Reminiscence of blue
folder
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
2
Views:
1,273
Reviews:
10
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
2
Views:
1,273
Reviews:
10
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 1
Title: Reminiscence of blue
Author: Drachenaugen
Rating: NC-17
Pairing (s): J/S, mentions of P/S
Beta: Daisey
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters (much to my dismay).
Summary: Summary: AU. Starting a new life shouldn’t be hard for someone as self-confident and calculating as Seto. But will things be as easy as they seem? Or is Seto in more trouble than he realizes?
~Author’s Note~
Special thanks to Mizumiblu, who collaborated with me in thinking up the name for ‘Denzaki Tech Industries’.
~ Review reply~
MikaSamu: Awwww, such kind words, thanks you! If all goes well, you’ll like this chapter too.
MishikoShinsei: Another reader who told me it was an intriguing start, than you very much! Hope this chapter keeps you interested as well ;3
KrystalChronicals: Ah! Sorry dear, I took quite a while with this next chapter. Hope you like it though.
Mulle: Well, if you’re sure to read it, I’m sure gonna write it LOL Sorry for the wait dear, enjoy this next chapter :3
setoaddict: I’m very glad you liked it. And yes, even if it’s hard to believe someone would cheat on a bishie like Seto, but, there’s a reason for everything *mysterious wink* Hope you like this chapter too.
And now, on to chapter 1! Enjoy!
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Chapter 1
“Don’t forget my Pocky, Seto. You know I can’t study without my Pocky.” It had seemed like an easy enough task, even if Seto found no particular logic in needing to stuff oneself with snacks in order to pick up a book and study. In any case, that wasn’t the brunette’s current problem.
´Why didn’t he tell me which flavor he wanted?’ Seto thought with frustration as he stood facing the shelf covered with endless varieties of Pocky. When had going to a supermarket become an odyssey? What had happened to the basic concept of ‘go in, get what you need, pay, and leave’? Having to pick your way through an endless number of brands, flavors, and prices, just to get a carton of milk wasn’t what Seto wanted to do during the afternoon of an exhausting day. Scratch that, he didn’t want to do it at any given time, period. And as if that wasn’t enough, the people who attended the place seemed to be out to bother him too. A shudder run down his back as Seto remembered the pudgy old lady that had ‘accidentally’ brushed against him while asking the brunette’s help to get a jar of ‘sticky toffee sauce’ from one of the higher shelves. At least he’d gotten some satisfaction from refusing to do so, telling her that if she wanted to stuff herself with even more calories, she should ask one of the many girls giving out free samples for help, and not him. With a more relaxed sigh, Seto decided to go for the traditional chocolate flavor Pocky, instead of risking his luck with other types such as cream cheese, sweet potato, or marble royal milk tea …whatever the hell that was.
While he carried on with the rest of his shopping, he reflected about what had happened after he’d arrived at his new home the previous night. Apparently, sending Mokuba to their apartment before Pegasus returned had been a wise decision. The term ‘angry’ could not even begin to describe his brother’s reaction at hearing about the ridiculous engagement proposal. Seto remembered with amusement Mokuba’s suggestion of ‘running to the nearest bathroom and flushing the ring down the toilet. The brunette found it endearing when his brother played the overprotective sibling role. Besides, letting the boy vent all he wanted was always helpful, and to know that his brother shared his feelings about the matter was comforting. The only support Seto needed was Mokuba’s; it had been like that most of his life, and it would probably stay that way.
Checking his shopping list one last time, the brunette saw that he was only missing a couple of items, and that if he hurried, he’d be able to get home with some time to spare before dinner. He really wanted to find a good position for his new jerker table before he started setting up his computer and other output devices. As he walked down the isle, someone suddenly bumped into him.
“Sorry, man. I wasn’t looking, it was my fault.”
Turning, Seto glared at the man who had walked into him- a messy haired blond sporting an apologetic smile. Not that that won Seto’s sympathy. “Watch where you are going.”
Jounouchi settled for watching the brunette leave, and refrained from retorting to the rude comment. ‘I said I was sorry, you grouch.’ The last thing the tired blond needed was to start a fight in the supermarket with a cute guy.
‘Cute? Oh Kami, what the hell is wrong with me?! Now I’m checking out men in the supermarket? Blame it on the jetlag, Jou.’ As soon as he thought that, he felt like kicking himself. Now he enjoyed mental monologues… just great.
Just then he heard his cell phone ring. Fetching it from his back pocket, Jou glanced at the caller ID before answering.
“Hey, Honda.”
“Well aren’t you the merry one? You sound half dead”
Jou huffed tiredly. “Honda, I just flew back from America; what did you expect?”
“Yugi told me you were going to go to hit the sack when he left you, so I figured you’d be more rested by now,” interjected his friend. “Where are you, anyway?”
