Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Points of Authority ❯ Graceful Charity ( Chapter 4 )

 

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Points of Authority

 

Chapter 4: Graceful Charity

 

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Kenzie's head had started a light, warm, buzz as she walked into the entrance of the hotel...

 

Definitely from her recent dialogue with Kaiba.

 

And she had this ominously heavy bubble in her chest... There was no way you could have been feeling guilty; Kaiba wasn't worth it.

 

Casting aside those awful waves of anger, Kenzie was suddenly overwhelmed by the lush environment of the horridly-named hotel. She got to noticing the plush, garnet curtains and wall-throws before she realized that there was a good reason why she was here.

 

Pulling up to a free receptionist at the rather long desk that traveled the length of the hotel lobby, Kenzie put her suitcase down beside her as she distractedly asked yourself, “is THAT cherry wood too?!”

 

“May I help you?”

 

His sugary undertones almost made Kenzie cringe, well, gag more like, but she bit it back in hesitant smile and kept her approach: semi-cheery.

 

"Yes," she started as politely as her headache would allow. "I'm Kenzie Ray, and I was invited by Kaiba Corporation for the Battle City Tournament. I was supposed to have a room here."

 

If possible, the man's smile grew even wider, making Kenzie's eyebrow rise in an odd feeling of disturbance towards the middle-aged receptionist.

 

"Oh, yes. I remember that going around," he told Kenzie in subdued enthusiasm. "Let me just check your room number here..." He had begun clicking away at his computer, looking to be very much into what he was doing. He began to go over the line of “taking a while,” but just as she decided to take in more of the hotel interior, he rudely interrupted her thoughts.

 

“Ah, yes!” he announced with a spirited finger. “Here it... Is...?”

 

His face contorted strangely as his voice trailed off. She didn't dare ask what was wrong, but she could tell her own face was scrunching into bewilderment. Just what the hell was he getting at?

 

The receptionist gave Kenzie an apologetic look as her stomach reacted in ominous pitfall.

 

"I'm very sorry miss, but we happened to be booked.”

 

Kenzie felt her whole body momentarily shut down. Except for the empty blinking her eyes were performing.

 

“Um, I'm sorry,” she began in civility, putting a rehearsed finger to her cheek; she was trying to stay to a role as to not get angry. Kenzie was already mad enough already. “Could you...repeat that last part?”

 

He gave an uncomfortable gulp, fingering his collar like he was hot, and fidgeting in his seat as he began to explain. “Well, it seems that the Prime Minister was to rent out your suite before you were to arrive, but last week he decided to stay for much longer...”

 

Resolve coursed through Kenzie, feeling like the receptionist had taken her for dumb. “So you can't tell him to leave…?” she suggested, exasperated.

 

He raised defensive hands in front of his person, trying to calm Kenzie's raising voice with dismissive hands.

 

“I'm very sorry, miss,” he began in urgency, fingering his collar again. “But it's the Prime Minister of Japan! We can't just tell him to leave!”

 

Bits of anger were seeping into Kenzie's skin from the overload coursing through her veins, her voice on the verge between loud and screaming. This was just not her life apparently; how could it be? First Seto Kaiba, and now the hotel seemed to be against Kenzie as well. Then, a thought struck her: maybe, just maybe Seto Kaiba had set this up since he didn't particularly take a liking to her.

 

“And just WHY not?! He's just like any other valued customer; I deserve the same expectations he's getting!” Kenzie argued. “Don't you know that EVERY customer should be valued? Or did they not teach you that in your business orientation?! Even common cashiers know that…”

 

He answered with an uneasy gulp, and a nervous finger fidgeting with his collar again.

 

Kenzie “laid” her hands on the desk with a mildly resonated “smack,” startling the receptionist. “Well…answer me!”

 

By this time Kenzie had been steadily leaning more and more over the reception desk, making the receptionist lean back in defense from her intense tone, looking a little meeker than what he should have in that clean-cut suit of his.

