Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, see pretty self-explanatory.
Wow, it'd been so long since I'd written a Yugioh one. The idea of the story came to me when I was in the middle of studying for my midterm…great huh. It's really sad, I get all these ideas for different stories but I can't write any of them because I have tests that I needed to study…
ANYWAYS
This is the first time I've written a one-shot. Therefore, constructive comments are welcome! Please read review! ;p
A Simple Routine
Serenity had always watched him…to the point where she wondered if it had turned into an obsession.
Seto Kaiba…
The name lingered in her mind, but it was a name that she would never say.
Her brother, Joey, hated Seto to the core ever since the very beginning. Serenity didn't know whether it was because Seto was always mocking him or the fact that her brother had yet to defeat Seto in their card games. Joey considered Seto as his nemesis, the 'bad' guy, someone who he would never associate with.
He'd even told Serenity to stay far away from Seto Kaiba.
Even though she longed to talk to Seto, walking up to him to chat made her felt like she was betraying her brother. As his sister, she should stand at the same side as he was. Therefore, Seto should also be someone she dislikes also.
She didn't know how it happened but whenever he was around; she couldn't take her eyes off of him.
It was wrong in many ways, she knew that, but she couldn't stop…
It was almost like a ritual for her. Her life was based on a schedule; everything had to be perfect and in sync…seeing him everyday was part of her life now…
Nothing would change.
Every day, it was the same routine. In the morning before class starts, he, who was voted to be the president, would walk down the school corridor that's on second floor. He would walk past her locker as he headed toward the meeting room where he would talk to other student executives. In one of his hand would always be a cup of coffee and on some random days, his other hand would be holding onto a sugar-glazed doughnut.
Silently, she would be sitting cross-legged in front of her locker, doing homework or some pre-reading.
She would be there waiting…only to watch him go by.
They always see each other but neither of them would say 'hi'.
However, it was their moment, their only moment where they were 'together' without anybody else around. And she treasured it…even though she knew this was probably insignificant to him.
Serenity looked at her watch—7:25. He was five minutes later than usual; she wondered if anything had happened to him. Seto was the type who would arrive ten minutes earlier before the starting time.
But she waited patiently…just like other days before.
Then…
He's here, she knew. She recognized the sound of his footsteps as he ascended the stairs.
He wore his usual white trench coat, which was no surprise. Today, he chose to wear a blue button up shirt and a pair of black jeans. For some reason, it seemed to her that Seto was getting thinner and thinner, and that there were dark rings forming beneath his eyes.
Maybe going to school and working at Kaiba Corp were really getting a toll on him…
As much as she wanted to ask him about his well-being, she couldn't. What right did she have to question him? As his friend? Or as his opponent's sister?
No, she would not talk to him.
As usual, there were a few of people who were trying to strike a conversation with him, but he ignored them all. Seto was like a light in the dark, no matter where he goes, attentions would always be focused on him. He was always the popular one, while her, on the other hand…felt completely comfortable staying behind to be an audience.
To be able to see him was almost the same as to own, isn't it?
As usual, Seto walked past her, without casting a glance at her.
Sometimes, she questioned if he even noticed her existence at all.
But to be invisible is better than to endure the pain that would come with the attention, right?
She watched him go by; an unspoken feeling lingered in the air, but had gone unnoticed. Every day, she would found herself having the urge to open her mouth to call out his name. Yet every time, she clamped her mouth shut before the word could escape from her lips.
There were so many things that she wanted to tell him, but words were useless. She couldn't describe the feelings she had for him. She simply couldn't.
She wondered if a childish crush was supposed to feel like this.
But…
The warning bell rang, as scheduled; right on 8:15 am…It rang almost ruthlessly. It seemed that, once again, God was trying to give her a wake up call…before it was too late.
Maybe it's time for her to open her eyes and smell the coffee before…
Before she couldn't take back the love she had for him.
And everyday she wondered if it was too late already.
Time flies by, many things will change, yet some will always remain the same.
The distance between Seto and her was far…too far. The gap between Seto and her…they lived in two different worlds completely; each of them had their own lifestyle, each with their own interest, and each with their own goals.
Even after watching him for so many years, she simply cannot, could not, name anything she had in common with him. There was no connection between him and her, besides the fact that he was one of the competitors against her brother.
It felt like the distance between him and she was widening. The gap was too far for her to even jump across. She wondered what would happen if he stopped coming to school one day.
It was simply a line she could not cross.
Yet…why does her heart still ache every time she goes through this realization?
And days would go by...in a cycle…in a routine
Everything would stay the same, she was sure of it.
She'd decided to stay within her boundary long ago; looking at him for far away was good enough for her. It might be painful, but if their relationship transformed into something else…
She didn't want to hope…hoping maybe that he too…
No, she didn't dare to think about the possibilities.
But one day…something unexpected would happen…
That very day, Serenity would find herself clumsily bumping into someone behind her. When she turned around, she found find Seto raising his eyebrow. He would look at her for some time before helping her to pick up the things that lay scattered on the ground.
A simple conversation would start from there.
Years later, when she asked Seto as to why he had stopped going to school after that year, she would get a surprising answer.
"Why do you think, a busy man like me, even bothered to go to school in the first place?" His cobalt eye twinkled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
A simple incident, a simple hello, would've been enough…for everything.
In the future, they would get that chance.
However, today, it was still a girl watching the love of her life walked by her. As usual, she would look at him until he disappeared behind a door. After, she would do what she'd done on the days before; she would get up from her spot, take the things she needed and head toward her first class in the opposite direction.
Routine (n): A prescribed, detailed course of action to be followed regularly, a standard procedure.
But sometimes, routines are better broken. Don't you think?