Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Embracing Your Fall ❯ Unexpected Visit? ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: This story is dedicated to my sis, Nay, who has inspired me to write anything without boundaries or limits.

Embracing Your Fall: Unexpected Visit?

High above the glass layered Kaiba Corp building stood Seto Kaiba in his personalized pent-house office.

Standing perfectly still, he was promptly poised with his arms crossed in such a way that barely created any wrinkles in his expensive white suit.

Glaring out one of the large windows, that secluded his office walls, a slither of a frown crossed his lips.

The KC Grand Prix kick off had already begun and the streets of America had become flooded with people and duelists alike.

If this were an ordinary day, to say the least, he would be quite amused. However…

The distinct ring of his office phone abruptly tore through his thoughts and with a scoff, he stole from the window with a vengeance and picked up the phone.

"Kaiba." He answered in a curt and emotionless tone.

"Mr. Kaiba, " the pert voice of his secretary drifted from the other side of the line, "…sorry to bother you, but there is a client here who wishes to speak with you."

Kaiba said nothing while he waited for her to continue.

Taking his silence as an approval to go on, the secretary cleared her throat. "...She wishes to have a business meeting with you."

"I'm busy."

"Yes, but-"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Tell her or whoever it is to leave. I don't appreciate those who casually stop by my office without caring to let me know in advance first, so why should I care about them? Hmph. Goodbye."

"But Mr. Kaiba!" her voice called as Kaiba removed the receiver from his ear and prepared to hang it up. "Her name is Ishizu Ishtar and--!"

Kaiba stopped in mid-action at the sound of that woman's name and disregarded everything his secretary said after that.

"Send her up. Now. And no interruptions, is that clear?"

The second he hung up the phone, he propped his elbows up on his desk and folded his hands against his lips.

What was Ishizu doing here…and in America, no less? Had she heard about the tournament he was hosting? Amused at the thought, Kaiba closed his eyes, and a faint chuckle rose in his throat. 'What kind of lies will she use to entertain me this time...? This should be amusing…' he sarcastically thought, eyeing the door.

Seconds later, there was a knock on his door.

He twitched an eyebrow in slight annoyance. Who would knock in this day and age when there was a voice intercom right next to it?

Knowing who is was, Seto narrowed his eyes. "…Ishizu… Come in."

At his command, the door opened and Seto watched with impatience as well as with anticipation at the slim and voluptuous figure that stepped in.

Elegantly, she tossed a few stray locks of hair out of her face and floated gracefully into the room.

Wordless, Seto said nothing. His cold eyes sharply darted to her face and softened, taking in her flawless and composed beauty. Almost eagerly, his eyes followed her every fluid motion as she nodded to him and placed her fingertips on the rim of a cushioned chair in front of her.

Fully aware of his scrutiny, but not saying a word about it, Ishizu delicately lifted her fingers to a loose lock of hair and traced it behind her ear.

"Good day, Kaiba. May I sit here?"

Not hearing her at first, Seto remained perfectly still for a moment, before seamlessly meeting his eyes with hers. "Would you rather sit on the floor? And why are you calling me by my last name? This is America, Ishizu."

Emotionlessly, she nodded slightly and folded her hands in her lap. "I am quite aware of that Kaiba, but I do have my preference."

"Hmph. Well, I'm not sure if your memory serves you correctly, but I recall you calling me Seto during our duel and in my Duel Tower. So cut the act. You don't have to address me the same as my other lackeys do."

Ishizu raised an eyebrow at his comment, but agreed. "As you wish."

"So, what brings you all the way from Egypt to have a meeting with me? I think you must be upto something that you need my attention for."

Ishizu smirked but it quickly faded as she spoke. "Indeed. Seto, I'd like to discuss certain matter with you that only you can bring light to."

"What makes me so special?"

"I'm getting to it. Seto, if you were able to have a promising investment add to your company, how would you react?"

Seto's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. "It would be helpful to know who had interest in Kaiba Corp first. I can make decisions only after I know who it is." He frowned. "Why." He prompted flatly.

A smug smile played across Ishizu's lips. She expected such a response and came prepared.

