An alarm screamed the time to the world. A teenage girl groaned as she
rolled over and fought to ignore the sound. She heard footsteps on the
stairs and her door open.
"Lana, time to get up. You don't want to be late on your first day do you?" came her mother's voice.
Lana sighed as she finally gave in and got up. She came downstairs in a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. Her dark brown, black mixed hair was tied up in a ponytail and she fixed a gold chain around her neck with a millennium eye symbol in the middle.
She walked through the kitchen and outside to wear her bike was. She unlocked the chain and got on, riding it into town.
She rode passed the Kaiba Corp. building. She felt terribly small in it's looming shadow. She shivered as she turned her attention back in front of her.
She soon came to the Game Shop were she was to work. She came inside and was greeted by the bell chiming above the door. She looked around at the card stands the lined the walls.
She had fallen for the Duel Monsters game when she was young and had a natural talent for it. She thrived on making strategies and working angles on her fellow duelists.
She spotted movement behind the counter. She walked over and leaned over the counter. An old man was arranging the cards on display.
Lana smiled. She stepped back to watch him work.
"You know, you have some pretty powerful cards there, but it would look better if you arranged them by their attack strength," she suggested.
The old man looked up at her. A smile spread across his face when he recognized her.
"You must be Lana," he said with a slight laugh.
A few hours later, Lana sat behind the counter with a Game Shop apron on and the latest Duel Monsters magazine in front of her.
The door opened and the bell rang. She looked up to see four kids her age enter. Three guys and a girl.
They looked her over, but Lana went back to the article she had been reading to show them they could judge her all they wanted and she didn't care.
"So you must be the worker Grandpa hired," one of the guys said.
She lowered the magazine to look him in the eye. He looked at a lot like her boss, Mr. Motto.
"And you must be Yugi," Lana answered.
"Yeah and these are my friends Joey, Tristan and Tia," Yugi said he introduced his friends to her.
"Lana," she said as she stretched lazily.
"How come you don't go to school?" Tia asked.
"Home schooled. Not enough money," Lana said, feeling uneasy about the way this way going.
Joey noticed the deck of well cared for, but well used cards sitting on the counter beside her. They both made a grab for them, but he was quicker.
"Awesome," he complimented "these cards are super strong!"
"Give 'em back man, those aren't yours," Tristan said, shoving him.
"Yeah Joey, those are Lana's cards.," Yugi scolded. "How would you like someone going through your deck?" Tia said. Joey handed Lana back her deck. "Sorry," he said with his eyes on the floor. "It's OK," she said as she took them. Her heart pounded painfully in her throat. She knew it would never be OK, not if every time someone else handled her cards she had to watch them. Yugi noticed the chain around her neck. The symbol made even Yami shudder. "Time to call it a day, Lana your mom just called, she needs you to come home now," Mr. Motto said, coming out from the back room. "All right, see you tomorrow," she said as she hung up her apron and headed outside. She was unlocking the lock on her bike, when Yugi came out to her. "Where did you get that?" he asked in a quiet voice, pointing to her millennium chain. She looked into his eyes and could both him and Yami looking back at her with worry in their eyes. "All will be revealed in time Pharaoh," she said.
Lana rode home on her bike with the sunlight fading behind her. She glanced up at the painted colors of the sky behind the Kaiba Corp. building. The large gaming building made her nervous. She knew something would happen, and soon. She looked down the road in front of her. She sighed wishing she knew a place where she felt like she really belonged. As if in answer a kid ran in across the road in front of her. She slid the bike sideways and missed him.
