Disclaimer: YGO! and its characters don't belong to any of us!!! nope,
nope, nope!!!
Warnings: shounen-ai, no like? no read. *blinks* but hey, if you read this far, you must like it just fine, huh? ^^
Nanashi: O.o;;; uh, a regular Sherlock, that one...
Yasuo: thank you *snickers*
Nanaki: *runs around with a broom* ZHOOOOOOOOM!!! ME GO SO FAST! ME GO SO VERY FAST!!! ZHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! WAI!!! ^o^
Nanashi: uhhhh... *blinks*
Yasuo: she's been anticipating this moment...
Nanashi: oh... *blinks, then shrugs* oh yeah, thank you very much for the reviews, encouragement, information... heh, oh and sympathy for the death of my hamster... names were just made-up, since I dunno, and, uh... what else was there...? *blinks*
Yasuo: *shrugs*
Nanaki: WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI!!! ZHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! *smacks Yasuo with the broom as she 'flies' by*
Yasuo: ACK!!! WATCH IT! *mutters* ... crazy woman driver...
Nanaki: WAI!!! ^__________^
Nanashi: oh yeah! music was really setting things up for me... like the piano thing, just this really pretty piano song came up, really light and soft... romantic-ish... so yeah, that set things for me, and who am I to deny Tristan a talent? ^^()
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaiba swallowed, as he stared at the doors of Domino High.
Alright, he was nervous, that part was obvious.
This was school, he came here countless times. So many times and it just became a part of his daily routine: Wake up, come to school, do a little scoolwork, eat lunch, do a little more schoolwork, then head to KaibaCorp. and do some real work.
No way did his routine include: run into Tristan, shuffle feet like a moron, and embarrass the hell out of himself by saying thanks for the hospitality.
Swallowing again, Kaiba took a step forward, pausing, then stepped back again. And grimaced at the fact that was the seventh time he did that. To many of the students passing by, Kaiba looked a little... well, insane. Take a step forward, then step back again, again and again.
Hey, why not skip school? Where was the harm in that? Then Kaiba frowned. That seemed a little cowardly and foolish. Two of the traits Kaiba prided himself in not having.
Alright, this time, Kaiba thought firmly. Then he headed for the doors, trying to keep his posture, and cold demeanor up. And it was at its max, the effort to act like himself was pretty difficult to maintain.
Then he froze, dead in his tracks. He ignored several of the students gasps, as they struggled not to bump into the CEO.
Not that he would notice. Kaiba was too busy staring. It was him. Talking with Joey Wheeler. The CEO's blue eyes widened in something resembling horror. And outright nervousness. He didn't think he would have to face him this soon. Tristan Taylor.
~~~***~~~
"... So yeah, I think some arcade time after school'll get yer mind off whatever's bugging you, Tris'..." Joey was saying, with a wise nod.
Tristan smiled, wryly, "you think so?"
"Yeah... and no declining, or I'll have to pound ya..." Joey said, with a playful smirk. Tristan chuckled, faintly as he nodded in agreement. Didn't sound so bad, a day with Joey.
"... Hey, Kaiba came in..." Joey said, glancing past Tristan. The brunette raised an eyebrow, and glanced over his shoulder.
Sure enough, there stood Seto Kaiba. Tristan smiled faintly, raising his hand in a friendly wave. Then anime sweatdropped, as Kaiba turned and walked briskly back out the door. Tristan blinked, staring after the CEO, confused.
"... What's with him?" Joey asked, just as confused.
Tristan frowned slightly, but never answered. Once the bell rang, Tristan and Joey headed for class, meeting Yugi, Tea, and Ryou along the way.
~~~***~~~
Kaiba was leaning heavily against a treetrunk, throwing his head back several times, while chanting: "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...!"
He heard the bell ring. But made no move whatsoever to head to class. Dropping his head forward, Kaiba sighed deeply. Turned tail and fled. That's exactly what he did. And it wasn't even intentional. It just happened, and Kaiba didn't like it.
Great, now two things to explain.
Frowning, Kaiba straightened up, and stalked for the doors. School was on. Tristan was there. Kaiba had to deal with both, sooner or later.
But the question was, with an audience, or without? And did he have a choice in the matter?
