Hearts & Cards

This would have been more appropriate for my interview yesterday, I thought glumly as I stood in front of the mirror in Duke's spare room. The double bed was directly behind me, with a pale blue comforter and matching pillows. A pair of black sockettes were sitting on the end.

I examined the reflection of my black slacks that flared slightly into a boot cut, looking for any white fluff balls. When I was happy with them, I focused on my white blouse which was slightly covered by the unbuttoned trench coat Duke had given me. The coat suited my outfit. It looked cool. Not to mention the fact it was quite comfortable. I fixed up my collars before flicking my hair away from my neck. I left it down, but made sure the band I had nicked off Duke was around my wrist, just in case.

"Hey, Cal?" Duke's voice spoke from the doorway to my right. I glanced at him before backing up slightly to sit on the end of my bed. "How long are you staying?"

"In all honesty," I started as I started pulling on my sockettes. "I was only gunna stay for a few weeks. Maybe a month or two. See if I could stand living here..."

Duke frowned. "You know you can talk about it?"

I shook my head as I stood up. "But I don't want to." I walked over to Duke and slipped on the slippers I had the night before, which were next to the doorway. "We better get moving. I've gotta grab my handbag out of your car and I don't want you to be late."

The walk was quiet. Duke kept looking at me out the corner of his eye. He must have been worried; I had kept my head down pretty much as soon as we walked out the door. Dark rain clouds were slowly drifting over Domino. We were in for a storm. It matched how my head and my heart felt. I would talk about my problems when I was ready to. I knew Duke respected me enough to not pressure me.

"That's the school, Callie," Duke piped up, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I looked towards the end of the road and saw a large building with a tall brick fence around it. The front of the building had a big clock face on it.

"Well, I know where to look if I ever want the time," I joked as we neared the entrance.

The main courtyard was cemented with a couple of sheltered picnic tables around the edges. Numerous school kids were scattered around the yard. Some were holding unopened umbrellas. They must have been waiting for it to rain. Wish I had thought of that.

"Do you walk here every day?" I asked Duke as we stopped about half way to the main doors of the school.

"Yeah, it's a pain, but, it has to be done. At least I'll have you to walk with," Duke smiled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Oh, that reminds me..." I muttered as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched for the number I was after. I was going to give Kaden a piece of my mind, even if it was the crack of dawn in Australia. I didn't want Duke to know what was going on until I knew for sure, I didn't want to get his hopes up. But, Kaden had ruined that.

"Hang on!" Duke said, placing his hand over my phone. "I want you to meet some people." I sighed and tucked my phone back into my pocket. Duke kept his arm across my shoulders as we continued towards the building.

You know when you can feel someone looking at you? I had that feeling, but intensified. I looked around and saw numerous girls staring daggers at me. What was their problem? As we approached the main entrance, more and more girls began to look our way. Did they all have a crush on Duke?

"Uhh, Duke? I think I'm being murdered mentally by all these girls," I said quietly as I nervously glanced around.

Duke's arm tightened around my shoulders as we walked into the building. "Don't stress, Cal. They won't hurt you," he laughed. "I don't think," he added seriously.

"Gee, thanks, mate," I responded sarcastically as I looked around. There were rows of small lockers across the room. A few people were standing a few feet in front of us, taking their shoes off and placing them in the lockers. To the back of the lockers were arches for a long hallway on the left and right. I looked at Duke. "Now where are these people you wanted me to meet? They won't wanna kill me too, will they?"

"Nah, they're cool. I'm sure they'll love you. Anyway, I'm sure Téa would love to have another girl to talk to," Duke said we approached the group of teens near the lockers. "Hey, guys."

The group turned to look at us. There was a short guy in front with black and purple spiky hair with blonde bangs. He had a strange upside down pyramid hanging from a thick chain around his neck. The pyramid looked like it was pure gold with the eye of Horus on the front of it. I knew him immediately. Yugi Moto.

To his right was a girl who looked to be around the same height as me with brunette hair that sat on her shoulders. She has wide, bright blue eyes which matched the bow on her school uniform, as well as the skirt. The top was pale pink and she wore thigh high socks.

Standing behind her and Yugi, were two rather tall guys, wearing the same uniform as Yugi. One had shaggy blonde hair and warm chocolate eyes and the other had short dark brown hair and dark eyes.

