Two Sides of the Looking Glass

OHAYO! Figured I'd post some good ol fashioned Slash-ness! ori, oi, or whatever. GUY ON GUY! Therrre we go!

What if Seto Kaiba had invited a certain Irishman to review his newest Dueling gizmo? This story is resultant of a dare (to myself, by myself) that you could not write a decent AF/SK fic because they are basically the same character. How wrong I was. I forgot that Arty- *gets bashed by Butler* - didn't have a little brother. Damb. <--- deep south spelling. Neway, I really wanted to post some slash since I had mentioned that I had some, and I couldn't find BILL AND SEV'S BOGUS NIGHT.

Enjoy, my lemmings.

OH! ALMOST FORGOT!
I DO NOT OWN EITHER SETO OR ARTY . . . MIS. THESE ARE PROPERTY OF KAZUKI TAKAHASHI AND
EOIN COLFER RESPECTIVELY.

I just make them my love slaves for a few hours every night . . .
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Kaiba Corp.’s lights twinkled in the darkness enveloping the city of Tokyo. The Pacific Ocean, care of Tokyo Bay, caressed the harbor softly, the ebb tide at its calmest. The stars above the water barely shimmered, sending the clarity of their light down to Fuji-San, in Nara, and indeed all of Nippon below. Seto Kaiba, the adolescent CEO of Kaiba Corp., noticed none of this. He was busily clicking away at his computer, fixing a bug that had popped up in the system. He needed to be on top of things for his business meeting tomorrow, and had purposely killed the firewall on his network in order to give himself a challenge. What he had gotten was Spy-ware and really very amateur viruses. What a life this was. He could wreck the world’s computers if he wanted to, and he was designing toys for duelists. Of course, HE was a duelist, so it wasn’t as though he didn’t know his audience.

He glanced over to the couch by the window. Mokuba had fallen asleep there again. He truly loved his little brother, and had no clue what he would do if something happened to him. Mokuba was snoring lightly, underneath a pile of homework, all finished and most likely perfect. Mokuba ver very good academically, despite all his insistence that Seto was the only genius in the family. Seto stood, and took the books off of his little brother, and took the blanket from off of the back of the couch. After tucking Mokuba in, he whispered a haiku he had found for them.

“Snow melting softly
Sunlight caresses you
I am always near.”

He sighed, running a hand through Mokuba’s hair, and went back to work.

He awoke the next morning to find he’d passed out on the desk yet again. But he’d set the Firewall up before he’d done so, so he wouldn’t have to rebuild the system, though he probably could have. He looked at the wall. Damn. It was ten o’clock? He went to the benjo that was adjacent to his office, then washed his hands. Glancing up in the mirror, he noticed a queer look in his eyes. Must be that glimmer everyone else had, after they got sleep. He only ever passed out, but he’d gota goa good seven hours’ rest this trip. He splashed cold water on his face, and went out to his secretary’s desk. “Ura, what appointments do I have today?” Ura looked as though he’d just announced he was Pegasus’ catamite.
“W-well. . .”
“Well?” He snorted. “It’s not like you never see me, Urameshi Tokido.”
“You just never ask me that face-to-face.” She sighed. “You have an appointment at eleven with that Irishman, Fowl, a lunch meeting with Noa, and your normal three o’clock with Mokuba.”
“The Irishman’s TODAY!??!” Seto screeched. Ura looked like she was about to faint. Apparently, Seto didn’t show much emotion around her. “Very well. We shan’t ignore him. Have some spring water procured and chilled. Also, some plum wine. I have heard the Irish are drinkers.” Seto handed her the company credit card. “And Ura, if I find you’ve gotten more than that, for yourself, I will see it taken out of your pay envelope.”