Kaiba paused, once he started to reach class. His blue eyes widened, hearing the music of a piano; slowly he peered into the classroom. At the front of the class, was a black grand piano, and sitting at the piano was Tristan, playing a beautiful song.
Standing aside Tristan, was their music teacher, who was smiling in approval. And the rest of the class was staring intently at the brunette. Many of them smiling as they listened.
Kaiba stared in awe. Who knew Tristan knew how to play the piano? It was a slow and light melody. Closing his eyes, the redhead began to listen intently. After a few minutes, the song ended. Tristan then calmly pushed himself away from the piano, bowing his head slightly, as the other students clapped good-naturedly.
"Wonderful, Tristan... thank you for the performance..." Mrs. Breret said, with a smile.
Nodding, Tristan headed for his seat, beside Ryou, who quickly whispered a compliment to the brunette. Tristan smiled, nodding his thanks.
"Now, I'm hoping many of you have been practicing as much as Tristan... that's how I would rather you play at the concert this friday..." Mrs. Breret said, as she looked at her student in mock sterness. Then she noticed Kaiba standing at the door. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba... we missed having your presence..." she said, calmly.
Kaiba swallowed, as he walked into the class, not bothering with a reply as he strided to his seat, left empty since many of his peers had no intention of getting in the CEO's way. Let alone taking his desk.
With a nod, the music teacher went back to her day job. Teaching. "Now, I'd like you all to..."
Kaiba's thoughts soon drowned out Mrs. Breret's lesson. He was staring hard at... nothing in particular. And that 'nothing' happened to be the back of someone's head. Unfortunately, that poor someone was shifting very uncomfortably, feeling a powerful glare boring into his head.
Glaring or not, Kaiba's eyes had a powerful effect.
~~~***~~~
Tristan glanced at Kaiba, who was glaring at the kid in front of him. That poor kid was sweating buckets, and seemed desperate to get out of the glare's path. But Mrs. Breret, a decent teacher and all, was pretty tough with seemingly restless students.
".. Anything wrong?" Ryou asked, softly.
Tristan blinked, turning back to Ryou, confused. Then he forced a smile, "no... everything's fine..."
"You sure?"
"... Kinda, yeah..."
Ryou's brow furrowed in mild concern, "Tristan..."
"... I'm alright, Ryou... don't worry... I'm just thinking..." Tristan assured him, with a cheerful smile.
The smaller boy's brown eyes watched Tristan intently, for any signs that the brunette was lying. Finding nothing, Ryou nodded slightly, "if you say so..." he murmured, slowly. Then he turned back to the teacher, who was going over the history of the lute, for some odd reason.
Tristan glanced back at Kaiba, seeing the kid at the receiving end of Kaiba's glare was slumped over, in immense relief; and the CEO was staring out the window, instead.
~~~***~~~
Once the bell rang again, Kaiba was on his feet, and heading for the door.
"Kaiba..."
Kaiba froze, glancing over his shoulder. His heart suddenly seemed hollow. Tristan was standing there, watching him carefully. Resisting the urge to leave, Kaiba turned to face the brunette fully.
"... What?" he asked, relief setting in since his voice didn't crack.
"... Can I talk to you?"
"... About?" Kaiba muttered, as he shifted his weight uncomfortably, while Tristan walked up to him, watching him closely. The rest of the class hustled to leave, since there seemed to be some major tension in the air. And they all managed to avoid physical contact with Kaiba.
"... About yesterday..." Tristan answered, softly. The class now empty except for the two of them.
"... I don't..." Kaiba started to say.
"Tristan?"
Kaiba sighed in relief, as Tristan glanced at Ryou, who just peered back into the class. "Yeah?" Tristan asked.
Ryou raised an eyebrow, "are you coming?"
"... I'll meet you guys in a few minutes..."
Ryou glanced at Kaiba, then back at Tristan with a faint smile, and with a small nod he walked back out the door. Tristan smiled wryly, as he turned back to Kaiba.
"So..."
"... Since when could you play the piano?" Kaiba asked.
Tristan blinked. Well, that was unexpected. Then he shrugged, "my sister taught me a few things..."
"... Oh."
"Kaiba..."
"... How old is she?"
Tristan blinked, again. "What?" he asked, slowly.
"How old is your sister?"
"... Uh, 24..."
"Her name?"
"... Hitomi..."[1]
"... You and her the only kids?"
