Hearts & Cards

The crisp wind picked up from under me as I descended the metal steps that were attached to the plane. I had to try and hold my black and red pleated tartan skirt down while carrying my purple handbag by the strap in my mouth. I swore under my breath as I stepped onto the tarmac and bowed my head slightly as the wind viciously swept up my long blonde hair and sent it haywire. Someone behind me complained about people not keeping their hair in check, so I spun around and eyeballed the middle-aged brunette woman behind me. She looked a bit taken aback as I looked at her through my bangs, which were blowing all over the place. That woman could not talk; her shoulder blade length hair was blowing everywhere. Rolling my eyes, I turned on my heel and power walked towards the gate doors. I zipped past people as they slowly made their way towards the terminal. My handbag was swinging wildly, knocking into each shoulder as I moved.

An airport attendant opened the gate door as I approached. I think I had beat everyone. I thanked her as I entered the terminal and moved out of the way so more passengers could make their way in. Once I knew I was safe from the wind, I let go of my skirt and took hold of my handbag. I shivered slightly as I rubbed my arm. If I had known it was going to be that cold when I arrived, I would have carried a jacket with me. I whipped my hair around slightly in an attempt to make it fall down my back properly and made my way towards the baggage carousels to my left, which actually proved quite difficult. There were people everywhere, and a lot of them were giving me strange looks. Maybe the fact I had metal everywhere was throwing them off. And, the fact I looked completely out of place within the groups of people dressed up in suits, office wear and nice, big, warm coats probably added to their reasons.

My attire was far from theirs. I wore a black sleeveless top with a collar, a red tie, a black arm sleeve that has studs around the wrist and red lines on it on my left arm, a heart necklace wrapped around my right arm, a fingerless biker glove on my right hand, a studded belt on my upper right arm, a belt choker and a red and black tartan pleated skirt. Not to mention I had several ear piercings and a nose stud. To top off my outfit, I had thigh high black socks with suspender straps attached and little black ballet flats.

I tried my best to ignore the looks I was getting as I leaned against a large concrete pole near the carousel. I looked around the arrival gate anxiously. There were swarms of people desperately trying to make it to their next flights, or make it outside to get a taxi. It was so noisy. I knew Domino was a big city, and the airport was huge, but the amount of people there was ridiculous.

The sound of the conveyor belt on the carousel snapped me from my thoughts. I moved closer to the belt so I had easy access when my bag came along. I suddenly got boxed in as people from my flight gathered around me. They had the same thought I did, apparently.

Seriously, I'm here. Go stand somewhere else, I thought stubbornly as I got knocked forward. I managed to keep my balance. If the person had apologised, I did not hear them.

The bags began rolling out slowly and people barged their way through to get their baggage. Some people had more than two bags; they had trouble dragging them back through everyone. I was so glad I only had one fairly large suitcase. Everything else was back in Australia. The length of time I was going to spend in Japan was undetermined at that point, so I only packed what clothes I really needed. Once my giant suitcase came into view, I prepared myself for a quick escape. My bag had four wheels on the bottom, so I could easily use it to help me get out of the airport quickly, by means of pushing the thing in front of me. My bag rolled up to me and I heaved it off the carousel. It made a loud crack as it hit the tiles on the floor. The moment I attempted to move, the people directly around me began pushing their way towards the carousel, in turn moving me to the back of the mob. I thought about how rude those people were, disregarding the fact I had thought about using my suitcase as a battering ram.

Looking around in search for the exit, I reached into my bag and fumbled around for my phone. I pulled it out and turned it on, hoping the time on it would automatically update. I knew Japan was only a few hours behind Australia, but I needed the exact time. I knew I was going to have to buy a new sim card and everything if I ended up staying longer than a few weeks, but, that could wait. I needed to get everything else sorted first. As my phone searched for its location, I continued looking around. I spotted an exit sign to the right of me, a few metres away. With my phone still in hand, I wheeled my suitcase beside me as I made my way to the glass doors. As I approached, I could feel the chilly air sweeping through the doors into the terminal as people herded out onto the street. I braced myself as I walked through the doors. I swore under my breath as soon as I was outside. I moved off to the side and watched as people jumped into warm taxis and limos. I envied them.

