First Snow

Stormes_Jay

(Just for reference, people, the characters in my version of Yugioh have been somewhat altered to make them more realistic, and there is no Domino City, their just in Tokyo and neighboring cities.

They speak Japanese, but if their is a '*' next to it, they are speaking another language, with is usually either English, Russian, German, or Italian, and such will be stated in foot notes.)

They had met before— They had met so many times before, but they had never spoken an actual word to each other. Kaiba seemed so cold to Bakura, and Bakura seemed so shy to Kaiba. So many things just waiting to be said, but kept in silence because of their opposing sides. They had one thing in common, right at the beginning; They both sat alone during lunch at school— for different reasons, of course, but it was still something. But as time went on, Kaiba excelled in his studies and graduated early, and Bakura got to know Yugi Motou. Once again, the connection was pulled apart by circumstance. But now there was nothing. No Duel Monsters, no millennium items, no evil spirits; nothing. Now it was just the differences in their work that kept them apart, and that was about to change.

\/\/\/\/

Kaiba enjoyed his coffee, but only trusted it to one place. It was a quaint little café just of of 3rd and 4th. It was so small compared to the giant Starbucks Cafés on the other side of the street, but to Kaiba, it felt almost like home. The wicker chairs were one of his favorite aspects. The crackle in the chair reminded him of his home in Russia; His mother's chair on the front porch made the same noise. He liked how there were no chairs on the sidewalk, no possibility of being forced to sit in the noisy outdoors.

He focused on the screen of his laptop as his fingers tapped on the several different keys. He had ordered the coffee of the day, which happened to be his favorite, Irish roast. He had finished his cup, and left it sitting on the edge of the table waiting to be refilled. He continued to type as the waiter approached, "Would you like more coffee, sir?" Kaiba just barely recognized the voice and lifted his head, his reading glasses on the tip of his nose. He saw warm, chocolate brown eyes looking back at him, fair skin, and light brown hair tied back in a ponytail. The two took a moment before a soft smile crossed the waiters face, "Seto Kaiba?"

"Hello. I remember you... You had the millennium ring, right?" Kaiba tilted his head a bit, "You're Bakura."

Bakura gave a sweet smile and nod before a quick pause, "Well, would you like more coffee?" He held the pot up. Kaiba nodded a bit before Bakura filled the cup, "I didn't know you were much into going to cafés."

"I didn't know you were much into working at one." Kaiba pointed to Bakura's light green apron, "I haven't seen you here before."

"I got a job here after the whole Egypt thing." Bakura shrugged. In the corner of his eye he saw a customer flag him down, "Oh, sorry. Customers are waiting." He turned away from Kaiba.

Kaiba leaned over to try and get a better look at Bakura's face as he turned away, "When do you get off work?"

Bakura paused and turned, "What? -Oh! Umm, in fifteen minutes I believe." He gave a fluttery blink.

"I'll go ahead and wait here until you get off work then." Kaiba smirked a bit at him. Bakura gave a clueless stare before a quick nod. He turned away and headed for the other table. Kaiba knew why he was so interested in Bakura, he was the only one who made an effort to actually care about more than just Duel Monsters— it wasn't his life. And yes, Kaiba did play the game quite often, but his love rested in video simulations, not cards.

\/\/\/\/

It was freezing, fall was just about coming to an end in Tokyo. Bakura had slipped a thick, fluffy jacket on over his apron, and walked closely next to Kaiba, who wore a long, wool trench coat and thick scarf, "Do you talk to them much?" Bakura asked as they walked down the sidewalk, "To Yugi and the others?"

Kaiba looked at Bakura silently, then forward again, "No. I stopped talking to anyone from that group except for Duke since we returned the items."

"Why Duke?" Bakura looked up at him, there was a staggering height difference of ten inches between the two.

"He's one of my designers, now. I was quite pleasantly surprised with his game, Dungeon Monsters." He shrugged, "So I offered him a job. ... Do you talk to them?"

"Oh, no. I think most of us went our separate ways after all that. I sometimes go to tea with Anzu, but those are become more and more rare than before." Bakura's head sunk down, "I'm actually thinking of moving to an apartment just outside of this block with the money I've got saved up. Maybe just start over or something."

Kaiba raised his head and looked at the small clearing in the clouds, "I don't know how you have money to eat, let alone rent an apartment with that job at the café."

"Oh, well, it's enough to keep me afloat. That all I really need." Bakura lifted his head and smiled, "Not really a fan of fancy things, this one."

Kaiba smiled a bit at him as they turned to head over a bridge, "Neither am I. I just want to make sure Mokuba gets the best chance of a good life."

"How old is he now? It's been at least a year since I've seen him." Bakura smiled warmly.

"He's fifteen, and changed quite a lot, too. He's dyed his hair all sorts of colors and has a mohawk." Kaiba chuckled a bit. Bakura smiled, he liked how his face looks when he was smiling, "He's even started a band with Weevil and Rex."

"Those thugs? Aren't you worried?" Bakura raised an eyebrow curiously.

Kaiba shook his head, "No. They're better than you think. With the right motivation, that is." He stopped by the end of the brick bridge, Bakura halting with him. He took hold of the rail and looked out at the water.

Bakura paused and looked at his face, "What is it?" He leaned over to look at his face, propping himself against the barrier of the bridge.

Kaiba smiled at him, "Go to dinner with me tonight." He turned towards him.

A rosey blush filled Bakura's cheeks, "Wh-What? Dinner? Tonight?"

"I know a great place to have a steak with some wine. It'll be great." Kaiba looked incredibly calm compared to the frozen man he stood next to.

Bakura blinked and looked around,, "Oh, but I have nothing to wear. And I've never been on a date with a..."

"Man? It's alright. Neither have I. You'll come to dinner with me. Don't worry about clothes, just wear a sweater or something." Kaiba tilted his head, "Do we have a plan?"

Bakura closed his eyes and smiled, exhaling through his nose. He opened his long lashed eyes and nodded, "Alright. I live just over here." he pointed to an apartment complex across the street, "Number seventy-two. When will you-"

Kaiba smirked pleasantly, "Seven-thirty. I'll see you then, yes?"

"Yes." Bakura smiled back.