Seto combed his hair, waiting for his nervousness to pass. There was no reason for him to be nervous, but he was. Fowl was a brilliant programmer, and Seto needed a second opinion on his newest holographic ‘gizmo’. Seto smiled as the word crossed his mind. Mokuba had taught him that word, and he loved it. It was so simple and unassuming, like his little brother. There was a buzz on his desk, and he punched a button. “Yes, Ura?”
“Ah, Mr. Kaiba, I presume?” The Japanese on the other end was perfect, but masculine. Very.
“Hai.”
“I’ve orders to come inspect your office.”
“Come in. The door is open.” Seto Kaiba moved his hand down to the siyes under his desk.

The figure that walked in was immense, six-foot-nine if an inch. He bobbed quickly, more an afterthought than a bow. “Gomenasai, Kaiba-san, but Mr. Fowl is most particular.”
“Where is it you learned Japanese?” Kaiba asked, standing.
“I trained here.” He looked around the room, a very precursory glance, and nodded. “I must admit that I would have not thought to put the motion sensors on the cameras and had the cameras in the art hangings. Very ingenious.” He turned his massive head to face west. “All clear, Artemis.”
“Excuse me?” Kaiba was quite confused.
“Oh.” The giant blushed slightly, and bowed more deeply. “Mr. Fowl will be in shortly. I am his valet. Butler.”

The creature that walked in shortly after could not have been the same Artemis Fowl who had programmed the virus that had actually challenged Seto Kaiba. He was gorgeous, his pale skin set off by his ebony hair and dark eyes, an Armani three-piece accenting a slim and centered body. Seto Kaiba had never had a crush in his life, and he was ready to do whatever this boy asked him. As the boy’s eyes met his, he realized that it was very possible to fall in love at first sight. If not, what was this feeling?

Artemis Fowl observed the scene as he walked into Kaiba’s office. Butler was straightening up from a formal bow, and there was a cinnamon-haired teenager, perhaps two years his senior, standing in front of him. He met the teenager’s eyes, and was astonished to find them as blue as the sea, though with perhaps a bit more innocence than Artemis had expected. “Butler, I’m surprised at you. It is most inappropriate to truckle to the minor office staff.” The teenager’s eye’s snapped.
“Well, I must admit, I did not expect Mr. Fowl to bring his son on a business meeting. n unn understand the need for personal security, but honestly. Business is Business, and family is a scientific term.” Excellent. He’d sounded like Maximilian Pegasus. “If you could kindly fetch him?” He thought for a nanosecond, and added, “Lad?”

“My father is a brilliant businessman,” The boy responded, “but he has no knowledge of computers. If you wish to converse with the person who sent you the virus that took you three hours to break down piece-by-piece, deleting each portsepaseparately, thwarting the voice command override placed in it, you will speak with me, for I am he.” Artemis Fowl lived up to his name. His arrow struck true, and the silver flashing from the bowstring was pure in its lethality. Seto responded in kind. It was a good thing he did not live up to HIS name, which meant ‘seahorse’.
“And If you wish to speak to Mr.ba, ba, you’ll have to dig him up. My father WAS a brilliant businessman.” Seto smiled maniacally, and walked over to the champagne bucket. “Water?” Let him wonder what had happened.

The Irishman accepted, and drank quietly. Kaiba offered some to Butler as well, who knew better than to decline. “It was an interesting program, though I must say, it can’t have been the limit of your abilities. You look much more clever than sil silly little trifle.” Kaiba went for the bottle, but was cut off by Butler.
“Allow me, Kaiba-san.” He poured the spring water into a glass and handed it to Kaiba. The Irishman looked askance. “It is most impolite to allow someone to pour their own drink in Japan, Artemis.” He explained. “Rather like eating with your mouth open.” He took a breath. “It is a slap at the host’s hospitality skills. As though they do not know how to take care of their guests. Also, it is bad luck.”
“Luck has nothing to do with business, Butler.”
“My I ask something?” Kaiba interrupted, confused.
hav have done so, obviously you can.” The boy snapped.
“You refer to him as ‘Butler’. Is this a dictate of your father’s? Or of his?” Artemis smiled.
“It is typical to refer to someone in your service by their surname, is it not?”

