Chapter 1: Think About My Life

Anya Crawford blinked her heavy eyelids open, squinting as the bright sun streamed through her blinds. She sighed, pushing the dark red hair from her face, and adjusting her vision to the light. A yawn escaped her throat, and she stretched her arms out to accommodate it, pushing the pastel colored blankets and sheets off of her legs.

Standing, she padded over to her dresser, grabbing the television remote and turning on the small tv in her room. A nicely dressed newsman talked blandly about the weather, and she frowned at the prospect of another stormy day.

Sighing again, she turned to her mirror, staring at her own deep lavender eyes and smoothing her hair with a brush. There was another tournament today, one that she was hoping to do well in. This life was getting old. Was she good at what she did? She liked to think so. Dueling had always been a big part of her life. But after just a few short years at being a true professional, life was getting…boring. There wasn't anything different to do, and the career went as usual. You win some, you lose some. It was enough to get by, but it wasn't making her…happy, like she thought it would.

She shook off the thoughts of life and pulled her hair back into a long ponytail, letting a few shorter bangs hang down around her face. She glanced back at the television that was still broadcasting the day's newsreel, and eyed her deckbox sitting next to it.

Anya's teeth clenched as a trickle of sweat slipped down her face. Her opponent was on the opposite side of the stadium, a confident smirk on his face. He was going to regret that. She stared at her hand, the limited options were grating down on her for sure. Damn hand-destroying cards. It was his field against hers. The same situations she was used to squirming out of. Despite the pressure of winning creating a headache within her temples, she grinned. This game was hers. Two monsters and plenty of trap cards defended her, and the little amount of life both players had created just the push she needed. She created an opening. A single, tiny window of opportunity that as soon as the crowd and her opponent saw it, the attitude in the room changed. The fans screamed wildly. Her opponents smile vanished as defeat slowly crept into his mind and disappointment in himself took over. The match was hers. She took a deep, slow breath as the podium descended, letting her down from the dueling arena. The other duelist threw some of his cards on the ground, cursing his bad hand.

Anya frowned at the bad sportsmanship, but she felt her lips curl into a small smile when she heard her name being announced as the winner. She knew the satisfaction of the win paled in comparison to what it meant for her growing reputation and paycheck for the month. At this point, the prize money would more than cover what she needed. She held her breath steady, trying to calm down from the adrenaline rush the last part of the intense duel had left her with. She walked into the winners hall, greeted by a few of her backstage supporters. Gamblers, mostly, thanking her for their monetary gain. She smiled and waved, but only to be polite.

When did this game get to be so dull? From the time she was thirteen on all she could think about was becoming a professional duelist. And now, at just twenty five, she was doubting her career choice. Leaving her supporters behind, she dropped her polite, smiling face and ran her fingers through her hair. She leaned against the wall, pressing her forehead to the cool concrete while the voices of the crowd echoed in the nearly empty hallway.

"You're really good." A voice alerted her, making her straighten her back in surprise. The voice was positive, happy. It was also oddly pitched, a little high, but a tone of masculinity.

"Um, thanks." She muttered, turning to face her compliment. She stopped, her eyes growing wide with the realization of who was addressing her. The thickest, shaggiest pale brown hair she had ever seen, two-toned with an odd orange. He wore a long, dark red leather jacket and a tight black shirt under it, with black jeans and red boots. And he had the deepest, most soulful brown eyes.

"Seemed like you weren't enjoying yourself as much, though." He grinned. A boyish, innocent grin.

"What's a duelist like you bothering with one like me?" Anya asked honestly. Is this all the major league players had to do?

He laughed, a high, earnest laugh. "My, 'advisors' told me you were one to keep an eye out for." He responded. "What else am I gonna do? I like to keep a good lookout on future competition."

It was her turn to laugh. "Future competition? I don't think so. Sorry to disappoint." And to her surprise, his dismay was more than evident.

"Oh, really? Man, I was looking forward to facing you. Eventually, anyway. You don't wanna further your career?" He looked genuinely heart-broken.