Leaning towards him, slightly, her lush and liquidy eyes confidently traced over his chiseled form as she spoke.

The moment her moist lips parted, Seto found himself lost within the gravity their allure cast upon him. What did this woman possess to make him yearn for her? Angered to be thinking of such feelings, Seto's features hardened as he pushed the thought aside. He cursed himself for having a weakness for beautiful and exotic women. And while Ishizu captivated him, he refused to let his attraction towards her show and hid it well behind frigid eyes and harsh expressions.

"…Seto…"

"Hmm..." he blankly replied, simply hearing her voice, and responding to it.

Gazing upon his devoid features through unreadable eyes, Ishizu took in his form for a moment, before continuing.

"…I'd like to have your approval on something of great importance to me and…are you allright?"

Silence.

"Seto?"

He heard her this time, and gazed at her with a distant look. "What…?"

"You are awfully quiet…"

"I was listening…" he replied rather bluntly.

"I see." She replied in a level tone, as her eyes fell over the few scattered papers on his otherwise neat, desk.

"Ishizu…"

"Yes…?"

"Is something troubling you…"

"What?" She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask."

"You're not talking."

Silence.

"Well, I see that my presence was an unexpected hassle to you. For that I apologize."

Confused, but didn't dare show it, Seto watched her elegant form rise from her chair and turn towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Taking my leave." She responded. "I shall return at a later date. Sorry to inconvenience you."

Seto said nothing as he eyed her intently. The moment her hand encircled the knob, a quick mechanical sound ran through the door, locking it instantly.

Slightly startled, but quickly becoming more amused, Ishizu casually turned to Seto, who had an faintly desirable glint dancing about in his glacial eyes.

"I take it you'd like me to keep you company a bit longer."

Seto scoffed, but was quite amused. "Sit down. You did come here unnotified, but since you are here, I'd like to finish whatever has been started."

"Hmm..." Ishizu mused, smiling lightly. A nod was her only reply as she stepped back to the chair and sat down.

After an odd silence, Seto was the first to break it. Taking his eyes away from her, he pushed himself up from his desk, and turned to the window.

"Continue with your proposal, Ishizu." He muttered, his eyes lazily drifting elsewhere.

Both puzzled, and intrigued by his behavior, Ishizu slowly stood to her feet and took a few steps to the narrow end of his desk, while lightly lacing her fingertips across its top.

"Kaiba…" she began lowly, but was given no response. Without knowing she took one step closer. "Kaiba." She repeated, more firmly this time.

With an irritated sigh, Seto glanced to her out the corner of his eye for a moment before returning his distant eyes back to the view beyond the window. "I suppose you'd want to know what I'm thinking."

"As helpful as that would be, I'm afraid I'm a bit more interested in more important matters…"

"Such as?"

"Your attitude."

"That's not important."

"You disagree with me, Kaiba?"

"I told you, you could call me Seto."

"Of course, but now I would like to know what you are thinking."

A twisted smile crossed Seto's lips. "Hmph. You could have said that in the first place."

With a sigh, Ishizu closed her eyes and remained silent.

Uncomfortable by her sudden quietness, Seto casually turned to look at her. Secretly, he eyed her calm and composed features of her delicate face, and casually led his feasting eyes down to caress and cup the supple curves of her body.

Visually indulging in such a wonder triggered his body to have a few comments of its own, but he harshly disposed of the sensation.

"Kaiba…" Ishizu said placidly, slowly revealing her turquoise jewels to him, "…is there anything you wish to say to me?"

Catching her eyes immediately to hide his previous wandering, Seto scoffed and turned away from her slightly.

"Hmph. Like what?"

About to speak, Ishizu decided to keep her comments to herself as she eyed him as he turned back to his desk.

There was a momentary pause between them before he sighed. "Ishizu…"

Properly poised, she didn't move from her spot. "Yes Kaiba?"

"Just call me Seto…" he muttered lowly and quickly, then released another sigh.

"…I had recently come to America to start this tournament roughly a month ago…But even though the passing time has kept me busy, I still remembered the words you spoke to me…All that talk about the past…and my destiny. It bothered me into having sleepless nights and early morning headaches, but it wouldn't leave. It feels like it all just built up inside of me…waiting to be let go and be done with."

