When Destinies Collide
By Ash Kaiba
DISCLAIMER! We don't own any of the characters/term(s) from the Yu-Gi-Oh show and games. We do own Ashley "Ash" Black, Kathryn Takemura, and Mae Black, as well as all the (many) original characters our strange little minds have cooked up.
Ash Kaiba: Welcome back! I know that at the end of chapter 7 Kaiba was naughty, but what do you expect? That was Kaiba there. Like he'll listen. Enjoy.
Previously in When Destines Collide: Chapter 7: To the Museum
Ash Black meets the Ishtars and learns that they are waiting for 'her.' An artifact that was given to her five thousand years ago by the Keeper of the Blue-Eyes or her mother was never found. Ash returns to the Turtle Game Shop and learns that she got the Kaiba Corp job. She also learns a bit about Kaiba from Téa and Tristan.
Chapter 8: First Day
Ash and her friends walked into the school's courtyard. Students were everywhere. Some were talking with their friends or reading. She looked at the group and noticed Joey wasn't with them. Then, someone yelled at them.
"Look, Yug…No hands!" Joey yelled from his bicycle. He was showing off what Ash had taught him over the summer. Ash watched its red frame reflect the morning sun. Everyone who was watching him laughed. She was thankful that she could hear Joey from the windows of her classroom, 1-B. Her classroom was also used for Yugi and his friends, and it had once held Mr. Unfortunate himself, Seto Kaiba.
Suddenly, every student fell silent as a black vehicle pulled into the school parking lot. The windows were tinted, making it impossible to see inside the car. A man in a suit stepped out and opened the back door. He held out his hand. A lily-white hand grabbed his. The man pulled as a boy in the Domino High uniform climbed out. The boy was entirely white with a messy mop of brown hair on his head. The man shook his head in exasperation as he fixed his employer's hair. Ash watched the newcomer with caution as the man got back in and left. The boy turned around and slowly walked toward Yugi and the gang. He limped as if he'd had leg surgery or was too tired to really care.
"Good morning, Yugi…Wheeler," he grunted as his skin tried to absorb some of the sun's rays. "Pleasant day now, isn't it?" he asked as he looked at the sky. His eyes shined beautifully in the sunlight, like clear sapphires. Ash could tell he was trying to be as pleasant as he could.
"Shaddup, Rich Boy. You should be in bed or something," Joey growled as the boy glared him down.
"Good morning, Kaiba. Are you sure your body is up to this?" Yugi asked as Ash questionably looked at him. The man Kaiba was suspicious and might be dangerous. She couldn't tell if he was pulling Yugi's leg.
"The last thing I need, Yugi, is your concern. I get enough of it from Mokuba. And Wheeler, shut your pie hole," Kaiba growled. The entire student body turned away, pretending to mind their own business. Yugi was surprised to see that Kaiba was nothing but skin and bone; only a small amount of body fat and muscle remained, as if he had suffered from a wasting illness that had eaten away at his body. "What's this, Yugi? A new addition to the gang?" Kaiba growled again. His head was cocked up a bit. It was still enough to make Ash distrust him. She glared into his eyes, although he was looking at Yugi.
"I said shut up, Kaiba!" Joey growled right back. He stood in his spot while cracking his knuckles. His hard gaze locked onto Kaiba's. "Listen up, Kaiba! You're going down!" Joey yelled as he threw a punch to Kaiba's face. The rich boy stood there as it came close. He couldn't see it, of course, to be able to dodge it. After the impact, Kaiba was rubbing his cheek. "Ha…got ya, Rich Boy."
"You're lucky, Wheeler, that I'm being closely monitored by the school faculty," Kaiba groaned in his throat. His hands held Joey by his shirt collar. "I'm just lucky you only gave me a bruise."
"Uh…ya are?"
"What happened, Kaiba?" Yugi asked.
"Just stay out of it, Yugi."
"You two know each other?" Ash finally butted in.
Kaiba looked down at her from the corner of his eye. She's just like Kanika. Is she the one Ra wants me to find? Who is she? He wondered as an image of Kanika appeared in his mind. Then, he turned his attention to Mr. Tundra, his teacher, who was making his way toward the group.
