Guardians

Note: I luv u guys! Thank you sooooo much for the awesome reviews! (hugs reviewers). Next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, and I don't own My Imaginary by Evanescence or Hear Me by Kelly Clarkson, or aspirin, but I do own Karmina and some generic painkillers that are in my cabinet so HA!

Chapter Two: Making the Choice

Karmina stared at the flyer with longing. Oh how she wanted to sing, but all of those people would be there. How could she sing in front of an audience when she could barely sing in front of the mirror? And she only had a few days to decide; preliminaries to narrow down the competition were on Monday, only three days away. She stared at her face in the dusty, cracked mirror and sighed. Why was she always so afraid?

"Hey, kid, get down here or forfeit your meal!" One of the owners yelled up the stares. It was so tiring, being yelled at, being the oldest one here. She couldn't wait to be out in the world on her own.

As she ran into the dining room, Karmina made up her mind about the contest. She would go to the preliminaries, and, if she made it, decide from there whether or not to take place in the actual contest next Friday.

Ignoring the stares and snickers from the other orphans, she sat down, ate her meal and went back to her room nearly in one motion. Her life was just a cycle, a pattern, and she didn't expect to find a change any time soon. After all, what could happen to the girl that nobody knew?

The next morning, Karmina woke bright and early, feeling more tired than when she'd gone to sleep. And she felt trapped.

"I'm going to the library for a few hours," she declared, heading out the door. Only a few people heard her, and they didn't say anything. Nobody cared anyway.

In the library it was quiet enough for even Karmina to relax. Today, the tables were mostly empty, with the exception of someone in a far corner typing intently on a laptop with their head obscured from her view. The clicking of the keys was soothing and easy to listen to. It made her want to sing.

"I linger in the doorway, of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name. Let me stay, where the wind will whisper to me… where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story…" she sang in a whisper. It was one of her favorite songs. "In my field of paper flowers, and candy clouds of lullaby, I lie inside myself for hours, and watch my purple sky fly over me…"

Without realizing it, she had gotten just loud enough for the nearby laptop person to hear her voice. He looked up, and, with horror, Karmina realized that it was none other than Seto Kaiba (A/N: (sarcastically) I know, sooo hard to predict). She turned bright red and look away as he raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry," she mumbled, ducking into the science-fiction isle.

"This is a library, not a concert hall," he called after her in what seemed to be a slightly lighter tone than she'd heard him use to Joey and his friends.

"SHHH!" the librarian reprimanded.

Karmina almost giggled, but instead she scanned the shelves intently. She knew that the odds of finding something good that she hadn't read were slim, but it was worth a try. Leaning forward to examine a blue book with no label, she saw that Seto Kaiba had just been looking at her.

"I must be losing it," she told the book softly with a little smile.

"Now you've moved on to talking to inanimate objects instead of yourself, I see," a slightly hushed but still cruel voice said into her ear. She jumped.

"I-I- I wasn't… I mean…" she tried, giving up after a moment of useless stuttering.

He shook his head, picked up his laptop and headed towards the exit. Then, as if on afterthought, he stopped and looked back, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. For the next two minutes or so, Karmina stared after him in amazement. He still remembered her. One of the world's most important CEOs knew who she was. It wasn't much in the big scheme of things, but it would have to suffice for now.

The rest of that day passed by uneventfully, but Sunday afternoon, things got a little bit weird. Instead of in the corner, Seto Kaiba was sitting at her table by the sci-fi isle. Gawking, she slowly approached the table.

"Er… Hi," she whispered, blushing when her voice sounded more like that of a mouse.

"What are you staring at?"

She gaped and then swallowed hard. "It's just… I-I w-wasn't p-planning on s-seeing y-you h-here again today."

He stared at her for a second and then shrugged. "It's a free country."

"I k-know that… j-just s-surprised m-me is all."

"Do you have a speech problem?"

