Thank you to all who have reviewed and/or read my story. Be paitent for updates. I'll be able to heaps during my holidays but during the rest of the year, it'll take longer (Blame my parents).
What happened so far: After an eventful day at Domino High, Sass begins to develop a connection to Yugi, his friends and even cold-hearted Kaiba...
A Place To Belong
"That was a fantastic game! I quite underestimated you, young Sass" Gramps complimented her as she pulled boiling hot water from the kettle into a small, fragile china cup.
Sass smiled politely at him while she stirred his tea. They had just spent most of the day playing game after game of Duel Monsters. Grandpa Moto was clearly the more experienced duelist, easily destroying against her Sir Lancelot Lionheart with a Graverobber's Retribution Trap card. However, Gramps spent the duels powering up one monster. But in the last one, it was his Gaia the Fierce Knight, allowing Sass to trap it with Swords of Revealing Light and unleash her Warrior Princess of Twilight's Ultimate Sword and Staff Strike, wiping out all of his life points. Grandpa collapsed into a comfy armchair beside the lounge while Sass made him some tea.
"How on Earth did you come across a card like the Warrior Princess of Twilight?" Gramps inquired, his eyes craving for knowledge.
"Well, my father is an archaeologist. A very busy archaeologist. Travels everywhere. Will be called to twenty different sites across four different continents before he can come home" Sass smiled, "When I was eleven, my father went on a trip to Egypt. He told me that he was going through the local market, just taking a stroll, when he saw the card out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to buy it and give it to me"
"How unusual" Gramps' eyes narrowed in deep thought as he scratched his beard, "Did the dealer tell him anything about the card?"
Sass thought about it as she brought the tea over to Gramps, "Actually, Papa said the dealer was very mysterious about it. The dealer told him that the Warrior Princess of Twilight was the guardian of the Never-To-Be Queen"
"How odd" Gramps commented, gently blowing the steam from the tea before taking a sip.
"I thought so too" Sass added as she sat down on the lounge. At that exact moment, Sass heard a click from out in the shop area and a jingle as the door opened. A stampede of footsteps followed along with a tirade of voices.
"Grandpa? Are you here?" a male voice called out
"Where's Sass? I'm likin' that kid" another male voice added, this one with a distinct Brooklyn accent
"Yeah, she seemed nice" a new voice chimed in, this one very female.
"Awww, you guys are gonna make me blush" Sass called out to them. The group suddenly barged in through the beaded doorway and headed straight for them. Tristan and Joey fought for a space on the floor in front of her while Yugi and Teá sat on either side of her.
"Move it or lose it, Tristan" Joey growled, pushing Tristan back
"Oh, you'll lose, big time" Tristan shoved Joey and got into the spot, smiling so sickingly sweetly at Sass, she began giggling uncontrollably. Her giggling turned into loud, full-blown laughter as Joey shot out of nowhere and tackled Tristan out of the way. Yugi and Teá covered their mouths to refrain from snickering as Gramps got up and separated the struggling teenagers.
"I would appreciate it if you two didn't start World War Three in my living room" Gramps shot warning looks at both of them.
"Sorry, Mr. Moto" the two boys looked at the ground sheepishly.
"Now, if you two behave and find a place to sit civilly, I will prepare for you guys some afternoon tea. How does pizza sound?" Gramps told them. If Sass had blinked, she wouldn't have seen it. One moment, Tristan and Joey were standing sheepishly next to Gramps. The next moment, they were in a cross-legged position in front of Sass, looking like absolute angels. Gramps smiled at them.
"Who likes what?" Gramps asked as he picked up the phone reciever from the bench.
"Vegetarian, thank you" Teá replied
"Hawaiian" Tristan's eyes glassed over
"And some good old supreme" Joey began to drool, "Ohhhhh"
"Yugi, Sass?" Gramps asked as he dialled the number of the local pizza parlour.
"Chicken and Cheese, thanks, Grandpa" Yugi replied
"Meatlovers for me" Sass smiled, "Hmmmm, meatlovers"
Gramps walked off and began talking into the phone while the subject of conversation turned immediately to Sass. Teá started this off.
"So, Sass, when did you get to Domino City?" Teá asked
"Yesterday afternoon. Flew in on the 11.00 flight" Sass replied
"With only two bags?" Tristan pointed at her duffle bag and her backpack, which were dumped at the side of the lounge.
Sass shrugged, "I didn't need to bring much"
"How long did you intend to stay here?" Tristan asked
Sass paused. She hadn't actually thought of that. She cursed her impulsiveness, "Really, I'm not sure. I just... packed up and left"
"What about your family? Where are they?" Joey inquired, a look of confusion evident on his face.
"Back home" Sass looked away from them, "In Sydney"
"Australia?" Joey gawked incredulously
"No, the Sydney in Africa" Tristan snapped at him.
Joey gave Tristan a pair of evils before looking back at Sass, "What I meant was that I thought Sass' accent sounded familiar"
Sass didn't reply. She just looked down at her hands. Yugi put her hand on her shoulder, "Sass, why are you in Domino City?"
