jounouchi top of the head.
“Forget it, Kaiba. I don’t want any of your money, and I CERTAINLY don’t want to go on any date with you.”
Seto scowled. “Everyone wants money. Even if they protest at first, they admit they want it in the end.”
She folded her arms. “Well that’s where you’re wrong, because I don’t.”
“What about your plans to go to America after you graduate? I believe you intend to try out for Julliard.”
Anzu faltered. How did he know about that?
As if sensing weakness, he compounded the proposition by adding, “By all accounts, you’re good enough for a scholarship, but New York is an expensive place to move to, as well as the cost of moving itself. No matter how many hours you work at burger bars, cafés and dress shops, you’ll never be able to cover the cost on your own, and it’s not like your mother could help you.”
Anzu’s mom and dad were separated and her mom worked as an administrator at a youth centre for runaway teens. It was admirable work, but Seto was right: they barely covered all their bills each month and Anzu frequently had to dip into her America money to may sure they didn’t lose their electricity or phone line. She bit her lip. She was tempted, but the smug look on Seto’s face strengthened her resolve.
“I’d rather date road-kill,” she enunciated. “No, I’d rather date road-kill that’s been dead for a month. No, I’d rather date road-kill that’s been dead for three months, June through August, and has started to go fizzy with the heat. No, I’d rather date –”
“I get the picture,” Seto deadpanned.
“Gross, Anzu,” Honda muttered, looking a little green. He had downed eight complimentary doughnuts and they didn’t go well with the imagery she had created.
Suddenly Yuugi touched her arm. She looked down to see him wearing an expression of careful encouragement. “Anzu, I think you should do it.”
She was stunned. Judging by their silence and lack of stupid comments, so were Honda and Jounouchi. “Wh-what?” she stuttered. “Why?”
“Because it’s a good offer.” Yuugi shrugged apologetically. “Seto’s right; you could really use the money.”
Shaking off his surprise that Yuugi would willingly encourage Anzu to date another guy, and Seto Kaiba at that, Jounouchi demanded, “How much are we talking here, rich boy?”
“360,000 Yen,” Seto said without hesitation. To him, it was probably pocket change, but it made Anzu gasp. That much, just for one evening? “Plus I’ll pay for your dress, shoes, handbag, and whatever other female accessories you may need.” He said ‘female’ like it was a dirty word. Alarm bells clanged loudly in Anzu’s head, but the figure chimed louder.
Jounouchi whistled. “Hot diggety, that’s a lot. I’D almost date you for that kinda cash.”
“If you ever say anything like that again, I’ll have you removed from the building on the end of a toasting fork.” It was a ridiculous statement, but coming from Seto, it sounded threatening.
“You should do it, Anzu,” Yuugi said softly.
“But I …” Still she hesitated. She had been so staunch about not accepting the offer based on money. Her pride wouldn’t let her accept now. “I can’t …”
“Anzu, it’s Julliard. You’ve thought about nothing else since we were ten years old.”
After a long, tortured moment, she sighed. She dropped her chin onto her chest so she wouldn’t have to see Seto’s no-doubt smug smile. “All right. I’ll be your date for the evening.”
“Excellent. My secretary will need to speak to you about fitting arrangements and such –”
“Fitting arrangements? Can’t I just have a dress off the rack? It could be a fancy rack. Prada, maybe, or Gucci.” She had always dreamed of owning something from Gucci, although usually she dreamed of shoes. Her shoe collection was infamous.
Seto gave her a scornful look. “This is an important event,” he said, as if that answered her question. “It’s important to make the best impression possible. Several Kaiba Corp initiatives depend on the goodwill of people there, so it’s imperative they believe a particular impression of me.”
“That you’re a snob?” she sniped.
“That I’m invested in a relationship enough to show my partner in public. These people need to think you and I are an item. More than that, they need to BELIEVE it, so you have to make it convincing. The press may get hold of the idea – this place is full of tipsters in search of a quick buck, whom I usually fire but not always before they’ve done their damage. As you know, I rarely attach myself to any female, therefore the notion that I have now would be considered fodder for gossip magazines and other despicable publications.”
“Hey, I read those,” Anzu muttered. “They’re not that despicable.”
Another scornful look. “You need to put on a show, right up to the night in question, that you and I are –” He wrinkled his nose. “-dating. I will, of course, compensate you for your time between now and then.”
She stared at him. “This party must be REALLY important to you.”
Seto grunted noncommittally. “Come with me. You can speak to my secretary now and get it out of the way.” He held the door open for her to walk ahead of him, leaving her little choice but to go with him, leaving her friends behind in the boardroom.
….
“Yuugi, what the hell, man?” Jounouchi scrambled to his friend’s side. “What were you thinking?”
Judging by Yuugi’s ashen face, not that Anzu would now have to spend a week ‘dating’ Seto Kaiba, culminating in a glittering public event. Yuugi swallowed with some difficulty. “It’s a generous deal. Anzu needs the money.”
Jounouchi screwed up his mouth. Talk about selfless. This week was going to be hell for the little guy. His feelings for Anzu were the worst kept secret in the world. Now he would have to sit on them and pretend to be supportive of her spending time with Mister Moneybags. If Yuugi really had been about to confess, he sure as hell couldn’t do it now. Anzu needed to be believable about this fake relationship thing, which she wouldn’t be able to do if she had Yuugi’s confession swimming around in her head like a shark looking to bite of a limb at an inopportune moment.
Jounouchi sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing, dude.”
Yuugi looked down, saying nothing, but his expression spoke volumes: So do I.
[From what I can work out, 360,000 Yen works out at about $4672, or £3000, which is what I originally put in.]
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 21, 2012 12:35:43 GMT -5
"You're very brave you know." The secretary said the moment Seto Kaiba had left the room, not having to maintain appearances inside his own building.
"Thanks, I try not to think about it." At least his employees were not, inexplicably, blinded with worship of the man. "So, you're going to schedule fitting arrangements, Mr..."
"Mr. Kino, and we should keep it that way, Miss Mazaki. Mr. Kaiba wouldn't like us to get too personal with one another."
"Yeah, I'd bet." For half a moment she wondered if he might have been monitoring their conversation, but she remembered that just like her, he wanted no more to do with this than the absolute minimum. Spying on her would be a dangerous excess. "So, the fittings?"
