A/N: Konnichiwa! I'm back with another chapter! For those of you who've been faithfully reading this fic, I'm truly sorry it took so long! ;
Disclaimer: I hope you guys remember it from the previous chapters...
oOo
Chapter 3: Bonding
"God of Obelisk, direct attack!"
"I activate a trap card! Mirror Force!" Kai exclaimed, smirking. "Because of the effect of my trap card, I am protected from God of Obelisk's attack; you, however, take full damage, Hiromi. Since your life points were less than 4000, you lose!"
"Nooo!" the ruby-eyed teen pretended to be horrified. "Impossible! How could this be?"
Kai shook his head as he gathered up his cards. "Enough with the theatrics, Hiromi; let's not waste time here."
Hiromi grinned as she, too, picked up her Yu-Gi-Oh! cards into one pile and started shuffling them. "Okay, okay…how many more minutes until lunch break ends, anyway?"
Kai consulted his wristwatch. "We have…fifteen more minutes until history class."
Hiromi set her deck on Kai's desk, and Kai did the same. It was one of the rare days that Kai spent their lunch hour with his best friend of the opposite sex, doing what they both loved to do in their spare time: dueling.
The auburn-haired girl shrugged as she picked up Kai's deck and halved it, putting the top half beneath the other. She then gave it back to the slate-haired teen as she received her own 'cut' deck from him. "That's enough time for two more matches, I think…"
"Shall we draw now?" Kai asked, reaching for the top card in his deck.
"Sure, why not?" Both teens were quiet as they picked up five cards from the top of their respective decks and put them in their hands. "All right." Hiromi said afterwards, keeping her eye on her hand. "Since I lost, I decide to go first."
"So decide already; we're wasting the fifteen minutes." Kai prodded, trying to control his excitement. He had 'Flute of Summoning Dragon' in his opening hand, and he had a feeling that the other cards he needed weren't too buried in the deck.
"All right…Kai, I want you to go first." Hiromi declared, settling back in her seat. The amethyst-eyed boy shrugged.
"Makes no difference to me," he said as he reached for his deck again, drew a card, and added it to his hand. He slowly laid two cards facedown at the bottom of his field, and put a third one - a monster card - facedown and sideways in the middle. "My turn is over," glancing up at his 'opponent'.
Hiromi said nothing as she went through the motions of drawing a sixth card from her deck. And then she smirked as she laid a card face down on the bottom of her field. "My turn's over, Kai. You're turn."
That was quick… Kai thought as he started over from the draw phase. He hid his smirk; he'd just picked up 'Lord of D', the other card he needed to pull off his plan for that duel. And then he reached for the facedown monster card he'd placed earlier and flipped it face-up. "I flip-summon…"
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"What is it?" Kai hissed as he turned to Takao, who had tapped the slate-haired teen on the shoulder. The stormy-eyed teen quickly passed a small folded piece of paper to Kai, and then pretended to be writing in his notebook when the teacher turned away from the blackboard.
Kai, too, pretending to be copying down the formulae written on the blackboard, making sure the teacher didn't see him before unfolding the note. It was from Yuri.
Kai,
Ivan finally put up his comic on-line. The title is 'Akari to Kage', and that's also the URL (it's a website).
Just thought you'd like to know.
- Yuri
The amethyst-eyed teen shrugged inwardly as he tucked the note into the small pocket at the back of his notebook. He'd check it out after school.
"Hiwatari, please solve problem number 2 on the board,"
Kai started when he heard his name, and then glanced at the board. He was looking for the problem he was supposed to solve, at the same time keeping an eye out for clues that would help him solve it; he hadn't been paying attention during half the lecture.
Presently he got up and made his way to the front of the class, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to write.
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Uh, okay…aren't people supposed to improve with time? Kai thought as he began reading Ivan's online comic. He noticed that there was almost no difference between the rather diminutive teen's previous works and the one on the screen before him.