Tristan frowned, slightly. "Kaiba, knock it off," he said, shortly.
Kaiba frowned back, "what?"
"I just wanna talk, alright?"
"... We were having a conversation..."
"About a topic that I have no interest in..."
"Well, I do..."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, again. "You hold an interest in my sister?"
Kaiba scowled, "of course not..."
"Good, then let's not talk about her..."
Kaiba looked away, sighing slightly. Trying not to fidget was pretty hard to accomplish for the CEO, especially in this sort of situation.
"... You're okay?"
Kaiba glanced at Tristan, "what?"
Tristan's face showed mild concern as he looked over Kaiba; from the feet up, causing the CEO to feel a surge of embarrassment. Tristan then smiled faintly, "you seem to be okay... didn't get hit by a car or anything, I hope..."
Kaiba shrugged, "I'm fine... I was on the right side of the street," he mumbled. Then felt his ears grow warmer, as Tristan chuckled softly.
"... That's a relief... I was worried..." he said, sincerely.
"... I don't need anyone worrying about me."
"Well, too bad, you have one."
Kaiba shifted his gaze back to Tristan, "I guess I should offer my thanks..."
Tristan shrugged, "don't have to... I didn't mind..." He grinned, "you were a cute pet to have."
Kaiba felt a flush creep into his cheeks, as he looked away again, huffily. "Cute is not the word I would use to describe a ball of fur..."
"... You do know you're just insulting yourself."
"It wasn't the real me, so it doesn't matter."
Tristan leaned against the wall, tilting his head. "About that... what happened, exactly?"
Kaiba shrugged.
Tristan pursed his lips. "You really shouldn't be so open with your thoughts, y' know..." he said, dryly. Kaiba glanced at him again, and smirked faintly.
"... Funny... I was about to say the same to you."
Tristan smirked, causing Kaiba's heart to race, slightly. The brunette shrugged, "so how much teasing will I have to tolerate...?"
"... What?"
"... My whole talking to animals habit..."
"Oh..."
"Well?"
"... There's no teasing..."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, "why not?"
"... I'm not like that mongrel..." Kaiba mumbled, referring to Tristan's best friend.
He laughed, "yeah, I guess not."
"... I didn't mind your talking, Tristan... it was better than being ignored," Kaiba informed Tristan. Then felt embarrassed as the brunette smiled at him. "What?" he mumbled.
"... Just never heard you say my name before..."
"... And that impresses you?"
"... You're usually on the last-name basis with everyone..."
Kaiba frowned, "I can't exactly be on the last-name basis with someone who took me in..." he said, in a somewhat gruff tone.
Tristan smiled, "hm."
"... Are we done here?" the redhead asked, turning back to Tristan, trying to sound annoyed.
"Not really."
"Well, tell me what y-...?" Kaiba started to demand...
"... I miss you."
Kaiba's heart pounded harder, as he stared at the brunette, stunned. Tristan's face was serious and sincere, his eyes gazing into Kaiba's. Swallowing, Kaiba looked away, frowning.
"... Meaning?" he muttered, his face growing warmer by the second.
Tristan smiled, faintly. "I thought that was pretty straightforward..."
"............"
"... I miss you, Red."
Kaiba blushed slightly, at his newly acquired nickname. He turned back to Tristan, absently marvelling at the honesty in his gold-grey eyes.
"... It's only been one night," he muttered, softly.
Tristan shrugged, "call me crazy, but I couldn't sleep without you there..."
Kaiba felt a rush of triumphant relief. "Same," he admitted quietly, as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward at his sudden sincerity.
Tristan's eyes widened slightly, noticing a blue band around Kaiba's wrist. Then he reached over, grabbing Kaiba's hand, to inspect the band, curiously.
Kaiba blinked, confused. Then fidgeted, as Tristan examined his momento.
A collar. A kitten's collar to be precise.
Tristan smiled, "cute." It was a little hard to imagine the collar that once fit around Kaiba's neck, could now only be worn on his wrist.
Kaiba bristled, "stop saying that..."
"What? 'Cute'?"
"Yes."
"... Fine... kawaii..."
Kaiba glared at Tristan, "that's the same thing!"
"You don't like being considered cute...?" Tristan asked, innocently.
"No, I don't... now stop saying it."
"What about... Hot? Sexy? Seductive? Bishounen?" Tristan offered, smiling playfully. Kaiba felt his face grow warm again, as he looked away.
