Chapter Two – Sparring For A Fight
Seto Kaiba watched as the Junker of a car speed from his sight. He had gone through various forms of fury that day, first at Rowland, for losing his brother, then at his security, who failed to locate him, and now to the irritating little British girl, who dared to insult him in his own home. "Little wretch", he muttered, and slammed the heavy dark doors shut. He composed himself, and without flinching, "You can come out now Mokuba".
The little brother held his breath, thinking he had evaded Seto's detection. Of course, I didn't, he thought, he notices everything. Mokuba crept out from his hiding spot, and wearily made his way down the staircase a third time. Seto turned to face him, his left hand tucked into his trouser pocket. "I thought I told you to go to your room", he lectured.
"You're my brother Seto, not my babysitter", Mokuba mumbled.
"I am your guardian", Seto warned.
"I'm sorry big brother, I just don't think you should have been so mean to Mina, lots of people passed me, she was the only one who stopped to help me".
Seto's expression did not flinch, "Did she recognise who you are?"
"No Seto and I don't think she even knew who you are. She only moved here from England after all …" Mokuba trailed off.
"Hmm, she would have to live under a rock to not know about duel monsters", Kaiba replied sarcastically, it was true that duel monsters were popular all over the globe, and Mina did know that it was a game, but other than that she knew nothing about it. "Now Mokuba, why did you run away from school today?" Seto asked, his tone softer, "That was very unlike you".
"I got into trouble with Miss Swan and I didn't want you to know", Mokuba answered, head hung in shame.
Seto scoffed, "You expect me to believe that Mokuba?"
Mokuba hesitated, he knew, his big brother notices everything. "It was Nauru, he and his friends wouldn't leave me alone".
"And what was this Nauru saying?" Seto asked. "Big brother it doesn't matter honestly I –
"Mokuba", Seto warned.
"Nauru was telling everyone about your duel with Yugi, he said that you weren't a real duellist – he was spreading lies to everybody" Mokuba replied honestly, he regretted his admission the moment it left his mouth, he would rather get in trouble than do anything to hurt his brother. Mokuba could see it on his face as his lips drew into a thin line and eyes narrowed, "Mokuba, I want you to understand something, no matter what those idiot kids tell you, I'm your brother and I haven't let you down this far, I'm always here for you kiddo".
Mokuba smiled, and hugged his brother tightly, "I know big brother, and I'm always here for you". Kaiba chuckled, but as normal, he did not smile and ruffled his brother's hair. "Now Mokuba it's late, you need to go to bed".
"I know brother, good night", he smiled, and bolted up the stairs, however stopped at the top, "Seto, Mina was really nice to me, she seemed like a really good person".
"Hmm", Kaiba grumbled, "Goodnight Mokuba". Mokuba sighed and shook his head, well that was his brother.
Seto watched his brother scatter and he made his way to his in-home office. Inside he returned to his desk, his computer screen was alight, but no work had been done. In fact, ever since his defeat to the amateur Yugi Muto, very little work had been done. He felt confused, like a part of himself was missing. He groaned, a migraine pounding in his head as he stretched back against his chair. Another school day tomorrow that he would be forced to attend, another gruelling day in a cesspool of idiocy. He would have to face Yugi and his friends, and god forbid, the little wretch De Noir.
With the first slivers of the dawn, light flooded into Mina's room, and woke her from a restless sleep. She groaned, the sheets were cold and starch, the mattress was itchy and uncomfortable. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, Mina was greeted with the sight of a bare and unfamiliar room. The walls were a sickly white, and the entire room lacked any character. She fumbled for her phone under the blankets, and moaned loudly when she saw the time; 6:07 am. Mina could not see herself falling back into a sleep, and with a terrible reluctance she cast the sheets from her body, and slipped onto the cold floor. She draped a woolly cardigan over her body and shivered. The house, despite being a new building, felt desolate. She tip-toed into the hallway, boxes of every shape and size were scattered across the house; nothing bar the beds that they had slept in had been unpacked. She went down the stairs, and unboxed the coffee maker, and set about making breakfast for the trio. Mina had been clever enough to remember to buy breakfast essentials such as eggs, butter, bread, bacon and milk when they had stopped at a convenience store the night before. Adjusting from sterling to dollars was a bit of a task, but Mina thought she had adapted rather quickly.