Oh, well…I've nothing else to do; might as well read the entire thing - or whatever's up on this website… the slate-haired teen thought as he grasped the mouse and clicked 'Next'. He reached for his sketchpad and began to scribble while waiting for the image to load on the screen.
When he read the page, he frowned. "That son of a-"
The comic was set in a game world that was slowly taking over the real world. In this page, two of Ivan's characters were discussing their list of suspects, trying to decide who among their schoolmates could be the holder of the Shadow card. That would have been all right, if not for the fact that he, Kai, was featured in one of the panels, describes as the 'boyfriend of the insane female TCG player'. Yes, his comic-self was a far cry from his real appearance but the hair was instantly recognizable as his. Not to mention that he had been illustrated as a total weirdo.
Kai took a deep breath, reached for the mouse, and angrily clicked 'Close'. The page disappeared, and he proceeded to disconnect his computer from the network and shut it down.
"I should have known the little midget would try something like that…" he mumbled angrily, walking over to his closet and flinging it open. "That's it; I need to go cool my head off…"
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Stupid Ivan... Kai thought, heaving a sigh. "He doesn't have to be so graphic about it..." Knowing Ivan, Kai knew that a lot of their schoolmates had accessed the website and had seen that particular page.
The amethyst-eyed teen sighed again. There's one consolation, though... he thought, chuckling slightly. There was a reason for what the small teen had done. His drawing hasn't improved much; no doubt he saw some of my recent artworks, and became jealous...No wonder jealousy is a sin; it makes you do stuff that isn't exactly beneficial to the person you're jealous of...
Kai glanced up at the drifting gray clouds. It was rather cloudy, but not so much that he couldn't see the moon and several stars scattered here and there. It was a relaxing and awe-inspiring sight, to be sure.
The slate-haired boy flopped down onto the grassy lawn and leaned back against the old, gnarled pine tree, watching the clouds swim past him in a sea of black, swirling and twining, forming pictures and destorying some, dancing to their own slow silent music.
After a few more minutes, he got up, stretched, and turned back towards the house. He'd gotten over his original anger at Ivan's drawing. He knew, deep down, that that wasn't what he, Kai, was really like. And that was enough for him.
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"Hiromi, over here!" Kai called waving his hand to attract the girl's attention. It was around two weeks later, and the entire year was going on a class trip. Their teachers had told them to board the provided buses already, and Hiromi was looking confused as to where to sit; almost all the seats were filled.
Finally, the ruby-eyed teen spotted Kai and made her way over to him. She slid her bag under her chair, and then sank down onto the seat. "Thanks for saving me a seat, Kai," she said, giving him a small smile. "Everywhere else was full."
Kai sat down beside her, next to the window. "I know. Anyway, try to come earlier next time, okay? Maybe then you won't have trouble finding a seat."
"Yeah, I will."
"Hey there, Hiromi!"
The auburn-haired girl started, and then relaxed when she saw who had called her. "Konnichiwa, Takao-san, Yuri-san."
"Funny we should find seats practically next to each other, ne?" The stormy-eyed teen observed. He and Yuri were across the aisle from where Kai and Hiromi were seated.
Kai nodded, rolling his eyes goodnaturedly. "Yeah. How very appropriate."
Yuri sat sideways in his seat and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, you're Tachibana Hiromi, eh?" At a nod from the ruby-eyed girl, he went on. "So you're the one who taught Kai that trading card game? It's quite rare to find a girl who likes those kind of things."
"Well, my mother said I have...eccentric tastes," Hiromi exclaimed, smiling sheepishly.
"And there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Yuri gave a small smile, warmth shining in the ice-blue irises. He'd seen how similar Hiromi and Kai were - individualistic and unique, but sadly persecuted for being so. He wondered vaguely if there was something going on between the two.
"Hey! The bus is finally moving!" Takao suddenly exclaimed. "We're on our way now!"
"Kinomiya, please quit flapping your lips," Yuri said, smirking as he did so. "We don't need any more airconditioning, neither do we need a humidifier."
Across from the pair, Kai and Hiromi chuckled.