 

“But I'm just a receptionist,” he replied weakly, wishing that Kenzie would let up from the discerning look she was glaring at him with. “I can't fix any of this; I just enforce what they tell me to do…”

 

Rolling her eyes dramatically and not believing he gave her such a spineless answer to defend himself with, Kenzie stormed out of the area, blindly making her way through the lobby…

 

…And of course she ran into someone that intersected her path as soon as she came out of the elitist hotel. Her pathetically mumbled “sorry” was cut short when she saw the flashy bandana that made her almost regurgitate her sad, airplane breakfast from earlier that morning.

 

“You…,” Kenzie said in so much contemptible distaste that she could feel it materialize on her tongue as her eyebrows were drug down into glare.

 

His black ray bans contrasted starkly against his blonde hair kept back by the American-flag bandana he wore. In gingered arrogance, he pulled down his glasses to the tip of his nose and gave Kenzie a mocking look. “Well, if it isn't the Default Duelist,” he jeered. “Tell me, how does it go in the pits at the top?”

 

Kenzie's nose wrinkled, starting to brush past the fellow American duelist in a huff. “Keith, don't even start with me.”

 

But before she could exit, Bandit Keith had grabbed her upper arm, halting her attempts at escape. “Oh ho…?” he continued in his mock as she disgustedly pulled her arm away from his grasp. “Still a little sore I see.”

 

“And I have every good reason TO be you no-good bastard,” she spat back in ferocity. “You ruined my reputation! I hope you drop dead!”

 

Keith lifted his sunglasses to rest upon his head, leaning into the side of the building casually as Kenzie continued to seethe at him. His eyes glanced at her with a playful glint. “That's a little harsh, don't you think Kenzie? I mean, after all, how could you want me dead?”

 

Kenzie smirked, crossing her arms defiantly in solemnity, but a giant stress mark was quite present. “Do you want it alphabetically; because I've been working on it.”

 

Keith lifted himself off of the building, smirk still present as he had serious resolve about him. “Tell you what, since you're still so sore about being incapable of beating me, I'll give you another shot.”

 

“It wasn't even about that!” Kenzie spat heatedly, but then recovering afterwards, huffing a sigh. “Fine, but you can't cheat!”

 

“Okay then; it'll be an all-out battle, just to make sure that we know who the better duelist is,” he stated. “You're lucky I'm such a nice guy.”

 

“Pfft,” she managed to say out loud in spite of her rage.

 

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Bandit Keith had managed to grab one of the cherry wood desks in the reception of the hotel and two plush-wooden chairs, much to the dismay and protest of the employers. However, you definitely weren't going to ask about what primitive tactics he used to make the employers to agree.

 

In any case, a fairly large group of people had already gathered at the “commotion” Kenzie and Keith had stirred up. They were both seated in the chairs, shuffling their respective decks when Keith spoke up…again.

 

“Ya know,” he jeered, momentarily showing his eyes. “It's going to be a shame when all these people see how I'm going to beat you.”

 

Kenzie gave a discerning look of disgust as an answer. “Keith, with all these people here there's no way your `slips of hand' are going to go unnoticed like they did at the tournament,” she said in grave anger. “I'm going to rip you apart.”

 

Keith laughed as the both of them cut each others' deck. “Just for that comment, I'll go first.”

 

The duel had been set up according to some revised rules that Kaiba was going to use in his new tournament, but with a whopping 8000 Life Points each. It was definitely going to be interesting at least.

 

Kenzie huffed lightly. “It won't matter who goes first so just hurry up already.”

 

He eyed his cards swiftly, and then kept a steady gaze on Kenzie as he put two cards facedown. “I think these will serve my purpose for right now.”

 

Rolling her eyes, she finally gave a good look at her hand as she drew her card: Gravekeeper's Servant (magic, cont), Witch of the Black Forest (effect monster), Bistro Butcher (effect monster), Torrential Tribute (trap), Spirit Reaper (effect monster), and she had drawn another Gravekeeper's Servant.

 

'Hmmm…I think I'll keep my Gravekeeper's Servants for later…when he thinks he's going to win,' Kenzie thought to herself as she eyed her cards in calculation.

 

Flitting a card up from her hand, Kenzie put it down on the glossy surface of the pilfered table. “I'll just set this monster card for now.”