She rummaged through a large box, clumsily labelled 'Kitchen', and retrieved a pan and a few plates and bowls. She worked quickly; cracking eggs and frying bacon, the luxurious smell of the breakfast delights travelled through the house, and breathed life into the building. The hearty smell moved like a fog into the bedrooms, and wakened the other two friends. Blake's stomach grumbled and Sarah yawned loudly, and like zombies they made their way to their new kitchen.
"Always the first up and the last to go down", Blake smiled tiredly, taking up a seat on the island counter.
"What's for breakfast mummy?" Sarah giggled, watching Mina as she juggled with different bowls and pans.
"Ha, ha, very funny", she retorted, and plated up the food. Two plates were perched in front of Blake and Sarah piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.
"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Blake asked, already shovelling down his food.
Mina wagged her head, "I'm too jittery to eat", she muttered and slipped past her casually. "I'm going to have a ciggie before I get dressed". Mina grabbed her satchel from the counter, and rummaged to retrieve her lighter and cigarettes.
"I thought you said that you would quit", Sarah protested.
Mina rolled her eyes, "No, I said that I would think about quitting".
"And?" Sarah continued.
"I'm still thinking". With that she practically danced to the back garden of the house. In the chill morning air, she lit up the cigarette and inhaled deeply. She paused for a moment, savouring the silence and calm that the dawn had brought. She exhaled slowly, watching as the white smoke converged together in a tumbling cloud, before evaporating into the day. You can do this Mina, you can do this. She raked her hands through her unbrushed hair as she finished the cigarette, and put it out on the ground.
Upon re-entering the kitchen, she was met with a horrific sight. In front of her, Sarah had unfolded which, to her disbelief, must have been their new school uniform.
"It's pink!" she exclaimed despairingly.
"Just the blazer", Sarah smiled with a childish whirl, "I think it looks good".
Mina had no issue with the colour pink, she herself own several dresses of the colour. But at home, she was use to dark and modest colour used for school uniform, her own was a dark maroon. She gulped, and reached for her on set, which consisted of a bright pink blazer, white shirt, and a navy, very short skirt. If the sisters could see me now, she thought, and cast her mind to the convent school of which she had attended before the move. She thought to Sister Elaine, who was always quick to remind her; "we must always take things in our stride". With a deep breath, she bundled the clothes into her arms and retraced her steps back to her own room.
Mina laid the clothes out on her bed, and quickly jumped into the shower. She scrubbed herself thoroughly, trying to eliminate the smell that seems to accompany you when you travel. With her skin, still a little flushed from the hot water, Mina through on the dreaded uniform. She dried her hair roughly, and though she was ready fifteen minutes before they had decided to leave, she was filled with anxiety. It could be worse, she tried to reassure herself, I could be starting a new school on my own.
Fifteen minutes passed as though they were seconds, and it wasn't long before the three were bundled into Mina's small car. She quickly checked her phone, although supposedly they were in walking distance from Domino High, she didn't want to risk being late, not on the first day.
"I can't wait", Sarah smiled, "This is going to be so much fun!"
"Ehmm, just think of all the American boys", Blake wiggled is eyebrows and the two burst into a fit of laughter. Mina wanted so desperately to join in, but her mind was a million miles away, in fact in her mind this was all a vivid dream, she hadn't really moved to America. She had convinced herself that any moment she would wake up in her cosy loft room with Nanook snuggled up beside her, and her mother making breakfast. No, she stopped herself quickly, I can't think about that now. She clenched her eyes, subduing any tears before they dared to fall. The school was twenty minutes away walking, they were there in five. The courtyard was filled with girls in pink and boys in blue. "How cliché" Mina murmured as she struggled to find a parking space amongst the sea of cars.
