Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Yu-Gi-Oh characters. I just really loved them when I was younger and had a soft spot for Kaiba's character.

Warning: This story if pure fiction and should be read for entertainment purposes. If you feel that you are not enjoying it, please discontinue reading it and don't flame me. But if you like it please leave a comment, I will try to be consistent with my uploads, and this story is rated M for later chapters and some suggestive language.

Chapter One

Bonk, the female sitting behind the counter was hit on the head with a chapter book. 'Ow,' she cried out as she dropped the book that she was reading and reached back to rub her head with both hands. 'What was that for?'

'For reading on the job,' the blue-eyed platinum blonde stated as she glared down at her business partner. 'Do you realize how unprofessional it looks to be lazying round on the job?'

The brunette stopped rubbing her head and gave Risa a deadpanned look, 'Yes, our over flowing river of customers will find me unprofessional.' She turned to showcase the empty book shop and cafe, it was currently their down time. In an hour or so they would get busy again with people when they went out for lunch and stopped by for a cup of coffee or book.

'It doesn't matter, you know that we could get a customer at any moment,' Risa told her, 'so you should make yourself useful and stock and organize the books.'

The brunette turned to follow Risa's hand as she gestured behind her at the box of new arrivals. 'Why do I have to do that,' she complained. Her book was just getting to the good part. The female protagonist was just about to admit her feelings for the leading male and it was sure to get hot and steamy.

'Because I entered them into the system and it's my turn to watch the counter.'

'Just when it was getting good,' she grumbled as she picked up her book and marked her place before setting it underneath the counter. Risa quickly took her stool after she got up and watched as she grabbed the box of new arrivals that she needed to use to restock the shelves. 'This is unfair,' she continue to complain as she left and did her task.

Risa watched to see if she was doing her job, knowing her she'd find someway to slack off again. After ten minutes she got tired of watching and wished that people would start to trickle inside. That was why she began to clean and organize the cafe station. As they kept busy, time passed and they heard the sound of the bell chime as their first afternoon customer arrived. 'Welcome,' they both automatically greeted the young business man in the white and blue suit. Talk about blending in with such a noticeable color.

Risa had to admit that the white suit stood out, but so did the owner with his tall built, broad shoulders, firm physique and handsome face. If any man could make a woman fall to her knees with desire it was him. When she turned to see how Alisa reacted, she frowned at the fact that her hermit friend had just greeted him and gone back to work. Then again it wasn't like she was ever interested in men, okay she was interested in one but that was an impossible. Who held a torch for someone that was already married and had a kid? Blew off any available and handsome bachelor that came in and tried to court her? An Idiot, that who, she wanted to go over and strangle her for not taking a look at the handsome gentleman. 'Excuse me, I am looking for the lates copy of WIRED and Duel Monsters,' he asked Risa as he neared the counter.

'Oh, you can find them in the next row over. WIRED in on the top right corner towards the end and Duel Monsters Weekly is on the center row in the middle,' Risa told him with a huge smile on her face, which he only nodded too and turned to leave.

Alisa lifted her head when she heard the sound of footsteps coming her way, when she saw the giant of a man looking down at her, she nodded her head in greeting and returned to her work. One look at him and she could pick him out from a line up or sea of people, he was the owner and CEO of Kaiba Enterprise. Seto Kaiba was on the cover of most magazines here in Domino City or tech related ones, since his company was the lead in VR technology for Duel Monsters. If she remembered back in his day he was also a player, one of the best until he faced Yugi Mutou and was dethroned as the number one player. Ah, Yugi, she sighed in longing as she picked up another book and put it in its place with the rest.

The female was an odd ball, she was wearing unappealing oversized sweats, her black hair in a long fish tail down her hunched over back as she worked on putting away books on the bottom shelf. She ignored him, unlike most woman that tired to win him over and get his attention. Then again, no woman in her right mind would try to seduce anyone in sweats. Why was she even working in sweats, he wondered at her choice in attire as he searched for his magazines. He was focused intently on his magazine that he didn't notice when she got up and left him without glancing back. He turned after her when he was done getting his magazines and as he followed her, she left for the back room while he was confronted by the blonde behind the counter that helped him before. 'Will this be all for you today,' she asked as she took the magazines from him and scanned them.

