A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to my story! This will be taking place after the end of season three (and completely replacing season four – no motorcycle riding idiots here, thank you very much :p). The first few chapters I'm bringing over from my old quizilla account, but new ones will follow shortly.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its components. I do own Isis and her butler.
xxx
The Gold Serpent, Chapter 01: New Schools and New Friends
It was another ordinary day at Domino High. Or at least, it seemed so at first, but the quiet monotony of another school day was rather quickly interrupted when an unfamiliar limousine pulled up to the entrance to the school yard.
"Looks like rich boy got a new limo," Joey commented with contempt, rolling his eyes.
The driver stepped out and made his way around the car to get his passenger's door; not only did he look unfamiliar, but his uniform was different from what they'd seen Kaiba's past drivers wear.
"...And a new driver, apparently?" Tea added with some uncertainty.
That was when an unfamiliar girl stepped out, dressed in the school uniform. The first thing anyone noticed was her hair, which instantly caught the morning sunlight to shine like woven gold. She was beautiful – there was no denying it, though those that knew her also knew that she was quite unaware of it.
"And a... new..." Joey started to say, only to finally clue in to the fact that it obviously wasn't Kaiba's limo at all. "Oh great, just what this school needed – another rich kid."
"I dunno, Joey..." Yugi pondered. She didn't look at all like your typical stuck up rich kid – in fact, she looked really nice, and just as nervous as anyone else would be if they were starting at a new school.
Just then, a nearby kid in the growing crowd spoke up. "Hey, isn't that the Morgan girl?"
"Yeah, it totally is! I saw her on the news last night!"
"Wait, you mean Morgan, as in Morgan Industries?"
"That's that big American company, right?"
"Yeah, they just signed some kinda contract with Kaiba Corp!"
"She was at that big party last night, wasn't she?"
"I didn't know she was gonna be coming here!"
"Dude, check it out! It's that rich Morgan girl from the news!"
In a matter of seconds, the whole school yard was abuzz with the news.
Andrew couldn't help but worry about his young charge as he surveyed the gathering crowd. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay, miss? Some of these students look... well..."
The object of everyone's attention – Isis Morgan - couldn't help but smile. Andrew may have been her servant and driver, but he was also one of her best (and only) friends. "Thank you, Andrew. But I'm sure. Besides, if the 'great Kaiba' can survive here, I'm sure I'll be just fine."
"For a genius, he's certainly lacking in social skills," the older man agreed.
"Ugh, tell me about it... Last night might actually have been bearable if he was capable of carrying on a conversation that didn't revolve around him. And for the greatest Duel Monsters player ever, he's lost to that Yugi kid an awful lot," Isis happily complained, rolling her sea green eyes at the absent object of her annoyance, Seto Kaiba.
"Indeed," Andrew said with a nod. "And I do believe you could give him quite a run for his money yourself, miss. But... are you really sure about this? I could at least escort you to your locker..."
"I'm sure, Andrew. It's going to be hard enough to fit in after showing up in a limo like this..." the young girl said with a sigh, worrying about the day that lay ahead of her. Sure, she hadn't actually liked her last school, but at least she hadn't been new...
"You're going to do just fine, miss," Andrew assured her. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the most popular girl in school by the end of the day."
If I was, it would only be because of my name and money... she couldn't help thinking with another sigh. She didn't say it out loud, though. "Thank you, Andrew. I'll see you after school."
For the briefest of moments as she turned away from her car and driver, before she could don her mask of bored indifference for the day ahead, Yugi could have sworn he caught a glimpse of the real Isis Morgan that lay beneath. She was frightened, desperately fighting off the urge to run, while struggling to appear strong for the only person there she knew. And even deeper, he saw a kind girl who needed a friend, and would make a good friend in return. It seemed to catch the pharaoh's attention, too.
"Yugi? Do we know her?" the pharaoh asked suddenly; he hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on until just now.
"No?" the young boy replied, uncertain as to where the sudden question had come from. "It looks like she's new here. I think she's from the States."
"Strange..." the ancient spirit commented, as much to himself as Yugi. "She seems... familiar somehow."
It was an unbearably long day. First Isis had to deal with the stares and gossip that seemed to follow her everywhere; then she got stuck sitting next to Kaiba in class, who had apparently decided she hadn't heard enough about his numerous Duel Monsters victories. And then, of course, there were the classes themselves – the poor girl was going to have a lot of catching up to do. Her only reprieve came at lunch, when she managed to escape the throngs of students (and Kaiba) and sit down for lunch by herself, hidden behind a large tree in the school yard. By the time the final bell rang, she was more than ready to go home.
"You're Isis, right?" a voice suddenly asked while she was collecting her things from her locker, taking her by surprise; she'd waited for the hallways to clear out before venturing from the classroom herself.
"Yes?" Isis half answered, half asked, uncertain as to what they might want as she turned to face them – and found herself staring at a boy just a few inches shorter than her, with the craziest spiky hair she'd ever seen.
"Hi," the boy greeted somewhat bashfully. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I'm Yugi Mutou – we have class together."
"I'm pleased to meet you," was her polite (and automatic) response, but it was followed by a very genuine smile. "You're the king of card games, aren't you?"
"Ah, yeah..." he admitted, rather bashfully. Isis felt her smile growing at his obvious embarrassment – fame was clearly new to him. "Do you play Duel Monsters, too?"
Isis nodded. "Perhaps we could play sometime, though I don't imagine I stand much of a chance against you. I've never even played in a tournament before," she admitted.
"Oh, don't say that!" Yugi quickly objected, noticeably distressed by her lack of faith in herself. "I'm sure you'll do just fine – you just need to believe in yourself."
"Thank you," the young girl replied, blushing a little.
The next few minutes were passed in an awkward silence, before one of them was able to come up with anything else to say.
"So you just moved here, huh?" Yugi finally asked.
Isis couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; she hadn't wanted him to leave, but she couldn't think of anything to say either. "Yeah. My father just signed a contract with Kaiba Corp, so he relocated us here for the time being."
"It must be hard, starting at a new school and everything," Yugi sympathised, but Isis just gave an elegant shrug of her shoulders.
"I didn't really like my old school, so hopefully this will be a change for the better," she admitted.
"I hope so," the young boy said with a cheerful nod of his head and an encouraging smile.
Isis couldn't help but smile back. She could feel herself beginning to relax, almost in spite of herself; she couldn't help it – there was just something about him... She knew she could trust him.
"So what do you think of Kaiba?" Yugi asked a moment later, as they began to make their way outside.
"He's a pompous egomaniac who loves the sound of his voice," she was quick to reply, making a face – and earning a laugh from her companion.
"You've certainly got him pegged!" Yugi chortled with amusement.
"It's not like he makes any effort to hide it," Isis pointed out. "Though I rather wish he would, if it meant he wouldn't talk about himself so much..."
"Don't worry, you learn to tune him out pretty quickly," the young king of card games assured her with a grin. "So which is your favorite card?"
"Dark Magician Girl, hands down," was her quick reply, pulling it out of her pocket.
"Hey, cool – mine's the Dark Magician! They make a good team," Yugi observed, pulling his out as well and holding it up next to her Dark Magician Girl.
Isis nodded, smiling. By now they were almost to her limo, and she could see Andrew watching her with a smile.
"Well, I should probably be getting home, but I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Yugi said with a smile.
Isis nodded again, returning the smile. "I'll see you tomorrow." Andrew opened the car door for her and she climbed inside, waving goodbye before the limo pulled away. Yugi waved back, still smiling.
"I know I've seen her before..." the pharaoh couldn't help but comment. "But where?"