"Ah, yes, let me bring up the tailors on the computer, see what they're already busy with and when they can fit you in." The man typed and clicked efficiently, bringing up an elaborate spreadsheet in a matter of seconds. "Okay, we are in luck, there is room available for you late this afternoon, four o' clock. It should only take you an hour or so, and the dress itself should be ready by Friday, so you'll have time to practice wearing it."
"I think I know how to wear a dress." Okay, technically she'd never actually worn a dress or any other formal clothes like that, but come on, what was there to get used to, aside from no high kicks?
"Yes, well, the option will be there for you to avail yourself at your own discretion. Now, tomorrow evening, there's a French Restaurant where the Mayor will be dining at, if you and Seto are seen eating there together it will foster the impression that you are dating and thus make this Saturday that much more convincing."
"French?" Anzu thought of snails and blanched.
"Yes, and before that you will have to go clothes shopping with Mr. Kaiba; the restaurant and other places you will attend this week may not have as high a dress code as the party this Saturday, but casual wear will not be acceptable. Nor can it be acceptable for Seto to not know how you will look on these occasions, if we can create the appearance that this isn't new, it will be all the more convincing."
"Wonderful." Anzu huffed out a breath that blew her bangs up, and watch as the whole of the rest of her week was planned out for her. "The money is good, the money is good..." She said under her breath like a chant.
....
Mokuba was not surprised when he saw Seto home early, he could see that his brother was not in a good mood when he got home, but it wasn't anger, not really. It was like he was frustrated and resigned all mixed into one another. "Seto, did something happen today?" There was a time when Mokuba would not have dared to ask, but that time had long since passed.
Seto looked down upon his brother, and let out a small sigh as he got down on his knee to look his brother in the eye. "I may as well tell you now so you can get used to it; due to circumstances beyond my control, I am forced to attend the Mayor's party this Saturday and I must have a guest. My options being what they are, I have chosen Anzu. She should be getting fitted for her dress before long, and then we will have to dine at restaurants and such throughout the rest of the week to convince people that this isn't a sham."
"Anzu?" Mokuba felt his throat tighten up and the pit of his stomach sink a bit. He'd thought he'd gotten over his crush on her a while back, but apparently there was a part of him that still dreamed about sinking into her eyes...
"Mokuba." And now he had his head back in the real world. Seto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "At the very least, you could develop higher standards." Oh yeah, there was no way Mokuba was going to be able to hide something like that from his brother. So long as he didn't say or do anything stupid around Anzu, then it would all work out, hopefully.
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 21, 2012 17:46:57 GMT -5
Seto sighed in the manner of one facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge. “I don’t have to tell you how important it is that we make the right connections, Mokuba.”
Mokuba nodded. “Project Green Gables.”
Seto returned the nod, but folded his arms in what anyone else would call a defensive pose. “Failure is not an option. We need that funding and support. If that means I have to date all the most irritating friendship-speech-giving, bossy busybodies in this city, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Mokuba promised to do all he could, even though privately he thought he could do nothing at all.
….
“What you have to remember,” simpered the seamstress, “is that evening and prom dresses sizes are different from regular clothing. I suggest to all my customers to shelve their pride when it comes to formalwear. You should buy a larger size than the one you use every day. If necessary, you can contact a seamstress someone like me to do the alterations so it will fit you perfectly. Turn please.”
Arms held out perpendicular to her body, shoulders already beginning to ache, Anzu obediently turned to put her back to the woman.
“Such a lovely figure. Do you work out often?”
“I’m a dancer.”
“I thought as much. You have a waist to make a wasp envious; and you could grate cheese on these abs!”
“Uh, thank you.”
The seamstress clucked her tongue against her teeth as she pressed her measuring tape against various parts of Anzu’s body. “As a, rule you need one size larger for evening and prom dresses than your jeans size, although this rule doesn't always apply. It’s better to have something custom made, if you can afford it. Which you obviously can, since Mr. Kaiba is footing the bill.” She stood back and held her notepad to her chest like a diva about to step onto stage for the performance of a lifetime. “With your measurements, this is going to be my best work yet. I’m going to create a masterpiece for you, darling.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to go to too much trouble.”
She looked incensed. “If Mr. Kaiba is finally seeing someone, never mind someone so pretty, then I shall go to all the trouble I please! That poor boy needs a good woman to look after him, missy. If you’re willing to be that woman, I will do everything within my power to keep you looking gorgeous.” She flapped her hands. “Now scoot. I need to get started sketching some designs.”
Anzu scooted, slightly bewildered and wondering if this was a sign f things to come. She couldn’t correct the woman about the ‘relationship’ she assumed was going on. Even more, Anzu couldn’t correct her when she called Seto Kaiba a ‘poor boy’. He was anything but!
Slickers, the exclusive tailors Kaiba had commissioned to make her dress, was located in the more affluent part of town. Anzu stepped carefully down the staircase to the front entrance and looked around. She was a long way from home, but she had work this afternoon at her latest job: working behind the counter of Cluck in a Bucket, home of the one and only Cluckburger, Cluckshake and Cluckin’ Good Fries. She set her nose in the right direction and set off.
She was just crossing the street when a horn parped behind her and a long black limosine pulled over. The driver’s window whirred down, revealing a man in a suit with a Kaiba Corp pin on his lapel.
“Miss Mazaki?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“I’ve been sent to fetch you.”
“I already finished the dress fitting,” she assured him. “It’s okay.”
“No, miss, I don’t think you understand.”
“Sorry, but you’re the one who doesn’t understand. I have to get to work. I can’t go anyplace else until after my shift.”
“That’s exactly the point, miss.”
“Excuse me?”
“Mr. Kaiba sent me to take you to your place of work.”
Anzu blinked. “He sent a limo? To take me to work?”
“Yes.”
“You do realise where I work, right?”
“The new Cluck in a Bucket fast food restaurant in the retail park near the freeway.”