"Who's your friend, Duke?" the brown haired guy asked curiously.

"This is Callie," Duke introduced fondly as his grip on my shoulder tightened slightly. "Cal, these are my friends, Yugi, Téa, Joey, and Tristan." He had pointed to each one of them as he said their names. I waved at them slightly while blushing. "Callie might be enrolling here today," Duke explained.

"Oh, that will be so cool!" Téa squealed suddenly. "It'll be great having a girl to talk to!"

I laughed. "Duke said it would make you happy."

"We'll have to continue this later, guys. We have an appointment with Mister Saito," Duke sighed as he nodded down the hall. "We need to sort out some things." Duke pointed towards a locker near my feet. "That one doesn't have an owner. Put your shoes in there and wear the slippers."

As I did what I was told, I thought about what Duke had said. Saito? Where have I heard that name?

I bid Duke's friends farewell before I was ushered towards the back of the lockers and down the left corridor.Duke's body was radiating tension. Maybe he knew there was no way I was getting another VISA. I didn't understand why he just wouldn't let me chill for a few days; I still had the interview with Kaiba running through my head. Maybe I should have just answered his questions about Duke and his friends; I then knew why he was intent on knowing if I knew them. Yugi Moto: King of Games. Did Kaiba really hold that much of a grudge because Yugi had beaten him in Duel Monsters?

Duke stopped beside a door half way down the hall and knocked. There was a frosted glass window in the door with 'HIDEO SAITO' across it. As Duke opened the door, I gazed down the hallway, towards the lockers, and my heart jumped into my throat. Even from a distance, there was no mistaking Seto Kaiba. His gait oozed superiority. He knew he was powerful. But, why was he at the school? I didn't think he still attended, considering he had a company to run. He was wearing the school uniform, so he must be attending. I didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts as Duke tugged on my hand, leading me into the office.

I looked around the office and gazed at the man sitting behind the desk. He was an older man with hard features and a slightly receding hairline. His mouth was pressed into a hard line and it looked like he had a scowling look on his face, but his eyes were a pale blue that didn't hold the same attitude as his face. They looked happy.

Duke closed the door behind me and immediately, the man's face softened slightly. "Callie, it's been a few years."

"Mister Saito," I smiled as I bowed slightly.

"Wait, you know each other?" Duke piped up beside me, clearly shocked.

I straightened up and nodded before sitting in one of the two chairs that were placed in front of Mister Saito's desk. "Mister Saito was my next door neighbour before we moved over to Australia. I'm surprised you don't remember, Duke."

"Oh," Duke said quietly as he sat beside me.

"So, you've moved back?" Mister Saito asked as he reached into his desk and pulled out some papers.

"Well, not yet. I'm thinking about it. Just weighing up my options," I said, laughing slightly. "I'm not even sure I can enroll here in Japan. I don't know how it was done when I enrolled in Junior High."

"Are you on a VISA now? If it's a study VISA, we won't have a problem."

"I've got a Working Holiday VISA, and I've heard they're hard to change over. And, in all honesty, I don't know if I should even have it. I know I have permanent residency in Australia, but I don't know how coming back to Japan to study would work," I sighed heavily.

Mister Saito nodded in agreement before looking down at his desk in deep thought. Beside me, Duke was shifting uncomfortably. I guessed he was worried about the whole situation. Maybe I should have just stuck with trying to find a job. Why did living between two countries have to be so difficult?

"It might be best for you to go find out where you stand with citizenship and everything," Mister Saito said as straightened up the papers he had pulled out of his desk. "When you find out all those details, fill out this, bring it back and we can go from there." He handed me the papers and smiled. I nodded and sat them in my lap. "So, how's Amelia, Callie?"

My heart jumped. I swallowed before stating quietly, "she passed away a few months ago, Mister Saito. Some drunken idiot hit us..." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

Mister Saito's expression turned to one of shock. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. She was still so young. And you, you're only young yourself."

I didn't want to talk about her. I excused myself as I stood up. I didn't look at the principle or Duke as I bowed and made my way to the door. I pushed the door open and it collided with someone. Apologising without really looking to see who I hit, I briskly walked back towards the lockers. Tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. I wasn't ready. It was still too soon. Behind me, I vaguely heard Duke call out to me and his shoes hit the sleek floor. No sooner I reached the front door to the school, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Cal-" Duke started as he turned me around.

