Rumors!
"Extra! Extra! The Domino High Rumor Mill newsletter has all your latest news about our new star-crossed love-doves: Seto Kaiba and Anzu Mazaki! Get the latest buzz about their blossoming love hot off our presses!" …What silly joke is this? (S/A) (AU)
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. (applies to all chapters.)
Chapter One: The "Epic Romance" Begins
Seto Kaiba never liked High School.
He didn't like the grimy floors and rusty lockers or any other physical aspect of the school building. And most of all he hated the people he had to go to high school with. The teachers were all stupid and overpaid fools. The students were all brainwashed, mindless idiots whose only purpose was to serve as obstacles in the hallway.
School was merely a waste of time for him! He was a powerful and very successful CEO! Not some ridiculous student bred to be taught by dimwits or to mingle and breathe the same air as such undeserving and ignorant peers.
Seto was in a slightly better mood that day as he was leaving the school halls. It was finally the end of May, nearing on the final days of schooling for him. After only a few more days of torments, some ridiculous prom that he could skip and a few ceremonies and whatnot, he would be free!
He exited the school grounds well before anyone else, having been excused from most of the standard ending blocks due to his considerable influence over the principal. He could finally get back home and get to more important things, like work and management.
However, as he was exiting, two giggly girls were also evidently skipping class as they roamed through the hall in front of him.
"So, anyways, I heard that Annie is showing some added weight, and she had to see the nurse twice last week! Can you say baby-time?" one of the girls hissed through her thin lips, although her scathing voice echoed in the halls.
The other girl giggled. "I'm not surprised. She's such a slut! And I noticed the creepy overnight janitor looking at her once. Can you imagine? They'd be perfect for each other, because she's so trashy." The girls erupted in fits of laughter, obviously delighted at their wit.
Seto growled beneath his breath. Another thing he hated about high school? The ridiculous rumors. It seemed that giggly girls were abound everywhere in the school.
The girls continued their laughter, as Seto raced down the hall and closer to that beckoning open doorway. "Can you believe what I read about in the Rumor Mill today?" one of them asked.
Seto inwardly groaned. Nothing in the school was as ridiculous and ludicrous as the daily and anonymous publication, the Rumor Mill. It had started about a year ago and had become a huge hit. People loved to read the catty remarks about all the daily rumors that were floating around Domino High. Hook-ups, break-ups and any sort of relationship was brutally put into ink. Any hint of misdoing, or fault was eagerly read over in the neat columns.
It wasn't just the students who were under the radar, however. There was a daily "Teacher Trouble!" public safety announcement in the Mill that reported which Teachers were doing what in the staff room, or whether Mr. Marloes was grumpy and giving detentions easily because it was "that time of month…".
Most people loved the Rumor Mill. That was, unless they were in it. Many of the hapless victims tried helplessly to find the culprit behind the print, and teachers issued warnings and bans to the students, but still the Mill continued to run, with its colorful flyers turning up at random places for eager students to read.
The girls were still gossiping. "…and Anzu Mazaki is such a player! Did you read that column today?"
Seto paused slightly. He knew of Anzu Mazaki, one of his few classmates he actually could say he knew, although only in the slightest. She had helped his younger brother, Mokuba, once. He was really grateful for that, but still she was a part of the unforgivable Yugi's Dork Club and Seto basically ignored her.
However, his ears perked up slightly at the mention of her name, and he listened carefully as the girls continued their chatter. "…So anyways it says in the Mill that she's been playing all the guys."
"That's not all," the other girl continued, "no one knows who she's dating. I mean, the Mill lists potential boy-toys as Yugi, Yami, Tristan, Joey, Ryo and now, it's apparently Seto Kaiba! She's such a tramp!
Seto had heard enough. The faculty left him alone. The students left him alone. Now he was a part of some silly rumor as Anzu's potential boy-toy?! The thought left him infuriated.
He forgot about his escape and harshly turned back on his heels and headed back into school. He had to get a hand on one of those flyers and see if the girls were telling the truth.
It wasn't hard to find one of the small newsletters carefully pinned onto the door to the girls' washroom and Seto quickly tore it down. Looking around to see if anyone had caught him in the act of wanting to read the flyer, he quickly walked out the nearest door and towards his waiting car.
Sitting in the back seat, he began to read. He skimmed the outrageous headlines before he finally found the little sidenote.