"I don't understand. Where are you going with all of this, Kaiba?"

Still not facing her, he continued. "…I couldn't stop thinking about what you said when I heard you'd be arriving. And now that you're here… I have nothing else to say about it." He paused and chuckled faintly. "Do you think I'm being weak, telling you all this? Hmph. I don't even care I'm telling you… Asking foolish questions that wouldn't help me make a dime…"

Ishizu, touched by his words, stepped upto him and stood directly behind him, remaining perfectly still. "It is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of trust and fearlessness"

Fearlessness? That was a word Seto liked to hear. An amused smirk spread across his face as he turned to look at her, noticing she was directly behind him.

There were barely inches between them, and Seto wasn't familiar with such a thing.

He opened his mouth to speak, but one look in Ishizu's eyes eradicated his words on the spot and he scoffed to hide his folly. "What…?" he asked flatly.

Ishizu, not disturbed by their closeness in the least, eyed him steadily, then closed her eyes and turned her face from him.

Seto's eyes narrowed without him knowing at her action, but said nothing.

She sighed faintly, then turned back to him and nodded. "So you believed me then…?"

Her words were more of a statement than a question.

Seto still said nothing as he eyed this woman. His eyes, which were intertwined with hers, began to drift and mingle elsewhere; creeping in her hair, tickling her neck and roaming over her curves.

He knew she caught him staring, but was more curious as to why she didn't stop him. Either she didn't care, or she wanted him to. Either way, he had the authority to do whatever he pleased and no one was going to deter him without good reason.

Ishizu said nothing as she watched him eye her. But because of his lowered gaze, he couldn't see the smirk forming on her face.

"Will that be all, Kaiba?" she asked, her tone the exact opposite of her previous expression.

With a look between a sneer and a smirk across his lips, Seto slowly lifted his eyes to her. "What?"

"Are we done here?" she asked, her words sounding more like a statement than a question.

Catching the tone in her voice, Kaiba scoffed and turned away from her. "You tell me. You were the one who requested to come up here."

She nodded. "Indeed. But it is you who is the holder of our conversation and therefore, I must confirm this with you. Now, are we done here?"

For a moment, Seto was almost bewildered by her words, and raised an eyebrow to show for it. But instead of answering, he laughed.

Ishizu remained unfazed and stared at him with devoid eyes until his laughter subsided.

Allowing a faint chuckle to pass, Seto sat behind his desk and loosened his tie, not on purpose, but out of habit. "Ishizu, what do you think I am, a fool? There's more to this meeting than you're letting on and you know it."

Silence. Seto seemed amused. "So, why don't we stop playing these beating around the bush games and speak what's on our minds."

Ishizu raised an eyebrow and silently sat in her seat. Seto's eyes narrowed as he watched her close her eyes comfortably, and toss her hair back with a flick of her hand.

He growled at his body's reaction, but kept it to himself.

"…Kaiba.."

Becoming annoyed by her incompetence, Seto grunted in disgust and glared at her once she opened her eyes.

Gazing at him with a blank stare, she corrected herself. "…Seto…"

Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment, then propped his elbows on the desktop and folded his hands in front of his mouth. "Continue…"

"Seto…I've been informed by Marik about this new tournament you were hosting and decided that I must speak with you."

"Sounds like you just missed me. Hmph. What else"

Ishizu's eyes narrowed from the casual tone in his voice and a thin smirk laced across her lips at his words. "You are half correct. Actually, Seto, I came to offer a deal."

Seto's eyebrows lifted at the word and chuckled, mildly interested. "A deal? Hm. I don't have an interest in making frivolous deals, Ishizu."

Wordless, Ishizu gave him a glare that made him quickly reconsider. Becoming more amused by her little glares and silent threats, Seto chuckled and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "But this could be interesting…" He nodded to her. "I'm listening."

After eyeing him, silently studying his features, Ishizu slowly nodded and began her proposal.

"…Seto…" she began, lightly pressing her delicate fingers on top of the desk. "…I would like to offer a partnership with you and your company."

