Chapter 2 - Ice Blue Eyes

Disclaimer: All the Yu-Gi-Oh!- elements are copyrighted by Kazuki Takahashi. The story, other characters etc are (C) by me (Inge Faber)!

Japanese glossary

Ee = yes (informal)

Hai = yes (formal)

Iie = no

Un = yep

Gomen nasai = I�m sorry, I apologize

Daiyoubu desu ka? = Are you alright?

O-genki desu ka? = How are you?

Genki desu = I�m fine.

Niisama = big brother

---

~ Yami no Tenshi ~

~ Chapter 2: Ice Blue Eyes ~

The streets had become a little bit busier, but there was no one noticed the girl hastily running through the thin crowd, panting and her face red of fatigue. The ends of her long, purple coat were dancing on the wind and on her motions. She had crossed a large part of the city by foot without resting even once, but finally she had reached her destination. A building with reflecting glass towering above its surroundings. Huge letters attached to the building made it clear that it could be nothing else but Kaiba Corp.

 

Relieved that she was almost there, Gabrielle let her attention slip for a moment.

She cursed under her breath when she realized that in that short moment of not paying attention, she bumped into someone, causing them both to fall on the ground.

����������� �Gomen nasai!� she exclaimed hastily and shocked, �Daiyoubu desu ka?�

Quickly she sat up on her knees next to the boy she had knocked over.

����������� �Uuuh.� the victim moaned and sat up, rubbing his sore head, �Yeah, I�m okay.�

����������� �Gomen.� she apologized again.

����������� �You were in quite a hurry.� the boy said and looked at her with his dark blue eyes.

����������� �Um� yes.� she answered, but was interrupted by a loud bell which rang five times, �I had an interview at Kaiba Corp, but� I didn�t make it in time.�

����������� �Oh� Did you think you would get hired looking like that?� he asked honestly wondering.

����������� �Like what?�

����������� �You�ve got dried up blood running from above your eyebrow down your face, the area around your eye is turning blue and your lip�s cut.� he answered, �I don�t think they�d want a street-fighter for office work.�

The expression on Gabrielle�s face became sad. Maybe even a bit desperate.

She sighed. �You�re right��

The boy stood up and wiped any possible dirt from his cloths. He wanted to walk away, but stopped when he saw that the dark blond girl remained sitting on the side-walk, staring at the ground.

����������� �Is it really that bad?� he asked concerned.

Gabrielle nodded, but didn�t look up.

����������� �Why? Aren�t there enough other vacancies?�

����������� �Not for an seventeen year old, studying girl who needs enough money to sustain her own house-hold.�

����������� �What?!� he cried out in amazement, �You�re seventeen?!�

She nodded again. Gabrielle didn�t look like eighteen and she was fully aware of it. Most people thought her to be at least two years older. Sometimes that came in very handy, but most of the time it caused a lot of confusion.

����������� �Why do you have to sustain your own house-hold? Where are you parents?�

����������� �Worlds away.� came the cryptic and little saying answer. Gabrielle stood up. �My uncle and aunt keep an eye out for me and give me the money I lack, but� they don�t have the amount that I need. I need a job to keep my room and finish my study.�

The boy with the long, jumpy black hair and the dark blue eyes was silent for a moment. If he�d heard the same story in a movie he�d have found it slightly clich�, but this was real. Therefore, it had a completely different impact.

����������� �If you needed this job so badly, then why did you fight so shortly before your interview?�

����������� �I didn�t have much of a choice---�

����������� That lame excuse again?! You can always run away from it or try to talk your way out�the boy though annoyed.

����������� �---some guy was going beating somebody up, and I didn�t really want to fight, but that guy didn�t believe in diplomacy. I only hit him once actually� One good blow is enough for a bully.� Gabrielle answered and sighed again.

����������� Okay�� I was a bit too fast in my judgement.

�It wouldn�t be fair if someone got punished like this, when all one tried to do was help, right?� the boy asked.

Gabrielle smiled wryly and shook her head.

The boy laughed as if he had a pleasant surprise for her and walked toward the huge building. �Come.�

Gabrielle followed him with her eyes. �What are you going to do?�

����������� �I�m going to help you to get that job anyway. Like I said, it wouldn�t be fair if you were punished for a good deed.�

The dark blond girl frowned. �H-How� What can you about it?�

����������� �I�m Kaiba Seto�s little brother. I can try to convince him to give you another chance.�

����������� �What?!� she exclaimed, the shock clearly readable on her face, �No! Then it would look like if I---�

����������� �Don�t worry about it.� he interrupted her, �Come on.�

A grateful, wide smile appeared on her face and for a moment she did an attempt to suppress it, before realizing it was futile.

����������� I guess it wasn�t such a bad day after all. she thought and followed Mokuba into the building.

---

A week or so later�

Gabrielle glanced troubled at the computer-screen in front of her. A message written with white, innocent looking letters on a blue background, seemed to cause the trouble.

����������� Kuso. she cursed and stood up.

As she walked away from her desk and rummaged through the bookshelves, obviously searching for something, a door on the other side of the office opened. A young man solemnly walked into the room, the ends of his long, white coat floating behind him, dancing on his movements. The sleeveless coat perfectly contrasted the tight, black cloths under it and his short, brown hair.

