Archive of Our Own

"Kiyomi! Wake up, sleepyhead!" 

A half-hearted mumble was the response as a pair of sleepy clover eyes blinked open. At the start of every school year, Kiyomi's mother brought her an early breakfast in bed. It was both a well done for the previous year's achievements, and a good luck for the coming year. The room flooded with light and a tray was lowered onto the patterned duvet, laden with food. Each year, it was the same - rice porridge and a rolled omelette. However, Kiyomi's mother always sweetened the porridge with honey and added a handful of berries to the mix. She'd decided to go with raspberries this year, apparently. It smelled fantastic. Kiyomi sat up with a yawn and pulled the tray towards her as her mother sat down at the edge of the bed.

"Ohayou, Kiyomi," she grinned, embracing her daughter.

"Ohayou, Mama."

Breakfast passed with the two chatting about their hopes for the year before it was time to get up and get ready for the day. Kiyomi wandered into the bathroom, yawning, as she washed and brushed her teeth. Dressing in the distinctive Academy uniform, she went downstairs to find her bag and make her lunch before kissing her mother goodbye.

School had never been Kiyomi's favourite place, but, as her mum was constantly reminding her, it was a necessary evil if she wanted to go to a decent college and make something of herself. Besides, she encouraged herself, it cost a lot of money to attend her high school, and she only had one year left.

Up until five years ago, Domino only had one high school. Seto Kaiba - backed by Pegasus J. Crawford - had, however, set up another one; the Academy. It was extremely expensive to go there, but the students were given a much broader education, and greater job opportunities after graduation. It was sheer luck that she'd managed to pass the entrance exam, Kiyomi mused, and gotten in. A hand landed on her shoulder and she jumped, before relaxing.

"Honestly Jou, you nearly gave me a heart-attack," she scolded lightly, poking her boyfriend in the ribs.

"Sorry Kiyo, I thought you'd heard me calling you," Jounouchi Katsuya said sheepishly. Kiyomi grinned up at him.

"It's fine," she replied. "How's Shizuka?"

"She's doing really well," her boyfriend said happily. "My ma said she can attend our school this year."

"Jounouchi, that's great!" Kiyomi exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Come on, we have to tell the others!"

"Okay, okay!" he laughed, easily keeping up with her as they made their way towards the school gates.

After the usual first-day routine of greeting some of their classmates and pointing the new first years on their way, Jounouchi and Kiyomi made their way to their classroom together. Homeroom hadn't started yet, so they were able to find a couple of seats near the window and sit down without much fuss.

"It's too early for school," Jounouchi grumbled.

"That's because your brain isn't turned on yet," a voice s assed  from behind them before Jounouchi face-planted into his desk, a girl with burgundy hair and dull fuchsia bangs  pushing his head down into the unforgiving surface of the desk.

Kiyomi laughed. "Ohayou, Emiko. Bit early to be abusing my boy, isn't it?"

"It's never too early. Because  it helps wake him up when the alarm clock doesn't do the trick. Besides, I'm not abusing him, I'm showing I care," Emiko chuckled, almost sadistically . "Now, what's this I hear about Shizuka coming to school?" she questioned, prodding one of Jou's cheeks. Jounouchi grumbled and Kiyomi laughed. 

"Just tell her Jou, she'll make it worse, otherwise."

"I'm feeling extra playful today," she grinne d as she leaned in threateningly, fingers poised to pull on his cheeks.

"All right, leave off!" Jounouchi snapped, flailing his hands. "My ma says that she can start attending school here - we found out last night. Happy?"

"Stupid question, Jou," Kiyomi laughed. Emiko's face was split into a  wide grin, a rare sight for their friend, but genuine nonetheless.

"Of course I'm happy. She's finally going to be free of that hospital and I've missed my dear Shizuka." This last bit was thrown in because she knew it riled Jounouchi up and she just couldn't help herself sometimes. He made it too easy.  But she did care about the younger girl a great deal and was thrilled that she was going to be released.

"She's not your Shizuka!" Jounouchi snarled. Kiyomi waved her hands.

"Calm down, Jou!" she said a tad frantically as Emiko tsked.

"You make it too easy for me, sometimes, Jou. I'm only playing, don't be such a wuss. Besides, you're going to need the extra eyes on her when she gets here. She's pretty and your sister or not, she's going to be practically overwhelmed with horde of the hormonal driven  mindless idiots that unfortunately roam the halls of our school in packs. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help keep the tide back? You know most people don't like to mess with me."

"You do know she's a first year, right? So you won't be in the same class..." Kiyomi clarified.

