HCG: *blink* *blink* Um...

Kawari: This is the part where you explain the story, HCG. -_-;;

HCG: I know that! It's just....well, this story is a little...um...random...o_O;; The idea came to me in a weird moment while I was biking home from our town library, and I've been expanding on it all day--and I like the idea. Especially since it's my first random story/plot/whatever that I've decided to use in a one-shot.

Kaze: I see.

HCG: And well...you'll see who's in it...

Anyway, disclaimer. As always, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters. The Negative Realm, it's characters, plots, and theories belong to me, High Crystal Guardian.

Summary: A girl in the Negative Realm is positively fed up with life, and decides she's going to run away from home to get back at her parents. But while on the run, she meets up with a mysterious someone, who teaches her a little lesson about life...

Dedication: Don't usually do these, but this particular fic is to any of you who get fed up with your parents, or life in general, or anything in particular. Hopefully, you'll learn a little something here...

Notes:

Italics are thoughts or memories/dreams

Set in the Negative Realm, a few months before Yugi comes to help out (in short, set before Shadow Turned Light). It doesn't have any particular relevance to the main stories, and I doubt my little OC in here will ever make an appearance in another fic of mine, but it still would be helpful if you read Shadow Turned Light, as it gives you some idea of the history and background.

Don't run away! It starts off weird...but just keep reading, you'll meet characters you know soon enough.

I also have no idea where this idea came from (o_O That sounded weird) but I do like how it makes life seem so much more...important. ^_^ Anyway. Enjoy!

For Granted

Fifteen year old Rachel Gakushiki was positively fed up with her life--or at least, the role her parents played in it. She sighed angrily at the thought of them; how they had power over her, how she was never allowed to do anything anymore, how stern and ridiculously strict their rules were.

It just wasn't fair, Rachel decided. Her friends whole-heartedly agreed with her, saying that her parents were stuck up and mean, and wanted their only daughter to grow up as an anti-social geek. It was fun to slam her parents while she was out with her friends, and it did sometimes help to relieve the stress of her life, but still...

Of course, the last straw had been reached when her parents refused to let her go to a concert with her absolute favorite band playing. She had been absolutely thrilled to learn that they were coming to Japan, and her area at that. Furthermore, her best friend Sarah had managed to get tickets for the entire group she hung out with, and they were guaranteed good, close seats and a grand time. But her parents had, quite flatly, said no, no matter how many arguments, tears, or screams were thrown their way.

On asking why she couldn't go, her mother had replied slowly that a gathering of so many people was a perfect place for Yami the Great Leader to strike. Rachel had scoffed at this--why on Earth would the Great Leader want to go to a stupid concert filled with teenagers, anyway? She made this challenge, to which her father replied that some of those teenagers could be with the Opposition, and Yami could not afford that.

Rachel hadn't believed them, not for one second. And she still thought her parents were being stupid asses, not letting her go to a simple concert. I mean, she thought to herself angrily, it's bad enough that Yami has to rule our city anyway, but most of us have learned to lay low and take the path that doesn't bring trouble. Why can't I go to the concert if I know that, huh?

But with all her attempted persuasion, it was no use. Which was why, her anger at it's highest, Rachel had come up with a new plan--she was going to run away.

It made more sense every second she thought about it. Why stay with these stupid parents, adults that didn't even understand her, when there was a whole, Yami-free world out there?

So she'd carefully made her plan. She'd pack as many clothes as she could in her backpack, along with all her money, and she'd take off at night, climbing down the gutter pipe running down the side of her house, near her window. Her parents would never know; they had a room on the other side of the house. Once she was free of those idiots, she could head in a little bit towards the heart of the city, catch a plane, and speed off for America before they realized she was gone.

She waited until night, carrying out her plan quickly and silently. So far so good; she hadn't been caught, and landed on the soft grass below her window after sliding down the gutter pipe. Turning, she gave a last venomous look at the light blue house and walked off, not looking back.

She walked for several hours--she lived on the very outskirts of Domino--and reached the heart of the city around dawn. Tired after her long walk, she slipped into a small resteraunt that was open that early in the morning, ordering a decent-sized breakfast and wolfing down all of it quickly.

After paying the bill, she found she had a problem. She definitely lacked enough money to get a plane to America. It was difficult, as it was, to get from Japan to a new country; Yami the Great Leader closely regulated those that left, not wanting to spread too many tales of the takeover in Japan before it was time. Only a decent bribe would allow her to head for the States that day.

