Chapter 6: A Burden Too Heavy
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do not own any of the names. Do not rob me of my 59 crowns to buy the next issue of my manga. Please?
A/N: Sorry for the long waiting time! My cousin is over here and I have to show her around… Plus that I got the crappy bike so I'm wallowing in self-pity. Umm… I did fall off it. Twice.
Note to reader: I think you will get more out of this if you read each sentence carefully.
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The sun's rays searched themselves into the room and fell on undesired places. The fluorescent lights hummed in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, but the people inside this place weren't enjoying it at all. They were busily working and trying to hurry up everything so they could go home in time. The air of gloom and irritation hung over the office as a silent, malevolent cloud. Each of the workers had their own little black one hanging over them.
This dreaded place was named Kaiba Corp.
The great man himself was in his own beautiful glistening mansion, throwing things at the wall in frustration of not being able to work.
Kawai Shizuka, his personal secretary, was getting all his work instead. She had had this burden in one week and she was considering quitting. Then a memory came in her mind…
"We're never giving up, right sis?" Jou smiled at her. Shizuka nodded as she smiled back.
"Well, it is going to be hard…" Yuugi murmured.
"We ain't no quitters!" Jou exclaimed.
She just had to smile. Shizuka took the stack of papers and signed on some, and tore up other ridiculous offers. She took a dart and pinned five of them in on her roof, in a row.
An outlet for her aggravation.
"Hey girl, you're good," Arizawa Kyoko grinned at the hazel-eyed girl.
"Arizawa? When did you come in?" Shizuka turned around, surprised at being caught.
"Been watchin' ya the whole week, ya know? You're real good with that dart. Go and enter a competition or sumthin', dun waste your talents here!" Arizawa cried out the last words so everyone could hear it.
"Shush! Don't let anyone else know it… By the way, why are you here?" Shizuka wondered as she took out the silver tape guaranteed to stop Arizawa's big-mouth.
"A package for missy Kawai herself, ye see!" Arizawa copied the western accent as she gave Shizuka a package.
"Thanks."
"Lesse what it is! It was big, hard and heavy. Can you guess it?" muttered Arizawa as Shizuka excitedly ripped open the package.
It lay there. A lovely black computer lay there. It was of the newest model and especially custom-made for her. Shizuka gasped at the shininess of the laptop. She adored the curved framings of the PC as her hand uncontrollably ran over the rough plastic again and again, just to make sure it wasn't a dream.
"Hon, it ain't a dream…" Arizawa's comment turned to silence as she saw how Shizuka treated her newest office-owned item.
Suddenly she was snapped back to reality, as a man in black suit stepped into her work space.
"May I see it through?" Kazushi asked. Shizuka nodded silently as she unwillingly raced over her newly received computer.
Maybe this was just a dream. Maybe now he'll take it and run away with it. I am not going to get this lovely computer anyway…
Kazushi tapped her baby with familiarity. He handed it to her.
"What did you do to it?" Shizuka managed to whisper as she took the heavy thing with shivering hands.
She couldn't believe it! She still had it!
"Just installed anti-virus software plus that I upgraded all the tools on it to the newest edition," Kazushi replied nonchalantly as he left.
"That's so wicked cool!" Arizawa shouted as she ran over to check out Shizuka's newly received and upgraded computer.
"Thank you Mr. Kazushi!" Shizuka called after him as she sat down with the black computer in her arms.
Maybe this wasn't such a bad day after all.
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Too bad all those schools just had to post their best student results on the board. It was just a way to cherish the great students and reproach the not-so-great ones.
Shizuka ran past the board, in fear of being late. She had worked late last night and was utterly tired, but school was mandatory. She also had to keep her part-time job secret. Jou would probably kill her if he found out she was working for the great enemy. Kaiba.
The auburn-haired girl huffed as she skidded into the classroom just before the teacher came in. She managed to sit on her spot, with the books in a mess.
"The math test is today. Please put all your books away and take out a pen," Mr. Minamoto said.
