Disclaimer: This story is loosely based on Orange by Takano Ichigo, though I do have my original twists in it. This is not a complete crossover. All Yugioh characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi. I will try my best to keep them in character while retaining the plot of that story.

I won't specify pairings. I'll leave it to you readers to figure out who's going to end up with who.

Warning: Characters who are not in character. I'll attempt to shape them according to how they're depicted in canon as much as possible.

Caution: Some mild swearing.

During the Spring of my sixteenth year, I received a letter sent to my home. Why was it sent and... Who sent it?

Chapter 1: Letters from the Future

"Mana! You're going to be late for school!" a low masculine voice boomed from the floor beneath.

A girl with brown disheveled hair quickly rushed out of her room, clad in her school uniform, school bag and a stray piece of sock in hand, she tumbled down the stairs in disarray.

"Coming onii-sama!" she replied, albeit groggily.

Aririving downstairs, drenched in the scent of morning dew, Mana treaded towards the area of the dining hall that had the most exposure of the morning sun. She laid her bag to one side of her chair, and pulling it, she flopped herself on with ease. As her brother had expected, she immediately snoozed and slammed herself on the table, face first. Her hand was still gripped on to one sock which left her right foot bare and exposed.

The taller man she had acknowledged as her brother walked towards the girl in large strides, fully prepared to smack her with the morning newspaper that he carried around. His neatly trimmed chestnut hair was gelled into spikes, which complemented his checkered dress shirt of blue and black rather well.

Sorely tempted to hit the ball homerun, he lifted his arm and was ready to inflict a heavy blow but to his surprise, the girl suddenly leaped up, walked towards the kitchen bench top and readily helped herself to some eggs and bacon that the latter had prepared.

"Mana!" Mahado chided.

Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, the man deduced that she must have either been doing homework or was up all night reading light novels. Light novels were a popular trend amongst the youth, and he was not exempt from its temptations. The books contained infinite worlds, with each of them full of wonder, and Mahado especially looked forward to the different kinds of adventure that awaited him in every story he could get his hands on.

Mana's sloppy movements broke him from his reverie. His beaming face contorted into a scowl.

The girl's brother stepped forward and scratched his head. "You were up reading light novels again?! How many times," he scolded.

The girl interjected while shrugging indifferently, "THEW'RE SOOO GWOOD! UM IN A HUWWY!" Stuffing her mouth with more crispy bacon, Mana took off, as far as her legs could take her, back to her sanctuary.

At least she had avoided another heated confrontation. The girl isn't exactly the most conscientious person on earth—she would clash with her brother from time to time, in most cases due to differing opinions.

Mana slammed the door shut.

Her brother grimaced.

"Don't talk with your mouth full! Good lord, you're already sixteen! I shouldn't need to tell you to act more like your age!" the older man snapped, pointing a finger to lecture the girl.

Mana had dug out a rather unpleasant memory from the previous week. "It's not like I'm a kid anymore!" the girl murmured to no one in particular. Her shoulders sagged behind the frame of the door, until two knocks broke her from her reverie. Upon opening the door, Mana swallowed her frustration. She expected another scolding from the man who glowered at her. Tensing, the girl gulped the remaining chunks of bacon in her mouth.

The man however, furrowed his brows. "I give you two minutes," he stated firmly.

Adopting her playful persona, the girl merely smirked. "Mahado-sensei, when did you become such a serious person?" she snickered.

Mahado crossed his arms in response to her sarcasm. "Hey, I don't label me under those lame stereotypes you and your friends—No, Generation Y had come up with! Better praise your onii-chan or you won't get a ride to school today!"

Mana stuck out her tongue. "Says the one who makes crappy generalizations!"

"Cheeky," the man spat, not fully aware of his twitching brow until his sister pointed it out, to his annoyance.

The girl threw a fit of giggles as she quickly put on the left-over sock. She then immediately jumped up to hug her brother, and it had lasted a little longer than usual.

"I don't need two!" she retorted and released her brother from her hold.

Mustering her best smile, Mana waved her brother goodbye as she took off to the door.

