Fyre threw her CD player on her bed. She was already sick of those idiots.
Tristin and Joey were the worst. She wondered how by the Forgotten Seas her
partner Kaiba could stand them.
And Tea was another one who got on her nerves, always saying how things
weren't nice. Well, too bad for her. Life wasn't nice, fair and pretty. It
was full of pain, hurt, sorrow, loneliness and a multitude of other things
Fyre didn't want to think about. (A/N: nice outlook on life huh?). If you
had it good in life, you had a family, a good place to live, friends who
cared for you, and if you wanted to deal with the hassle and pain in that
area, love. Love was a pain, and it hurt. She'd watched her sisters get
hurt badly by someone who loved her, then lost all affection. Her sister
had been depressed and down for weeks, and still probably hadn't fully
recovered. She frowned slightly as she wiped her skate blades clean. She
would be bored that night. Domino High didn't give half the homework that
the Black Sapphire Academy did, and she missed the challenge. She was done
with her homework already.
"I could call Kaiba and see where he is in the project," she though. "I'd be willing to take on more of it, if he's busy with other things. I know he has a little brother to take care of, and a company to run. It seems unfair to put him under the stain of so many different things. And plus, I'm so bored. This town is boring. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go, nothing to see."
She walked over to the phone on her nightstand, and flipped through the school directory. Finding her study partner's number, Fyre called him.
"Hi Kaiba, it's Fyre," she said when he picked up the phone.
"Oh, hi Fyre," Kaiba said, sounding more cheerful than when he had first picked up the phone. "What's up?"
"Nothing, though I can tell that you were expecting someone else to call," Fyre told him.
"Hey, how'd you know?" he asked.
"Your voice," was her answer. "You sounded like you were ready to hang up."
"Yeah, with the school directory, I have fan girls calling me all the time. And I get sick of it. Sometimes even being cold doesn't even get rid of them."
"They just need to find someone else to hang on, or better yet, just get a life," was Fyre's practical answer.
Kaiba actually laughed. "Well, you're very right. Unfortunately, there seems to be no one more popular than me for them to hang on. It's a good theory though. You should mention it to them sometime."
"Yeah, well, I'd like to at least survive my first year at Domino High, then maybe I'll be willing to take the abuse I'd get from saying that," she said dryly.
"You know, Fyre," Kaiba told her, "you are one of two people who can make me laugh right now. I'll figure out how you do it, and find a way around it, if you don't mind."
"Well, having many siblings of my own, I know that you are joking about finding a way around people making you laugh," she said. "I somehow don't think you care that I've broken your will to not be happy."
Kaiba sighed. He was glad that Fyre wasn't in the room at the time. He hated it when people saw him blushing, and Fyre and a way of making everyone do just that. He'd seen Joey, and Tristin, and even Marrik blush when she said anything to them.
"Maybe you're right, and I don't care," he admitted.
"Ha. Told you so," Fyre retorted.
"So, did you have a reason for calling me? I don't really see you as someone who makes calls just to chat," Kaiba said.
"Yeah, I do have a reason for calling you," Fyre admitted. "I was wandering if you wanted me to do and of your research."
Kaiba blinked. That was the last answer he was expecting. "Doesn't that go against what you said today?" he asked.
"Well, yes," Fyre admitted. "But I know how hard it can be to take care of younger siblings, and try to have a career, and get through school. It's hard."
"Hard is an understatement," Kaiba told her. "And I have to admit, you've hit the nail on the head. Actually, that makes me think of lunch, when you said that you don't get to pick what your parents or guardians leave you when they leave. It's so true, I'm glad I have what I do, but it's hard." Part of him was shocked. He barely knew Fyre, yet he was telling her some things that not even Yugi and his group knew. Somehow, it was like he sensed that Fyre had once been in his position, and knew what it was like, being forced to grow up too fast, given burdens that she didn't deserve. "If you feel you're up to doing more of the project than we first agreed, then I'll let you," he finally told her.
"OK, great. I was hoping you'd say yes," she said, a tiny bit of happiness creeping into her voice.
"I'll bring what I have over, so you can see where I left off, if you want," Kaiba offered.
"Ok, if it's not a problem for you," Frye agreed.
"No problem on this end at all," he told her. "When do you want my work?"
"Whenever you get the chance," she said.
"OK, I'm not at work, so, I'll just do it now, if that's ok."
"Yeah, that's fine," Fyre, told him. "You know where I live?"
He chuckled. "Yes, only for the same reason that you knew my phone number."
Frye sighed. "That is why I hate school directories."
