Spirit Caller
Chapter One
1
One Card Short

Thank you for testing with us today. We have a gifted set of students to send before us on their journey towards becoming the best duelists they can be. We are blessed and honored to have worked with you and wish you luck in your future ventures, congratulations, students of Duel Prep School, You graduate!

It was a lovely ceremony, one that stays forever in her memories...a moment where she truly made him proud...Right?
"Connar? Helloo? Connie?"
There is of course, that familiar voice of comfort when she didn't.
His smile...
She still missed...him...
"Connar if you don't get up now you're going to miss the ship!"
Wait...that's not his voice-
Mokuba sighed as he gazed upon the sleeping beauty. He placed his hands on his hips as he shook his head from side to side and sighed.
" Didn't you want to see the entry level duels of the applicants seeking enrollment into Duel Academy?" he asked her, reaching out to give his niece a gentle nudge. ForDaddy's Little Princess? She could definitely sleep like a rock... He would find this funny under normal circumstance- if it didn't make him worry whenever it came to her. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Day and night she trained herself, practicing with her deck only to improve her already natural talent. All she wants more than anything else is to make her father proud, and to truly earn her family name...
"CONNAR ROSE!" This was the name she held when they found her.

Without wanting to take away from any of her original roots- they simply tacked on their name afterwards so that she could have and keep both aspects of who she was then...and who she is now...even if who she was then seems to be a little bit faded now-

"AHHH!" she shrieked from her startlement and fumbled out of her bed, entangled with her lovely princess bedding, pink and frilly that matched the color of her long flowing cherry blossom hair. Silk and frills...nothing but the best for daddy's little princess... And with her big bright blue eyes to pair with that long hair? She certainly looked like a princess too-sometimes...though she definitely didn't act like one.
A sleeping beauty indeed.
"Uncle Mokeeeyyyy" She groaned and puffed her cheeks with her sleepy eyes locked together fighting back the waking tears and eye crusts from being up late the previous night, "I was having such a good dream..."
"Oh sweet Connie...lost in dream land? Someday we're afraid you might never return..." Her uncle chuckled and patted her head as he unraveled her blanket wrap. A look for unsettlement shimmered in her blue eyes as she thought back to the day where she almost didn't... but that was a whole other story that none of them really liked to get into...especially not her father.
"That aside, you are aware of what day it is today...aren't you?"
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" she yawned and tried to straighten out her long bed-head of pink hair.
Her uncle sighed And brought notice to a marked day on the wall with a point of his index finger.
"Check your calendar again..."
She looked rather confused and lost in a daze as he stumbled over to her wall calendar and counted the days...
"AHHH! OH NO, I'M LATE!" she cried out and fumbled around over herself.
"...There you go, princess." he chuckled as he watched her stumble into her closet and slam the door. He shook his head and picked up the mess she made. Sure, he could have left it to the maid... but they got to spend so little time with Connar as it was. So he figured he'd take the opportunity while he had it. Though- that mess soon met the floor once again as she burst out of the closet in a run, causing him, this time, to be the one to fall into the trap of fluffy, frilly, pink comfort.
"Sorry Uncle Mokey! I'll make it up to you!"
"Hey make sure you say good bye to Big Brother- Oh what's the point she's already gone..." he sighed and began to pick up the blankets again. Though...as though he had somehow been summoned by his mention...a tall shadowy figure now lingered against the threshold, leaning against the door as he watched his little brother fully committing to the part of "Mother Hen".
"...We have maids for that Mokuba, why do you bother...?"
"O-Oh, Big Brother-" Mokuba paused, "I take it you saw Connar off already?" he gave a light chuckle.
"...I figured something like this would happen." his brother huffed and gave a soft sigh,"...So I came in this morning and said my farewells while she slept."
Mokuba sighed.
"While she was asleep? You know big brother...you ought to try showing her you care while she's awake once in a while..." he chuckled.
The man blushed and averted his gaze.
"...She'll know I care." he gruffed lightly,"...I left her a gift in her deck to assure that."
"Pfff...typical Seto..." Mokuba chuckled and neatly folded her blankets back onto her bed.,"...You're gonna miss her, admit it." he snickered.
"I dont have to admit to anything, Mokuba." Seto huffed,"...That girl of mine, if anything- has seemed to always come across as one card short of a deck..." he sighed and walked out of his daughter's bedroom, avoiding this conversation... his brother's teasing gaze.
"True enough." Mokuba snickered, "Hence why you worry about her so much~." he sighed, "...He's gonna miss her."

The girl dashed at her heels, practically flying as she ducked and weaved through the people that sprinkled the streets of Domino City.
"If I want to see the entry examinees I better step on it!" she giggled and dashed a little faster, though the speed left it to where she couldn't stop herself in time-
" Ahh? H-Hey...L-Look out!" she called out to a brunette who was walking ahead, the heels of her white boots clicking rather rapidly as Panic took to her face, "C-Coming through- B-BEHIND YOU!"
"Huh?" he finally noticed- her small voice had caught his attention and he turned toward her, unfortuneatly not in time.
SMACK!
The two took a fall together in a frontal collision.
"O-Oh no!" she flailed as she sat on top of him "I-I am so sorry!"
"Hahaha, Wow, at least buy a guy a cup of coffee first before you jump him!" he teased.
"N-No that's not what I-AHH!" as she looked up she saw that upon impact, her cards decided to scatter to the wind in flight.
"Oh No, My deck!"
"Your deck!?" he called out and looked up, "Oh no-That's certainly not good, come on!" he lifted her up- plopping her back onto her feet.
"Wait...you'll help me?"
"Of course!" he said, "What kind of duelist would I be if I let another duelist lose their deck!?"
"I see...thank you."
There was a smile on her...a soft one...almost sad. This boy held an air of familiarity around him...a presence she missed.
"Less chatting, more grabbing!"
"O-Oh, Right!"
The two laughed, making a game of catching the scattered cards.
"Got one!"
"Me too!" They beamed and giggled together.
"If I grab more cards than you, then you really gotta buy me that cup of coffee!" the boy laughed.
"If you help me gather all my cards, I'll buy you a coffee and a donut!"
"Now you're talkin'!"
The two split up and continued to gather cards.
"And...last one~!" She sighed in relief as she caught the final card in the wind and grinned in relief.

"Well Done~!"

"Huh!?" Connar blinked and glanced over towards the brunette, "Did you say something?"
"Huh?" he blinked curiously with a tilt of head, "No not me."
"Huh..." she blinked and pondered,"
Come to think of it...that voice was kind of sounded more like a female...
She blinked and glanced down at the card in her hand.
Dark Magician Girl?
A locked gaze of blue eyes darkened upon this card in her hand. She remembered it well...it was gifted to her a very long time ago when she was very small. The Card Shop owner who gave it to her said that he felt like it belonged with her...and she had taken care of it and kept it close ever since.
...Nah...It couldn't have been HER right?
Not likely...I must have just been hearing things.

To Be Continued...