collide.

[__kiki.]

Another day, another couple of billions of dollars. Seto Kaiba scrolled down the computer screen, his blue eyes darting from word to word at an alarming rate as he scanned the impossibly difficult figures and numbers filling up the page. His company was number one again, that was no surprise, and he had already bought up another two cheaper electronic companies that would double his assets significantly. Now, the only thing left for him to do was to clinch that last buisness deal.. if he could put that one in the bag, he was set for the next two months. Kaiba stood up effortlessly, turning the computer off after saving his work and stopping to look at his reflection in the elaborate full-length mirror.

He looked impeccable, that was for sure. Dressed in his $10,000 dollar crisp black Armani suit and silk Gucci tie [another good $400], he sure looked the part of a wealthy young buisness tycoon. He stopped to dab a little bit of Burberry cologne on before picking up his black leather suitcase and turning sharply on his heel, out of his bedroom. Seto adjusted his tie and barked an order to some housemaid who wasn't dusting the paintings just the way he liked them.. must've been some new one. Rolling his eyes as the frightened maid scurried away in tears, he stepped outside the door that his butler opened for him and entered his gleaming black limosene.

Everything was going according to planned. With a tiny smirk, he settled into the luxurious seats of the Mercedes, a new addition to his collection, and easily pulled out a cigarratte from a side compartment. There was always a store of the very best smokes, he made sure of that. With a flick of his slender long fingers, the lighter was put away and he was inhaling the smoke slowly. Kaiba took a long drag and his eyes wandered outside, and with boredom he watched inanimate objects whir past them as the limmo driver reached their destination. Kaiba felt a pang of guilt as he exited the car; he had promised Mokuba a play date and he hated to dissapoint his younger brother. Oh well, it was a slight trivality in the face of his work and Roland could attend to it until Kaiba could make the next promise that he would break.

Seto knocked on the door of the house, it belonged to a Mr. Hana that was very wealthy and a very good potential buisness partner. He had mentioned having a daughter or something? Seto could care less. He was there for the money. As the door swung open, Kaiba leaned against the doorframe and looked on with an icy gaze, curious to see who was going to recieve him. He was a very important man and he sure as hell would get a warm welcome or raise a complaint about it over dinner.

He was extremely handsome, leaning against the doorway. His dark blue eyes clashed against his chocolate brown hair wonderfully, his lanky figure of 6'3 clad in that marvelous dark suit. The sunglasses on the tip of his nose and the cigarratte in hand only helped to increase his mysterious appeal. Kaiba was known for using what he had to get what he wanted, and his good looks were no exception.

Besides, Seto Kaiba always got what he wanted.

[shawna;]

Knock. Knock.

Glancing up from her current position on her bedroom floor, Nikkita looked up from her sprawled out school books, not to mention millions of doodles from procrastinating and simply rose a dark brow at the maid who had dared to disturb her ellaborate drawing of a bird right outside her large window over looking her vast backyard; her mood changing instantly as the maid announced that she could start getting ready, for her father was going to be home soon.

Perfect. Well, there went her happy time. Sighing, she merely made a 'shoo' flick of her wrist at her door as she eyed all the papers on the ground, thankful the maid didn't argue and shut her door without another word. Nikkita wondered if she should actually pick up her mess and save the maids the trouble of it later, but it was just a passing thought as she pushed herself to get up, glancing down at her choice of outfit for the evening. A simple black tank top that hugged her rather flatteringly and a pair of pink and black sweatpants, a small line of her flat stomach showin and she shrugged. She wouldn't get 'ready' as the maid had suggested.
This was her house and she would wear whatever she liked. Even if she had heard her father speaking about an important client coming over today. Well screw them, they were most likely just another old geezer who thought she was overly attractive.