 

Keith's eyebrow rose incredulously. “Defending so early? You know this is how you started out the last time you went up against me…and you ended up losing,” he ranted, gesticulating arrogantly. Kenzie gave him a dirty look. “But if you're gonna do it, I guess I won't question it.” Dramatically, he began his turn, just about slamming a monster card down. “I summon Overdrive (monster) in attack mode, and attack your face down card!”

 

Kenzie smirked as she flipped it over. “Oh…looks like you put my Witch of the Black Forest in the graveyard. You know what that means…”

 

Keith looked pretty pompous for what he had just sent to Kenzie's graveyard. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into.

 

Sifting through her deck, she grabbed a monster card and flipped it quickly so that Keith could see what you got. “I choose to take my Jinzo from my deck.”

 

Kenzie saw Keith's mouth twitch. “Since when did you have a Jinzo? You're not good enough a duelist to have a card like that!”

 

Kenzie made sure her face remained stoic as she answered, shuffling her deck from her Witch of the Black Forest's effect. “Remember? You cheated me out of my duel through slips of your hand, so I didn't stay long enough for you to even see my deck,” Kenzie informed, putting her deck back in place on the table, letting a slight glint of her eye penetrate Keith's ray bans. “So, Keith, it looks like you're at quite the disadvantage since I've done a lot of research on your deck through the Duelist Database.”

 

Keith hesitated a bit, making Kenzie's smirk. “Heh, there's no way you'll get past my machine monsters, especially with opening moves like that. You'll lose the same way you did even if I'm not cheating this time.”

 

She huffed a little as she drew her card: Gravekeeper's Guard. She decided to set that card out on the field also. Keith was a bit peeved at that. “Dammit! What're you trying to prove? I told you that's not gonna work on me!”

 

“Well then, attack it,” Kenzie suggested plainly.

 

“Heh, I've got other plans,” he announced while drawing his card. “I'll sacrifice Overdrive for Akihiron (monster), and end my turn.”

 

Kenzie sighed, gaining a Raigeki from her draw. 'If he's playing by what I'm saying, he'll never win,'she thought. 'Idiot.'

 

“I'll lay this face down and end my turn.” Kenzie had placed one of her Gravekeeper's Servants down for later.

 

Keith smirked as he drew his card. “That's such an obvious trap; you really are a bad duelist,” he mused. “I activate Monster Reborn and bring back my Overdrive in attack mode. But, I'm not attacking your obvious trap.” He finished with a sneer, making your nose cringe in disgust.

 

'Ugh. Well, as long as he thinks it's a trap, my strategy will just be less obvious to him until later…'

 

Drawing House of Adhesive Tape (trap) from her deck, she decided to chance summoning Bistro Butcher. Flitting her card from her hand, she put it on the table, holding it in place a bit with her index finger. “I place Bistro Butcher in attack mode!”

 

“And you activated my Trap Hole,” Keith smirked widely. “Looks like you still lack an attacking monster. You'll never beat me if you keep everything in set-defense, Kenzie.”

 

Kenzie said nothing, but swore she was going to hurt him so bad during this duel; he'd learn not to mess with her again!

 

She stayed stoic. “I end my turn then.”

 

Keith grinned as he drew his next card, looking directly at Kenzie. “It's futile, you know. I can't see why you're still doing this, especially since you're so ready to skip your turns if something doesn't work.”

 

Kenzie gave a mild glare. “Keith, stop wasting my time. Besides, you gave me the second chance. If you want me to back out so much, then it makes me wonder if you're really the one who's scared to go on.”

 

“Tch!” his mouth twitched, looking angrier than she had ever seen him before. “I sacrifice my Overdrive and my Akihiron for Launcher Spider (monster-Attack=2200)! Attack that worthless facedown card!”

 

Flipping over her card, it revealed Kenzie's Gravekeeper's Guard (1000/1900), sending it to the graveyard. “I hope you know that you activated my monster's special effect; it sends one monster on my opponent's side of the field back to their hand,” she said, giving him a grave-like stoic look. “And since your only monster on the field is Launcher Spider…”

 

Keith's face contorted into something closely related to contempt. He took his Launcher Spider off the field and back to his hand, probably musing with strings of curses in his mind.

 

“Fine, I end my turn.”