A rush of morning breeze touched her face as she opened the door. "I'll just run today!," she said to no one in particular. Peeking outside the door, she concluded that the weather was suitable for a brief morning jog through the rush hour.

Mahado instinctively flicked his finger on her forehead, for under his jurisdiction, the formidable queen of mischief and pranks had thoroughly deserved it.

"Ouch, how did you get-?!" The girl's eye's widened, incredulous that her brother could get to where she was in immense lightning speed!

The older man reciprocated her embrace. Then a frown of precaution. "Just don't be late! You know Karita does not tolerate tardiness."

Ignoring the reminder, Mana abruptly let go and grinned. "Hahahahaha, Me? Late? The fastest runner of the girls' softball team is right here so I'll never be late, ever!" she boasted and heaved her chest in dramatic passion.

Mahado merely deadpanned in response to her antics, "The facts will say for themselves. See you at school."

With a nonchalant wave, Mana turned her heels to leave, but only after a few seconds, the voice she had wanted to hear the least had penetrated her eardrums once again, much to her displeasure. His damned voice had stopped her tracks and prevented her from advancing further, which made her roll her eyes at his constant nagging.

"Wait! I forgot there's a letter addressed to you. It's at the porch, but I think you should head off first." Mahado's features gradually contorted into his signature scowl which had been triggered by the based expression of the girl, whom he assumed had forcibly covered her ears to irritate him further.

Deliberately, in fact.

A vein or two erupted on the man's bronze forehead. "If you are going to live in his house, I will not condone such behavior! " Raising his left hand that was still clutched on to the newspaper, he marched towards the porch. "PRIORITIES!", he nagged at her one more time.

'A letter for me? Oh, I freaking cannot to wait to read what's inside! A secret admirer?' Mana thought, dismissing her previous frustrations with her brother. She couldn't help it for that time of the month had come again. It was an unpleasant experience every human who possessed two identical X-chromosomes had to undergo - constant prickles of infliction that boys simply could never comprehend. She picked up the letter from the porch, completely ignoring her brother's constant barking. Focusing her all on the letter, her eyes caught the sender's name.

Teal orbs brightened in disbelief. The girl was incredulous.

To Kurosaki Mana

From Kurosaki Mana

'What?! What the hell?! A letter from me?'

Sensing her approaching brother who had called on punitive measures of reprisal, she decided the best option was to sprint away from him as fast as she could - and she did, like a galloping horse that longed to finish its maiden race in flying colors.

Getting on the bus, she spotted a vacant seat by the window.

Mana wore a grim but thoughtful expression—her brows tended to curve into a frown. Despite being shot with signals of interest from a few male bystanders, she ignored them, albeit not on purpose. She had possessed a pretty round face, her features were also symmetrical, which definitely garnered the attention of many, both male and female alike. She never considered to be on par with one of her friends who had been gifted a gorgeous face and a voluptuous figure-though beauty also had its downsides. The inevitable catcalling by men and envious looks from women were aggravating to deal with. But her blonde friend, who experienced in on a daily basis, to which she was thankful her encounters were more infrequent in comparison. Thanks to her, they both have come up with a variety of countermeasures to tackle this ongoing issue. It was a bonus that she also had unknowingly warded off unwanted attention for she was utterly consumed in curiosity - hellbent on finding out the mystery and origin behind the letter.

'April 6th, the first time I've slept in. Guess that'll be the opening line to my diary entry today...' she mused to herself, as she looked out of the windows of the already crowding bus.

She decided that the letter could wait, since she was in dire need of a brief nap which she will not be deprived of. Looking at her reflection, she was bemused that her eyes resembled a panda's. Black circles were smudged on the forming bags under her eyes. She then rested her head towards the direction of the window and rested her eyes. There were more important things at hand aside from constantly worrying over a note.

During homeroom, Mana did not pay attention to the teacher who had outlined basic housekeeping classroom rules and drills. She merely remembered her name as 'Chouno'-to which she noted as quite an ordinary surname. Since she had entered the class, the vibes she had gotten from her had been unpleasant, and the thought of being stuck with her all year-the thought alone was enough to make her cringe. She then sighed in annoyance since earlier in the day, she had been punished by Karita to pick up some trash alongside others who had been tardy in the morning. Tempted at imitating a mock voice of him, she mused to herself, "during the whole duration of recess."

