A/N: Hello! Before you begin reading this fanfic, I wanted to shed some light on necessary details regarding how it corresponds to the canon Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
This fan fiction is based off the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, not the manga.
This story begins after the end of the Battle City Finals, which would place it after season 3, and ends before season 4 (Waking the Dragons). As such, this fanfic takes place a little over a year into the series (since the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Series spans 2 years).
I base the characterizations on the original/uncut Japanese version of the anime, not the 4Kids dubbing (which is humorous, of course, but limits character growth/development and makes light of otherwise deep issues). This also affects ages (canon characters are a year older at the start of this fanfiction Yugi would be 17 instead of 16, and so on).
This fan fiction has a lot to do with the Egyptian God Monsters/Cards, as well as how Yugi and Kaiba's destinies are connected to them. While the plot of this fanfic has been worked on for over two years, it is by no means a "seamless integration" into the canon series. But it comes very close, I believe, and does not interrupt the original Yu-Gi-Oh! plot - it just adds a mini-plot between seasons 3 and 4.
Finally, while this story is not romance-centric, it does have a lot of budding relationships/relationship building incorporated throughout between my OC and the canon characters.
I sure do hope you enjoy it! :)
Mornings in Domino City were always rather hectic as the hustle and bustle of people commuting to school and work filled the streets. The population was decent for a city, especially because of its allure – it was home to two of the most infamous Duel Monsters champions, after all. Indeed, Domino City's "stars," to say the very least, were Yugi Mutou, the reigning 'King of Games' who was also the keeper of the mystical Millennium Puzzle, and Seto Kaiba, former Duel Monsters champion and current CEO of Kaiba Corporation, one of the largest, and most successful multinational gaming companies the world had ever seen (because who could argue with the fact that holographic virtual reality systems and duel disks are awesome?)
On top of this already staggering tidbit of information, the city had become home to the largest, most competitive Duel Monsters tournaments (run by none other than Seto Kaiba himself). It really wasn't a mystery why Domino City was such a popular place to live.
Like any city, of course, Domino was breathtaking to behold, let alone overwhelming to newcomers. The buildings shot up into the sky, making even an average sized person feel minuscule next to them. Streets seemed to converge and separate interchangeably. It was safe to say that Domino City could seem an insurmountable place to those unfamiliar with its setup, daunting even, especially to Nataki Kuzana, who had just recently moved there seeking a fresh start. Having grown up in a small town outlying the city, Domino seemed foreign to her, and as she tried to make heads or tails of the directions she had been given by an older woman from her town (who claimed to have made frequent trips to this city for her grandson to buy him Duel Monsters cards), she felt lost in the sea of people that traversed the concrete jungle before her.
If only I had made a few practice trips to the school. Then I wouldn't be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find it. She thought to herself as she glanced at the directions once more, squinting her eyes slightly in an effort to read the old woman's script. Oh Oshida-san, your penmanship is so difficult to read. I feel like I'd have better luck trying to read hieroglyphics.
Looking up from her somewhat illegible directions, Nataki began skimming the names of the streets as she passed by them, hoping to recognize a match between what she read (or what she thought she read) on the piece of paper. Clinging to the somewhat wrinkled loose-leaf, she felt as if it was her only chance for survival.
If only the apartment complex wasn't quite so far from the high school. I thought I would have enough time, but now I'm not so sure . . .
Suddenly, Nataki saw a group of teenagers about her age walking down the street and assumed they were likely headed in the direction she sought to go. As she approached them she noticed that the girls were wearing pink jackets with royal blue skirts, and the boys were garbed in similarly colored blue jackets and pants. Hastily, she stepped in front of them and asked, "Excuse me, but do you attend Domino High School?"
"Yes," one of the girls replied, not looking up from her cell phone.
"We're on our way there now." Another girl spoke up while shooting Nataki a friendly smile. "Did you need help getting there? You look a bit . . . lost."
Nataki smiled sheepishly and introduced herself, after which the others in the group proceeded to do the same. Once introductions and friendly gestures were exchanged, Nataki followed the group toward the school.
"Thank you so much." She said once more. "I've been trying to follow these directions, and I only seem to be getting lost."
"It's not a problem, really." The girl who had introduced herself as Rei replied while nonchalantly tying her blonde hair into a ponytail.
"Yeah, I can imagine it's tough to find your way around if you're unfamiliar with the area." Hina, the other female in the group added while looking up from her phone.
As they neared the high school Nataki let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
Suddenly, she found herself being jostled around as the group around her broke into a mad dash.
