A sleek black limo parted its way through the rain, lights flashing like angry red lightning.
The engine rumbled as it came to a stop, the clouds above instantly mimicking the menacing growl. A cocktail of colorfull leaves swayed in the wind like raging sea waves climbing to the heavens, anchored only by the thick trunks that dug into the Earth's entrails.
Black window wipers screamed like a war cry that challenged the wind's shrill howls as they ran back and forth shoving rain off the glass, demanding their terrain back.
Teens attired in blue uniforms ran helplessly toward the large brick building that stood defying the growing storm, backpacks and jackets raised high above their heads as an only solitude, their steps parting the puddles that nesteled into the pavement's dents.
Long gray minutes passed before a tall man dressed in black stepped out of the front passenger seat of the awaiting limosuine wearing sunglasses, despite the wild weather.
He walked briskly to the back of the limo, raindrops sliding off his bald head in a frenzy, serious expression never once faltering as if oblivious to the downpour surrounding him.
A gleaming silver handle clicked as the rear door opened in symmetry to the black umbrella now extending itself against the pale sky like a birds wings set to take flight. The man placed himself in position as Seto Kaiba stepped out of the vehicle and into the outstretched umbrella, the fortress proving that not even Mother Nature would get her hands on him.
His hollow orbs scanned the demonic prison the average person called school. A small amount of vomit creeped up his throat watching the selection of his 'classmates' that ran around like idiots chasing each other under the rain as if they were new to this planet.
Wet footsteps made their way to the entrance of the school, sloshing loudly, pounding into the pavement, followed loyally by the man and the umbrella to the utmost perfect precision. He stood as the doors slid open upon sensing his presence, hissing as in reverence to the man that stood before them.
The school that greeted him was large, inhabiting a vast old estate, once home to the richest family in the city now remodeled to home the most prestigious high school in the country. It's high placement in national competitions and secluded area were only some of the main appeals of the school who's famous name stood extended towards the sky above the arched entrance to the ample yard, raindrops gliding off its bronze letters.
The impeccable selection of indoor arrangements and spirited words pasted upon the walls to motivate its student population were anything but impressive to the young CEO, his expectations of the institute placed highly enough, all though in his opinion the teachers taught things he had known since he could walk and he wouldn't feed the cafeteria food to a dog, high expectations not quiet met.
The transparent dome that sat at the intersection of the four hallways cast a white flash of lightning onto the mass of students below, the creaking thunder hushing the animated conversation inside.
He walked briskly to the metallic white locker awaiting him, which he had ordered be in a secluded section of the eastern hallway, away from the immature boys and the girls who would give even an organ for a miniscule amount of his attention.
Expert fingers turned the knob in a perfect rendition of a three number combination, instantly clicking open. He neatly set his suitcase inside with a quiet thunk and glanced at his watch. A sliver of gold ticked from number to number, the hour he was due at slowly arriving. A black binder found its way out and into his arms as he shut his locker, making his way to Room 141.
The crowds in the hall were at odds between the teens who had become accustomed to the CEO's presence, and the ones who's eyes still glazed over when he walked by.
He on the other hand, had become blind to every last soul in the building since day one, ignoring the drooling airheads that giggled at his mere presence and internally laughing at the lunatics who thought they could stand up to him, only to be put down in shame.
His solitary demeanor and rash personality made for an impeding force field around him, chasing off peers that might suit the possibility of a friendship.
The only group of teens familiar enough to him were Yugi and his gang, their scholarships sent instantly upon news of their tournament triumphs, all tough they too were kept victims of his indifference.
He entered the classroom, first as usual, and took his seat in the back, the cold desk sitting alone against the wall, much to his preference. An old woman with wires of grey hair spewing from a bun was sitting at the oak desk that stood in the front of the classroom, mind lost in the confines of a book, oblivious to his presence.
Soon afterward the classroom started to flood with teenagers, each one of them brain dead in Kaiba's opinion, simply existing to fulfill a space in humanity.
Text books opened and papers rustled, a hushed murmur of voices all indicating the beginning of a new day.
The woman stood from her desk and soothed out the creases in her knee length skirt, age tainted hands gleaming with a simple selection of fine jewelery. After a brief greeting, she uncapped a marker as she started to write equations on the board in bright blue numbers.
The soft thud of the raindrops as they hit the roof of the school made for a tempting lullaby and the teachers hushed, aged voice only sweetened the allure, like wine that slid round and round a glass in a mesmerizing potion.
Kaiba felt the weight of sleepless nights and long days fall heavily on his eyelids, his selective lifestyle leaving no room for rest, the struggle between his mind and body becoming harder and harder.