She shook her head in disbelief. This was really happening. This was what she had let herself in for. Remembering what Seto had said about making their fake relationship look real, she sucked up her pride and opened the door to the backseat. Luckily there was no sign of Seto himself. The limo was enough. Her co-workers were going to freak.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 21, 2012 18:31:42 GMT -5
"Oh my god, Anzu! How could you hide this from us?!" That particular shrill shriek came from none other than Aiko Mizuno, the peppiest girl Anzu had ever come to know. "I mean, that's one of Seto Kaiba's underlings!" Everything was emphasized with her, though Anzu had to admit this was a situation that warrented; limos, as a rule, did not escort fast food employees, and the way the driver continued to stand at attention, he wanted to be noticed, he wanted people to form the connections and make the assumptions necessary for Seto's insane plan to work. "Seriously, fess up, when did this start?"
"Would you believe this morning?" Aiko responded with uproarious laughter that drowned out Anzu's words; a cheery personality and a generous sense of humor, there was no mystery behind her popularity.
"Oh Anzu, you're always so funny! But come on in, you may be early but there's no reason to lolly-gaggle!" She grabbed Anzu's arm and pulled her inside, and through the doorway window Anzu could see the driver return to the limo and take off, though he would presumably return when her shift was over.
"So what, you're just slumming here Anzu?" That low, sardonic voice belonged to Chikako Hino; on the outside she seemed the polar opposite to Aiko, quiet, reserved, and a macabre sense of humor, yet in the short time that Anzu had known them it was clear that they were best friends, tighter than fishing line tied into knots upon knots upon knots. "I suppose you need the smell to appreciate real food that much more." See above, regarding her approach to jokes.
"Not quite, I'll get into it later." Anzu said as she went into the back of the restaurant to get changed into her uniform, something she never looked forward to; it wasn't an issue of it being tight, so much as that it itched like crazy, bits of baked chicken skin always seemed to make it into the inside somehow no matter how thoroughly cleaned it was after the last shift.
....
"Other me, do you think I made the right decision?" Yuugi had tried to distract himself by testing various decks against one another, but only a real duel could hope to manage that and he was in no mood for that.
"I don't like this situation anymore than you do partner." Yuugi saw the spirit standing in the corner, arms folded defensively. "Unfortunately, what you said was true; Anzu does need the money, Seto Kaiba can provide it. Fortunately, this should be a one-time, temporary arrangement, likely to be dissolved within seconds of the conclusion of its necessity."
"Yeah, but, even if its all an act, Seto's going to be giving Anzu a night on the town for a whole week. Even with all the fame I've gotten after winning all those big tournaments, there's no way I could ever afford even an hour of that sort of thing."
"Partner." The spirit sighed wistfully. "It will be everything Anzu can do to keep herself from punting Seto Kaiba right between the legs; whatever enjoyment she might be able to get out of all this, none of it could ever measure up to just hanging out here at the game shop with you."
Yuugi blushed as he remembered how close he was to giving his confession. "I hope you're right, Other Me."
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 22, 2012 13:46:23 GMT -5
“Have I ever misled you before?”
Yuugi continued to stare at his cards. They were familiar like old friends: Black Magician, Kuriboh, Celtic Guardian, Gaia the Fierce Knight. He knew where he stood with his cards. Maybe that was why, of all games, he loved Duel Monsters so much. He could be in control on the duelling field. However helpless and weak he was in real life, the moment he drew his deck he commanded creatures only heroes dealt with in myth and legend. That kind of buzz was hard to top.
Reality was much more confusing. People chopped and changed, sometimes several times a day, or even in the course of a single conversation. Yuugi had the kind of faith in humanity few were able to maintain without cynicism. He liked to think people were always inherently good, and that if you showed them compassion they would repay you in kind. People like Seto Kaiba took that faith to its limit.
“Yuugi,” the spirit said gently. “I don’t think Celtic Guardian would appreciate that.”
“What?” Yuugi looked down to see his fingers had tightened on the card. Much more pressure and his thumb would tear through from the other side. He slid it back into his deck and put the whole thing down on his desk. Then he pushed away and spun his chair around a few times. When he first went to high school Grandpa had re-outfitted his bedroom from choo-choo trains to ‘something for a real teenager’. They could ill afford it, but Grandpa had insisted. From that day to this Yuugi had taken more care of his things than the average teenage boy and had loved his spinning office chair. “I’m probably being stupid. This is all temporary, like you said. Anzu and Seto Kaiba hate each other.” He nodded to himself. “There’s nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.”
“Nothing at all,” the spirit echoed.
Yuugi wished he could convince his strangely roiling stomach as easily.
….
“Thank you, come again.” Anzu’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The line from her register stretched all the way to the door, and the people around the ten-minute-wait stage were getting antsy. It was always the way. They saw a queue, joining a queue, waited in a queue, and suddenly decided they were too good for any damn queue and why weren’t they being served already, damn it!? She sighed and gestured the next customer forward. “Hi and welcome to Cluck in a Bucket, the home of cluckin’ good food like Momma used to make. May I take your order?”
The woman eyed the order board. Another lovely thing about this place: customers had plenty of time to choose what they wanted but spent all their time bitching, and then held up the rest when they finally reached the front. “I’ll have … the Grande Cluckburder Supreme with Oh Boy Onion Sauce and Pickle Me Pickles, extra Cherokee Cheese, but no sesame seeds on the bun, and the cheese better not be just some jumped up cheddar with a fancy name. I don’t want any cheddar cheese on my burger, you hear me? Don’t put any cheese on it if it’s cheddar.”
Anzu dutifully rang up the order and wrote down the changes on a pad. She tore off the piece of paper with one hand, took the woman’s money with the other and bumped open the cash register with a combination of elbow and hip. No wonder her dance teacher complimented her agility. One false move and you could lose a limb doing this job.
“Is this cheddar?” The woman insisted on opening her burger before leaving the counter. She raised it to her face and inhaled deeply. “This smells like cheddar to me.”
Anzu didn’t know how she could tell the difference; it all smelled like that awful Oh Boy Onion Sauce to her - ‘Oh Boy’, in her opinion, being the thing any sane person said as they rushed to throw up after smelling it.
“It’s Cherokee Cheese, ma’am,” she said politely.
“It smells,” the woman said darkly, “like cheddar.”
“I can assure you, it’s –”
“I TOLD you NOT to put ANY cheese on it if it was cheddar.” The woman slammed down the top of the bun and folded her arms. Her eyes glinted in a way that made Anzu’s heart sink. Why did fast food workers register as lower than pond scum with so many people? “I want to see the manager.”