"What is going on?" he yelled at the group. He looked over at Kaiba. "Mr. Kaiba, are you alright?" He then turned to Joey. "Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Kaiba is not well. He could get seriously hurt. Detentions will be given out to anyone who hits him."
"I…um…"
"That's right. Stutter in guilt," Mr. Tundra barked.
"Um…Mr. Tundra, I actually deserved that. I called him a 'flying monkey' during the Battle City tournament," Kaiba sort of bluffed.
"Oh…why didn't you say so? All right then, this is a warning, Mr. Wheeler."
Joey sighed as Mr. Tundra left to police another group. "Why did ya do that, Kaiba?"
"Because I actually did deserve it," Kaiba hissed. His eyes tossed like ocean waves during a storm. Then, he relaxed and looked back at Yugi. "Who is your new friend, Yugi?"
Obviously he is trying to be friendly, but that won't work, Ash mentally growled.
"Kaiba, this is Ash. Ash, this is my friend, Kaiba," Yugi introduced with a smile.
"I don't need your 'friendship', Yugi," Kaiba growled in anger. "You know I believe friends hold me down." Yugi doesn't know I'm lying. I should tell him everything. Mokuba won't understand and Yugi is good at keeping secrets. I hope I can 'trust' him with this one, he thought as he held out his dead hand. "Pleasure to meet you. You have to be Ash Black, the War of the Roses champion."
Shaking her head, Ash took his hand and shook it. "The pleasure is all mine. It's really an honor to meet you." As she tried to take it back, her hand was caught in an iron grip. Kaiba appeared to be staring at her white T-shirt. Over it was the boy's blue school jacket. She looked down, remembering that she was wearing the jacket because the school store had run out of girls' uniforms in her size, and wasn't expecting another shipment until after the start of the school year. Ash tugged on a lock of Kaiba's bangs to bring him to his senses without punching him, but it failed.
"Kaiba! Kai…ba…" Yugi's voice faded away. "Kai…ba…"
Who is she? I feel a strange energy from her necklace. Is she 'the one' I seek? Her power seems to be sleeping, waiting for the right moment to awaken, Kaiba sensed through her hand. Suddenly, he snapped into reality. Feeling drained, Kaiba fell onto his left knee. Sweat slowly seeped its way through his skin. He gasped for breath as Joey and Tristan rushed to his side and Yugi kneeled in front of him. Téa and Ash stood a few feet back. Ash watched him with a glare that Kaiba couldn't find words to describe.
"Kaiba, are you okay?" Yugi panicked as he slowly rose to his feet.
"I'm fine, Yugi. See you in class," He muttered as the students flooded the halls.
Classroom 1-B…
"All right, class. I would like to introduce to you another new student," a happy blonde cooed.
Just great…a crazy female teacher. Ash flinched.
"Class, this is Ashley Black. She just moved here from America."
Her temper snapped. "THE TRANSCRIPT SAYS ASH!"
Her teacher glared hard at her. A counselor was sitting in the room, surveying the students on their first day of classes. He wore the traditional black suit with a tie. His white hair hung above his bangs.
"That was inappropriate." He paused. Ash let her head drop. "But, Miss Chono, her transcript does say that she enrolled as Ash Black." He stood up and walked toward the door. But, before leaving, he stopped in front of Ash. "I have heard about your records. I will not tolerate anything from you, gangster or not."
Ash kept her head down. His final words cut her to the bone.
"Why don't you sit in between Miss Dunedin and Miss Takemura," Ms. Chono said while pointing to the empty seat. Ash followed her finger without a sound. The stares of her new classmates scared her. She knew they couldn't see her tattoos, but the stares… She was about to die from stares. At least Kathryn was close.
To be continued…
Next Chapter in the When Destinies Collide Saga: Chapter 9: Shadow Act
Mr. Tundra gives the seniors their first lesson on Egyptian mythology. Kaiba gets into a fight. The shadows within Kaiba act up, eating his anger. Yugi and Tristan take him outside. Will Yugi get drawn into the conflict?
Ash Kaiba: Well, if I remember right, this is the shortest chapter I've ever typed on Word. Oh, well. I post and you review. I shall bug my "editor" (referring to Katie Mae the beta reader) for more chapters. Thanks for reading.