With a frown, Seto shifted uncomfortably in his chair and pressed the button on his desk to lock the windows and doors. This would take a while.

"…So? What do you want, my company as your sponsor?"

A small smirk curved Ishizu's lips and she leaned forward, her eyes half-lidded and swimming with allure.

Seto raised an amused eyebrow and eyed her carefully. He caught onto her act quickly, but let her continue.

"…I would like to purchase 2% of Kaiba Corp's shares and invest them to my smaller business organization."

A low chuckle escaped from him and he leaned back in his chair, placing his fingertips together. "Lying isn't very fitting on you, Ishizu."

"I'm not lying, Seto."

Seto twitched an eyebrow as a frown draped across his lips. "You're joking."

"I'm serious…Very serious."

"What!" he exclaimed, pushing himself out of his chair.

"Please calm yourself. There is more to this compromise..."

"Oh, there had better be…" he muttered, sinking back into his chair and crossing his arms. "Keep going."

A small smirk inched across Ishizu's lips. She knew she had him, now.

Enticingly, with a slender hand through her thick locks, she continued.

"I am aware of what you're thinking. What company would I, of all people, have to even make an attempt at merging with your company. Am I right?"

Seto sharply eyed her. His eyes fleeted between hers with an amused frown. "Wrong. I think you've made this trip of yours a complete waste of time"

"Oh?" she questioned, unknowingly licking her lips. "…really?"

With a slight and almost unreadable smile, Ishizu said nothing and waited for him to continue.

Seto's eyes lingered in hers for hour-seeming minutes, until he finally realized his staring and leaned back in his chair to divert his gaze elsewhere. "Tell me, Ishizu. Just what organization do you have that would require such an investment? Giving magical history lessons to those you seduce in order to make them listen, as you did with me? It doesn't work very well."

Ishizu raised a stern eyebrow and took a moment to locate her words. "I did not seduce you, Kaiba. I simply offered you a worthy deal, in which you were eager yourself to take." She said, smiling slyly.

Seto said nothing as he found himself at a loss for words, caught inside her alluring web.

Satisfied with her accomplishment thus far, Ishizu closed her eyes and placed a delicate hand to her chest. Seto's eyes quickly followed.

"I assure you, Seto, I did not come here to seduce you…"

Seto twitched an eyebrow as she paused.

"…I think you're lying."

"Let me finish." She lightly commanded, her eyes suddenly opening. "I did not come here for that, yet if it turns out that I must do so, I will. However, what I came here for was to offer you this deal for you to invest in my company."

"You're repeating yourself, Ishizu…"

Ishizu parted her lips to speak, then closed them, as well as her eyes. She knew that he was right. "How keen you are, but do not label me as a fool." She said, seductively lifting her eyes to him, and causing Seto to narrow his own.

"My offer includes your Kaiba Corp shares being split and donated to a non-profit institution for children without homes."

Struck by her words, Seto's gaze softened into a heartfelt one. He was touched. Still eyeing her without a word, he leaned forward in his chair and folded his fingers before his lips in thought.

"I see…" he muttered "Is there more?"

"Yes" Ishizu nodded. "With this institute, I plan to organize a deal with the museum of Egyptian treasures and artifacts, that you had the privilege of discovering earlier."

A slight smile graced Seto's lips, which was unseen by her. 'I haven't discovered a certain kind, yet.' He thought.

Picking up on the perception of his thoughts, Ishizu took a moment out of her explanation to give him an unreadable, yet gut-grabbing expression and he quickly recomposed himself.

"What are you stopping for? Do you want to persuade me to buy these stocks or not…?"

Ishizu's surprised expression changed into a more amused one and a smile inched her lips. Then, without warning, she laughed. It wasn't a normal laugh; it was light and airy; almost illusionary.

Seto almost couldn't believe it was real and that Ishizu of all people had a lyrical laugh like that. Relaxed, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the fullness of the euphonious sound.

"Oh, Seto." She mused "I take it you must be interested."

Slowly, his eyes opened and beheld her. Silent, Ishizu's eyes widened as she witnessed the faint glimmer wavering in his. She had never fathomed such an expression possible on this man, and especially not towards her.