He looked up at the menu and noticed that the logo was the same one on the coffee cup his brother got him every morning. 'I'll have a medium white flat,' he told her.

'Coming up,' she smiled at him as she finished ring him up and taking his payment. 'Welcome,' she cheerfully greeted as another customer arrived before turning away to make his drink.

'Ms. Risa,' the gentleman that entered acknowledged her with a smile. 'Is Ms. Prism here?'

'She's in the back, feel free to go and see her,' she told him as she finished prepping the coffee for her customer. As he was making his way towards the back room. The door opened and the woman they had been talking about appeared.

It was Seto's first time getting a good look at her face, she had wavy black bangs that framed her small heart shaped face, her nose was small, her eyes black coals that stood out against her light olive skin. The thing that stood out the most was the beauty marks under her left eye to the right and her full red lips. 'Manger,' she lifted her head to look up at her manager and he saw her lips form a tight smile at the sudden visit. 'To what do I owe the pleasure?'

'Ms. Prism,' he greeted her with his own painfully cheerful smile, 'I came to see how things were coming along.'

'Oh, right,' she moved away and allowed him passage into the back room.

Seto was intrigued by the manger's suspicious weariness of her. Maybe this store wasn't making enough money and paying their dues on time, that's why their landlord was here. It seemed like Ms. Sweats was the owner and not on the best terms with him. Both were suspicious and weary of each other. 'Psss, Mr. Customer, I would suggest you stay here for a moment,' Risa whispered to him as she handed him his coffee.

He looked down at her in wonder at what she meant, it was almost time for him to get going. He had a meeting to attend to and he couldn't be late. 'Just for a moment,' she whispered as she watched her partner and manager. 'For your own safety.'

'For my safety,' he muttered to himself and it was at that moment that he understood why she said it. As soon as the manager set foot inside the back room, beyond the door, she slammed it shut.

'Risa, I got to run, please make sure to take care of Yu. I'll see you tomorrow.' She quickly began to take off down the aisle towards the front door. 'Bye,' she waved.

'Ms. Prism,' Yu opened the door and chased after her. 'Let's not do this again!'

'An active bunch aren't they,' the woman behind the counter stated before apologizing, 'sorry about them. They always act this way, please don't mind them.'

Seto didn't want to say what was really on his mind, he was sure to say something insulting. He was already obsessed about the fact that Ms. Sweats wore sweats to work and ran away from her responsibility. 'Thanks for the coffee,' was all he said as he took his coffee and magazine.

'You're welcome, please come again,' she beamed at him as she watched him leave.

As Seto left, he was contemplating coming back. Ms. Sweats was unprofessional, she seemed to fail paying her dues on time, she abandoned her co-worker and made a ruckus in front of her customers. Which seemed to be a common reoccurrence since her coworker had her pattern memorized. As he continued to his building he noticed the black suit of the male that had been following her. As he shifted out of the way, he realized why he had stopped. Down on the ground lay the female on top of…Mokuba, he noticed his little brother leaning back on his elbows looking down at the female before him. What a reckless person, he thought to himself as he went to go see if his brother was alright.

'I am so sorry,' the man above them was telling Mokuba as he reached down to get the small woman off of him. 'Ms. Prism wasn't watching were she was going.'

'It's fine, but wasn't she running away from you,' Mokuba reached out with one hand to wrap around her waist and stop the tall man in the black suit from grabbing her.

Wow, her hero, Alisa though with happiness as she was protectively pressed against the dark haired male that she had knocked into. Who smelled of a light citrusy scent that was clean and refreshing and went well with the nicely toned body underneath. 'Because she failed to meet her obligations,' she heard Yu counter.

'He's right,' she finally came out of her stupor. 'I only ran away because he came to get something from me which I don't have.' Alisa sighed, 'Now that he's caught me, I have to go and finish my work.'

Mokuba looked down at the female in his arm, 'I am sorry for running into you. You aren't hurt are you?' She asked him as she pulled away from him to get up. 'Yu, help him up,' she ordered her manager.

He took the hand that was offered for him to get up, 'Thanks, I am fine.'

'Are you sure,' she walked around him and helped him dust off his jacket and pants. 'I could pay for dry cleaning, it seems your clothes got a little dirty.'