Frowning, she decided she'd just have to try and beg money off of people on the streets. Her friend Sarah had done it once at the mall, when she lacked enough money to buy the sweater she'd wanted--begged for money, claiming she didn't have enough to use the phone to call her mom, or some other such nonsense excuse. Rachel supposed the same lies could be used in this similar situation.

Ideas ready, she shrugged the straps of her backpack into a more comfortable position and exited the small restaurant, looking around.

There weren't many people out this early in the morning, and the few that were seemed to be those annoying business people. They all seemed to be in a hurry, which was natural, nowadays--with Yami hanging over everyone's thoughts, he cast a shadow of terror that frightened people into moving quickly and quietly.

Determined, Rachel walked up to the closest one--a smart-looking woman in a tight gray business suit--and asked slowly, "Ma'am? Could you spare a few bills? I'm lost, and I'm trying to get back home so that I can--"

"Oh, save it," the woman muttered, striding on without even letting the teenager finish. Rachel fumed at her rude behavior, but never the less continued trying.

Twenty minutes later, she had hardly profited. One kind-looking man stopped just long enough to shove a few yen bills into her hands before marching on, looking around hurriedly to see that nobody had seen his act of kindness.

Sighing, Rachel retreated to one of the darker alleys, counting the money--not even remotely close to what she needed. She frowned and looked around the maze of back passageways the alleys seemed to create, and shivered slightly. She was just thinking of turning to leave and head back into the lighter, safer-looking streets, when she saw him.

He seemed to blend in almost perfectly to the shadows, and Rachel had a suspicion that the only reason she had seen him was because he had let her. He was tall--she guessed an inch or two over six feet--and he looked strong and powerful, though he couldn't have been older than seventeen years. He had short brown hair, with bangs that were just starting to reach into his eyes, which were a bright, icy blue. His form was clothed in a set of black pants, boots, a button-up, deep blue shirt, and a long black trench coat, patterned by silver-and-blue flames. Rachel gave a small sniff at the sight of the trench coat--it didn't really fit her tastes, and in her opinion this guy needed to get a fashion check--but it looked expensive, and she had the feeling that this person was not in want of money.

Deciding that she might as well try him in her little begging scam, she moved forward, thinking that if he was closer to her age, he might sympathize with her. He was walking away from her, into the twisted maze of alley passageways, but she caught up quickly.

"Hey!" she yelped, waving her hand at him slightly. "Hey, wait up!"

She hadn't expected him to stop, so it startled her when he came to a graceful halt, back still to her, and waited patiently. As she came nearer and her footsteps grew in volume, he turned his head slightly, fixing her with one of his ice-blue eyes. And still he said nothing.

"Er...thanks," she said, feeling slightly intimidated by his height, and the hardened look in his eye. "You're the first person who's actually stopped for me since I got here."

He still said nothing, just stared at her patiently with his cold eyes.

"Well...anyway," she said hurriedly, getting the feeling that she ought to move on, "Look, I'm lost, see, and I need some money so that I can get a cab and go home--"

She was brought to an abrupt halt as he chuckled slightly, the first noise she had heard from him. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't lie to me."

She blinked, startled. How had she known he was lying?

"Er..."

"It's okay, you know," he said calmly, looking at her with a bit of amusement, as if he found her predicament funny. "I won't give you away, or return you, or anything."

She blinked again, eyes widening at how stunningly close he'd come to her real problem. How was he doing it?

"Er...well..." she wasn't sure whether or not to tell him, but after a few seconds hesitation, under his unblinking, icy stare, she began talking again. "Well, okay. I'm running away from home." There, she'd said it.

Surprisingly, he didn't burst out yelling at her, or tried to drag her back to the street; instead, he just raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and murmured, "I wonder how your parents feel about that?"

"I don't know, and to be frank, I don't give a damn," Rachel said hotly, feeling her newfound anger rising in her. "It's their fault I ran anyway."

"I see," he replied calmly, turning his head to gaze down the alleyway. Almost absent-mindedly, he continued walking down it, heading deeper into the maze, and Rachel noticed that he moved with a calm grace that reminded her vaguely of a thief. Despite this comparison, however, she followed him, determined.

"Yeah, and well," she continued, her voice gathering strength--she might as well tell him everything, "I've decided to catch a plane and head over to America. I'll start a new life there, away from my parents."

She glanced up at him, wondering what he'd think about this, but he just walked steadily along, hands in his trench coat pockets and looking almost casual, head looking straight forward down the alley.