She just stared at him for a moment, absorbing his optimistic words and downtrodden face. "It's just not…" She stopped. "Look, I'm just kind of between life choices right now, all right? I'm havin' a little trouble finding myself."

His face slowly turned serious. He approached her, taking long, quick strides and grasping her shoulders. He stared straight into her face, making her flinch. "I want you to do us both a favor. A big one."

She shivered, and stared back into his face. "Y-yeah?"

"Find yourself. And take your time with it. Don't let anyone rush you." His grip on her shoulders loosened, and all she could hear was the rustle of the clothes as he released her.

"All right." Was all she managed to say, nearly breathless.

His seriousness melted away, and he grinned again, patting her with his hand as he began to walk away. "Thanks. Honestly." He was almost out of sight.

"Wait!" She called spontaneously, surprising herself. He stopped to listen, which surprised her again. "Uhm. Why pick me? Why not talk to someone else? Encourage someone with more potential, maybe?"

He turned around, and just looked down the cold hallway at me. Someone opened the door behind him, streaming light into the darkness. Anya watched as his silhouette removed a card from his belt, and laid it on the banister. "Don't worry. I picked the right person to talk to. I know you know who I am, but I'll introduce myself anyway. Oh, and don't forget my present."

She swallowed, taking a hesitant step forward. "My full name is Anya Eenise Crawford. You…might as well know. Since you'll be keeping tabs, I suspect."

He was silent for just a moment, but she could hear the smile in his voice. "Jaden Yuki." Was the only response, and then he simply disappeared from sight.

Anya tilted her head, at first in confusion, as the light dissipated from the room and nothing but the dim lights of the concrete hallway remained. She paused, chewing on the inside of her cheek to think through what had just happened. Jaden Yuki-the Jaden Yuki- taking an interest in her, in her skills. Well, that was an interesting turn of events. She jogged down the hallway to where he was standing, finding the card that had been left on the banister. It wasn't a duel monster card, but a hand written index card with a phone number scribbled on it. She pocketed the card, and put her hand to her chin, deep in her own thoughts.

"Anya? Anya Crawford?" A voice echoed from the other side of the hallway. She turned around to face where the echo was originating from. "Hello? Anya?"

"Down here. Sorry for the delay." She called back.

"Your next match is up! Semi-finals." The announcer called, his voice ringing through the hallway.

Anya sighed, shaking her head and re-adjusting her ponytail. She walked confidently back down to the stadium entrance. "I'm coming, I'm coming. I was just…getting some fresh air."

"Yeah, well if you're more than five minutes late you take the loss!"

"I know." She drew in a deep, even breath, walking back into the stadium lights as the tightly knit crowd cheered her name.

Second place is pretty darn good, and it will keep the rent going for a couple of months yet. Anya fanned out part of her deck in front of her as she sipped the soda sitting in front of her. The woman sitting across from her was the advisor and manager. She found the tournaments and matches best suited for Anya, and they came to a mutual agreement on where to go next.

"Just fantastic Anya, really." The over-dressed woman marveled, praising her. "And only one more final push and you may be taking home first place prizes regularly. Then maybe we could get you into the BIG leagues, instead of these small-town underground duels. Wouldn't you like that, hmmm?" She asked Anya directly, swishing her alcoholic drink in front of her.

Anya didn't look up from her cards. "I'm not sure if I want to go big." She responded simply, and maintained her composure. Inside her head, she was bracing for the managers head to pop.

"WHAT?" The other female screeched, drawing momentary attention to herself. She immediately smoothed her thick, curly hair, straightened her skirt, and leaned in over the table. "What do you MEAN you don't want to go to the big leagues? You have the talent, my dear I assure you! What you lack is proper motivation and just a little more practice. We can't all be geniuses." She said it harshly, as if she was scolding Anya.

"Like Muto?" Anya responded. "Casie, I'm sorry. My heart just isn't in it right now. I mean it would be nice, maybe eventually. But right now…I don't know. Maybe I'll focus on my second job." She heaved a sigh, chasing her ice cubes with her straw.