Shuddering at the thought of the last client that had come over, she shook her head from the bothering thoughts and briskly brushed through her long dark locks that reached her behind before manuvering around her mess. She slipped out of her room as silently as possible, wondering if she could sneak an orange or something before dinner and then complain about not being hungry when it came time to dinner so she could magically lie her way of meeting this 'client'.
Although her hopes were in vain as a maid quickly spotted her and ushered her to get changed into something more suitable for the occasion. This particular maid had been there for a while, almost 5 years - which was amazing for her father and mother, even herself to be honest, seemed to fire a new maid every day. Nikkita called her 'Nana'. Why? Because she was meant to be Nikkita's personal 'nanny', but she somehow had convinced her mother to change her job to a simple maid, but she still kept the name. She didn't need special care, she was very capable of doing things herself. Even if her parents didn't think so.

Barking at Nana to shut up and leave her alone, she made her way downstairs and into the main hall seemingly right at the time a knock came at the front door, raising a brow. Her father didn't knock on his own door, so it mustn't be him, so who would it be? Her questions were immediately answered as the maids and butlers began bustling around, shouting to each other the client was there before their master was, making Nikkita sighed. Just a little time difference and they were freaking out?

"Whatever." She murmured and instantly raced to the door besides her better judgement as one other maid did also; a maid known for getting into trouble lately, and gave a low growl as she had sadly lost the race for the maid's hand got to the handle of the door first. Nikkita just stood next to her nonetheless to keep her watchful eye on this girl to make sure she didn't upset the client, knowing her father would've given her hell if she had just sat back and watch while he was made a fool of.

"Why hello, you must be Mister Kaiba?" The overly honey hued voice rang out of the maid's mouth as she slid open the door, Nikkita furrowing her brow at why she would speak with such a sickly sweet tone, but as soon as she looked to the dark figure in the doorway, she knew exactly way. Frowning slightly at the sight before her, she vaguely thought he was handsome, but much too flashy for her and rolled her eyes. This day was going to be fun.
"Have fun with him." She said bluntly and spun around on her heel, begining to make her way to the kitchen, ignoring the calls of the maid, "Come back, miss Hana! Come greet your father's guest! I'm so sorry Mister Kaiba, she can be so troublesome sometimes!"

[__kiki.]

"Why the hell is this taking so goddamn long?" The words came out as a low growl from Kaiba's lips as he took another long pull of the cigarratte before tossing it out to the side on the perfectly trimmed lawn and bowing out the last stream of smoke. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, the door opened a little more and he was greeted by a maid who was talking to him in that tone.. he fixed her with a piercing glare, the one he was well-known for, and ignored every word she said.

His cobalt eyes landed on the slender figure of a girl that looked his age, probably that daughter that Mr. Hana had been referring to repeatedly. She was beautiful from what he could see of her, and his gaze openly traveled over her figure before examining her face. He saw intelligence, and a lot of potential, and something like a simple stubborn arrogance written on her face. Seto smirked. The typical daddy's girl? Well, he'd just have to wait and see. Crossing his arms, he watched the maid for a few moments before cutting her off.

"I could care less," came his smooth and frigid voice, low and gravelly all at once. Kaiba brushed past the woman rather rudely, stepping into the mansion as if he owned it and casting a critical eye over everything. The place was very well-adorned, but it couldn't hold a candle to the grandeur of Kaiba's estate. Turning up his nose just a bit to show that their wealth was nothing compared to his, he strolled into what he assumed was the waiting room and situated himself on a black leather sofa. He made sure not to make himself comfortable, though-- that was not what he was there for.

Who was that girl? Again, she was most likely Mr. Hana's trophy daughter but he was amused by her decision to just leave in his face. People rarely turned their backs on Seto Kaiba, and with good reason. Folding his expensive sunglasses, he placed them in the pocket of his suit where they wouldn't get damaged and crossed his legs. Seto was growing bored, and quickly.. and how inconveniant, he didn't bring his laptop and there were no books worth reading in their little library [or that he hadn't already read].

Standing up once more, he stuffed his hands into the pocket of his slacks and made his way over to the beautiful grand piano. The hands were out again as he gently touched the mahogany wood, and then he was sitting down at the seat. His long fingers on the keys, he launched into a simply flawless and impossibly difficult Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Kaiba preferred the violin, but he could play this just as well and his skill was that of someone that had been playing for longer than his 17 years.

