Categories > Anime/Manga > Yu-Gi-Oh! > [ Bend and Not Break ] [ A Seto Kaiba Story ]
"The usual?" You ask mechanically, sounding alert and happy, despite that your mind was a million miles away and apparently taking the long way back. Another day at work, another day of the unexpected. Just in the last couple of days, you had broken up with your long time boyfriend, met someone who apparently thought himself the king of the world, and then got a ride home from the same pompous man. Not to mention the fact that your old boyfriend wants you back and is bribing you with sentimental objects like flowers left at your door.
"Yeah, that would be great." A familiar woman with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes replies. Some slight wrinkles crease her face as she smiles gently, giving her a warm, motherly look.
You turn behind you to Kaede, who was wearing a flighty, far away look. "I need a caramel latte with whipped cream."
You hear Kaede start the blender, and you mindlessly give the lady her change. As soon as the cash register shuts tight, you hand her the latte, and her change. "I can help who's next!" Kaede chirps, her daydreaming state all but gone, and you can't help but roll your eyes.
You turn and look at the clock, impatiently drumming your fingers on the counter with a steady beat. Nahoko and Midori are almost twenty minutes late, and you've just about had it. They were almost of no use when they were around, but you weren't going to sign their paychecks if they didn't even show their ugly mugs around KL Cafe. You quickly whip up a cappuccino and walk to the back room to call Nahoko's house, to see if she plans on showing up.
Picking up the phone, you look through the contact list, and finally find her number. You absentmindedly press the buttons on the phone, and wait for the ringing tone.
It's busy.
'Shit...what now?' You slam the phone down, extremely frustrated. You glare at Nahoko's name on the paper, wishing it were her you were burning under your gaze. Or better yet, wrap your hands around her neck and choke some sense into that empty brain of hers.
The day goes on. It was really interesting how many types of people lived in your city. Sitting down in the corner of the shop was a woman who was most likely waiting for a date, though the excessive makeup and florescent dress guaranteed that there wasn't going to be a another one. Two giggling teens, still shy about being together, sat secluded in the corner. An old, balding man glared at the newspaper in front of him, ignoring the fact it was a couple days old. You sigh contentedly.
The front door opens, and you hear the entrance bell ring. You quickly make it back to the cash register, and you see the man who dropped you off the night before walk through the doorway, bringing an air of self-confidence and cool aloofness along with him. He casually walks to the front counter, and gives you an intriguing look that sends delightful chills down your spine as his eyes capture your image.
"What can I get for you today?" You ask, with a slight smile.
"Whatever you want to get me." He replies, with his usual smirk playing on his lips.
"Our special today is the Jamaican Espresso." You raise one eyebrow and speak with composure and calm, knowing he's flirting with you.
"Sounds good." He says, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a small smile before returning to his patented smirk. "How much?"
"It's on the house. My thanks for the ride." You grin and turn to Kaede. "One Jamaican Espresso, please," you say as you lean onto the counter with your hands she quickly makes it, eying the guy with a goofy smile on her face, as though she knows something you don't. A few seconds later, she gives you the cup of coffee.
He raises his eyebrows as you hand him his espresso, along with a sweet smile. "Thanks." He says, his fingers slightly brushing yours.
"Have a nice day, sir."
"You too, miss." He replies teasingly, as he turns around to walk out the door.
You watch him leave, and as soon as he's out of your sight, you bite your lip, and look down with a small smile. You try to hide your blush from Kaede, and the smile that betrayed your feelings.
You quickly snap out of it as you hear Kaede giggle. "Have a nice day, sir!" She repeats in a high, sweet voice, obviously to mock you.
"Shut up, okay? He just gave me a ride home last night. It's nothing like that." You glare at her.
"He's so gorgeous...why don't you date him?" She gushes, and sighs dreamily.
You roll your eyes. "Because all I know about him is the kind of coffee he orders every day, and what kind of car he drives. I don't even know his name!" You retort.