"Hey..." Tristan protested.
"... What?" the CEO mumbled.
"... Look at me."
"Why?"
"C' mon, Red... look at me," Tristan coaxed, still holding Kaiba's hand. Kaiba frowned, as he turned back to Tristan. Only to get a kiss. Blue eyes widened in shock, then closed slowly, as the brunette slid his hand behind Kaiba's neck, holding him close as he kissed him deeply.
Parting slowly, Tristan smiled as Kaiba slowly opened his eyes again. The CEO swallowed, as he stared at Tristan, in slight shock.
"... Anything wrong?" Tristan asked softly, gently playing with Kaiba's rust-colored hair.
Kaiba shook his head, "not a thing..."
"... So, the collar means you're still mine?"
"... Yeah."
Tristan smiled. And Kaiba smiled back.
~~~***~~~
The cellphone ran again. Seto growled fiercely, as he held it up, glaring viciously at it. Pulling his arm back, he made a move to throw it, until Tristan grabbed his wrist, taking the phone.
"Allow me..." he said, simply. Seto blinked, as Tristan turned the phone on, holding it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Kaiba...?" Greta asked, slowly.
"... No, this is Hiroto... can I help you?" Tristan asked, innocently.
"... This isn't Mr. Kaiba's cellular phone?"
"No, ma'am... this is Hiroto's cellular phone... now, can I help you?"
"... I'm sorry... wrong number," Greta mumbled, and hung up. Tristan snickered, as he turned off the cell. Seto smirked, holding out his hand, ready to take back his cell.
Tristan calmly slid the cell in the pocket of his jeans, "I'll hold onto it, Red... you're with me to relax, not deal with whiny complaints and other stress-inducers..."
Seto shrugged, "if you insist..."
Tristan nodded, as he laid back down in the lush green grass, yawning. Seto blinked, leaning against the tree trunk, while staring at Tristan. "How do you do that?"
The brunette smiled lazily, "hm? what?"
"... You have any cares at all...?"
"... Yeah... my mom, my dad, Hitomi, Toyo[2], you, Blankey..."
"Oh yay... I rank just one higher than your dog..." Seto said, sarcastically. Blankey trotted up to the pair, panting happily.
Seto glared at the dog, "don't go thinking you're better than me just because..." he started to hiss. Only to get a large pink tongue licking the side of his face. The CEO wiped off the dog drool on his sleeve, ignoring Tristan's laughing.
"THAT DOES IT!!!" Seto shouted. Blankey barked, and darted away. Seto was on his feet, chasing the dog, "GET BACK HERE! RIGHT NOW! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU...!?"
Tristan smiled, watching Seto running around, not a care in the world. And he wanted to keep it this way. Seto was perfect like this. Even moreso.
Then the familiar chime of the cell rang again. For Seto, it went unnoticed. Still smiling, Tristan answered it.
"Hello, Hiroto speaking..."
"What the...!? Are you sure this isn't Mr. Kaiba's cell!?" Greta demanded.
"Pretty sure..." Tristan answered, dryly.
Greta growled, and hung up. Tristan chuckled, and sat the cell aside, and went back to watching Seto and Blankey run around; The CEO threatening the dog, and the dog barking at the CEO playfully.
Deja vu or not, it all seemed right, either way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[1] where'd I hear that name...? uhhhhh... O.o() oh!!! Vision of Escaflowne!!! or whatever... yeah ^_^ I liked that show... er, but yeah, not mine? heh, never know ^^()
[2] bad pun... not on my part, got it from a friend. Hiroto Honda has a nephew named Toyo(ta) Honda... yeah v.v() told you it was a bad pun...
~~~***~~~
Nanaki: *whines* one kiss!?!?!?
Yasuo: ... I like it... not too bad...
Nanashi: you flatter me..? I think...
Nanaki: more kisses!?!?!?
Nanashi: heh... uhhhh... I'll consider an epilogue, how's that?
Yasuo: *shrugs* don't matter to me...
Nanaki: *pouts* oh, alright... *sighs* but, wai! it was so very cute!!! ^_____^
Yasuo: moodswings... are scary things...
Nanashi: Yasuo was a poet, he didn't know it...
