Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters presented here and am not making any profit off of this whatsoever.
Title: Roll of the Dice
Word Count: 3,615
Rated: PG-13
Romance: Kaiba Seto x Otogi Ryuuji
Notes: This takes place a few years after the Ceremonial Duel. Comments and criticism gratefully accepted.
LJ Challenge: This was written for the 12_stories challenge.
Summary: Kaiba's passion for games is exactly what Otogi needs to get his attention for a different kind of passion entirely.

Kaiba Seto looked down at the dice in front of him, then looked up at Otogi Ryuuji. He did not bother to frown, but there was a certain look of annoyance in his remote blue eyes. "I would presume this has some sort of significance?" There was also a faint hint of curiosity in the very back of his tone. Most people would not have heard it, but Otogi was very good at noticing what people did or didn't say. He'd cultivated the art over the years. It made it much easier to deal with people, and to get them to do what he wanted them to do. Which, in turn, made life much easier on him. Otogi approved of anything that made his life easier.

"We're going to play a game, Kaiba." Otogi said, smirking just a touch. Again, Kaiba gave nothing away in his looks or by his voice, since he just raised one eyebrow in a silent query. Otogi had gained this meeting by telling him that he wanted to talk business of some kind. This was not what the businessman had been expecting to hear. "I've heard that you like all kinds of games, not just Duel Monsters. So, we're going to play one of my games."

"Dungeon Dice Monsters, I believe you called it?" Kaiba did not appear to be even slightly interested. Otogi had reason to believe that he would be, much sooner than he expected. But one step at a time. He was dangling the bait. He just needed to see if Kaiba would take it.

"Not this time. Just a simple dice game." Otogi pulled up one of the plush comfortable seats available in Kaiba's office and gestured towards the two sets of dice before them. "We each roll three of those dice. Whoever rolls the highest wins that round and can claim a forfeit from the loser."

Kaiba took the bait. Otogi could see it in the way his eyes gleamed ever so briefly. But he kept his own expression calm. It wouldn't do to let him off the hook so swiftly. "What kind of forfeit?" It was clear that he would use his, if he won one, to get Otogi right out of his office.

"Oh, that depends on what you want. It's entirely up to you. As long as it doesn't break any laws or inconvenience the other too much." There. That would give it a spice that he was certain Kaiba would find irresistible. It gave so much room for the imagination, too. Otogi knew exactly what he wanted to claim for his forfeits, too. He'd had this planned for over a week.

Kaiba snorted softly. Whatever Otogi had up his sleeve, it was bound to be annoying. The black-haired game designer could be as much of a pest as Jounouchi could be when he put his mind to it. They hadn't crossed paths very often, but when they had, Kaiba had found that Otogi had a mind to be reckoned with. Not on his level…but close. Enough to catch his interest, if he hadn't been so occupied with his work most of the time.

"Then let's do this." Work did have to come first, as did Mokuba. He would finish this game quickly…though it was a bit interesting to have a diversion from the endless paperwork and inspecting of various new designs for the Duel Disks and checking on the development of Duel Academia.

Without bothering to ask who should go first, Kaiba snatched up three of the dice and rolled. His eyes narrowed as the three dice landed: a four, a two, and a one. "Seven." He announced bluntly. Otogi picked up his own dice and rolled casually.

"We'll play ten rounds," he said as the dice clattered to a halt and he looked over to see what the results were. A five, a three, and a two, for a score of ten. He chuckled a little. "I win the first round." He leaned back in his chair and eyed Kaiba thoughtfully. "So what should I have you do…" He thought for a moment, then nodded as an idea struck him. "You can't touch your hair until after the whole game is finished," he declared.

Kaiba snorted some. "What kind of a forfeit is that?"

"You'll see. Would you care to roll for round two?" Otogi was going to enjoy the reaction to come, once Kaiba realized why he'd done that.

