Kisara sighed, lacing her fingers at the nape of her neck and leaning back in her chair. Outside, wide drops of snow drifted from heavy charcoal clouds, melting into a layer of cold slush as they hit the sidewalk. It would be a quiet closing shift today. Most of the after-work foot traffic would likely be in too much of a hurry to escape the bitter cold. Kisara glanced briefly at her watch: 17:26-five minutes left of her break, and another monotonous hour and a half of her shift. She stifled a yawn, staring down at her notebook page in front of her, on which she had been drawing mindless, inky spirals while staring off into space.

Seto's face, pale and drained as he stared at nothing, continued to flash through her mind, and she shook her head quickly to try to push the image away. True to his work, Seto had his personal driver-a dark-haired and thin-lipped man named Isono who wore dark glasses that obscured his eyes-drop her off at work. Both men had remained totally silent through the duration of the ride, and Kisara wasn't sure she had ever been quite so relieved to see Cafe Hana as the car dragged its way down the main road; the silent intensity emanating from Seto was nerve-wracking. As soon as Isono pulled over to the curb, she had lept out of the car, barely daring to look back inside at Seto.

"Th-thank you so much for the ride. I would have had to walk through the snow." Kisara had barely been able to get the words out, feeling distinctly awkward.

Seto was facing forwards, his arms folded across his chest, staring intensely at the back of his driver's seat. "Don't mention it."

Kisara frowned, shifting the weight of her backpack on her shoulders, and tilted her head as she gazed at Seto. "Everything all right?"

Seto's eyes closed, and his chin lowered. Kisara's heart hammered as she waited for him to speak.

"I'm fine...Kisara." Seto's voice was soft and husky.

Her brow furrowing with confusion, Kisara closed the door to the black sportscar, watching confusedly as it disappeared into the snowy gloom.

The gentle, musical sound of chimes rippled through the empty cafe, signaling the arrival of a customer and rousing Kisara from her reverie. Out of force of habit-she wasn't on duty for another few minutes, after all-Kisara glanced towards the door. A tall, brown-haired man, donning a heavy woolen jacket, stood in the doorway, and his eyes met hers as his gaze swept the room. His eyes were a remarkably bright shade of blue, cold and brilliant even from across the room.

It was Seto Kaiba. Kisara felt a chill run down her spine as this information registered with her, bringing with it a strange mixture of excitement and dread. Frowning, Kisara pushed herself up from her seat, taking a few steps closer.

"Seto?" she asked softly, pressing her lips together. A thin layer of melting snow on his shoulders suggested that he had walked here from a ways away-vaguely, Kisara recalled that the Kaiba Corporation tower was about a half-mile from Cafe Hana, in the heart of the financial district.

Seto appeared frozen for a moment, with his mouth drawn into a thin line and eyes fixed on Kisara, and Kisara paused, taking stock of the situation at hand. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that the look on Seto's face was fear or confusion-but this is Seto Kaiba, isn't it?

"You need something?" she asked.

Seto shook his head slightly, and his eyes closed momentarily as he ran a black-gloved hand through his hair. "I thought I might find you here," he said finally.

"I-well, I work here," Kisara pointed out awkwardly. "Were you looking for me?"

Seto's lips tightened, and he sighed thoughtfully. "In a sense," he responded coolly. "Do you have a minute?"

"A few," Kisara said hesitantly, glancing up at the clock. "I'm supposed to be on a break. But it's quiet, so…do you want anything? I could take a couple extra minutes."

"No, no." Seto's expression was distinctly displeased. "Go back to work. I didn't mean to intrude here." He looked away, and took a step towards the door; dismayed, Kisara realized that he was about to leave.

"No, really," she said quickly, "It's quiet today. I can clock out for a little. Can I get you something to drink, maybe? It's really cold outside."

Seto paused, and Kisara could almost see the gears turning in his head. To her great relief, after a moment of deliberation, his shoulders relaxed, and he responded, "That's kind of you. Thank you." His gaze darted quickly around the cafe, and he crossed the room in a few quick strides to settle in at the same corner table he and Kisara had met at a few days before.