“Supermarket, and I only slept a couple of hours. I had stuff to do before I go back to work tomorrow. I can’t take anymore days off”
“That bites, Jou. But listen, let’s not talk about work. Tell me how it went.”
“Oh! You should have seen her, Hon,” Jounouchi’s voice changed instantly as he thought about his sister’s high school graduation ceremony, “Shizuka looked so happy and proud. She was beautiful in her graduation gown.”
“And your mother?”
“I got to bother the hell out of her by sitting at her side during the ceremony. She didn’t want me to, but Shizuka insisted that she wished to see the family together when she went on stage to get her diploma. My mother,” the blond spit the word out as if it were poison, “couldn’t refuse. She had to endure being seen in public with her ‘shameful’ son.” Honda laughed on the other end of the line.
“And what about the graduation party?” When all the brunette got was a grunt in response, he started laughing again. “Ok, who’s the poor guy that had to endure ‘the big brother’s jealousy’?”
“Oh shut up! He was a stuck up little shit, trying to look cool and thinking too highly of himself” Jou viciously dropped a box of pasta in his grocery cart. The old lady who had been approaching him to ask for help with the higher shelves hastily changed her mind and made her retreat, leaving the murderous looking blond behind. Maybe that blue eyed man, as rude as he was, had been some sort of sign; it was about time she cut down the toffee sauce and started a diet.
“In other words, he was handsome and probably had a grade A report card.”
“What part of ‘shut up’ didn’t you understand?!”
Honda bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing. As fun as playing with the blonde’s jealousy was, the brunette didn’t want to bother his friend too much with that. “Ok, ok. I get it. How was the party, then?”
“I didn’t go. I went to see my sister graduate, not to embarrass her at her party. Much to my dismay, she’s growing up, and she needs some space.”
“Why didn’t you go?! You could have met someone!” Not that again. Jou closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Honda, you do realize you’re suggesting I ‘meet’ 18 year olds, right? That’s just nasty, man.”
“Nasty is how you’re going to get if you don’t ‘release tensions’ soon.”
“Honda, we’ve been through this before; don’t say…” It was like talking to a deaf man.
“You. Need. To. Get. L.A.I.D.”
Jounouchi pinched the bridge of his nose hard enough to hurt. He cared for Honda like a brother, but at times, his friend could really piss him off.
“Is there a point to this phone call anymore? As entertaining as it may be for you, I don’t find any fun in standing in the supermarket, bumping into guys and receiving annoying calls that…”
“Bumping into guys? Anyone good looking?”
“You are a… I’m gonna hand up now.” It was either that, or end up calling Honda something that Jounouchi would regret later.
The excitement was almost palpable in the brunette’s voice, “There was! Did you get his phone number?”
“Bye Honda.” Effectively hanging up before he could hear anymore of what his friend had to say, Jou heaved an exhausted sigh. Honda only wanted to help him, he knew, but reminding the blond that he hadn’t found anyone to date for over a year wasn’t very helpful at all. It was bad enough as it was. Jou was a sociable person by nature, he liked being around people, and he craved being in a relationship more than others. But, enough years of clubbing had taught him that picking the first likeable guy you came upon wasn’t exactly the best way to go about finding a partner to share your time and affection with. Was it a sin to look for someone with a little more substance to offer? As nice as ‘getting laid’ sounded, he wasn’t going to base his search for a boyfriend on how horny he was.
‘Of course, it would be nice if I found someone soon,’ he mused as he watched, with resignation, as a couple walked past him, hand in hand, with a basket containing whipped cream, syrup, cherries and other whatnots. Glaring at nothing in particular, Jounouchi made his way to the check out line. ‘Lucky bastards’.
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It was a splendid morning in Domino. Even though it was autumn, the air wasn’t cold, but pleasantly cool, and only a couple of stray clouds covered the sky. The sun fell down over an aqua blue mustang convertible as it made its way through the bustling streets and pulled into the parking lot of the modern office building covered in onyx polarized windows that harbored Dark Crown’s headquarters. Once inside, the owner of the flashy vehicle parked in a reserved spot and headed for the elevators. Stepping into one of the cars, the young CEO took it to the top floor where his office resided. As soon as he got off, his secretary was waiting for him with a warm smile.
“Otogi-sama, good morning.”
“Miyuki-chan! Morning. Wow, you’re looking great in that outfit; is it new?”
Miyuki, a woman in her early thirties, smiled at her boss. “Yes it is. An important day deserves a new outfit.”
Otogi laughed good heartedly. “Is that some sort of ‘lucky charm’? If I had known, I’d have done the same.”
“Well, you still look dashing. I’m sure you won’t need any charms, other than the ones you usually sport.”
“You know how to treat a man’s ego, Mi-chan.”