Aware of his present emotions, Seto didn't move nor change his position and spoke his words clearly and lowly. "Ishizu…"

"Yes…?"

"Explain to me the real reason you want Kaiba Corp's investments. And also explain to me…why you have come alone…"

Ishizu parted her lips. "Well..."

"Speak up, Ishizu." He narrowed his eyes. "Whatever it is you want, just say it and tell me. You may never get an opportunity like this again. Tell me why you've approached me. What else is there that you desire of me…"

Ishizu said nothing as she stared at him in a gape. His words stirred into her soul and sent an antediluvian feeling rushing to the core of her beating heart. "…Seto…"

Hearing his name be said in such an elegant way, he closed his eyes for a moment and muttered something under his breath before readdressing his eyes to her and opening one of the desk's smaller drawers for his personal account book.

Bewildered, Ishizu had no idea as to what he was upto, but from his lips, she caught a 3 syllable word. Preparing to confront him about it, the sight of Seto reaching into his account book and tearing out a check made Ishizu's eyes grow unrepentantly wide. Not so much because she would be getting money, but because of Seto's eagerness to help her.

Keeping her words to herself, she watched quietly as he listed a few numbers, then held in a gasp as he drew a seemingly endless row of zeros. After the twelve zero, Ishizu's eyes drifted up from the check and to his face. Feeling her eyes, he instinctively looked up at her for a moment before dropping his eyes back down to his previous engagement and signed his name at the bottom.

"…Will $100,000,000,000,000 be enough to get you started?" he plainly asked, sliding the paper over to her.

With her eyes as round as saucers, Ishizu eyed the number with a look of disbelief, then returned her eyes to his. Sincerity and honesty looked back at her from deep within them.

She had never seen such a side to Seto Kaiba. This was one time her surprise lead her to be grateful and she nodded to him.

The minute she placed her fingertips on the check and started sliding it towards her, he pressed down on it, stopping her.

"What is it?" she inquired, slightly confused.

Seto remained wordless for a second as his eyes leisurely roamed over her form. Whispering in her thick silky locks of hair, gingerly cupping her face, brushing across her lips, hungrily caressing the length of her neck and daring the risk of continuing lower.

Ishizu caught his wandering eyes and parted her lips to speak, when he stopped her with the raise of one hand.

After moments of silence, his emotions temporarily exposed themselves as he spoke. "Once I give you this, what will be in it for me?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, then quickly relaxed. "For you?"

Narrowing his eyes, he leaned closer, his fingers still firmly holding the check. "If I agree to give this money to you, as part of our deal, what will be my end of the bargain? "

With bewilderment swimming in her eyes, she leaned closer, herself. Her eyes curiously fleeted between his. "I came prepared, Seto." She announced confidently.

Seto eyed her closely as two slender fingers slid into the top of her dress and emerged just as smoothly. Between those objects of seduction was what looked like a Duel Monsters card. Seto's eyes zoned in on it as she flipped it around to his view.

Once he read what the card was, his eyes widened and the previous captivation in his eyes was suppressed beneath sudden material obsession.

"Where did you get that card?" he asked, the eagerness to have it clear in his voice.

Expecting his behavior, Ishizu held the card away from him just enough for him to gaze upon it again before retreating it back into the protection of her clothing.

"Pegasus crafted it for me to specifically give to you. However, you must accompany me to a dinner party tonight if you wish to have it."

Seeing her handle him so skillfully, an agitated smile spread across his lips and he pushed himself up from his desk. "Ishizu…" he stated lowly and evenly, "…That card is mine. Let me have it."

Smirking, Ishizu also got up, but not before snatching the check off his desk and preparing to stick it down her dress to join with the card, when a hand reached out and took the check out of her hand. "Come on, Ishizu." He mused, already directly in front of her and stepping closer, "Give me a little more credit than that."

"Hmmm… I never doubted you." She stated placidly and turned her back to him.

Seto eyed her as she walked to the door, and same as before, stood in front of it as if awaiting it to open for her.

With an amused, yet tired sound, Seto stepped over to her and paused when he was a foot away from her. "What good will standing there do? I've already locked the doors. No one can get in or out without my permission."

