Ray of Sunlight – Chapter One

Disclaimer:  I don't own YuGiOh!

            Black clouds covered the city of Domino in an icy blanket of rain.  Again.  It had been raining for a week straight, though the weathermen assured the city's residents that the end was near.  But since when could those exaggerated smiling faces be trusted to do anything but read the scrolling script on the teleprompters?

            In a small corner classroom of Domino High School, a teacher was droning on about mitosis.  A handful of students were paying attention, but the majority was doing their own thing.  The teacher pretended not to notice and just continued with her lecture.  In the back of the classroom, a quiet young boy stared at his best friend sitting next to him, who in turn was staring at something on the other side of the room.

            "Are you in there somewhere, Joey?" asked the small boy, snapping his fingers in front of his daydreaming friend.

            "Huh?" Joey asked, sitting up and averting his eyes from the dreary day just beyond the window's glass.  "Yeah, Yugi, I was just thinking."

            Yugi giggled, winking and nodding his head of punk-rock styled hair toward the pretty blonde girl sitting in front of the window.  "Yeah, I'll bet you were thinking," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

            Joey looked over to where Yugi was gesturing.  When he realized what his shorter friend was implying, he blushed in frustration.  "No," he stated defiantly.  "For once," he continued, his voice becoming louder with every word.  "I actually was not thinking about girls!"  Joey turned back in his desk to face front, only to find the entire class staring in his direction.  Joey lowered his head into his hands as the class burst into giggles, hoping nobody would notice his deepening blush.

            "If there will be no more interruptions," the teacher began, turning back to the blackboard to write that evening's homework assignments on it's surface.  Yugi scribbled frantically in his notebook, glancing up periodically at his blond friend who still had his head buried in the crook of his left elbow. 

            "Joey," Yugi whispered, poking at Joey's blue uniform jacket with his pencil.  "Do you want to come over to my house after school to do this homework?" he asked, holding up his notebook as his friend picked his head up.  Joey looked from Yugi to the blackboard, and then began writing his own notes on a piece of loose paper. 

            "Nah," he said, still writing.  "I actually need to get this work done tonight, which I know we won't be able to do if I come over."

            "Good point.  Well then, I'll see you tomorrow morning?" Yugi asked, smiling at his friend as the bell rang.

            "You know it.  Bright and early-like.  Later, Yug."  Joey shouldered his backpack and followed his friend as far as the door, parting ways to go to their respective lockers.

            Brushing a piece of hair out of his face, Joey sighed at the prospect of walking home in this rain.  He contemplated calling his father, but he knew he shouldn't expect his dad to leave work to come pick him up.  He'd been lucky enough to catch a ride with Tristan the rest of this week, but he was out sick today.  Probably caught a cold riding his motorcycle in the freezing downpour.

            Reaching his locker, Joey sorted through the books he would need that night and the ones that could stay and lighten the burden on his back.  Shutting the metal door, he once again sighed, thinking of how great it would be if he could get an after school job and buy a car.  Wishful thinking, he knew.  If he actually had money he'd most likely blow it away at Burger World and the Game Shop before he saved enough for transportation anyway.  Besides, neither the school nor his father approved of after school jobs for students. 

            "What's the matter, puppy?" A familiar voice questioned.  Joey knew the voice belonged to the occupant of the locker next to him, much to Joey's disappointment and fury.  "Master won't let you play in the rain?"

            Joey looked up to meet Seto Kaiba's flashing blue eyes, an ever-present smirk playing on his lips.

            "Kaiba, I've got a long, freezing walk ahead of me and no time for your lip.  So if you'll excuse me," Joey said, pushing past the tall brunet boy. 

            "Do you want a ride?" a quiet exasperated voice asked.  Joey turned around to see Kaiba looking at the ceiling, as if asking that one question bored him out of his skull.

            "What are you going to do, drop me off in the middle of nowhere?" Joey asked cautiously.

            "No, I'm not," Kaiba said impatiently.  "You know, you and your friends really give me very little credit for being human.  If you don't want a ride, just say so."  With that, Kaiba turned on his heel and headed toward the door.  Joey stood in place, stupefied for a moment, until he realized that this was his only ticket out of the rain and into a nice, warm car.

            Catching up to walk in step with Kaiba, Joey tried to make conversation.  "So, don't you need to bring home any books?" he attempted, noticing that Kaiba's hands were empty save a set of keys dangling off one finger.

            "Nope." He replied simply.

            Only the splash of Kaiba's boots and Joey's sneakers in the rain soaked asphalt could be heard over the absolute silence that surrounded to two teenagers.  Kaiba lifted his hand and pressed a button, breaking the quiet with the beep of a car alarm being disengaged.

            "Park much?" Joey asked when he saw the familiar green Mustang parked diagonally across two spaces.

            "This way nobody parks next to me and dings my car with their doors," he said, climbing into the driver side seat.

            "That's pretty smart," Joey observed.  "You know, I've always wanted to ask you something," he said, plopping into the seat and waiting for Kaiba to acknowledge that he wanted to ask a question.  When no reply came, Joey continued anyway.  "If you're so rich, and so famous, why do you drive around in this little car instead of riding around in limos and helicopters anymore?"

            Kaiba started the car and looked over at Joey.  "I've got a driver's license, so what's the point in being chauffeured around anymore?  I hate relying on others to do anything right, so I'd much rather do it myself."  He pressed in the clutch and put the car in reverse.

            Joey nodded as Kaiba backed out of his parking spaces.  That made sense when you knew how much of a control freak Kaiba could be.  "But you didn't answer my second question.  Why this car, and not one more expensive?"

            To that Kaiba first pointed to the imprint of a snake in the steering wheel, shifted the car into first gear, and pounded the gas, causing the tires to smoke and spin on the slick pavement of the parking lot.  The rubber caught traction, and they were off, Kaiba maneuvering the car around the lampposts and into the streets of Domino.  Joey gripped the sides of his leather seat tightly holding his breath as the car sped by others in a flash of green and chrome.

            "That's why." Kaiba said, looking at Joey with a rare sparkle in his eye and an even more unusual smile.