Saying that Miyuki was ‘right’ for the position as Otogi’s secretary was an understatement. Not only did she match his flirting and understand his flamboyant nature, she was also thorough in her work, never delaying or forgetting anything. In other words, she was just what Otogi needed.
“So, when are they arriving again?”
“9.00am, Otogi-sama. Would you like your cappuccino in the meantime?” she asked, the cheerful smile never leaving her face.
“Please, Mi-chan. Oh! And the folders I asked you for?” Otogi questioned as he opened the double doors that connected the reception area to his personal office.
“They are in the green folders on your desk. The yellow ones have each of the applicants’ information, just in case you want to give them another look before they arrive.”
The young CEO winked at his secretary before closing the doors, “I’d be lost without you, Miyuki.”
Once inside, Otogi grimaced at the sight of all the folders on his desk. The truth was that he had gone through them more times than he cared to count. Not only was a lot of money at stake here, if the project he had in mind didn’t go well _this_ time around, it would probably take his company a long time before it could tackle a project of such magnitude again. Dark Crown wasn’t a multimillion dollar company like Industrial Illusions; it couldn’t afford mistakes that cost money repeatedly, if anytime at all.
As Otogi sat down in the leather chair behind his desk, he picked up the yellow folders and schemed through them, not really reading anything in particular. In his hands was the information of the person that could actually make, or break, his plan of taking Dark Crown to the next level. No matter how much he loved dice and card games, the truth was that technology was what entertained the young crowd nowadays. As years went by, people preferred video and computer games over the more traditional board games and such. Hell, you didn’t even need a partner to play chess anymore; all you needed was a computer and the game’s program. Otogi knew that, if he wanted his company to prosper, he needed to jump into that market. And, what better way to achieve that than by becoming an independent video game developer? At least, that was what he had believed to be a good plan- that was, until, after long months of hard work, bucket loads of money had gone down the drain when the game developer studio his company had organized had come up with a product that hadn’t even passed the game tester’s approval. The center of his problem had resided in a poor programming department and an even worse head programmer with terrible leading skills, and lack of basic criteria. He would have chosen one of his other employees in that department, but sadly, none had true leader qualities. He needed someone new.
Thus, there he was, waiting to personally interview possible candidates for that position. Unlike the last time, he wasn’t going to let any of his staff intervene in the hiring, not after what had happened the last time around. No, this time, he would trust in his intuition- at least that had never failed him.
“Otogi-sama?” The raven haired man looked up in surprise; his secretary was standing at the door, his cappuccino in her hand, looking at him with worry, “Are you all right? I called various times, but you didn’t answer. Would you like me to reschedule the interviews?”
“No, Miyuki, I was just deep in thought. Sorry if I worried you,” he said as he took the steaming cup.
“You shouldn’t worry too much over this or you’ll get grey hairs from stress.” The secretary couldn’t hold back a laugh when she saw her boss’ horrified expression, only to look at him serenely moments later, “I know how much this means to you and the company, but if you don’t treat this matter calmly, you’ll only compromise your decision. Look at this like any other interview, no more, no less.”
Otogi was shocked by those words. That was true; in the end, he was just interviewing people for a job at his company. But, because of a previous unsuccessful experience, he had worried more than necessary and had lost sight of that. What’s more, he admitted to himself, he had even been a little scared, since it could affect his beloved company, his life’s dream, negatively. Sighing, he sipped the beverage, allowing the hot liquid to calm his nerves even more. “Thank you, Mi-chan. Your wisdom never ceases to amaze me.”
“Please don’t say that; it makes me feel old. I’ll go back to my desk now; the applicants should be arriving soon.”
As soon as the woman left, Otogi pushed the files aside and decided to enjoy his morning drink until the time to start the interviews- which he was now looking forward to- came.
About two hours later, his perspective about the whole thing had changed. ‘Do people even know what coming to an interview implies?’ he thought exasperatedly as another man left his office. Up until now, all he had gotten where people who looked as if they’d be at home in a Hollywood movie as the stereotype nerd, or others who were the typical ‘hackers’, trying to look cool and like they could outsmart you, when in reality, they where just idiots who didn’t want to grow up and probably still needed their mom to help them tie their shoes. The CEO shook his head incredulously as he thought about the one guy that had come in wearing skater shorts and sneakers. Who the fuck dressed like that for an interview?! Stupid guy had been back out the door in seconds. Even if he was in the game industry, Otogi’s company was a serious business, and he expected people who worked there to keep that in mind. The candidates that he had interviewed so far had been what you’d expect from any computer expert; nobody stood out, and that wasn’t what he was looking for. Sure, technical expertise and knowledge was important, but there had to be something in the person’s personality. He wanted someone with more charisma, or else he’d be faced with the same kind of programmer that had caused him so much trouble.