"Don't, Duke. I can't," I said quietly as I hung my head. I didn't dare show him I was crying.

Duke placed his fingers under my chin and tried to tilt my head up, but I pushed down. "You need to talk about it at some point. You can't keep running from it. Your mum-"

"She's gone, Duke," I stated flatly as I looked him in the eye. "There is nothing I can say or do that will change the fact I have no family left. Nothing will bring her back. She was all I had... She may not have been my birth mother, but she raised me better than that woman ever could. I can't talk about her like it doesn't affect me. She'd still be here if I hadn't said I wanted to go to Kaden's. That's on me. I can't just get over it."

"You know you still have me. And Kaden. And your friends back home," Duke said quietly as he pulled me into a tight hug. "I'll let you talk about it when you're ready, Cal. I'm sorry. Do you want me to take you home? This is my free period."

I moved away from Duke and looked through the glass on the entrance doors. It had grown dark outside due to cloud coverage. The footpath showed signs of rain drops here and there. I really didn't want Duke to be caught in the rain if it ended up pissing down before he got back from taking me to the shop.

"Nah, I'll chill around here. Have a bit of a snoop, see whether I'd like being here," I sighed as I slipped the papers Mister Saito had given me into my handbag.

"Well, I think Joey's got a free period at the moment as well. He's probably in the cafeteria."

The blonde guy Duke had introduced me to earlier, was sitting by himself in the corner of the cafeteria, at the end of a table. The cafeteria was fairly large with ten long tables set out in rows. The chair were set on the tables and the serving window was on the far side of the room. I suddenly felt uneasy. Did everyone eat in there during breaks? I didn't think I could eat in there with everyone else. Way too busy.

"I don't know why they have so many chairs," Duke spoke as he stepped in, as if reading my mind. "Hardly anyone eats in there. We don't even come in here during breaks."

Duke led me over to where blondie was sitting and pulled two chairs down. I sat on the corner, and Duke sat across from me.

"Hey, Joey," Duke greeted as he lent back in his chair. "This your free too?"

"Yeah, wish it was the whole mornin' though, I have maths next," Joey complained in an accent I couldn't quite put my finger on. It sounded American, but there was more to it. It was hard to explain.

"Maths sucks," I commented in disgust as I pulled my hair into a pony tail. "If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't."

Joey studied me for a moment before asking, "What subjects do you study at your school?"

"Well," I started, "There's English, Maths, Ancient History, Computer Studies, and Biology." Both Joey and Duke stared at me. I frowned at them in confusion. "What?"

"You only study five subjects? Where the hell are you goin' to school?" Joey asked me in pure shock.

"A public school in Australia?" I said meekly. "I have no intention of going to Uni so I was allowed to drop a class. Why? How many do you study?"

"Nine, plus Homeroom and Club stuff," Duke answered. "I really need to go to Australia..."

"Why would you wanna move from Australia, to go to school here? Sounds like you've got it pretty sweet over there," Joey questioned.

"I need a change," I shrugged. "Nothing's set in stone yet. I might still go back."

We spent the next 20 minutes talking about each other and making jokes. Joey and Duke explained how Japanese High Schools worked so I had a rough idea of what I would be getting myself in to. So many subjects. How was I supposed to study for all them?

Duke sighed as he stood up, startling me. "Time for class."

"When's your break?" I asked as Joey stood up beside me.

"In about an hour," Joey responded. "We have our first break in Homeroom."

"I'll come and find you when class is finished," Duke said as he walked around the end of the table. He ruffled my hair before walking towards the doors of the cafeteria.

Joey followed him, but not before giving me a quick smile. "It was nice talkin' to ya," he said quietly.

I nodded and watched them walk away. What was I supposed to do now? I had an hour to kill. Maybe exploring the school was a good idea. If I ended up enrolling, it would be good to know where I was headed. I lent back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. There was a fluorescent light fixed above me. The light hurt my eyes so I quickly looked out the window across from me. It was still raining. I wanted to go find a dry spot and sit out there.

"That would have been a more appropriate attire for your interview," a rough voice spoke from behind me.