The notable young man was followed by a boy half his size, also contrasting his appearance. The boy�s cloths were rather normal and unimpressive. Just a pair of blue jeans, a long, striped, blue shirt and a yellow body-warmer. His hair was long and black.

There was only one thing, that both boys had in common: a locket that looked like the back of a Duelmonster-card.

Gabrielle noticed them and watched them inconspicuously for a few seconds, before she continued her search through the bookshelves.

One of them noticed her though and stopped. The shorter boy drew her attention by happily exclaiming: �Konnichiwa, o-genki desu ka?�

Gabrielle looked up and turned her attention to Mokuba.

����������� �Genki desu.� she answered smiling, �And you?�

����������� �Me too.�

����������� �Thanks again for helping me.�

Mokuba nodded and asked: �Are you getting used to the place yet?�

�Yeah,� she answered and nodded, �but I�ve got some problems with the computer. I pressed a couple of wrong buttons and now it keeps asking me something, but I don�t know what. It�s a strange code.�

����������� �Mokuba, are you coming?� the tall young man, who stood just a few steps further along the corridor, asked impatiently.

The short boy turned about. �Niisama, can you help us?�

Kaiba frowned questioningly and approached them, not for a moment falling out of his own calm pace. The pace that fit his self-centered attitude.

����������� �The computer is acting weird.� Gabrielle explained.

����������� �What?� a male voice from behind asked laughingly, �You crashed the computer again?!�

����������� �I didn�t crash it!� she replied defensive and turned to face the newcomer.

A tall man � for Asian standards � in his early thirties and with a friendly face, peeked over the small, wooden wall that separated the working-places from each other. He�d been working quite some years at Kaiba Corp.

����������� �It always gets stuck when you start typing, doesn�t it?� Kanto laughed, �Maybe you should type a bit slower. The computer simply can�t keep up with you.�

����������� �Even my seven year old laptop with a processor of 166 megahertz can keep up with my typing-speed!� she snorted, �You just don�t want me to break your record!�

����������� �That says a lot about our computers, ne?� Kanto said to himself and grinned.

����������� �What record?� Mokuba asked frowning.

����������� �The number of reports he wrote in one day.� she explained and chuckled, �If you ask me, Kanto-san sabotages my computer when I�m not looking.�

Seto folded his arms. �If you ask me, you�re wasting precious time with these ridiculous games.� he said annoyed.

����������� �No, no, no!� Kanto denied, �We�ve got time to spare, because we work faster than the average person.�

His gaze stayed stern. It was the same to him.

����������� �Talking about wasting time�,� Gabrielle started slowly, �my computer is still acting weird.�

Seto turned his silent gaze to Gabrielle. She felt the urge to back away when his ice blue eyes met hers. So frozen and imposing! Uneasy, she looked away.

She didn�t dare to move her gaze away from the bookshelves on the other side of her working-place, until she saw him pass her by from the corners of her eyes. He walked toward her desk on which the computer was placed. The message on the screen didn�t seem to worry him at all and without hesitation he pressed several buttons on the keyboard. Everything turned back to normal and to Gabrielle�s relieve the message stayed away.

Suddenly Kaiba�s eye fell on a small, white paper next to the mouse. Dashing, blue, ballpoint lines swirled over the paper and formed a figure. The drawn figure in a wide, trench-coat looked at him with cool gaze. Seto frowned. If he ignored the two kodachi (short swords), the figure could�ve been himself.

����������� �What is this?� his asked, picking up the paper.

����������� �A drawing for a friend.� Gabrielle answered and quickly added: �I drew it in my free time.�

����������� �I mean, who is it?�

����������� �Shinamori Aoshi, leader of the Oniwabanshu.� she replied slightly uneasy, �From the manga �Rurouni Kenshin�. Kari is crazy about him.�

It took a few moments of silence before she realized why Kaiba was asking that. And she wasn�t the only one.

����������� �Wow. He looks a lot like you, doesn�t he?� Mokuba said amused.

Kanto stared at the picture from behind Kaiba�s back and then looked up at Gabrielle. For a moment it looked as if he was going to say something to her, but he changed his mind at the last second and studied the picture again. Doubtfully he rubbed his chin between his thumb and fingers.

Gabrielle glanced at him wondering. She was pretty good in reading people, but she hadn�t quite managed to understand Kanto yet.

Seto dropped the drawing back on the desk again and walked away.

����������� �Come Mokuba.� he said without looking back, �We don�t have all day.�

His little brother nodded and followed him.

����������� �Mata ne, Benu-san!� he greeted cheerfully.

����������� �Jya ne!�

To Be Continued

---

This story is still part of the foundation, I�m guessing that I can start on the more interesting stuff in the next chapter. Then you�ll slowly start to see, why this story has a fantasy genre. ^_~

BTW, I have no idea what an the office in Japan looks like. I have seen those boxes (as I call them), but I don�t know whether the people working there have to wear an uniform. In my story they don�t � I mean, Seto isn�t exactly wearing a tuxedo either � just as long as it�s decent. ^_^;; (If somebody has some information on this, please e-mail me.)

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