‘Kami-sama, please let there be someone out there that is fit for this position,’ he prayed, and then he pressed a button on his intercom, “Miyuki, please let the next person in.”
“Right away, Sir.”
Moments later, a strong knock was heard, the applicant entering the office once the CEO had granted his permission. Otogi was awestruck; the man entering his office had the most astonishing eyes he had ever seen. Tall, with tidy, combed chocolate brown hair, sporting a stylish dark grey business suit, the candidate walked up to his desk with the confidence and grace of the owner of a company, not someone that was applying for a job.
“Kaiba Seto. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Shaking the brunette’s outstretched hand, Otogi then gestured towards a seat. “Nice to meet you, Kaiba-san. Please, seat down.”
Not losing any time, Otogi took Kaiba’s file from his desk and scanned it. “Well, from what it says in your curriculum and references, I’m sitting in front of a talented genius, is that right?” He always like starting interviews by testing people’s egos. It helped him see what type of person he was dealing with.
“My intelligence has been praised before, yes. But, the term ‘genius’ is a subjective opinion that people may, or may not, choose to apply. I can only account for my own achievements- those that, as you said yourself, are listed within my curriculum. ”
Otogi pushed on. “Achievements indeed. You gained a full paid scholarship at Domino University for a computer science degree, and graduated with honors in record time. You also have impeccable references from your internship at Denzaki Tech Industries, where they claim you to be brilliant at software programming, and you’ve attended _and_ participated in various conferences… Well, let’s just say you’ve kept yourself busy.”
The brunette’s only acknowledgement to those words was a simple, “Wasting time is not in my nature.”
‘You don’t waste much breath either,’ the CEO added mentally. Unlike the previous applicants, Kaiba had not taken his ‘ego-boost’ bait, trying to show off for every single thing he’d done. This man, with his features schooled into a perfectly serious mask, gave an air of superiority, like he knew he was great, but didn’t need to make an added effort for people to realize it. Otogi was pleased. ‘If my hunch is correct,’ he thought, ‘he’s probably the most arrogant of them all, but he’s smart enough not to show it.’
“Well then, Kaiba-san, your experience shows that you wouldn’t have any trouble fitting into the position, but, so has that of other applicants. So, let’s look at this from another point of view. Why are you interested in this job, and why would _you_ be the best choice out of all the people I have interviewed?”
“First and foremost, I enjoy games as much as I like creating them. Developing programs, changing existing technology, pushing further than others to achieve a final product that exceeds people’s expectations… these, amongst other things, make this field of work both flexible and challenging. I take pleasure in constantly challenging myself. As for your second question, ‘why I’m the best choice’, it’s simple.” For the first time during the entire interview, Seto’s lips curved into a smirk. “I, unlike many others, see the power this industry has. Not the economical kind, but the power it has over people. Games have the ability to make you lose track of time. They can make you want to neglect obligations and, in some cases, they can even make you wish the game’s surroundings were your own reality. In other words, this industry has unappreciated power over people’s thoughts and actions. I understand this, and I want to exploit this knowledge to its fullest. If you consider this point of view, I assure you, your company will have a very promising future.”
Trying to hide his shock, the CEO considered this. He certainly hadn’t ever thought about it that way; he’d always considered his business as more on the lines of helping people have fun with his products. But, even if the brunette’s whole idea had more ‘power hungry’ undertones than he was used to, it didn’t sound too outrageous. After all, he knew quite well that the business world was all about competing. and that having the ‘power over people’ that Kaiba had mentioned, _was_ key- more so than economical power, which was, in the end, a product of the former. Thinking as this man suggested wasn’t such a bad idea, in a way.
At last, the emerald eyed CEO was satisfied with an interview. He thanked Kami-sama for hearing him out, and for giving him one competent person with personality. Smiling, Otogi put everything back into Kaiba’s file.
“Well, I’ve heard all I needed to hear, Kaiba-san. Thank you for coming; we’ll call you.” With that, he got up and offered a handshake, while Seto mimicked his actions.
“No, thank you for having me. I’ll be expecting your call.”
Otogi watched Kaiba make his way out of his office. Once alone, he chuckled with amusement. “I was right; you _are_ the most arrogant of them all, but I like your confidence.” Hitting his intercom button, he called his secretary to his office.
‘I don’t think anymore interviews will be necessary.’
~Tbc~
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Japanese references:
‘Pocky’ - Japanese snack food that consists of a biscuit stick coated commonly with chocolate, thought many other flavors exist (such as those mentioned in this chapter).
‘Kami-sama’ - Japanese word for "deity". The word is used to indicate any sort of god, beings of a higher place or belonging to a different sphere of existence, or the Christian-Judeo God.
‘Denzaki’ - Name created from the words ‘den’ (commonly used to refer to electricity in Japanese) and ‘zaki’ (which means entertainment). Can roughly be interpreted as ‘electronic entertainment’.