After parking, Blake and Sarah were anxious to immerse themselves and set about establishing their reputations. "Come on let's go!" Sarah announced, and in the rear-view mirror, Mina watched as the entire colour drained from her face. "You two go on ahead; I just need a few minutes".
"Alright love", Blake smiled, and ruffled her hair, "Meet you out there!"
The two left Mina alone, Sarah's golden hair shined in the autumn sun, her green eyes alight with the bliss of a carefree youth. Blake, who towered over her, smirked as he walked in long strides; his own blue hair flowed in the wind. The pair, alluring and confident, looked as though they had stepped straight out of the pages of Vanity Fair. Mina knew as she watched them leave that they would fit in perfectly like the pieces of a jigsaw. She on the other hand, was withdrawn and had a habit of saying the wrong thing. She had the beauty of a real English girl, her dark hair contrasted with her pale-white skin, and her accompanying dark eyes were framed with lush black eyelashes. However, the passing months had taken their toll on her, Mina's face was hollowed, her sharp cheekbones protruding alarmingly, and her eyes were adorned with dark bags. With shaking fingers, she delved into her new school bag, retrieving once more her lighter and cigarettes. She held one between her chapped lips, and paused before flicking the flame into life. She took a long drag before coughing hoarsely. "Damn these stupid things!" she snapped, but continued to smoke until she was down to the bud. She looked out the window, she expected to still see her two friends, but a crowd had formed into a semi-circle with their backs turned from her. "How strange…."
Her anxiety was temporarily replaced with curiosity as she emerged from the car, and made her way towards the crowd. She heard loud shouts, and could see a beast of a boy …. Swinging for Blake. He helplessly dodged the Bully's punches, "Fight like a man you fag!" the bully snarled. Mina hesitated for a mere second before discarding her bag and charging through the crowd. Teens exclaimed as she pushed past them. The heavy-built bully was about to take another swing, before Mina quickly through herself between them, and caught his fist. "What the hell!" The bully shouted. Blake staggered back, his lip cut. The group gasped as Mina stood her ground, "Leave him alone", she growled as the bully jerked his hand away. "I won't hit a girl", he snapped as his friends laughed at her stupidity to cross Jax. "Too bad", Mina spat with a feverish ferocity, "because I will hit you!" Before Jax could process her threat, she practically had to leap to crack him in the jaw. The whole crowd held their breath with eyes building to the size of hen's eggs. Jax on the other hand staggered back in shock as he held his red jaw. His eyes narrowed in on her, "You're dead bitch". He charged, and gripped Mina by her throat, hoisting her into the air. She choked desperately and clasped at his meaty hand as the crowd watched helplessly as the unknown girl flopped like a fish out of water. "No one touches me, I don't care if you are a girl", he spat. Mia knew, she knew how to easily to counter his weight and take him down, but she couldn't, she couldn't do it without the fear of the suspicion it would bring.
"Hey tough guy, let the girl go huh?" Mina heard a boy call, and tried to get Jax to let go of his grasp, but with his free hand he merely pushed him to the ground, and squeezed tighter.
"Let her go".
Mina watched in horror as Jax's face twisted at the new voice, but to her complete surprise, he complied. She gasped as she fell in a bundle, trying to gulp air into her lungs in a terrible coughing fit. The centre of the crowd parted, allowing her saviour to walk through. A tall boy stepped forward, inches away from Jax. "If I see you even look in her direction again, you will regret it". Jax grunted and spat, and gestured to his gang, "Come on", he said, never breaking eye contact with the boy, "We have better places to be".
Mina struggling to steady herself, having been brought to the point of almost passing out. Her head was light and she felt dizzy, and flinched when she felt a rough hand grab her arm and yank her to her feet. Her lips parted in shock upon finally seeing who had rescued her, and she was dumbfounded. "Seto?" she asked in disbelief. He narrowed his gaze, and harshly pulled her towards him. "Now we're even De Noir", he hissed into her ear, and swiftly broke away, walking into the school building as if nothing had happened.