The music swelled powerfully and Kaiba continued until he reached the end of the song. Standing up, he went back over to the couch and found himself more relaxed than he'd been when he'd first walked in. "I hope this isn't how you treat all your guests," he sneered, to a passing maid, and with growing impatiency he waited. Wait. That isn't a word in Seto's vocabulary and he was accustomed to being paid attention to. This was an unpleasant change that he would make sure Mr. Hana would pay for.

[shawna;]

There she sat, on the counter of the large kitchen, with an orange in her hands as she swiftly peeled the outside off and began breaking apart the orange, neatly eating one piece at a time. From all the time she could be seen eating oranges, some would be surprised that she ever ate anything else, and that was one of the reasons why she smelled as if she had just come from an orange orchard.
Sighing as she reached the end of her delicious meal, she frowned slightly before grabbing a napkin, wiping the corners of her lips in a polite manner and slipped down from the counter, manuvering around a bustling chef.

Making her way out of the kitchen, she glanced around the hallway, noticing that she didn't see that figure that reeked of arrogance and sighed gratefully. He must've been escorted to the waiting room or some such, or maybe even found it himself; which she wouldn't have been surprised if he had by the way he held himself. Making her way to one of the mini-living room-type rooms [ XD Don't know what to call it ], the only one which held a grand piano, she stopped at the doorway as she heard an unfamiliar voice hit her ears, obviously barking at a near-by maid. So this is where he went.

Scrunching up her nose, she decided not to let it get to her and calmed her expression a bit before walking in as quietly as possible and slid onto the seat in front of the piano. She could faintly smell cologne, which made her nose twitch, but she shrugged it off nonetheless. She wouldn't make a big deal out of him touching her piano, it didn't seem like he had damaged it at least.

Her slender fingers lightly traced a few keys before she gently pressed down on a higher key, her eyes sliding shut as the soft rang out in pure glory, feeling as if the sound of a piano calmed her down. She could sense him sitting on the couch and decided to ignore him to the best of her abilities, unless he spoke to her; which she might've just ignored him anyways and continued on her musical adventure. Pressing a few more choice keys, she straightened her posture with natural grace, playing both hands on the long set of keys and just let her fingers flow over the sounds, ending up in a complex, saddened melody that had a haunting tone to it that even would've made a grown man cry. A soft humming soon accompaning it, as she completely shadowed over the fact that another being was in the room with her.

[__kiki.]

Seto flipped his high-end phone open and then checked his pager, in hopes that someone would leave him with something to do as he waited for the imbeciles that were supposed to be treating him like royalty right now. He liked to be kept busy and this state of doing nothing was driving him absolutely insane.. muttering darkly under his breath, he tucked his electronics away and opened his suitcase to go over the proposal for the millionth time.. oh yes, Mr. Hana would pay.

The sound of music filled his ears and Kaiba looked up briefly as he felt confliction emotions; on one hand he was glad to hear that he wasn't alone anymore and on the other, he was irritated by the sudden interruption. The handsome young CEO was about to say something, when the purest notes vibrated from the piano and filled the room with such melancholy wistfullness that he couldn't bring himself to articulate the words running through his mind.

Who was playing something so beautiful? Snapping out of his little reverie, he turned to see that same girl from earlier, the one that had been crossing his mind ever since she'd brushed him off. Kaiba didn't talk to her because of his huge ego, she would have to be the one who initiated the small talk. Ignoring her completely, he looked at his diamond studded wristwatch with distaste and decided that he would only stay for another five minues and then it was back to KaibaCorp for him.

[shawna;]

Sighing softly as her wistful playing soon came to an end, she reached up and ever-so-gently put down the case to cover the keys, very careful to not shut it down hard before sitting back a bit, looking over the flawless piano. She thought over how many lessons she had attended to, to perfect her grand skills, and she could almost beam with pride that she could blow anyone away with her playing. And then she thought over how long she had played endlessly on the instrument while everyone was asleep with all the doors closed as to not wake anyone up, staying up until the god-like hours of the morning before reluctantly pulling herself away and up to get a few hours sleep.