"Anything you want, in particular?" Kisara asked, dashing to pick up her notebook from a nearby table.

Seto delicately set his briefcase under his chair, and folded his hands on the table. "Whatever you'd recommend."

x

Kisara drummed her fingers against the counter, carefully contemplating what to make for Seto Kaiba. She stood on her tiptoes, peeking at Seto over the top of the espresso machine. His face was angular and almost gaunt, silently begging her for something mild and sweet. Hot chocolate would be too childish-Kisara could already see the annoyed look on his face as she handed him the sticky-sweet beverage, loaded with whipped cream and chocolate sauce-but the thought of loading up her stiff, wound-up computer science partner with bitter, hyper-caffeinated coffee seemed almost criminal.

Kisara grabbed a paper cup from a nearby stack, grinding cinnamon and cardamom into the bottom and adding a small amount of hot water. She spun on her heel, reaching for a metal canister of tea bags, which opened and infusing the air with the spicy and floral aroma of black tea. After a moment of thought, she began to prepare an identical cup before diving under the counter to fill a steaming pitcher with milk. The steaming wand sprung to life with a gentle hiss, and she smiled contentedly as the air around her filled with warm, spicy steam.

"For you." Kisara set a cup down in front of Seto, sliding into the chair across from him.

Seto stared at the drink Kisara placed in front of him. The cup was filled to the brim with smooth, silky milk and dusted with flecks of ground cinnamon.

"It's chai," Kisara prompted, taking a long sip from her own cup. "It's good for cold weather, sometimes. They don't make it spicy enough, in my opinion, so I add some more spices." She smiled proudly, flicking milk froth off of her lip with her tongue. "My own recipe."

She watched as Seto hesitantly brought the cup to his lips. His eyes closed for a moment as the cup tilted towards him, and Kisara swore she could see a subtle glow spread across his cheeks.

"It's good," he said simply, setting his cup down. "Thank you." His expression softened almost imperceptibly, and she watched as his shoulders relaxed slightly, losing their rigid angle.

Kisara smiled, feeling a prickle of warmth in her chest. Seto had a cute smile, she had to admit-a shy and inhibited expression of kindness that seemed to find it's way out of him despite his best efforts on the contrary. Smiling shyly at her, eagerly drinking a cup of sweet, spicy chai, Seto reminded Kisara of a timid animal that was suspiciously trying to suss out whether she was a friend or a threat. She leaned back in her chair, consciously holding back her questions to give Seto a moment to warm up to her.

"You're wondering why I was looking for you," Seto said matter-of-factly, tapping his shoe against the hardwood floor.

Kisara nodded slowly. "I mean…sure, I was," she said hesitantly. Her pulse began to quicken in anticipation, although she wasn't sure of what-the room began to spin around her, and she forced herself to focus on taking another sip of tea.

"I felt I owed you an explanation." Seto's voice was oddly forced and monotone, and Kisara flinched as a familiar tenseness began to creep up his shoulders and into his tightening jaw. "Regarding my behavior this morning."

"You-you don't have to," Kisara responded quickly. "Really, please. You don't owe me an explanation about anything."

Seto shook his head; dark, slightly snow-damp hair shielded his eyes. "No, I-" he said. "I didn't have a very...traditional education. I was tutored privately under the last CEO of the Kaiba Corporation, as a part of my training to be his successor. His methods were effective, but...intense, sometimes." He paused momentarily, and Kisara's gaze flicked down to his hands, which were balled tightly into fists on the table. "Being back in a classroom setting…I didn't think those memories would have such long-lasting effects, as it were." His eyes lowered until they were staring at the polished surface of the table.

Kisara bit her lip, lost for words. She was still struggling to register that the man sitting in front of her was Seto Kaiba, and he was speaking to her in confidence. The intense look in his wide blue eyes, and the steely line of his clenched jaw, belied to her that this was not an easy bit of information to relay.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, nervously twirling a strand of hair around her index finger.

Seto nodded abruptly. "You don't have anything to apologize for," he said brusquely, frowning slightly. The look on his face was almost displeased, as if her words had annoyed him, and Kisara hesitated, ducking her head to avoid his gaze.