I hope he remembers how much of an idiot I am and brings me a jacket.

I looked down at my phone. It had found its location and updated the time. 2.15 pm. I suddenly felt anxious. What if I didn't make it? I didn't even have time to change.

I was pulled from my thoughts as something warm was draped over my shoulders. "You're still an idiot."

I spun around and looked into bright green eyes. "Yeah, well, you should have reminded me to leave a jacket out."

Duke Devlin flicked his black bangs out of his face and smiled. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a huge squeeze.

I hadn't seen this man in four years. I had met him when my adoptive mother and I moved back to Japan from Australia when I was 13. Duke was always there for me. He looked out for me in school, and we always had a great time together. Due to certain events, mum shipped everything back to Australia. Even though I was back on the other side of the world, we kept talking until two years had passed. Things just got busy and I didn't get to talk to him as much. When I called Duke up a month before and asked if I could crash at his place for a bit, he was so excited. It had been so good to hear his voice.

I moved away from him and grinned. He had not changed much. Even when we were younger, he wore his thick black hair in a side ponytail. The only thing I could pick out that was different was the line of black eyeliner running down his cheek from his left eye, and his ear piercing. He had a single stud in his left ear with a single die attached to a long chain; it nearly sat on his shoulder. He still wore the same stupid red headband with black diamonds around it, and he had a chunk of his bangs poking out from underneath it in the middle of his face. He wore a black tank top with a loose, red vest and black pants. Not what I would call appropriate clothing for this kind of weather, but then again, I had always known him to be a weirdo.

I put my arms into the sleeves of the jacket Duke had hung over my shoulders and examined it. It was a long black trench coat with a few button details. "Where did you get this?" I asked while wrapping my arms around myself. I didn't bother doing it up.

"It's your present," Duke responded as he reached over and fixed up the collar. "It really suits you. I chose well."

"Thank you..." I murmured, looking down at my feet.

I felt Duke touch my arm gently. "It's okay, Cal. Now, it's nearly two-thirty, so-"

Something snapped inside my head. "Shit, shit, shit! I'm gunna be late! Duke, we need to go now!" I said in a panic as I looked up at him

"Why? What's the matter?" Duke questioned, alarmed as I grabbed the handle of my suitcase.

"I have a job interview at two-thirty," I said quickly as I wheeled my bag in front of me.

"Shit, Cal. Why didn't you say so?"

Duke took hold of my bag in one hand and grabbed my own hand with the other. He began power-walking, dragging me and my bag with him. I had a hard time keeping up with his gait. I had long legs, but they were still shorter than Duke's. He led me across the road and in between cars towards the packed carpark down the road. It must have been the only place he could find a spot; there was a carpark closer to the terminal. Duke slowed down as he neared a pale aqua 70's Cadillac convertible with the top down.

Is this his? I thought as Duke let go of my hand and the bag.

Duke opened the boot of the Cadillac, and, with a fair amount of difficulty, hoisted my bag into the back of the car. I walked around to the passenger side and tried to open the door. It was locked. Why on Earth would he lock the doors but leave the top down? In this weather? It was way too cold. While thinking about how much of a weirdo Duke was, I unlocked the car and got in. Once, Duke got in, he started the car up, reversed out and sped out onto the road.

"So, where is this interview?" Duke asked as I looked around the car while holding my hair down. It was blowing around everywhere. I guessed Duke liked a strong breeze. "And what possessed you to arrange to have it at two-thirty? You knew your plane wasn't supposed to get in until one-thirty. Did you think about the possibility of it being delayed? 'Cause look what happened."

"Yeah, yeah, there's no need to lecture me, Devlin," I snapped, using Duke's last name. "Besides, that was the time they gave me. I wasn't going to tell them I might not get there in time. I gotta seem reliable."

"Bang up job with that," Duke muttered.

I shot him a glare. "Do you know where Kaiba Corporation is?"

"Yeah?"

"Good, just drop me off out the front," I said distractedly as I spotted a bunch of hair bands around the gear stick. "I'm stealing one of these."

As I pulled one of the bands off, I could see Duke look at me in surprise. "Wait, it's not at Kaiba Corp., is it?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked slowly as I attempted to pull my hair into a pony tail.