"Trifles, my dear Kiki. Be as it may, I'm still going to do the best I can to keep an eye on her ." Emiko grinned, knowing her friend hated the nickname, yet did it anyways.

"I really hate when you call me that," Kiyomi grumbled, a finger tapping on the desk irritably. 

"Welcome to my world," Jounouchi muttered, raising his hand and waving. "Hey! Yuugi, Honda, Ryou - over here!" 

"Ohayou, Ryou-kun. Please, save my boyfriend from your girlfriend, I think a blood vessel's going to pop," Kiyomi giggled as she spotted the white-haired boy behind Honda. "Ohayou, Honda-kun."

"Ohayou," the pointy-haired boy yawned back. "Enjoy the break, Jou?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Good morning, Ryou," Emiko called, letting go of Jounouchi and going to her long time boyfriend, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek, one of her rare displays of public affection,

"Ohayou, Yuugi-kun," Kiyomi greeted as the small teen took a desk in front of hers. "Have a nice break?"

"Mmn, yeah," he responded, turning around in his chair. "I mostly helped Jii-chan out in the shop."

Emiko reached over and ruffled the small boy's hair as she plopped into a desk next to him, Ryou taking the seat next to her .

"I'll have to come over and say hi - I haven't seen him in a while," Kiyomi mused, watching as Honda noogied her boyfriend. Jounouchi never learns, she thought in amusement.

"Hi, Yuugi! Still as cute and short as ever I see!" Emiko teased. She adored Yuugi to bits and loved to mess with him, especially when it meant Yuugi blushed. It made him even cuter.  While Emiko came across as a bitch and a rebel to most, one certainly never acted that way towards Yuugi, it simply wasn't done. There were very few people that Emiko genuinely liked and trusted and Yuugi and Kiyomi were the top of the list. They were the few she felt like she could really be open around. There was Ryou, but with him, it was different. She cared for him, that much was true, but she simply didn't have the same dynamic she did with Kiyomi and Yuugi. But Ryou liked her anyways, but a part of her suspected it was because no one was stupid enough to try and take her on and she kept his horde of fangirls away, if the venom filled looks she constantly got from them was any indication. 

In regards to the rest of the group, she didn't care for them on the same level, but she still held some degree of comradery for them and Jou was her best friend's boyfriend, so she was more or less obligated to endure him.

"Can't you take me seriously now I'm a third year?" he protested half-heartedly.

"Okay Emiko, that's enough for the morning," Kiyomi interjected, holding up a finger. "Karma'll come back to bite you soon enough."

"Not soon enough," Jounouchi grumbled, letting out a yelp when a fist connected with his skull.

"Karma affects everyone, Jou-nou-chi," Anzu Mazaki said in annoyance, dropping her bag on the desk beside Yuugi. "Ohayou, everyone."

"Ohayou Anzu," the group chorused back, most of them exchanging grins at Yuugi's reddening face. For the most part, Anzu was an okay person. Many in the school admired her for being such a driven, career-focused individual. Out of their entire group, Jou and Yuugi knew her the longest, as they'd been in the same kindergarten. They would all agree, however, that the second she entered the Academy, she because a completely different person. She never made an effort to hang out with them any more, and privately, they all wondered why she still bothered approaching them in school. She had a small following of what Emiko had dubbed 'Mini-Anzu's' who adored her as though she was an idol already. Serious case of hero-worship going on there. Thankfully, most of their year either tuned her out or shut her down when she got started. Their group, unfortunately, seemed too nice for their own good. Especially when it concerned Yuugi.  Seriously, it was like the smaller boy had some sort of power in him that just made him so damn likeable and no one wanted to upset him. Even if he did have a terrible taste in women, namely Anzu. Especially Anzu.

"How did your audition go last week?" Kiyomi asked politely as Anzu sat down. The brunette scowled.

"They said I needed more experience," she huffed, sitting down in her chair. "I know that, but honestly, how do they expect me to get experience when no-one give me a part - even a little one?"

Kiyomi blinked at the sudden venom. "Jeesh, sorry I asked."

