Hello! I've been working on this for a few weeks so hopefully you all like it!
A groan echoed through the small studio apartment as an alarm clock wailed away. A form slowly dragged itself to the nightstand and slammed its fist down on the button. A girl rose up from the blankets, eyeing the puddle of drool by her feet and her giant English Mastiff who stared at her with sorry black eyes. Light flooded the small space, reflecting off the pale walls and light wood flooring. There was a bed covered in white sheets, a dog bed that served more of a purpose as a chew toy next to it by the nightstand, and the kitchen. An old cello laid against the wall, dusty and needing to be tuned.
"C'mon, Mason..." She grumbled as she turned on the television, rubbing her eyes and letting her feet hit the cold hardwood floor.
"Good Morning, Domino City, this is Obta Takumi and Nakamura Mei-"
She barely paid any attention to the man as she went into the small kitchen on the other side of the room thinking only one thought. The only appliance on the counter, almost looked like an old friend as it's cheap silver colored plastic shined in the light. It wasn't at all traditional for Japan but having a Russian mother had benefited her. She had drank the same thing every morning while her father had tea.
"It will be a partly sunny morning, sunshine in the afternoon," the television continued in the background.
Need coffee. Now.
Mason walked lazily to her side with his bowl in his mouth, drool running down the sides as he let it fall to the floor with a thud as she began her morning routine. He had already began to whine when she grabbed a bag from under the sink, half surprised that he hadn't figured out how to open the cabinets yet. She poured the kibble in the bowl with her eyes half open. Some of it falling onto the floor instead.
The dog ate messily as she drank her coffee, feeling an instant pick up and went to get her new school uniform out of the closet. She grimaced at the bright pink blazer.
You've gotta be kidding me. Why did they make me waste my money on this thing?
The big blue bow got the same treatment but she still put it on, straightening her blue pleated skirt. The duel disk went into her black messenger bag as well as some supplies. She was about to turn off the television, her fingertip over the button.
"In recent news, Riko Kurosaki was found dead, adding to the recent string of serial killings-," she sat on the edge of her bed listening carefully as she laid back down," in her apartment in northern Domino. Mrs. Kurosaki was one of the leading designers at KaibaCorp for the Duel Disk System. The police have began calling this the Domino City Computer Murders. The other victims have been identified as Fekla and Ichiro Takahashi, their daughter Akiko, Kiyoshi Onizuka, and Soichiro Ichinose-" She clenched the sheets and sighed, raising her head up as if she was drowning. Her reflection looked back at her with bright green eyes as she walked into the bathroom.
"I look so pathetic," she mumbled as Mason went up to her and started licking her hand. Large deep seated purple bags hung underneath her eyes and once milky white skin was replaced with skin that looked sickly, blue-green vines showed through like children making shadow puppets in a fort of thin blankets. When she pulled away from the mirror, bright smiling faces looked back at her on tubes of makeup and skin creams. It felt insulting
"Everything will be better soon, Mase." There was a slight optimism in her voice that soon diminished when her reflection stared back at her again.
She sat on the steps as teens piled in, staring at some of the other girls, she realized how lucky she was to find an actual knee length skirt. She wasn't even sure if this was what she would've worn. Boys whispered as they walked by and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Isn't that-"
"Yeah, Karin Watanabe, she's-"
"The 3rd ranked duelist in the world."
"No- that's that Wheeler kid!"
She pinched the bridge of her nose and slammed her book shut, there was no way she could think straight with these boys breathing down her neck. Eventually she found her classroom and took a seat in the back. A couple people stared at her but she ignored it, brushing her black hair back.
"That's Kaiba's seat," a girl muttered. She threw her a look and the girl shut up quickly. All of the other students piled into the classroom, the teacher following behind them. Her eyes continued to scan the pages of her book until a shadow cast down.
Someone's hand was outstretched in front of her and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him. She recognized him, his bright blue eyes and his chestnut brown hair, he was taller than the television made it seem though. It was hard to read his expressions, his eyebrows almost completely hidden by his bangs.
"I'm Seto Kaiba, I look forward to dueling you soon," he said with a bit of an attitude, it was a fairly good start to an introduction but it quickly went sour.
"And why do you think I want to duel you? I'm here to study," she stated, rising out of her chair and crossing her arms across her chest, there was a slight pause before he began again.
"I'm the 2nd best duelist if not the best in the world. Eventually you'll want one of those titles and you'll have to verse me then." He smirked and she really wanted to slap it off, that or sick Mason on him. "I've read up on you." He had the wrong person.
"I'm flattered. I'm really not that interested in taking your rank though." She said as he took the seat behind her. He eyed her down, just scanning her.
"I don't believe that. Especially from the last time we met and how a few months ago you were going after everyone's titles." She snapped her head around, looking straight at him. He looked down at her book.
Could he tell?
"You didn't come across as a reader. The Picture of Dorian Gray?" She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief.
"I don't remember that, meeting you. You should mind your own business and I'll do the same." Kaiba cocked his head to the side as he pulled a book out of his briefcase.
"I don't follow orders well. I give them."
"Well, that's a shame." She said, turning back around as the teacher began the lesson, jotting down notes. Her hand tugging on her hair. "Maybe we can play a different game."
The day droned on but school finally let out and she quickly went home to her apartment She changed into a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, she laced her boots up halfway. Mason looked at her with pleading eyes as she put on her hoodie, his leash in his mouth.
"Trying to say something?" She said with a laugh as he nudged his broad head into her thigh, making loud whines. She clipped it to his collar and walked outside, her messenger bag over her shoulder. The dog followed her as they walked through the city, the dusk looming in the background of Domino. It wasn't a route she had taken in years but her feet moved on their own. She walked by stores that had replaced the ones of her youth, the only thing that was left was a small game store.
They entered a large house on the outskirts of town and she pulled out her phone.
"Nice hearing from you! I already got that house cleared out. A week ago, I think," a man stated with a thick Russian accent. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you thinking you'll find?"
"Anything, Uncle Alex." It had been over ten years. It was more than a bit late, he hadn't exactly been helping her. He must've had plenty of free time to get it done. At least in her eyes. She halfway wondered why she bothered talking to him, it didn't do any good.
"Your specifics are astounding," he said sarcastically. "Oh, I got to go, meeting in ten." He hung up as she began scanning the house. The dog whimpered as she closed the door.
"I know it's hard to be home again. You're so old now." She pulled out a camera and a notepad. There must have been something they had missed.
They had been gone for so long.
She walked back into the small apartment, Mason in tow. Her nights had been growing longer, she was beginning to wonder when she'd be able to get a full night's rest again. The dog walked lazily to the bed and hopped onto the end, where he took up most of the space. He laid there with his big sad eyes beckoning his owner as she walked into the bathroom, lazily grabbing something off her head and throwing it across the tile. She washed everything away, scrubbing her face so hard it stung, she pulled her hair out of their braids and quickly ran her hands through them before wrapping a robe around herself.
She smiled and crawled into bed, knowing her mind would be blank for a few hours. Mason put his head on her icy feet as he snored, keeping her warm through the night.