Lego: I have to admit, I was pretty sad when I came home from vacation to find that I only got one story alert for this to add to the previous two, the three favs, and one review I had before I left. Utter sadness to that, I tell you. But I want to thank The Duelist's Heiress for supporting me and staying with me. I really appreciate that :) I probably should've waited a bit longer before I posted this, but I just felt like it, so here it is.
Notes/Warnings: I would like it to be clear that I will follow Japanese culture as best I can with the knowledge I have. However, I don't understand Japanese schools to the full extent, so their system will follow the American high schools I'm used to.
Edit 6/2/12: Inconsistency in my personal timeline—This chapter takes place on a Wednesday, and the planned "date" is for Saturday in my timeline, therefore when Yugi asks Anzu if she'd do it "tomorrow," it was initially incorrect. I have fixed it.
Chapter 2: Spirits of the Annoying Sort
A small melody broke the morning silence, removing Kel from her reverie. The lucky bird, source of the beautiful song, had no inkling of its importance. Without it, the Egyptian probably wouldn't have been able to force herself to abandon sleep. Not that she wanted to take notice of the real world, but it wouldn't do her well if she didn't at least go out to train a bit—letting well-toned muscles rest for too long only caused painful training in order to rebuild them.
Kel rose from the simple bed and stretched. Stiff muscles slowly relaxed and adjusted to fit their owner's movement. Once satisfied, she moved across the room to her dresser, opened the topmost drawer, and extracted a sleeveless bluetop patterned with stars, then reached into the drawer just below it and pulled out a pair of light denim flares. Without removing her Crystal, she stripped down to nothing more than her breast band and underwear then quickly dressed into the outfit she'd just picked out. She then added white socks and matching flats with bows on top.
In order to complete her daily getting-ready-for-the-day ritual, the Egyptian brushed golden blonde tresses. When complete, they fell around her shoulders, mixing in with three silver streaks. She pulled most of her hair into a messy bun, leaving two sections at the front to hang down.
Kel stared at herself in the mirror and noticed how white her scars seemed that morning. They stuck out on her tanned skin like an oasis in the midst of a hot desert, only she found them lacking in flattery. Unwanted memories from 3000 years past came unbidden to her mind, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.
Strapping her lavender pouch and dagger sheath to her pants, Kel tucked her hair behind her ears and quietly left the small apartment. She locked the door behind herself as her Shadow magic lightly brushed the wards around her living space—it wouldn't do for a common thief to find his way into her rooms where he was not wanted.
Two months previous, Kel had moved to Domino City. A week or two beforehand, she'd visited to scope out the landscape and discovered a connection with the ocean—while not the Nile River, it pleased her.
She'd gone searching for an apartment that would give her the shortest route to the beach without putting her into too much danger at the hands of tsunamis. The end result provided her a fifteen minute walk from the apartment complex to a less popular area near the ocean—that was mostly because it resided right next to the docks. Luckily for the Egyptian, not only was she close to the beach, but the walk to work—at the Kame Game Shop—only lasted roughly fifteen minutes as well.
Kel stretched her arms above her head then rested both hands in the pockets of her jeans. She warned herself not to get too lost in training if she didn't want to be late to work. After all, despite her unwillingness to get involved in Yugi's destiny, she still needed to pay rent, and she didn't want to inconvenience Mr. Moto.
The gentle ocean breeze brushed the grass and it swayed to the rhythm of the air's motion. The sun poked out above the horizon to illuminate the empty beach in front of her. A small smile lit Kel's lips—it would feel good to dance with the wind.
Sand crunched underneath her shoes as she left the sidewalk and ran down the hill. Her usual spot waited for her at the bottom. A few feet from her, the ocean licked the edge of the beach before retreating as another wave prepared to crash. The rhythmic push and pull of the ocean tides soothed her soul as the Egyptian sat in the sand and stretched; only an idiot wouldn't stretch before exercise of any sort.
Anyone passing might think Kel a little odd for working out in jeans, but she had learned it best to be prepared for anything—one never knew when an enemy would pounce from the shadows. She'd tried to convince herself to wear something easier to move around in to make things better, but anything that would be free and comfortable wouldn't fit the current fashions well enough. Above all else, Kel didn't want to stick out and make herself more of a target.
