"Year 8..." Marik murmured as he read his class schedule in his hand.
"Is this the year to finally confess?" He whispered, just after that a shutter went off, from a camera. Marik flinched as he turned to its direction, it was Cindy.
"You!" He yelled at the girl.
Cindy Utakagi, an inspiring photographer stood up straight and took the picture from the Polaroid printer. She gleamed with her lovely reddish hair and numerous hair clips on each side.
"Greetings fellow Year 8 student. I'm-" Cindy smiled as she extended her hand out.
"I know who you are, you're the one who spreads dirty rumors around for a cheap scoop!" Marik whined. Cindy laughed a little, waving the picture around.
"Oh Marik, how funny you deface me and my passion to some gossip blog, which I totally don't run..." Cindy's demeanor changed to becoming guilty.
"What about that rumor that Anzu was pregnant?" Marik said.
"An anonymous tip." Cindy said.
"Miho had bulimia"
"You do realize I don't start these topics, people do and that source becomes so fuzzy that we can't trace it back. This is how the journalism works." Cindy answered. Marik just glared at her.
"Oh hey Honda!" Cindy waved as a boy passed by. Marik jolted as the boy looked at him for a quick second.
Honda Hiroto, where have you been all my life?
Cindy just made a smug face as she realized what was happening.
Looks like Mari has a little crush~
"Say Honda, if there one girl you date. Who would it be?" Cindy asked as she side eyed Marik. "I'm reporting this for the back to school issue."
"Uh, well, it depends.. " Honda blushed, Cindy literally zero'd in on him.
"I like a girl who is smart and kind, especially those who have the cute dimples." Honda said. Marik blushed a little.
He was smart, and his siblings thought he was cute and he can be kind but it's know clear that Honda probably isn't attracted to him.
"Uhuh.." Cindy said as she wrote his words down. Marik squinted his eyes at Cindy. This was gonna be a long day.
It was lunch time and Marik was sitting alone, eating the lunch his sister made for him. He sighed from what Honda said earlier, he knew he didn't have a chance with him anyways but it's just eating him up inside he had to say something.
"Honda..." Marik murmured, he didn't know the boy that well except for being assigned as partners during assignments in class last year. Ever since, he felt a weird growing feeling that he felt every time he mentioned or even thought about him. Even his name was enough to flutter Marik. But then he thought of Cindy and the others. At first he didn't mind Cindy, in fact, he didn't know Cindy even existed. Now he despises that 13 year old by heart.
"Oh hey...Marik right?" A boy greeted but reassure that he was talking to the right person. Marik looked up to see his knight in shining armor, Honda Hiroto; Age 13.
"Y-yes?" Marik said as he blushed a little.
"I noticed you were sitting by yourself, I just wanted to come and chat.." Honda said as he handed Marik a pear. This set Marik off, he felt like this was it. But there was one problem...
"T-thank you, you didn't have to give me this..in fact, I can't have it. I'm sorry." Marik hid his face in shame.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Honda apologized.
"No no! It's fine, You didn't know in the first place.." Marik said, giving the pear back to him.
"Well, now I know! He he!" Honda chuckled a little, Marik tuned out of his laughter and examined that grade A smile, the one that wins awards. That smile could light up an entire country. Marik couldn't stop looking at it as it will forever imprint his mind.
"So you're a Year 8 student too?" Marik asked, Honda nodded in response.
"All my buddies left this school. I'm sure I will make new friends, I mean Jounouchi is still here."
Oh goddammit.
Marik sighed as he thought Jounouchi got held back or left, He can't stand him. But he is quite nice to him sometimes.
"Yo Honda! Are you done talking to that weirdo?" Jounouchi asked as he came closer. Marik eyes shot up at his enemy.
"Jounouchi, please stop calling Marik a weirdo.." Honda sighed.
"Jounouchi." Marik greeted, deeply regretting it.
"Marik." Jou responded. They both stared at each other till Honda spoke up.
"I'm heading back to home room, you guys should start heading too." Honda said as he walked to the building.