 

Kenzie gave a slight smile to make it seem like she was trying to hold it back just to peeve him off even more. She drew her card, acquiring Penguin Soldier from her deck. Giving a delightfully evil smirk, Kenzie glanced over at Keith. “Well, I think it's time I stopped going easy on you, Keith.”

 

“What're you talking about?!” But Kenzie knew he was paling at the fact that he had no monsters on the field.

 

“I set a monster card, and activate my face down card,” she stated (her monster card is Spirit Reaper). “Gravekeeper's Servant; and I think I'll activate the other one from my hand as well.”

 

Keith chuckled in relief after seeing her play. “Gravekeeper's Servant? That's your strategy? Please! I know every strategy around that card! I taught Bonz how to use it!”

 

Kenzie gave a dark expression, more like a solemn warning. “Who said that was my strategy…?”

 

Keith didn't answer.

 

“Well, that ends my turn.”

 

He gave a bewildered expression. Keith was obviously confused that she hadn't attacked him directly; he was wide open!

 

Keith composed himself rather quickly, drawing his next card. “I summon Oni Tank T-34 and attack your face down card!”

 

“Don't forget to discard two cards from the top of your deck to your graveyard from my Gravekeeper's Servants!”

 

He twitched as he did so.

 

Kenzie flipped her Spirit Reaper face up, but didn't put it in her graveyard, and since Bandit Keith was expecting it to go there, he was growing impatient.

 

He tipped his glasses down to glare at you. “What're you doing? Put your monster in the graveyard,” he grounded out.

 

She gave a sweet smile. “But you forgot about Spirit Reaper's special effect; it can't be destroyed through Battle. It may only have 300 defense points, but it's still hard to get through.”

 

Keith let go of his anger rather quickly, letting his back recline against the chair, signaling he was done. “Your monster will go to the graveyard; just watch.”

 

Kenzie returned to a bemused stoicism. “Well, it's my turn now,” she said, drawing her card. It was Skull Invitation (trap). Your heart leapt. This was perfect! “I set one card face down and end my turn.”

 

Keith said nothing as he drew his next card, straightening up in his chair…and smirked, again. “I activate Premature Burial (magic), and at a cost of 800 Life Points, I can get any monster card back from my graveyard!” he quipped arrogantly. “But, what should I choose?”

 

Kenzie rolled her eyes. 'It won't matter what he gets; he won't be getting past my Spirit Reaper.'

 

“I'll bring back Cyber-Tech Alligator!”

 

“Good; because you just activated my trap card, Skull Invitation.”

 

Keith obviously didn't pay any mind to it, but kept going anyway. “And then I'll sacrifice my Launcher Spider for my other Launcher Spider!”

 

Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Whatever, but you get docked 300 Life Points from my trap card for every card that goes to the graveyard.”

 

Keith glared through his ray bans…she knew he was. “It won't matter since I have one of the strongest creatures in my deck on the field to wipe out your Spirit Reaper! So I attack it!”

 

She huffed. Man he was being kind of stupid…

 

“I'm sure you're aware that you have to discard two more cards from the top of your deck, and you get docked another 600 Life Points for both of those cards.”

 

He was baring teeth now, but Kenzie wasn't fazed at his rage. “It won't MATTER because your Spirit Reaper is GONE!”

 

Kenzie looked at him in disbelief, crossing her arms in a tired manner. “What part of `can't be beat in battle' did you not understand?”

 

He partially relaxed back in his seat. “Whatever. I'll find a way.”

 

She drew her card solemnly, putting Don Zaloog (effect/monster) into her hand, choosing not to do anything. Kenzie noted that now Bandit Keith was at 6000 Life Points and she still had all of hers intact. Not having more to do other than what she currently had going, she skipped her turn.

 

Bandit Keith immediately drew his card upon Kenzie ending her turn, like he was trying to prove something. Then he did about the most mind-numbing action she had ever expected:

 

“I attack again with Launcher Spider!!!”

 

Almost losing grip with whatever sick reality this was, Kenzie about screamed back, “WHAT?! What the hell is your problem?! I told you that you can't get rid of my Spirit Reaper that way!”

 

Keith took of his sunglasses hastily, throwing them to the ground beside him with a nasty plastic resonation that seemed to echo an impending doom…

 

“I TOLD YOU, I ATTACK WITH LAUNCHER SPIDER!!!”

