Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! However, I am claiming this plot and any OCs I might have. I only accept constructive criticism.
Metamorphosis of the Mariposa
Chapter 2
The Order of Things
"…Attila, also known as The Scourge of God…" Mrs. Takahashi continued.
'Scourge of God hm? Perhaps Father is the reincarnation of the pillager?' The amusement of the thought never transcended to her features as she continued half listening to the History lesson.
Her ink oozed across the notebook with ease. Taking notes had never been a problem in her academic career; she had a knack for retaining information whether it was by reading or listening, it somehow stuck in her mind. She scribbled down a few more key things before resting her pen. It was the first to last class of the day thankfully.
The day had gone pretty smoothly, everything expected had happened. Odion was immediately added to the baseball, basketball, and soccer team. Malik had almost every student body member eating out of his hand by second period. However, as soon as he spotted Marik in the lunchroom sitting across from Ryou, no one stood a chance. Since lunch she hadn't seen him nor the bothersome almost doppelganger.
The teacher paused temporarily to clear her throat before continuing, "…Attila invaded Gaul in…"
Once more she went back to scribbling down key dates, locations, and other needed things. She shifted a few of her papers around and found her multiple invites into different clubs. Usually she would simply join any group she was invited into but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be apart of anything. She was already in Honors classes wasn't that enough? Not like anyone took any interest in what she did and didn't do.
Giving an unnoticed sigh she set her pen down no longer feeling the note taking spirit. She shifted her legs under her, tucking her feet under her chair. She found it odd really. She had only been at her new academic home of Domino High for just the first day and already she felt…contented.
Usually her stress level would have been out the window do to having to catch up with the curriculum, make a strong enough relationship with someone so she wouldn't eat alone, or simply to survive High School alone. But here, all of those feelings were gone.
Maybe because her usual worries were taken care of; catching up hadn't been hard due to the fact she finally started a school on time instead of in the middle of the year. Ryou and his friend's had already handled the friend/social issues. She had someone to sit with at lunch and whenever one of them had a class with her, they saved her a seat next to them.
Despite all the good things, she didn't exactly care. All she wanted to do was graduate with good grades and get as far away from her home as she could. Well, at least her father.
Maybe this move had drained whatever fire she had left to have an unforgettable High School career. Surely she would remember it, but it wouldn't be something she'd be sad about forgetting. Slowly she lifted her eyes from her notebook and looked around the room to her fellow classmates that would all cry when they left these halls, that would want to relive the last four years all over again. She envied them, especially the Moto Mob.
Ryou had immediately introduced her to them all. With a quick sweep of her eyes, she was able to map out the old boarding school friend's group. They were a close nit group that almost came off as siblings at times. They were tied off to one another; never dating outside the group, yet always was quick to welcome someone new. They would be the ones crying for something true at graduation.
"And that's all we're going to go into today," the teacher said as the bell rang.
She was saying something else as well but Isis was too occupied with finding Odion for a ride home. She really didn't feel like walking. Weaving through the crowds she made her way to her locker and then made her way outside. She remembered the group saying something about teams starting practice the last period of the day so they didn't have to stay too long after school ended.
Finding her way to the gym, she poked her head inside to find the basketball team practicing. There she immediately saw the determined face of her older brother as he made a series of flawless free throws. A few cheerleaders stretching on the sidelines whispered about the new guy while a few of his teammates smiled brightly, feeling they were going to make the play-offs definitely with their secret weapon.
"Isis!" She turned to find Tristan Taylor and Joey Wheeler jogging across the gym to her. "Your brother is kick-ass at basketball!" Joey smiled as he watched Odion make yet another three pointer.
Tristan nodded in agreement, "With him on our side, we can't lose…for once."
Isis chuckled and nodded, "He's always been good at sports."
Joey snorted, "Good is an understatement Isis." Tristan nodded in agreement once more.
"HEY WHEELER! TAYLOR! GET OVER HERE!" The coach suddenly called from across the way.