The whole class was then instructed to take out all their books since the 'wanton woman', as Mana addressed her as, was adamant on outlining the curriculum of the entire year. As she spread her books and notes on the table in a state of impatience, her eyes wandered to the unopened letter that had been addressed to her by her anonymous doppelganger.

Gulping a huge mouthful of saliva, she slowly reached her hands towards the letter. With a poker face, the girl nervously opened the letter, partially unaware that Chouno was announcing something noteworthy which involved the whole class.

Her curiosity fueled eyes scanned over the refill in awe.

To Miss Kurosaki Mana,

To the me who is in the second year of high school, have you been well?
I am writing this to you from ten years in the future. If you are wondering why I'm writing this to you now, it is because there is something crucial that I need to ask of you. A favor per say, and you must accept it no matter what.

She stifled a laughter for she didn't want to attract any form of trouble—not on the first day at the very least, for the sake of his brother's temperament.

'How mediocre. I won't not be undermined by mere child's play! This is a freaking prank! Ten years in the future? What kind of nonsense is this!', she thought.

Oh how she blessed the lucky person who would be on the receiving end of her fists. The girl had almost grinned at the thought alone.

I hope you won't repeat the same mistakes. In this letter, I will write about what will happen next and when it will happen so you can choose for yourself the right path and decision to make.

Reading further, her doubts had been replaced with a probability of certainty.

[April 6th]

Because you forgot to set up your alarm clock for the first time, you overslept. You had to rush through your morning routine. Plus, you deserved being punished by the teacher since you were reading a light novel by Yuugi-Ou, the night before, making you sleep late. It was called Timeless, if I remember correctly-

The girl's eyes dilated and she had almost jumped out of her seat in a mixture of shock and surprise. Thankfully, no one had barely noticed her freaking out like a madwoman. A stinging sensation of anxious rush rippling through her veins. The accuracy of the letter awoken her from her slumber. A single thought that spoke a million curse words triggered many more unpleasant ones.

'Holy Shit! What if I'm being stalked by some pervert?'

The letter had even made mention of her favorite author, which further intrigued the girl. Yuugi-Ou's light novel 'Timeless' was a popular light novel among teenagers and young adults alike. Although the author's pen name was well-recognized in Tokyo and its surrounding cities, there had been rumors that the anonymous author was an individual who strongly preferred solitude. Apparently, he was one who did not welcome invasive interviews, for fear of nosy journalists who were willing to expose his covert and personal affairs.

She read on-

There will be a transfer student from Tokyo by the name of Yami Mutou who will be in your class from today on-

Mana's ears suddenly perked as Chouno's piercing voice broke her out of delirium. Nonredeemable she was, yet she was grateful she had indirectly benefited from her intrusion.

'Transfer student? Yami Mutou?...'-

The girl swore she almost dropped her jaw, for the letter had undeniably dictated everything she had read, as of yet, without a single trace of error and inaccuracy. She opened her mouth, then closed it and looked to her left and right as the class was washed over with excitement - no with palpitate curiosity. She observed. The class broke into chatter while Chouno harshly signaled them to quiet down. The woman had forcefully tapped her heals against the tiled floor. An audible sound of friction prompted Mana that she was going to explode into a fit, sooner or later -

As if on cue,

"SHUT UU—QUIET DOWN!" the ginger haired woman growled as she slammed her hand to the desk, silencing the class almost immediately.

"That's better," she remarked smugly. She then gestured for the boy to come in. "Welcome to our class, Yami Mutou."

Mana rolled her eyes at the synthetic tone of her voice.

'Ugh, what a bitch.'

As directed, the boy stepped into the room and considered the pool of students with somewhat of a vacant expression. The girl looked up and met his eyes-he possessed a beautiful set of amethysts the she had never seen, it was one of a kind. The boy then drooped his neck forwards, obscuring his brilliant orbs from sight. However, instinct told Mana something had been amiss-but she could not pinpoint what exactly. His hair was arrayed like a porcupine's and his bangs spiraled upwards into his hair like bolts of lightning-Mana had noted he sported an exotic hairstyle indeed.