Grinning slightly, her long nails ran over the dark wood before she finally spoke up, to the stranger in the room, not even bothering to look back. She knew he was getting impatient. "My father isn't back yet, so if you're really planning on being so impatient, I suggest--" Halting in mid-sentence as a slam echoed through the house, Nikkita's amethyst orbs snapped over to the entrance of the room, watching as her father walked in rigidly, not having seen Kaiba yet, he looked over his daughter's choice of clothing before barking at a maid to drag her to her room to change. It was then he twisted his body in a way to caught the icy eyes of Mister Kaiba and blinked a few times before bowing his head. "Forgive me, I was held up in a previous engagment, I hope you haven't had to wait long?"

Meanwhile, Nikkita sat in her seat, unwavering as a maid desperately tried to get her to move upstairs, even going as far as to pull her arm before she growled, snapping at her to just shut up and she would move. Finally smiling slightly to herself as she watched the maid huff, almost in tears and rush off to do some other chore she was assigned to and Nikkita gracefully stood. "I can see you're in a nice mood, dad." She snorted, ignoring a pitiful scowl on his face and trotted upstairs to change even though she did it rather unwillingly.

After about ten minutes of avoiding coming down, Nikkita had finally slipped on a rather simple but flattering black gown and made her way downstairs, bumping into her mother who was wearing something similar for dinner and was ushered even more quickly to where her father and his 'client' were, crossing her arms stubbornly as they both entered the room, moving to stand behind her mother because she really didn't want to be spoken to.

[__kiki.]

Seto's icy eyes never left the figure of the young girl as she stood up and ran loving hands over the piano. His over-analytical mind had already figured her out, she loved the instrument and had worked hard to gaint he elite skill that she possessed. For that simple fact he begrudgingly gave her respect in his mind, and as their eyes met he waited for her to say something that could make him think she was just a daddy's girl again. Kaiba hated giving others admiratin, verbal or mentally. Her sentence made his eyebrows raise, and before he could reply there was the interruption of the door slamming rather loudly.

What kind of reception was this, after all? Nothing was stately, organized, or impressive. Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he stood up to give these people another piece of his mind.. and then he faced yet another interruption. A middle-aged man who had just entered addressed him, and he assumed that this was Mr. Hana, the one that had kept him waiting so long. Now, the question was one of being rude or civil towards this potential buisness partner. Truth be told, Kaiba's ego was a bit nettled by the fact that this 'previous engagement' came first to Mr. Hana. "Don't let it happen again," was his chilled reply, and with that he curtly brought the matter to a close.

The next few moments were boring, because neither men spoke and the household was bustling with maids doing one thing or another. The young woman of earlier returned, resplendant in a black gown that hugged her every curve, and Kaiba looked her over briefly before turning back to Mr. Hana. She didn't look like a girl that was interested in.. bodily pleasure, if you get my meaning, and Kaiba usually went for the beautiful ones that didn't mind one-night stands. This girl was a little too fiesty, but maybe she had a head on her shoulders-- that would impress Seto, he decided, more than her piano playing skills.

[shawna;]

Alright. So, why did god hate her so much?
She'd never know.

Although the female usually wasn't one to believe in 'god', or her own self-pity, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself that she was left with such idiots to spend the rest of the evening with. Maybe she had done something 'sinful' at birth? Accidentally kick the doctor in the head when she was born? SOMETHING to explain her unfortunate luck?
Ah well, at least she hadn't been cursed with horrible looks - her looks besides her intelligence were one of the most highest things she held dear about herself. I mean, celebrities didn't get famous just by being talented, correct? They had to be at least somewhat attractive looking.

Bright purple optics glanced over to the middle aged man as she continued to stay quiet, noticing that her father seemed unusually stiff today. Maybe he'd been rejected by his Mistress again? Quirking a brow at the thought, she almost laughed but managed just a small smirk; she had more self-control than anyone she had ever met. Also another attribute that was nice about her.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Hana finally managed to coax himself out of his gruffly state and managed a twitch of his lips. "Well, Mister Kaiba. I'm still very sorry I kept you waiting so long, would you like to accompany me and my family to the dinner table?" He oh-so-non-chalantly lead Seto into the dining room which was rather large; of course it was no surprise according to the size of their house, but they had definitely seen bigger.
Mother and herself following the gentlemen into the room, his mother took a seat next to the end one on one side, while Nikkita took a seat next to the other end. Her father sat by her mother - meaning she would have to sit smack dab next to Mister Jackass.

