Joeys1andOnly: Hey thar!  Please R+R.  No flames if you will, only suggestions!  Thanks!! 

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If Anything Should Happen

Chapter 1

It was a sunny day.  The bright clouds hung happily over Seto Kaiba's head as he made his way to his favorite restaurant.  He would have brought Mokuba along, but his little brother had a cold and was not fit to eat anything but chicken soup, so he left him at home with his maid, Linda.

But it was all the better for Kaiba.  He needed time to think.

Think about his life in general.

Think about Joey Wheeler.  The Brooklyn blond he had taken for dimwitted and incompetent and freed his soul, his brother's, and all the others' by defeating Pegasus in a duel.  He owed Joey his life.  But he didn't know how to make it up to him.

He, of course, had not actually seen the duel.  However, he knew that Pegasus had told him that even if he lost, he would not capture his soul in a card.  Pegasus knew that Joey was not originally invited to the island, so he did not take him seriously.  Yugi Moto had lent Joey his best cards, and Joey came up the victor.  And Pegasus, bound to his promise, had to let all the souls go and award Joey the prize money of three million dollars.

Kaiba was, of course, angry that he had not defeated Pegasus himself, but he was still thankful there was somebody who could.  There would be no more tournaments run by Pegasus.  The leaders of the world, hearing about the souls being captured, put Pegasus and all of his henchmen in prison for life.  The Millennium Eye was taken out of Pegasus and put in a safe place.

Finally coming out of his thoughts, he glanced up to realize he had nearly passed the entrance to the restaurant.  It was not a fast food place, nor was it a black tie restaurant either.  It was in between.  Everybody knew who he was-all 6 feet of him.  Dressed in a black turtleneck sleeveless shirt, black pants, thick black belt, and white trench coat with a high collar, he was hard to miss.  And of course, the familiar bulge in his pocket.  His deck.

He took his usual place in the corner.  His waitress, popping gum, came up to him and took his order.  He knew this waitress; her name was Jamie, and she was very rude indeed.  He was careful to leave a ten percent tip, and no more.  Not that she'd get the message, anyway.

Wiping his lips with a napkin, he stood up to go to the bathroom to wash his hands.  He made his way across the floor to the opposite corner, and down the hall where the restrooms were located.  He was about to open the door when a little boy tore out of it.  Kaiba was bumped against the wall of the narrow hallway, and his deck was jostled in the pocket of his trench coat, spilling the top few across the floor.  The kid never even looked back.

Kaiba, muttering curses, nearly bent down to pick them up when a cheery feminine voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Let me get that for you."

He glanced down to see a waitress bend down on the floor to scoop the cards up.

He waited patiently as she gathered them, then brushed them off and straightened them.  He saw her pause as she recognized the top card of the stack.  The Blue Eyes White Dragon.

She finally looked up, cards in both hands, and he finally got a glimpse of her face.

And he was glad he did.

She was beautiful.  Tall and willowy, with light brown hair reaching to her shoulders, and bright blue eyes that fixed on him intently.

He was overcome.

Suddenly, she smiled, and held the cards out to him.  "I believe these belong to you, Mr. Kaiba."

He couldn't tear himself away from her gaze.  Shaking hands reached out for the cards, and his hands brushed hers slightly as she gently released her hold.

He was so taken in that he nearly missed glancing at the name plate on her blouse.  Kiara.

What a beautiful name, he thought, for a beautiful person.

She gave him one last smile as she disappeared into the kitchen.

He stood there in a stupor for a few moments, taking it all in.  He finally worked up enough nerve to move to the front counter, to the cash register, where the restaurant manager held a wary eye over the place.

He cleared his throat carefully.  "Excuse me."  The manager fixed an eye on him.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Kaiba?"

He thought before answering.  "I believe you have a waitress working here named Kiara?"

The manager pondered, then responded.  "Yes, one of our best."

Kaiba reached into his pocket, and drew out a ten dollar bill.  "Could you please give this to her?  She helped me out today."

The manager looked dubiously at the bill.  "Sure.  Shall I say who it's from?"

Yes!  Of course!  "If you please."

Then he swept his trench coat around and strode out of the restaurant.

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Joeys1andOnly: Thanks for reading this.  I have the whole story written already, so please stay tuned for the rest!