Kel hopped to her feet, bouncing in place at the prospect of a good run. Sand didn't make the best training ground, but she would make do. Bending both legs, Kel took off down the beach. At the end of her secluded area stood a sand dune that separated her from the more populated part of the beach. It was at the bottom of this that Kel spun on her heel and started back the other direction.
Thirty laps later, Kel stopped at her starting spot, rolling her shoulders. It wasn't as much as she normally did, but although running was good as a warm-up, spars were far more entertaining. Stretching her arms above her head, the blonde Egyptian moved to the middle of the small beach and slid into a fighting stance.
Over the course of the 3000 years or so that she'd been on the run, Kel had spent countless hours learning different martial arts and although she liked some more than others, she meshed them together. In general, she had roughly fifteen sets of spars she practiced daily to keep herself in top form.
The cool breeze brushed her exposed skin as Kel sparred with the empty air. It wrapped itself around her and danced, following her fluid movements as though an extension of her body. In the midst of a twirled high-kick, the ringing sound of metal on metal rode on sound waves in all directions. The silver blade flashed in the sun as it cut and swiped at imagined enemies.
At the end of the seventh set, Kel lowered her arms and stood facing the ocean. Its waves rolled over each other in their attempts to reach the beach. Vibrant violet narrowed slightly before the Egyptian turned her head to the side, hand tightening on the hilt of her dagger. At her gaze, a light blush fluttered to the cheeks of the white-haired teen standing on the sidewalk above her.
"There something I can help you with or are you just going to stare at me all day?"
The teen rubbed a hand through long white locks as his other hand fiddled with the bottom of his blue jacket—she recognized it as the Domino High uniform for males and frowned lightly. "N-No, I was just watching you. You're fascinating." His chocolate-brown eyes widened and he waved both hands in front of him. "I'm sorry, that sounded weird."
Kel raised an eyebrow as she looked him up and down. Long white hair, brown eyes, pale skin, obviously male, but rather small despite his height. The only really interesting thing about him lay in the golden object hanging from a thin rope around his neck—the Millennium Ring. Shadi had informed her that the Millennium items were an important part of Yugi's destiny and they would eventually all come together. It shouldn't have surprised her to see another one (especially not after seeing Ishizu hanging around with the blasted necklace), but a sense of foreboding filled her at the sight of Mahad's old item.
"Where did you study to learn all that?" Curious eyes fixed on her from underneath spiky bangs.
Deciding to humor him, Kel shrugged a single shoulder. "Many places."
The teen blinked, obviously expecting more. When she didn't offer anything else, the blush returned and he smiled. "I'm Ryou Bakura, by the way. And please, call me Ryou."
"Kel Shadow." She turned to face him and folded her arms, hand still clenched tightly around her dagger's hilt.
Ryou's eyes slowly dropped to take root on the now visible Crystal hanging from her neck. Muscles immediately tensed, and a thin flame of wariness encompassed her heart.
"I-Is that a Millennium item?"
Sparks of energy passed through the air, invisible to those not accustomed to its touch. The magic rippled across Kel's skin and a single glance located its source, the ring around Ryou's neck. She didn't have the opportunity to respond to him, not that she really wanted to. As two sections of his hair stood on end and chocolate-brown eyes narrowed, Shadi shimmered into view a few feet from him.
"Your Highness, I must insist that you leave immediately."
Kel bristled at the mention of her title, eyes shifting to Ryou's form. Mild irritation had settled onto his face.
"What are you doing here?" he spat, sliding into a defensive pose. Chocolate-brown eyes rimmed with soft lavender darted back and forth between Kel and Shadi. The female couldn't help the slight raising of an eyebrow—the teen's voice had dropped in pitch a little bit and it was impossible to mistake the harsh tone it held.
Shadi turned blank blue eyes to the blonde Egyptian. "My princess, I must insist."
Fire burned within her heart and licked the edges of her soul. She slowly made her way up the slope then stopped between the two males, one shoulder shielding the one inhabiting Ryou's body—though this new person resembled the teen she'd just met, she knew it was not Ryou. "I'm afraid I must decline."
"Really, my princess. You do not understand what is going on here." Shadi's narrowed eyes flicked to the teen behind Kel and a spark of anger lighted in solid blue irises.
"Enlighten me."
Dark brown eyebrows dipped down as the spirit pointed an accusatory finger in the teen's general direction. "The Millennium Ring houses the spirit of Thief King Bakura and he is Yugi's enemy. For your sake, I must insist that you leave and never come near him again."