Yasuo: *anime sweatdrops*
Nanaki: *laugh hysterically*
Nanashi: ^_^
Warnings: shounen-ai, no like? no read. *blinks* but hey, if you read this far, you must like it just fine, huh? ^^
Nanashi: O.o;;; uh, a regular Sherlock, that one...
Yasuo: thank you *snickers*
Nanaki: *runs around with a broom* ZHOOOOOOOOM!!! ME GO SO FAST! ME GO SO VERY FAST!!! ZHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! WAI!!! ^o^
Nanashi: uhhhh... *blinks*
Yasuo: she's been anticipating this moment...
Nanashi: oh... *blinks, then shrugs* oh yeah, thank you very much for the reviews, encouragement, information... heh, oh and sympathy for the death of my hamster... names were just made-up, since I dunno, and, uh... what else was there...? *blinks*
Yasuo: *shrugs*
Nanaki: WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI!!! ZHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! *smacks Yasuo with the broom as she 'flies' by*
Yasuo: ACK!!! WATCH IT! *mutters* ... crazy woman driver...
Nanaki: WAI!!! ^__________^
Nanashi: oh yeah! music was really setting things up for me... like the piano thing, just this really pretty piano song came up, really light and soft... romantic-ish... so yeah, that set things for me, and who am I to deny Tristan a talent? ^^()
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaiba swallowed, as he stared at the doors of Domino High.
Alright, he was nervous, that part was obvious.
This was school, he came here countless times. So many times and it just became a part of his daily routine: Wake up, come to school, do a little scoolwork, eat lunch, do a little more schoolwork, then head to KaibaCorp. and do some real work.
No way did his routine include: run into Tristan, shuffle feet like a moron, and embarrass the hell out of himself by saying thanks for the hospitality.
Swallowing again, Kaiba took a step forward, pausing, then stepped back again. And grimaced at the fact that was the seventh time he did that. To many of the students passing by, Kaiba looked a little... well, insane. Take a step forward, then step back again, again and again.
Hey, why not skip school? Where was the harm in that? Then Kaiba frowned. That seemed a little cowardly and foolish. Two of the traits Kaiba prided himself in not having.
Alright, this time, Kaiba thought firmly. Then he headed for the doors, trying to keep his posture, and cold demeanor up. And it was at its max, the effort to act like himself was pretty difficult to maintain.
Then he froze, dead in his tracks. He ignored several of the students gasps, as they struggled not to bump into the CEO.
Not that he would notice. Kaiba was too busy staring. It was him. Talking with Joey Wheeler. The CEO's blue eyes widened in something resembling horror. And outright nervousness. He didn't think he would have to face him this soon. Tristan Taylor.
~~~***~~~
"... So yeah, I think some arcade time after school'll get yer mind off whatever's bugging you, Tris'..." Joey was saying, with a wise nod.
Tristan smiled, wryly, "you think so?"
"Yeah... and no declining, or I'll have to pound ya..." Joey said, with a playful smirk. Tristan chuckled, faintly as he nodded in agreement. Didn't sound so bad, a day with Joey.
"... Hey, Kaiba came in..." Joey said, glancing past Tristan. The brunette raised an eyebrow, and glanced over his shoulder.
Sure enough, there stood Seto Kaiba. Tristan smiled faintly, raising his hand in a friendly wave. Then anime sweatdropped, as Kaiba turned and walked briskly back out the door. Tristan blinked, staring after the CEO, confused.
"... What's with him?" Joey asked, just as confused.
Tristan frowned slightly, but never answered. Once the bell rang, Tristan and Joey headed for class, meeting Yugi, Tea, and Ryou along the way.
~~~***~~~
Kaiba was leaning heavily against a treetrunk, throwing his head back several times, while chanting: "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...!"
He heard the bell ring. But made no move whatsoever to head to class. Dropping his head forward, Kaiba sighed deeply. Turned tail and fled. That's exactly what he did. And it wasn't even intentional. It just happened, and Kaiba didn't like it.
Great, now two things to explain.
Frowning, Kaiba straightened up, and stalked for the doors. School was on. Tristan was there. Kaiba had to deal with both, sooner or later.
But the question was, with an audience, or without? And did he have a choice in the matter?
Kaiba paused, once he started to reach class. His blue eyes widened, hearing the music of a piano; slowly he peered into the classroom. At the front of the class, was a black grand piano, and sitting at the piano was Tristan, playing a beautiful song.
