"Hey, you guys," Joey's usually adorable face was lined with a thoughtful and confused frown as he called the group to attention.
"Yes, Joey?" Yugi sat his backpack down beside his desk.
"You know Nadina? That new girl? The frosty blonde that everyone's whispering about in the hallways?"
"Yeah…people's been whispering about her?" Yugi looked up.
"Yeah!" Tristan nodded. "Just yesterday, when Joey and I got mop duty, we heard more people whispering about Nadina than you'd ever imagine."
"Really?" Duke interrupted. "What are they saying?"
"That doesn't matter," Joey cut through. "It's not what they're saying, it is what I saw."
"What did you see, Joey?" Yugi asked curiously, leaning forward.
"Do you know that she leaves and arrives at school everyday in Kaiba's limo?"
"Really?" Téa gasped.
"Kaiba's limo?" Duke echoed, his expression was crushed.
"Everyday?" Tristan also looked stunned.
"Nadina?" Bakura frowned and shook his head dismissively. "Are you serious, Joey?"
"I'm serious!" Joey insisted, brushing the sandy bangs away from his eyes. "Everyone's talking about it. Besides, I've seen it with my own eyes."
"Maybe you need glasses?" Téa was still doubtful.
"No, guys, I'm serious! How can I need glasses? There's only one Nadina in this school. There's only one girl that looks like that, with that color of hair and everything."
"Wow, that's strange." Yugi was thinking hard. "What is Kaiba and Nadina's relationship with each other?"
"Long distant cousins?" Bakura suggested. "Maybe he's embarrassed about it."
"Yeah! I think that could be it!" Duke agreed, shaking his head viciously. Tristan gave him a look from the corner of his eyes.
"Duke, you feeling okay, man?"
"Perfectly, Tristan. I just think that's their relationship."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you like her." Duke's face reddened and he turned away to stop himself from flicking a dice at Tristan. Instead, he began playing with his dark hair and a few dices in his hand. Joey distracted Tristan from taking a closer examination at Duke.
"Well, well, well, speaking of the devil." His lazy Brooklyn drawl twang in the air. "And the very devil appears right in front of us."
The group turned toward the doorway and saw Kaiba walking into the room with his usual stern, authoritative, arrogant strut.
"Jeez, talk about being dramatic." Tristan's dark and handsome feature was comical. Kaiba either heard him or sensed the looks coming from Tristan's corner.
"You got a problem, Taylor?" He arched one eyebrow and glared.
"Right back at you, Mr. CEO." Tristan fired back.
"Listen, maybe you and your monkey friends should stay out of my way and that includes that third-rate duelist, Wheeler." Kaiba sneered as he looked over at Joey, who was fuming. Téa was fanning him as if she saw the smoke that was drifting out of his ears.
"Hey, you better watch who you're talking to, moneybags!" Joey snarled, jumping to his feet.
"Oh, that's right. I shouldn't be mean to the big scary puppy dog." Kaiba smirked. "He might bite. Tell me, Wheeler, if I throw a bone, will you chase after it?"
"You…you—" Joey was white with rage. "I'll show you what I'll do." With a leggy leap, the sandy blonde hopped over a desk and his hands closed around Kaiba's collar.
"Joey, no!" Téa looked horrified.
"Hey, buddy, calm down." Tristan said firmly, jumping after his friend and putting his hand on Joey's shoulder.
"Joey, have you forgotten the consequences of fighting in class?" Yugi held Joey back.
"Nice grip, Wheeler," Kaiba looked undaunted and even a little bored. "But I suggest you let go while your arm is still attached to your body."
"Joey, this isn't the time to loose your temper." Tristan was still trying, his grip on Joey not loosing. But Joey was enraged and he shook the taller boy's hand off his shoulder.
"Back off, Tristan, I'm going to show Kaiba that just because he's a rich arrogant spoiled brat, that doesn't mean he can look down his nose at us."
"Oh, now he's done it." Bakura whispered to Duke as Kaiba's face did a 180-degree change from bored to fury at Joey's description of him.
No one knew what would have happened if Nadina's voice didn't interrupt them at that point.
"Kaiba," she called out in an utterly feminine helpless voice that caught Kaiba's attention at once. "I need your help, my hair is caught on my book bag." He jerked Joey hand off his school uniform collar.
"Consider yourself lucky this time." He said, casting Joey a dark, acidic look before heading off to help Nadina untangle her curly locks of hair from her backpack, where it was caught on something.
"It's caught on the zipper, Nadina." They heard him say as he pulled out the lock of hair. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know."
"You were almost toast there, Joey." Téa let out a deep breath.
"When the damsel in distress gives a cry, the Prince Charming on white horse goes running." Duke muttered acidly. "Just peachy."
"Nah, I would have beaten that egomaniac to a bloody pulp." Joey dusted himself off importantly, though his group discovered a shot of relief dart across his face.
"Yugi?" Bakura waved a hand in front of Yugi's eyes. Yugi seemed to be focusing hard on something.
"Guys," Yugi turned to them. "Kaiba seems totally different when he's with Nadina. I mean, just look at them."
Everybody averted their eyes to the handsome couple standing together. Kaiba had untangled the silky lock of hair from the backpack zipper and Nadina was looking up at him with light shining adoringly in her eyes. Then, she took out a notebook from her pack and opened to a page, pointing something out to Kaiba. Kaiba leaned down to take a closer look, while explaining something in his deep voice. They watched as Nadina nodded and slipped the notebook back into her backpack before waving and heading for her seat. Kaiba bothered to lift up his own hand as she departed, then returning to his own seat and opening a black, thick hardback.
"You're right." Duke said finally.
"They are close." Bakura observed.
"Obviously." The creator of Dungeon Dice Monster snapped before Joey brought up another sore subject.
"Hey, the Christmas dance is coming up this Saturday. Who are you guys taking?"
Where is she? Marik Ishtar paced back and forth in his study, beads of sweat hanging off the ends of his bleached blonde bangs. It's been more than a week and not a trace of her was found. How is she? Is she okay? Where is she?!
Marik was a mass of tiredness, anxiousness, fear, and longing. Even though he's been on trips that lasted way longer than a week, he'd never gone worrying about Nadina like this. Not knowing whether she's alive and well, or sick and dying.
What the hell does she think she's doing? He silently fumed. She's never ever even left home. The furthest she's ever been was to London, with me and the Blacks. What is she doing, wondering around the unknown world depending on her naïve senses and her beauty attracting unwanted strangers?
"Master, you're going to make yourself sick if you don't eat something." Curt poked his head in and murmured softly. Marik waved his hand.
Without Nadina, he doesn't care.
