Note: Rom-com cliches? Check. Love at first sight? Meh, not really. A love triangle? Absofuckinglutely. Let's take all the shitty YGO fanfiction tropes and vomit them into one fic.
With a twist, of course. Welcome to No Man's Land.
Chapter 1
"There's been a breach, sir."
Kaiba grimaced, resisting the urge to respond with a slur of expletives into the receiver of his phone.
Seemed like no one could do their jobs properly, even on his night off. Even after he'd double-checked the mainframe before leaving the office on Friday night. Even after he'd asked his most senior official to keep an eye on their cybersecurity network.
He checked the digital clock at his bedside. It was now 11:20pm.
"I'm coming in," he muttered, hanging up.
He climbed out of bed and pulled on his sleeveless white coat.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're telling me you have no incentive to do this - that you're essentially hacking for free, which is, if I may remind you, the exact opposite thing you pledged to do? Do you remember that, Seina? Do you?"
A girl, no more than 18, perched in the back of a café. Her hair was distractingly red, stuffed underneath the hood of her sweatshirt. Next to her, an older boy, dressed to the nines. Coiffed auburn hair, a crisp white shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks. He stood out among a number of young teens who, as it happened, also were wearing hoodies and jeans, typing away at their laptops like a batch of clones.
"I'm not doing this for free, Roma," sighed the girl named Seina. "It's my ticket into Domino's Architect Tunnel, A Secret Society - also known as DAT-ASS. Terrible acronym, I know, but it's exclusive, so I want in. Hack into Kaiba Corp's mainframe and bam! Can't ignore my friend requests now, assholes."
"Remind me again why you need to join this thing," he said.
"For the acronym, obviously."
"Seina."
"Because I want in, OK?" She said, sighing. "It's hard finding a job out of high school nowadays. Everyone and their damn…bachelor's degrees. Can a bachelor's degree teach you how to hack an ATM while tracing a black hat? I don't think so."
"Seina. Get to the point."
She sighed, "I need a job. And these people - they have connections."
Roma seemed to digest this, nodding silently to himself. "So why a coffee shop?"
"They can't trace my IP here," she said. "Which makes it easier for me to backdoor their interface."
She grinned, sipping her iced Americano.
The boy sneered, "And if he catches you?"
"He won't."
"Come on, sis. He's Kaiba. He practically built Kaiba tech from the ground up."
"I know who he is," Seina said airily. "But he's also a billionaire with thousands of employees who have specialized and subspecialized jobs. Over time, he's learned to rely on people, which means…"
A pause.
"He's probably really rusty."
Kaiba traced the marker from the main interface, found the conduit and clicked on one of the many black boxes the signal was coming from.
A present wrapped in pink bows appeared on the screen.
A worm squirmed out, wearing a cartoony black top hat and a red bowtie.
"TRY AGAIN KAIBA! TRY AGAIN KAIBA! TRY AGAIN KAIBA! TRY AGAIN KAIBA! TRY AGAIN-"
He muted his laptop.
Damn, he was rusty.
"Master duelist…master debater, mastu - guess the joke doesn't really work, huh," Seina mused quietly.
"You know you're talking out loud right?" Roma said, rolling his eyes.
Bingo. He'd found a trace. Though she managed to cover up her tracks, she couldn't hide her internet footprint. Pending, pending, pending…there it was!
The hacker was in the café from across his building.
Kaiba snapped his laptop shut.
"I need to change," said Seina, packing up her laptop into her bag.
"For what?" Roma retorted.
"Hot date," she said, showing him the open dating app on her phone. "His name is Duke. Some dungeon dice guy. He's cute, in a metrosexual way I guess."
"Are you sure you should be going out this late?"
Seina winced, her smile vanishing for only a second before it was replaced by a reassuring grin. "No big deal. We're meeting for ice scream. Totally PG."
Still, Roma seemed concerned, "Hey, listen, if you need a place to stay, my couch is always open."
"Are you kidding? Please don't fuss over little ol' me," she insisted. "You just caught me at a bad time."
Roma paused. He certainly didn't believe her - not even for one second - but he wasn't about to challenge her. She could be particularly finicky, after all.
"I thought you didn't believe in online dating," he stated, changing the subject.
"I'm agnostic," Seina replied defensively. "I'm just not the kind of person who knows how to build an intimate relationship via the internet. It's all so very…contrived, I guess."
Roma shrugged, "Ironic, given your chosen profession."
Seina stuck her tongue out and sauntered into the café restroom, where she changed into a white sundress and a pair of wedges. She pulled her hair pack into a low ponytail and clipped her bangs back. Then, a dab of lip gloss. For all intents and purposes, she looked pretty put-together after putting in a little effort.
Ah, she missed the tiny bruise on the back of her shoulder that was still healing. She decided to fish out a cardigan from her back and throw it over her shoulders for good measure.
She exited the restroom to discover a very familiar brunette standing by the café entrance.
"Well, you look good kid," Roma stated, shifting his gaze to the man by the door. "While you were gone, your boy showed up."