Shizuka put away her ruffled book bag and took out a black pencil. She saw the Kaiba Logo on it and changed it. The girl sighed as she received the paper from the teacher. She hoped she didn't look too bad.
Contrary to what Shizuka thought, Mr. Minamoto did notice something was wrong. He saw the dark rings under her eyes, the slouched position and the dead gleam in her eyes. Mission Tracking Students was successful. He'd have to discuss this…
Shizuka looked down at the paper with no interest. It was all so easy. Compared to the mathematical work she did at her job, this was daycare. She wrote down the answers to the multiple choice questions and then…
X and Y and Z equals… Her eyelids began to droop as she slowly fell onto her desk. The pen slid out of her fingers and fell onto the floor.
She was asleep.
Mr. Minamoto regarded her with pity. Poor girl, she must've been quite tired. But what could make her so tired?
He was getting an idea. An idea that was quite close to the truth.
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Her brother grinned at her. He looked so childish and innocent as he strolled down the city streets of Domino.
She sighed. Odd but true, she was the older one in sense of maturity even though he was older than her but she was… Oh, she'd have to stop thinking in terms of that. Shizuka sighed again.
"Anything wrong, sis?" Jou asked with a smile.
"Nah…" Shizuka trailed off as she looked at the setting sun. At this time Haranda would be telling someone in that sharp voice what they did wrong while Arizawa tried to calm them down.
"Hey, tomorrow we'll all take a day off! Haranda agreed! Come on, it will be so fun!" she had said.
Oh Arizawa, what did you make me do?
"Wanna watch me duel?" Jou's question snapped her back into reality.
"No thanks," Shizuka replied with a sad face.
"I'm very sure there is somethin' wrong with ya…" Jou looked at his sister with a suspicious expression as he took her hand.
"Nothing, Jou. Just leave me alone."
"You're tellin' ya own brotha' off!" Jou exclaimed as he waved his arms. "Ya can't do dat!"
"I'm sorry Jou, it's just that…" Shizuka continued her sentence in thought, "I have this annoying job and I can't help but to wonder if I could quit. But I think Kaiba wouldn't let me…"
She didn't have the heart to tell him about the job, much less that it was for Kaiba. She knew how much he had ripped their family up, and trashed her brother so badly.
Now he was trashing her.
She knew that, but it was too late to back away.
Oh, if I only could've searched for another job!
She was caught in the web of complications, where the threads spun on around her each second. Maybe she still had a chance of getting out.
Just two simple words.
I quit.
But she couldn't. We need the money, she thought. We need it more than our pride.
"Shizuka…?" Jou whispered.
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Mr. Minamoto corrected the papers. His eyebrows shot up at one student's.
So many red marks.
On the top right corner the name was written in a trained, petite style. Kawai Shizuka.
She had been the best of the best. She would never get below a 90. But now she did.
Why? He thought as he continued to correct the papers in a machine-like manner. He remembered the tired face that he saw.
She was definitely up to something.
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The boards displayed the scores of that math test for a few days ago. Shizuka scanned it for her name.
She found it, and shivered.
Kawai Shizuka – 85%
Oh no, she thought. Now her grades were beginning to drop. This job at Kaiba Corp. was asking too much of her.
She simply had to quit.
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A/N: Just by the way, do any of you like songfics? tries to look innocent
Big thanks to: Lass, Unknown, Ileana DuBaer, Serenity, Bibliofile66, Tinyflyer02, LuvinAnime, Walis, Freakster, kikoken, Sphincter and PyroKittyKat for reviewing!
Reader reviews for chapter five!
LuvinAnime: Three weeks were totally random. Don't ask me why, I don't know myself. Thanks for sticking with me, being the sucker that I am..
PyroKittyKat: I don't own much. grins Okay... Maybe then.. But I really do have to pull myself together and finish at least one story on so I can be proud of that. Even though pride is empty.
Sphincter: Thanks so much for reviewing all the chappies! Your story is great, just too OOC..