No longer in the spotlight, Chouno begrudgingly proceeded to write chalk his name on the board. "From today onwards, he'll be part of our class." She lacked the enthusiasm and flair a teacher ought to have possessed. Mana would have fun adding this info to her evaluation and feedback at the reflective report each student had to complete in the year's end.

Squinting her eyes, she added with a grumble, "And play nice." Chouno continued. "Mutou transferred in from Tokyo, and it's his first time living in Domino," the teacher proudly announced with a hint of contempt. Scanning the room with predatory eyes, Chouno was hopeful that she could catch anyone violating school rules. At any moment, she could pick out her prey and—

"Please take care of me." Yami said meekly, with a bow, smiling.

She could here whispers of elation, especially among the girls, he was good-looking after all. Had a few of girls been smitten just by a smile of a suave stranger?- The girl swallowed such shallow thoughts and concentrated on the issue at hand-the letter. Yes, in an attempt at self-rationalization, Mana deeply considered the truth behind the words of ambiguity. Putting on her glasses of skepticism once more, she read on further.

He will sit next to you.

Mana flinched as she pursed her lips into a line, she was ambivalent, but she was leaning towards faith.

Chouno sent a low-key scowl towards the teal-eyed girl. "Oh, and Mutou-san, you can take the seat next to Kurosaki." Mana wondered if anyone else could hear the venom dripping from her voice. The boy perked up and followed the teacher's instructions who then motioned to the empty seat beside Mana.

The girl acknowledged the oncoming student with a nod and a little wave, but somehow she could not help but feel awkward. Perhaps the authenticity of the letter had- Yami reciprocated with a nod who then sat himself on the seat. He then got out all the lesson materials as required, resting his cheek on his palm afterwards. The boy likewise, paid no heed to the babbling of the woman before him.

Mana felt her eyes close to bulging out. 'What the fuck. Is this letter for real? How?! Okay...maybe this is all a coincidence…' and she doubted once more.

The flustered girl stole intermittent glances of the boy throughout the duration of homeroom. She wanted to get a better sight of the boy's features. He was handsome, yet his expression maintained a stoic demeanor that slightly intimidated her. The girl tried to brush away that sense of unease by shooting him another quick look-to make sure he would lighten up or smile or make a different expression. She assumed that he was not an athlete despite sporting a lean physique. She also noted he was rather dull and sluggish. Unknown to her, another girl had also boarded the same express.

He looked bored throughout the day. Geometry, Chemistry, Japanese History-he either looked tired or showed complete disinterest.- an unwelcoming aura, to Mana's aggravation. She had piqued a mild shallow interest in the boy, yet he remained unreadable. He was a complete enigma to her.

When recess came, Mana had to decline joining her friends who had eagerly invited her to play 'Last Card' with them. "Sorry Anzu, I kinda got done in by Karita, you see…"she scratched the back of her head and showered her friends in apologies.

The girl whom she addressed, had her hands up in the air. "No, No! It's a-ok! If you have something to do then-"

"Well it can't be helped, you always ought to be prepared for the consequences." A gruff voice interjected, derisive. It belonged to a brunette who had a set of azure.

Anzu rolled her eyes in response and humphed. "What consequences?" It almost came out as a snarl.

Mana also rolled her eyes and averted her eyes from him, her pleading eyes scanning her group of friends, for someone to back her up. She hadn't mentally prepared herself (curse the letter!) from Seto Kaiba, whom she had an intense personality clash with. Despite her endeavors in accepting him on face value, his comments often triggered her nerves to the point she swore he would get a roasting of a life time the next time he opened his mouth.

Ironically she had been unable to retort and instead, thanked Anzu with all her heart for taking the brunt of collateral damage, she had thick skin, after all.

"Well everyone knows that tardiness won't be condoned by Karita of course. Have you been living under a rock all this time Mazaki?", came Kaiba's rebuttal.

