The Gift of the Magi
A Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction
By Rowan Cousland
A/N: So, the holidays are just around the corner. I thought to get into the spirit; I'd do what any other teenager would do. Write a fan fiction about it. XD I kid. I kid. But anyways, the story "The Gift of the Magi" is a personal favorite of mine, and with my current fan fiction going so well, I thought I'd incorporate it with Kayla and Bakura. In this story, I'm totally winging it with Bakura's last name (even though some fans say Bakura is his last name, I don't care. I'm going my own way with it :P) Basing off of some other fics I've read, I decided to go with "Sennen" because it fits, and it's fun. Also, just so you know, in this fic, Bakura and Ryou are separate people. Also, for those of you that don't know the story of "The Gift of the Magi" this fic will pretty much explain it. Enjoy! :D
The Holiday Season had come quickly for the town of Domino City. The season of giving had officially begun. Snow drifted down to earth, creating the perfect wonderland for children that had just been released from school for the holidays.
For the newly-wed couple Bakura Sennen and Kayla Edwards, the holidays were especially exciting this year. It was their first year together as husband and wife. Their first Christmas in their own home. Well, it was an apartment, but it was a home to them.
But, with the current economic struggles, prices on gifts had skyrocketed. With how little their jobs paid, the Sennen couple feared that they would not be able to afford gifts for each other.
Kayla still worked at the game shop, which had fallen into Yugi's possession when he graduated High School, like she had when she was 16. She was currently going to school to get a degree in English, and her class schedule worked so that she could keep her job there. For some people, getting married right out of high school was a mistake. For her and Bakura, it was the best choice they could've made.
Bakura was currently working at the Domino City Museum in the gift shop. But what he really wanted to do was study Egyptology, and possibly become an archeologist. But for two young people, right out of high school, jobs were a little hard to come by. But, it paid the bills while the two went to school. That was enough for them.
They weren't alone in their crappy straight out of school jobs. Kayla worked alongside Tea at the shop, so there was always someone to talk to. Ryou had gotten a job as a tour guide at the museum, and occasionally visited Bakura on his lunch breaks. The two had gotten along quite well.
Throughout the shopping season, Kayla found herself wondering what to get Bakura for Christmas. Seeing all of the people coming into the shop to buy board games for their children, or starter decks for Duel Monsters (some of those were for children, other were for teens) had made her even more eager to get her shopping done.
But the ever nagging question always returned to mind. Would she even have enough money to get him something?
With their paychecks combined, they were able to get groceries to last them for the rest of the month, and to pay the bills. But there was always so little left over.
Kayla never complained though. She didn't want to have to rely on anyone. Not anymore.
One thing always did come to mind when it came to Bakura's Christmas present.
Unknown to everyone else, one small thing from Bakura's past had remained in his possession. A small, golden Ankh pendant. On the night that his village of Kul Elna was destroyed, thousands of years ago, Bakura's mother had given him the pendant. But in their rush to try and escape, his mother didn't have enough time to let go of the chain, and it broke.
For years Bakura had carried that with him, despite the broken chain. Even when his soul was locked away in the Millennium Ring, the Ankh had still somehow remained in his possession. Even now, he carried it around in his pocket for luck. Sure, he could have bought the chain any time in his life, but the thought never really occurred to him. He never really seemed to mind.
Kayla had spotted a gold chain in the local jewelry store that was perfect for the pendant. But its price of $450 was way out of her range.
She didn't want to ask Yugi for a raise, nor did she want to have to borrow money from anyone. There were times she'd considered it, yes. But she constantly tried to find another way around it.
Kayla sighed at the thought as she continued to restock the shelves of the store. Christmas was only two days away now. "What am I going to do?" she thought.
Across town, in the museum, Bakura found himself asking the same thing.
"Ryou, what am I going to do?"
"Huh?" Ryou asked, turning to Bakura. "What do you mean?"
"I want to get Kayla something really special for Christmas this year. I mean, I know what I've gotten her in the past was special in her eyes, but I want to get something that really means something to her." Bakura said. "She's worked hard, and she's done so much to keep the bills in order and everything. Any ideas?"
"You're asking me?"
"Yes I'm asking you, moron!" Bakura snapped. "You know her just as well as I do. I'm just stuck."
Ryou took a moment to ponder. "Does she still play the violin?"
The violin. That was one of the things Kayla had left home with. It had been her mother's before she'd passed away, and for years she'd played it with such a fiery passion. It wasn't until recently Bakura had learned of her talent. She'd given up playing it when she moved back to Domino City. When they moved into their one bedroom apartment, Kayla had started playing again.
To Bakura, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.