Kaiba laughed. "Now you sound like me."
"Great. I'm not sure how good that is," Fyre retorted. "I'll talk to you when you drop off that stuff, ok?"
"Ok, see you in a bit," Kaiba agreed
Fyre sighed as she hung up the phone. She realized that she and Seto were very much alike, not that she liked that idea much. Hey, it was better to be like him than other people he hung out with. The doorbell rang. She rose with a sigh, and headed to the door. Opening it, she was mildly startled to see Seto.
"Hi," she said, her face giving nothing away. "Come in."
"Thanks," he told her, stepping in. "wow, and I've always thought my place was neat, clean and awesome," he added looking around the entryway.
"Well, I was sick of looking at just wood, so I did a little redecorating," Fyre explained. "Is their any areas of the project that you are really having trouble doing?" she asked as she led the way up the stairs.
"Well, the history is really getting to be hard to understand, but other than that, it's fine," he told her.
Fyre stopped outside her door. "This is going to sound crazy, but this room is both my bedroom and the majority of the library," she warned, opening the door.
Kaiba stepped into the room, and stared. "This is really neat, Fyre," he said in awe.
Fyre shrugged. "I like it, but thanks."
"I have to ask, just looking at the titles of the books behind that barre, do you let anyone read them?" he asked.
Fyre looked at the books, the curtains were pushed aside, and the only thing blocking them was the barre. "Well, most people wouldn't bother trying. Most people I know can't even read the titles. They're not in English."
"I've noticed. There are some people who can read other languages though," Kaiba pointed out.
"Are you saying that you can read those titles?" Fyre asked, her eyes suddenly gold.
Kaiba stared at her for a moment.
Fyre looked at him. "What?" she asked
"Your eyes," He told her.
"What about them?" she demanded. Then it hit her. "Oh, the color?"
"Um, yeah, weren't they blue-grey this morning?"
"Ok, sit down. You have no idea how long this will take," Fyre told him.
Kaiba slowly sat in the chair at Fyre's desk. "Go ahead, talk," he told her.
Fyre sighed as she settled on the bed. "Ok, so it started, oh, I don't really know how many years ago, back in Egypt. I went to the Temple of Isis, when I was very young. My parents didn't want me to have any magic, so you can guess how trilled they were to hear Isis speaking for herself, and saying that the Gods had given me power. She knew that I would go through hard times in my life, so she allowed my inherited traits to take effect sooner than most people who have my heritage do. The color allows emotion to show, but not in the same way that people are used to. I've not cried in many years, since I was about three. My eyes show what I would be doing if I did show emotion, but it means work for people. They have to figure out what each color means, and it's hard. Many people never see some of the color. You may be able to guess what gold is, but I'm not sure."
"Shock or surprise?" Seto asked.
"Surprise," Fyre nodded. "Many people would love to see my eyes turn purple, but it's very unlikely that anyone will see that."
"What's up with the purple?" he asked.
"Love," she stated simply. "Too bad for most people, I'm not likely to fall in love."
"Whoa, so everyone who wants to know how you feel has to first learn to read your eyes?" Kaiba asked. "Isn't it easier to just tell people how you feel?"
"I'm just reserved," she told him, rising to grab one of the books off a shelf. "Here. This should help us with the history. Unless you'd like me to just tell you all the stuff I know, and you can take notes."
"Do I want to know what kind of stuff you know about this thing?" Seto asked, a half smile flicking over his face.
"Well, I don't know, seeing as how I'm not you," Fyre told him.
Seto looked mildly surprised. "It's just been a while since someone could turn me into this person that you seem to have no trouble finding," he explained when her eyes turned a mild gold that he suspected meant she was wondering what he meant.
"Well, I do seem to be able to find sides of people that most people never see," she admitted. "And you seem to have a knack for reading my eye color."
"Do I?" he asked. "Well, it was rather obvious."
"So modest about what you do well," Fyre said, opening the book she held. "Here, this should help with the history."
Seto stared at the page. "No," he told her. "I'm not going to read that. I like the note-taking better."
Fyre's eyes turned green. "Thought you would."
"Let me guess," he said. "Green is you're laughing."
"You're good at guessing," she told him.
"Anyway, let's see if we can't finish this silly thing off," she suggested.
"Ok, talk," Seto told her.
For the next hour and a half, Fyre was able to talk about the history of their topic enough to fill eight pages, and give Kaiba a very sore hand from writing.
"Ok, stop," he told her. "I can't keep writing, my had is numb."
Fyre's eyes went green again. "You sound like me. I hate writing, typing is easier."