“Ma’am, please –”
“I said I WANT to see the MANAGER!”
Aiko stuck her head out from behind the giant grill. “Problem?”
“Manager!” the woman snapped, words cracking over the top of Anzu’s head like a bullwhip. “Now!”
“Okey dokey.” Aiko shot Anzu a sympathetic look and disappeared.
Seconds later a tall, beer-bellied man in a straining white shirt arrived. He had tomato sauce on his tie and sweat beaded his brow. “Is there a problem here?”
“She got my order wrong, then cheeked me and refused to change it,” said the woman. “She was incredibly rude and I want to lodge a formal complaint about her.”
Anzu’s mouth dropped open. “No, I never –”
The manager raised a hand to silence her. “I’m exceedingly sorry, madam,” he said obsequiously I can assure it, it won’t happen again and the offending party will be punished. Here at Cluck in a Bucket, we take customer satisfaction VERY seriously.”
Anzu seethed.
“Can I get some free meal vouchers? Last time I got free meal vouchers.”
“Of course.” Like a magician performing a card trick, the manager produced a clutch of small slips emblazoned with the Cluck in a Bucket logo and mascot: Clucky the Chicken. The sense of advertising a restaurant that specialised in fried chicken with a manga-style rooster in Stetsons and a cowboy hat was debateable. But not right now. Right now, Anzu was resisting the urge to climb over the counter and tackle the woman to the ground to make her admit she was pulling one over on the manager to get free food.
Case in point, the woman sniffed: “And my meal today?”
“Gratis,” the manager simpered. A simpering fifty-year-old in a bad hairpiece was just plain wrong. “On the house. Free of charge.”
“Well, I guess that’ll have to do. But I don’t want her,” she gestured at Anzu, “to serve me. She’ll just screw it up again.”
“Of course, madam.” When the manager looked at her, all deference vanished from his gaze. With hard eyes, he said, “Go into the back room. I’ll deal with you in a moment.”
“But I –”
“Go!”
Still fuming, she went.
She was even less impressed when he finally came to ‘deal with her’ and she found out what her punishment was to be.
“But I didn’t even do anything wrong!” she protested. “That woman was pulling a fast one!”
“The customer is always right.” He held out the dreaded cardboard box. “You can change in the storeroom.”
“Sorry, babe.” Aiko passed by on her way to man the counter in Anzu’s stead. She spotted the box and her face twisted up in pity. “He was just waiting for one of us to do something so he could land us with that job.”
Anzu grumbled something unrepeatable about chicken wings and a part of the manager’s anatomy she never wanted to consider ever again. Then she locked herself in the storeroom.
….
“Um, Mr. Kaiba?”
Seto pressed the cell-phone to his ear. “Yes?”
“There’s been a, uh, development.”
“What?” He glanced behind him, to where Mokuba sat at the long dining table in their even longer dining hall. Usually they ate separately, by virtue of the fact that Seto either grabbed something at the office when he was working late or forgot to eat at all. Since he had come home early today, he had come to join his brother, only to have his blasted secretary call him. “What are you talking about?”
The secretary squeaked. “Anzu Mazaki. It’s Anzu Mazaki, sir! She’s already on YouTube and Goss-Pop.net.”
Seto narrowed his eyes. Goss-Pop was a seedy gossip rag that loved running false stories and career-destroying rumours on its website. It had its grubby finger on the pulse of every sleazy celebrity antic from here to Tokyo, the more humiliating, the better. Its favourites usually involved drunken party girls getting in and out of cars san underwear, messy break-ups and cogitating over who was going out with whom this week. Hearing Anzu’s name in connection with Goss-Pop did not fill him with happiness.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“She was spotted being dropped off by the limo, as you requested, sir.”
“And?” The limo had been Isono’s idea. It had sounded like a good one at the time.
“It … may be better if you look for yourself, sir.”
Seto did look. He glared at the tiny screen of his phone. How could she do this after what he had said about creating the right impression? And why did it have to be Goss-Pop who ran the story first? He had to do damage control, and quick. But how …?
He looked back at Mokuba.
“Big brother? Why are you looking at me like that?”
It could work. A family-like impression. Showing support for one’s partner. That was what people did in romantic relationships, right? He could go blasting in, but maybe some sort of softy-softly approach could salvage the first impression people got. “How do you feel about fried chicken for tonight?” …
Anzu was sweltering and her feet hurt. Dancing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant in a giant manga chicken suit would do that to a girl. Arms aching far more than they had when she was being fitted for her dress, she waved the ‘Turn left for a cluckin’ good time!’ sign and contemplated how much today sucked.
A red sports car pulled up and the front passenger window lowered. “Anzu? Is that you?”
Her heart sank. “Mokuba?” her voice came out muffled. If he was here, that could only mean … oh no. “What are you doing here, Kaiba?”
Seto leaned across his brother to speak to her. “Showing support.”
“What?”
“It’s been years since we ate at any fast food restaurant,” Mokuba said happily.
“You’ve come to eat? Here?” she said in disbelief.
“Well I haven’t come to burn it down,” Seto snapped. “Although maybe I should buy it out and fire whoever put you in that ridiculous outfit.”
Despite herself, she gave a little smile. Then she shook it off, grateful he couldn’t see her face. “I wouldn’t stop you,” she said instead.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 22, 2012 15:20:54 GMT -5
It had been years since Seto Kaiba had eaten at any fast food place. Thirty seconds inside of Cluck in a Bucket and he remembered why; though not a gourmet by any measure, Seto had gotten used to quality, to privacy, and to deference. Well, that last bit was in no small supply as everyone in line stepped aside to make way for him and Mokuba, even if they were unable to hide their confusion as to why he, the richest and most powerful gamer in all of Domino City, the CEO of Kaiba Corp itself, would be here.
"Welcome to Cluck in a Bucket, the home of cluckin' good food like momma used to make. Can I take your order, sir?" Ironically, the sole exception to the deference came from the girl behind the register, the name tag identifying her as Chikako Hino. "Even if you don't need them, there are plenty of deals available if you would like to order generously." No fear, no fear at all in that girl's eyes. In a perverse way, Seto could respect that.