Seemingly unaffected by the comment, the girl with chestnut hair placed a firm hand on Mana's shoulder. "Yes, it can't be helped BUT we're gonna help you out, won't we, Jounouchi?"

Shot with a glare, a male with dirty blonde hair smacked his hand to his head, "Yeah! Me and Anzu'll help you Mana!" he exclaimed albeit sheepishly.

Amidst the squabbling group of friends, Mana panicked as she looked at the time—she was probably going to be late if she lingered any further. Mouthing a quick thanks to her two 'saviors', she quickly darted out of class and disappeared into the hallway.

"Well at least the chatterbox's gone." Kaiba remarked impassively, breaking the silence.

Jounouchi flashed his middle finger outrageously, "You better shut up rich boy! If you weren't my buddy I would've whooped your face! You also better apologize to Mana later or I'll grab that stick out of your sorry ass—hey, what are you… HEY! HEY! FUCKING let go of me you bastard!"

Kaiba smirked sadistically since he had Jounouchi right where he wanted— in an uncomfortable headlock. "Grovel before me! Beg and I'll let you go mutt!"

Anzu instinctively scratched at the aggressor's uniform, hopeful that the victim could be released. "Stop it Kaiba! Jeez! You're starting to attract a crowd here!" she squealed, noticing a few of their classmates had begun staring at the group.

She withheld herself from punching 'Mr. Sadist.'

"Won't the two of you just stop?" Hands on voracious hips, the girl who had just shouted, charged towards her friends, full of vigor. Her blonde locks definitely made her stand out from the crowd, earning her around a dozen catcalls per day, much to her chagrin. Kaiba relented and released Jounouchi on her order, and she showered the two her righteous disciplinary measures-as Anzu had put it.

Tersely pinching Jounouchi's ear the newcomer continued to chide, "You! think before you speak!"

"Ouch! It hurts Mai, Sto-Stoppp!" Jounouchi reached for his ears, yelping in pain.

Kujaku Mai then pointed a finger to the aggressor. "You too Kaiba, always trying to sound like an edgy anti-hero won't redeem you from being the cocky ass you are! Cut the snark!" she rebuked.

Kaiba didn't let her finish and cut her off by walking away briskly. Rolling his eyes, he muttered something along the lines of ending up with an unreasonable band of petty clowns who only make nonconstructive bickering all day long. He had to let his ears heal.

Fists clenched to her side, the blonde girl had yet to finish. "Fucking rude! Oh, the nerve of that guy!" Turning to Anzu she continued her tirade, "Why the hell did you even bring him here in the first place?!"

Anzu immediately got defensive and raised her hands in the air. "H-hey, why are you asking me?! He decided to hang around us anyway!" Twiddling the thumbs of her consciousness, she hoped Mai would stop talking about him. She then attempted to avert the subject.

"So I guess Last Card's a No, then?"

"Nah, I'll pass… I'm gonna head to the vendors and probably shoot some hoops with Honda." Jounouchi flashed Anzu a grin before spinning his heels. "Well, see ya!" With a wave of his hand, he sped out of the classroom door, unaware that his deliberate move to ignore Mai earned her a chance to quickly scan him up and down.

Subtly, she thought. Kujaku Mai then quickly tucked a flock of hair behind her ear—for Anzu's question had clearly broken her out of her reverie, being a little disappointed by her intrusion. She didn't catch Anzu had witnessed what she had just done.

"Eh, sorry hon, maybe when Mana's here at lunch," Mai replied halfheartedly.

Anzu grinned then flashed her friend a knowing smirk-a pestering smirk that signaled Mai that boy talk is inescapable. "Good luck, you'll totally need it." She then gave her the clear thumbs up of her full support.

"What luck?" Mai asked behind a feign look of bewilderment.

"Oh, come on! You were clearly eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat!" Anzu crossed her arms and upon seeing Mai avert her eyes, gave her a victorious smirk.

Clearly she hadn't been subtle enough. Grabbing a pack of candies from her skirt pocket, the blonde abruptly stuffed a few into her mouth and began chewing on them.