Standing aside Tristan, was their music teacher, who was smiling in approval. And the rest of the class was staring intently at the brunette. Many of them smiling as they listened.
Kaiba stared in awe. Who knew Tristan knew how to play the piano? It was a slow and light melody. Closing his eyes, the redhead began to listen intently. After a few minutes, the song ended. Tristan then calmly pushed himself away from the piano, bowing his head slightly, as the other students clapped good-naturedly.
"Wonderful, Tristan... thank you for the performance..." Mrs. Breret said, with a smile.
Nodding, Tristan headed for his seat, beside Ryou, who quickly whispered a compliment to the brunette. Tristan smiled, nodding his thanks.
"Now, I'm hoping many of you have been practicing as much as Tristan... that's how I would rather you play at the concert this friday..." Mrs. Breret said, as she looked at her student in mock sterness. Then she noticed Kaiba standing at the door. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba... we missed having your presence..." she said, calmly.
Kaiba swallowed, as he walked into the class, not bothering with a reply as he strided to his seat, left empty since many of his peers had no intention of getting in the CEO's way. Let alone taking his desk.
With a nod, the music teacher went back to her day job. Teaching. "Now, I'd like you all to..."
Kaiba's thoughts soon drowned out Mrs. Breret's lesson. He was staring hard at... nothing in particular. And that 'nothing' happened to be the back of someone's head. Unfortunately, that poor someone was shifting very uncomfortably, feeling a powerful glare boring into his head.
Glaring or not, Kaiba's eyes had a powerful effect.
~~~***~~~
Tristan glanced at Kaiba, who was glaring at the kid in front of him. That poor kid was sweating buckets, and seemed desperate to get out of the glare's path. But Mrs. Breret, a decent teacher and all, was pretty tough with seemingly restless students.
".. Anything wrong?" Ryou asked, softly.
Tristan blinked, turning back to Ryou, confused. Then he forced a smile, "no... everything's fine..."
"You sure?"
"... Kinda, yeah..."
Ryou's brow furrowed in mild concern, "Tristan..."
"... I'm alright, Ryou... don't worry... I'm just thinking..." Tristan assured him, with a cheerful smile.
The smaller boy's brown eyes watched Tristan intently, for any signs that the brunette was lying. Finding nothing, Ryou nodded slightly, "if you say so..." he murmured, slowly. Then he turned back to the teacher, who was going over the history of the lute, for some odd reason.
Tristan glanced back at Kaiba, seeing the kid at the receiving end of Kaiba's glare was slumped over, in immense relief; and the CEO was staring out the window, instead.
~~~***~~~
Once the bell rang again, Kaiba was on his feet, and heading for the door.
"Kaiba..."
Kaiba froze, glancing over his shoulder. His heart suddenly seemed hollow. Tristan was standing there, watching him carefully. Resisting the urge to leave, Kaiba turned to face the brunette fully.
"... What?" he asked, relief setting in since his voice didn't crack.
"... Can I talk to you?"
"... About?" Kaiba muttered, as he shifted his weight uncomfortably, while Tristan walked up to him, watching him closely. The rest of the class hustled to leave, since there seemed to be some major tension in the air. And they all managed to avoid physical contact with Kaiba.
"... About yesterday..." Tristan answered, softly. The class now empty except for the two of them.
"... I don't..." Kaiba started to say.
"Tristan?"
Kaiba sighed in relief, as Tristan glanced at Ryou, who just peered back into the class. "Yeah?" Tristan asked.
Ryou raised an eyebrow, "are you coming?"
"... I'll meet you guys in a few minutes..."
Ryou glanced at Kaiba, then back at Tristan with a faint smile, and with a small nod he walked back out the door. Tristan smiled wryly, as he turned back to Kaiba.
"So..."
"... Since when could you play the piano?" Kaiba asked.
Tristan blinked. Well, that was unexpected. Then he shrugged, "my sister taught me a few things..."
"... Oh."
"Kaiba..."
"... How old is she?"
Tristan blinked, again. "What?" he asked, slowly.
"How old is your sister?"
"... Uh, 24..."
"Her name?"
"... Hitomi..."[1]
"... You and her the only kids?"
Tristan frowned, slightly. "Kaiba, knock it off," he said, shortly.