Sass pretended she didn't hear him for a second. Could she trust them? She never really told people anything. It was always easier to keep them at arm's length instead of letting them get in involved and complicating things. Sass then looked around at their eyes. Two pairs of chocolate brown ones, one pair of bright aquamarine ones and one pair of innocent violet one. Every single one were eager to listen and to help. Taking a deep breath, Sass began.
"When I was ten years old, I was abandoned on the doorstep of Professor Johnathan Hirato Bakura and his son. I could only remember my first name and my age. Nothing else" Sass slowly began, the memories of that night flashing through her head, "They adopted me and cared for me. For four years, I was happy. Well, relatively"
"What do you mean, Sass?" Yugi asked, getting anxious as the story went along.
Sass attempted to describe how she felt, "No matter where I went or what we did as a family or how nicely they treated me, there was always a piece of me that yearned for something. It like I was missing something, but I wasn't sure what. Without it, I felt... incomplete. I felt... unfinished. I kept to myself a lot. The only person that I really opened up to was my brother and he was over in Eton most of the time"
"Ah, a private school good-doer" Joey crinkled his nose as Tristan punched his shoulder, "Hey, what the-"
"Shut up and let Sass finished the story" Tristan told him, "Go on, Sass"
Sass complied, "Anyway, my brother recently came home for the holidays again and one day I found his letters to his real little sister"
"What?" Teá looked confused
"Amane. She was six years old. She died two years before I came into their lives" Sass explained sadly, "She was riding her bike... she always rode too fast for my brother to keep up... she took a sharp turn and rode right out into the path of an oncoming truck..." Sass looked back down at her hands, "Poor Amane didn't even make it to the hospital. Even since, my brother has written letters to her in Heaven. One day, I found one. I didn't mean to read it, but I saw my name... it said something about a locket my brother had been hiding from me... I nearly torn his room apart looking for it... when I found it, I made him tell me about it. It had been found on me when I was abandoned, but it can't be opened"
"Why not?" Yugi asked
Sass pulled the locket out to full length on its chain and turned it over, showing them all the keyhole, "There was no key on me when I was found. I took a very long walk after that. Didn't come back until 9.00 that night. What if the locket is the key to my past? To all the questions I had been asking myself? That night, I packed my bags and left. I wrote them a note, but I didn't tell them where I was going"
Sass placed her head in her hands, sighing, "All I wanted was to find a place where I belonged. To find my family. I bet I sound so selfish"
"Not at all"
Sass looked up at Yugi, who smiled at her. She looked around at everyone else. They didn't show anger or pity or contempt. More like... sympathy. Teá patted Sass' shoulder as she spoke.
"It's only natural that people should feel the need to find whatever makes them happy, whether it's their family or a place to belong. I think your father and brother understand" Teá explained, "I mean, whenever my friends need me, my parents understand and let me stick with them"
"My dad don't care. He's busy entertaining his best friend Jack Daniels" Joey snorted
"My parents are fine with what I do. They trust me" Tristan replied, "They know I'm not stupid"
Joey snorted again, earning a punch from Tristan in the arm. Sass giggled and happened to glance upon the clock on the wall. It read 4 o'clock. Sass immediately stood up.
"It's getting late. I'd better go" Sass replied, "Thank you for everything"
Yugi looked at her, startled, "Where are you going?"
"Well, to find a place to sleep" Sass answered simply, "I'll see if the motel has any vacancies. If I not, I'll find a nice bench"
"A bench?" Tristan stood up immediately, "You're joking?"
Sass frowned, confused, "No. It's OK. When I'd go to the broken watertower near my house, I'd fall asleep in there all the time. I'll see you at school"
Sass turned to go and ran straight into Gramps, who was holding a pile of pizzas. He narrowed his eyes at her, "Like hell you are!"
They watched as Gramps put the pizzas on the bench before he turned to face Sass, arms crossed and looking livid.
"There is no way I'm going to let a teenage girl so far from home with barely any money to go out on the streets" Gramps shook his head at her, "You'll be staying here, with us?"
"What?" Sass and Yugi replied, Yugi from surprise, Sass from shock.
"But... I need to work..." Sass stuttered
"You can work here" Gramps replied simply, "I could always use an extra pair of hands and you have proven to me both an interest in Duel Monsters and a steely- eyed determination which will contribute to a high work- ethic"
"Huh?" Joey and Tristan looked at each other, puzzled
"It means she's a hard worker" Teá explained blandly, rolling her eyes
"Ohhhhhh" Joey and Tristan said in realisation before returning to the confrontation between Sass and Gramps. Sass seemed determined to prove Gramp's plan flawed.
"But... I can't sleep on the couch forever." Sass replied
Gramps eyed her uniform, "You don't seem to have a problem with boys. You can share Yugi's room. We have some spare mattresses up there gathering dust. You can use that until we can get you a real bed. You'll be alright, won't you, Yugi?"
