"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present." – Francis Bacon

(Alea's POV)

"Alea…Alea, wake up!" someone said, followed by the person tapping on my arm. I nearly jumped awake.

"Wha…who…?" I blubbered out, slightly out of it.

"You ok there?" Joey asked. "Man, and I thought I had a problem with snoozin' in class."

"I…this isn't the norm for me," I explained.

"That's why I got worried," he said.

"I guess I just haven't been getting much sleep," I sighed.

"School gettin' ya stressed out?" he inquired.

"No…just weird dreams," I replied.

"What kind of weird dreams?" he asked.

"Um…you know, it's not really important," I said. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

"Hey, I'm meeting up with Yugi and the others at the card shop. Wanna tag along?" he asked.

"I'd love to," I said. "But I really have to catch up with some school work. And today's laundry day too."

"Ok then. See ya around, Lea," he said before taking off. I headed to my locker to retrieve my materials for homework.

Well, I guess an introduction is needed. My name is Alea Sterling. I'm 16 years old and a sophomore at Domino High. I live by myself in an apartment complex in downtown Domino, since my parents are always away on business trips. I'm also an amateur artist. Well…at least to myself. Others seem to always praise me for my ability, but even I know I have a long way to go before I'm to be considered a professional.

And…as for those "weird dreams"…the only reason I say they're unimportant is because I can't even explain them. They're just too…strange and obscure. I'm just standing in a world of shadows when suddenly a bright light cuts through the darkness…and then I wake up. Strange right? It's been that way several times, but I can't find a single meaning within them.

As I finished gathering my things, the locker next to me opened. This was Seto Kaiba's locker. We didn't really speak. And no, it wasn't because he was the CEO of a mega corporation and I would be like a gushing fangirl. It certainly wasn't that. It was just because there was never any reason for us to converse. The fact that he was a CEO really didn't matter to me. As far as I was concerned, while we were in school he was just a normal person like the rest of us. Now, as far as my feelings about him, while Joey and the others seemed to not think too well of him (with the exception of Yugi), I basically carried the assumption that as a high power businessman Seto naturally carried an air of arrogance about him that was more than typical of men of his status. But perhaps deep down he wasn't very secure. That's often a reason people are either anti-social or act very egotistical. But…that was just my assumption.

Just as I closed my locker and was about to leave, I heard him say, "Wait."

It came as such a shock to me that I stopped immediately. This was maybe the first time he actually spoke to me…or even acknowledged I existed. "Y…Yes?" I said.

"You dropped this the other day," he said, holding out something. It took me a moment, but I soon recognized it.

"My…my ring," I confirmed. I had been looking all over for it. It was a gift that my grandfather gave to me years ago before he died. It was his old and apparently special ring that was silver and engraved with Latin wording that said "Oculi animae porta" or "The eyes are the gateway to the soul". This was a phrase important to us both, as my grandfather was also an artist. He believed that the eyes were the most important tool and aspect in art, as in portraits they could tell fathoms about the person and, on a larger scale, they provided us with the scope of the world of which we captured in our work. It is also the phrase that I lived by socially.

Seto dropped the ring into my extended hand. "Thank you," I said. "You have no idea how important this is to me."

He simply nodded and went about his own business. Well…I guess there wasn't really much else to be said anyway. At least he cared enough to return it to me. I slipped it back on my finger and exited the school. I walked to the bike rack, unlocked my bike, and pedaled back to my apartment. About a quarter of the way there, it began to rain.

"Oh just perfect…" I grumbled to myself. It was a downpour and I was getting soaked. Well…at least my backpack is waterproof…

I pedaled as fast as I could to get out of the storm, raining nearly blinding me as it struck my face. Finally, I reached the building and hurried into the lobby. Not wanting to cross the room and let people see what a dripping mess I was, I decided to take the side elevator. Yes, it would mean I would end up further from my flat, but I was willing to walk down the two hallways if it meant not getting odd stares. I got in and pressed the button for floor 4.