 

Kenzie couldn't compile enough of her brain to even know why he had just yelled at her like that… She knew she had some odd look of incomprehension on her face.

 

Kenzie knew Keith was a hot-tempered guy at times, but it just did not seem like him… There was just no way! He never yelled like that even when he got caught cheating at the tournament.

 

But he was the one who had just said it; it sounded like Keith, even though it…didn't.

 

“I told you,” he grounded out to the point where it ruggedly dragged her current thoughts to his attention. “I just said I attacked with Launcher Spider, now do something!”

 

Kenzie fumbled a bit in speaking at first, still taken from Keith's earlier explosion. “Oh! Well, since you attacked you discard two from the top of your deck from my magic cards and then the effect of Skull Invitation…”

 

Keith was now at 5400 Life Points; almost half of what he started with.

 

“I know what those do,” he said curtly, now carrying himself in a different manner. He seemed annoyed, arrogantly annoyed, but that wasn't really Keith's style from what Kenzie had remembered… “Is your Spirit Reaper gone?”

 

She gave a slightly discerning look, now suspicious about something. “No…”

 

Kenzie waited to see if Keith was going to say something to that answer; maybe he'd yell insanely again, or maybe he'd go back to how he was acting before…

 

“So go already,” he told her in perturbed fashion, startling her on the inside. “I don't need you wasting my time.”

 

Glaring lightly, Kenzie drew Card Destruction from her deck, more than a little put off from Keith's outburst and odd behavior; she really couldn't think of what to do, so, she decided to skip her turn. But before she did, Kenzie flipped a card up to where he could see her opposite hand, saying, “And to keep to the six-card limit per hand, I discard one card to my graveyard.”

 

She had discarded House of Adhesive Tape.

 

Bandit Keith smirked, delighted that Kenzie had done so. “And don't forget that you take a hit from your own trap card for it.”

 

Kenzie gave him quite the discerning glare; she couldn't believe he had the audacity to imply that she was so stupid of her own deck strategy when he didn't even know she had one yet! “I know,” she grounded out in contempt.

 

And as such, due to Kenzie's Skull Invitation trap card, she was docked 300 Life Points, bringing her down to a whopping 7700.

 

Keith was next, and of course, what he did was no surprise; he attacked with Launcher Spider again. Through Kenzie's nice ring of magic and trap cards his Life Points dropped to 5400.

 

What was wrong with this guy? She never knew Keith to actually be this impulsive. He was more of like an arrogant, crafty guy most of the time. She rarely saw him like this, but that was only when she had heard about the rumor that he had pulled a gun on Pegasus J. Crawford when he was disqualified from the Duelist Kingdom Semi-Finals.

 

Upon Kenzie's next draw, she came up with a rather nice card to screw Bandit Keith with: Man-Eater Bug. “I set one monster card onto the field and end my turn,” she stated plainly.

 

Keith responded with a really dirty look directed towards Kenzie. She got the feeling that maybe he was trying to kill her with that “mind over matter” technique or something. More or less, she weren't fazed.

 

“I sacrifice my Launcher Spider for Pendulum Machine!” he announced, earning him a raised eyebrow from Kenzie. Pendulum Machine only had 1650 attack points compared to Launcher Spider's 2200. But, guessing from Duelist Logic â„¢ he was probably doing it to see if a different monster could beat Kenzie's Spirit Reaper.

 

“Now, attack her face down monster card!”

 

She flipped over your face down card, revealing Man-Eater Bug. Not bothering to look at what priceless face Keith had plastered to his face at the moment, she sent it to the graveyard then informing him that, “I can send one monster on your side of the field to the graveyard, and I send your only one: Pendulum Machine.”

 

From Skull Invitation, Kenzie suffered 300, as well as Bandit Keith. The score was 7400 to Keith's 4200.

 

Snorting at the brief glance she took from Bandit Keith's shocked face, she drew a card. Alright! Delinquent Duo! But Kenzie decided to save that for when he was really getting down on his luck…

 

…But she had some better plans this time around.

 

“I switch Spirit Reaper to attack mode!” Kenzie announced, maybe even a little darkly, dramatically flipping her monster to the upright position.