"You wanna work for Kaiba?" Duke inquired, alternating between looking at the road and me.

"Why wouldn't I?" I responded, shrugging. "It's a job. What's wrong with working for him?"

"He's a jerk!" Duke shot at me.

"So what? I'll be fine. Besides, he's a nice piece of eye candy."

That last comment earned me a horrified look from Duke. I had never seen Duke look so scared. It was rather funny. I wondered if Duke and the owner and CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba, actually knew each other, and that was why Duke didn't like him. Yeah, he did seem kind of arrogant on TV, but, he was nice to look at.

"What job is it?"

"An assistant," I responded absentmindedly as I looked out the window.

Duke darted around the traffic, desperately trying to get me to my interview in time. I tried to look at scenery as we travelled along, but it was all a blur. Before I knew it, Duke was pulling up out the front of a fairly tall building. I got out and straightened myself out. Looking up, I could see two large blue letters, 'KC' sitting way up near the top of the building. The building itself was lined with windows, but on top, it looked like a UFO had landed on top of it. The top floor of the building looked like it was circular. I turned back around and looked at Duke, who was still sitting in the car.

"You really should have worn proper clothes on the plane," Duke commented as he eyed me.

I looked down at myself before pulling the trench coat in close and proceeded to do up the buttons. "Well, if I do it up, you can't see what's underneath."

"Uhuh. It looks like you're going to do a striptease for Kaiba," Duke said dryly, as I turned my back to him.

"Whatever works!" I called over my shoulder as I walked towards the glass doors.

Duke revved the engine as the doors opened, releasing a gush of warm air. I walked inside and willed the doors to close quickly behind me. It was so warm in there; much better than outside. The sudden warmth was very relaxing. I felt a lot calmer. As I stood near the door, I gazed around at my surroundings. The foyer was immaculate. The ceiling was at least ten feet high with a giant crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. Lush, blood red carpet covered for floor. There were numerous arm chairs around one of the large windows over the right side of the foyer, near a fairly large elevator. The low line reception desk itself was in the centre, under the chandelier.

I approached the front desk where a woman who looked to be in her late twenties was looking at her computer screen absentmindedly. She had lovely wavy brown hair with hazel eyes. She must have heard me approaching because she suddenly looked up and smiled.

"Hi, welcome to Kaiba Corp.," she greeted graciously. "How are you?"

"Incredibly warm right now," I replied with a slight laugh. "The heating system in here is fantastic!"

The woman laughed. "Mister Kaiba spares no expense. So, how can I help you?"

I stared at her for a moment. "Oh! Um, I have an interview; I know I'm a bit late."

The woman turned her attention back to the computer. She typed a few things and I was amazed at how fast her fingers moved. She must have spent a lot of time at that computer. "Caledonia?" she confirmed, snapping me out of my fascination.

"That's me," I said, smiling.

"Mister Kaiba is expecting you. Just take the elevator over there to floor twelve," she said, pointing to the elevator. "Once you get there, just walk along the hallway until you come across double doors. Take a seat and he'll get you when he's ready. Good luck with your interview."

"Thank you," I smiled. I made me way over to the elevator, pushed the button and waited for a second before the doors opened. When I stepped over the threshold, I pushed the button. As the doors were closing, the realisation of where I was set in. I was in Kaiba Corporation. I was in the elevator, heading towards the top of the building. I was going to meet Seto Kaiba, and tell him why he should hire me. I hoped he wasn't as much of an asshole as he made himself out to be on TV.

The elevator made a loud 'DING' when it stopped. The doors opened and I was greeted with a long hallway that curved along the walls of the building. Actually, it didn't even look like there were walls on the left hand side. The glass that lined that side of the hallway was crystal clear. It was as if you could just step off the carpet and fall to your death. The other side, however, was very simplistic. The walls ever painted in a very light creamy colour with a pale blue border across the top.