Author: Drachenaugen
Rating: NC-17
Pairing (s): J/S, mentions of P/S
Beta: Daisey
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters (much to my dismay).
Summary: Summary: AU. Starting a new life shouldn’t be hard for someone as self-confident and calculating as Seto. But will things be as easy as they seem? Or is Seto in more trouble than he realizes?
~Author’s Note~
Special thanks to Mizumiblu, who collaborated with me in thinking up the name for ‘Denzaki Tech Industries’.
~ Review reply~
MikaSamu: Awwww, such kind words, thanks you! If all goes well, you’ll like this chapter too.
MishikoShinsei: Another reader who told me it was an intriguing start, than you very much! Hope this chapter keeps you interested as well ;3
KrystalChronicals: Ah! Sorry dear, I took quite a while with this next chapter. Hope you like it though.
Mulle: Well, if you’re sure to read it, I’m sure gonna write it LOL Sorry for the wait dear, enjoy this next chapter :3
setoaddict: I’m very glad you liked it. And yes, even if it’s hard to believe someone would cheat on a bishie like Seto, but, there’s a reason for everything *mysterious wink* Hope you like this chapter too.
And now, on to chapter 1! Enjoy!
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Chapter 1
“Don’t forget my Pocky, Seto. You know I can’t study without my Pocky.” It had seemed like an easy enough task, even if Seto found no particular logic in needing to stuff oneself with snacks in order to pick up a book and study. In any case, that wasn’t the brunette’s current problem.
´Why didn’t he tell me which flavor he wanted?’ Seto thought with frustration as he stood facing the shelf covered with endless varieties of Pocky. When had going to a supermarket become an odyssey? What had happened to the basic concept of ‘go in, get what you need, pay, and leave’? Having to pick your way through an endless number of brands, flavors, and prices, just to get a carton of milk wasn’t what Seto wanted to do during the afternoon of an exhausting day. Scratch that, he didn’t want to do it at any given time, period. And as if that wasn’t enough, the people who attended the place seemed to be out to bother him too. A shudder run down his back as Seto remembered the pudgy old lady that had ‘accidentally’ brushed against him while asking the brunette’s help to get a jar of ‘sticky toffee sauce’ from one of the higher shelves. At least he’d gotten some satisfaction from refusing to do so, telling her that if she wanted to stuff herself with even more calories, she should ask one of the many girls giving out free samples for help, and not him. With a more relaxed sigh, Seto decided to go for the traditional chocolate flavor Pocky, instead of risking his luck with other types such as cream cheese, sweet potato, or marble royal milk tea …whatever the hell that was.
While he carried on with the rest of his shopping, he reflected about what had happened after he’d arrived at his new home the previous night. Apparently, sending Mokuba to their apartment before Pegasus returned had been a wise decision. The term ‘angry’ could not even begin to describe his brother’s reaction at hearing about the ridiculous engagement proposal. Seto remembered with amusement Mokuba’s suggestion of ‘running to the nearest bathroom and flushing the ring down the toilet. The brunette found it endearing when his brother played the overprotective sibling role. Besides, letting the boy vent all he wanted was always helpful, and to know that his brother shared his feelings about the matter was comforting. The only support Seto needed was Mokuba’s; it had been like that most of his life, and it would probably stay that way.
Checking his shopping list one last time, the brunette saw that he was only missing a couple of items, and that if he hurried, he’d be able to get home with some time to spare before dinner. He really wanted to find a good position for his new jerker table before he started setting up his computer and other output devices. As he walked down the isle, someone suddenly bumped into him.
“Sorry, man. I wasn’t looking, it was my fault.”
Turning, Seto glared at the man who had walked into him- a messy haired blond sporting an apologetic smile. Not that that won Seto’s sympathy. “Watch where you are going.”
Jounouchi settled for watching the brunette leave, and refrained from retorting to the rude comment. ‘I said I was sorry, you grouch.’ The last thing the tired blond needed was to start a fight in the supermarket with a cute guy.
‘Cute? Oh Kami, what the hell is wrong with me?! Now I’m checking out men in the supermarket? Blame it on the jetlag, Jou.’ As soon as he thought that, he felt like kicking himself. Now he enjoyed mental monologues… just great.
Just then he heard his cell phone ring. Fetching it from his back pocket, Jou glanced at the caller ID before answering.
“Hey, Honda.”
“Well aren’t you the merry one? You sound half dead”
Jou huffed tiredly. “Honda, I just flew back from America; what did you expect?”
“Yugi told me you were going to go to hit the sack when he left you, so I figured you’d be more rested by now,” interjected his friend. “Where are you, anyway?”