 

Keith smirked. “What good is that? You'll hardly make a dent with that weak monster.”

 

It was true, he had only dropped the 300 attack points she had attacked him with, leaving him at 3900 Life Points. However, he had overlooked something as well…

 

“I assume that you were unaware of the second ability of Spirit Reaper; when it causes damage to your Life Points, you must discard one card from your hand,” Kenzie suggested slyly. “Now discard a card.”

 

Keith gave a disapproving grunt as he did.

 

Kenzie gave him a cagey smirk. “…And then you'll be 300 Life Points less,” she chided. “Where are you at now, 3600 Life Points?”

 

He was now giving Kenzie a very dirty look, making her a little uneasy about being so arrogant. “That's more than enough to beat you by,” he warned with his voice giving off a psychotic edge that sent a shiver down her spine. “Besides, I have monsters in my deck that can cut off this random deck strategy of yours.”

 

Composing herself from his edgy tone, Kenzie gave another discerning glare as she activated another magic card. “Oh really?” she mocked. “Well, what if those cards you're talking about are discarded to the graveyard?”

 

Keith's face betrayed his frustrated tone. “Wh-WHAT are you TALKING about?!”

 

Flitting her hand in arrogantly-played elegance, she knew she finally had Keith where she wanted him. Next turn, he'd be dead.

 

“I activated Delinquent Duo,” Kenzie sneered lightly, trying to keep from showing how much she hated Bandit Keith. Looking to his mildly shocked face, she mocked, “I can assume you know enough of Duel Monsters that you'll know what this card does, right?”

 

Keith didn't answer.

 

An annoyed surge of anger swept across her face. “Well, since you apparently don't know anything, I'll tell you. Delinquent Duo, at a cost of 1000 of my Life Points makes you discard two cards from your hand,” she concluded with her voice growing with more emotion. “And thanks to my Skull Invitation trap card, you're down to 3000 Life Points, Keith.”

 

The score was now Kenzie: 6100 (don't forget to add in Skull Invitation's effect for this number), and Keith: 3000; a very big difference.

 

Kenzie saw Keith jerk from the corner of her eye, waiting for him to discard his two cards. After a while, he begrudgingly answered with a, “I'll discard these two,” and then started his turn.

 

After a brief moment, he decidedly did nothing.

 

…And the brief moment that Kenzie realized he had done nothing, the grin she wore could rival that of a cheshire cat. The look never left her face for the remainder of her turn.

 

However, Kenzie found it oddly striking that she had drawn yet another House of Adhesive Tape…

 

Brushing those thoughts aside, Kenzie summoned Don Zaloog (effect monster) in attack mode, setting into play her plan…

 

“First I attack directly with Spirit Reaper!” Although she looked like she was really enjoying it, she was forcing some self-control to not sound like she was. “And then I'll attack with Don Zaloog!”

 

Kenzie paused, just to savor the look of horror that had instantly culminated on Keith's face.

 

“And if my calculations are correct, that should bring you down to 400 Life Points,” she informed him, jeering slightly. “However, it's too bad for you that my Don Zaloog is also an effect monster.

 

“When Don Zaloog is able to cause damage to your Life Points, I can either choose to randomly discard a card from your hand, or have you discard two card from the top of your deck to the graveyard…,” Kenzie smirked darkly, enjoying the revenge she was finally being able to wager on this low-life; he had ruined her reputation as a duelist! Even if it would kill her in the end, she would steadily get it back and this just so happened to be the first, glorious step taking her forward in her mission.

 

“…And since it serves my purposes in defeating you this turn, I'll have you discard two cards from the top of your graveyard,” she grinned, her posture suddenly snapping straight in regal air.

 

From Skull Invitations effect, discarding two cards would cost him 600 Life Points, and he only had 400 left…

 

Keith stared down at his side of the field, quite literally shaking with rage, but the fact that he was so solemnly quiet bothered Kenzie as she gathered up her deck into her hands. And he kept mumbling something incoherent…

 

Kenzie finally became aware of the rather large crowd encircling the miniature dueling arena Keith had set up; they were mumbling and whispering furiously about how she had beat Bandit Keith. Kenzie knew she didn't have to say anything else to Bandit Keith to rub in her victory. The fact that nearly half of the town seemed to be here right now was a sufficiently given humiliation for the cheat, so she decided to begin to make her way through the crowd…

 

“YOU!!!”

