Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh. Or "Somebody's Baby" by Jackson Browne.

Another chapter, yay! Still working on Something There and Blood on the Moon, though neither chapters are close to being done (sigh). Also... outlining a new YuGiOh story, this time a Ryou x Anzu. However, this one is still in pre-production, so don't expect it any time soon.

Thanks to YamiBakura1988, PandaTeddyClaws, and RandomObserver for reviewing! R.O. are you the same R.O. who reads Blood on the Moon?

A Change Of Seasons

By: Chi Yagami

She's probably somebody's only light, gonna shine tonight. Yeah, she's probably somebody's baby all right.

She did go to the park the next day.

Bakura was sitting on a different bench (one where he could see both the park and the studio), and she was sitting on one of the children's swings, accompanied by a young boy. Her brother, perhaps? But Bakura was sure he knew this child as well… more positively than the girl anyway. She was watching the kid from the swings as he played on the slides with several other children.

Bakura continued to watch her for the next half hour. She joined the young boy in making a sand castle and playing hopscotch, always keeping her dance bag within reach. As it grew closer to five o'clock, she began to check her phone, probably for the time. Bakura assumed that someone was coming to relieve her of the boy so that she could attend practice. Finally, she decided to call someone, and he strained to hear the conversation.

"…and when exactly are you coming?" she asked the person on the other side of the phone. "My class starts in ten minutes! ….okay, okay. But you'd better be here! I can't take Mokuba into my class and you know it."

Mokuba? Where had he heard that name before? Mokuba… Mokuba… Mokuba Kaiba! That little boy was Seto Kaiba's younger brother, Seto-Kaiba-the-bastard-who-hosted-Battle-City's brother! Was the girl a relative of Kaiba's?

"Alright already! Just hurry up! Love you too."

Oh. Girlfriend. She was Kaiba's girlfriend. Bakura wondered how a cold-hearted bastard such as Seto Kaiba could want a girlfriend; he couldn't see Kaiba tolerating someone as cheerful and friendly as that girl. Well, other than Mokuba. True, Bakura had not seen the CEO of Kaiba Corp. since Battle City, but he highly doubted that Kaiba had changed much. Speak of the devil…

A black stretch limo pulled up to the park, and Seto Kaiba himself stepped out. Mokuba ran to his brother and hugged him fiercely, while the girl followed shortly.

"I'm here. Happy?" Kaiba asked, leading Mokuba back to the car.

"Yes," she replied simply. "I'd be happier if you had been here ten minutes ago."

"Excuse me for running my corporation."

"Excuse me for pursuing a dream!"

Bakura watched the two argue for a few more minutes before the girl realized that she was late for her class.

"And what was with the 'I love you'?" he heard Kaiba growl.

"Failed to recognize sarcasm I see," she said, then smiled sweetly. "Or was that supposed to be a hopeful question?"

Kaiba glared at her over the top of his car before getting in after his brother. The girl turned her back on them and entered the studio.

Bakura let out a breath that, until then, he hadn't realized he'd been holding. So she wasn't Kaiba's girlfriend, just possibly Mokuba's babysitter. Or friend. Well, he supposed she could be Kaiba's girlfriend… But "hopeful question"? Was she implying that maybe Kaiba was hoping for a hook-up? …nah. There was no way they were attracted to each other. Kaiba was just too dark and cold, and she was too… not. She was probably dating some smart, happy-go-lucky guy. She was somebody's baby, alright.

Wait, why did he care if she had a boyfriend? It wasn't as if he was jealous… Was he? No, Bakura was confusing himself with Ryou; only Ryou thought about girls like that. Bakura, the Egyptian thief, did not have a single romantic bone in his body. Watching this girl was simply a form of entertainment, that was all. But, after thinking on the idea for the next hour, Bakura concluded that, perhaps, he was inclined to certain male factors… that he could be… slightly… attracted to her. She was pretty, with chocolate brown hair, long slender legs, and sparkling blue eyes. But that was all. He couldn't help it if he was physically attracted to a woman, he was a man. But that didn't mean he was going to get all worked up about it. He was not going to try to sweep her off her feet, or ask her to Burger World on a date; Bakura was not interested in the emotional baggage that was attached to these twenty-first-century-romances. He came from Ancient Egypt, where relationships were mostly based on the biological factor of reproduction. But, since he wasn't interested in starting a family, Bakura would never get himself involved in a relationship for that reason either. He decided that he simply enjoyed watching her, as if she were just another pretty thing he wanted to steal from a tomb.