She walked to stand before him again and look up at him with her deep black hues, her small heart shaped face framed by wavy black bangs that made her light olive skin pop. Her small stature made her stand out even more, she was dressed in sweats, but by how she had felt against him earlier he knew that she was shapely and fit. 'Mokuba, what is going on,' he lifted his head at the sound of his brother's voice.

'Seto,' he smiled as he saw his brother, 'I was worried looking for you, we have a meeting soon.'

'Correct,' he looked down at the female before his brother and then at the male next to her. 'And your friends are?'

'Just leaving,' Yu suddenly felt the tension in the air at the appearance of the older male.

'He's right,' Alisa nodded with a forced smile in his direction. When she turned to Mokuba it softened and became more genuine, 'If you are sure you are okay, we'll take our leave. If you need me to pay for your dry cleaning or you feel discomfort let me know,' she elbowed Yu on the side.

'Right, this is my business card, please feel free to contact me for anything. I will let Ms. Prism know,' he handed the card to Mokuba. 'Now if you'll excuse us,' he bowed his head a little in heed of good-bye.

'Well, see ya,' she beamed brightly at Mokuba and it lessened as she turned towards Seto. 'Bye, Mr. Customer, please fell free to stop by the store again.'

She barely even glanced at him, it was as if he was an after thought, for some reason he suddenly felt annoyed by her awareness of him. 'Come on, Yu, I just got a great idea,' she turned with the dark haired manager and headed back in the direction of the shop.

'Seto,' Mokuba called out to his brother after the couple was at a distance. His brother seemed disturbed by the female, he could see him glaring a hole at the back of her head. 'We should get going,' Mokuba told him.

'Yeah,' he muttered as he turned away from the woman and looked at the card in his brother's hand. Ms. Sweats and her manager had a strange relationship, at first he thought she owed him money and that he called the shots. Now it seemed that she was the one in control of the relationship and not the other way around. 'Are you sure you're okay after being knocked down by her?'

'I am fine, nothing wrong or out of place,' he answered as he took the bag from his brother. 'You went out to get coffee?'

'Yeah, but it doesn't taste the same as it usually does,' he said as he looked down at the cup in his hand. 'I thought it was the same as you brought for me in the mornings. I guess I was wrong.'

Mokuba looked at the cup in his hand and saw the store logo, it was from the same bookshop and cafe that he stopped by in the mornings before going to work. He liked their choice of roasted coffee beans and the staff members were always welcoming with a warm greeting. Usually the blonde at the counter took his order and the brunette made it. Since he was usually in a rush he never got to see the brunettes face, she was always turned towards the machine and she never really looked up when she called out the names on the order. One thing that he knew was that she was like a magician behind the counter, her drinks never failed to taste delicious or wake him up. 'Maybe it was the person who prepared it.'

'Maybe,' Seto wondered if there was a third person that worked at the cafe. 'Come on, we don't want to be late for our meeting with the board. Knowing them, they are probably plotting something.' He said as he walked along side his brother towards their company.

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'Ms. Prism, why do we have to play cat and mouse every month when it comes close to your deadline,' Yu asked as they arrived back to the bookstore, but instead of walking in they walked passed it to the alley beside it.

'Because where is the fun without the chase,' she grinned at him as she began to take her apron off and walk up the stairs that ran alongside the building leading towards the roof.

'It's always embarrassing to have to chase you down,' he complained as he followed her up the stairs.

'Think of it as a way to get my natural juices flowing,' she teased as she turned to look back at him.

Yu could feel his ears get red at her suggestive answer, he knew that she liked to tease him since he was new and recently made in charge of her. It seemed that she didn't treat him out of the ordinary, but when her deadline was nearing he had to be on top of her, persuading her to get her manuscripts done. A burned that her previous manager and editor had to deal with and now was entrusted to him. 'Aren't there other ways to get your creativity flowing and done on a timely manner?'

She thought for a moment as she entered the code to the front iron gate that led to the roof top, as a lone female she felt compelled to make sure she was secure from unwanted guest or threats. Only a limited few could get passed her first barrier and even less passed the second one. They walked across the roof until they took a step onto her wooden porch that led to her front door. She opened the door and before allowing him in she answered the question he had asked, 'There are some other ways, if you're interested in joining me,' she teased again.

'This could be classified as sexual harassment,' he pointed out.

'It depends on how you view it,' she shrugged her shoulders, 'I was just suggesting you take me to the locations for my setting, so that I can get a better feel for what I am writing. Like a theme park or the beach, possibly the park where we could share a picnic. However, your mind keeps leading you to the gutter. I am starting to wonder what you really think about me? If I am some sort of deviant or sex crazed demon.'

'I…,' he paled at his misunderstanding, 'I didn't mean to offend you. It's just, the way you say things can be rather suggestive.'

She watched as he entered her living room and seemed to be lost with what he should say next, now that things were awkward between them. 'It's okay,' she tried to ease his tension. 'Have a seat, I'll go get us some thing to drink.'

Yu was worried that he had offended her, they had only been working together for two months and he had yet to get a true feel for her. Maybe he had truly blown it and she was going to tell his manager and have him replaced, worse maybe fired. He should apologize and promise to take her to one of the locations she had named off, so that it could help her with her next piece. Right now she was working on at short story for a collection of shorts by different authors. She had the freedom to pick her theme and as of yet they hadn't received anything from her. So with the deadline ten days away he was sent to get at least an outline, a rough draft or the first five pages of her twenty page short. He was still standing in the center of her living room when she returned with two cool refreshing drinks. 'Sit,' she ordered as she handed him his drink.

'I—-'

'I get it,' she waved his apology away. 'The deadline is ten days away, I have a good idea for my manuscript so don't worry. Once you finish your drink you can go and tell the main editor that I'll have my first five pages done by tomorrow. If you want, I can draft an outline quickly. Since I need to get back downstairs to help Risa.'

'No, if you say you'll have the first five pages done by tomorrow my manager will understand,' Yu said as he looked over at her as she suddenly began to space off. He took a drink of his light amber drink and realized it was peach flavored tea. 'If you mind me asking, what do you plan to write about?'

'About an unbreakable bond amongst brothers,' she told him as she though back about the Kaiba brothers. Being a friend of Yugi and Tea, she heard a lot of stories about their friends and Kaiba, even though he wouldn't admit to being friends with them. That was where she had heard about Kaiba and his brother Mokuba, plus they were alway in the news. Sure the oldest brother took the lime light, but that didn't mean that his youngest brother didn't have a lot to offer. However, based on personality and looks it was a given that Mokuba was the more approachable brother. Although a little young to make him the focal point. The older unapproachable brother would be better, especially if she could make him softer. She thought of Kaiba's personality in high school and soured. He was a total jerk, sure he was a genius but that didn't mean he had to rub it in people's faces or be imprudent.

'Brothers,' he asked perplexed, she usually focused on romance or adventure themed manuscripts.

'Yes, that way I can save face with you,' she teased.

'I…' he just fell silent and took another drink of tea.

'Well, if you're satisfied with that, I'll send the pages over to you tonight after I finish them. I think that I can have the first draft finish by this weekend and the final draft two days before the deadline,' she told him with a smile as she got up after looking at the clock. It was almost one and they would pick up shortly, if they weren't already. 'If that's all, we should get going.'

Yu looked over at his unpredictable author and just nodded. 'I am sure Mr. Lewis will be satisfied, but a bit surprised in the direction that you are going.'

'If he has an issues or concerns he can call me,' she told him as she took his empty glass and took it to the kitchen before returning and showing him out. 'It was nice to see you again Mr. Yu. I must admit that you're getting better at chasing after me. I would say that if I hadn't run into the young man you would have caught me,' she praised his athletic improvement. 'Maybe next time you can catch me for real,' she winked at him and watched as his face slight turn a reddish hue.

If she had to admit it, the young editor was handsome, he was tall with broad shoulders. He had dark hair that he parted to the left and slicked back, which was a little serious for her but it was probably so that he would look more professional. His suits were always a dark solid color, his eyes unlike hers were a beautiful chestnut brown that were surrounded by long dark lashes that looked good against his light skin. Maybe for her next romance novel she could use him as inspiration. She'd want his personality to be less up tight though and more straight forward and free spirited. 'I'll just be more on my guard next time,' he told her.

'Right, that could work too,' she nodded. 'Anyways, I'll see you in a few days. Take care,' she walked him out to the gate and watched him off with a smile and a wave.