Kel's frown melted into a glare even as a low growl erupted from behind her. Adrenaline pumped into her veins, forcing her to jump to the side before Bakura could push her out of his way. As he passed, she caught the look of bloodlust mixed with anger in those chocolate-brown orbs and, without thinking, she reached out and took hold of his forearm. Muscles tightened under her grasp, but she held him in a vice-like grip. Kel arched her other hand back then let it fly forward, releasing her hold on the dagger. It shot toward Shadi and embedded itself into the cement at his feet; only the upper half of the blade and the hilt poked out of the ground.
"I do not think it polite for one of your status to order me around like a child. Be gone, Shadi. Your presence is not wanted." Violet burned and Kel thought it wise that the spirit heeded her unspoken warning—while the material dagger could not hurt him, her Shadow magic could.
Pure rage burned in blue irises. "You will regret this, my princess."
After the infuriating spirit dissipated, Kel released her hand on Bakura's arm and let him face her. Though his fury had died down, irritation still marred his features.
"Who are you? Shadi's little pet?"
Kel held back a snarl. "Shadi is a meddling fool who does not understand what is best for him. Never associate me with him." She bypassed him to retrieve her dagger but stopped at Bakura's low voice.
"To which royal family do you belong, Your Highness?"
Kel flinched as though he'd struck her. "I am of Egyptian line." She glanced at him over her shoulder and read the suspicion in his eyes. "The Nameless Pharaoh is my father."
Even as his eyes widened and mouth dropped open, irritation fed the fire around her heart. He wasn't really nameless, the world only thought that because his name had been forgotten. Kel knew it by heart, but infuriating meddling from Shadi and Ishizu (not to mention Osiris's vexing assistance) had forced her to never mention it.
"The lost princess? You're the lost princess? If you're at the center of Shadi's attention, I suppose it makes sense." Bakura sneered at her. "What are you doing here?"
Kel folded her arms and turned to face him completely. "I'm under orders to help Yugi Moto." She raised her topmost hand at the indignant look on his face. "Fear not, I'm not inclined to follow them."
Bakura's face melted into one of confusion, though a smirk quickly replaced the frown. "As long as you stay out of my way, I will not challenge you."
"I shall treat you the same." Kel inclined her head even as Bakura's white locks calmed, chocolate brown softened, and the hard lines of his face (most particularly in his jaw) melted into Ryou's gentle face.
Ryou jumped with wide eyes before a confused frown captured his lips. "W-Wait, weren't you just down there?" He looked back and forth between Kel and the beach.
Kel stretched both arms above her head then tucked silver streaks behind her ears. "Your spirit decided to pay me a visit." She stooped to retrieve her dagger for the second time but a small gasp made her pause once again.
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
A small sigh escaped her lips as the blonde straightened, fixing violet eyes on the white-haired male. "Do not worry. He did nothing of the sort."
Light pink colored his cheeks as Ryou ran a hand through his spiky hair. "So, um, I don't think I ever received an answer to my question."
Kel suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and moved to his side. His slight jump at her approach didn't go unnoticed. She hooked a finger around the small silver chain and lifted it, raising the golden gem slightly.
Chocolate brown rooted to the engraving of a lotus flower that adorned the Crystal. "Oh, I suppose not then."
Wordlessly, Kel let it drop then once again moved to recover her dagger.
The male immediately darted to her side. "Let me get that for you."
Despite the calm his voice portrayed, Kel caught the confused note in his words—after all, she had been holding the dagger before Bakura took over. Ryou grabbed hold of the dark violet hilt and pulled. No surprise came to her when the blade stayed ingrained in the cement.
Kel knelt next to him, the rough sidewalk biting through her jeans and into her knees, and laid a cool hand on his warm one. He backed off at the look she shot him as the blonde reached deep into her magic core and plucked a violet strand from the seething mass at the center. It pulsed as it raced down her veins. A purple glow erupted around her right hand, engulfing it with a small blast of cold. The dagger immediately responded to the magic and almost seemed to jump to her skin as she held her hand close.
"How did you do that?" The awe in Ryou's voice attracted Kel's attention as she slid the Shadow Dagger into its sheath. His mouth had fallen open and white surrounded chocolate brown.
The blonde Egyptian shrugged as her eyes landed on the sunrise. "Aren't you going to be late for school?"
Ryou glanced down at the silver watched strapped to his wrist and yelped. "Oh goodness. I should go."