"I agree," Seto agreed. "It's what I'm used to."
"Me too," Fyre admitted.
"I have to ask, what is Black Sapphire like?" he asked.
Fyre bit her lip. "Well -" she began hesitantly.
Seto put his hand on her shoulder. "It's ok if you'd rather not talk about it. It's probably still where you'd rather be, right?"
She nodded. "It was home," she whispered. "One place I was really happy. I didn't have to fit in, or hid who I am."
"What do you mean, hide who you are?" Seto asked.
"I could call Kaiba and see where he is in the project," she though. "I'd be willing to take on more of it, if he's busy with other things. I know he has a little brother to take care of, and a company to run. It seems unfair to put him under the stain of so many different things. And plus, I'm so bored. This town is boring. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go, nothing to see."
She walked over to the phone on her nightstand, and flipped through the school directory. Finding her study partner's number, Fyre called him.
"Hi Kaiba, it's Fyre," she said when he picked up the phone.
"Oh, hi Fyre," Kaiba said, sounding more cheerful than when he had first picked up the phone. "What's up?"
"Nothing, though I can tell that you were expecting someone else to call," Fyre told him.
"Hey, how'd you know?" he asked.
"Your voice," was her answer. "You sounded like you were ready to hang up."
"Yeah, with the school directory, I have fan girls calling me all the time. And I get sick of it. Sometimes even being cold doesn't even get rid of them."
"They just need to find someone else to hang on, or better yet, just get a life," was Fyre's practical answer.
Kaiba actually laughed. "Well, you're very right. Unfortunately, there seems to be no one more popular than me for them to hang on. It's a good theory though. You should mention it to them sometime."
"Yeah, well, I'd like to at least survive my first year at Domino High, then maybe I'll be willing to take the abuse I'd get from saying that," she said dryly.
"You know, Fyre," Kaiba told her, "you are one of two people who can make me laugh right now. I'll figure out how you do it, and find a way around it, if you don't mind."
"Well, having many siblings of my own, I know that you are joking about finding a way around people making you laugh," she said. "I somehow don't think you care that I've broken your will to not be happy."
Kaiba sighed. He was glad that Fyre wasn't in the room at the time. He hated it when people saw him blushing, and Fyre and a way of making everyone do just that. He'd seen Joey, and Tristin, and even Marrik blush when she said anything to them.
"Maybe you're right, and I don't care," he admitted.
"Ha. Told you so," Fyre retorted.
"So, did you have a reason for calling me? I don't really see you as someone who makes calls just to chat," Kaiba said.
"Yeah, I do have a reason for calling you," Fyre admitted. "I was wandering if you wanted me to do and of your research."
Kaiba blinked. That was the last answer he was expecting. "Doesn't that go against what you said today?" he asked.
"Well, yes," Fyre admitted. "But I know how hard it can be to take care of younger siblings, and try to have a career, and get through school. It's hard."
"Hard is an understatement," Kaiba told her. "And I have to admit, you've hit the nail on the head. Actually, that makes me think of lunch, when you said that you don't get to pick what your parents or guardians leave you when they leave. It's so true, I'm glad I have what I do, but it's hard." Part of him was shocked. He barely knew Fyre, yet he was telling her some things that not even Yugi and his group knew. Somehow, it was like he sensed that Fyre had once been in his position, and knew what it was like, being forced to grow up too fast, given burdens that she didn't deserve. "If you feel you're up to doing more of the project than we first agreed, then I'll let you," he finally told her.
"OK, great. I was hoping you'd say yes," she said, a tiny bit of happiness creeping into her voice.
"I'll bring what I have over, so you can see where I left off, if you want," Kaiba offered.
"Ok, if it's not a problem for you," Frye agreed.
"No problem on this end at all," he told her. "When do you want my work?"
"Whenever you get the chance," she said.
"OK, I'm not at work, so, I'll just do it now, if that's ok."
"Yeah, that's fine," Fyre, told him. "You know where I live?"
He chuckled. "Yes, only for the same reason that you knew my phone number."
Frye sighed. "That is why I hate school directories."
Kaiba laughed. "Now you sound like me."
"Great. I'm not sure how good that is," Fyre retorted. "I'll talk to you when you drop off that stuff, ok?"
"Ok, see you in a bit," Kaiba agreed
Fyre sighed as she hung up the phone. She realized that she and Seto were very much alike, not that she liked that idea much. Hey, it was better to be like him than other people he hung out with. The doorbell rang. She rose with a sigh, and headed to the door. Opening it, she was mildly startled to see Seto.