He came over and kneeled beside her. "Are you OK?" he asked. He had dark black hair and light blue eyes. She had seen those eyes before, seen them in her own mirror. She knew him, like a long forgotten past. "Mokuba?" she asked, scared she was wrong and he would vanish from in front of her. Mokuba looked at her a little surprised. He studied her for a minute before answering her. She seemed so familiar. He looked at chain around her neck and remembered feeling it when he hugged his lost sister. "Lana?" he asked in total disbelief. Lana smiled as she pulled him close. "It is you, I knew it was you," she said. Mokuba lead Lana to the Kaiba Corp. building, he couldn't wait to tell Seto. He pulled her down the hallways and stopped outside his office. He knocked and the barking voice of their oldest brother answered. "Who is it?" "Mokuba and I need to talk to you," he said, squeezing Lana's hand. She squeezed back, just like they had done all the time. "Come in," came Seto's tired voice. Mokuba lead her in and stood proudly beside her. Seto looked up and couldn't believe what he saw. The sister he thought he'd lost when their parents disappeared, stood before him. "Lana?" he asked, just as confused as Mokuba had been. She smiled with tears in her eyes. "Yeah, it's me."
The three long lost siblings spent the night in Seto's office talking about past and present. It was mostly Mokuba telling Lana how Kaiba Corp. had been started by their step dad and how Seto had taken over. "So what happened to you?" Seto asked, interrupting Mokuba. Lana hung her head, she knew this question had been coming. She got up and stood at the window. "You don't have to tell us," Mokuba said, quietly. He looked to Seto for help or an explanation. Seto had none. "No, it's OK. I'll tell you, just not now," she said as she left her real family to return to the one who had lied to her.
She entered the front door. Her dad sat in the living room reading a newspaper and her mom was cooking dinner. "Hi Lana, your just in time to set the table," her mom said. Lana didn't move an inch. Her anger at her so-called parents filled her the brim. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. "Lana?" her mom asked. Her dad lowered his paper and looked at her curiously. "Where's Max?" she asked, trying not to explode. "He's at a friends house, why?" her mom answered, a little nervous. She sighed, trying to calm herself. She was glad her little brother, Max, wasn't here. She hated when she got mad around him. she ran a hand through her hair before speaking again. "I know the truth," she said, quietly. "Lana, what on earth are you talking about?" her dad asked. "I know I'm a Kaiba." She sat with her parents at the dinning room table. She waited for them to explain as to why she had been kept away from her brothers. "When your parents disappeared, they sent your brothers to an orphanage," her mom started "it was in a note they left. But there was nothing to say what would become of you." "The police figured they would just send you there with them, but there were more words written on the back. It said 'keep her from them'. The police thought they meant from your brothers, but they meant from someone else," her dad explained. "We meant to tell you about your brothers, but the police figured it would be better if you didn't know, about them or Kaiba Corp. We still taught you to duel because they ran a gaming company and we thought you'd run into them on your own," her mom said. "But you took to it too well. We figured you were just talented, until we found the Millennium Chain. It glowed near you and gave you a connection to your monsters when you dueled," her dad said. "What are you saying?" Lana asked. "We're saying you have the power to bring the monsters in the Duel Monsters cards to life and share a special bond with them," her mom said with a smile. They all fell silent for a while. Lana let this all sink in before looking at her adoptive parents. "How did you find me?" she asked. Her mom smiled with tears in her eyes. She looked to her husband and let him answer. "Your father was my brother," he said as he remembered the painful details.
The next morning after hearing about her past, she looked up at the Kaiba Corp. building with new respect. She stopped in front of the main gate. Seto had sent her an ID card so she could get in whenever she needed to. She thought about Mokuba, all alone in there with no one to play with. She looked down the road toward the Game Shop, she guessed she could miss just one day. Lana entered the maze of hallways and offices. It had seemed much more easy when Mokuba had led her through it. She felt so out of place just standing there, but she soon spotted something that made her smile. Mokuba sat in a chair at a table doing some homework with his back to her. She slipped up behind him and pulled him in a tight hug. They both broke out in laughter. Mokuba hugged her tight, she knew he had missed her. She ruffled his hair and looked up to see Seto standing with his arms crossed, watching them both. "I thought I heard something out here," he said in a smug way. Lana just looked at them both, glad to have finally found a place where she belonged.
