"Good morning, Seto." Kyara said cheerfully on the morning of the new tournament.
"Yea." he smiled as Kyara got into the car. "Ready to go?"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kyara remarked as she set her bag down by her feet. "Is it okay if Yugi rides with us?"
"Yugi Muto?" Kaiba's normally bland features contorted in confusion. "He qualified for the Intercontinental Championships?"
"Yea, y'know, Duelist Kingdom and all..." Kyara trailed off.
For a minute or two, Kaiba seemed caught on whether to allow Yugi to come with them. To Kyara's relief though, he finally nodded. "All right, he can come with us."
"Thanks, Seto." Kyara kissed his cheek gratefully.
* * *
"...There's Kyara now, Grandpa, see you later!"
"Have fun, Yugi. And remember-"
"I know, Grandpa, 'believe in the heart of the cards!'"
With a smile, Kyara watched as the diminuative duelist dashed towards them, his Millennium Puzzle swinging around his neck. Kyara scrutinized the object carefully. To her, it seemed to big and clunky to make a good necklace. But whatever.
"Morning, Yugi." Kyara said as he got into the back seat.
"Hey, Kya! Good morning, Kaiba."
From where he sat, Kaiba grunted in what he thought was a greeting for his rival. "Hi."
Ever the optimistic, Yugi settled in his seat, buckled his seatbelt, and smiled at everyone in the car. Kyara swivelled back around in her chair. "Sooo..." she commented once they were back on the road. "Are we all ready to take the Intercontinentals?"
"Ready!" Yugi nodded.
Kyara frowned playfully at Seto's silence. "C'mon, Seto, are you ready?"
"I'm trying to drive, Kya." he replied.
Slouching in her seat, Kyara pouted until Kaiba finally let up. "Oh, all right." he rested his free hand on her shoulder. "I look forward to the tournament."
"Hey, Yugi," Kyara turned her head around to face him. "What about Te'a and the others?"
"Oh! They'll be coming later, to cheer us on."
"That's good."
* * *
"There it is." Yugi pointed at an immense dome as it rose into view. "The Convention Center."
"Good thing we left early," Seto mumbled. "Just look at how many people have already arrived."
"Reminds me of the line at the Duelist Kingdom." Yugi said.
"Reminds ME of the line at the last tournament I was at." Kyara countered.
"Well..." Yugi bit his lip thoughtfully and racked his brain for a comeback. "Reminds ME of the lunch line at school!"
Kyara laughed heartily at Yugi's reply. "That's a good one. Okay...Reminds ME of the-"
"If you guys keep reminding yourselves of lines, you're gonna find yourself in THAT line instead of my car." Kaiba threatened, his arm gesturing at the gargantuam line of people waiting to be admitted into the dome.
Kyara shook her head and smiled. "You wouldn't do that, Seto. Would you?"
"No," he gave her a sideways smirk. "Besides, as World Champion, I can waltz right in there without waiting in line."
"Since we're with you, can we do that?"
Kaiba chuckled lightly. "I don't see why not."
After parking the car, the trio walked towards the immense Convention Center. Sighing wistully, Kyara leaned against Kaiba's shoulder and walked on. "I wonder if anyone I know is competing in this?" she said her thoughts aloud.
"I'm competing, Kyara." Yugi said from Kaiba's left. "You know me."
"Of course." she giggled at his reply. "But I meant anyone ELSE."
As they neared the mass of people waiting to enter, snatches of different conversations could be hear.
"Wow! It's Seto Kaiba! So much for getting first place!"
"...And there's that Yugi kid! Didn't he defeat Kaiba once?"
"Aw, that's OLD news, Renee."
"But that girl next to Kaiba, is she..."
"Yea, that's Kyara Nayako alright. She took third a year back."
"Well, there goes first, second, AND third place!"
"Yea, I know...."
Upon hearing the last two comments, Kyara stifled another giggle. "Wow, Seto, they really think the three of us are gonna take all three places!"
"And why not?" Seto shook his head at the other competitors. "They can try, Kya, but I doubt they'll be able to beat us."
"Maybe, Seto, but-"
"Hey! Kyara!" a new voice cried.
Upon turning around, Kyara found a tall boy about her age with shaggy, dark brown hair and bright green eyes hurry over to them. She cocked her head to one side. "Do I know you?" she asked.
The boy's face fell. "Kyara! It's me, Toshiro."
"Oh, yea!" Kyara's confusion turned to realization. "Toshiro Tachikawa! We used to go to elementary school together!"
Beside her, Kaiba seemed disgruntled. Or was it protective? "Toshiro?" he asked smugly. "Isn't that a computer?"
"TOSHIRO, not TOSHIBA!" Kyara cried in exasperation.
"Oh, my mistake."
"You must be the famous Seto Kaiba." Toshiro remarked. "The CEO of Kaiba Corporation, owner of the only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world, and Duel Monsters World Champion-"
"Toshiro, that's enough." Kyara said.
"My apologies."
From where he stood, Yugi surveyed the newcomer and Kaiba thoughtfully. Why did he suddenly feel that this day wouldn't turn out they way they thought it would?