"Can we have the family pack, original recipe?" Mokuba said, leaning forward on the counter as he looked up at the picture on the menu; Seto himself saw all the photography tricks used to make it look like food, appetizing food at that, but Mokuba only saw what he wanted. Even if he was growing up, he was still a child in many ways.
"And what would you like to drink with that sir? No doubt something to wash out the taste of wine." Well, that got old fast.
"We will each have a small soda, and if not for Anzu Mazaki's employment here, I would not even ask that much." Seto then slammed down five-thousand yen without even thinking about it and made his way to a table halfway between the middle and the back.
"I'm sorry about my brother." Mokuba bowed quickly.
"Don't worry about it; guys like him tend to leave young corpses." Mokuba shivered as he rushed to return to his brother.
"So...we're here to support Anzu?" Mokuba's expression was near impossible for Seto to read, having no idea the jumbled mix of feelings behind it.
"Isn't that what a boyfriend is supposed to do?" Seto had to suppress the impulse to retch as that word, almost as disgusting as what he was going to have to put in his mouth in only a couple of minutes.
....
"Anzu, great news!" Aiko stepped out, all smiles and victory signs. "The manager is pulling you off the mascot roster permanently and wants me to take over immediately." Anzu blinked in confusion, and then the facts sorted themselves out; Seto was the wealthiest customer Cluck in a Bucket had ever had ten-thousand times over, and only here for her sake. Normally she would complain, but anything was better than spending even another second in a chicken suit.
"So what does he want me to do?"
"Bring your boyfriend his food." Right, of course. Now that she actually wants to wear the chicken suit and dance around awkward and stiffly where everyone could see her, that path had been closed off forever. Typical, really.
"Fine, I'll get changed right away." The two girls made their way over to the store room and changed quickly, Anzu herself getting out just in time to pick up Seto's order. Now she stood before them. "Here you are..." and then Anzu stopped; normally she would say Seto, or Mr. Kaiba if she was being strictly professional, but everyone watching expected neither. No, she had to play the girlfriend, a role she'd never done before, much less with someone as unpleasant an ass as Seto. "Sweetie." She finally said through strained teeth and a big fake smile, but everyone saw what they wanted and that was enough.
"Fine." Seto stared down disdainfully at the bucket of fried chicken, probably imagining the Blue Eyes White Dragon obliterating it with its attack.
"Anzu, why don't you join us?" Mokuba said suddenly before ducking his head back down, surprising both teens. Anzu herself felt her stomach clench a bit, she'd hardly eaten at all today.
"Sounds fine." Anzu sat down alongside Mokuba and opposite to Seto.
....
"Mom, I'm home!" And Anzu had never been more glad to be back home, not after a day like that. True, in absolute terms it could have been worse, but that was hardly any sort of comfort, much less a small one.
"Yes dear, I saw you get out of the limo." Yep, just like she'd expected, the driver returned once her shift was over, well after Seto had departed; at the very least he'd refrained from being his usual ass self, even if that meant him staying perfectly quiet the whole time and only eating a single wing while Mokuba had both drumsticks; kids always seemed to love the drumstick over any other part of the chicken, Anzu had no idea why that was, and Mokuba was no exception. She herself had the other wing and a thigh, figuring that fell into the acceptable limits of her calorie intake, if not nutrition. "All right honey, I saw the article on Goss-pop.net, what's really going on here? Because I know there's no way you'd spend even an hour with that Kaiba boy if you didn't think you absolutely had to."
Anzu smiled happily; at least her mother understood. "Well..."
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 23, 2012 8:19:35 GMT -5
When she was done, her mom pursed her lips. “I can’t say I approve of this.”
“It’s not like I’m hurting anyone,” Anzu protested. “Seto Kaiba is a butthead. If anyone is suffering, it’s me because I’m the one who has to spend time with him.”
“It’s dishonest.”
“No more than any singer dating another singer when they each have new albums out, or actors with new movies, or authors with books to plug, or –”
“All right, sweetheart, I get it; but the thing is, you’re NOT a celebrity. You’re doing this because you’re being paid to do it. How will that look if it ever gets out?”
“Mr. Kino has been sworn to secrecy and he’s the only other person who knows. Well, apart from my friends. Yuugi, Honda and Jounouchi were there when Seto made his little ‘proposal’.” She made air quotes with her fingers and rolled her eyes.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“You called him ‘Seto’. For as long as you have known that boy, you have called him ‘Kaiba’, used his full name, or an epithet I really wish you wouldn’t. Really, Anzu, ‘butthead’?”
For some reason, colour crept into Anzu’s cheeks. She frowned at her mom. “So what if I called him Seto? I AM supposed to be dating him, aren’t I? And couples do tend to use each other’s first names.”
Her mom held up her hands, palms outward, in a gesture of surrender. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, sweetheart.”
“Mo-om!” Anzu whined. “This isn’t some movie-of-the-week!” She paused, thinking about it. “Although, yeah, the set-up does kind of sound like one. But don’t worry; I’ve seen enough of those things to know not to fall into any clichés. I’m not going to claim I hate Seto Kaiba, secretly develop feelings for him and get my heart broken. He’s an ass. He has always been an ass. He will always be an ass. He’s not a loveable kind of guy. As far as I’m aware, he has NO redeeming qualities.” Although he had been quite sweet in how he acted with Mokuba at the restaurant. She recalled how he had picked a French fry out of Mokuba’s hair after she and he had an impromptu food fight. It had been short-lived and minor, and she admitted to starting it in some small part to tick Seto off, but she had been surprised at how gentle he was with Mokuba. She shook off the memory, reminding herself of the million and one other times he had been an ass. One tender moment in Cluck in a Bucket didn’t wipe out even a single percentage of that. Nope.
Her mom still didn’t look convinced. “I’m not sure, but I trust your judgement.”
“Thank, Mom. Now, if you don’t mind, I spent part of the afternoon in a chicken suit and I smell like the boys locker room. I’m going to have a shower.”
“Chicken suit?”
“Long story.”
“I’ll bet. You’re getting good at those.”
….
“That was fun.” Mokuba beamed as they travelled the long driveway to Kaiba Mansion. “We should totally do that again sometime.”
Seto snorted. “Not in this lifetime.”
