Hello everyone! Welcome to the land of Vanishshipping. This is a present for LadyFelton1994. So, enjoy everyone!
Title: Don't Stop Believing
Pairing: Atem X Anzu
Rating: T
Disclaimer: *sigh* Must we do this for every story?
Anzu: Yes. Because everyone knows that a teenager can own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise.
Me: I suppose you're right. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Credit goes to the awesome Kazuki Takahashi.
Summary: Present for LadyFelton1994. Anzu has been kicked out of the academy of her dreams, and is stuck going to Domino High. With that realization, she falls into a state of depression. When she runs into an old friend at Domino High, will she be able to move on and achieve her dream?
Why did this have to happen? Anzu thought to herself, crying in her pillow.
Just hours ago, Anzu was expelled from the academy that brought her closer to fulfilling her dreams; Sycamore Academy of Performing Arts. With her parents being extremely wealthy, they were able to pay for her tuition. Many famous Japanese actors, singers, and dancers had gone to that academy. Anzu aspired to be a dancer. What happened that got Anzu expelled from such a prestigious school?
Flashback (several hours ago)
"Now, start at the eight beat! Five, six, seven, eight!" the dance instructor Izumi-sensei called out.
The music started, and the guys and girls in the class started off their ballet class with a triple pirouette. While the spin was taking place accidently bumped into the snobbiest dancer at Sycamore Academy, Reina Brooks. She's a transfer student from California, and boy, does she have a temper!
"Sorry." Anzu whispered.
Glaring at the taller Anzu, the strawberry blond haired transfer student made sure to get Anzu back somehow. It was time for a side leap, and Reina smirked as she got ready. When the class ran and jumped in the air, both legs on either side of them, Reina managed to kick Anzu hard in the side.
"Ow!" she hissed.
"Oops, my bad." Reina said innocently.
During four chaîné turns, Reina stuck her foot out, tripping Anzu while she was still spinning. She fell hard on the polished wooden floor. Reina couldn't help it; she started to laugh, almost in a maniacal way. Anzu growled. Not one to back down from a fight, Anzu jumped on Reina, giving her a right hook to the face,
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the entire class cried, crowding around them.
"Beat the shit out of her!"
"That's enough!" Izumi-sensei cried, pushing through the students.
She tore Anzu off of Reina, and saw that she had a black eye and several bruises on her face.
"Anzu Masaki! To the administrator's office, now!" Izumi-sensei cried.
"NOW!" the teacher shouted.
With her face red from anger and humiliation, Anzu did as she was told.
With her parents gone on another business trip, the dean conducted business over the phone. It was decided that Anzu would be expelled from Sycamore Academy of Performing Arts, effective immediately. Reina only got two weeks of suspension. Anzu hoped her parents would understand the circumstances of her getting into a fight, and possibly enroll her into another academy. But, they had different ideas…
End of Flashback
"I don't wanna go to a public high school!" Anzu wailed.
Yep. Domino High was her next school. It wasn't that Anzu was a stuck up rich kid who had no desire to be in class with middle class students (unlike a certain CEO). It was just going to be so different and foreign to her. She has been brought up in private schools and academies her entire life. Her parents must look down on her now.
"Damn it all!" Anzu cried into her pillow, so ashamed of herself.
What happened to all of my discipline and morals? she wondered to herself.
She would start class at Domino High next Monday, and it was currently Wednesday. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep, having nightmares about Reina the entire night.
Monday…
Anzu looked a mess when she put in her new pink and blue school uniform. She had bags under her eyes, her tears stained her face, and her hair was frazzled. Anzu brushed her brown the hair the best she could, washed her face, and put on some makeup to hide her baggy eyes. Even with that, you could still tell that something was a little off. Anzu decided to skip breakfast and head on out. Another punishment from her parents besides attending a public school was that she had to walk herself there. It wasn't so bad, but it felt really weird.
Upon arriving at Domino High, she found lots of students hanging out in the schoolyard. She felt so alone now. All of her academy friends left her. They stopped calling ever since she was expelled. They weren't really her friends. They only liked her for her money, since they always want to go shopping with her, but "forget" their money.
Anzu decided to go to class, seeing no use for staying outside. Her class was in room E102. After scavenging the halls, she found E hall and went to the second room on the left. She found that the room was empty, so went to the corner in the back of the room and sat at a desk. She put her head down and began to cry softly. The warning bell for class rang ten minutes later. Anzu had no idea what that bell meant, since the schools she attended didn't have them. When she saw students filing in one by one, Anzu quickly dried her eyes, and realized that she wiped all the makeup off her eyes.
Crap! Now everyone will think I'm a druggie. she thought, burying her face in her desk. Then, she heard voices extremely close to her.
"Man, you shoulda been there, Yugi!" a male voice cried. "That movie was so scary that Honda wet his pants!"
"Jounouchi, those were you pants." the assumed Honda replied.
"Whatever! Ryou was crying though! It was funny!" Jou continued.
"N-no I wasn't!" Ryou cried, blushing.
Anzu lifted her head to see a group of males nearing her area. One was tall and had blond hair, another had harpoon shaped brown hair, one had long white hair, and the other two had similar looking spiky hair that was blond, black, and magenta. One was short, and the other was tall and had a tan skin tone. He looked awfully familiar, but was in no mood to search her brain.
A tap to the shoulder irritated her further, and she snapped at the perpetrator.
"What?" she snapped.
It was the white haired boy, and he jumped and hid behind the blond haired boy.
"S-s-s-sorry! You were just in my seat!" he said, stammering.
Upset, Anzu was about to get up when the familiar student said.
"Let her keep it, Ryou. You can sit in the seat next to mine. Besides, this girl is obviously new here." the familiar one said.
Anzu gave him a wondrous look, but he simply looked at her.
It turned out that his seat was next to Anzu's, so Ryou sat on the other side of him.
"So, what school did you come from?" the polite student asked.
"An academy. Sycamore Academy of Performing Arts." Anzu replied sadly.
The student's eyes widened a bit, but he pursued further. "Really? What did you take part in there?"
"Dancing." Anzu replied even more sadly.
She felt herself going back into her state of depression. The student noticed, but he just had to make sure of something.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Masaki Anzu." she replied, looking down.
The student looked directly at Anzu, remembering who she was.
"Anzu, do you remember me? I'm Atem, Mutou Atem." he said.
Anzu studied this "Atem", and then, she remembered!
"I met you when I was young…" she murmured.
It was true; Anzu used to take classes at a local dance studio when she was just a grade schooler. Atem's mom was the dance instructor, so he would be hanging around all the time. Anzu would always try to talk to him, but he was so distant. One day, Anzu brought him some of her mother's cookies as a friendship token. To her surprise, Atem asked why she would want to be his friend.
"Because," Anzu had replied. "I like everyone, and I don't want to see you by yourself. You need a friend, and I want to be yours."
Atem had seen Anzu in a whole different light at that point, so he accepted her offer. During the time of their friendship, a budding romance could be seen. When the two were just eleven years old, Atem would blush every time he saw her. In turn, every time Atem smiled at her, her heart would pound.
Anzu told Atem her hopes and dreams, and she told him that one day, she would attend Sycamore Academy for Performing Arts. What was Atem's dream?
"…you." he whispered.
The very next day, right when Atem had the guts to tell Anzu how he felt, and even make a physical move on her, she had transferred to another dance studio. Mrs. Mutou had trouble comforting Atem, but Anzu did have a farewell gift for him; it was a picture frame with him and Anzu. Anzu had just gotten done with the recital the studio had, so she still had her makeup and leotard on. She looked so beautiful. Atem had always kept that picture, hoping he would see her again…
"It really is you…!" Anzu gasped.
Without doing much thinking, Anzu jumped on her old friend, knocking him out of his chair.
"Whoa! Save that for the weekend!" Jounouchi said, jumping out of the way.
"What's going on, cousin?" Yugi asked.
"Yugi, don't you remember the girl on the picture frame I showed you?" Atem asked, hugging Anzu to him.
"Yeah! Is that her?" Yugi asked.
Atem nodded and sat up, Anzu still on his lap. He put both hands on either side of her face.
"What happened? Why aren't you at Sycamore Academy?" he asked.
Anzu looked down, tears starting to form again. "I was expelled. I got into a fight with a bitch because she was out to get me. So I had no choice but to attend a public high school."
"Looks like someone grew a backbone." Atem smirked, running a hand through her hair.
"It's not funny, Atem." Anzu said, the tears falling. "That school was my best chance to become a dancer. Now that I'm expelled from there, my reputation is tarnished, and I'll never become a dancer!"
Atem's face hardened, and he stood up and grabbed Anzu's hand.
"What are you doing?" Anzu asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
Atem didn't say a word; he just dragged Anzu outside the classroom. He pushed her against the wall, making sure that she couldn't escape.
"The Anzu I heard in there was not the Anzu I knew." he said softly, yet still having a harsh expression.
"Huh?" Anzu asked.
"The Anzu I knew when I was a kid would never say never." Atem continued.
Oh god, now he has the Justin Bieber movie stuck in my head. Anzu groaned.
Atem noticed her change in attention, so he shook her slightly, her eyes snapping back on him.
"You had all of these dreams, and you wouldn't stop believing. There was a song you used to sing all the time when you thought no one was looking." Atem reminded her.
Anzu blushed, embarrassed that she was heard.
"Remember? It was Don't Stop Believing by Journey. That song fitted you perfectly. What happened to that Anzu?" he asked.
Anzu looked down, knowing that Atem was right.
"You're right, I'm sorry, Atem. I had been depressed for several days, and I lost focus. I needed this talk from you. But still…what am I supposed to do? I was learning so much there. If I'm going to audition for college, then I need to know all of my ballet and freestyle."
"My mom still teaches, Anzu. She has stopped teaching younger kids. Trust me, she knows her ballet. And, she could show you a thing or two on freestyle." Atem suggested.
Anzu's old smile from when she was younger came back to her face. Only this time, she wasn't missing any teeth.
"As you always were, you're the best." Anzu said.
The two long lost friends gazed at each other. Atem's eyes were lidded as he began to lean his face closer to Anzu's. Her eyes widened, and her tender, pink mouth parted s little. Atem leaned in all that way and pressed his lips against Anzu's warm, rich flesh. Her lips remained taut for a second, but then she relaxed and moved her mouth against his, feeling his tongue snake his way in to meet hers.
The feelings that have been bottled up for years were now being released in a single motion. The kiss that Atem had been dying to give her all this time was finally happening. The moment was cut off when the tardy bell rang.
"Oh, no! I don't want to be expelled again!" Anzu cried as she ran in class.
Smirking, Atem followed her in, his love for her still evident in his eyes.
Maybe I will save this for the weekend. Atem thought, sitting next to Anzu.
Finis
Hurray for happy endings! So Lady F, did you like your present? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? I lobe exploring new couplings, and this was my first Vanishshipping fic. How was it, you guys?
Ja ne, minasan!
PRK