"So what I was following you for," she went on, when he showed no change, "is that...well....I don't have enough money for the plane, and I was trying to scrounge up some extra money on the streets."

"As I saw," he said calmly.

She blinked. "You were watching me? But I only just noticed you!"

The ghost of a smile passed over his lips. "If I don't want to be seen, you won't find me."

She wasn't sure what to make of this, so she asked, "Well, what are you doing out so early in the morning?"

He sighed. "My...line of work...it's rather difficult. Sometimes it's nice to just take a nice, refreshing walk, just to think." He cast her a momentary glance before adding, "I do it all the time."

"In an alley?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Why not out there, in the streets, where it's sunny?" It occurred to her, as she said this, that she, too, was walking around in an alley, with a strange person who she didn't even know. She frowned slightly at this before realizing that her new companion seemed quite trustworthy, as well as calm and patient.

He sighed again, a rather sad sound that made Rachel frown. "I'm not particularly liked. Yami has decided I'm an enemy of his, so it's unsafe for me to walk in open streets."

She blinked at this; firstly, because he had not added the customary, required "Great Leader," after Yami's name, and secondly, because he was an open enemy of the evil spirit. "What did you do to make him so mad?"

He smiled grimly. "The company I work with opposed him in his early stages of the takeover. He believes I may be a future threat."

"Oh." She frowned slightly at this, before shrugging and looking nervously about the blackened walls of the alley they were in. She decided that it probably wasn't a smart idea to keep on walking with this guy, and it wasn't as if she wanted to listen to his life story, either. "Er, look...I hate to be annoying, but...would you be willing to share a few yen? Just a few, I can beg from the other people out there..." she grimaced at this project of hers, "so I don't have to, like, rob you blind."

He eyed her with his ice blue orbs, and she felt very suddenly nervous. He then turned his gaze ahead, down the alley, where he was going, before speaking very slowly. "I have all the money you need for your travel."

She blinked. "Oh...I don't need all of it, you know, just--"

She didn't get the chance to finish, as his strong, deep voice plowed right over her timid one. "And I will give it to you, if that is what you really wish..."

Rachel was startled. "You...you will?"

"I will." He frowned slightly at her bright, gleeful look, but reached dutifully into one of his trench coat pockets, returning with a small wad of bills.

As she reached for the bills in his hand, however, he continued in a somewhat sorrowful tone, "though I have no idea as to why anyone would want to follow your plan."

That stopped her, for some reason. Maybe it was the sad tone in his voice. "Why?"

"Well..." he sighed, shaking his head--the first non-graceful act he had committed--before continuing. "Why would you want to leave your parents?"

"Because," she said, scowling, "they're stupid asses. They won't let me do anything! They're so paranoid, they won't let me go to a concert because they think Yami the Great Leader will attack us there!"

"And you don't feel grateful to them?"

She blinked, surprise, her anger momentarily held at bay by her confusion. "Grateful? Why should I feel grateful?"

Another ghost of a smile passed over his face, and he spoke patiently. "Because they would take the time to protect you."

"Wh...what?" Now she was very confused.

The smile on his face grew, ever so slightly, though it looked a bit longing, too, and sad. "There are too many people these days, in this dark time, with Yami, who do nothing to help each other. Parents neglect children, hoping to protect themselves. Neighbors turn each other in, hoping that Yami's wrath will not fall upon them. And everyone scorns the Opposition when they try to help, because they deepen the battle in order to better the world." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "But you, you have parents who wish to protect you. They want to keep you safe, and alive. Do you not feel grateful for that? For their love?"

She was startled at this small speech--it was the most she'd heard him say at one time--but hurriedly regained her composure and retorted. "Yeah, but they never let me have a life! Don't you have to put up with that? Don't your parents annoy you?"

He frowned, and sorrow was definitely seen in those mournful blue eyes. "I wouldn't know. My parents are dead."

Rachel was instantly sorry she'd said that, and bit her tongue, cursing herself, but said gently, "I'm sorry. Did Yami the Great Leader kill them?"

"No," he murmured, a far-away look in his eyes. "They died years ago. I have been an orphan for the past seven, nearly eight years."

"Oh!" she could have kicked herself for asking that question, now. "Well...um...."

He steered them off the conversation, sensing both her discomfort and his own. "We were talking about your parents, however."

"Yes!" her anger renewed itself. "Yeah, because they never let me do anything! It's always, 'don't go out at night,' and 'mind you stay out of trouble,' and all of that! That's why I'm running away...I'm sick of it!"

"You would leave behind all of it, then?"

She frowned. "All of what?"