 

Kenzie jolt-spun around to face Keith; she knew he was the one who had called her back, but his voice had been so psychotic and angry… Like that of a madman, a genuine madman.

 

“YOU!!” he spat again with the same venom and ferocity, making a frightful edge pull at her insides as spit flew viciously from his mouth. “YOU cheated! I don't LOSE to trash like you!!”

 

Kenzie brows pulled into a dark scowl, hands planted defiantly on her hips as she briefly sat down her suitcase, her purse (where her deck had been put in the commotion) dangling at her side. “No, I didn't cheat,” Kenzie answered tersely. “You're just mad that I beat you fair and square in front of all these people, and that makes you the real `trash,' now doesn't it?”

 

Before Kenzie could finish her snappy comeback with a quip, arrogant smile, she had been startled by the violent “CRASH” of the lushly furnished table on the unforgiving concrete. She saw the table destroyed beyond repair by deep engraved scratches as the hollow sounds it made embedded themselves' into her skin…

 

A pressure had overcome Kenzie's throat, making her neck stiff, and hard to move. Gagging, she saw the uncomfortably close face of Bandit Keith, his pale blue eyes giving off a murderous glint in them. “I'VE HAD ABOUT ENOUGH OF THAT MOUTH OF YOURS! I'll KILL YOU BEFORE I ACCEPT DEFEAT!!”

 

His grip tightened in response to the surging anger from his remarks, making her cough as she clawed at his wrists… Adrenaline surged through Kenzie's limbs, making her frantically flail around, her breathes coming in shorter, much shorter than Keith would allow Kenzie for every passing second his grip got tighter…

 

“Let go of her, you loser!”

 

*WHAM*

 

The hollow, slightly watery sound of fist to skin contact resounded in front of Kenzie's face. Keith had let go of her neck, and Kenzie collapsed unceremoniously to the ground, clutching her neck and coughing like her body would cave in at any moment. But breaking Kenzie out of her coughing fit was an authoritative voice, but one that told her that the voice may have been into fashion for no apparent reason…

 

“Ugh…you make me sick, Keith,” she told his lifeless body. Apparently she had knocked him out with one punch… “So I was more than glad to have an excuse to sock ya a good one for that little display.”

 

This, “girl,” who had saved Kenzie certainly wasn't modest as she had come to notice. She was wearing some white girdle-top, with a sleeveless, lavender, hoodie-vest, unzipped. It was accompanied by the same lavender-colored miniskirt, and stiletto boots. Kenzie inwardly shuddered as she glanced at the sharp heels…

 

“Hey, you okay?”

 

Violently pushing Kenzie from her reverie, she noticed that the blonde had bent down a bit to come closer to her face. Kenzie looked at her dumbly, blinking accommodating her queried face.

 

“Hey! Are you sure you're okay?” her voice poked through Kenzie's confusion as she sat there in front of her kneeled person. “He didn't do anything to you, did he…?!” her voice grasped seriously, venomous, acid as she glinted over towards Keith's prone body, her fist shaking in anger.

 

“If I hate anything at all, it's a sore loser…,” she seethed even more, scaring Kenzie with the passing thought that she may lash out at any moment. She was tightening the lid up on the cap of her anger, Kenzie could tell.

 

“No! I'm fine!” Kenzie squeaked out, afraid she may actually kill the guy…

 

Her face softened as she turned back to Kenzie gradually, much to her ease. “That's good, because if he had hurt you, I was going to drive my heel-“

 

Kenzie raised a defensive hand, becoming a bit squeamish at the thought of what the girl may do with that stiletto heel… “No, please don't say it,” she managed weakly.

 

It was quiet a moment, perhaps letting Kenzie's stomach settle from the latter thoughts running through Kenzie's head. In any case, she startled Kenzie when she announced very excitedly, making Kenzie's heart jump to the confines of her ribcage. “Hey! I know you!”

 

Kenzie jumped a couple of feet, still sitting on the ground, and clutching her aching chest. “Um…you…you do?”