"Yea." he smiled as Kyara got into the car. "Ready to go?"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kyara remarked as she set her bag down by her feet. "Is it okay if Yugi rides with us?"
"Yugi Muto?" Kaiba's normally bland features contorted in confusion. "He qualified for the Intercontinental Championships?"
"Yea, y'know, Duelist Kingdom and all..." Kyara trailed off.
For a minute or two, Kaiba seemed caught on whether to allow Yugi to come with them. To Kyara's relief though, he finally nodded. "All right, he can come with us."
"Thanks, Seto." Kyara kissed his cheek gratefully.
* * *
"...There's Kyara now, Grandpa, see you later!"
"Have fun, Yugi. And remember-"
"I know, Grandpa, 'believe in the heart of the cards!'"
With a smile, Kyara watched as the diminuative duelist dashed towards them, his Millennium Puzzle swinging around his neck. Kyara scrutinized the object carefully. To her, it seemed to big and clunky to make a good necklace. But whatever.
"Morning, Yugi." Kyara said as he got into the back seat.
"Hey, Kya! Good morning, Kaiba."
From where he sat, Kaiba grunted in what he thought was a greeting for his rival. "Hi."
Ever the optimistic, Yugi settled in his seat, buckled his seatbelt, and smiled at everyone in the car. Kyara swivelled back around in her chair. "Sooo..." she commented once they were back on the road. "Are we all ready to take the Intercontinentals?"
"Ready!" Yugi nodded.
Kyara frowned playfully at Seto's silence. "C'mon, Seto, are you ready?"
"I'm trying to drive, Kya." he replied.
Slouching in her seat, Kyara pouted until Kaiba finally let up. "Oh, all right." he rested his free hand on her shoulder. "I look forward to the tournament."
"Hey, Yugi," Kyara turned her head around to face him. "What about Te'a and the others?"
"Oh! They'll be coming later, to cheer us on."
"That's good."
* * *
"There it is." Yugi pointed at an immense dome as it rose into view. "The Convention Center."
"Good thing we left early," Seto mumbled. "Just look at how many people have already arrived."
"Reminds me of the line at the Duelist Kingdom." Yugi said.
"Reminds ME of the line at the last tournament I was at." Kyara countered.
"Well..." Yugi bit his lip thoughtfully and racked his brain for a comeback. "Reminds ME of the lunch line at school!"
Kyara laughed heartily at Yugi's reply. "That's a good one. Okay...Reminds ME of the-"
"If you guys keep reminding yourselves of lines, you're gonna find yourself in THAT line instead of my car." Kaiba threatened, his arm gesturing at the gargantuam line of people waiting to be admitted into the dome.
Kyara shook her head and smiled. "You wouldn't do that, Seto. Would you?"
"No," he gave her a sideways smirk. "Besides, as World Champion, I can waltz right in there without waiting in line."
"Since we're with you, can we do that?"
Kaiba chuckled lightly. "I don't see why not."
After parking the car, the trio walked towards the immense Convention Center. Sighing wistully, Kyara leaned against Kaiba's shoulder and walked on. "I wonder if anyone I know is competing in this?" she said her thoughts aloud.
"I'm competing, Kyara." Yugi said from Kaiba's left. "You know me."
"Of course." she giggled at his reply. "But I meant anyone ELSE."
As they neared the mass of people waiting to enter, snatches of different conversations could be hear.
"Wow! It's Seto Kaiba! So much for getting first place!"
"...And there's that Yugi kid! Didn't he defeat Kaiba once?"
"Aw, that's OLD news, Renee."
"But that girl next to Kaiba, is she..."
"Yea, that's Kyara Nayako alright. She took third a year back."
"Well, there goes first, second, AND third place!"
"Yea, I know...."
Upon hearing the last two comments, Kyara stifled another giggle. "Wow, Seto, they really think the three of us are gonna take all three places!"
"And why not?" Seto shook his head at the other competitors. "They can try, Kya, but I doubt they'll be able to beat us."
"Maybe, Seto, but-"
"Hey! Kyara!" a new voice cried.
Upon turning around, Kyara found a tall boy about her age with shaggy, dark brown hair and bright green eyes hurry over to them. She cocked her head to one side. "Do I know you?" she asked.
The boy's face fell. "Kyara! It's me, Toshiro."
"Oh, yea!" Kyara's confusion turned to realization. "Toshiro Tachikawa! We used to go to elementary school together!"
Beside her, Kaiba seemed disgruntled. Or was it protective? "Toshiro?" he asked smugly. "Isn't that a computer?"
"TOSHIRO, not TOSHIBA!" Kyara cried in exasperation.
"Oh, my mistake."
"You must be the famous Seto Kaiba." Toshiro remarked. "The CEO of Kaiba Corporation, owner of the only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world, and Duel Monsters World Champion-"
"Toshiro, that's enough." Kyara said.
"My apologies."
From where he stood, Yugi surveyed the newcomer and Kaiba thoughtfully. Why did he suddenly feel that this day wouldn't turn out they way they thought it would?
