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Seto could not quite hide his disgruntledness. Even two days in their vacation he could not hide how much the idea disturbed him. It almost made Anzu laugh, really, because with all his wealth, all the things at his disposal, Seto Kaiba did not quite understand the concept of a vacation.
She took his hand and just pulled him along the forest path, that was beautifully glittering in the early afternoon sun. “Isn't it beautiful?” she asked, trying to start a conversation.
Seto gave a confused look, as he gazed into the conifer forest.
It was very pretty, really. Up here in Sweden the winters were long and cold and brought an amount of snow that they could only dream of in Domino City. It was a sunny day, though, so those little ice crystals in the thick cover of snow were glittering – at times even in multiple colors.
“I guess,” Seto finally admitted.
“Really, you should get out more,” she chided her husband. “It would give you new inspiration as well.”
“I do not need inspiration,” he muttered. He was pouting, this much was clear. Seto Kaiba tended to pout a lot, whenever she talked him into something. But if neither she nor Mokuba would talk him into things, he would not get out of his office at all. At times happiness had to simple be forced onto him.
The sound of the snow creaking underneath her winter boots was wonderful as well. She simply loved everything about the place. The view, the soundscape, the smells as well. It was a perfect way to spend the few days off she had gotten from the ballet.
Smirking she looked up at her husband. “There are certain kinds of inspiration you are not averse to,” she teased and got him to blush.
“That's… different.”
“How so?”
This got him to hesitate, stopping even in his stride. One thing that Anzu would not have believed if someone had told her just two years ago, was, that Seto Kaiba could be quite shy. Then again it should not be surprising. He was all big on presentation, on showing of his wealth and his skill at Duel Monsters, but he had never been particularly good when it came to interpersonal relationships. Mokuba being the one exception. It was not a big surprise, of course, given about what she now knew about his upbringing. It did mean, though, that at times she had to tease an honest response out of him.
“It's… with you,” he finally muttered.
“This is with me, too.”
He paused, then sighed, looking around, then looking at her. “Touché.” His breath condensed in front of his face and there was a flush on his ears that was quite unusual to see. Finally, he took her hand again and marched on. “I still don't get it, though.”
“What is there to get?”
“Do you find this… relaxing?”
“Yes,” she said.
He thought about this for a moment. “How so?”
It was a question she should've expected but didn't. “There are few people around,” she said. “There is no rustling and bustling. The view is really nice and so is the smell.”
“The smell?”
“The conifer trees,” she replied. “Don't you smell it?”
He sniffed and then nodded. “I guess I do.”
“It is a nice smell, isn't it?”
“It is not offensive.”
She smiled. “You see? And all in all… It is nice to get away from it all from time to time.”
Once more he paused, though he continued walking this time. “It is just… There is so much to do. In summer there will be…”
She pressed his hand. Of course, she knew what he was talking about. He was planning on another Battle City tournament – one that would hopefully not be upstaged by any more Egyptian weirdness. Just a normal tournament, that would bring loads of tourists to Domino City. There would be a carnival as well and all sorts of cultural events happening around the same time, giving people things to do if they were tired of watching duels.
Lately Seto had started to appreciate the arts a bit more. Together with Mokuba's help she had gotten him to just give those things a chance, instead of once again burying himself in more Duel Monsters or otherwise game related stuff. She had taken him along for movie nights, had taken him to the theatre and had – much to Ryuu's glee – gone to a rock concert with him as well.
Through all of it, Seto had mostly kept the same expression, but that was just the way things were. He was not very expressive. At least when it came to anything not Duel Monsters related.
Even right now she could feel him slowly relax, as he started to pay more attention to their surrounding instead of trying to tune everything out. She had decided for this place for a reason. It was away from tourist destinations, so there were not a lot of people around. It was just them – for three days at least, before she would've to return to New York.
After a while, he sighed. “I guess this is nice.”
She chuckled, pressing his hand once again. “I told you so.” Tucking at his hand she got him to bow down far enough that she could press a soft kiss onto his lips. “And tonight…” She did not get any further, as the next moment he twitched, turning around.
“Ouch.”
She frowned. She had heard something hitting the back of his head. Looking around the culprit was quickly found: A fir cone having fallen to the ground.
Rubbing the back of his head he looked at it. “The forest is attacking me.”
She hesitated, before laughing, as she realized that it was in fact a joke. “It is, apparently,” she admitted and bowed down to collect the cone. Once she got up, she handed it to him. “Maybe you should keep this.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Why would I?”
“As a reminder.”
“A reminder?”
“Of this vacation.”
“Ah.” His face relaxed visibly as he understood. And for a moment a soft smile showed on his face. He took the cone and put it in the pocket of his coat. “Yes, maybe I will keep it.”