"Wha-?" At first, the dark blue-haired teen looked confused, and then he frowned. "Yuri, you're going to pay for that remark!"
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"Wow!" Hiromi breathed, leaning forward onto the railing. The destination for the class trip this year was Nara National Park, quite famous for its deer, and they had been given permission to wander around in small groups. Kai, Hiromi, Yuri, and Takao had gone directly to the deer enclosure. "There are so many of them!" The auburn-haired girl continued, a smile spreading on her face. "And the fawns are just so cute!"
"They are quite adorable..." Kai agreed, his eyes on a trio of fawns who were playing what looked like deer tag, chasing each other across the wide expanse of the enclosure and back, sometimes weaving in and out of several young trees.
"It's a good thing these deer are under protection," Yuri stated.
"Yeah," Takao agreed, leaning onto the railing like Hiromi. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be this many in the park to look at."
"Sou darou..." Kai mumbled. And then he saw the sign: 'Aviary'. He smiled. "Hey, why don't we see that part next?" he suggested, gesturing towards the sign.
The crimson-haired Russian shrugged. "Figures. You've always liked birds, Kai."
"Well, it's hard not to like them; they're so interesting to look at!" The slate-haired teen defended himself.
"More interesting than the specimen beside you?" Takao asked, grinning miscievously.
For a moment, Kai stood there, nonplussed, and then realization dawned, and he scowled. "Kinomiya..."
Takao blanched. "Uh...oh..."
"Get back here!" Kai exclaimed as he ran after the scurrying stormy-eyed teen. "And just what did you mean by that, huh?"
"I didn't mean anything by it, Kai! I swear!" Takao shouted back, eyes wide as he struggled to outrun the amethyst-eyed teen.
Yuri chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched the pair running around. "Those two..." he muttered good-naturedly. Then he turned to Hiromi, who stood beside him. "So, what do you say, Hiromi-san? Should we go along with Kai's suggestion and go to the aviary, or-" The ice blue-eyed teen stopped short. A pale red flush was showing on the ruby-eyed girl's face, and she clasped her hands in front of her nervously. Is...is she...blushing! Yuri blinked in surprise, and then shooked the thought away. "Uh...Hiromi-san?"
Hiromi snapped out of her reverie and turned to look at her remaining companion. "Oh, I'm sorry, Yuri. I...I must have spaced out there. What were you saying?"
Yuri tried to look casual. "I wanted to get your opinion whether or not we go with Kai's suggestion."
Hiromi smiled and shrugged. "I guess we could go and see the birds...I mean, there's not much else to do aside from watching the deer." She glanced towards where Kai was still chasing Takao. "Hey, Kai!"
The slate-haired teen stopped, giving his 'prey' a chance to catch his breath. "Yeah?"
"You said you wanted to go to the aviary, right? C'mon, I'll go with you."
Kai ran up when he heard this, smiling. "Okay. Let's go now."
"Sure!"
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"Whoa! Look at how long that wingspan is!" Kai exclaimed, pointing out the sea eagle flying around the enclosure. "That's the longest I've seen so far."
"You're right." Yuri commented, leaning on the metal railing to get a closer look. "It does have pretty huge wings..."
Around fifteen minutes earlier, Yuri and Takao had decided to join Kai and Hiromi in the aviary and had found the two next to the large cage housing birds of prey.
"Hey, let's go check out the exotic birds over there!" Takao suggested, gesturing to a row of cages at the opposite side of the aviary.
"Okay." Hiromi agreed. She and Takao made their way over to that end, with Yuri following close behind. Kai, however, did not move. He'd spotted someone he thought looked familiar.
The person he'd spotted had long, jet-black hair, but Kai couldn't see the person's face because whoever it was had their back turned to him. Kai knew that he was somewhat attracted because the teen was alone, and very quiet.
Hesitantly, Kai tapped the teen on the shoulder. "Ah...sumimasen." The raven-haired teen turned. Kai started inwardly. It wasn't a girl, as he had first thought, but a rather long-haired boy! Also, the boy's eyes were a striking shade of gold. In fact, Kai noted, this teen had rather feline features, which added to his charm.