Kel suppressed a sigh at the hopeful look in his eyes, refraining from the tempting eye roll. It appeared as though the rest of her martial art sets would have to wait until that evening. If getting closer to Ryou meant going against Shadi, she was all for it.
"I can walk you partway, if you would like," she said quietly. "My work is on the way to the school."
A bright grin split the male's face. As he turned away, Kel turned vibrant violet heavenward. Getting used to people once again would be a long and hard ride.
BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK
Yugi suppressed a yawn as his chemistry teacher droned on and on. He wouldn't credit himself as the smartest kid in the school (leave that to Anzu or Ryou), but he had assumed he'd have the talent to at least pass the stupid science class.
A chuckle resounded through Yugi's mind. 'You might try actually paying attention. It would be beneficial to you.'
Color burned the teen's face and he buried his face in his arms. 'Shut up, Yami.' Despite his minor humiliation, a small smile curved Yugi's lips upward—the spirit had been a little down lately mostly due to Kel's attitude and the fact that her familiarity reminded him of the hole in his memories. Even if the amusement was at his expense, Yugi didn't mind . . . too much.
The blessed ringing of the bell released him from his teacher's monotone voice and the teen gathered his belongings before shooting out of the classroom as fast as he could. He met Ryou on the way out.
"Why did I let you convince me to take that class?" A pout crossed Yugi's face at Ryou's small laugh.
"Chemistry isn't that bad." A smile graced the white-haired teen's lips and chocolate brown shone with something that bordered on excitement.
Yugi couldn't help a raised eyebrow as the two walked toward the front of the school. "Do you love it that much?"
Ryou blinked then shook his head. "I was thinking of something else."
"What then?" Yugi dropped his school bag to the floor as he collected his outside shoes in the entryway.
The white-haired teen copied his actions and a small blush lit his cheeks. "I met someone this morning."
Yugi's heart skipped a beat. "A girl?" He pulled off his school shoes and tugged on black-and-white tennis.
Yami's presence in his mind increased and Yugi knew he was watching even as Ryou nodded shyly. 'Do you think . . . ?'
Yugi mentally nodded. 'It's entirely possible.' He leapt to his feet and gripped Ryou's arm, startling the other male. "Who was she?" Plum danced as excitement bubbled in his chest, threatening to burst forth.
The blush darkened. "Kel, her name was Kel." A soft smile slowly captured Ryou's lips as the white-haired teen turned away from Yugi. "I-I should be going."
As Ryou walked away, a grin split Yugi's face and relief flooded his mind—Yami retreated to his soul room in the puzzle at the mention of such news. So she was still around. And she'd met Ryou. Yugi punched the air with a shout. They had a chance of finding her again. He retrieved his school bag then strutted toward the front doors, heedless of the rain that sprinkled from the dark clouds. Nothing could ruin his day now.
When he reached the doorway, he noticed Anzu standing there, a frown on her gentle lips. Yugi touched her arm and apologized sheepishly when she jumped.
"Tristan and Joey are on clean-up duty today," he said, running a hand through ebony locks. "How about we meet at the game shop in an hour?"
Anzu seemed to contemplate the suggestion before nodding. "Sounds good to me. That'll give me enough time to take care of some homework."
The grin returned. "Awesome." Yugi turned to leave when a thought occurred to him. Considering Kel's attitude, it would take a while for her to warm up to them. Until then, Yami needed a distraction. Plum glanced to meet dark blue and his smile turned mischievous. What better diversion than a girl?
Checking to see that Yami was too preoccupied to pay attention, Yugi turned back around to face his only female friend. "Hey, Anzu, will you do me a favor?"
The brunette tucked a section of hair behind her ear as dark blue glided straight to him. "What kind of favor?"
Yugi's grip on his bag tightened. "Yami's been kinda down lately, what with all this business with Kel, and I think he needs something to get his mind off of it all. He needs a day to relax." His heart suddenly pounded incessantly in his chest and the male shifted shyly. "You think you could show him around Domino this Saturday, just to hang out? I think it would really help distract him."
Surprise filtered through Anzu's eyes before the taller girl smiled. "Of course. Anything to help a friend out."
Gratitude glittered atop plum. "Thanks, you're the best. I'll give you details later." Yugi offered her a single-handed wave. "See you in a bit then." A sense of giddiness settled over him as the short teen darted out into the rain. For what reason, he couldn't even begin to fathom.