So why don't you steal her? he asked himself. What was stopping him from taking her, just like a valuable in a pyramid? Because… because…

"What would I do with her?"

Bakura had asked it aloud. Shaking his head, he moved to the bench that faced the studio, to wait until she came out. What would he do with her if he stole her? He couldn't sell her like a precious gem, which was the main reason he stole things anyway, at least, back in Ancient Egypt. But now that he lived off Ryou, he didn't really need to steal anymore. So the thought of stealing her went from his mind. But then what would happen? Would he just keep watching her? Eventually she would move away, or stop taking lessons or something. What was the point in watching her if he wasn't going to do anything?

"I don't need a point, damn it!" he yelled in frustration.

It was raining by nine o'clock. Bakura just sat there with his arms crossed, looking miserable and wet. He hadn't thought to watch the weather or bring an umbrella. And he didn't want to sit under the cover of the bus stop, because she would be there in a few minutes, and he didn't want to be too close…

He saw her exit the studio and open an umbrella. He watched as she glanced around, her eyes settling on him. She stared at him for a while, and Bakura practically cringed. She wasn't supposed to notice him! Then she might notice him again on Monday and think he was a stalker or something (which he sort of was… but he didn't want her knowing that)! She flinched slightly, and he realized he might have been glaring in frustration and quickly looked away. Hopefully she would continue to the bus stop…

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her dash across the street before the traffic and stop a few feet away. Crap. He turned to watch her approach him, looking nervous. Bakura decided to play dumb and raised a questioning eyebrow. This seemed to make her even more nervous.

"H-Hi," she stuttered, clutching her umbrella pole tightly.

He merely continued to stare at her.

"You're all wet," she said, but seemed to regret her statement at once. She grew pale and stepped backward.

He wanted to snap back at her with something like "well obviously" but bit his tongue. Finally, he just said,

"Yes."

This seemed to surprise her, for her eyes widened slightly, and Bakura couldn't help but to stare more deeply into the blue sapphires.

"He-Here," she stammered, holding out something to him. Bakura saw that she was offering an umbrella, much like the one she was gripping. So that was why she crossed the street… She had seen that he was wet and was probably wondering why he was just sitting there. His eyes followed the umbrella up her arm back to her face, where she was watching him warily. He almost laughed at the irony: she was so friendly to people at the bus stop, yet she was afraid of him? Well, he had to admit that he probably did look somewhat menacing… especially if he'd been glaring at her.

He took the umbrella from her wet hands, accidentally brushing them and feeling her cold, soft skin against his rough fingertips. She watched for a bit longer, and he realized she was probably waiting for him to use her gift. So he obliged and opened the light-blue umbrella, securing himself from the rain. Her face relaxed into a slight smile, and she waved tentatively at him before walking to the bus stop and taking her regular seat. She did not glance at him again.

Bakura, however, continued to glance at her for the next half-hour. For some reason, he felt somewhat stupid. Was he feeling guilty for not thanking her? Probably. She had made the effort to give him an umbrella; he could have at least managed a "thank you". He almost made to stand at one point, seriously considering crossing the street to thank her, but the idea died as another person sat next to her. Ehh, he didn't need to thank her; Bakura never thanked people for anything. But, still, he had a guilty feeling swimming around his stomach…

The bus arrived slightly earlier than normal, and it was only as the bus was driving away that Bakura remembered that he still had her umbrella. Stupid woman, forgetting her umbrella. He gripped it tighter and stood from the bench. Now she wouldn't get it back until Monday, the stupid woman.

"Shadi came looking for you," Ryou informed him when he returned home.

"And you think I care because…?" Bakura retorted as he removed his shoes and closed the umbrella.

"Where did you get that?"

"I stole it," he snapped, throwing it in the umbrella stand by the front door. "And don't you touch it!"

And once again, he stormed out from the room, leaving only a bemused Ryou and the humming television.

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