“Supermarket, and I only slept a couple of hours. I had stuff to do before I go back to work tomorrow. I can’t take anymore days off”
“That bites, Jou. But listen, let’s not talk about work. Tell me how it went.”
“Oh! You should have seen her, Hon,” Jounouchi’s voice changed instantly as he thought about his sister’s high school graduation ceremony, “Shizuka looked so happy and proud. She was beautiful in her graduation gown.”
“And your mother?”
“I got to bother the hell out of her by sitting at her side during the ceremony. She didn’t want me to, but Shizuka insisted that she wished to see the family together when she went on stage to get her diploma. My mother,” the blond spit the word out as if it were poison, “couldn’t refuse. She had to endure being seen in public with her ‘shameful’ son.” Honda laughed on the other end of the line.
“And what about the graduation party?” When all the brunette got was a grunt in response, he started laughing again. “Ok, who’s the poor guy that had to endure ‘the big brother’s jealousy’?”
“Oh shut up! He was a stuck up little shit, trying to look cool and thinking too highly of himself” Jou viciously dropped a box of pasta in his grocery cart. The old lady who had been approaching him to ask for help with the higher shelves hastily changed her mind and made her retreat, leaving the murderous looking blond behind. Maybe that blue eyed man, as rude as he was, had been some sort of sign; it was about time she cut down the toffee sauce and started a diet.
“In other words, he was handsome and probably had a grade A report card.”
“What part of ‘shut up’ didn’t you understand?!”
Honda bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing. As fun as playing with the blonde’s jealousy was, the brunette didn’t want to bother his friend too much with that. “Ok, ok. I get it. How was the party, then?”
“I didn’t go. I went to see my sister graduate, not to embarrass her at her party. Much to my dismay, she’s growing up, and she needs some space.”
“Why didn’t you go?! You could have met someone!” Not that again. Jou closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Honda, you do realize you’re suggesting I ‘meet’ 18 year olds, right? That’s just nasty, man.”
“Nasty is how you’re going to get if you don’t ‘release tensions’ soon.”
“Honda, we’ve been through this before; don’t say…” It was like talking to a deaf man.
“You. Need. To. Get. L.A.I.D.”
Jounouchi pinched the bridge of his nose hard enough to hurt. He cared for Honda like a brother, but at times, his friend could really piss him off.
“Is there a point to this phone call anymore? As entertaining as it may be for you, I don’t find any fun in standing in the supermarket, bumping into guys and receiving annoying calls that…”
“Bumping into guys? Anyone good looking?”
“You are a… I’m gonna hand up now.” It was either that, or end up calling Honda something that Jounouchi would regret later.
The excitement was almost palpable in the brunette’s voice, “There was! Did you get his phone number?”
“Bye Honda.” Effectively hanging up before he could hear anymore of what his friend had to say, Jou heaved an exhausted sigh. Honda only wanted to help him, he knew, but reminding the blond that he hadn’t found anyone to date for over a year wasn’t very helpful at all. It was bad enough as it was. Jou was a sociable person by nature, he liked being around people, and he craved being in a relationship more than others. But, enough years of clubbing had taught him that picking the first likeable guy you came upon wasn’t exactly the best way to go about finding a partner to share your time and affection with. Was it a sin to look for someone with a little more substance to offer? As nice as ‘getting laid’ sounded, he wasn’t going to base his search for a boyfriend on how horny he was.
‘Of course, it would be nice if I found someone soon,’ he mused as he watched, with resignation, as a couple walked past him, hand in hand, with a basket containing whipped cream, syrup, cherries and other whatnots. Glaring at nothing in particular, Jounouchi made his way to the check out line. ‘Lucky bastards’.
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It was a splendid morning in Domino. Even though it was autumn, the air wasn’t cold, but pleasantly cool, and only a couple of stray clouds covered the sky. The sun fell down over an aqua blue mustang convertible as it made its way through the bustling streets and pulled into the parking lot of the modern office building covered in onyx polarized windows that harbored Dark Crown’s headquarters. Once inside, the owner of the flashy vehicle parked in a reserved spot and headed for the elevators. Stepping into one of the cars, the young CEO took it to the top floor where his office resided. As soon as he got off, his secretary was waiting for him with a warm smile.
“Otogi-sama, good morning.”
“Miyuki-chan! Morning. Wow, you’re looking great in that outfit; is it new?”
Miyuki, a woman in her early thirties, smiled at her boss. “Yes it is. An important day deserves a new outfit.”
Otogi laughed good heartedly. “Is that some sort of ‘lucky charm’? If I had known, I’d have done the same.”
“Well, you still look dashing. I’m sure you won’t need any charms, other than the ones you usually sport.”
“You know how to treat a man’s ego, Mi-chan.”