I jumped in my seat and turned around to see who had spoken to me. I breathed in sharply as I watched Kaiba turn his back to me.

"If you want the job, I suggest you follow me," he announced coldly.

Did I want the job? Did I want to work for someone who apparently had a strong dislike for my friend? Would I be able to handle study and work? I didn't know Domino High's rules in regards to part time work. I didn't know if I could even land another job if the opportunity came up. So, if Kaiba was offering me a job, it was wise for me to take him up on it.

My chair scraped as I hurriedly pushed myself back and scampered after Kaiba. Why couldn't he talk to me in the cafeteria? Maybe he was taking me to an empty office so he could talk to me privately. I still couldn't figure out why he wanted to give me the job after I walked out on the interview yesterday.

As I followed Kaiba past the shoe lockers, I took in his appearance from the back. He was in his school uniform, but it was a lot neater than the gang's uniforms. He was carrying a silver briefcase in his right hand. It stayed rather still as he walked. He was so business-like.

Kaiba lead me down the hallway towards Mister Saito's office. We stopped just shire of it, where he opened an office door and stood back.

"In," he stated.

I ducked in to find a round table with three bucket chairs around it. It must have been a small meeting room or something. I took a seat on the right side of the room as I heard the door close. Kaiba stepped over to the table and sat across from me. He placed his briefcase on the table and opened it. He pulled out some papers before closing it and pushing it aside.

"I overheard your conversation with Saito earlier," Kaiba commented without looking at me, as he sorted through his papers. "You're quite strong."

I'm quite strong? What was he talking about? Oh. He was the person who had been standing near the door when I swung it open. Oops. I hung my head and looked at my lap.

"I'm sorry about that," I murmured.

"I'm not worried about that, Miss Andersen. Now, I heard you say you didn't know if you were a Japanese citizen," Kaiba trailed off as he pushed a piece of paper in front of me. I scanned it quickly, and then looked up at him in shock.

"My birth certificate?"

"You're of Japanese birth, as you know, so you are a citizen by birth. Turns out you're an Australian citizen as well. Your adoptive mother had you undergo citizenship when you were younger. You have until you're twenty two to decide which nationality you want to be," Kaiba explained before pushing another document towards me. "So, you don't need to worry about gathering that information."

Ignoring the paper, I gave Kaiba a curious look. "How do you have all this information? Kinda stalkerish, isn't it?"

Kaiba looked shocked for a second, but quickly covered it with a smirk. "I told you when you came in for your interview that I like to know as much about potential employees as possible."

"Oh, yes, I remember. That was when you questioned me about my friend," I retorted, shooting him a sweet smile.

"I still might, Miss Andersen. There are some things I'd like you to sign, but, I'd like to know if you intend on enrolling here? If so, I want a copy of your timetable so I have an idea of the hours you can work. I will allow you sufficient time to study."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he for real? For an employer, he seemed very nosy. I guessed it was a good thing though, he didn't want to work me so much that I couldn't study. But, I didn't even know if I wanted to go to school there. I wanted to talk to someone about my options properly. I couldn't give up this job just yet though.

"I haven't decided if I'm going to study, but I'll let you know as soon as I do," I informed Kaiba, as I grabbed the second document he had shown me. I held it in front of me. It was a list of duties I was to undertake while working at Kaiba Corp. General secretarial duties seemed to be the main theme. "I have a question, Mister Kaiba."

"Yes?"

"Will someone else be taking over my duties while I'm at school if I decide to study?"

"No," Kaiba responded, flatly. "You will be the sole Personal Assistant."

I sat there for a moment, before looking at my birth certificate. I had never seen it before. I glanced at the name towards the top of the paper. Caledonia Akiyama. I frowned. I didn't know if I had wanted to know my real name. What was I supposed to do with that information? I knew from that moment on, I was going to freak out whenever I saw the name 'Akiyama', thinking that they were a relative. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Pushing the piece of paper away, I sighed. I didn't want to see any more.

"I take it from your reaction that you didn't know your true name," Kaiba commented with no emotion.

"Tell me how you got this," I murmured, ignoring his observation. I didn't look up at him. I just looked at my hands on the table.

"I researched you, then your adoptive mother. I found which orphanage she adopted you from, and traced your birth name," Kaiba explained with the same indifference.