"Oh shit, coach will make us do suicides again if we don't hurry!" Tristan said as he headed back across the glossy gym floor.
"See you later Isis!" Joey waved as he made his way behind Tristan.
She gave a small smile and turned towards her brother, "Odion!"
Slowly he turned his head and spotted his little sister giving him that usual look she did. Boy did she look like mom when she did. "Okhti!" He jogged over to her and smiled placing a hand on her shoulder, "How was your first day? Did you see Ryou?"
She nodded, "I did Akhi. So you have practice today?"
"I do. They want me to get acquainted with the team already." He looked over his shoulder at his team; a few of them waved smiling, two of them happened to be Joey and Tristan, "They're nice."
"Good, good."
"Was there something I could do for you?"
Isis quickly shook her head. She squashed her plans of telling him about Marik since he obviously didn't know. The last thing she wanted was his game thrown off during his first practice. With that in mind, she decided to forget about the idea of asking for a ride. She knew she'd make him feel guilty since she had to walk home because of his practice. But knowing her brother he would probably take her home and just come back later. She couldn't ask him to do that either. It would make him late.
"I was just curious to whether you had practice or not. I'll see you at home, okay?"
He smiled warmly down at her, "Okay Isis." He gave her one last look then headed back over to his team. He knew she was lying but now was not the time to pry.
Turning on her heel, she headed out of the gym and once outside, she was touched with the smell of cigarette smoke. She wasn't the type to turn in smokers on campus but she was curious to where Malik was, and if nicotine was in the mix, there was a possibility her brother was there. Rounding the large building there she found all familiar faces.
Bakura was puffing away, leaning against the building, half listening to Ryou lecturing him on ditching class. There sitting in the grass, back against the building was Marik. He still looked the same and if it was possible, either his hair was even wilder from last time she saw him in Egypt, or she had simply forgotten how wild the blond locks could be. There straddling his lap was Malik. To her surprise they weren't heavily making out, but simply talking quietly to one another.
"Well, well, well!" Marik began, "You make quite the Domino school girl Isis and you still have those awesome legs. Good for you." He gave her that fiendish grin he was so fond of and took a drag from a cigarette in the hand she hadn't seen.
Malik looked up at his sister, not at all uncomfortable with his current position or his comment, "Hey Isis, heading home?"
She shook her head not uncomfortable herself. She had caught and heard those two do almost everything she could think of and then some; Malik simply straddling him was below mild, "There is one class left you know. My guess is you're not going?"
Marik gave a chuckle, "Of course not! We have things to catch up on…" He leaned forward and gave Malik a nip on his neck before murmuring something that was obviously dirty.
She visibly flinched; not from the words or future actions but because she would have to go home to her father possibly being there, by herself. She needed a plan, a reason for not being the first home. Nothing was coming to her and she had a feeling she'd be hiding out in her room till Odion got home. She doubted Malik would make it home for breakfast the next day.
Luckily Ryou was a saving grace, "If you want Isis, me and my friends are heading over to the arcade. You could come with us!"
She wasn't really one for video games but she was one for procrastination when it came to going home, "Sure, sounds like fun."
"Great!" Ryou gave her smile then turned to Bakura, "I'll be home in a few hours."
"Don't keep me waiting," Bakura growled as he wrenched the boy's uniform in his fist, giving him a particularly smoky kiss.
Despite the taste Ryou flushed all the same, "See you two tomorrow," he said in passing to the tanned boys.
"What's your next class?" Isis asked as she and Ryou headed back to the main building.
"History; I'm not really looking forward to it though," he sighed as he held the door for her open.
"Thank you Ryou. Do you not like History? She's lecturing about Attila the Hun. Remember? We had the same lecture back in London." She shifted her Entomology book under her arm.
He nodded, "That's the problem, I've heard it all before. At least I kept my notes from the lecture." He paused outside his classroom, off to the side so the kids piling in wouldn't shove past him, "Did you?"
"No. School items are usually the first to be thrown away when moving."
"Oh! Well if you want, you can borrow my notes anytime you want to copy," Ryou smiled.