"You can find out anything about a guy, if you know what his car looks like...and if he gave you a ride home, then that means he likes you, and you should date him. Besides...I saw the way you looked at him." Kaede says, pushing your buttons, trying to annoy you.
"Kaede, listen to me. In the real world, you don't date a random guy who shows up at your work place every day, simply to order a cappuccino. It just doesn't work like that. You have to get to know him, and meet him outside of work, and most importantly, know his name." You snap, with your usual bland tone.
"Aw come on, ____! You need to get over Jason, and let me know if you can think up any better ways than dating a looker like that one." She says, once again, with a silly love struck look on her face.
You groan. "That's so pathetic. I'm not going to date a guy just because he's good-looking."
"So you're admitting that you think he's a total heartthrob." She slyly remarks, almost interrogating you.
Your eyes widen. "No, I mean...he's...well, yeah, I guess he is attractive. But --"
"See? You do like him!" She points at you with an accusing finger.
You glare at her. "It's not just the way a guy looks that makes him attractive, Kaede!"
"You're right. It's the sex that matters." She says seriously, just as a customer walks in.
You blush madly, and desperately try to drill a hole through Kaede's head with your eyes, as a middle-aged man approaches her register to order a coffee. He lets out a small laugh, which he covers with a fake cough, and you restrain yourself from smacking Kaede upside the head.
*
"Finally! The day's work is done!" Kaede sighs and stretches her arms towards the ceiling, relieving the tension from her limbs.
"Yeah, if you call getting hyper after drinking so much caffeine and stuffing yourself with brownies hard, tedious work," you remark wryly, wiping the last of the cookie crumbs from a table and sweeping them into the trash.
Kaede grins and plops down on the table you just finished cleaning. You smack her with the damp sponge you have and she laughs and flings it back. "Aw, ____, just because Nahoko and Midori screwed up your day doesn't mean you have to be grumpy." she says, referring to Nahoko and Midori only showing up for half their shift, forcing you to work the remainder of their shift for them.
She turns toward the clock that hangs above the counter, and her face brightens. "How about we have a girl's night out?"
You raise your eyebrow. "Girl's night out?"
She nods enthusiastically and continues, "C'mon, we'll go to some dance club or something to get your mind off jerky Jason." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, "...and maybe we'll see that hunk too."
You roll your eyes, but after a moment's hesitation, you agree, "Okay, fine."
With an excited squeal, Kaede jumps up and hugs you. "You wont regret it!"
*
"Kaede, I'm going to kill you once we leave," you snarl under your breath as she takes a steel grip on your arm and leads you deep into the fancy and lavish restaurant you had just entered.
"You'll thank me later," she replies unperturbed, plastering a huge smile on her face as she steers you towards the back.
You had no idea how Kaede managed to trick you into coming here. Once she mentioned it was a double date, it was too late; you were already in your car and she insisted on driving. You couldn't really unlock the car door and jump from the moving vehicle, so you growled all the way as Kaede chatted on how much fun the night was going to be.
You resist the temptation to turn to Kaede and drag her back out when you see who's at your table. It was the same waiter that Kaede was crushing on a couple days ago, but he wasn't alone. At his side was a handsome black haired guy, whose idea of a welcome was to run his eyes over your body. You tug on your dress self consciously, wondering what possessed you to borrow Kaede's short black outfit that hugged your curves and teased the imagination.
"Hey guys! Well, ____, meet Mike, and his cousin, Ryan." She motions to her date, and then Ryan, saying his name as though you'd just won a prize at the fair. The obnoxious dark haired creep, tosses his black hair out of his eyes, smiling at you as he pats the seat next to him. It takes all self-restraint from giving him a fond gesture courtesy of your middle finger. Sending another dark look at Kaede, who was already drooling on her date, you sit down and scoot your chair as far as possible from Ryan, who was eyeing you like a piece of chocolate. After a tense dinner (with many more dirty looks at Kaede who ignored them, while you fended off sneaky hands from your thigh) Kaede announces, "We're going to go dancing, okay?" She grabs her date and twirls away to the dance floor, leaving you with a mischievous looking Ryan.