Just as he was about to drift off into a realm of sleep, someone knocked on the door, sweeping away his drowsiness and springing to mind his attention. The teacher took patient steps toward the door and pulled it open with a creak, instantly greeting a secretary Kaiba recognized from the School Services office.
They exchanged papers as the young brunette explained something in her high pitched voice, dwindling earrings violently shaking as she spoke. She stepped back and waved her goodbye before the sounds of her clicking heels became dimmer and dimmer. The old woman kindly addressed someone outside the classroom and then turned back to her pupils, a gentle smile on her thin lips.
"Class," she addressed, "we have a new student today. Her name is Silver LeRouse."
"Is that how you pronounce it dear?" She asked someone standing on the other side of the doorway. She nodded at the answer she received and walked back into the classroom followed by a young girl.
Her legs stretched long like a summer sunset and her hair shone a blue black tone, as if feathers of a raven had been woven into its long curls, contrasting pleasantly with milk white skin. She had an aura to her that screamed friendliness, which made Kaiba sick.
True to her name, her eyes were silver, like the moon's reflection in the ocean. They were rimmed with long eyelashes as black and curled as her hair. Faded pink lips stammered a shaky greeting, matching the pink blotches that hugged her cheekbones, like a pond wrapping around a flowered garden.
She avoided direct eye contact with anyone, and her plastic smile flashed as rapidly as the lightning outside.
He could feel the class stiffen the second she walked in. Almost instantly people started muttering and whispering things about her as if she were some kind of new species on display at the local zoo, heeding no mercy.
She whispered a few things to the teacher as she placed a small pair of reading glasses on the bridge of her nose and wrote them down in her record book. Kaiba noticed the slight tremble in her hands as she wrapped her fingers into the metallic spiral of a plain black notebook, her uneasiness evident. The woman looked up from behind the fragile glasses, scanning the small classroom and Kaiba knew she was deciding where the new girl was going to sit.
He felt a pang of irritation strike him when the teens all looked to the single empty seat in the classroom, directly in front of him. He recoiled at the thought of her sitting there and wanting to make conversation or corrupt his concentration. He was not one to easily tolerate having strangers too close to him, invading his personal space.
Kaiba considered placing his binder on the seat, perhaps outsmarting the teacher into thinking someone already occupied the seat and had merely stepped out, though his logic came too late.
The teacher had directed her to the seat, long legs already carrying her in his direction.
As she settled her body into the seat, agitating her hair, Kaiba felt a familiar tingle of strawberry drift into the air, his senses wrapping to the disgust forming in his throat, how he loathed it when people approached much too close to him.
She sat down without so much as a glance his way and the class continued, although no one concentrated. People kept looking her way and muttering things, the girls trying to point out non existing flaws and the boys rehearsing pickup lines that not even his deceased grandmother would have fallen for.
Kaiba acknowledged that she was different looking, not like many girls he had ever seen, but certainly nothing to swoon over, indeed he had seen better.
She seemed to understand the lesson better than half of the students in the class and even participated a few times, gradually overcoming her initial shyness. Kaiba wasn't impressed seeing as to he had known all of this before uttering his first words, something he highly doubted some morons in the class had even done yet.
The shrill bell rang after the 45 minutes of class had transpired and no one was surprised when Kaiba was the first one out.
He took long strides to his locker; parting the sea of idiots he called his 'peers'.
A mental stream of complaints swam inside his head as he approached his locker, footsteps skidding to a stop mid hallway when he saw the new girl standing in front of the locker next to his, one hand holding a small piece of paper and the other turning the dial.
He felt like suing the school for going against his wishes about keeping his locker private but even he knew how ridiculous it sounded. He regained his composure, his expression hardening into ice to the velocity of his mood as he continued his way towards his locker.
He ignored her presence as he swiftly turned the knob and clicked the locker door open.
The girl turned upon hearing the sound of the door open, smiling a smile so warm it could have rotted his entire blood stream.
"Hello. I know who you are," She started.
"Great, another fangirl." He thought, rummaging through his locker. He buried his attention in the spine of the books his fingers were caressing, searching for the correct title.
Her voice reached his ears though her words didn't. Its tone was scratchy like running on gravel and edgy like the tip of a skyscraper scratching the clouds.
"My father was a partner of your company for a very long time until the contract expired and I believe..."
Kaiba was starting to find her voice amazingly annoying and almost felt like shutting himself in his locker just to drown her out.
"Anyway, I'm Silver." She finished with a breathy sigh, extending a hand out to shake. He finally found what he was looking for and slammed his locker shut, rushing by the girl without even glancing her way.