Indeed, it was Seto Kaiba standing in the middle of the café, his gaze falling on the dozens of customers clacking away at their keyboards.
"I see you changing also happened to be an alibi," he muttered, so that only she could hear.
Seina simply winked, grabbing her coffee cup and strolling out the front door right past Kaiba. The CEO didn't spare her a second glance.
"Can I help you, sir?" asked a young woman behind the counter.
Kaiba didn't respond immediately, only shifting his gaze slowly to meet hers, "I'm going to need a record of all the customers who entered this café from the hours of 11pm to now."
"I'm afraid we can't do that," said the young woman.
"What do you mean you can't do that?" Kaiba snapped. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yes sir," the young woman smiled anxiously. "Unfortunately, we reserve the right—"
Roma stood up, his chair screeching back, "I think I can help you out, friend."
Kaiba shifted his gaze away from the anxious young woman behind the counter to the boy sitting on the far side of the room in the pressed white shirt.
"Who are you?" He asked, more of a demand than a question.
"The name's Roma," said the boy. "And I think I know exactly who you're looking for."
Seina sighed. Her date was nearly 20 minutes late. Was he standing her up? She checked her watch. It was 1:20am. Maybe she did choose a pretty unreasonable time to meet up for ice cream. Still, he was the one who agreed to it!
There were kids wearing duel discs running around the street, even at this time. Battle City was just beginning to ramp up. She'd absorbed some of what was happening by sheer osmosis alone. There was some guy named Yugi who was kind of a big deal and his ragtag group of friends who reminded her of the Bee Gees for whatever reason. There were a couple of celebrities featured too, but the only person who really caught her attention was Mai Valentine.
"Ugh, to be beautiful and brilliant," she said softly to herself.
"Talking about yourself?"
From the corner appeared a man who sort of looked like Duke Devlin, but wasn't really Duke Devlin. He was a bit pudgy around the edges. His face was definitely rounder. He had a mole on his chin that she'd never seen before. He was wearing a t-shirt with a naked Mona Lisa and a pair of dad jeans.
Classic catfish. Seina couldn't say she was surprised, really.
"Wow, you look pretty different from your photos, Duke," she said.
The boy laughed anxiously, scratching the side of his cheek, "I, uh…I assure you – I am the one, the only Duke Devlin!"
Seina smiled, "Yeah? Alright, what's your star sign?"
"Uh, Scorpio," he said unsurely.
"Ah, makes sense. You do seem a bit unreliable and moody," she said, glancing over her phone.
She typed in the proper keywords in her search engine and, yep, there it was. "Yikes, turns out you're actually a Pisces. Oh, but you were super close."
The man was silenced.
Seina grinned, "Your treat for ice cream, Duke!"
He was perplexed as she sauntered into the shop. It took him a moment to even register her reaction. Quickly, he followed her in from behind.
The date didn't last very long. They chatted mostly about mundane things: the weather, school and duel monsters, the latter which she had to attempt to act a vested interest in. He didn't try and kiss her and for that, she was grateful. They parted ways after they finished their ice cream.
If only he were a little more interesting, she thought wistfully to herself, I could've wasted a little more time.
Her smile had vanished into a sad grimace. She glanced at her watch.
2:15am.
Still got time to kill.
Seto Kaiba was home at last. When he opened the door to his lavish six-bedroom rooftop condo, he discovered Mokuba awake, playing video games in the living space.
"You lied, Seto!" His younger brother stated, eyes still glued to the television screen. "You said you wouldn't go back to the office for at least another 12 hours."
"Someone hacked into the mainframe," Seto replied indifferently.
At once, Mokuba stopped. He put the game on pause and placed his controller down on the coffee table, "Did you catch him?"
The elder Kaiba circled around the kitchen island and collapsed onto the loveseat by the television, "It's a girl."
Seto was quiet. Mokuba picked up on his distress almost immediately. "What's wrong, big brother?"
"I wouldn't have caught her unless her brother sold her out," he said.
Mokuba frowned, trying to imagine the roles reversed, if Seto were to sell him out, "That's an awful thing to do."
"He threatened me."
Now, the younger Kaiba was stumped, "I'm confused now."
A pause.
"He wouldn't tell me who the hacker was unless I promised to hire them," Seto said.
Mokuba laughed, "You sure have a weird way of setting up a story, big brother. For a second there, I thought—"
When he realized Seto's expression had not shifted, he quieted down, "Wait, you can't tell me you're actually considering it!"
Seina sauntered through the cemetery. It was quiet here. Rarely did anyone ever come here at this hour. She could kill some time here.
She closed her eyes and began to doze.
"You know I support you in whatever decisions you make, but this seems like a risk," Mokuba said.
Seto shifted his gaze to the television, where Mokuba's avatar was frozen in place on the pause screen. "Our cybersecurity is weak. Hackers are getting smarter every day. Our senior officer is old. We need new blood, someone who understands the risks this day and age," he said. "With the tournament, I don't have time to take care of everything."