“Aw, c’mon Big Brother, admit it. You had fun too.”
“I’ve had root canals that were more fun than that.”
“You looked like you were having fun.”
“Mokuba, it was for the paparazzi and other diners.” Seto wasn’t sure there had been any paparazzi, but the thing about paps was that they often stayed hidden until something noteworthy happened. Goss-Pop had been tipped off by a random citizen posting on their message-board. With the Internet ever ready to jump on gossip as and when it happened, and him being the biggest celebrity in Domino City right now, it was inevitable that the two facts clashed. He just had to make sure any notoriety worked in their favour – and that of Project Green Gables.
Mokuba folded his arms. “Well I’M glad we went. Anzu’s cool.” His words meant so much more, Seto knew. He was pretending to date his little brother’s first real crush. Of course, not all boys started crushing on girls because she helped them escape a kidnapping by a psychotic tomb-keeper with multiple personality disorder, but their lives had never been what anyone would call ‘normal’. Seto had been grateful to Anzu that day, but he figured he had paid her back when he saved her from being squashed by a falling metal crate. He had to be careful not to insult her too badly if Mokuba’s feelings had endured to this point.
“She isn’t entirely useless,” he admitted.
“Coming from you, Seto? That’s a real compliment.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 23, 2012 12:28:13 GMT -5
"Yuugi, you up man?" Yuugi rubbed his bleary eyes with one hand as he held the phone to his ear with the other. "You, uh, you haven't had a chance to go online today, right?"
"No, I just got done brushing my teeth, Jounouchi."
"Oh, okay. Umm, no particular reason, you should stay away from certain sites, there's been a, uh, a bug, yeah a bug! Nasty virus, it'll fry your harddrive in a snap. I'd tell you in an email, but that's how fried mine is, so just warning you, stay off the net until things have cleared up."
Yuugi looked down at the phone, then looked to his other self. "I guess Anzu and Seto's 'date' is already all over the place."
"If you want, I can take over for today, Partner."
"You mean outside a duel?" Yuugi imagined that stern, loud, dramatic approach being applied to the middle of class, and laughed. "No thank you, I'll just have to deal with all this one step at a time." He knew he was going to have a lot to deal with, though truly it was Anzu who was going to really have a tough time of it all. "Just six more days..."
....
"You've had a crate suspended over your head, you've been thrown off a train, you can deal with a superficial high school crowd." Anzu psyched herself up before stepping into the building.
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 23, 2012 18:09:43 GMT -5
Almost immediately she was accosted. Three girls she didn’t even know leaped out from behind a row of lockers and all but pinned her against her own. She half wondered whether they had been lying in wait. Then she stopped wondering: of course they had.
“So, Mazaki.” The tallest of the three leaned forward into Anzu’s personal space.
“Do I know you?” Anzu asked mock-sweetly.
“We hear you’ve bagged yourself the big one. The numero uno. The big kahuna.”
“Don’t bother trying to deny it!” the shortest girl shrilled. “It’s all over the school that you’re dating Seto Kaiba.”
“Aw, man, really?”
“She didn’t bother trying to deny it!” The girl’s voice hit a note to shatter glass.
Anzu winced. “But you told me not to bother –”
“It’s truuuuuuue!” She actually started to cry, right there in the middle of the room.
Anzu stared in disbelief and mounting alarm. “UH, there, there?” she said, patting her arm.
“What I want to know,” said the third, who wore too much make-up and had dragged her hair into such a tight ponytail she could barely blink, “is how YOU pulled it off. I mean, seriously: Seto Kaiba? I tried for AGES to get him to notice me and I never even got a SNIFF.”
“That was because he dropped out of school,” the tall girl said.
“If all high school dropouts were that rich and gorgeous, I’d quit worrying about my grades so much. College guys are total geeks in comparison.”
Anzu felt like pointing out that Seto was most famous for playing a children’s card game, but refrained. She was supposed to like him today. “Look, it’s no big deal,” she tried to say diffidently, but the girls wouldn’t give her the chance.
“No big deal? No big deal!? It is a HELL of a big deal. A completely HUGE deal. Seto Kaiba is, like, the richest teenager who ever lived.”
“Well I wouldn’t go that far –”
“Plus he’s gorgeous and talented and the best at everything he does.”
“UH, no he’s not –”
“He owns his own company, he has a sports car, a boat AND a jet!”
“Yeah, but it’s shaped like a –”
“And he’s dating a third-rate, going-nowhere-fast nobody like YOU! That is so totally NOT FAIR!”
Anzu pursed her lips. “I know I’m no catch, but you don’t have to –”
“So not fair!” the girls chorused in unison. “NOT FAAAAAIR!”
Anzu raised a finger to interrupt.
“Are you pregnant?”
She choked. “What!?”
“You must’ve entrapped him somehow. Are you blackmailing him? Did he do something incriminating while he went to this school and you have pictures? Or do you have photographs of him from when you went with those geeky friends of yours on his airship?”
“Photographs of him in the shower. Oh, please say they’re of him in the shower.” The tallest girl shivered in imagined pleasure.
“Now wait just a minute –” Anzu tried valiantly to interject, but they were so busy talking they didn’t notice her anymore. “Uh, hello? Anybody? I’m right here, you know. Still here … um … okay, I guess I’ll just be going now.”
She was able to slip away unharmed. Was that what it was like to be a real fangirl? Anzu thanked her lucky stars she had never become one over Yuugi. Being called a cheerleader was fine by her – she had just looked into the dark side of what she could have become in another life, and she didn’t like what she saw.
“Hi, Anzu!” Yuugi stood at the other end of the locker row.
She gratefully hurried over. “I am so glad to see you. Everybody’s gone nuts!”
“Well, what did you expect?” Behind Yuugi, Jounouchi leaned against the wall with hands clasped behind his head. “You knew what you were signing up for.”
Her temper rose. “Don’t you dare spill the beans!” she hissed. “As far as anyone knows, this is a legitimate relationship.”
Jounouchi snorted. “Whatever you say. Hey, Anzu, will you be taking his name, or going double barrelled when you marry? Can I be bridesmaid at the wedding? I’d look great in white satin and lace.”
She thumped him with her book bag.
“Ow!”
“You asked for it, dude," Honda chuckled. “I, for one, hope you and Kaiba are very happy together, Anzu.”