Anzu leered in, still smirking.

"What now?" Mai sighed. "Stop staring Anzu, is there anything on my face?" Mai raised a brow. There were times when she thought Anzu's habits of probing got a little too far, and it was the last thing she wanted now. It was one of her pet peeves, so to speak.

On understanding her friend's signals of reluctance in opening up about her feelings for a certain blonde, she dropped the subject. Anzu was somewhat dissatisfied by Mai's reaction. In recent months, her intimacy with Jounouchi has been glaringly obvious not only to her-even Mana and Seto had noticed. She sighed in concession, which elicited a smug grin from her friend. It was a matter of changing tactics- a glimpse of magenta and bolts of lightening caught her attention.

"Why don't you go chat up with the transfer student?" Anzu asked, her eyes brightened a hue, which perplexed the blonde.

'Changing the subject again Anzu?'

Mai merely continued to munch on some candies, then she abruptly shot out of seat, startling her friend out of her threshold. Then she looked into Anzu's slightly intimidated orbs of cerulean.

"You think I look like the type to just go up and say hi to some stranger?" She leaned in even further, clearly intending to capture her friend's undivided attention. "Why don't you go instead?" she retorted rhetorically, brows raised. Anzu flinched and looked away a little flushed. Mai smirked, for she had the cat out of the bag.

"F-Fine, I'll go then!" Anzu snapped in response, her mask of pretense roughly shattered in mere seconds by her ever so perceptive yet callous girlfriend. She marched briskly towards the transfer student whom nobody had greeted nor addressed yet.

Yami was looking out the window, while flicking his fountain pen back and forth, twirling and manipulating it in and over his fingers. He had hoped that the greenery and the birds could fill his inner cup of boredom, to no avail- Hearing footsteps approaching, he pursed his lips into a firm line.

"Hey, I'm Anzu! Yami, right? Hope you're liking school so far? Nice to meet you," Anzu greeted in her best smile, despite the the despondence and the ever so repelling force of nature before her, whose position had intuitively told her to go away. It was a tactic to ward unwanted guests, but she was tired of games. - Inwardly, she sighed as she lamented on the way she had broken the ice. She felt she sounded a little too sleazy, even for her own liking.

The boy immediately jolted up, snapping him out of his trance-like-state-

The source a soothing voice.

Amethysts met Cerulean. On contact, Yami merely smiled wryly in response, then mumbled a swift hello before he quickly turned his head back to the window and resumed his 'unfinished business'. Anzu caught him sport a disgruntled expression but it vanished as soon as it had appeared. He was a conventional boy, contrary to the responses of the majority of the teenage female population, his aloof attitude piqued her interest all the more. She definitely blamed it on her hormones, or perhaps her Pandora box complex to which Kaiba had written off as a poor excuse of denying her 'masochistic' tendencies.

The girl then forced a puzzled look, masking her boiling temperature at his curt and rude response. Many girls would definitely be put off, however, she shrugged it off and returned to her friends, not before stealing a quick glance of shallow admiration at the new student.

'He's quite a mystery man with a little bit of a bad boy streak I must say. What is he exactly trying to pull?'

"Yo Mana, let's go home!" Jounouchi beamed rather eagerly, who in Mana's case, had suddenly popped out of nowhere and that startled her. The girl had just read the rest of the letter, which left her with more unanswered questions. Frightened, the girl jumped from her chair and slammed her hand on the desk. Jounouchi smiled coyly.

Giving Mana a taste of her own medicine - Mission accomplished!

She turned her body towards him and being alarmed, raised her hands animatedly. "Dude, you almost gave me a heart attack!" She held back a screech.

"Oh and we can probs make a quick stop at my place and get some bread!" Anzu added as she walked towards Mana and Jounouchi, and god forbid she saw Jounouchi pulling his childish prank on Mana with that auspicious grin of his! She had almost hoped it had backfired.

Heralding her arrival, Mana shot out of her seat and clasped Anzu's hand dreamily. "Yeah! I could really use some Mazaki bread right now...I'm kinda hungry and not to mention, they're the best in town!"