The only downside was that Kayla didn't have a case for such a beautiful instrument. The leather case had been lost in a house fire years ago. Now, she just packed it all away in a suit case padded with thick cloth. She never seemed to complain, or mind. It was something that had never crossed her mind.
"Every night." Bakura said smiling as the music drifted into his mind. "It's a shame she doesn't have a case for it though. A beautiful instrument like that, played by such a beautiful woman, deserves a special…" Bakura paused, seeing a smile form on Ryou's lips. "Ryou, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that!"
Ryou's smile widened. "You see? What would you do without me?"
"I had no idea." Bakura admitted. "I'll head to the music shop after work…." He paused again, his smile fading quickly. "Damn it! I forgot I've tried looking for a case for her. I even found one. A white one with gold designs all over it. It's perfect for her."
"Then why the 'damn it'?" Ryou asked. "What's the matter?"
"It's $300." Bakura replied. "I don't think I'll have enough." He sighed. "I hate this job so much. But it's all I've got. For now at least."
"Well how much money do you have right now?" Ryou asked.
Bakura mentally added up the money he currently had in his wallet. "$115." He said.
"Well, I have-"
"Ryou, no. I can't take money from you." Bakura said. "I want to get her something with my own money. I want it to be special…."
"For the last time, Tea. No! I'm not going to ask Yugi for money." Kayla said over her shoulder as she stacked a box of puzzles onto a shelf. "If I'm going to get Bakura a gift, it's going to come out of my own pocket. I want it to be special. Besides, I'm sure something out there is worth $120."
"Well, do you have anything you could sell that could add up to $450?" Tea asked. "It's the holidays, and Pawn Shops will take pretty much anything now."
"Well, do you have anything you could sell that could add up to $300?" Ryou asked Bakura.
"I'm not-" Both had answered. Then a thought struck the both of them. Both had frowned at the thought at first, but the thought of Christmas morning came to mind. The thought of seeing one of them with a huge smile on their face, brightened their moods.
"Actually, I think I do Tea." Kayla replied.
"Come to think of it, I do." Bakura said.
When Kayla's shift ended, she rushed home, and grabbed the one thing that could add up to the $450 she needed.
Bakura counted down the minutes until his own shift ended. He then rushed down to the closest store he could find to receive his $300.
Christmas rolled around before any of them even noticed.
Kayla had awoken to an arm wrapping around her shoulders. She sighed contently. "Morning Bakura."
Bakura propped himself up on his shoulder. "Good Morning." He said, kissing her neck. "You know what today is right?"
"Hmm…. Not sure. It's not your birthday right?"
"You know, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit right?"
Despite being 19 years old, Kayla stuck her tongue out at him. "Shut up."
Bakura chuckled. "Well, sarcasm aside, Merry Christmas. I'm sure you'll be really happy with your gift."
"Really?" Kayla joked, sitting up. "I'll be the judge of that."
With that said the two walked out to the living room and seated themselves on the couch. While Bakura wasn't looking, Kayla reached into the drawer of the coffee table to grab the small silver box with his gift.
While Kayla had busied herself with that, Bakura had reached under the couch to pull out the box that held Kayla's gift.
"Alright, you ready for this?" Kayla asked.
Bakura nodded, and the two boxes were passed between them.
"Alright. On three. One,"
"Two,"
"Three!"
Wrapping paper flew, and box lids slid across the floor. Grins had formed on their faces.
Once the gifts were revealed, the grins had formed into frowns.
In Bakura's box sat a golden necklace chain, glittering against a tuff of cotton. The one thing missing to his Ankh pendant.
In Kayla's, laid a white violin case, inlaid with golden scroll work. One she'd been admiring in shop windows for years. She'd never bothered to even consider it for a gift.
"A chain for my ... My pendant."
"A case for my….. Violin….." Tears formed in Kayla's eyes. "Bakura, its beautiful… But I….. I traded my violin to buy the chain for your pendant…."
Bakura looked up at her with a sad smile. "And I traded my Ankh for your violin case."
Kayla set the case down on the floor, and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Bakura. I can't believe you'd give up something so special to you, for me."
Bakura returned the hug. "I can't believe you'd do the same. You're violin, of all things."
"It was worth it if it would make you happy."
Bakura smiled, holding her closer to him. "Thank you, Kayla. That means a lot."
"It means the same to me." Kayla said.
"Merry Christmas, Love."
"Merry Christmas, Bakura."
A/N: Well, there's my Christmas special for the year. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that my pricing was unrealistic, but it was to set the scene for the story. Again, the original story is one of my all time favorites. It's the sweetest story ever. I hope you all enjoyed. I wish all of you to have a safe and happy Holiday Season!
Xoxoxoxoxoxo - Rowan Cousland