DD: Finally, I did a full Euroshipping fanfiction! Please, no one flame for this. Anyway, I own nothing!
Seto Kaiba did a lot of things he didn't like. He went to English literature class, talked to Yugi's group of friends - when he had to - and he even argued with the mutt.
All of these things he despised. He also wasn't very fond of meeting with representatives of other companies longing to team up with Kaiba Corporations, as ninety nine per cent of the time, it was a waste of an hour.
But there was always a reward at the end of it all.
Seto glanced around once more as he opened his briefcase at the edge of the school grounds. He couldn't let anyone know what he did for a hobby.
He had been lucky that Gozaburo hadn't figured it out. If anyone saw him, not only was he likely to be ridiculed, but he would die of embarrassment.
However, no one was around due to the fact that it was the middle of fifth period history class and he was in a secluded area behind the school. Seto took a deep breath before reaching into his briefcase and pulling out a violin.
Yes, contrary to popular belief, there was a reason that Seto's briefcase was so large.
He placed the violin under his chin and rested the bow on the strings before beginning to play.
Before I continue with this, there is one thing I must tell you. Ryou Bakura was not late. He was never late.
His alarm clock just occasionally didn't wake him.
But that wasn't the case today. Ryou had an appointment with the dentist and had decided to sign into school after it - despite his yami's claims that no one would care if he ditched.
I would care, Ryou had responded before grabbing his bag and leaving the apartment that he shared with the Thief.
Sighing, Ryou trudged through a secluded area behind the school that he often used as a short-cut. If he hurried, he could make it to class before history ended. Then he paused as a quiet yet powerful melody met his ears. He recognised the instrument and the song alike, but as far as he knew, no one at the school played violin or knew anything about Lindsey Stirling.
So who is it? Curiosity breaking his protest of the fact that whoever was playing the song deserved their privacy, Ryou treaded towards the area that the music was loudest; just around the corner from him.
His eyes widened at the sight of Seto playing the violin, his eyes closed, wearing a soft smile that looked foreign on his face. Ryou hesitated, not wanting to make his presence known. It was obvious to him that Seto - for some reason - wanted to keep his talent of playing the violin a secret. He took a step back only to freeze as he stepped on a branch and it snapped.
The song stopped and Ryou saw Seto look up. "Who's there?" The smile was gone and the familiar scowl was on his face. Ryou hesitated before stepping out from behind the wall, knowing it would be worse for him if he stayed hidden.
Seto glared at him. "You're one of Yugi's cheerleaders, right? Ryou Bakura?" Ryou swallowed and nodded. "What are you doing here?" Ryou winced. "Are you mute or something? Answer me!"
"I-I had a dentist appointment and was taking a short cut back to school and I heard the song," Ryou mumbled. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise it was you..." He looked down.
Seto's glare deepened. "I wasn't playing anything. Got it?" Ryou flinched at his aggressive tone and nodded. Seto watched him for a moment. "You don't need to flinch every time I speak."
"S-sorry..." Ryou mumbled, looking down again. Seto rolled his eyes and began to put away his violin.
Ryou watched him. "You're very good, you know," Ryou murmured after a few minutes. Seto glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Elements by Lindsey Stirling, right?" Seto nodded. A soft smile graced Ryou's face. "That's my favourite of her songs..."
"Mine too," Seto admitted, closing his briefcase.
Ryou blinked in surprise as Seto stood up and turned to leave. "Wait!" Seto turned to face him. "C-could I maybe...listen to you play next time?" He requested in a whisper.
Seto scowled. "You had better not listen to anything."
"I-I won't listen; I promise."
Seto nodded. "Then you can not listen to me not playing the violin whenever you want." He walked away with a smirk, leaving Ryou with a confused but happy expression on his face.
After a few weeks of Ryou not listening to Seto not playing the violin, the two grew closer. It became a common sight to see Ryou sitting beside the CEO at lunch whenever Seto decided to be generous and sit with Yugi and his friends, and it was always the albino who stopped any rising arguments between Seto and Joey.
Every day, in one of their classes between first and fifth period, Ryou and Seto would sneak outside and Seto would play one of Lindsey Stirling's songs. On this particular day, he began to play Shatter Me. Ryou smiled and began to sing the lyrics under his breath.
"I pirouette in the dark
I see the stars through a mirror
Tired mechanical heart
Beats 'til the song disappears."
His voice grew a bit louder and Seto felt his eyes widen in surprise at the sweet yet powerful voice that the quiet albino possessed.
"Somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
So cut me from the line
Dizzy, spinning endlessly
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
Shatter me!"
There was a short violin instrumental that Ryou paused for.
"Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!"
The power in his voice faded and became sweet and soft again.
"If only the clockwork could speak
I wouldn't feel so alone
We'd burn every magnet and spring
And spiral into the unknown.
Somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
So cut me from the line
Dizzy, spinning endlessly
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
Shatter me!"
Ryou paused again for a minute as Seto took over with the violin. The melody of the instrument and Ryou's voice merged in perfect harmony in both sweet and powerful parts of the song.
"Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
If I break the glass then I'll have to fly
There's no one to catch me if I take a dive."
Seto frowned, a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach as Ryou sang this line.
"I'm scared of change and the days stay the same
The world is spinning but only in grey
If I break the glass then I'll have to fly
There's no one to catch me if I take a dive."
The odd feeling returned and Seto bit his lip. What was it? Why did he feel protective of Ryou when he sang this? And why did he take notice of how vulnerable the albino sounded for that short line?
"I'm scared of change and the days stay the same
The world is spinning but only in grey."
Once again, Seto took over with the violin and he noticed Ryou swallow before he continued to sing.
"Somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
So cut me from the line
Dizzy, spinning endlessly
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!
Shatter me!
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!"
Seto let the arm holding his bow fall to his side as he finished the last few chords. "That was good." It was the first time he had spoken after playing. Every other day, he had just walked back to class without a word.
It surprised Ryou. A soft blush adorned his cheeks and he looked down. "T-thanks..."
Seto stowed his violin in his briefcase and picked it up but then paused. Instead of leaving, he walked over to Ryou, who was still looking down. He laced two fingers beneath the albino's chin and lifted his head up so that Ryou was facing him. "I'll always be here to catch you if you take a dive, Ryou," he murmured, placing a soft, chaste kiss on Ryou's lips before turning and leaving.
Ryou's face flushed crimson as he watched in silence. He brought his hand up and touched his lips gently, a small smile creeping onto his face as Seto walked out of sight. "Thanks, Seto," he whispered before leaving as well.
The secluded area behind the school was left in peace for one more day.
DD: Well that was longer than I thought it'd be. And the song that Ryou sang and Seto played was Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling, so for those of you who want to check it out, you can. Hope you enjoyed and please review! See you next time, Killer Queens!!