"Hey, look! It's Yugi-senpai!" The girls in the group hollered jovially. And with that, the collective bunch charged ahead at an unmatched pace, leaving Nataki in the dust, so to speak. Having been caught off guard by the group's sudden shift in pace, she had been unable to keep up with them, and ultimately found herself shuffled into an oncoming crowd of commuters. By the time she managed to make her way through the crowd, her unofficial guides were out of sight.
"I lost them . . . " She said under her breath. Then, noticing the large sign that read for 'Domino High School' in the distance, she relaxed. "Well, I must be headed in the right direction."
Continuing on her way, she proceeded to look down at her directions while simultaneously keeping her eyes alert for anymore signs. Growing up in a small town certainly did have its limitations, namely being able to develop a sense of direction in an urban setting. All of the buildings looked the same, which made Nataki's task even more challenging. One of the large bells on a nearby clock tower rang, and Nataki looked up in panic at the time, which read seven o' clock.
"Ahhh! I'm going to be late on my first day!" She internally screamed while breaking into a sprint, clutching her piece of paper with the directions in front of her. With her attention focused on making sense of the words, she didn't notice the man carrying a coffee in one hand and a briefcase in the other. Without having time to react, Nataki plowed into him, sending the scalding hot coffee splashing against both of them. She let out a shriek at the realization of what had happened, her skin stinging slightly from the burn of the coffee.
"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" She exclaimed, reaching for something in her purse to use as a wipe. "I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry-"
But she stopped herself mid-sentence upon realizing the casualty of her clumsiness. Dark brown stains marked the once flawlessly white suit and dress pants of Kaiba Corporation's CEO. The icy glare he wore on his face sent a shiver through her, and while she had never met the man in person, his features were unmistakable.
Tall, daunting, intense, statuesque . . . Seto Kaiba was a man whose presence in the world was definitely well renowned, even by smaller towns who could only watch him through the television in awe (and sometimes disgust). But there he was, standing before her, coffee stained with a look that could kill. It was the coldest, most contemptuous look she had ever seen in her life, and as the reality of the situation sunk in, she felt like an ant in the presence of a giant. More than anything, she just wanted to disappear.
But she couldn't – and even as she continued to apologize, she realized her words would not be enough to appease him.
"Really Kaiba-san, I am so very sorry." Nataki tried. "I would be more than happy to buy you another coffee."
"That's quite all right." He seethed, looking down at his clothes, and then back at her. "You've done more than enough."
Nataki swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, which had become incredibly dry all the sudden.
"Where the hell are you going in such a hurry, anyway?" The CEO asked in a persecuting tone, causing her to flinch.
"I'm on my way to school." She replied, her voice growing weaker. "I mean, I think I am. You see, I just recently moved here and . . ."
"I didn't ask for your life story." Kaiba retorted abruptly." And quite frankly, I don't care to hear about it."
His personality was biting, no doubt about it, and his derogatory remarks seemed endless.
"I'm sorry." She barely managed to squeak out.
The CEO rolled his eyes, clearly wanting to be rid of her as much as she wanted to flee from him.
"Are these your directions?" He inquired, picking the sheet of loose-leaf off the ground that she realized she must have dropped after colliding into him.
"Yes, sir."
He skimmed them over quickly before reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out a pen with his company logo on it, and slashing a large "X" through the directions. Before she could say anything, he had begun scrawling his own onto the paper. Nataki watched as his hand moved briskly across the page, and couldn't help noticing his penmanship which, despite his hasty, almost erratic hand movements, still looked more legible than Mrs. Oshida's. It seemed almost surreal how someone whose signature carried so much weight and importance was now haphazardly writing down directions onto her wrinkled paper.
After a moment, he shoved it in front of her face, and clipped his pen back onto his pocket.
"Those directions were poorly written, not to mention almost illegible. Frankly I'm surprised you even made it this far to the school."
Nataki looked away from his cobalt eyes, which still seemed to be scrutinizing her, making her feel uncomfortable. The CEO exhaled deeply and tapped the paper with his finger.
"Follow these directions to get to the high school." He said finally before tossing his now almost empty coffee cup into a nearby garbage.
"Thank you, Kaiba-san." She said faintly.
"Don't." He countered. "I just don't want to have a run-in with you again. I don't need another good suit ruined and more of my precious time wasted."
And with that, he disappeared down the street, his briefcase swinging back and forth like a guillotine waiting to behead the next poor, unfortunate soul who crossed his path. Nataki shuddered, trying to recover from her first, and rather unpleasant experience with one of Domino's most famous individuals. Despite this, she couldn't argue that his directions were much clearer. Within a few minutes, she arrived at Domino High School.