"Listen, I'm going to go home," you tell him, curtly, as you start to move away.
But Ryan immediately closes the space between you and whispers, "Hey, babe, why go home? Aren't you having fun?"
You gingerly remove his arm from around your shoulder, as though it was infected with a life threatening disease, and politely reply, "I don't know what Kaede told you, but right now I'm not up for dating," you pause, "And no. I'm not having a pleasant time, if it wasn't clearly evident to you."
Ryan sniggers and takes a sip from his wine glass. "Who said this was a date? I'm here to have a nice time," at his last words, he raises his eyebrows and tries to look seductive.
Deep loyalty to Kaede and respect to Ryan's cousin keeps you from simply kicking Ryan in the face with your pointy heel and storming out. "Okay, fine, but stop with the 'I'm so sexy and you know you want me' act," you say bluntly, "...and stop trying to grope me. I have pepper spray in my purse," you snap as his hand starts towards your leg again. Ryan throws you a disgruntled look, but warily eyes your purse clutched in your hand. Okay, so you didn't have pepper spray, but with this jerk, you were willing to say anything from keeping this situation from turning into an outright brawl. Rolling your eyes, you prop your elbows on the table and ignore Ryan, instead watching Kaede laugh and dance with her date. It strikes you how happy she was right now, and how miserable you had become. In the old days, it would be Kaede still trying to show off non-existent dance moves, but Jason would be by your side instead of a perverted Ryan.
A couple of quiet minutes pass, and Ryan breaks the silence, "Listen, I'm sorry, ____. Dance with me just once and then I'll leave you alone if you want." You give him a glare, but he smiles, trying to melt your glower with a honeyed grin.
You sigh, "Okay, just once dance, and I want you to keep your hands to yourself." Ryan jumps up from his seat, and heaving another sigh of defeat, you follow him out to join Kaede and the other waltzing couples.
A slow ballad starts to play, and you have no choice but to let Ryan bring you into his arms. He hugs you close, maybe a little too close, but you wrap your arms around his neck and let him lead the dance. As his hands grip your waist, you think, 'Hmm, maybe he isn't too bad...'
"AHHHH!" you let out a shriek of surprise as Ryan's hand slides down your waist, to grab your behind in a tight grip. Instinctively, you bring your knee up, and a second later Ryan is on the floor moaning in pain.
"____! What happened?" Kaede comes running over, nearly tripping over the fallen Ryan.
You grab her arm, and whisper harshly, as the dance resumes. "I'm out of here. And I hope you don't plan on setting me up with any more bozos, like this guy," You feel your fury bubbling up past the breaking point, as you walk away with your friend hurriedly behind your heels. Kaede calls a hasty good-bye to her date and hurries up to catch up.
"____, you aren't planning my death, are you?"
"Kaede, when I make a promise, I keep it."
"Shit. I'm screwed."
*
"I can't believe this! First, my best friend tricks me into going on a double date with someone I don't even know, and he turns out to be some horny perverted loser, and now..." you break off, instead gesturing wildly at your car. You were stuck on a side of the road, your tire having been punctured by the glass that littered the highway. You groan and kick at a lone rock, and watch in satisfaction as it hits Kaede on the leg.
Kaede pouts and kicks it back. "I wasn't the drunken idiot that broke the whiskey bottle in the street and made your dumb car run over it."
"Yeah, but you were the drunken idiot who tricked me into going out on a date," you shoot back.
Kaede looks down. "I wasn't drunk! And hey, I was doing you a favor. What would you be doing at home? Moping about stupid Jason?" You're about to rant and rave, planning on screaming until you coughed up your lungs when a sleek, black, expensive car spots you and starts to slow. You glance at Kaede; her hair was sticking up with all the times she had run her hands through it in frustration, and your own face had grease marks from when you had kneeled by your car's tire to see what had happened.
Recognition hits you like a slap to the face. That car; only one person could have that car, and you didn't know whether to hide your face from embarrassment or do good on your promise and kill Kaede. 'Please, not now, not him!' The car comes to a stop before you, and a now familiar icy blue gaze flashes from inside.