 

She smiled giddily, her hands bawled up next to her chin. “Yeah! The American Tournament Winner! Kenzie Ray!” she cried. “We girls gotta stick together, you know!”

 

“Um…,” was all Kenzie could manage to answer with, the excitement of this girl leaving her speechless.

 

Wait.

 

She looked so familiar… The blonde hair…that face! Kenzie KNEW she had seen her from somewhere before!!

 

She posed for Kenzie, bringing her back from her berating thoughts. She shifted her weight to one hip, her hand on it, and bringing her other hand to kiss her two forefingers. She giggled a bit. “I'm Mai Valentine,” she claimed almost arrogantly; it was covered by this form of sugary-ness…

 

Kenzie snapped her fingers in recognition, her eyes brightening. “That's right; The Mai from Duelist Kingdom? You were awesome! I loved your Harpie Deck!”

 

Mai laughed in self-egoism, extending an index finger. “Of course you do!” she said sweetly, then got serious again, her hands crossing over her chest. “But I was wondering, where are you staying at? I know you're here for Kaiba's upcoming tournament, but I was wondering if you'd like some practice runs against my deck.” She gave Kenzie a wink. “It'd be nice to see the two greatest female duelists at it!”

 

'Well, I'm not as great as she claims, obviously… Did she forget I won by default?'

 

Kenzie shook her head a bit to clear it. “Well, I'm supposed to be staying at this hotel here,” she pointed to her side with an extended thumb, her face dropping to a disgusted frown, “but the Prime Minister of Japan has taken my room, it seems. And that receptionist said there were no more rooms available…”

 

Kenzie was starting to brood again, something she did often nowadays when she was back home. She had thought she'd be able to get away from it…

 

“Hey! Don't look so down!” Mai slapped her back in good fun, almost making Kenzie fall over from her sitting position on the unforgiving concrete. “If you have no other place to go, I guess I could let you room with me at my apartment while you're here.”

 

Kenzie's eyes mildly bulged. “What?! No! I couldn't! I'd be too much of a hassle!”

 

Mai gave her a blank look, priceless really, but then it turned deviously sly. “What're you talking about? You act like I was going to let you stay for free…”

 

Kenzie facefaulted, feeling a sweatdrop make its way down her face. “Oh…?”

 

Mai put a defiant hand on her hip, making her seem overbearingly aristocratic at that moment. “Hey, I think it's cool you taught Bandit Keith a lesson, but that won't pay the extra food I'm gonna have to buy if you're boarding with me, now will it?”

 

Kenzie could only stare.

 

She was so nice, but yet, so…so…

 

“And besides, it costs extra if random people room at the complex I live at anyway for a period of more than two weeks,” she explained. “I'm offering a roof over your head while you're here, so you should be lucky, but I'm not going to mother you like a baby chick. I know you're a big girl, and I know you're smart enough, so you'll have to provide mainly for yourself.”

 

“Greedy” just didn't seem the word for how she was. It was more like, she was being nice, but then trying to seem mean to justify her actions or something…

 

Kenzie was still starting up at her in shock, and Mai had noticed. She had slowly gotten a tad irritated, pulling Kenzie up roughly, and grabbing her suitcase. Luckily, Kenzie's purse was still attached to her person.

 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she pursed her lips a bit, dragging Kenzie through the crowd. “I just gave you a place to stay and you sit there on the dirty sidewalk! I swear! People are so rude these days!”

 

“No, I-,” her berating demands had only taken Kenzie by surprise. Mai's very presence demanded attention, and she just didn't feel right cutting her off in her ranting when she just met her… “I-… Thank you, Mai.”

 

Mai gave Kenzie a warm smile, looking back at her as she finally saw that she could walk herself. “No problem, kid. And since I'm feeling so generous, I'll take you out to lunch.”

 

Kenzie's smile brightened. “Oh wow! Thanks Mai!”

 

Mai was still walking, keeping her pace as she replied plainly, “I won't be buying for you.”

 

“Oh.” Kenzie's face sunk a little. 'Damn, I think she's gonna nickel and dime me more than that doctor…'

 

But she still smiled. Mai was a good person, she just didn't like to show it, obviously, and she would definitely make life here at Domino a lot more interesting for Kenzie.