Saying that Miyuki was ‘right’ for the position as Otogi’s secretary was an understatement. Not only did she match his flirting and understand his flamboyant nature, she was also thorough in her work, never delaying or forgetting anything. In other words, she was just what Otogi needed.
“So, when are they arriving again?”
“9.00am, Otogi-sama. Would you like your cappuccino in the meantime?” she asked, the cheerful smile never leaving her face.
“Please, Mi-chan. Oh! And the folders I asked you for?” Otogi questioned as he opened the double doors that connected the reception area to his personal office.
“They are in the green folders on your desk. The yellow ones have each of the applicants’ information, just in case you want to give them another look before they arrive.”
The young CEO winked at his secretary before closing the doors, “I’d be lost without you, Miyuki.”
Once inside, Otogi grimaced at the sight of all the folders on his desk. The truth was that he had gone through them more times than he cared to count. Not only was a lot of money at stake here, if the project he had in mind didn’t go well _this_ time around, it would probably take his company a long time before it could tackle a project of such magnitude again. Dark Crown wasn’t a multimillion dollar company like Industrial Illusions; it couldn’t afford mistakes that cost money repeatedly, if anytime at all.
As Otogi sat down in the leather chair behind his desk, he picked up the yellow folders and schemed through them, not really reading anything in particular. In his hands was the information of the person that could actually make, or break, his plan of taking Dark Crown to the next level. No matter how much he loved dice and card games, the truth was that technology was what entertained the young crowd nowadays. As years went by, people preferred video and computer games over the more traditional board games and such. Hell, you didn’t even need a partner to play chess anymore; all you needed was a computer and the game’s program. Otogi knew that, if he wanted his company to prosper, he needed to jump into that market. And, what better way to achieve that than by becoming an independent video game developer? At least, that was what he had believed to be a good plan- that was, until, after long months of hard work, bucket loads of money had gone down the drain when the game developer studio his company had organized had come up with a product that hadn’t even passed the game tester’s approval. The center of his problem had resided in a poor programming department and an even worse head programmer with terrible leading skills, and lack of basic criteria. He would have chosen one of his other employees in that department, but sadly, none had true leader qualities. He needed someone new.
Thus, there he was, waiting to personally interview possible candidates for that position. Unlike the last time, he wasn’t going to let any of his staff intervene in the hiring, not after what had happened the last time around. No, this time, he would trust in his intuition- at least that had never failed him.
“Otogi-sama?” The raven haired man looked up in surprise; his secretary was standing at the door, his cappuccino in her hand, looking at him with worry, “Are you all right? I called various times, but you didn’t answer. Would you like me to reschedule the interviews?”
“No, Miyuki, I was just deep in thought. Sorry if I worried you,” he said as he took the steaming cup.
“You shouldn’t worry too much over this or you’ll get grey hairs from stress.” The secretary couldn’t hold back a laugh when she saw her boss’ horrified expression, only to look at him serenely moments later, “I know how much this means to you and the company, but if you don’t treat this matter calmly, you’ll only compromise your decision. Look at this like any other interview, no more, no less.”
Otogi was shocked by those words. That was true; in the end, he was just interviewing people for a job at his company. But, because of a previous unsuccessful experience, he had worried more than necessary and had lost sight of that. What’s more, he admitted to himself, he had even been a little scared, since it could affect his beloved company, his life’s dream, negatively. Sighing, he sipped the beverage, allowing the hot liquid to calm his nerves even more. “Thank you, Mi-chan. Your wisdom never ceases to amaze me.”
“Please don’t say that; it makes me feel old. I’ll go back to my desk now; the applicants should be arriving soon.”
As soon as the woman left, Otogi pushed the files aside and decided to enjoy his morning drink until the time to start the interviews- which he was now looking forward to- came.
About two hours later, his perspective about the whole thing had changed. ‘Do people even know what coming to an interview implies?’ he thought exasperatedly as another man left his office. Up until now, all he had gotten where people who looked as if they’d be at home in a Hollywood movie as the stereotype nerd, or others who were the typical ‘hackers’, trying to look cool and like they could outsmart you, when in reality, they where just idiots who didn’t want to grow up and probably still needed their mom to help them tie their shoes. The CEO shook his head incredulously as he thought about the one guy that had come in wearing skater shorts and sneakers. Who the fuck dressed like that for an interview?! Stupid guy had been back out the door in seconds. Even if he was in the game industry, Otogi’s company was a serious business, and he expected people who worked there to keep that in mind. The candidates that he had interviewed so far had been what you’d expect from any computer expert; nobody stood out, and that wasn’t what he was looking for. Sure, technical expertise and knowledge was important, but there had to be something in the person’s personality. He wanted someone with more charisma, or else he’d be faced with the same kind of programmer that had caused him so much trouble.
‘Kami-sama, please let there be someone out there that is fit for this position,’ he prayed, and then he pressed a button on his intercom, “Miyuki, please let the next person in.”