He gave a patient smile. "Do you really understand what your parents do for you? They provide food for you, clothing, a place to rest, attention, and, most importantly of all, love. Would you really leave that all behind over one simple concert?"

Rachel blinked in surprise. "Well...I..." she had a rather baffled expression on her face.

He noticed, smiled again, and looked away, walking calmly down the alley, hands returned to his pockets. "You see, you never really realized, did you?"

"I...I guess not..."

He chuckled slightly. "It really is a shame, what people take for granted."

"What do you mean?" she blinked up at him, cocking her head curiously. Now that she thought about it, he acted a lot older than seventeen.

"Just look around you, at the world," he murmured calmly, moving with his easy grace as he spoke. "Look at everything you have. There's beauty in everything you have, but no one ever seems to notice it--they only look at the ugly parts of the painting." He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily, and then continued. "Have you ever thought about the value of your life?"

She shook her head 'no.'

He chuckled. "It's not just there for you, you know. It's a beautiful thing. You never really realize how wonderful it is...until it's gone." He sighed at this, gaining the far-away look in his eyes again. "It's a thread you grasp at, something that you hold in your hands, and it's the most beautiful thing in the world, but you always want more of it, expanding until it's out of your grasp for good. It's pretty...until you stain it with the blood of your greed.

"And it's much the same in your problem. You have everything you need, and you have a firm grasp on your life...but you're throwing all of it away over one small controversy, and soon your greed and shame will leave a permanent stain on your life.

"So...so what I guess I'm trying to say, is...don't give it up. Don't let go of your life over one little, tiny, insignificant thing. You're not going to realize how much this decision of yours will hurt until after it's done and gone. You have a beautiful world, a beautiful life, if you only look around you...don't take it for granted." He smiled at her slightly.

She blinked up at him, dumbfounded, and realized with a start that she had frozen in her tracks. He came to a stop next to her, looking at her with eyes of infinite patience.

"But....it's your choice," he said, softly, "and I'm not going to make it for you." With this said, he calmly took out of his pocket the wad of yen bills he'd held earlier, pressing it into her hands, before turning and continuing his walk down the alley.

"I need to get going. Good luck."

She blinked, startled, and stared down at the bills in her hand. A few minutes ago, she would have jumped for joy upon holding this much money, but now...now, it felt like poison, like acid, in her hands.

Those words...they'd had such an impact on her, it was startling. She'd heard psychologists give the same message, and school officials, and D.A.R.E. officers, and all sorts of people, but...somehow, it had never made an impact.

But this person...this person, who she didn't even know, had somehow lifted the dark weight on her shoulders, and helped her to see in a whole knew light.

Coming to her decision quickly, she leapt forward, pelting down the alley to meet up with the teenager who she'd talked to. Upon hearing her footsteps, he stopped, turning around and facing her with his cold, icy eyes.

"Hold up," she said, breathlessly, not realizing he'd moved so far in such a short time. "Er...I..."

He waited patiently, not moving the slightest inch, only watching her.

She sighed, peeled off one bill in the wad still crumpled in her hands, and handed the rest back to him. "I just need this...for the taxi. I'm...I'm going home."

She expected him to laugh, or gloat, or something, but his face stayed absolutely emotionless. Or at least, it did to her. Had she been more skilled with his emotions, she would have seen a twinkle of pride, for her.

"And...and well...thanks," she added, as a parting farewell, before turning and heading down the alleyway at a run, towards the open street once more.

The teenager smiled softly, watched her reach the street, and then turned, heading into the shadows of the maze in the alleyway.

* * * * *

"Ever close your eyes? Ever stop and listen?

Ever feel alive; you know nothing's missing.

You don't need a reason...let the day go on and on.

Let the rain fall down everywhere around you.

Give into it now; let the day surround you.

You don't need a reason; let the day go on and on."

~Enya, "A Wild Child"

* * * * *

HCG: o_O;;

Kawari: O_o;;

Kaze: *blink* *blink*

HCG: Um...yeah. Dunno where it came from. I was in a really weird mood. I was really pissed off, and then I just...started looking at the good stuff in life. So yeah. I sure liked it. *big grin*

Kaze: o_O;;

HCG: Oh, and if you thought that Kaze was out of character or something here...well, keep in mind that this is five months before Shadow Turned Light. He'd have been a bit more optimistic, you know, seeing as the fight doesn't look hopeless yet.

Anyway. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, since I'm very fond of this one, and I love it. Plus, it's the first story I've written with a moral in it. ^_^;; So review, please?