"I just meant...it sounds like you went through something," she clarified quickly, swirling the milk foam in her cup of chai. "Not like an apology, but…clearly, something happened, and I'm sorry for that."

"I was adopted by the former CEO of the Kaiba Corporation, in it's heyday of being a military technology company. Anything less than absolute perfection was, to him, a disgrace. Life was a binary to that man-winners, and losers, and to be wrong was to be a loser, and that was unacceptable." Seto's voice wobbled slightly over the last few words, and his knuckles were almost white. "The lesson that failure is absolutely unacceptable was hammered into me in all areas-in business, in academics. In life."

Shaken by the raggedness in the boy's voice, Kisara realized that her head was bowed such that she was staring at her coffee-dusted work pants. She looked up at Seto, who was staring into his cup of tea, so thoroughly rattled that he looked as if he might explode. Kisara fought back the urge to reach across the table and place her hand over one of his tightly balled-up fists, stifling the impulse by lacing her hands on her lap under the table.

"Thank you for telling me," she said after a long pause. "It can't be easy to talk about that."

Seto's face contorted as he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "It was what it was," he said finally. "You deserved to know why I would act in such a way this morning."

Kisara took a sip of her tea, slightly disappointed as the lukewarm drink hit her tongue-had they been here for that long? "I understand," she replied slowly. Shaking her head, she amended, "well, maybe I don't understand. But I...I'm really honored that you would take the time to share something like that with me."

"You're different, you know." Seto's tone was matter-of-fact, but there was something about him that seemed slightly amused. "What could you have had to gain from following me out of the lecture hall? I don't understand what would compel you to do such a thing."

"You seemed upset," Kisara responded, caught off-guard. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation."

Kisara pouted, swallowing the last spice-laden sip of her drink. "You're still human."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Am I, now?"

Kisara paused, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "Undoubtedly," she responded. She was dimly aware of her heart pounding in her chest, sending adrenaline through her arteries. Something about talking to Seto made her feel uniquely alert and alive-he was always catching her off-guard, and seemed to enjoy seeing what she could come up with in response. Resentfully, she glanced at her watch, frowning to herself as she realized that nearly a half hour had passed.

"I should get back to work," she sighed, pushing herself up from her chair.

Seto nodded, folding his arms across his chest as he stood. "Thank you for your time, Kisara."

Kisara paused, staring at him for a prolonged moment. "Are you alright?" she said cautiously, angling her head to look up into his eyes.

Again, Seto nodded at her, reaching under the seat for his briefcase. "Have a good evening."

Slightly disappointed, Kisara spun around, heading back behind the counter. Her coworker, a thin boy with curly brown hair, jerked his head towards the cash register as she approached him, and she followed the motion of his gesture, surprised to see Seto standing on the other side of the cash register.

"Let me drive you home," Seto said, resting one hand on the surface of the counter. "It's the least I can do."

Kisara stared at him for a long moment. "I get off at seven."

Seto's expression was unreadable. "I have work to do until then. I owe you, for being...compassionate." Their eyes met for a brief, supercharged second.

"Al...alright," Kisara said, feeling lightheaded. "Thank you."

Seto turned away without another word; the gentle clacking of his shoes against the wood floor echoed in the empty cafe. Kisara exhaled a long sigh, staring at the clock, and waited for the tingling sensation of excitement to ebb from her veins. She was having trouble knowing if any of what had just happened, was real.

"Hey." Her coworker's voice abruptly broke Kisara's concentration, and she whipped around, slightly irritated, to face him.

"Yes?" she responded, still lost in thought about her conversation with Seto Kaiba.

Her coworker grinned toothily, and his eyes narrowed conspiratorially as he leaned in closer to her. "Wasn't that Seto Kaiba?"

Kisara paused, chewing on her lower lip as she thought of what to say. "A friend," she said finally, flouncing away towards the back room. It felt odd, almost victorious, to refer to the illustrious Seto Kaiba as a friend; she wasn't even sure if he would consider her as such, but she was temporarily spellbound by a certain warmth and joy that the word left on her tongue. "We take a class together."