The younger Kaiba ran over the scenario in his mind and fiddled with his controller, "Do you think she can be bought?"
Seto snorted, "Anyone can be bought for the right price. Besides, from what I hear…"
Mokuba perked up.
"Seems like her situation is dire."
Seina awakened with a jolt, her eyes flashing open.
"That dream again," she murmured quietly.
It was the same one. A boy called the white wolf calling out her name, a name she couldn't recognize. A jolt of pain through her back. She ran until she couldn't run anymore. Then, silence.
The sun was just beginning to dip over the horizon. She glanced at her watch. 4:15am.
"Perfect," she said. "Run home, grab some clothes…and then some coffee."
She smiled weakly, standing up from the bench and pulling her bag over her shoulders.
There was some rustling. From the far side of the cemetery, she watched as three boys walked through the entrance.
She shivered. If they'd found her like that, who knew what would've happened? She made a mental note to avoid sleeping out in the open so recklessly.
Her house, a rickety old shack with more than half a dozen or so holes in the roof, sat at the edge of Domino City. It was fenced in, but there was no grass. There was a bird fountain, but it was filled with murky brown water.
Seina entered through the front door quietly, slipping off her shoes by the doorway. She walked towards the staircase on the tip of her feet, desperate to not make a single noise.
An old man sat in the torn up loveseat in the living room, which reeked of smoke and alcohol. Seina took note of the half empty beer bottles sitting on the countertop. Some of them looked days, even weeks, old.
She tiptoed up the stairs, her weight causing the wood to creak only slightly.
When she reached her room, she closed the door behind her and flipped the lock.
She began to sort through her bag, packing only the essentials: new underwear, some clothes, a couple bottles of water. She brushed through her vanity, picking up some foundation, eyeliner, mascara and some perfume. She wasn't sure when she'd return.
After finishing up, Seina unlocked the door of her room and headed back downstairs.
"D…d'you know what time it is?"
She froze, feeling a chill run down her spine.
The man in the living room had awakened. He was standing from his seat, rubbing his left eye. He caught Seina's gaze.
"Fuckin' wakin' me up at four in the mornin' and shit…"
"Sorry, dad…" She managed to eke out quietly, knowing that was all she could say.
It didn't alleviate the tension.
"C'mere," he said, smiling. "Been so long since I last seen ya."
Seina hesitated, "I should really get going."
"Don't make me ask twice, girl," he said, still smiling.
She dropped her bag on the floor gently before walking over, each step feeling like a millennium in time. The man smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow, rotten teeth. From this distance, she could smell his cologne, mixed with his breath, which reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.
He reached a hand out. She flinched instinctively, shutting her eyes tightly.
"Sweet girl," he said softly, stroking her cheek. "What do you fear?"
Seina opened her eyes slowly.
Suddenly, his smile vanished. He raised his fist high up into the air and rammed it into the side of her face.
It happened so quickly. His fist in the air. His fist meeting the side of her face. The loud thump as she collapsed to the floor.
"Don't fuckin' wake me up again," he muttered, walking back to the loveseat.
She was utterly frozen, unable to digest the sheer shock of the punch. As she pulled herself together, she managed to stand up, her legs still quivering. She grabbed her bag, ran out the front door and never looked back.
Seina escaped to the nearest café restroom, which she managed to co-op and lock. As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she saw a young woman she did not recognize.
Her hair was messy. The upper left half of her face was beginning to bruise. There was a cut underneath her chin that was beginning to puss out.
She touched her eye and winced in pain. It was tender. It was going to swell.
She could hide the cut. In fact, she could hide most of the bruising if she adjusted the parting in her hair. The only problem was her eye.
Her breath was caught in her throat.
Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.
She exhaled and stared at herself in the mirror. She turned around and glanced at the bruise on her back, which had turned green. It healing. Slowly, but surely.
You can do this.
Still, despite her best efforts, she couldn't force a smile when she was alone.
She fished out the makeup from her bag and began to wash up.
"What's with the stupid eyepatch?"
Roma stared at the girl standing in his doorway, wearing the silly eyepatch along with fishnets and a rather revealing pink minidress. Her makeup was heavier than usual. Her eyeshadow was dark and her lips were deep burgundy. Certainly not the picture of subtlety, but she was pretty enough to get away with it.
"A fashion statement, obviously," Seina stated, stepping into the apartment. "Thoughts? I think it rather suits me."
He frowned, "You look like a hooker pirate."
"Wow, that's rude," she snapped. "Oh, hi Mura."
Mura, a pretty college student from Roma's finance class, sat in the living room. They'd been dating for almost two years. "Seina! Ah, you're getting more and more beautiful every day."
"Oh, you flatter me so," she replied, grinning.
"Oi, don't forget your interview today," Roma stated blandly, handing her some formalwear: a pencil skirt and a button up white shirt. "Mura was nice enough to lend you some clothes."
"What interview?" Seina echoed, confused.
"You have an interview with Kaiba Corp.," Roma stated, glancing down at his watch. "And you're late."
"I what?!"