The next roll Kaiba made was a ten, and Otogi beat it by two points, scoring a twelve. Now he got up and started around the desk. "My second forfeit is this." Without asking any kind of permission, he ran his fingers through Kaiba's dark brown hair, mussing it up until it looked as if the other man had just gotten out of bed.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" Kaiba glared at him as Otogi sat back down, quite pleased with the look. He wondered if he'd have a chance to take a few pictures. That would make his day…and probably that of a few other people, depending on who he decided to show them to. Kaiba started to reach up to straighten his hair out, and Otogi shook a finger at him.

"Remember the first forfeit. You can't touch your hair til all of this game is over with. This is the second forfeit: you can't stop me from doing this."

The look Kaiba shot at him could have peeled paint off of the walls from a thousand yards away. Otogi only smiled…or smirked, to be strictly accurate. Kaiba grabbed for the dice, obviously eager to find a way to end this soon. He rolled, this time the result being a nine. When Otogi rolled his own, he chuckled a bit at the result.

"A draw. On a draw, neither of us gets a forfeit." He eyed Kaiba's mussy hair with a grin. If Kaiba did win a round, he was certain to try to find a way to undo the damage that had already been done. That was fine with Otogi. There were still seven rounds to go, and he had plans for all of them.

"Good. My turn again." Kaiba did not particularly want to admit it, but he was somewhat enjoying himself. He didn't enjoy the fact he was losing, but the thrill of actually being beaten was something that he hadn't had in a while. There was no way that skill could have any bearing on here, so if Otogi won a round, it wasn't because he was better than Kaiba. Luck had just favored him. Kaiba could manage that, to a degree.

This time, the dice came up to thirteen: two sixes and a one. Kaiba frowned just a touch; Otogi did have some sort of special touch with dice, now that he thought about it. There were only five numbers that could be higher than thirteen, and several more than were lower that could be rolled up with three six sided dice. The odds were in his favor, but would it happen like that?

Otogi didn't think it would, as he rolled his own dice: and came up with a twelve. He blinked a little; it wasn't the first time that he'd lost with a dice roll, but he disliked setting a precedent, especially now.

Kaiba was taken aback briefly himself, then he looked directly at his opponent and declared calmly. "Since I can't touch it myself, you will comb my hair properly." He didn't exactly want someone else doing what he preferred to do for himself, but he would play by these rules, for so long as the game was in play. It would be much, much more interesting to beat Otogi at his own game.

"As you wish," the other said, pulling a comb out of his pocket and going behind Kaiba. Once he was there, he had to smile a little. It wasn't going quite as planned, but what kind of a gamesman would he be if he couldn't make even a loss work for him somehow? He carefully worked his comb through Kaiba's hair, making sure to get it back to the same neat configuration that it had been before he'd touched it the first time. It was rather pleasant work as well, and he ran his fingers through the rough strands just for the sheer enjoyment a few times.

"It doesn't take that long to comb hair, Otogi. Finish it up and let's get on with this. I have a meeting this afternoon."

"As you wish." Otogi ran the comb through the other's hair another couple of times for his own amusement, then went back around to settle back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face. He gestured towards the dice with confidence. "If you'd be so kind?"

Kaiba picked them up and rolled, confident that he would see another score like the one that had just occurred. Though, when he thought about it, it hadn't been all that bad having Otogi comb his hair out. It had been interesting. He normally didn't let anyone else touch his hair. It had nothing to do with vanity, but more to do with expediency. He knew just how he wanted himself to look, and it was quicker and easier to take care of it himself.

He glanced down at the dice as they rolled and wrinkled his lip just a touch. A five. He scarcely had time to see that before Otogi rolled his own set of dice. Two of them came to a halt nearly at once: each a one. If Otogi rolled anything a one or a two, then he would win the round. If he rolled a three, they would tie. Anything else, and it was lost for him, again.

"What shall I do to you this time?" Otogi asked, grinning slightly even as the dice landed firmly on a six. If Kaiba hadn't known better, he would almost have thought there was something mystical about that. Not that there was anything mystical about luck.