Taking a breath, I stepped out of the elevator and made my way down the corridor. I only passed one door before I came across a set of double doors. I stood in front of them and took notice of the little gold name plate on the left one, 'Seto Kaiba'. Two chairs stood on the right side of the doors; I hadn't noticed them when I walked past. I took a seat on the one closest to the elevator. I ran my hands down my sides in an attempt to flatten them. Maybe I should have ducked into the toilets first. Looking down each end of the hallway, I quickly gathered I must have been the last applicant. What a way to show how reliable I was; rocking up ten minutes late. But, that wasn't entirely my fault; the plane had been delayed, but as Duke said; I should have taken that possibility into consideration.

The door opened without warning beside me, causing me to jump. My heart beat increased dramatically as I watched a long haired brunette woman walked out from behind the door. Her green eyes stood out against her pale skin. She only looked to be a few years older than me. I smiled as she walked past. The one she returned was only faint. I frowned slightly as I watched her walk down the hallways towards the elevator. I wondered what her problem was. Maybe the interview was tough. I gulped nervously.

"Miss Andersen?" a deep, rough voice said from beside me.

My head spun around, and my eyes fell on a tall man with neat, brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a white sleeveless trench coat, with a black long sleeved turtle neck underneath and black pants with boots. Seto Kaiba. In the flesh.

I quickly stood up and smoothed my coat out. I willed myself to be as cool and calm as possible, but, he was kind of intimidating, and hot. I was ashamed that part of me was going into total meltdown just looking at him, the other part wanted to curl up into a ball and wait for Duke to come get me.

"M-Mister Kaiba," I greeted kindly, as I bowed. I may have bowed a little too far, as I nearly lost my balance. I hoped he didn't pick up on it.

"Follow me," Kaiba said with little emotion as he walked back into the room.

Obeying the tall, handsome man's orders, I meekly walked into the room and gazed around in awe. The room was massive. The majority of the floor was bare except for a deep mahogany desk with a phone and open laptop on it. Behind it was a very comfortable looking high back office chair and in front of the desk was a lone bucket chair. Floor to ceiling windows lined the wall behind the desk. Bookcases stood along the walls to the left and right of me. A few feet in front of the bookcase to the right, was a plush royal blue three-seater lounge. I had the urge to run up and belly flop on it.

Maybe if I get the job, he'll let me do it? I wished hopefully, although I knew it would never happen. I had to be professional, I kept telling myself.

I walked over to the chair in front of the desk and quickly took a seat. My eyes darted around in search for Mister Handsome Man. I had only just realised I hadn't seen him since I walked through the door. I pulled at the trench around my neck. It was beginning to get a bit too warm, but, I knew I couldn't take it off or unbutton it. The clothing underneath wasn't suitable for an interview. The door shut behind me and I tensed up.

"You're from Australia?" the rough voice spoke from somewhere behind me.

"Yes, Sir," I responded timidly as I relaxed a little. "Well, actually, I'm from Osaka, but I've been living between Japan and Australia all my life. I only just arrived in Domino before coming here actually."

"Really?" The voice sounded closer. I heard soft footsteps behind me and saw Kaiba appear out of the corner of my eye as he made his way to the other side of the desk. He took a seat in his chair and opened a manila folder I had not noticed him holding. "Is that why you're ten minutes late?" Kaiba looked up from the folder. His sapphire eyes bore into my own dark brown ones. My nerves were leaving me, but I stared back at him.

"Yeah, my flight was delayed, and then my friend just couldn't get me here quick enough. But, I'm sure you don't need to hear about that, Mister Kaiba," I said nervously as I fiddled with the hem of my coat. I needed to stop looking at him. My mind was becoming that of a school girl, swooning over the hot guy. I felt so pathetic.

He is nice to look at though...

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Kaiba stated dryly. "You shouldn't need a VISA to work in Japan then?"

"I'm not sure to be perfectly honest with you. Mum always dealt with that kinda stuff. So, I just applied for a Working Holiday VISA," I responded, but, I immediately regretted it. I didn't want him to not hire me based on my undetermined length of stay, assuming he knew what that VISA entailed. I really needed to sort out if I was a citizen of Japan.

Kaiba eyed me for a moment, almost as if he was pondering that very issue. "Why do you want to work here?"

"Well," I gulped. I guess he was still considering me, but, I still needed to bullshit my way in. That was what everyone did, right? "Uh, I believe I would be a good asset? I'm a quiet worker, I'm very time efficient-" Wow. Now even he knew that was a lie.