"Oh, such bullshit," Emiko muttered sarcastically, ignoring the look from Kiyomi and the rather filthy one from Anzu  as she was pulling her long bangs to the side, securing it with her silver leafed vines clip, a gift from her father.  Granted, she did have some small drop of sympathy, a very microscopic drop of sympathy,  it just got annoying when the Mini-Anzus would loudly go off in tirade at the so called 'severe injustice of it all, and 'that the stupid men wouldn't realise what star talent looked like if it bit them in the ass'. More than once Emiko had to restrain herself from strangling one of them because they disturbed her study time. Was it too much to ask to even use the restroom without a pack of them coming into the bathroom and gushing about Anzu? It seemed like nowhere was safe anymore.  Seriously, could a girl not have a piss in peace without a flock of angry, squawking chickens clamoring around the mirrors while they screeched about their beloved Anzu-Sama? Even the bathroom wasn't sacred anymore and somethings just did not need the stench of eu du Anzu Dramatica. But it was well worth the look of terror whenever she would slam the stall door open when she was done. So, she supposed there was some compensation. One would never even think that Anzu and Emiko were once friends with all the venom and vitriol spat between like a couple of feral, hissing, angry cats. Except everyone knew who'd win that fight.

"Teacher's here," Honda muttered. The class stood as one, chorusing a 'Ohayou Miasaki-sensei' as their homeroom teacher took her place at the top of the room.

"Good morning, class," she smiled. "And welcome to the start of another school year. I look forward to working with you all. I have here-" she held up a sheaf of papers. "-your schedules for the year. Please note that there have been a few faculty changes, but it is nothing to worry about. Kito-kun, please hand these out." Ms. Miasaki handed over the papers to a tall, lanky boy in front before she continued. "I assure you, they are well up to the task, and I ask that you both make them feel welcome in our school and set an example to the younger years to do the same."

A resounding "Yes, sensei!" was her answer and she smiled as the door slid open once more and she left. The class immediately dissolved into whispers, huddling in groups around their schedules. Kiyomi's group was no different.

"Math first," Jounouchi groaned, running a hand through his messy bangs. "Typical."

"Who've you got?" Honda asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Ootori," was the miserable response. The group shuddered. Honda clapped him on the shoulder in mock-sympathy.

"Tough luck, Jounouchi," he said solemnly. "You should've tried harder in the exams."

"Eh, Honda-kun, you didn't score so well either," Yuugi said, smiling sheepishly. Honda gaped before scanning his schedule again. His face dropped.

"You've got Ootori too, huh?" Kiyomi giggled. He nodded, looking as shell-shocked as her boyfriend. "Well Honda-kun, it could be worse. At least you're in the same class as Miho-chan now."

Honda's face lit up, and he sped out of the room. His friends blinked in astonishment.

"I'd better go after him," Jounouchi said with a groan, standing and taking a spare schedule. "Will you text Miho and tell her where she's supposed to be?"

"Sure," Kiyomi replied, grinning when she got a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks Kiyo." He shouldered his bag. "See you at lunch."

"See you," she called, eyeballing Emiko. "I believe yourself and Anzu are down the hall, Em."

"Yeah, yeah.  Excuse me for not leaping for fucking joy," Emiko sighed, not overly thrilled and ignoring the mild 'language' reprimand. If she was sharing a class with Anzu, there was a good chance the Mini Anzus would be there and she prayed it was only one or two. She could handle one or two, but anymore than that, she'd lose it. "How long do you think it will take for Honda-kun to realize that Miho-chan isn't interested in anyone? I'm going to tell him."

"Don't you dare," Kiyomi warned as the bell rang. "And you might want to run. Anzu's gone."

Emiko booked it out of there, cursing under her breath.

The remaining three looked after her.

"Ryou, you have my heartfelt sympathies," Kiyomi muttered as the door slid open and the teacher came in.

"Is it weird that I actually liked my classes?" Kiyomi asked, leaning back against Jounouchi's legs. The morning had passed by quickly enough, and the group were relaxing on the roof, as was the norm for them. Jounouchi shrugged, one of his hands playing with a lock of Kiyomi's long golden hair. 

"You chose your classes, so s'not really surprising that you like them," he replied, taking the poffered lunch box his girlfriend handed back to him.

"Bleh. Speak for yourself. I think my brain fried," Emiko  grunted  as she rubbed her head. She leaned against her boyfriend, mumbling under her breath. "I don't get why the hell my mother feels the need to butt into my schedule. She's not even here long enough, she shouldn't get that right."

"She just want you to do well, you know," Yuugi piped up, earning a smile from the grumpy girl. It was times like this Emiko felt blessed to have Yuugi as a friend. The boy was so sweet, and always seemed to know the right thing to say.

"I'm just happy I passed my exams and got into my classes," Miho confessed, fiddling with the large bow in her hair. Honda was practically squealing at her cuteness.

"Well we did help you study, so there was no way you'd fail," Emiko mumbled, feeling a headache coming on. She loved Miho , finding her mindlessness oddly endearing , but with Honda acting like the girl could do no wrong, it got old fast and Miho wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the bunch. Sweet girl, nobody home.