Otogi played with his hair as he thought over just what he could do. The game was nearly halfway over with, but he wanted to save his biggest forfeit until closer to the end. If there was one thing that he understood, it was drama, and how to get attention. He didn't want to just muss up the other's hair again. That would be boring. So…something else. Something more interesting. Something like…

"Loosen your tie and open your shirt up some. How in the world can you breathe like that?" Otogi ordered. Kaiba shot him a look that was twice as furious as the last one. There was no getting around it, however. A deal was a deal, and he did as he had been told. "Good. You could use some fresh air, too. But we'll work on that later."

He gestured once more towards the dice. "Your turn again." The look on Kaiba's face told him that the next time Otogi lost a round, he'd be doing up Kaiba's shirt and tie properly. Or so Kaiba thought. Otogi was quite intent on changing his mind about that before this little game was over with.

Again the dice were rolled and again, the round belonged to Otogi. He all but licked his lips as he once more got to his feet. Kaiba's eyes narrowed briefly though he didn't move a muscle. What had happened the last time Otogi won two in a row was quite clear in his mind. Otogi, however, had a slightly different idea in mind this time. He strolled over to where he would be in easy reach of Kaiba, then pointed to the clock on the wall.

"For two minutes, you will play with my hair. Enjoy yourself."

He turned his back and settled down so Kaiba could get to it. From this position, he couldn't see the other's face, but it had to be interesting. He wondered if Kaiba would even bother doing it, or if he'd follow the rules just that much. Then, a somewhat hesitant hand began to touch his hair, working the band that he kept his ponytail held back in out first. Kaiba had obviously not had a great deal of experience with this, but he was gamely giving it his best attempt.

Kaiba had never bothered to even play with his own hair before, generally just washing, drying, combing, and leaving it. It had never crossed his mind that playing with someone's hair could be an enjoyable experience. But as he ran his fingers through and over Otogi's hair, it occurred to him that this was somewhat interesting. The shivers he could feel going through the other at his attentions were even more interesting. What did Otogi have in mind with all of this? It couldn't have just been to kill a little while. There were so many other things that he could have done. He certainly had never lacked for companions, male or female, who would be much more eager to play than Kaiba himself was.

His fingers brushed down past Otogi's hair to touch against his neck, and a vast shudder went through the dice master's entire body, his breath pulling in softly. Kaiba blinked a few times; what in the world had that been? He started to ask, then looked briefly at the clock. Somehow, the two minutes were already up, and before he could form the question, Otogi was up and back on the other side of the desk, his composure as perfectly undisturbed as it had always been.

What does it take to get through that? Kaiba had never had a thought like that before, and to have one now disturbed him…and interested him at the same time. He could make the time for certain kinds of relaxation if he so chose. He had just never found anyone worth giving up the work hours for. Until now, perhaps. But he couldn't be certain just yet.

Without bothering to wait for Otogi to say something this time, he rolled the dice once more, the score coming up a twelve. He didn't know what he'd make the other do if he won this round. Truth to be told, it was not very easy for him to think of anything at the moment. He wasn't entirely in a mental mess, but he was closer to it than he had ever thought he could be after so short of a time. How in the world could just a few little things affect him so strongly? At least there was nothing else that Otogi could do that would really knock him that much off kilter.

Otogi chuckled some as he threw his own dice, and the seventh round of the game became their second draw. "You get a little breathing space," he teased. Underneath, he was quite glad that he got a little breathing space. He'd all but forgotten the way he reacted when that particular portion of his neck was just brushed against. It was quite probably one of the most sensitive spots on his entire body. Having a brief space to calm down put him back in mental control.

Kaiba only snorted at that, and rolled again, this time achieving a score of eight. Otogi rolled his dice, and smiled when the thirteen came into view. "My win again." He tapped his fingers on the desk, then grinned. Perhaps it was time, since they would only have two more after this. If he were going to go for his goal, then now was probably the best time. "Sit still and let me do this."

There was a question on Kaiba's lips even as Otogi stalked back over there, but it was stifled when Otogi's own lips fell on his. If there was one thing that Otogi was good at, it was kissing. Actually, there were several things that he was good at. But kissing certainly ranked up there in the top three.