The look I got from the man in front of me, confirmed it. He raised his eyebrows. "And coming to this interview late is supposed to demonstrate that?"

I opened my mouth to respond but Kaiba cut me off.

"On your application, you've put down your Australian address. When you confirmed that you would be here for this interview, you didn't provide a Domino address..." he trailed off, waiting for me to answer.

"Um..." I paused. I thought about the conversation with Duke in the car. He had called Kaiba a jerk. If they did know each other, and if I told Kaiba I was staying with Duke, would he not give me the job? But, what else could I say? I didn't know any street names. "I'm staying at The Black Clown Game Shop. I'm not sure on the address."

I must have perked his interest; he tented his fingers in front of his chin and lent forward on his elbows. "I wasn't aware they offered accommodation."

"Well, my friend owns it-"

"Your friend? Duke Devlin is your friend?" Kaiba asked, narrowing his eyes.

Yeah, I'm not getting the job.

"Is that a problem? I hope to get my own place soon," I tried to explain but I knew I was fighting a losing battle. I wondered why Duke and Kaiba hated each other. I had to get the story out of Duke.

I waited for Kaiba to reply, but he just stared at me like he was in deep thought. I wondered what he was thinking about. It was really intimidating so I quickly looked down at my lap. I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding and tensed up again. He still hadn't said anything. Maybe he was trying to intimidate me. Sweat was beginning to build up on my arms and around my neck. I needed to take that trench coat off. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head, letting my dark eyes meet with Kaiba's azure ones. I wasn't going to show I was nervous.

"Is that a problem?" I repeated, forcing a strong voice.

"Maybe," he responded swiftly. "How do you know Devlin? Do you know any of his friends?"

I looked at him with raised eyebrows; my nerves coming back from their breakdown. What was up with that? Wasn't he supposed to be asking me questions relating to being an assistant? "Why is that relevant? I gather you don't like Duke, but it isn't the time to be talking about it, is it?" I suddenly felt a lot braver than I actually was.

Then, Kaiba did something I didn't expect. He smirked at me. "You may be right, Miss Andersen. However, I like to know as much information as possible about potential employees before considering them for a position. My company has a reputation to uphold."

"And questioning me about my friends is a way to protect your image?" I snapped. I had no idea what came over me. Even though the smirk he shot at me had made me want to melt in my seat, the thought that he was judging me based on my friendships was really irritating, not to mention unethical. "My personal life should have no impact on my suitability for a position. You know what?" I stood up, causing Kaiba to look at me in shock. He went to speak, but I cut him off. "I don't think I want to work for you." I bowed before straightening up. "Sorry for wasting your time, Mister Kaiba."

As I walked around the lone chair I had been sitting in, I unbuttoned my coat and let it hang open, allowing my skin to breathe. I knew I'd have to button it back up before I walked out, but it felt nice. I looked around and took in my surroundings one last time. It would have been nice to work there. Regardless of the boss, the entire building, or, what I had seen of it, was quite lovely. I reached the door and pulled it open. I walked out, turned back and gave Kaiba one last bow.

"I hope you find a suitable assistant."

I caught a glimpse of Kaiba's blank face before I closed the door. I sighed loudly and slowly walked down the long corridor towards the elevator. So, I wasn't getting the job. Truth be told, I had been rather excited about getting a job at one of the largest gaming technology companies in the world. Maybe I would have more luck if I put down Duke's actual address on future applications. But, then, who else did Duke have problems with?

The elevator doors opened shortly after I pushed the button. It would have been nice to work there and perv on Kaiba whenever I wanted to. Jeez, why was I thinking like that? Yeah, he was nice to look at, but he was not swoon worthy. Well, that was what I had to keep telling myself while trying to forget about my thoughts during the interview.

Once I finally reached the foyer, I made a beeline for the entrance. I braced myself for the impending gust of freezing wind. The door opened, but the breeze I was greeted with, wasn't that bad. It was still chilly, but nowhere near as bad as it had been when I got off the plane. Maybe I just needed to adjust to it. I stood out the front of the building, only just realising I hadn't asked Duke to wait, or at least tell me where to go.