"So, Mister Kaiba. Would you like to begin on the details of the deal or shall we eat first?" Mr. Hana spoke.

Fucking great.

[__kiki.]

Kaiba was never known as someone who 'got in good' with other people. He simply said what was on his mind, even though 99.9% of the time that ended up being extremely blunt or rude. He was just as sharp as Nikkita was, and his blue eyes didn't miss the stiffness of his host; it actually amused him. Since the young girl was standing right besides him and she didn't seem overly fond of her father, he leaned to the side and whispered, "Looks like he wasn't lucky tonight." With a slight smirk, he straightened up and pretended to be adjusting his tie, before his blue orbs met her violet ones for a brief second. Kaiba didn't know what possessed him to be civil towards her, but what was done was done and he didn't like to dwell on past things.

Seto rolled his eyes at Mr. Hana, wondering why every buisness partner he'd ever had to deal with was always stupid. 'No, I don't want to follow you to dinner, I'm going to stand around like an idiot while you eat' -- was that what Mr. Hana had wanted Seto to say? Kaiba remained silent but gave his buisness partner a frigid glare, following him to the nicely decorated dining room and taking a seat at the nearest available chair. He noticed that Nikkita would end up sitting next to him, and not that he minded; she appeared to have a head on her shoulders, unlike her father.

Seto didn't compliment the hostess, nor did he say any kind words about the dining room decorations. He really didn't care, he only wanted to get this deal over with so he could go home and work until 3 AM like he always did. "I'll have a glass of Chardonnay," came his reply, delivered in his smooth yet gravelly voice; it was cold and enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. Trying not to look too comfortable, Kaiba waited for something mildly interesting to happen. What had he gotten himself into this time? Apparently, another long and inescapable snoozefest.

[shawna;]

If her father was actually preparing to conduct her to stay throughout the dinner, with that awful tense air about them all; ohhh boy. He was wrong. Nikkita was one who did what she wanted, when she wanted and no one would stop her. Sitting perfectly still at her seat amongst the dining room table, she stiffly shrugged off one of the maids as she inquired what she wanted; they were smart enough to know what she wanted. Did she need to do everything for herself?

She glanced over to her father and mother, seeing how her own mother was eyeing her father terribly while he of course ordered the strongest drink, soon adjusting her glassy optics to their 'guest'. He was handsome, wealthy, and obviously a good business man. But that was all... Actually, thinking about it, that was all Nikkita really needed to be happy. As long as she'd have a man like that, who only cared about having trophy wife, she was sure she could play the part well. And then, she could go off and do whatever she wanted. Ahh, the dream life that was.

Realizing she had been staring for more than a few seconds throughout her daydreaming, she shook her head and pursed her lips as soon noticed by the time she had finished her fantasy they had been all served their drinks. While her mother was just starting to sip her champagne, her father must've been on what? His third drink? Rolling her eyes, she picked up her glass of cider and took a sip as graceful as a bird itself before pulling it away just enough to speak. That man she was supposed to call a father really didn't know anything about manners. Especially when he'd been rejected by his 'mistress'.

"Father, I would suggest you slow down before we have you dancing on the dining table by the time this is all over."

Almost curling her lips at the deadly look she had recieved from the other side of the table, she simply shrugged and took another sip, setting down her glass.

"I mean, really. I know you like to enjoy yourself, but did it ever occur to you that maybe.. Mister Kaiba has other things to do than sit here and listen to you babble nonesense?"

"Nikkita!"

Raising her brows at her mother's scolding, she leaned forwards and whispered harshly, "What? I'm sure it's true. Don't you remember that one time?" Alright, so the deal was one time her father had gotten so drunk that he had fallen over unconscious and since Nikkita had been the only one levelheaded enough to seal the deal; she had. And her father's WHOLE company had profited from it. He should've just handed over the whole thing to her. She would've done a much better job than him.

Soon turning to Kaiba, her eyes widened dangerously and she took on an incredible look almost as if telepathically saying, 'If you go along we'll both get out of this faster.'