"Lana, time to get up. You don't want to be late on your first day do you?" came her mother's voice.
Lana sighed as she finally gave in and got up. She came downstairs in a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. Her dark brown, black mixed hair was tied up in a ponytail and she fixed a gold chain around her neck with a millennium eye symbol in the middle.
She walked through the kitchen and outside to wear her bike was. She unlocked the chain and got on, riding it into town.
She rode passed the Kaiba Corp. building. She felt terribly small in it's looming shadow. She shivered as she turned her attention back in front of her.
She soon came to the Game Shop were she was to work. She came inside and was greeted by the bell chiming above the door. She looked around at the card stands the lined the walls.
She had fallen for the Duel Monsters game when she was young and had a natural talent for it. She thrived on making strategies and working angles on her fellow duelists.
She spotted movement behind the counter. She walked over and leaned over the counter. An old man was arranging the cards on display.
Lana smiled. She stepped back to watch him work.
"You know, you have some pretty powerful cards there, but it would look better if you arranged them by their attack strength," she suggested.
The old man looked up at her. A smile spread across his face when he recognized her.
"You must be Lana," he said with a slight laugh.
A few hours later, Lana sat behind the counter with a Game Shop apron on and the latest Duel Monsters magazine in front of her.
The door opened and the bell rang. She looked up to see four kids her age enter. Three guys and a girl.
They looked her over, but Lana went back to the article she had been reading to show them they could judge her all they wanted and she didn't care.
"So you must be the worker Grandpa hired," one of the guys said.
She lowered the magazine to look him in the eye. He looked at a lot like her boss, Mr. Motto.
"And you must be Yugi," Lana answered.
"Yeah and these are my friends Joey, Tristan and Tia," Yugi said he introduced his friends to her.
"Lana," she said as she stretched lazily.
"How come you don't go to school?" Tia asked.
"Home schooled. Not enough money," Lana said, feeling uneasy about the way this way going.
Joey noticed the deck of well cared for, but well used cards sitting on the counter beside her. They both made a grab for them, but he was quicker.
"Awesome," he complimented "these cards are super strong!"
"Give 'em back man, those aren't yours," Tristan said, shoving him.
"Yeah Joey, those are Lana's cards.," Yugi scolded. "How would you like someone going through your deck?" Tia said. Joey handed Lana back her deck. "Sorry," he said with his eyes on the floor. "It's OK," she said as she took them. Her heart pounded painfully in her throat. She knew it would never be OK, not if every time someone else handled her cards she had to watch them. Yugi noticed the chain around her neck. The symbol made even Yami shudder. "Time to call it a day, Lana your mom just called, she needs you to come home now," Mr. Motto said, coming out from the back room. "All right, see you tomorrow," she said as she hung up her apron and headed outside. She was unlocking the lock on her bike, when Yugi came out to her. "Where did you get that?" he asked in a quiet voice, pointing to her millennium chain. She looked into his eyes and could both him and Yami looking back at her with worry in their eyes. "All will be revealed in time Pharaoh," she said.
Lana rode home on her bike with the sunlight fading behind her. She glanced up at the painted colors of the sky behind the Kaiba Corp. building. The large gaming building made her nervous. She knew something would happen, and soon. She looked down the road in front of her. She sighed wishing she knew a place where she felt like she really belonged. As if in answer a kid ran in across the road in front of her. She slid the bike sideways and missed him.