Feeling a sudden sensation travel through her, Ishizu lightly held a hand to her chest as if it would slow the rapid pounding of her heart and slightly turned her face to him. " And what are you implying, Seto?"

With a scoff, Seto reached out a hand and lightly grabbed her by the shoulder. Ishizu gasped at his sudden touch and couldn't hide her surprise when he pulled her towards him and turned her to face him.

"Seto, what are you-"

"Quiet…" he uttered, placing the folded check to her lips. Once he got what he wanted, he slipped the paper into one of the back pockets of his suit and led her back against the door with his hands on either side. "We've wasted enough time with these games. Let's stop playing them, shall we?"

"Seto what-" she trailed off as his face neared closer to hers. Not expecting her meeting to go this far, but also rather excited with the turn of events, a small smile snuck across her lips and she looked to his through half-lidded eyes. "…Are you trying to seduce me, Seto?" she whispered.

With a throaty chuckle, he smirked. " Am I? If it turns out that I need to, I will. "

Ishizu's breath instantly halved from the sound of his voice using her own words against her. "You think you're pretty slick, don't you?" she said barely above a whisper.

"You're not resisting." He whispered back

"Am I?" she replied the moment she felt his lips brush hers, sending shivers down throughout her body.

Satisfied that he nearly had her completely at his mercy, Seto refrained from devouring her lips and dipped to whisper airy kisses along her neck.

A faint sigh escaped from Ishizu, but she continued to hold her ground. She knew deep in her heart he was only teasing her. He would do anything to claim what he set his eyes on. She narrowed her eyes at the thought of not even the faintest feelings he may have for another would stand in his way of getting what he wanted. And that, she hoped to change.

Feeling herself being brought back to reality, Ishizu let a low sound escape her and glanced to down to where Seto's sting of kisses traced along her collarbone.

Reading straight through him, Ishizu figured she'd play along and slid a hand up through his hair from the back of his head and clutched a few tuffs in a fist. Lightly, she tugged at it until his cold blue eyes rolled upto her, teeming with annoyance and determination.

Exchanging silence, the two glared into the other's soul; both daring the other to speak.

With a frustrated and twisted smile, Seto rooted his eyes in hers making sure she watched him as he snaked an arm around her thin waist and slithered a firm and blunt hand towards her supple curves; giving them a squeeze whenever and wherever he pleased.

Ishizu remained silent and watched his hand carefully. She knew that he was more interested in locating that card than he was trying to please her. She became aware of his game the moment he touched her, but she didn't respond.

Catching on to her awareness, but not caring in the least, Seto knew he had to use the one distraction that he knew would ensure that he got what he wanted. He despised tasting the lips of those he had no strong feelings for. But he would label this time as a diversion well needed and go on with his life.

With quick movements like a cat, Seto encircled both arms around her and lunged his face forward to seize her lips with his own, when two fingers on his lips stopped him.

His anxious and ardorless eyes narrowed acutely at hers as he released her from his grip and stepped back.

Feeling as if a part of herself left along with his touch, an unsatisfied sigh rose from her, and she straightened out her clothing while eying him sharply. "I will be staying at the Ramada Hotel approximately two miles from here in suite number 3. You will come to pick me up at 8 pm, tonight."

A growl escaped Seto as he listened to this woman give him, of all people, orders. Too irritated to argue in a useless conflict, Seto stormed to his desk and unlocked the doors.

"Take your leave. I'm already behind schedule enough as it is because of your whimsical drop in." He glared at her and narrowed his eyes, feeling both defeat and allure at the same time. "The next time you wake up one morning and just decide to drop by, call first and make an appointment, or keep your pompous hide where you came from." With that he plopped in his chair and abruptly turned his back to her.

Opening the door, Ishizu watched him with a blank expression, then a smirk slithered across her lips as she stepped out.

"And don't be late." She enticingly added, then closed the door firmly behind her.

Back in his office, Seto turned his chair to face his desk and devoidly stared at the door. With a heavy sigh, he waved the situation away, then went back to his scheduled work.

"…Hmph... tease…"

-Mel