Kaiba frowned back, "what?"
"I just wanna talk, alright?"
"... We were having a conversation..."
"About a topic that I have no interest in..."
"Well, I do..."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, again. "You hold an interest in my sister?"
Kaiba scowled, "of course not..."
"Good, then let's not talk about her..."
Kaiba looked away, sighing slightly. Trying not to fidget was pretty hard to accomplish for the CEO, especially in this sort of situation.
"... You're okay?"
Kaiba glanced at Tristan, "what?"
Tristan's face showed mild concern as he looked over Kaiba; from the feet up, causing the CEO to feel a surge of embarrassment. Tristan then smiled faintly, "you seem to be okay... didn't get hit by a car or anything, I hope..."
Kaiba shrugged, "I'm fine... I was on the right side of the street," he mumbled. Then felt his ears grow warmer, as Tristan chuckled softly.
"... That's a relief... I was worried..." he said, sincerely.
"... I don't need anyone worrying about me."
"Well, too bad, you have one."
Kaiba shifted his gaze back to Tristan, "I guess I should offer my thanks..."
Tristan shrugged, "don't have to... I didn't mind..." He grinned, "you were a cute pet to have."
Kaiba felt a flush creep into his cheeks, as he looked away again, huffily. "Cute is not the word I would use to describe a ball of fur..."
"... You do know you're just insulting yourself."
"It wasn't the real me, so it doesn't matter."
Tristan leaned against the wall, tilting his head. "About that... what happened, exactly?"
Kaiba shrugged.
Tristan pursed his lips. "You really shouldn't be so open with your thoughts, y' know..." he said, dryly. Kaiba glanced at him again, and smirked faintly.
"... Funny... I was about to say the same to you."
Tristan smirked, causing Kaiba's heart to race, slightly. The brunette shrugged, "so how much teasing will I have to tolerate...?"
"... What?"
"... My whole talking to animals habit..."
"Oh..."
"Well?"
"... There's no teasing..."
Tristan raised an eyebrow, "why not?"
"... I'm not like that mongrel..." Kaiba mumbled, referring to Tristan's best friend.
He laughed, "yeah, I guess not."
"... I didn't mind your talking, Tristan... it was better than being ignored," Kaiba informed Tristan. Then felt embarrassed as the brunette smiled at him. "What?" he mumbled.
"... Just never heard you say my name before..."
"... And that impresses you?"
"... You're usually on the last-name basis with everyone..."
Kaiba frowned, "I can't exactly be on the last-name basis with someone who took me in..." he said, in a somewhat gruff tone.
Tristan smiled, "hm."
"... Are we done here?" the redhead asked, turning back to Tristan, trying to sound annoyed.
"Not really."
"Well, tell me what y-...?" Kaiba started to demand...
"... I miss you."
Kaiba's heart pounded harder, as he stared at the brunette, stunned. Tristan's face was serious and sincere, his eyes gazing into Kaiba's. Swallowing, Kaiba looked away, frowning.
"... Meaning?" he muttered, his face growing warmer by the second.
Tristan smiled, faintly. "I thought that was pretty straightforward..."
"............"
"... I miss you, Red."
Kaiba blushed slightly, at his newly acquired nickname. He turned back to Tristan, absently marvelling at the honesty in his gold-grey eyes.
"... It's only been one night," he muttered, softly.
Tristan shrugged, "call me crazy, but I couldn't sleep without you there..."
Kaiba felt a rush of triumphant relief. "Same," he admitted quietly, as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward at his sudden sincerity.
Tristan's eyes widened slightly, noticing a blue band around Kaiba's wrist. Then he reached over, grabbing Kaiba's hand, to inspect the band, curiously.
Kaiba blinked, confused. Then fidgeted, as Tristan examined his momento.
A collar. A kitten's collar to be precise.
Tristan smiled, "cute." It was a little hard to imagine the collar that once fit around Kaiba's neck, could now only be worn on his wrist.
Kaiba bristled, "stop saying that..."
"What? 'Cute'?"
"Yes."
"... Fine... kawaii..."
Kaiba glared at Tristan, "that's the same thing!"
"You don't like being considered cute...?" Tristan asked, innocently.
"No, I don't... now stop saying it."
"What about... Hot? Sexy? Seductive? Bishounen?" Tristan offered, smiling playfully. Kaiba felt his face grow warm again, as he looked away.