He came over and kneeled beside her. "Are you OK?" he asked. He had dark black hair and light blue eyes. She had seen those eyes before, seen them in her own mirror. She knew him, like a long forgotten past. "Mokuba?" she asked, scared she was wrong and he would vanish from in front of her. Mokuba looked at her a little surprised. He studied her for a minute before answering her. She seemed so familiar. He looked at chain around her neck and remembered feeling it when he hugged his lost sister. "Lana?" he asked in total disbelief. Lana smiled as she pulled him close. "It is you, I knew it was you," she said. Mokuba lead Lana to the Kaiba Corp. building, he couldn't wait to tell Seto. He pulled her down the hallways and stopped outside his office. He knocked and the barking voice of their oldest brother answered. "Who is it?" "Mokuba and I need to talk to you," he said, squeezing Lana's hand. She squeezed back, just like they had done all the time. "Come in," came Seto's tired voice. Mokuba lead her in and stood proudly beside her. Seto looked up and couldn't believe what he saw. The sister he thought he'd lost when their parents disappeared, stood before him. "Lana?" he asked, just as confused as Mokuba had been. She smiled with tears in her eyes. "Yeah, it's me."
The three long lost siblings spent the night in Seto's office talking about past and present. It was mostly Mokuba telling Lana how Kaiba Corp. had been started by their step dad and how Seto had taken over. "So what happened to you?" Seto asked, interrupting Mokuba. Lana hung her head, she knew this question had been coming. She got up and stood at the window. "You don't have to tell us," Mokuba said, quietly. He looked to Seto for help or an explanation. Seto had none. "No, it's OK. I'll tell you, just not now," she said as she left her real family to return to the one who had lied to her.
She entered the front door. Her dad sat in the living room reading a newspaper and her mom was cooking dinner. "Hi Lana, your just in time to set the table," her mom said. Lana didn't move an inch. Her anger at her so-called parents filled her the brim. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. "Lana?" her mom asked. Her dad lowered his paper and looked at her curiously. "Where's Max?" she asked, trying not to explode. "He's at a friends house, why?" her mom answered, a little nervous. She sighed, trying to calm herself. She was glad her little brother, Max, wasn't here. She hated when she got mad around him. she ran a hand through her hair before speaking again. "I know the truth," she said, quietly. "Lana, what on earth are you talking about?" her dad asked. "I know I'm a Kaiba." She sat with her parents at the dinning room table. She waited for them to explain as to why she had been kept away from her brothers. "When your parents disappeared, they sent your brothers to an orphanage," her mom started "it was in a note they left. But there was nothing to say what would become of you." "The police figured they would just send you there with them, but there were more words written on the back. It said 'keep her from them'. The police thought they meant from your brothers, but they meant from someone else," her dad explained. "We meant to tell you about your brothers, but the police figured it would be better if you didn't know, about them or Kaiba Corp. We still taught you to duel because they ran a gaming company and we thought you'd run into them on your own," her mom said. "But you took to it too well. We figured you were just talented, until we found the Millennium Chain. It glowed near you and gave you a connection to your monsters when you dueled," her dad said. "What are you saying?" Lana asked. "We're saying you have the power to bring the monsters in the Duel Monsters cards to life and share a special bond with them," her mom said with a smile. They all fell silent for a while. Lana let this all sink in before looking at her adoptive parents. "How did you find me?" she asked. Her mom smiled with tears in her eyes. She looked to her husband and let him answer. "Your father was my brother," he said as he remembered the painful details.
The next morning after hearing about her past, she looked up at the Kaiba Corp. building with new respect. She stopped in front of the main gate. Seto had sent her an ID card so she could get in whenever she needed to. She thought about Mokuba, all alone in there with no one to play with. She looked down the road toward the Game Shop, she guessed she could miss just one day. Lana entered the maze of hallways and offices. It had seemed much more easy when Mokuba had led her through it. She felt so out of place just standing there, but she soon spotted something that made her smile. Mokuba sat in a chair at a table doing some homework with his back to her. She slipped up behind him and pulled him in a tight hug. They both broke out in laughter. Mokuba hugged her tight, she knew he had missed her. She ruffled his hair and looked up to see Seto standing with his arms crossed, watching them both. "I thought I heard something out here," he said in a smug way. Lana just looked at them both, glad to have finally found a place where she belonged.