The crowd was silent for a moment, utterly shocked by what they had just witnessed. "Mina!" Blake cried, and ran to his friend's side, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine", she stuttered, and placed her hand lightly on the sensitive skin of her neck. Sarah approached them, "Oh Mina we thought you were done for!" she almost sobbed, hugging her tightly.
"Easy", Mina coughed, "I'm okay, really". The crowd, having lost interest, began to disperse, all but a few remained rooted to the spot.
"Why did that guy go after you?" Mina asked finally, still confused as how the fight started in the first place.
"Because Jax is a total nutcase, that's why". Mina jumped, and looked at the few teens that had stayed behind. She recognised the blonde boy who spoke; he had been the one who tried to help her. Another boy, shorter than the first with peculiar hair and lavender eyes stepped forward, "I'm really sorry, Jax was bothering us, and Blake there stepped in, it all spiralled from there"
"That was really brave of you Mina", the only girl smiled, she spoke with a friendly smile and kind eyes. She had short brown hair and wore the same horrid pink uniform.
"Thanks", Mina shrugged awkwardly. Physical confrontation she could deal with without a problem, talking with people was a different story. "I'm Teá by the way, Teá Gardner".
"I'm Tristan", the brunette spoke with a smile and a slight blush, before he was quickly over taken by another, "I'm Joey, nice to meet yah Mina", the blonde boy said with a huge gaping grin.
The last boy with the lavender eyes smiled warmly, "I'm Yugi, Yugi Muto".
Mina forced a smile, "Wilhelmina De Noir"
"Beautiful name Miss De Noir", Tristan grinned, "French?"
"By extraction", she answered briskly.
"Sarah told us the three if you just moved here from England"
"That's correct", Mina replied rather bluntly, her whole-body tense with unease. How much had Sarah told the strangers in such a short space of time? She felt small and weak compared to the group that stood before her, and if anything could be unwise, it is backing Mina De Noir into a corner. After already being in fight, without school actually starting, she had little hope for the town or the people in it. Mina fell silent, she didn't know what to say as usual. Blake and Sarah, she'd known years and was comfortable with, she wasn't great with strangers. "Don't worry, Jax's bark is worse than his bite, he just likes to torment for fun" Teá said, "I can't believe you and Blake could stand up to him like that".
"Well you know the British, always sparring for a fight", Mina laughed uneasily. And again, there was silence until Sarah and Blake came to her rescue. Like she said, they fit into any situation like jigsaw pieces. Sarah blended into the conversation, giving Mina the chance to escape and shrink back. Give her a fight, a confrontation, she could handle, give her a social situation, she was clueless. Her hand grazed against the skin of her neck, she could have taken that idiot on easily, but it would have drawn attention to herself, a small girl taking on a boy four times her size, yes that would have seemed completely normal, she scolded herself.
"Hey you aren't hurt, are you?" Mina was broken from her daydream, it was the boy, Yugi.
"No, no", she rushed, "I'm fine honestly, barely a scratch.
"Well the bell is about to go", Yugi smiled, "let's get you guys inside and get your class assignments".
The extended group walked inside the school building, the hallway was crowded, but they were guided to registration to collect her things. The group departed, and Yugi volunteered to help Mina whilst Joey and Tristan were with Blake and Teá with Sarah. Mina fumbled with the books in her arms, as Yugi directed her to her first class. "It's a shame none of us are in your history class", he tried to joke, "It might've made things a bit easier".
"You have no idea", Mina laughed weakly, "but thank you for being so kind to my friends and I, with only knowing us a day and all that".
"Think nothing of it", Yugi smiled with his innocent eyes alight, "You guys are cool, I can tell that we're going to be really good friends".
"I hope so", Mina revealed, "I really do".
"Well", Yugi began, stopping just before the classroom, "this is you". Mina hesitated before sucking in a sharp breath. "Don't worry", Yugi reassured her, placing a sincere hand on her shoulder, "You'll do fine".
"Thanks again Yugi, I'll see you later?" she smiled
"You can count on that", he returned.