"Kaede, would you prefer a slow, painful death or a quick yet excruciatingly agonizing murder?" You glare at your friend, as the car stops by the side of the road.
"Yeah, that would be great." A familiar woman with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes replies. Some slight wrinkles crease her face as she smiles gently, giving her a warm, motherly look.
You turn behind you to Kaede, who was wearing a flighty, far away look. "I need a caramel latte with whipped cream."
You hear Kaede start the blender, and you mindlessly give the lady her change. As soon as the cash register shuts tight, you hand her the latte, and her change. "I can help who's next!" Kaede chirps, her daydreaming state all but gone, and you can't help but roll your eyes.
You turn and look at the clock, impatiently drumming your fingers on the counter with a steady beat. Nahoko and Midori are almost twenty minutes late, and you've just about had it. They were almost of no use when they were around, but you weren't going to sign their paychecks if they didn't even show their ugly mugs around KL Cafe. You quickly whip up a cappuccino and walk to the back room to call Nahoko's house, to see if she plans on showing up.
Picking up the phone, you look through the contact list, and finally find her number. You absentmindedly press the buttons on the phone, and wait for the ringing tone.
It's busy.
'Shit...what now?' You slam the phone down, extremely frustrated. You glare at Nahoko's name on the paper, wishing it were her you were burning under your gaze. Or better yet, wrap your hands around her neck and choke some sense into that empty brain of hers.
The day goes on. It was really interesting how many types of people lived in your city. Sitting down in the corner of the shop was a woman who was most likely waiting for a date, though the excessive makeup and florescent dress guaranteed that there wasn't going to be a another one. Two giggling teens, still shy about being together, sat secluded in the corner. An old, balding man glared at the newspaper in front of him, ignoring the fact it was a couple days old. You sigh contentedly.
The front door opens, and you hear the entrance bell ring. You quickly make it back to the cash register, and you see the man who dropped you off the night before walk through the doorway, bringing an air of self-confidence and cool aloofness along with him. He casually walks to the front counter, and gives you an intriguing look that sends delightful chills down your spine as his eyes capture your image.
"What can I get for you today?" You ask, with a slight smile.
"Whatever you want to get me." He replies, with his usual smirk playing on his lips.
"Our special today is the Jamaican Espresso." You raise one eyebrow and speak with composure and calm, knowing he's flirting with you.
"Sounds good." He says, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a small smile before returning to his patented smirk. "How much?"
"It's on the house. My thanks for the ride." You grin and turn to Kaede. "One Jamaican Espresso, please," you say as you lean onto the counter with your hands she quickly makes it, eying the guy with a goofy smile on her face, as though she knows something you don't. A few seconds later, she gives you the cup of coffee.
He raises his eyebrows as you hand him his espresso, along with a sweet smile. "Thanks." He says, his fingers slightly brushing yours.
"Have a nice day, sir."
"You too, miss." He replies teasingly, as he turns around to walk out the door.
You watch him leave, and as soon as he's out of your sight, you bite your lip, and look down with a small smile. You try to hide your blush from Kaede, and the smile that betrayed your feelings.
You quickly snap out of it as you hear Kaede giggle. "Have a nice day, sir!" She repeats in a high, sweet voice, obviously to mock you.
"Shut up, okay? He just gave me a ride home last night. It's nothing like that." You glare at her.
"He's so gorgeous...why don't you date him?" She gushes, and sighs dreamily.
You roll your eyes. "Because all I know about him is the kind of coffee he orders every day, and what kind of car he drives. I don't even know his name!" You retort.
"You can find out anything about a guy, if you know what his car looks like...and if he gave you a ride home, then that means he likes you, and you should date him. Besides...I saw the way you looked at him." Kaede says, pushing your buttons, trying to annoy you.
"Kaede, listen to me. In the real world, you don't date a random guy who shows up at your work place every day, simply to order a cappuccino. It just doesn't work like that. You have to get to know him, and meet him outside of work, and most importantly, know his name." You snap, with your usual bland tone.