"Pardon?" Miho asked sweetly. "I wasn't paying attention, sorry."

"It's nothing Miho-chan, she's just talking to herself," Yuugi said hastily, slapping a hand on Emiko’s mouth as she started to repeat herself. "What has everyone got next?"

"Eh..." Kiyomi glanced at her schedule. "I'm in History with...one of the new teachers, I think."

"Me too," Anzu piped up. Kiyomi groaned, and she felt, rather then heard, Jounouchi snicker at her. She pinched his leg, smirking when he yelped.

"Me too," Yuugi smiled.

"You three, huh, Jounouchi?" Kiyomi grinned, leaning her head back. A stuck-out tongue was her response.

"I've got PE and we aren't even playing soccer yet. Can I go home already?" Emiko mumbled as she fished out her own schedule.

"No," Kiyomi said flatly, pointing a finger at her. She huffed and stuck her tongue out at the blonde.

"Spoilsport."

"Whiner."

"So cruel."

"So's life." The pair grinned at each other.

"So cute," Anzu sighed dreamily.

"Who was, Anzu?" Yuugi asked curiously.

"Dartz-sensei," she answered, her eyes fluttering.

"One word, Anzu. Teacher," Honda said, rolling his eyes as the bell rang. "Come on, we've got class." The groups gathered their things and made their way towards their respective classrooms.

"No fucking the teachers, Anzu," Emiko told her as she passed the other girls. "This isn't some fucked up shoujo romance." She ignored the girl's venomous glare, sauntering off to PE and hoping that at least whatever sport they would play, it would allow her to pretend it was Anzu's stupid face and she could blow some steam.

Yami felt a change in the school's atmosphere. It was subtle, but noticeable to anyone with half a brain and a sliver of Shadow Magic. He turned when the door opened and fixed his gaze on the two figures that entered his office.

"Any luck?" he asked tiredly. "Dartz?"

The teal-haired man paused thoughtfully, long fingers working at loosening his tie. "I...have had a few classes and I strongly believe that at least one is in the school which means she might live close by. I do not have a person pinpointed but I just need a little more time to figure out who it is."

"Good," Yami sighed, shrugging on his jacket. "I can also sense a presence in the school, but I hope that soon we can find at least one of them. The search is getting tiresome."

"They were certain there was at least one in the area?"

"Quite sure," the woman nodded.

"Thank you, Keiko," Yami said wearily. "I don't believe I am suited to teaching."

A sharp crack from outside the window followed by the screams of female students reached their ears.

"What was that?" Keiko said incredulously as Dartz went over to the window to investigate. A lone student stood on the court, the teacher lying on the ground nearby surrounded by her students as they chattered in concern.

"One of the student appears to have killed Yamanaka-sensei," he reported dully, watching as the student rocked back and forth on her feet, tennis racket in her hands behind her back.

The student didn't react much when their sensei pushed herself up from the ground and started yelling at her, before stomping off to take care of the rather large bump on her head. The student didn't look the least bit sorry.

"Oh. False alarm. She's still alive."

Yami swore. Keiko giggled and Dartz grinned, amber eyes scanning the scene below.

The student stuck her tongue at the retreating teacher's back, earning giggles from her classmates before she turned on her toes, flinging the racket up in the air before catching it by the handle. Yamanaka wasn't very popular among the students either.

" FUJIOKA-SAN! " A very familiar voice shrieked, and the class turned to see the deputy, Ms. Hisano storming towards them. " WHAT'S THIS I HEAR ABOUT ASSAULTING A MEMBER OF FACULTY?"

The girl stared impassively back at the deputy, completely unbothered by the woman screaming in her face, in a borderline unhinged manner. "I didn't assault her," she droned. "I was playing sports as instructed. She simply got in the way. It's not my fault if she put her head in the direct path of my ball. I couldn't control the ball once it bounced off my racket, now could I? I'm not a telepath. I'm not exactly sure what you expected me to do, I couldn't have intercepted it either." She looked as bored as could be at the whole situation. "Ergo, not my fault."

Dartz snorted  as the deputy started puffing up in anger.

"Humans. Their little dramas are so amusing."

"Don't belittle them - you're human too, don't forget," Yami reminded his friend.

"Who attacked Yamanaka-san?" Keiko asked.

"A student," Dartz reported, turning away.

"Come on," Yami groaned. "Another few classes and the day is over."

"We may need to speed up the pace, gentlemen," Keiko murmured, "Time is of the essence, after all."