After wheeling my bike to my flat, I reached in my pocket for my keys. They weren't in the pocket I normally had them in, so I checked my other pocket. Not there either. Great…this was just what I needed. I checked and double checked every place I could've put it, but to no avail.

I let out a rather loud groan. That's when I heard the door of the flat next to mine open. It was Ryou Bakura, another boy I went to school with and who sometimes hung around with Yugi and the gang. He had been my neighbor since I moved here a year ago and was a very friendly and kind person. He also lived alone, his father also always on trips, just of the archeological variety.

"Alea, is something wrong?" he asked, quite concerned.

"Yeah…I've lost the keys to my flat," I answered. "As if getting drenched outside wasn't bad enough."

"You're keys? Oh! I meant to tell you earlier today," he said, reaching into his pocket. "You dropped them when you were leaving the building this morning. I wanted to return them to you during school, but never got the chance."

My heart lifted and my face lit up. I immediately got up and retrieved my keys. "Thank you so much, Bakura!" I exclaimed. "You're a life saver." I my excitement, I hugged him. It wasn't until a moment passed when I realized that I had probably just got him wet from my still soaked clothes. I quickly backed off.

"Shoot, I am so sorry," I apologized. "I forgot I was still all wet."

"It's no trouble, really," he said kindly. "I understand you were a bit overjoyed."

"Thanks," I said a bit relieved. He just smiled. I unlocked the door to my flat and started wheeling my bike inside.

"Is there anything you need help with?" he asked. He always seemed to ask me questions like that. If he could help me in any way. To be honest, he was the only person I ever knew that was like that. Friendly and always looking to assist others. I mean, yeah, he was usually quiet and on his own, but…oh, but I'm a little like that too.

"I think I'll be fine for now," I replied. "But I'll let you know if I do."

"I'm always here if you need anything," he said.

"Thanks," I said. "I'll see you later."

"Cheerio," he said, going back inside.

I went inside my flat and wheeled my bike into the laundry room to dry off. After that I took my clothes off to throw in with the rest of the dirty laundry and changed into a pair of pajamas. While my clothes were going through the wash cycle, I decided to make myself a cup of hot chocolate. Perfect for a day like this. For as much as I disliked being outside in the rain, I loved rainy days indoors. It just had a calming effect. I looked out my window, sipping the hot chocolate. The clouds made the buildings appear as dark silhouettes and the river a grey color. That's when I thought occurred to me…I've always wanted to…maybe now was the best opportunity. My window did span the length of the flat's walls and touched from the ceiling to just near the floor. I had the perfect view. I went to the storage closet and took out my easel, paints, and a spare canvas. I set them up in front of the window. My school work could wait. I had to capture this scene before it got too dark.

I painted. It must've been a few hours before I completed it. It was a monochromatic painting that displayed only the silhouettes of the buildings, bridges, and telephone wires in black, the brushstrokes replicating the rain on the window that obscured them. The sky and river were grey with heavy, globbed strokes of paint that was meant to mirror the rain dropping from and into them. I stepped back to admire my work. I was…impressed. I rarely did landscapes, but this one seemed to be one of my best thus far. I left it there to dry and went to take my laundry out to be folded. Afterwards, I did my homework and had dinner. It wasn't long before I became overcome with sleep. While trying to finish my homework, my black cat Midnight jumped up on the table and sat on my hands.

"Middy…I can't work if you're sitting on my hands and books," I said. She meowed at me, indicating she wasn't doing it for relaxation or to annoy me. "I know…I should get some sleep," I said. "Maybe you're right."

I put away my work and headed off to bed. I'd just finish it during free period tomorrow. Midnight jumped up onto the bed and curled up beside me. "Maybe I'll have a normal dream tonight, eh Middy?" I said. She was already asleep. Well…I could only hope I did. I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes.