WHAT IS THIS. A WORK NOT YU-GI-OH RELATED? Yes, this is my first fanfic outside of the Yu-Gi-Oh realm, but hey, it's time I step out of my familiar realm and try something new, right? Anyway, yeah! This is a PenPal AU of Owari no Seraph to cope with where the anime, manga, and light novels are headed. I am so excited for this work, so I hope you guys like it!
Yuichiro Amane didn't think too much of the paper that had been handed out to him.
The person in charge of the orphanage gave all of the children papers with addresses on them, and Yuichiro picked up the paper with an intense stare. Whose address was this? It didn't seem like they were from any place in Japan.
The paper read:
"Mr. Mikaela Shindou
ul. Lesnaya d. 5, kv. 176
g. MOSKVA
102938
RUSSIAN FEDERATION"
"Director, what is this?"
The woman came back around and glanced over his paper. "You will be writing to another child around your age somewhere around the world. It is optional, but highly recommended. Why don't you give it a try, Yuu?"
Yuichiro's stare tore from the paper to the woman as she spoke. "Because it's a stranger. My mom said talking to strangers is bad."
The director laughed and walked away.
Yuichiro frowned and returned to looking at the paper. The person's name was… Mikaela, and Mikaela lived in Russia. A girl. He was going to be writing to a girl from Russia?
When directed to do so, Yuichiro pulled out a piece of paper and a crayon and began to write.
"Dear Mikaela,
I don't think you're a real person. Director Minori said you are, but I don't think so. Send me something to prove to me you are real.
From, Yuichiro"
He didn't understand why Minori tried to cover up a smirk upon reading his paper while she collected the letters. He didn't get what was funny about asking a serious question.
And just like that, he forgot all about the letter.
It had been over a week since he sent his paper away, and all traces of the idea had entirely slipped from his mind. He hadn't even recalled what he had been doing just minutes before when he was approached by Director Minori and given an envelope. "For you, Yuu."
Yuichiro glanced up from the crayons he had been rearranging to the rainbow and down to the paper handed to him. "What is it?"
"Your letter to your pen pal. They wrote back to you."
There was a spark of excitement and uneasiness pooling in his stomach as fingers grasped paper, his emerald eyes looking straight for the writing on the front. His name was written a bit more legibly and neatly than the way he wrote to his receiver, and it was… in pen.
"Wow, they wrote in pen?" Yuichiro mumbled to himself. "I'm only allowed to write with crayons."
Minori laughed and left him alone to attend another child's needs, though the boy didn't quite pay attention as to where she went and why. It felt good to have his privacy as he tore the envelope open. He didn't understand why he was so eager to read the paper from a stranger so far away.
Sure enough, he couldn't read a thing.
"Director Minori!" Yuichiro called for the older woman, leaping from his seat to race to her and yank her hand from a crying child. "This is stupid. I can't even read what it says!"
"Just a moment, Yuu. Go and wait for me over there, I'm a little busy here, okay?" She asked politely, though he was sure to have caught a hint of exasperation in her voice.
Yuichiro groaned his reply and marched his way back to his spot, eyes glancing over the paper again. It was quite difficult to read, for sure, but there were two things he could read; his name, and the others. He set the letter down and went back to arranging the colors on his table, watching as the director gave the sobbing kid from before something to chew on. She scooped the toddler in her arms and walked back over to Yuichiro, gazing over the baby down to the paper. "What's the matter, Yuu?"
"I can't read this, I don't know what it says," he answered gruffly, resting his chin in his hand. "What's the point of this if I can't even understand what they're saying?"
Minori knelt down beside him and set the toddler on her lap, taking a crayon and glancing over the words. Underneath, she translated the words written to him into things he could understand. "Your pen pal wrote in kanji. All you know is hiragana, for now." She finished writing out the message after a minute or two, and stood back up. "It looks like I'll be your translator until you learn how to read kanji. Is that okay with you?"
Yuichiro took the letter with a huffy 'thank you' and set it on his lap. "Can I just get a different pen pal? One that I can talk to?"
Minori shook her head. "You'll just have the same problem, Yuu. Now, if you think you're going to need me again, please just wait until I set Chieko here into her crib to sleep. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Yuichiro gave her a small nod, and the woman picked the baby up to take to her crib. He watched as she left, and turned his eyes to the letter.
Dear Yuichiro,
I am real. My name is Mikaela, and I live in Russia. Thank you for writing to me. Do you think we can be friends from now on? I would like that very much.
Sincerely, Mikaela
Sure enough, Mikaela was a real person. How she knew Japanese was beyond him, even more so than he knew. Still, the doubt lived on, and he took a dark green crayon and wrote on a piece of paper.
Dear Mikaela,
I still don't think you're real. Send me a picture of yourself or something. Or else how am I supposed to know anything about you?
From, Yuichiro
Was he doing what he thought he was doing? Was he seriously going through with this silly little game and writing to someone he didn't even know? He couldn't even meet this person, let alone understand her without his director's help. As strange as this concept was to him, he couldn't help but admit quietly to himself that he was excited to hear from his pen pal.
It was a silly idea, but thrilling.
"Minori!" He yelled.
"Just a moment, Yuichiro. I'm not finished yet."
That's right. He wasn't supposed to call for her yet. She was too busy with the baby to pay attention to anything else. He didn't care too much to even bother waiting, leaping to his feet and rushing to her desk to look for envelopes. Drawer after drawer, and he still couldn't figure out where those elusive papers were. He was still unsuccessful as the director eventually returned to her office to see him sprawled over her chair, having claimed defeat.
"Yuichiro!" She exclaimed, stifling a laugh.
"I got impatient," he muttered matter-of-factly, holding his letter up. "This is for Mikaela. I want to send another one."
Minori smiled knowingly and unlocked a drawer to his left, taking out the envelope box and pulling one out. "I thought you weren't interested in talking to strangers, Yuu."
Yuu groaned, sitting up. "I'm just giving it a try like you said. I'm not expecting to go very far with this."
She didn't argue with him, though he could tell she knew better. She took the pen from her counter and wrote the addresses on the paper, reaching near her computer for stamps on the side and sticking it on the corner. "Stuff the letter in here and close it, and it will be on its way."
Yuichiro nodded and complied, folding the letter as neatly as possible before sliding it inside. He licked the flap closed and handed it back to her.
"Now run along and play. You'll hear from your friend again in about a week."
Nine days passed, and Yuichiro gave the thought the time of day in fleeting but frequent moments, occasionally looking for the stack of letters that would appear in the black box set on Minori's desk. Day one through five and he hadn't let the wait bother him, as he knew Mikaela was from an entirely different country. But after the fifth day, his eyes never left the office. Why did it have to take so long to get something back? Was it all just a scam? Did Mikaela forget to write him? He itched to have the answer.
After the ninth day Minori approached Yuu with an open letter, the message already translated to hiragana. "This came for you today. Mikaela even sent you a picture."
"Good! I was hoping she would!" Yuichiro peeled himself from the grass and took the letter in his hand.
Minori giggled behind her hand, and Yuichiro didn't understand why until his eyes befell the picture themselves.
Mikaela was a boy.
In the picture, the boy was holding onto the two ropes of a swing, smiling brightly to the camera. He had unruly blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, and it took Yuichiro a few minutes to comprehend that this person, Mikaela Shindou, was a real person, a boy his age, and writing to him.
"Don't forget to read what he wrote to you," his director reminded him as she took her leave.
He had entirely forgotten about the letter itself, having been immersed in the surprisingly beautiful picture that was sent to him. He set the picture down to read the letter, reminding himself to thank Minori later for the translation.
Dear Yuichiro,
This is me! My father took a picture of me while we played today. I think it's your turn to send me a picture of yourself. I want to see you too.
Sincerely, Mikaela
Yuichiro caught himself beginning to smile and tried his best to wipe it off his face, standing up from his spot. "Minori!"
"Yes, Yuu?" The woman called from her office, and Yuichiro had the luxury of not having to wait for her to be available to bother her.
"I need help sending a picture of myself to Mikaela." He ran to her desk and showed her the letter. "He says he wants to see me next."
Minori smiled and reached into her desk for a camera. "I saw. Now tell me. Is this still not a good idea?"
Yuichiro frowned, folding his arms. "Fine… I guess this is a good idea. I like it."
She nodded and held the camera to face him. "I'm glad. Now smile!"