"Jounouchi!" Mai nudged the boy hard in the ribs, giving him and a certain classmate suggestive glances that told him to do something about the latter who was about to leave the classroom.

"Oh right!" he mumbled. Catching up to the smaller boy, Jounouchi called out abruptly. "Ah! Yami!"

The boy was beckoned to halt his dragging footsteps. It was time for him to put on the mask once more -

"Huh?" Yami pointed to himself and turned to face the source of enthusiasm, as he would like to call him Mr. Refreshing.

"Let's go grab some bread together!" Jounouchi beamed as he speedily approached the unsuspecting boy and captured his head in a headlock. Yami visibly flinched at the uncomfortable situation: sudden physical contact with a stranger; let alone of the same gender, was awkward, but under the wire, he decided that he would play along and set the stage for them.

"Don't worry man! It's alright we get along just fine, see?" Jounouchi smiled reassuringly and ruffled his hair.

"No.. Today I can't.. I.." he responded albeit with clear hesitation.

Anzu's eyes brightened, "Yeah, why not come over and have some bread? It'll be free."

"Yeah! Her parents own a bakery and their bread're the best in town!" Jounouchi chipped in.

Mai chuckled, "No pressure though, kay?"

A voice dripping with sarcasm interjected. "Let him be the judge of that mutt."

Jounouchi didn't want to give Kaiba the satisfaction that his provocations had worked its magic. Instead of reacting impulsively, he shot him a distasteful scowl. With gritted teeth, a thought passed through his mind, that if it were not for Yami, he would not restrain himself from behaving wildly. He licked his mental lips at the thought of Kaiba being pummeled by him face first on the ground. A defeat so brutal that the proud teen would be utterly humiliated by an underdog. Jounouchi had imagined that in that world, crowds cheered for him, calling his name.

His gleeful smirk made it clear to the rest of the group that the blonde still had unfinished business with the brunette - all in due time.

The thought of Jounouchi ever humiliating Kaiba sent shivers down Anzu's spine, making her insides cringe. She had to hold back a scoff of her own.

Mai was relieved he had kept his mouth shut, yet she rolled her eyes at the bickering exchange of the two.

"This is just too much testosterone for me to handle." Anzu muttered to her blonde companion.

Mai then grabbed Anzu's arm and winked. "You said it, we're out of here and let the men handle the mess. No I mean chauvinistic boys!"

She face-palmed. Mai thought that men who asserted dominance by means of aggression and display of external physical manipulation were repulsive, since their marginal extent of arrogance have gone far past her standards of tolerance. Then, she turned her attention to Mana who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole banter involving the arbitrary power play. Wouldn't she usually be pranking on Jounouchi? Cue in right about now? She raised a brow upon noticing she had been caught up in her own world, whereas Anzu looked on to Mana's sudden paling face with heavy concern. The blonde blinked twice and saw that her friend's face was close to being drained of blood.

The object of the girls' concern observed the boys' exchange with a vacant expression, as if in a daze.

You'll invite Yami to go home together but he'll refuse the offer.

"Earth to Mana, you okay?" Anzu's quick nudge on her ribs brought her out of her delirium. The color returned to her face, much to the girls' relief.

Scratching her head, she nodded rather unconvincingly. "Yeah... I'm just tired, that's all." She cursed for sounding sheepish and lethargic, and hoped that the girls would not keep on pressing the buttons, for her mind has been enveloped with an unspeakable apprehension. The unfulfilled words of the letter continued to resonate within her tiny frame, waiting for its time to come to fruition.

But I hope you won't invite Yami out on that day. Absolutely refrain from doing so.

Mana flinched slightly and bit her lip.

Author's Note: Yes! I'm back! I decided to split the first chapter into two, since it was too long, I reckon! So, expect the next chapter to be out quite soon. Can you all guess who Yuugi-Ou is? I bet it'll be an easy guess.

Edited on 28/11/2016. I have refined and polished it more, and undoubtedly made it shorter too. The perfectionist in me just cannot be satisfied with the constant editing!

I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please read, follow, favorite and review! I cannot stress enough how reviewing can compel us authors to write more.