Yugi's cheeks shimmered a gentle rosy pink, but it instantly vanished as Gramps eyed him and he looked again at Sass. He had actually forgotten Sass was a girl until Gramps had pointed it out, "It'll take some time to get used to but I don't have a problem with it"
Sass looked from one Moto to the next, looking slightly bewildered, "I don't want to be a burden..."
"Saskura, you are no burden to us" Gramps smiled at her, "You actually brighten the place up. We could use a little bit of a woman's touch around her, even one as tomboyish as yourself. Teá's not here everyday and you and Yugi have become pretty good friends. Any friend of Yugi's is alright with me"
"Friend?" Sass looked at Yugi, her heart daring to believe in the hope that it may be true.
Yugi nodded at her, "Friend"
The warmth Sass had felt in her chest earlier on when they had defended her against the teachers seemed to completely consume her whole body. She had never been accepted by anyone anywhere. These guys were now her friends: hothead Joey Wheeler, friendly Teá Wheeler, protective Tristan Taylor and sweet Yugi Moto. All of them cared for her and would be willing to stick by her in her crazy journey to find her family. Sass felt like she could have cried right there and then had not a certain aroma reached her nose as Gramps opened the cardboard cartons one by one on the bench.
"Pizza!" Sass, Tristan and Joey all drooled at once, staring at the freshly cooked pizzas steaming in front of them.
Gramps sniggered, "Tristan, you get the plates. Joey, upstairs in the cupboard is an old dining table sheet. Grab and spread it in front of the TV"
"Yes, sir" the two knuckleheads saluted Gramps before hurrying up to do their jobs. Sass suddenly remembered an old red dining sheet she had shoved in the second highest shelf to try and close the cupboard.
"Joey! Wait! Watch out! It'll-" Sass was interrupted by a crash and bang, with a 'What the-' added by Joey. Sass covered her mouth as Joey walked down the stairs, dining sheet around his shoulders and one of the old checkered sweaters on his head, "-pop out at you"
"Thanks for the warning" Joey snarled, throwing the sweater off his head and heading over to spread the sheet in front of Teá and Yugi, who were too covering their mouths to restrain from laughing at their friend's embarrassment. Tristan ignored the whole thing, placing the places in the centre of the spread out sheet while Sass and Gramps brought the pizzas over to them. Joey and Tristan looked ready to burst with anticipation.
"Before we settle down to eat-" Gramps began, causing groans to emit from Joey and Tristan, "I think Sass should choose a movie for us to watch"
Sass smiled at them and opened the cupboard under the TV, scanning through the collection of titles gathered there. She analysed them automatically as she scanned through them.
'Sweeney Todd? No, no, we're eating. X-men? Nah, not really in the mood. CALAMITY JANE? Probably Gramps' movie. Hello...' Sass reached her hand in and pulled out a movie. A horror one. Sass turned back at them.
"OK, who doesn't like blood and gore?" Sass asked
"Not me" Joey and Tristan replied, saying whatever so Sass will choose the movie and they can feast on the pizza.
"I can tolerate it" Yugi replied
"I usually fall asleep within the first five minutes anyway" Gramps replied, shrugging.
"Depends on the movie" Teá eyed Sass warily.
Sass held up the DVD in her hand, "Bram Stoker's Dracula. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the king of blockbusters, and starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and the great Sir Anthony Hopkins"
"Awesome" Tristan and Joey nodded their heads. Sass knew they really didn't care.
"I love that movie" Teá sighed dramatically, clapping her hands together, "He spent all those years seeking his true love..."
Sass turned to Yugi. He didn't look like the type of guy that could stomach the kind of violence in that movie, "Yugi?"
Yugi smiled at her, "I'll be fine. Just put it on before Joey and Tristan start climbing the walls and go Exorcist on us"
Sass grinned at him and put the DVD in. As they sat back watching Mina and the Count's passionate (and violent) love story and gorging themselves on pizza, Sass glanced at them all. Tristan and Joey cheering at the particularly bloody parts between bear-like chunks of pizza. Teá rolled her eyes at the violence, sighed at Dracula and Mina's candle lit dance and pretended to hide her eyes at the sexual stuff, but Sass could see that she was peeking between her fingers. Gramps was snoring in his armchair, drooling on his shoulder. Yugi, however, surprised Sass. He just sat there, watching it in absolute quiet. There were glimpses of emotion on his face and in his eyes at certain parts but they vanished before Sass could analyse it properly. Then, to Sass' surprise, Yugi turned to her, smiled and whispered to her, "Why do you like this movie?"
"What about you?" Sass replied
Yugi looked back at the screen, "Dracula seems to have two sides. His evil, demented side and his tormented, tortured side. I can sort of relate to that"
Sass nodded, looking back at the screen while flashing back to last night, "I know what you mean"
Sass didn't ponder on the past for longer. She was enjoying the present too much. Everything felt right. There seemed to be almost nothing out of place. Life, at that moment, was good.
He he, yes. The prelude to Duelist Kingdom is almost complete. Just a few more chapters to go. Review and that!!
Next Chapter: Early Morning Workouts