She glared at him.
“What? I said the right thing!”
“You said it facetiously.”
“What does that mean?”
“Like you didn’t mean it; like you think it’s all a big joke.”
Honda shook his head. “Nope, I’m a hundred percent behind you.”
“Way, way behind you,” Jounouchi added. “About a hundred feet behind you if you’re with Kaiba. A thousand if you two start to smooch.
Yuugi’s cheeks pinkened, but Anzu didn’t notice. She was too busy chasing Jounouchi down the hall, waving her book bag like a deadly weapon.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 23, 2012 18:44:30 GMT -5
Eventually Anzu had to stop chasing Jounouchi, if for no other reason than the ringing of the bell. They were barely able to get to class on time, and while Jounouchi managed to slip in without comment, Anzu was not so lucky. "Miss Mazaki." Miss Chono said with an unpleasant snarl, her only expression ever since that incident not long after Yuugi had completed the puzzle. She'd disappeared for a long time after that, but eventually came back, only slightly humbled and restrained by her experience. "I should like to remind you that it is traditional to complete your education BEFORE throwing it away in the pursuit of becoming a trophy wife." Snickers all over the class, but Anzu refused to engage any of it. She just got in her seat, brought out her textbook, and opened it to the appropriate section. "Fine, be that way."
....
"Mr. Kino." Seto Kaiba towered over his secretary, who shrank in on himself as he recoiled from his boss. "Explain to me why I have to join Mazaki for this? Doesn't she know how to buy her own clothes?" He assumed such at any rate; he never paid any attention to how she dressed, her overbearing and bossy voice drowned out such things from his mind.
"Well, yes, of course Mr. Kaiba, but you have to be familiar with what she'll be wearing on your dates, if you look surprised by her attire, people could begin to doubt the legitimacy of this entire arrangement."
Seto Kaiba did not growl, regardless of whatever sound it was that escaped his throat. "Fine, but the schedule will be kept tight and strict, no dragging it out unnecessarily." Seto Kaiba returned back into the sanctum of his office, and Mr. Kino let out a sigh of relief.
"Somehow, I don't think Miss Mazaki will have a hard time complying with that."
....
After what seemed an interminably long time, the school day had come to an end, and while the rumors, gossips, and exaggerations had been pervasive, they did die down a bit near the end. That is, until Anzu, Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Honda together saw the familiar limo, with a familiar driver. "Let me guess, you're going to take me clothes shopping for the date at the French restaurant, right?"
"Of course Miss Mazaki, nothing less for someone as important as you." It was easy to see how this man had stayed in Seto Kaiba's employment.
"So, I guess this is goodbye for today?" Yuugi asked, avoiding looking her directly in the eye.
"Yeah, looks like. I'll see you all tomorrow, right?" Though meant for her immediate friends, Anzu could see that this had been heard by the gathering, swelling crowd.
"Yeah, you better believe it, we're gonna wanna hear all the juicy details, you got it?" There was Jounouchi with that stupid smirk of his, yet somehow Anzu couldn't bring herself to bop him for it, and not just for appearance's sake.
"Seriously though, try to have a decent time of it." Honda whispered quietly enough that the crowd couldn't make it out.
"All right then...later guys." She got in the back, the driver in the front, and off they went.
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Post by Scribbler on Jan 24, 2012 8:07:26 GMT -5
Having mostly guy friends, Anzu sometimes stopped thinking of herself as a girl. It wasn’t that she saw herself as male, just that she stopped thinking about gender altogether. She judged people based on personality and was sometimes surprised when they didn’t do the same in return. In the eyes of a general public and a lot of his opponents, she was Yuugi’s cheerleader, nothing more. It didn’t matter that Jounouchi and Honda were also on the side-lines cheering him on; she was a girl, therefore she was supporting cast and so second class. Maybe, she thought as the limo whizzed along, she didn’t like making a big deal of the fact she was a girl in an effort to be taken more seriously despite not being a duellist.
Shopping, however, brought out her girliest of girly sides. Shoe shopping, especially, made her emit the kind of cooing noises usually reserved for new babies, kittens and puppies. Clothes shopping came a close second, and jewellery shopping. She wasn’t so hot on cosmetics, but she could while away hours inside a mall when Jounouchi wasn’t begging her to hurry up, Honda wasn’t complaining about his aching arms and Yuugi wasn’t trying manfully to carry more bags than anyone else.
The limo drew into a parking lot she had never been in before. She gaped as she got out before the driver could open the door for her. “This is the Mega Mall.”
“Yes, Miss Mazaki.”
“There’s no way I can afford to shop here.” The Mega Mall catered for a crowd who swanned around in limos all day and lunched by feeding whatever high-priced cordon bleu that had ordered to their handbag Chihuahuas. Even as the thought occurred to her, she remembered the sleek black limousine behind her and blushed.
“As I said, Mr. Kaiba wants nothing less than the best for someone as important as you.”
“But he’s already having that fancy dress made for me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The driver didn’t seem inclined to comment on how much Seto Kaiba was buying for her. She wondered whether he was in on the scam, but honestly couldn’t tell from his monotone voice and deadpan expression.
“You must be a brilliant poker player.”
“I never lose, ma’am.”
She sighed. “What’s your name, anyhow? If you’re going to be shopping with me I need to call you something other than ‘hey you’.”
“It’s Takada, ma’am, and I won’t be going in to shop with you.”
“You won’t? But how am I supposed to pay for anything without you and Kaiba’s credit card? This isn’t a place my Cluck in a Bucket wages will cover. I think I could save for a month and afford one shoelace.” She paused. “Maybe half a shoelace. Or one earring. An ugly earring.”
Takada didn’t smile, but his voice edged out of its monotone for a moment. “Thankfully, you won’t need to work any extra hours in a chicken suit to cover this trip.”
“Thank heaven for that.” Then she spotted the fast-becoming-familiar red sports car turning into the parking lot. Her heart plummeted and sank, sizzling, into the acid in the pit of her stomach. “Oh no. nobody said HE was coming. I thought I was just meeting him at the restaurant tonight!”
“Mr. Kaiba will be accompanying you on your trip.” Takada’s impassive features faded into background noise as Anzu watched the car park next to them and a figure in a flowing white coat get out.