"Don't tell Honda that I'm a weirdo." Marik said.
"Fine, I'll tell him that you're a cutie, because you are." Jou smiled as he ruffled Marik's hair. He blushed at that last comment and fixed his hair.
Me...? Cutie...? What?
Tis was the end of the school day, Marik was waiting in the front of the school, reading a book.
"Mari n Honda sitting in a tree~"
Marik twitched at that comment, it was Cindy.
"Utakagi..." Marik said in a low tone. Cindy smiled as she threw photos down on the stairs.
"Wha-?!" Marik gasped.
"I found something interesting about your crush, he modeled for a few companies. His portfolio wasn't even encrypted, can you believe that? I'll give you them for a price.." Cindy bargained.
"And that is...?" Marik asked. Cindy pulled out a packet from her bag.
"Please tutor me! This Pre-Algebra is harder than I thought! Please! Please!" Cindy whined.
"Uhm sure." Marik said.
"Thankies!" Cindy thanked as she walked away.
"Wait Utakagi.." Marik replied, "why did you ask Honda that question and I need the REAL reason."
Cindy stopped in her way, turning to Marik.
"To see if you had a chance with him, and it looks like a BIG chance." Cindy said. "He likes smart girls who are shy and kind. You got the smart part down. But the others..."
"What about the others?" Marik asked, "am I too mean? Do I not smile enough? Should I get into modeling like him? Should I cut my hair?" Marik began to break and became to self conscious till Cindy slapped him.
"Woah! Back up the crazy train! You shouldn't need to change your appearance for some guy!" Cindy said, "besides, you look fine. As long as you don't become."
"Marik! Habibi!" A girl yelled out. Marik looked around and saw his godmothers, Knafu and Xia.
"Uh I gotta go! See yo-"
No! Aunt Knafu! Don't come near!
"Hey Marik, how's the last year of junior high?" Xia asked, her purple hair gleamed in the daylight.
"My goodness you're growing too fast, Habibi..." Knafu sniffed as she cried.
"Uh hello Aunt Knafu and Xia.." Marik said in nervousness.
"Before we go home, we gotta run errands for your uncle." Knafu mentioned, "Move Andre! Goddammit! I swear you take up this whole goddamn car!" Xia yelled at the Colombian.
"Yo sport!" Andre said as he greeted the teenager. Marik waved back.
"Uh bye Cindy!" Marik said as he hurried to the car.
"Bye Marik." Cindy said back. As the car drove the other way, Cindy squinted in suspicion.
"Habibi? Uncle? Those women and that man.." Cindy murmured.
"So who was that girl?" Xia asked.
"Just a friend." Marik said.
"Her name is Cindy Utakagi, her record is clean." A woman rose from the back.
"Aunt Elise !" Marik said in shock.
"Hello Marik, it's been awhile.." Elise said as she smiled.
"Aunt Elise, you didn't have to do that.." Marik sighed. These were his uncle's "elite" bodyguards. How they were picked? Easy. They were picked on the best of their abilities. Xia, a Chinese born bodyguard, knows the ins and outs of firearms, knowing martial arts isn't bad too. Knafu, real name Mafalda, is a great communicator, and has been a bodyguard before. She just shops a lot.
Andre, fresh meat, his life is very known to little, but he has eyes for explosives and can tell how a bomb is made.
Elise, an ex-sniper from Austria, she is known for her perfect shots and deadly strikes. She is mainly quiet because she too, wants a quiet life.
Marik, whose uncle is Touzoku, doesn't quite like it when he is protected by them. He is a big boy, he can take care of themselves. But I guess that's what happens when your uncle goes sniffing his nose in the wrong territory of business, the Yakuza. Touzoku sells air conditioners and other products of that sort. In fact, he is Domino City's main supplier. Ishizu doesn't like the fact that her own friend is dabbling with the Yakuza and wishes Touzoku to take care of it before anyone gets hurt, especially Marik. Rishid is quite worried as well and doesn't trust his elite force, especially Xia.
Maybe these errands won't last too long..