Anime One-Shots

Friends - Seto Kaiba

          Your aunt was a friend of Seto Kaiba's father.  She was always a perceptive, yet sympathetic woman.  She could tell what was going on in Gozaburo Kaiba's mind, so she frequently scheduled play dates between you and the Kaiba brothers.  During those play dates, the brothers played Duel Monsters, and you just sat there and watched, occasionally asking questions.  Seto and Mokuba both seemed strangely empty, but when they took out their cards, their eyes would suddenly spark and come to life.

          You had a few Duel Monster cards of your own, but you weren't any good at the game like he was.  Duel Monsters were Seto's life, and he made sure that you knew it.  The game was what saved him and his younger brother from being manipulated by their father forever; however, there was certainly a downside to the game.  Mokuba took it upon himself to tell you about all of the adventures that he and Seto went on in the dueling world.  It terrified you that he was constantly getting involved in dark ancient Egyptian magic, and you couldn't do anything about it.

          You nearly choked on your drink to laugh when Mokuba told you that his older brother would become a principal in a couple of months.  Your amusement faded rather quickly when he clarified and told you that it was a dueling school that Seto had created himself -- big surprise.

~*~

          "I don't see why this is so important to you," Seto muttered, not even bothering to stop typing or look up from the screen.

          "Why wouldn't it be important to me?  I don't see you very much as is, and now you're going off to become a principal at a far away dueling academy you're funding yourself?" you asked.  There was a trembling to your voice that you couldn't control.

          "I've been receiving donations from a number of different sponsors," Seto replied coolly, "and your aunt has been dead for several years now.  I don't see the need for you to keep scheduling our little 'play dates.'"  He was still typing, and you were glad he couldn't see the look of horror you wore on your face.

          "Is that what you think this is?  For all of these years, I thought we were friends, but clearly, we're not on the same page!"

          He slammed both hands on the desk.  "Friends?  Is that what you think we are?"  Seto's face contorted into something cold and intimidating, and from his direction emanated a low chuckle.  "That's pathetic.  Now get out of my sight."  Shivers crawled up your spine at his cold gaze.

          You made your way to the door, but glanced back at Seto.  His eyes were still on you as you exited the office.

~*~

          "I'm sure my Big Brother didn't mean it!" Mokuba assured you.  "He's facing something new, and he's probably feeling really stressed right now.  Give him some time."  That didn't make you feel any happier.  He put his hand on your shoulder.  "I know my big brother, and I know he really cares about you.  He'll come around sometime."  You smiled.  Mokuba was always so perceptive of your feelings; way back when, he figured out that you had feelings for Seto before you did.

          As the two of you walked down the street, you noticed a man in a green uniform following behind you.  You looked over at Mokuba to see if he had noticed, but he just smiled, thinking nothing of the expression on your face.

          Before the two of you were about to turn a corner, you pulled Mokuba back.  You peeked around to find two more men in the same uniform waiting around the corner.  You looked over at Mokuba again; this time, he got the message.  The two of you started walking back toward the other man who had been following you, knowing that, in this case, one is better than two.

          The man stood ready to block your path as you approached.  Coming within a few more feet, you broke into a run.  Under your instruction, Mokuba bolted past when you kicked the man in the crotch.  By the time the man had called for backup, Mokuba was long out of sight, but they had you.  You sighed, already knowing how the rest of the ordeal would play out.  So this is what Mokuba has to deal with on a regular basis, you thought to yourself.

~*~

          You casually glanced up when the metal door of the storage room burst open.  Within a few minutes, you were on a helicopter on the way to the Kaiba Corps office building.

          When you arrived at his office, Seto instructed his brother to wait down stairs for him.  You steeled yourself for quite a raise in volume and quite the lecture about reality.

          "What were you thinking?" Seto shouted.  You called it.

          "I was thinking you'd be mad if I escaped and Mokuba had been captured for the fifteenth time this month," you replied, "so I decided to see what it was like to be kidnapped.  It's not nearly as exciting as you'd think it would be."

          "This isn't a game! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" he asked, his voice raising even more.  There was the lecture.

          "I'm well aware of what could have happened to me!  What was I supposed to do, let us both get captured?  Let Mokuba get captured while I escaped?  I made the best decision I could have in that situation, and since we're clearly not friends, I have no idea why you even care about what could've happened to me!" you shouted back.

          Seto scowled and stalked toward you with a dangerously dark look on his face.  You backed up quickly without thinking, knowing you had to put distance between the two of you.  Your back hit the door in no time at all, and you put your hand on the doorknob.  Seto wasted no time at all in gripping the wrist of the hand you had on the doorknob.  You felt a sensation of terror rush through you.

          In your failed attempt to pull your wrist free of Seto's grip, you realized how close he was standing to you and started to panic.  Your panic converted into confusion when he used his other hand to tip your chin up and back to panic when he drew even closer to you.  Your mind numbed as his lips collided with yours.  He brought his hand from your cheek down to your waist to fully push you against the door and closed the gap between the two of you.  He continuously brought his lips to yours until you were finally clear-minded enough push him off of you.

          You couldn't muster the mental clarity to form words with your mouth.  You knew your entire face was probably beet red.

          "Of course we're not friends," said Seto, "and of course I care about what happens to you."  All you could do was nod, thoroughly flustered.

~*~

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