"Aw come on, ____! You need to get over Jason, and let me know if you can think up any better ways than dating a looker like that one." She says, once again, with a silly love struck look on her face.
You groan. "That's so pathetic. I'm not going to date a guy just because he's good-looking."
"So you're admitting that you think he's a total heartthrob." She slyly remarks, almost interrogating you.
Your eyes widen. "No, I mean...he's...well, yeah, I guess he is attractive. But --"
"See? You do like him!" She points at you with an accusing finger.
You glare at her. "It's not just the way a guy looks that makes him attractive, Kaede!"
"You're right. It's the sex that matters." She says seriously, just as a customer walks in.
You blush madly, and desperately try to drill a hole through Kaede's head with your eyes, as a middle-aged man approaches her register to order a coffee. He lets out a small laugh, which he covers with a fake cough, and you restrain yourself from smacking Kaede upside the head.
*
"Finally! The day's work is done!" Kaede sighs and stretches her arms towards the ceiling, relieving the tension from her limbs.
"Yeah, if you call getting hyper after drinking so much caffeine and stuffing yourself with brownies hard, tedious work," you remark wryly, wiping the last of the cookie crumbs from a table and sweeping them into the trash.
Kaede grins and plops down on the table you just finished cleaning. You smack her with the damp sponge you have and she laughs and flings it back. "Aw, ____, just because Nahoko and Midori screwed up your day doesn't mean you have to be grumpy." she says, referring to Nahoko and Midori only showing up for half their shift, forcing you to work the remainder of their shift for them.
She turns toward the clock that hangs above the counter, and her face brightens. "How about we have a girl's night out?"
You raise your eyebrow. "Girl's night out?"
She nods enthusiastically and continues, "C'mon, we'll go to some dance club or something to get your mind off jerky Jason." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, "...and maybe we'll see that hunk too."
You roll your eyes, but after a moment's hesitation, you agree, "Okay, fine."
With an excited squeal, Kaede jumps up and hugs you. "You wont regret it!"
*
"Kaede, I'm going to kill you once we leave," you snarl under your breath as she takes a steel grip on your arm and leads you deep into the fancy and lavish restaurant you had just entered.
"You'll thank me later," she replies unperturbed, plastering a huge smile on her face as she steers you towards the back.
You had no idea how Kaede managed to trick you into coming here. Once she mentioned it was a double date, it was too late; you were already in your car and she insisted on driving. You couldn't really unlock the car door and jump from the moving vehicle, so you growled all the way as Kaede chatted on how much fun the night was going to be.
You resist the temptation to turn to Kaede and drag her back out when you see who's at your table. It was the same waiter that Kaede was crushing on a couple days ago, but he wasn't alone. At his side was a handsome black haired guy, whose idea of a welcome was to run his eyes over your body. You tug on your dress self consciously, wondering what possessed you to borrow Kaede's short black outfit that hugged your curves and teased the imagination.
"Hey guys! Well, ____, meet Mike, and his cousin, Ryan." She motions to her date, and then Ryan, saying his name as though you'd just won a prize at the fair. The obnoxious dark haired creep, tosses his black hair out of his eyes, smiling at you as he pats the seat next to him. It takes all self-restraint from giving him a fond gesture courtesy of your middle finger. Sending another dark look at Kaede, who was already drooling on her date, you sit down and scoot your chair as far as possible from Ryan, who was eyeing you like a piece of chocolate. After a tense dinner (with many more dirty looks at Kaede who ignored them, while you fended off sneaky hands from your thigh) Kaede announces, "We're going to go dancing, okay?" She grabs her date and twirls away to the dance floor, leaving you with a mischievous looking Ryan.
"Listen, I'm going to go home," you tell him, curtly, as you start to move away.
But Ryan immediately closes the space between you and whispers, "Hey, babe, why go home? Aren't you having fun?"