I wondered if Kaiba knew about why I had been placed in the orphanage in the first place. My birth parents had abandoned me when I was only two days old. They had dumped me behind an old dilapidated shack on the outskirts of Osaka. Once I was found a day later, and all the blood tests and such were completed, I was taken to an orphanage in the centre of the city while authorities tracked down my parents. It didn't take long before they were caught and on trial. My adoptive mother began the adoption process two days after I arrived. Turned out she couldn't have any kids of her own, so, once some strings were pulled, thanks to the people she knew within the adoption agency, I was legally her daughter. That was the story she told me anyway.

"Well, aren't you lucky I know I'm adopted," I stated dryly, finally looking him in the eye. "What if I hadn't had known?" I was trying my best to ignore Kaiba whenever he brought up my mum, but it was hard.

"I saw you with Devlin when you ran out of Saito's office. You mentioned your birth mother so I took it as confirmation that you knew."

At least he was honest, I supposed. I pushed the certificates towards Kaiba and folded my arms. Why was he so hung up on researching absolutely everything about me? Yeah, he wanted a background check on his employees, but there was a line, and I think he crossed it.

"You said there were papers for me to sign?" I questioned irritably.

Kaiba smirked and pushed the pile of remaining paperwork towards me. "That outlines Kaiba Corp's Code of Conduct, pay rates, awards and penalties, and probationary periods. Initial the bottom of each page to show you've read and consented to everything, then sign and date the last page."

I think Kaiba noticed I didn't have a pen because he reached into his trench and pulled out a blue one. He rolled it over to me. As I flicked through the pages, I couldn't shake the unnerving feeling of Kaiba looking at me. There was an uncomfortable silence between us. I needed to break it.

"So, what's the work attire?"

"Similar to what you're wearing now. Smart and professional."

Once I went through the paper work and did what I needed to do, I pushed everything towards Kaiba, except my citizenship certificate, which I put in my handbag. He flicked through the pile to make sure everything was okay. He stopped on my birth certificate.

"You don't want this?" he asked as he pulled it out of the pile.

I shook my head. "I don't think I wanted to know my name. And, I definitely don't want to know my birth parents names."

"They're not on here," Kaiba commented as he looked at it. "I didn't question why that is, because I only need proof that you're real."

As Kaiba packed the paper into his briefcase, I stood up and bowed. "Thank you for giving me the job."

Kaiba stood up as well and walked around to my side of the table. He held out his hand for me to shake. I looked at it for a moment while taking in the scent of his cologne. It filled my nostrils; it had a rustic tone to it. It was a scent I knew I wouldn't forget. Taking his hand in mine, I nearly jumped as I felt what seemed like a jolt of electricity travel up my arm and throughout the rest of my body. I dropped his hand and bowed.

"Welcome to Kaiba Corp. Now, I have to go."

He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving me to stand there with my thoughts. That feeling I had when he touched me; what was that about? His skin was so smooth. I didn't expect him to shake my hand, or go through with giving me the job. He had all those documents ready. Did that mean he went to the school to track me down to offer me the job? But what had made him want to give me it in the first place? And, how did he know I was at the school? I had to find out.

I opened the door and ran into the hallway, which was starting to fill up with students. Looking down each side of the corridor, I took off down towards the main entrance, darting around people as I went. I hoped Kaiba hadn't already left.

I stopped near the shoe lockers, and watched Kaiba slip on his black shoes near the doors.

"Mister Kaiba," I called as I walked towards him.

He looked towards me in shock before a cold look graced his face again. "Yes, Miss Andersen?"

"How did you know I was here?" I asked as I stopped in front of him.

"I had come here to ask Devlin where you would be so I could offer you the position," Kaiba stated simply. His stance hadn't changed since I called out to him. It was like he had a wall between us.

"That's another thing. I walked out on the interview yesterday. Why do you want me to have it?"

Kaiba's azure eyes softened slightly, which startled me. He looked out towards the school yard, glistened as rain pelted the cement. "I know what it's like to lose your parents, to be left with nothing. I was lucky though, I still had my little brother."

And, with that, he walked outside where a grey haired man with a black suit and sunglasses was holding an open umbrella. They both walked out into the rain.