“Right away, Sir.”
Moments later, a strong knock was heard, the applicant entering the office once the CEO had granted his permission. Otogi was awestruck; the man entering his office had the most astonishing eyes he had ever seen. Tall, with tidy, combed chocolate brown hair, sporting a stylish dark grey business suit, the candidate walked up to his desk with the confidence and grace of the owner of a company, not someone that was applying for a job.
“Kaiba Seto. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Shaking the brunette’s outstretched hand, Otogi then gestured towards a seat. “Nice to meet you, Kaiba-san. Please, seat down.”
Not losing any time, Otogi took Kaiba’s file from his desk and scanned it. “Well, from what it says in your curriculum and references, I’m sitting in front of a talented genius, is that right?” He always like starting interviews by testing people’s egos. It helped him see what type of person he was dealing with.
“My intelligence has been praised before, yes. But, the term ‘genius’ is a subjective opinion that people may, or may not, choose to apply. I can only account for my own achievements- those that, as you said yourself, are listed within my curriculum. ”
Otogi pushed on. “Achievements indeed. You gained a full paid scholarship at Domino University for a computer science degree, and graduated with honors in record time. You also have impeccable references from your internship at Denzaki Tech Industries, where they claim you to be brilliant at software programming, and you’ve attended _and_ participated in various conferences… Well, let’s just say you’ve kept yourself busy.”
The brunette’s only acknowledgement to those words was a simple, “Wasting time is not in my nature.”
‘You don’t waste much breath either,’ the CEO added mentally. Unlike the previous applicants, Kaiba had not taken his ‘ego-boost’ bait, trying to show off for every single thing he’d done. This man, with his features schooled into a perfectly serious mask, gave an air of superiority, like he knew he was great, but didn’t need to make an added effort for people to realize it. Otogi was pleased. ‘If my hunch is correct,’ he thought, ‘he’s probably the most arrogant of them all, but he’s smart enough not to show it.’
“Well then, Kaiba-san, your experience shows that you wouldn’t have any trouble fitting into the position, but, so has that of other applicants. So, let’s look at this from another point of view. Why are you interested in this job, and why would _you_ be the best choice out of all the people I have interviewed?”
“First and foremost, I enjoy games as much as I like creating them. Developing programs, changing existing technology, pushing further than others to achieve a final product that exceeds people’s expectations… these, amongst other things, make this field of work both flexible and challenging. I take pleasure in constantly challenging myself. As for your second question, ‘why I’m the best choice’, it’s simple.” For the first time during the entire interview, Seto’s lips curved into a smirk. “I, unlike many others, see the power this industry has. Not the economical kind, but the power it has over people. Games have the ability to make you lose track of time. They can make you want to neglect obligations and, in some cases, they can even make you wish the game’s surroundings were your own reality. In other words, this industry has unappreciated power over people’s thoughts and actions. I understand this, and I want to exploit this knowledge to its fullest. If you consider this point of view, I assure you, your company will have a very promising future.”
Trying to hide his shock, the CEO considered this. He certainly hadn’t ever thought about it that way; he’d always considered his business as more on the lines of helping people have fun with his products. But, even if the brunette’s whole idea had more ‘power hungry’ undertones than he was used to, it didn’t sound too outrageous. After all, he knew quite well that the business world was all about competing. and that having the ‘power over people’ that Kaiba had mentioned, _was_ key- more so than economical power, which was, in the end, a product of the former. Thinking as this man suggested wasn’t such a bad idea, in a way.
At last, the emerald eyed CEO was satisfied with an interview. He thanked Kami-sama for hearing him out, and for giving him one competent person with personality. Smiling, Otogi put everything back into Kaiba’s file.
“Well, I’ve heard all I needed to hear, Kaiba-san. Thank you for coming; we’ll call you.” With that, he got up and offered a handshake, while Seto mimicked his actions.
“No, thank you for having me. I’ll be expecting your call.”
Otogi watched Kaiba make his way out of his office. Once alone, he chuckled with amusement. “I was right; you _are_ the most arrogant of them all, but I like your confidence.” Hitting his intercom button, he called his secretary to his office.
‘I don’t think anymore interviews will be necessary.’
~Tbc~
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Japanese references:
‘Pocky’ - Japanese snack food that consists of a biscuit stick coated commonly with chocolate, thought many other flavors exist (such as those mentioned in this chapter).
‘Kami-sama’ - Japanese word for "deity". The word is used to indicate any sort of god, beings of a higher place or belonging to a different sphere of existence, or the Christian-Judeo God.
‘Denzaki’ - Name created from the words ‘den’ (commonly used to refer to electricity in Japanese) and ‘zaki’ (which means entertainment). Can roughly be interpreted as ‘electronic entertainment’.