Casie twitched at the sound of ice clinking against glass. Anya was annoying her on purpose. "Oh please. There will NEVER be another King of Games like Yugi Muto. He is a true genius. And your second job? You mean that little cartoon strip you do for your local paper?"

Anya shrugged defensively. "I like it. It's a nice change of pace and I'm good at it. Really good! I feel like I've been too worried with these current tournaments to take it to the proper level…maybe if I skipped the next one-"

"No." Casie said flatly, effectively stopping that train of thought. "Listen, you've already missed three major tournaments this year, and people are beginning to wonder why. Anya, you are not a two-bit hack. You are not a kid with the 'cool cards', not anymore. You're good. You can make it. It's why the big shots-my bosses and his enemies-have had such a close eye on you. They're just waiting for your first big victory, the first shot that they get to snatch you up for their own, have you playing on their side."

Anya laid down her cards, resting her elbows on the table and rubbing her temples with her fingertips with a groan. "I know, I know." She looked up at Casie, her advisor, whose eyes were practically begging her to see it Casie's way. She knew she should listen, but the only words ringing in her head were the ones that Jayden Yuki himself and said to her, grasping her shoulders and staring into her eyes as if they bore her soul.

"Anya?" Casie snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Got lost in thought."

The other gave a rather disgruntled groan, downing the last bit of her drink. Dabbing her lips with her napkin, she went to stand. "Get yourself straightened out. BEFORE the next tournament."

"Yeah. Done deal." Anya replied, carefully storing her cards and standing to pay the check.

"You were a little late back to you semi-final today, weren't you? What kept you?"

The question threw Anya off-guard, and she nearly tripped over herself. "Oh…well I got stuck in the restroom. Yeah, there was a decent line and I had to run to make it back in time…" Oh yeah, lying. That always works out so well.

Casie gave her a skeptical look, but added a small nod of approval. "All right then. Try to be more careful next time?" She held the door open as Anya stepped outside into the chilly night air.

"Brr. Yeah, no problem. Thanks Casie. See you next month?" The advisor was already turning to the opposite direction.

"And the month after that, and the month after that…you better not ditch me!" She called, and Anya chuckled.

The red-headed duelist hailed a taxi, told him where to go, and relaxed for the fifteen-minute drive across town.

"So uh, what were you doin' so far in town today miss?" The taxi driver asked. These people loved to talk to their patrons.

"Duel Monsters." She replied simply, and smiled. "I've kinda got a thing for the game."

"Hey. You're the girl that nearly won today, aren't ya?" He peered into his rear-view mirror, trying to get a good look at her.

Anya held her smile politely. "You caught me. "

"Yeah! Anya, right? My boy says you've got what it takes to go to the major leagues in duel monsters." His attitude was growing more excitable.

Anya laughed lightly. "I honestly don't know about that. I'm between some pretty big life decisions right now. Trying to find my way, y'know?"

The taxi driver seemed to sympathize. "Aww, I understand. Still, he watches you play all the time, and even I can tell you're not your run-o-the ol' mill duelist. You got guts, and skills. Tho' he has mentioned you seemed kinda…lackluster? Is that the word? Lately."

Anya nodded slowly. "It's not the first time I've heard it. My fire hasn't been burning as brightly, as it were."

"Well, maybe you could get some new kindle, huh? Something that burns a little hotter than what did for you before?"

Humored, Anya smiled again. This time, a genuine one. "I'll have to try. Everyone's fire is a little different. You have to find what burns best in your own, I guess."

The driver groaned. "Gah! Shoulda never used that analogy. Know I'm kinda confused as to what you said. Er, meant. Both."

A moment of awkward silence. "Know what? Not even sure completely what I said, now that you mention it."

Simultaneous laughter filled their ears, and Anya rested her head on the back of the seat. Tired from the long day, she was so close to closing her eyes…

The screeching noise of rubber on asphalt made her jerk her head up. "What?" She was slammed against the car door as the car spun quickly, too fast to see what was going on. The driver shouted, and the next thing Anya remembered was a sharp pain in her left shoulder and on the left side of her face, her vision blurring as the noises around her slowly faded away, forcing her into a state of unconsciousness.