"Hi," she said, her face giving nothing away. "Come in."
"Thanks," he told her, stepping in. "wow, and I've always thought my place was neat, clean and awesome," he added looking around the entryway.
"Well, I was sick of looking at just wood, so I did a little redecorating," Fyre explained. "Is their any areas of the project that you are really having trouble doing?" she asked as she led the way up the stairs.
"Well, the history is really getting to be hard to understand, but other than that, it's fine," he told her.
Fyre stopped outside her door. "This is going to sound crazy, but this room is both my bedroom and the majority of the library," she warned, opening the door.
Kaiba stepped into the room, and stared. "This is really neat, Fyre," he said in awe.
Fyre shrugged. "I like it, but thanks."
"I have to ask, just looking at the titles of the books behind that barre, do you let anyone read them?" he asked.
Fyre looked at the books, the curtains were pushed aside, and the only thing blocking them was the barre. "Well, most people wouldn't bother trying. Most people I know can't even read the titles. They're not in English."
"I've noticed. There are some people who can read other languages though," Kaiba pointed out.
"Are you saying that you can read those titles?" Fyre asked, her eyes suddenly gold.
Kaiba stared at her for a moment.
Fyre looked at him. "What?" she asked
"Your eyes," He told her.
"What about them?" she demanded. Then it hit her. "Oh, the color?"
"Um, yeah, weren't they blue-grey this morning?"
"Ok, sit down. You have no idea how long this will take," Fyre told him.
Kaiba slowly sat in the chair at Fyre's desk. "Go ahead, talk," he told her.
Fyre sighed as she settled on the bed. "Ok, so it started, oh, I don't really know how many years ago, back in Egypt. I went to the Temple of Isis, when I was very young. My parents didn't want me to have any magic, so you can guess how trilled they were to hear Isis speaking for herself, and saying that the Gods had given me power. She knew that I would go through hard times in my life, so she allowed my inherited traits to take effect sooner than most people who have my heritage do. The color allows emotion to show, but not in the same way that people are used to. I've not cried in many years, since I was about three. My eyes show what I would be doing if I did show emotion, but it means work for people. They have to figure out what each color means, and it's hard. Many people never see some of the color. You may be able to guess what gold is, but I'm not sure."
"Shock or surprise?" Seto asked.
"Surprise," Fyre nodded. "Many people would love to see my eyes turn purple, but it's very unlikely that anyone will see that."
"What's up with the purple?" he asked.
"Love," she stated simply. "Too bad for most people, I'm not likely to fall in love."
"Whoa, so everyone who wants to know how you feel has to first learn to read your eyes?" Kaiba asked. "Isn't it easier to just tell people how you feel?"
"I'm just reserved," she told him, rising to grab one of the books off a shelf. "Here. This should help us with the history. Unless you'd like me to just tell you all the stuff I know, and you can take notes."
"Do I want to know what kind of stuff you know about this thing?" Seto asked, a half smile flicking over his face.
"Well, I don't know, seeing as how I'm not you," Fyre told him.
Seto looked mildly surprised. "It's just been a while since someone could turn me into this person that you seem to have no trouble finding," he explained when her eyes turned a mild gold that he suspected meant she was wondering what he meant.
"Well, I do seem to be able to find sides of people that most people never see," she admitted. "And you seem to have a knack for reading my eye color."
"Do I?" he asked. "Well, it was rather obvious."
"So modest about what you do well," Fyre said, opening the book she held. "Here, this should help with the history."
Seto stared at the page. "No," he told her. "I'm not going to read that. I like the note-taking better."
Fyre's eyes turned green. "Thought you would."
"Let me guess," he said. "Green is you're laughing."
"You're good at guessing," she told him.
"Anyway, let's see if we can't finish this silly thing off," she suggested.
"Ok, talk," Seto told her.
For the next hour and a half, Fyre was able to talk about the history of their topic enough to fill eight pages, and give Kaiba a very sore hand from writing.
"Ok, stop," he told her. "I can't keep writing, my had is numb."
Fyre's eyes went green again. "You sound like me. I hate writing, typing is easier."
"I agree," Seto agreed. "It's what I'm used to."
"Me too," Fyre admitted.
"I have to ask, what is Black Sapphire like?" he asked.
Fyre bit her lip. "Well -" she began hesitantly.
Seto put his hand on her shoulder. "It's ok if you'd rather not talk about it. It's probably still where you'd rather be, right?"
She nodded. "It was home," she whispered. "One place I was really happy. I didn't have to fit in, or hid who I am."
"What do you mean, hide who you are?" Seto asked.