Irritated and disappointed, she snapped, “Why do you even wear that stupid coat? It looks ridiculous. What are those belt things on your arms even for? And what’s with all the buttons if you don’t fasten even one of them?”
“Hello to you too, Mazaki.” Seto’s voice was wet as a desert. “I can see you’re as happy about this as I am.”
“If I could say so, sir, it might be prudent to act a little more…” Takada seemed to search for an appropriate word. Anzu supposed that if he had perfected not showing any emotion in order to keep his job he wouldn’t want to lose it over saying the wrong thing. “Forthcoming.”
“What are you talking about, Takada?”
“It is my humble opinion, sir, that you should emulate other couples.” He indicated with a slight nod of his head. “Like those two.”
Both Anzu and Seto turned to see a man and woman walking towards the revolving glass doors of the entrance. She was shorter than him and he had slung an arm around her shoulder. She simpered into his armpit and held his hand to her chest with both of hers. He leaned down to murmur something in her ear. She squealed and laughed, pulling on his arm so he lowered his head for a quick kiss before they attempted to both fit through the gap. When they couldn’t, they spent a moment rearranging themselves so they were still holding hands as they entered.
Anzu chanced a look at Seto. His face reflected her own thoughts: total horror.
Perversely, at the sight of his expression a kernel of anger flared to life inside her. “I’m not so bad you have to look like that.”
“Indeed not, Miss Mazaki,” said Takada. “You are an attractive young lady. Mr. Kaiba is a lucky individual.”
She shot him a look. Seto visibly swallowed and nodded.
“I … am.”
“You don’t have to sound so enthusiastic.”
“I am … lucky,” he gritted, “to be … dating you.”
“A commendable attempt, Mr. Kaiba,” Takada said, apparently without irony. “Shall I pick up Miss Mazaki after your trip?”
“No.”
“No?” he questioned.
“No?” Anzu echoed.
“Our reservations are early. There won’t be time for her to shop, go home, dress and then be picked up. She can come home with me and get ready there. I’ll drive us to the restaurant.”
Anzu frowned, but had to admit this made more sense. Still, the thought of going home with Seto, however briefly, left her feeling uneasy. She resolved herself to enjoy the shopping trip and hold onto that good feeling throughout what would probably be a stuffy, unpleasant evening. Perhaps she could splash out a tiny bit and get herself a keepsake. She doubted she would ever be able to come back to the Mega Mall and wanted to remember this.
Seto still looked uncomfortable with the whole ‘couple’ thing. Sighing, Anzu took the bull by the horns – or rather the teen billionaire by the arm. Seto stared down as she pushed his hand onto his hip, creating a V from his elbow that she could slip her own arm through.
“You’re paying me to act like your girlfriend,” she said in response to his look. “You’re obviously not going to take the initiative, so I’m going to earn that money by teaching you how to be a good boyfriend.”
“And how would you know? To my knowledge, you haven’t dated anyone since entering high school.”
Her cheeks felt suddenly hot. “You’re a real asshole, you know that? I’m doing you a favour and all you’ve done so far is insult me and act like I’m dirt on your shoes. I happen to be a human being, Mr. Seto Kaiba.” She said his name mockingly, emphasising how ridiculous this whole situation was. “Yes, the money you’ve offered is nice, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me so badly. Especially since you’re so intent on people believing we’re together. I’d hate to be your real girlfriend if this is how you’d treat her.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. When he did, he had modulated his voice out of its usual sneer. “All right.”
“Is that a sorry? Or a thank you?”
“It’s an all right.” He was straining not to snap at her. She could tell by the muscle that ticked in his jaw. He waved Takada away and they went inside, arm in arm.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Jan 24, 2012 12:02:47 GMT -5
"We have a schedule to keep...dear." Seto Kaiba wished that he was the one who had a crush on Anzu instead of his brother; he doubted watching Anzu try out damn near every pair of shoes in the store could be enjoyable under any circumstance, but actually wanting to spend time with her would have made it tolerable.
"Sorry, too busy being in pig heaven." She grabbed up yet another thoroughly impractical pair of shoes and clutched them to her chest. Seto had not formed much of an impression of Anzu beyond being an annoying busybody, but he was aware of her aspirations as a dancer and would have thought her interest in shoes would have been more practical. He was mistaken and was thus reminded once more why he avoided this subject whenever possible.
"Not even money can fix this, eh Mr. Kaiba?" Seto looked over, and saw some C-List action star winking knowingly at this. "My babe of the week, Linda, she's just as crazy about shoes, but not quite as hot. Where the heck did you find yours anyway?"
Seto Kaiba froze inwardly; he knew most people would regard that as a redundancy, but the stupidity of the masses was a well established fact. "Anzu Mazaki," He said as she tried on what had to be the 25th pair thus far, "is a dearly, deeply important person in my heart. Every moment with her is one I will treasure forever." Seto wanted to vomit, but showed no sign of this.
"Woah, deep man" This from a cretin who'd think a fortune cookie truly predicted the future. "Well, best of luck my man." The best of luck would have precluded being trapped in this scenario.
"Thank you for your patience dear, I found everything I'll need." Anzu said in a forced cheer, half a dozen boxes of shoes in her arms. Her smile though, that was genuine, if only for the shoes. This disarmed Seto somehow.
"If you want more, just say the word." She didn't though; they took the shoes to the counter, he payed for them, and they put them together with all the other clothes that he'd purchased for her, over 200,000 yen in all. Project Green Gables would be would be worth it.
"Shall we return home, dear?" Alarmingly, the word came out easier this time; Seto would not submit to such foolishness, no matter what.
"Sure thing!" Anzu said, still thinking of all the shoes she'd never dreamed she'd be able to purchase.
....
"Mokuba." Seto spoke quickly, much more quickly than usual. "We are back, but we only have a short time before Anzu and I have to leave for dinner. Show her to the guest room where she can get changed." He walked right past Mokuba, straight to his room, not giving him a chance to respond.
"Typical Seto." Anzu huffed, holding what seemed to be a dozen bags in her arms. "Mokuba, promise me you won't ever grow up to be like that, okay?"
Mokuba blushed furiously as he looked intently at the floor. "Um, here, the guest room isn't all that far."
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