When Otogi finally pulled back, there was no other way to describe his expression other than the cat who had gotten the cream. He licked his lips again and started back to his chair when Kaiba seized his wrist. Blue eyes, with a slight furrow of confusion between them, stared up at him, then the other released him, pushing him away a bit at the same time. Otogi could have crowed for joy. He was doing it. He was getting right under Kaiba's skin, just like he'd hoped to all this time.

Kaiba ground his teeth a little; of all the …as much as he wanted to know what was going on in Otogi's mind, he also wanted to just beat the other senseless for his nerve. No one had ever, no one ever would do anything like that to him. They didn't have the guts. He was Kaiba Seto.

And he'd just had the first kiss of his life, and it had been a damned good one, too.

Wordlessly he snatched up the dice, determined to use his next win, should it happen, to order Otogi to never come within a thousand miles of him for the rest of eternity. If that meant Otogi had to pull up his entire business operation and move to another country, that was perfectly fine by Kaiba. The farther away the better. He rolled and smirked broadly at the sight of a twelve. He could still be beaten, but he felt, no, he knew that he wouldn't be. There was still one more round to go after that, regardless…and he might even win that one, which would give him yet another order he could demand of the other. What would that be…

Otogi rolled his dice and lifted one eyebrow when it came up an eight. Kaiba had won a second round. He turned his gaze back to the other and waited. "Well?" This was more crucial than perhaps Kaiba realized.

"I want you to—" Kaiba was about to make his demand, when he heard his voice saying something else entirely. Perhaps it was what was on his deeper mind, but it made no difference ultimately. When he won the last round, he would see to it that he did it right. "I want you to tell me why you're doing this."

Otogi wasn't very surprised. That question would have come up sooner or later, after all, even if he'd won every round. "Because you interest me," he said honestly. "And I like getting under your skin. And I like you. Even though you are a bastard." He grinned quite wolfishly. "It's not like I'm not one."

Of all the answers he might have received, that had been nowhere on Kaiba's mind. He'd never thought of Otogi as some kind of squeaky clean little angel, but …he couldn't say that he'd thought of Otogi a great deal beyond being one of Yuugi's friends and knowing something of games and dice. He did not like not knowing things, now that he considered the matter.

"Your roll. Last round." Otogi gestured, and Kaiba rolled without thinking about it yet again, his mind now pre-occupied. He would have to find out more about Otogi than the fact he was the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. He would have his investigators on it in the morning. He would know everything that there was to know about Otogi Ryuuji before the weekend was out, or he would know the reason why.

Again, he rolled a twelve. He watched, more from curiosity at the moment than the desire to win, as Otogi rolled a fourteen. So the final round went to him. Kaiba could not say he was very displeased, all things considered. He had not lost anything that was irreplaceable, not even a little bit of pride. And what little he had lost, he didn't mind all that much. But now he waited to see what Otogi would want for the final forfeit.

Otogi slowly smiled. This was what he'd been waiting for. He eyed Kaiba once again, then asked simply, "Would you go out with me?"

It was not everyone who could say that they had taken Kaiba Seto by surprise as often as Otogi had that day. Kaiba considered the matter briefly. He could clear out some time in his schedule. It could be taken care of with minimum effort on his part, and perhaps even some enjoyment. Perhaps there were some aspects of life that he had been neglecting. He would have to clear things with Mokuba first, but that wouldn't be very difficult.

"My limo will be around to pick you up tonight at six," he said firmly. "And you'd better be ready then. We're going to the Eyes of the Dragon." He was not going to take anything else but for an answer. It didn't matter that he hadn't actually been the one to ask the question. That was a petty detail, and Kaiba seldom concerned himself with petty details.

Otogi only smiled as he picked his dice up and put them away. They had certainly served him well tonight, no matter how their rolls had come out. The restaurant Kaiba had named was one of the most expensive in Domino City, and tended to cater to the upper crust of duelists and gamers of all kinds. He'd been there a few times himself. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Kaiba. I look forward to tonight." And in the future, he was quite certain it would be a pleasure having pleasure with Kaiba.

The End

Note: All the dice rolls in their game were ones I actually made on an online dice generator. Each win, loss, or draw came out exactly as I have written here, not pre-determined by me in any way. Make of that what you will, if anything.

The End