You gingerly remove his arm from around your shoulder, as though it was infected with a life threatening disease, and politely reply, "I don't know what Kaede told you, but right now I'm not up for dating," you pause, "And no. I'm not having a pleasant time, if it wasn't clearly evident to you."
Ryan sniggers and takes a sip from his wine glass. "Who said this was a date? I'm here to have a nice time," at his last words, he raises his eyebrows and tries to look seductive.
Deep loyalty to Kaede and respect to Ryan's cousin keeps you from simply kicking Ryan in the face with your pointy heel and storming out. "Okay, fine, but stop with the 'I'm so sexy and you know you want me' act," you say bluntly, "...and stop trying to grope me. I have pepper spray in my purse," you snap as his hand starts towards your leg again. Ryan throws you a disgruntled look, but warily eyes your purse clutched in your hand. Okay, so you didn't have pepper spray, but with this jerk, you were willing to say anything from keeping this situation from turning into an outright brawl. Rolling your eyes, you prop your elbows on the table and ignore Ryan, instead watching Kaede laugh and dance with her date. It strikes you how happy she was right now, and how miserable you had become. In the old days, it would be Kaede still trying to show off non-existent dance moves, but Jason would be by your side instead of a perverted Ryan.
A couple of quiet minutes pass, and Ryan breaks the silence, "Listen, I'm sorry, ____. Dance with me just once and then I'll leave you alone if you want." You give him a glare, but he smiles, trying to melt your glower with a honeyed grin.
You sigh, "Okay, just once dance, and I want you to keep your hands to yourself." Ryan jumps up from his seat, and heaving another sigh of defeat, you follow him out to join Kaede and the other waltzing couples.
A slow ballad starts to play, and you have no choice but to let Ryan bring you into his arms. He hugs you close, maybe a little too close, but you wrap your arms around his neck and let him lead the dance. As his hands grip your waist, you think, 'Hmm, maybe he isn't too bad...'
"AHHHH!" you let out a shriek of surprise as Ryan's hand slides down your waist, to grab your behind in a tight grip. Instinctively, you bring your knee up, and a second later Ryan is on the floor moaning in pain.
"____! What happened?" Kaede comes running over, nearly tripping over the fallen Ryan.
You grab her arm, and whisper harshly, as the dance resumes. "I'm out of here. And I hope you don't plan on setting me up with any more bozos, like this guy," You feel your fury bubbling up past the breaking point, as you walk away with your friend hurriedly behind your heels. Kaede calls a hasty good-bye to her date and hurries up to catch up.
"____, you aren't planning my death, are you?"
"Kaede, when I make a promise, I keep it."
"Shit. I'm screwed."
*
"I can't believe this! First, my best friend tricks me into going on a double date with someone I don't even know, and he turns out to be some horny perverted loser, and now..." you break off, instead gesturing wildly at your car. You were stuck on a side of the road, your tire having been punctured by the glass that littered the highway. You groan and kick at a lone rock, and watch in satisfaction as it hits Kaede on the leg.
Kaede pouts and kicks it back. "I wasn't the drunken idiot that broke the whiskey bottle in the street and made your dumb car run over it."
"Yeah, but you were the drunken idiot who tricked me into going out on a date," you shoot back.
Kaede looks down. "I wasn't drunk! And hey, I was doing you a favor. What would you be doing at home? Moping about stupid Jason?" You're about to rant and rave, planning on screaming until you coughed up your lungs when a sleek, black, expensive car spots you and starts to slow. You glance at Kaede; her hair was sticking up with all the times she had run her hands through it in frustration, and your own face had grease marks from when you had kneeled by your car's tire to see what had happened.
Recognition hits you like a slap to the face. That car; only one person could have that car, and you didn't know whether to hide your face from embarrassment or do good on your promise and kill Kaede. 'Please, not now, not him!' The car comes to a stop before you, and a now familiar icy blue gaze flashes from inside.
"Kaede, would you prefer a slow, painful death or a quick yet excruciatingly agonizing murder?" You glare at your friend, as the car stops by the side of the road.
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