She nodded, "Thanks, I'll pick them up after school from you."
"Okay, just meet me in the front yard." With that he entered into the class, sliding the door back.
Isis went all the way to the end of the hall and entered the semi-full Entomology room. She walked in quietly to an empty seat by the isle and felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around she found Joey's buxom girlfriend smiling at her, "Hey hot stuff, stuck in Entomology as well?"
Isis nodded glancing over at the boy next to her. He looked sort of well…creepy. His hair was an odd aqua kind of hue and his large bug eyes looked like one of the examples in her book. "I wanted to take Astronomy but it was already full. I'll get to take it next semester though."
Mai Valentine nodded, "I was hoping to get in Geology but I ended up here. But I will be able to take it next semester as well. So, I'm guessing you already have your partner? Well, since you're sitting there and he has no partner."
"Partner?"
She nodded, "Mr. Yamamoto and the other science teachers push partners in all of their classes. They make us do a lot of projects so it only makes sense." She motioned to the one next to her, "This is Weevil Underwood and he's my partner. Not because I want him to be but because I want an A."
The boy was currently engrossed in a book he obviously brought from home, murmuring quietly to himself about Latin names and insect orders, "He looks quite young to be in here."
"Oh, he is. He's from the middle school. He just takes Entomology here since he's supposedly a genius when it comes to the stuff. In-fact, next semester this other really smart middle school kid will be taking Paleontology here. That class is no joke! I've seem my share of people drop out but this, Rex Raptor, will probably make nothing but A's in it." She rolled her eyes, "Makes me sick."
"It is quite remarkable they have such knowledge of these topics," Isis nodded. She glanced at the empty stool next to hers, "So who exactly sits here?"
"I do," a hard voice responded. She turned to find the same blue eyes from her first class. He placed his briefcase down and placed his Entomology book before him.
"Hello…again," Isis quietly said in his direction, "it's too my understanding we'll be partners here."
"Listen, you don't have to talk to me to guarantee your A. I'll do the projects and all you have to do is sign your name. I don't want your lack of work ethic bringing down my GPA." His eyes hardened considerably.
Feeling a bit put off by his rudeness she straightened herself up and looked back into his eyes, "Those are strong accusations from someone who doesn't even know my name."
His eyes then narrowed, "Your name is immaterial; everyone here is all the same."
Mai leaned forward over her table, "Don't take it personally Isis, Kaiba thinks he's too good for everyone."
"Not everyone, just everyone here," Kaiba corrected.
Before Mai could make a retort Mr. Yamamoto entered with his briefcase in hand. He set it down on his desk and looked around the room, spotting Isis, "Well, you must be my new student, Miss Ishtar right?" She simply nodded, "Excellent! I've been hoping for another student so that Mr. Kaiba could have a partner; seems my wish has been granted." He smiled at the scowling Kaiba and the politely smiling Isis before clapping his hands together, "Today we're going to talk about the Lepidoptera order and can anyone…besides Mr. Underwood tell me what exactly that entails?"
Everyone stayed quiet, some shifting in their seats so they wouldn't be called on. Weevil raised his hand higher, giving a small grunt of annoyance of having to wait to be called on. He knew the rest of the nitwits, as he had put it many times, didn't know Lepidoptera from Hymenoptera.
Giving a sigh Mr. Yamamoto pointed to a student, "Miss Ishtar, impress me. Tell me, what does the Lepidoptera order entail?"
Not liking all of the attention on herself she quickly stuttered out, "B-butterflies and moths Mr. Yamamoto." Everyone's eyes shifted to Weevil and watched in awe as his hand slowly lowered.
"Correct Miss Ishtar! What a wonderful addition to my class you will be. Now, you can find the Lepidoptera order information on page…"
Isis shifted her eyes to her book finding a few people in the class looking at her curiously. She quickly flipped her book open to the page he wrote on the board and focused on the different moths and butterflies on the page. She only lifted her head when she felt Mai tap her on the back.
