Soul Battle
Chapter Two – The Ice Queen
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making any money from this fic (Kyla and Nia are my characters, though)
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Kyla stared at her reflection in the mirror, her fingers reaching out to touch the new cut on her right cheek.
Now how can I hide this? Kyla wondered. Obviously, she'd have to put some form of protective covering over it. But she would have to hide it in some way. The last thing she wanted was to be asked awkward questions. She wasn't worried about fielding questions from most people, but Nia and Ryou especially would keep on asking and keep trying to find out.
Kyla placed a protective bandage over the cut, and then smoothed her hair over her cheek. She then looked critically at the effect in the mirror. It wasn't perfect... But it would do.
Kyla slipped the golden necklace Ryou had given her around her neck, slipping it under her top so that it was hidden at the same time. She regarded her reflection in the mirror a moment before subtly touching up her makeup. Then, she slipped a silk scarf around her neck before critically regarding her reflection again.
My hair doesn't exactly look good, Kyla thought to herself. But that can't really be helped.
Kyla picked up her bag, and walked quickly out of the house, taking care not to run into either of her foster parents. She was late enough as it was.
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Ryou was pacing.
Yugi sighed as he watched his friend moving restlessly. "Ryou, please stop pacing," he said. "They will be here."
"But what if they're not?" Ryou demanded. "Kyla might have decided that she didn't want to waste any more time with me."
Yugi merely blinked at Ryou's words. He wasn't surprised that Ryou's opinion of himself wasn't very high. Dating the so-called ice queen would be hard on anyone.
To be honest, Yugi usually wondered exactly what it was Ryou saw in Kyla. He wouldn't carry on dating someone who treated him as coldly as Kyla treated Ryou... Or would he?
What if I finally got up the courage to ask Nia to date me? Yugi wondered. And she agreed? If she started acting like Kyla... I'd probably still want to go out with her, wouldn't I? But Yugi couldn't imagine the cute, enthusiastic Nia ever acting cold to anyone. It simply wasn't in her nature. But there had always been a kind of coldness around Kyla, even when she had first met them in kindergarten. The only person she ever seemed to open up to was Nia, and even that wasn't very much.
"Ryou, don't worry," Yugi told his friend. "Nia won't let Kyla stand you up." At least not today, he added silently to himself.
"I guess you're right," Ryou commented, stopping himself from pacing with an obvious effort.
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Kyla hurried over to Nia, who was standing on the corner of the road.
"You're late," Nia said brightly.
Kyla gave a slight shrug. "I was deciding whether or not to walk with you or someone else," she replied. The cruel retort came automatically to her lips. She couldn't have said anything else even if she'd tried.
Nia flinched, and a hurt look came into her eyes. Then, she shrugged, and her expression became almost normal again. "I guess you didn't find anyone else," she said almost brightly. "Come on. Ryou and Yugi will be waiting for us. If we're too late, they'll just leave without us."
Ryou... Kyla thought to herself with something very akin to regret. Then, she hardened her heart. She couldn't afford to let any feelings through. Not now.
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"Here they are," Yugi said as he spotted Kyla and Nia making their way towards him and Ryou.
Ryou almost sagged with relief, and turned to face Nia and Kyla. "Hello!" he said, reaching to take Kyla's hands.
"Hi Ryou, hi Yugi," Nia said brightly. "Nice to see you."
"Ryou, Yugi," Kyla greeted coolly, keeping her hands firmly to her side.
Ryou took a slight step back. "Gomen," he muttered softly.
Kyla, that wasn't very nice, Nareen's voice scolded in Kyla's mind.
Oh, great, Kyla thought. Now I'm hearing voices inside my head. I can't wait for the men in white coats to come and take me away!
Don't be ridiculous! Nareen snapped. Try actually being nice to people, and you may find that things actually work out.
Yeah, right, Kyla thought bitterly. But Nareen was gone.
"Let's go," Kyla said shortly, stalking off.
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