Disclaimer: Yuugiou (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) is the property of Takahashi Kazuki and respective publishers, including Shueisha, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, Toei Animation, 4Kids, and others. I would never claim to own it or attempt to make money off of it- just think of this as a written, free doujinshi and hopefully we'll get along fine ;)
Notes: Written for the second challenge (any pairing beginning with the letter 'B') of the Livejournal community YGO Rare Pair (ygo_rare_pair). ...To just give in and shamelessly plug, there's a link on my profile ;)
Warnings for a vague, ill-defined AU.
Meetings
-o-
It's there in the simplest things- the wind flowing against her skin as a figure walks past, brusque and hurried like a storm. Just tiny impressions, but her soul screams.
Move, speak, act…
She does nothing, and he is gone.
Sadness which she doesn't even understand overcomes her. What has she lost?
-o-
She sees him again, and for some reason, a day which was steadily becoming dreary begins to lighten. He's standing across the street from the museum, and she takes the chance to look. A quick glance should be fine, shouldn't it? Nothing unusual about that. They're strangers, after all.
He is proud, with a cold manner and sharp tongue, used to commanding others and willing to make any sacrifice for those he protects… And he's dead, isn't he? Pierced in the heart because of it, struck down by a blow meant for another…
She steps forward unwittingly, yearning to breach the distance between them.
"What is it?" His voice is harsh, forcing her back into reality.
His face is almost as familiar as her own…
"Didn't you hear?" He sounds impatient.
Why had she stopped and stared like this, anyway? It's rude…
It isn't when one knows…
Shaking her head, she offers a quick bow in apology, and then flees.
-o-
The rational part of her would prefer not to see him again, but it is quickly being stifled. Somehow, impossibly, they pass by each other once a day, always in front of the museum, and not at all due to her schedule (she has none).
It can't be coincidence, but she isn't sure that she wants to discover what it might truly be. Whenever she looks at him too hard, she sees a man almost exactly like him dying.
If this is fate, it is a cruel one which she would rather ignore.
-o-
When she is at the museum first, she decides to break with expectations (whose expectations?) and enter the building. She wanders, somehow ending up in the basement, and there he is.
He turns and looks down at her. "Do you have a reason for following me?"
"I haven't been following you. It's simply a coincidence that we continue to run into each other."
"Nonsense. By nature, 'chance' does not follow a schedule."
She inclines her head, and finds herself smiling. "No, I suppose it doesn't."
He pulls a watch from his pocket, and frowns. "I have a meeting. See if you can think of a better hypothesis."
He's rude, but she has always been good at ignoring rudeness, so she smiles again. "I'll do my best." He walks past her, and is on the staircase when she calls out. "Please, wait! What is your name?"
"Kaiba."
"…Is it?" Somehow, that doesn't sound right…
"Kaiba Seto."
"Thank you, Seto-sa…"
She isn't sure what honorific she would have used if she hadn't been interrupted.
"Look behind you, Kisara."
She does so, and sees the tablet.