"I'd be lucky to have you as a partner," she whispered to her back.
Isis gave a small smile, "Thanks."
"Hey Kaiba, how about we switch?" Mai prodded.
Kaiba gave a snort, "No."
Both Mai and Isis were surprised by the unexpected response, "And why not?" They both could have sworn five minutes ago he was giving Isis shit so why was he so opposed to a switch?
"Simple. Weevil is annoying."
Weevil's head shot up, "Prick," he sneered.
"Well Isis, good luck," Mai chuckled as she sat back in her seat.
Isis shrugged, "I don't think I'll need it."
Kaiba turned and focused his skeptical blues into her staring back ceruleans. Isis wasn't sure what he was doing but was glad when he finally looked away, focusing back on the lecture. She followed his example and went to taking notes.
Once his lecture was complete, Mr. Yamamoto looked at the clock, "Alright class; time for your first project!" As expected, quite a few people groaned their aggravations, "Aw, come on people, it'll be fun. Now, I want you and your partner to make a presentation of forty different types of butterflies and moths. I want twenty butterflies and twenty moths.
You can only draw them and even catch them if you want, but something creative. I want them labeled in their correct Latin name, what they eat, and where they're from. Also, no paper is needed with the presentation; just put all the information I asked for with the model or bulletin board; just whatever you use to present your moths and butterflies. Also, no Internet sources or pictures, I only want books. So you will need to hand me a bibliography."
More people groaned but Mr. Yamamoto ignored them, "Now, we have ten more minutes left till the day is over. I'd advise you to discuss with your partner who's doing what and how you want to present it. And remember, extra points are given for creativity." With that he took a seat and clicked around on his computer.
"Here's what we're doing Blondie, I have a collection of almost every butterfly and moth known to man, so we'll present those. They're already labeled in their Latin name, where they're from, and what they eat." Weevil gave a creepy smile do to his hobby coming in handy. "I'll simply pick the best ones."
Mai patted the boy on the head, "Good Weevil, now, how will we present it?"
"Oh! I have the perfect idea; I'll show you after school. Meet me at the library okay?" Mai nodded and she went back to checking her nails, while he chuckled to himself.
Isis shifted a bit and turned to Kaiba, "I was thinking I could do the butterflies and you could handle the moths." Kaiba simply didn't respond not looking up from his notebook he was still writing on. So she continued, "And I was thinking we could make a model of the world and label our Lepidoptera on it. You know where they come from and such." Once more she was greeted with silence not even a little eye contact.
She tapped her pen on the notebook, slightly annoyed by him out right ignoring of her. But she wasn't about to give up. Isis believed in teamwork and they were going to get this done, together, even if it killed them both in the process, "So, when did you want to work on it?"
He turned to her obviously irritated and halted his pen, "I already told you, I'll get us the A."
"I'm aware, but its group work and I plan to do my share."
"Well your share in this would be to stay out of my way." With that the bell rang and he tucked his book and notebook under his arm, while grabbing his briefcase.
She sat there quietly, listening to Mai talk about how her project with Weevil was in the bag and how he wasn't that bad as a partner. Isis would have agreed, if any of it were true on her end.
PLEASE READ:
Don't you love it when you get those types of partners? They're so annoying. Also, I once had to do a project with identifying twenty-five butterflies and twenty-five moths, by myself. HELL! I did get a B but a lot of work went into it so I had better get that damn B. Ha ha.
Yes, yes, I know! What High School offers Entomology or Paleontology? I know that Japanese schooling is way more advanced that of America's so, with that in mind, I took it that much further and made it outrageous. Hopefully this does not deter you from my tale.
Arabic Words:
Okhti – Sister
Akhi – Brother
This was posted especially for:
Tru Mel Meiko Mei Ling – I finally got my shit together, to put it bluntly, and have found a way to balance my world. In light of that, I have found a wittle slot for my fanfiction addiction. LOL.
Still Stands: If I don't get one measly review, no new chapter, however if I do get one measly review, new chapter.
REVIEW!!!
Well I'm Out