Yeah, you! "N-not that I'm aware o-of," she sputtered, feeling as if someone was shining a spotlight on her. Two deep, icy blue spotlights to be exact.

'Karmina, this boy is paying attention to you.'

I know, Wingweaver… but why?

'Because you are special, no matter what you think. There isn't a reason to be afraid.'

"I've wasted enough of my time talking to you. I have important matters to attend to."

Then go, she thought at him.

'Go on, say something.'

"Y-you shouldn't be so rude to people… you know," she whispered after being poked by Wingweaver several times. "It'll only… make enemies of everyone."

"I don't care," he snapped, packing up his laptop hastily.

"D-don't you ever g-get lonely?"

"I don't have time to be lonely, and I don't care what losers like Yugi think."

She shrugged, losing the courage to carry on the conversation. "But sometimes… it has to hurt," she mumbled, more to herself than to him.

For once, he looked speechless. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said at last and promptly left the building.

"Great," she told herself and Wingweaver. "Now it's right back to the good old days of being alone."

You're not alone.

"I know, it's just…"

You want someone who really understands you… Someone who knows what its like to be on the outside.

"Yeah…"

It's like your favorite song, Karmina.

"Yeah. Hear me, I'm crying out, I'm ready now," she began with a smile.

Turn my world upside down, Find me!

"I'm lost inside the crowd, it's getting-"

"Loud! Too loud!" the librarian declared, unaware that she was finishing the line. Karmina giggled and picked up her purse.

"I was just going, Mrs. Bookman. Sorry," she said in a slightly louder whisper than usual, as she had known the woman for nearly ten years now, as she'd been coming to the library since she was six years old.

"Quite alright, my dear. But a word of caution; don't let the ones who love you slip through your fingers. In other words, if that boy notices you, try not to stutter so much!"

With a smile and nod directed towards the quirky twenty-eight year old librarian, she left in pursuit of a quiet place to relax and escape from her troubles.

KAIBA'S POV:

Ever since I met that girl, I haven't been thinking straight. First, I started wondering if she felt the same way I did when I was there… and then I realized it was worse for her, since I at least had Mokuba. But that's stupid. No one understands me. Especially not some girl with a mental problem that makes her stutter so badly.

But at the same time, I know that she doesn't always stumble over her words. I mean… when she was singing… and completely breaking my concentration… it was like… Oh, I sound like Yugi, fantasizing about magic. Her voice is good, but not that good. She's just a weird little girl.

Then why can't I focus? I need more aspirin…

END KAIBA'S POV.

With tears in her eyes, Karmina found herself looking down at a park bench yet again. It was another one of those days when she had to lie down and forget it all… escape into fantasy… but all she could think about was that stupid contest… and how great it would be if Joey saw her there.

And she was getting nervous. Which song should she sing? What if she wasn't good enough?

Stop worrying, Karmina. You have a beautiful voice.

"N-no I d-don't," she rasped through her tears.

Why don't you let the judges decide that one, okay? And let's go home.

"I haven't been at home for a very long time, Wingweaver. Too long," she said with a sigh, thinking back on the scarce memories of her parents. After all, they had died when she was only four.

"Don't cry, honey. The business trip only lasts three days. We'll be back in no time."

"But mommy, I don't want to stay with the weird lady!"

"She's your babysitter."

"Other kids stay with relatibs."

"Relatives, sweetie. And you don't have any that are nearby."

"But mommy-"

"It's all right, Karmina. There's no need to cry. I'll be back before you know it."

Only she'd never come back, not her or dad. That plane had crashed due to engine failure, and there had only been a few survivors, not including her parents. For several years, Karmina had been terrified of everyone. All they did was lie to you or say mean things behind your back. But then she wanted, and needed friends. By then she was ten years old, and it was too late to turn back. Ever since, the name Karmina had only been something vaguely familiar to the other students. All except Seto Kaiba.

End note: I'll end it here and resume that search for my departed muse… Review, please. and I'll get the next one up here as soon as I can!