A car horn sounded just up the road to the right of me. Looking in that direction, I spotted Duke sitting in his car, waving his arm around like a madman. I jogged up to the car and jumped it.

"How'd you go?" Duke asked as I strapped myself in. "Did you give Kaiba that striptease?"

I whacked Duke on the arm rather hard. "You're a pervert. And, no, I told him I didn't want to work for him. He was questioning me about you."

"What? Why?" Duke asked defensively.

"I don't wanna talk about it, Duke. Can we just go?"

The drive to Duke's place was quiet. I was actually able to take note of the surroundings. I was hoping I would have been able to piece them together for future reference, if I ever got lost. As we rounded a corner, I spotted a rather large building with what looked like a massive clown jutting from the front of it. It looked quite scary, so I could only imagine what it looked like at night. I hoped I never had to stand outside at night alone with that thing looming over me.

Duke drove around the back of the building. There was a garage built into the side of it. We drove in before Duke shut the engine off. We jumped out and Duke grabbed my bag from the boot while I closed the garage door. Lights flicked on above us as soon at the roller door hit the ground. Sensor lights? That was handy.

I followed Duke closely as he lugged my bag through the door in the garage. He didn't turn a single light on as he made his way through whatever room we were in. Dim light seeped through the windows that were on the other side of the room. Even then, I really couldn't see much.

"Watch your step, Cal," Duke warned, before he grunted.

"Do you want me to turn a light on?" I asked. I watched his silhouette rise above me and I realised he was walking up stairs.

"Nah, it's okay. You don't know where the switches are anyway," he grunted as he heaved my bag up the steps.

I sighed and carefully followed him up. There were walls on either side, so it made ascending the stairs a bit easier. A loud thump slightly above me indicated Duke had reached the top. I quickened my pace, which was a bad idea. The tip of my shoe got caught on a step and I squealed slightly as I fell. I put my hands out to cushion the blow, but I just ended up stretching too far up, resulting in me bending my fingers upwards as they hit the wall of a step. My chin collided with the top of a step and I bit my tongue rather hard. I let out a cry.

"Callie, you okay?" Duke asked from above me as light flooded the stairwell. I then heard him laughing.

I hoisted myself up shakily and glared up at Duke. My fingers had hit the very top step. I could taste blood in my mouth. My tongue and fingers were throbbing. I stepped up the last few steps and gazed around the top. I was standing in a small area with a coat rack and a small pile of shoes in the corner with two sets of slippers sitting neatly beside it. I kicked off my shoes and slipped my feet into one of the pairs of slippers. Stepping up and out of the mini entrance way, I looked around. It was an open living area, with the lounge area on the right which consisted of a three seater lounge, recliner and large flat screen TV. The dining area to the left had a rectangle six seater timber table and the kitchen was in the top left corner with a small island in the centre. The décor was very simplistic. I hadn't expected much; as far as I knew, it was only Duke living there.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Duke asked as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"I thung," I said, while keeping my tongue out of my mouth. Even attempting to say 'my tongue' hurt like a bitch.

Duke tried to hide his smile, and I glared at him again. "I'll get you a drink." He hurried over to the kitchen and went about getting me a drink.

I examined my fingers, they were shaking and red. My first couple of hours in Japan had been great; sarcasm intended. I rubbed my chin with the back of my hand. It hurt slightly. I expected there to be a bruise the next morning.

"By the way, Cal, you're coming with me to school tomorrow," Duke informed me as he walked towards me, glass in hand. I took it from him carefully. I didn't want to drop it. The cup was really cold; it was nice on my fingers. I tilted the cup up and stuck my tongue into the cold water. A shiver ran down my spine as the pain in my tongue slowly subsided. It felt so much better. I took a mouthful before focusing on Duke.

"Why?" I inquired, being careful not to put too much pressure on my tongue.

"Kaden told me about what your intentions are. The sooner you figure it out, the better."

I walked over to the bench and placed the cup down. Kaden had told Duke I was thinking about moving back to Japan? I just wanted a break before I got into that stuff. Kaden was going to get an earful the next morning. "You know I can't enrol right away, don't you? I've only got a Working Holiday VISA."

"There's ways around that, that's why you're coming with me tomorrow."