"Hey..." Tristan protested.
"... What?" the CEO mumbled.
"... Look at me."
"Why?"
"C' mon, Red... look at me," Tristan coaxed, still holding Kaiba's hand. Kaiba frowned, as he turned back to Tristan. Only to get a kiss. Blue eyes widened in shock, then closed slowly, as the brunette slid his hand behind Kaiba's neck, holding him close as he kissed him deeply.
Parting slowly, Tristan smiled as Kaiba slowly opened his eyes again. The CEO swallowed, as he stared at Tristan, in slight shock.
"... Anything wrong?" Tristan asked softly, gently playing with Kaiba's rust-colored hair.
Kaiba shook his head, "not a thing..."
"... So, the collar means you're still mine?"
"... Yeah."
Tristan smiled. And Kaiba smiled back.
~~~***~~~
The cellphone ran again. Seto growled fiercely, as he held it up, glaring viciously at it. Pulling his arm back, he made a move to throw it, until Tristan grabbed his wrist, taking the phone.
"Allow me..." he said, simply. Seto blinked, as Tristan turned the phone on, holding it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Kaiba...?" Greta asked, slowly.
"... No, this is Hiroto... can I help you?" Tristan asked, innocently.
"... This isn't Mr. Kaiba's cellular phone?"
"No, ma'am... this is Hiroto's cellular phone... now, can I help you?"
"... I'm sorry... wrong number," Greta mumbled, and hung up. Tristan snickered, as he turned off the cell. Seto smirked, holding out his hand, ready to take back his cell.
Tristan calmly slid the cell in the pocket of his jeans, "I'll hold onto it, Red... you're with me to relax, not deal with whiny complaints and other stress-inducers..."
Seto shrugged, "if you insist..."
Tristan nodded, as he laid back down in the lush green grass, yawning. Seto blinked, leaning against the tree trunk, while staring at Tristan. "How do you do that?"
The brunette smiled lazily, "hm? what?"
"... You have any cares at all...?"
"... Yeah... my mom, my dad, Hitomi, Toyo[2], you, Blankey..."
"Oh yay... I rank just one higher than your dog..." Seto said, sarcastically. Blankey trotted up to the pair, panting happily.
Seto glared at the dog, "don't go thinking you're better than me just because..." he started to hiss. Only to get a large pink tongue licking the side of his face. The CEO wiped off the dog drool on his sleeve, ignoring Tristan's laughing.
"THAT DOES IT!!!" Seto shouted. Blankey barked, and darted away. Seto was on his feet, chasing the dog, "GET BACK HERE! RIGHT NOW! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU...!?"
Tristan smiled, watching Seto running around, not a care in the world. And he wanted to keep it this way. Seto was perfect like this. Even moreso.
Then the familiar chime of the cell rang again. For Seto, it went unnoticed. Still smiling, Tristan answered it.
"Hello, Hiroto speaking..."
"What the...!? Are you sure this isn't Mr. Kaiba's cell!?" Greta demanded.
"Pretty sure..." Tristan answered, dryly.
Greta growled, and hung up. Tristan chuckled, and sat the cell aside, and went back to watching Seto and Blankey run around; The CEO threatening the dog, and the dog barking at the CEO playfully.
Deja vu or not, it all seemed right, either way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[1] where'd I hear that name...? uhhhhh... O.o() oh!!! Vision of Escaflowne!!! or whatever... yeah ^_^ I liked that show... er, but yeah, not mine? heh, never know ^^()
[2] bad pun... not on my part, got it from a friend. Hiroto Honda has a nephew named Toyo(ta) Honda... yeah v.v() told you it was a bad pun...
~~~***~~~
Nanaki: *whines* one kiss!?!?!?
Yasuo: ... I like it... not too bad...
Nanashi: you flatter me..? I think...
Nanaki: more kisses!?!?!?
Nanashi: heh... uhhhh... I'll consider an epilogue, how's that?
Yasuo: *shrugs* don't matter to me...
Nanaki: *pouts* oh, alright... *sighs* but, wai! it was so very cute!!! ^_____^
Yasuo: moodswings... are scary things...
Nanashi: Yasuo was a poet, he didn't know it...
Yasuo: *anime sweatdrops*
Nanaki: *laugh hysterically*
Nanashi: ^_^