Butler went on to explain. “It is the service of my family to be guardians. Surely you understand.”
“Much like samurai.” Kaiba put it into a field he could understand.
“Not so different.” Artemis looked at Butler.
“You are not a warrior. Well, you don’t make your living butchering peasants.” There was a sharp inhale from both Butler and Kaiba.
“‘Samurai’ literally means ‘to serve’, Artemis.” Butler was more than likely this boy’s father figure. He explained enough to him. “Bushido and all, it was more a lifestyle of inner peace than outer violence. At least, that was the goal. One thousand years of war did not help in the matter of peace.”
“Bushido?” His accent was atrocious.
“Way of the warrior.” Butler took a deep breath. “Madame Ko would be proud of me, having to explain this.” He smiled. Just then, a black-haired streak entered the office.
“SETO!!!!!!!!!!!” Seto Kaiba was rendered one with the floor.

“Mokuba . . .” Kaiba pressed against the weight on top of him.
“SETO!” He squeezed harder, and Seto gasped for air.
“Moku . . .ba . . . AIR!” Moku sat up. “Why aren’t you at school?”
“Golden Week! No school today! Or for the next four days, Seto!” He smiled.
“Who gave you sugar?”
“Ura-chan.” Moku smiled at his older brother, and looked across the table. He then hid behind Seto.
“Mokuba, what is the matter. . .?”
“Kyojín . . .” Moku muttered, and Seto looked at Butler apologetically.
“Kids.” He smiled. Butler looked accommodatingly back.
“Yours?” Artemis put in cuttingly.
“Please. I’d have been eight. This is my little brother, Mokuba. Despite his present appearance, he is actually quite talkative.”
“And what does ‘kyojín’ mean, exactly?” Artemis was getting tired. Jet lag must have been setting in.
“He thinks I’m a giant.” Butler chuckled. “I assure you, Mokuba, I am quite harmless.” Artemis laughed harshly. Of all the adjectival phrases he would use in conjunction with Butler, ‘quite harmless’ was not one of them. Mokuba’s head shot out from behind Seto’s back.
“Are you sure?” His eyes squinted endearingly.
“Quite.” Butler dropped his smile, and Moku came out from behind Seto.
“Sorry I interrupted your meeting, Nisan.” Mokuba bowed. Seto tousled his hair, and sent him off.

The business went well after that, and Seto’s old trick had worked. The quickest way to get to know someone is to insult them. Butler stayed pretty quiet through the whole demo, but Artemis was a faunt of information. He seemed to have a lot of ideas when it came to holographics. Seto was surprised at the things he had overlooked. When the evening came, he found himself asking Artemis to “Join me for dinner.”
“Well . . . we do have to bttintting back to Ireland.” Artemis lookt But Butler, who looked back. “Sure.”
“Have you plans to fly out tonight?” Seto asked.
“Well, I was hoping to do so.”
“I’ll have Ura procure rooms for you. We can’t have you flying tired.”
“That’s really not-” Artemis tried, but Butler cut him off.
“Thank you, Kaiba-san. It is a most generous offer.” Artemis glared at his imposing companion.
“Mr. Kaiba? Might I have a moment with my associate?”
“By all means.” Seto waved him off.

“Butler, do you mind telling me what it is exactly that you are doing?”
“I am doing something which is only prudent: I am accepting his hospitality.” Butler looked down at Artemis. “The Japanese pride themselves on their culture. You should stay to experience more of it.”
“That is my choice, Butler, and as such, should I not make it?”Artemis glared up at his bodyguard.
“You don’t understand. It is a huge insult to deny him.”
“Butler, what has gotten into you?” Artemis snapped. “So we insult him.”
“Insulting an Irishman and insulting the Japanese are two different things, Artemis.” Butler tried to calmly explain.
“Why don’t you just admit to both yourself and I that you want to stay and play tourist for a few days?” Artemis was getting in a worse and worse temper as he aged, Butler noticed. Perhaps it was the pent-up hormones.
“Very well, I do wish to stay, though tourism never occurred to me.”