"Hmm?" The boy gave a small smile. "Nani?"
"Uh...I noticed that you were by yourself and I...was wondering if you might like some company..." The amethyst-eyed teen offered.
The black-haired teen's smile grew a bit wider. "That's nice of you, to take interest in me. I've recently transfered here - just last month, in fact - and I don't know anyone at school."
"Well, I suppose someone has to welcome you properly to Shoudai Junior High." Kai said, holding out a hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Hiwatari Kai."
"Rei Kon from Shanghai, China. Pleased to meet you, too." At this, the two exchanged handshakes.
"Hey, Kai!" Takao called from the other side of the aviary. "What's taking you so long?"
"Who's he?" Rei asked, glancing at the stormy-eyed teen.
"One of my friends." Kai replied, laying a hand on the Chinese boy's shoulder. "Come, I'll introduce you."
Kai and his new friend went over to the trio. "Sorry, guys. I got caught up in...something else," the amethyst-eyed teen explained, grinning sheepishly.
Yuri crossed his arms over his chest. "We can see that, Hiwatari..."
Kai cleared his throat. "So...Yuri, Hiromi, Takao, I'd like you to meet Rei Kon. He's a transfer student from Shanghai." Then he turned to the boy beside him. "Rei, this is Yuri Ivanov, Tachibana Hiromi, and Kinomiya Takao." He gestured to them one by one as he said their names. "Their my classmates in Class 3-A."
"Welcome to the club!" Takao said cheerily, throwing an arm around the newcomer's shoulders. "It's nice to have someone else from a foreign country in the group, aside from Yuri here."
"I'm looking forward to getting to know you," Hiromi said, bowing politely.
Yuri held out a hand, much like Kai had done. "So you're a transfer student, huh?"
Rei managed to free himself from Takao's grasp, took Yuri's hand, and shook it. "Yeah, I am. I started school at Shoudai Junior High just last month."
"Well, then, I hope you're enjoying your first class trip, Rei-san."
"Please, just call me Rei. All my friends do."
"Very well, then, Rei."
Kai grinned. The Chinese teen seemed to fit into his group of friends quite easily, and he was glad of that. Yet he wondered why no one from Rei's class had bothered to befriend the teen yet.
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"Hey, Rei?" Kai began. The whole senior year were en route to Tokyo, and, miraculously, seats at the back of one bus hadn't been occupied. That was where Kai and his friends sat for the return trip.
The golden-eyed teen turned towards Kai. "Yeah?"
"What class are you in?" The amethyst-eyed teen asked. "You know, so we can go visit you during break or something..."
"Oh, I'm in Class 3-D." Rei answered.
Yuri's eyes widened. "Did you just say '3-D'?"
Rei nodded. "Yes. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Is there someone named Ivan Petrionoff in your class?"
"I think so..." Rei looked thoughtful for a second. "Is he...a bit short and has a...prominent nose?" he asked slowly. Kai and Hiromi covered their mouths with their hands, trying hard not to burst out laughing.
Yuri nodded. "Yup. That's the one. He used to be-"
"A friend of yours?" Rei ventured.
"Well, he and I are still friends, but he and Kai parted ways in the summer of last year."
"What happened?" Rei wanted to know.
Yuri looked solemn. "I know what happened, but you'll have to ask Kai. I'm not sure if he'd like me to spill something...personal."
Rei looked down at the floor. "Oh."
Kai, who was seated next to him, laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Rei. I'll tell you sometime, okay? I just don't feel ready right now..."
"Sure, I understand."
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A/N: Okay, another chapter done! Yay! Oh, and starting with this chapter, the Rina's Diary sections won't be posted every chapter; instead, I will include one where I see fit, if that's okay with you guys...it's tedious work, having to scrutinize each entry and figuring out which parts to include...
Anyway, you know what comes next, right? Dewa mata! Peace out!