Yui tapped her foot along to the beat of the song she was listening to, humming slightly. Just a few more lines here and a tweak there... and done!
She stopped typing, allowing her hands to drop to her sides. That should keep SOL Tech from breaking into Glacier's account for a little while at least. Maybe longer, if they fell for her trap like Playmaker and company had. ('And company' basically means 'and the others' or 'and the rest'.) That would be nice.
She sighed wistfully at the thought. To have one last normal day as a normal middle-school aged girl before she started high school would be a dream-
The door bell interrupted her thoughts, making her jump.
"Coming!" She called, running out of her bedroom and sliding down the railing instead of taking the stairs. It was quicker, and when dealing with her parents, quicker was better.
She unlocked the front door, her fingers tripping up several times in her haste. She swung the door open, preparing to apologize for how slow she had been when she saw a familiar face watching her with mild curiosity.
"Kayla!" She laughed, hugging the older girl. "What are you doing here?"
"I moved to Den City recently, so I thought that I would stop by and visit." Kayla smiled as she hugged her back. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, of course not!" Yui said quickly. She pulled away. "I just finished updating your firewall to keep SOL Tech out. They're the only ones trying to crack it at the moment."
"Thanks you." Kayla smiled. She looked so different in person. When she saw her avatar, Glacier, she immediately thought of her partner in crime who would duel anyone, or anything, to save her. But the very few- as in three- times she had seen Kayla in person over the past two years, she just thought of someone she could rely on if everything fell apart. The first person to reach out to her in the midst of her grief even though she didn't know her and, most importantly, her best friend.
"Want to come in?" She asked, stepping aside. "Sorry about the mess. Mom and Dad have been a little... distracted lately."
Kayla nodded. "That's fine. I don't mind messes."
She knew what the word 'distracted' meant when Yui Ito used it. It meant her parents had been relying on their coping method for her big brother's death too much and had neglected everything except for that. It was a wonder they still had their house and guardianship of Yui.
The two girls went up to Yui's room, which hadn't changed at all since Kayla had visited last. Same wooden floor, lavender walls and ceiling, same orderliness to everything.
Yui sat down on her bed, allowing Kayla to take her desk chair. "So, what have you been up to this past year?"
Kayla laughed. "Has it really been that long already?"
"Yeah. It seems crazy."
"Well, I moved in with my brother here almost a month ago now. Somehow managed to pass my math class. Got asked to our school dance twice, declined both offers."
"Why?" Yui asked.
"Don't know. I'm not ready for a relationship, I guess. Besides, I doubt that my parents would have approved."
"Come on, they have to let their baby bird out of the nest at some point. They did pretty earlier with Yusaku." Yui sighed dramatically. "Too bad for those boys. You really are quite the catch."
"Yui!"
"Just teasing you." She winked. "Sort of."
"There's something that I wanted to talk to you about."
Yui went still. It must be a big deal if Kayla came to her in person.
Kayla told her about Varis' offer for them to join the Knights of Hanoi. Yui could understand his reasoning. Both groups would benefit each other in their own ways and it would also send a signal to the world that Glacier had chosen her side.
"What do you think?" Kayla asked when she finished.
"I think that it's a pretty brilliant idea," She admitted.
Kayla frowned.
"You don't want to, do you?"
Kayla shook her head. "I don't. While I agree with you that this is a good idea, due to my... complicated past with organizations like this, part of me can't help but worry."
"I understand your concerns, but doesn't this seem worth it to you? Besides, this time around, if they try to pull anything, you'll be ready. And now you have me by your side. What could possibly go wrong?"
Memories flew through her mind. Screaming, pain, terror, betrayal.
So much. So much could go wrong.
YOU ARE READING
Ice Flower
FanfictionWhen Yusaku hears of his parents' sudden deaths, he can't be more surprised. But what surprises him most is that his younger sister, Kayla, is coming to live with him. They haven't seen each other in years, so he definitely doesn't expect to see a m...