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The Rumor Mill has also the latest reports in the love life of Anzu Mazaki.
Miss Mazaki has long since been linked with the many men she refers to as her "friends", but the Rumor Mill and our faithful readers know that it is a thin line between friendship and indecent lovin'.
But recent reports list our boy-crazy Miss Mazaki as being in a new relationship, with none other than school ice-block Seto Kaiba! Yes, you heard it first, hot off the press here at the Rumor Mill!
Miss Mazaki and Mr. Kaiba apparently already have a pretty cozy relationship, as she seems to have aided his younger brother before. And our very diligent sources have reported a growing mutual attraction between the love-struck lovebirds!
More in next issue, but we here at the Rumor Mill wish both lovers the best of their star-crossed journey, and happy springtime, as a young man's fancy turn's into love!
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Seto sputtered in the backseat of his car. "ice-block" ?? "cozy relationship" ?! "love-struck lovebirds" ...?!?!?
He couldn't believe it. He was angry, embarrassed and slightly intrigued at the same time. How did such "diligent sources" come up to report this junk, and really, why choose to write about him and Anzu Mazaki?
It was downright embarrassing, tarnishing towards his reputation and an outright ridiculous lie. He couldn't believe that someone would publish such filth! And about him, no doubt either! Who did they think they were? Seto wouldn't stand for this.
He was going to solve this nasty little rumor.
The next day Seto arrived at school in his usual way, although his mind was alive with thoughts of the rumor. He had spent most of the last night just thinking about it. He couldn't stop, the very nature of the rumor was just bothering him terribly.
However, today he didn't just go straight to first block, but instead walked up the hallway and up towards a group of people. He narrowed his eyes as he saw their happy little gaggle and he cleared his throat noticeably as he neared.
"Ahem."
Joey turned around and scowled when he saw him. The two had never had an amiable relationship. "What are you doing here Kaiba?" he growled. Seto noticed that it was awfully like a mutt's.
Seto looked steely at each of them before finally announcing, "I need to speak with Anzu."
Anzu looked quizzically at her friends before exiting out of her little group. Everyone was silent as they watched them depart.
"What do you want?" Anzu asked when they were out of ear-shot.
Seto held up the flyer and growled, "Do you have anything to do with this?"
Anzu raised an eyebrow and took the flimsy piece of paper that was worn from Seto looking over it too many times. She flipped through the headlines and stopped at the malicious little sidenote.
Seto watched her read. He watched as her face flushed, first from embarrassment and then anger. Her eyes widened and her fists clenched and Seto could see the pupils of her eyes darken as she finally handed the flyer back to him.
Seto asked, "So you didn't know about this before?"
Anzu shook her head. "No. I mean, I stopped reading this garbage after they printed some ridiculous article about how I was living with Yugi, and yet somehow expecting twins with Ryo AND how I was married in some three-way ritualistic marriage to both Tristan and Joey." She paused and saw the worry stretched across Seto's face. "Don't think twice about it, Seto. I know this is entirely junk, or some idiot's overactive imagination. Besides, people realize that most of the stuff in here is just trash."
"But how did someone even think of this?" Seto demanded.
Anzu shrugged and ran her fingers across her forehead in a tired manner. "I don't know. Really, I'd rather not think of it, and you should just let it go as some silly joke."
She picked up the flyer from out of Seto's hands and dropped it into the nearest garbage bin. "Just forget about it." She repeated before walking away to rejoin her friends.
Seto tried to take Anzu's advice and just forget about the silly rumor, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. It infected his mind like a parasite and he found himself drifting out of focus just to think about it.
When he got out of school that day, he couldn't resist picking up a copy of the Rumor Mill in front of the library, before the teachers suppressed the circulation and threw them away. Like a little boy with his hand inside of the cookie jar, he once more ran to the privacy of his car before daring to glance at the paper.
It was on the front page.
There was a black and white image of him and Anzu, sharing the conversation that they had that morning. They were looking at each other, and someone had crudely taken a Sharpie pen and drawn a messy heart around their bodies.
Below, lay the article,
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SETO & ANZU: LOVE CONFIRMED!!
Well, loyal followers, their epic romance has been confirmed, as seen in this above photo! Zuu-Zuu [as he affectionately calls her and Baa-Baa [her equally adorably nickname were seen this morning sharing a tender moment by the computer lab.
Obviously a bit upset that their supposed close, warm and very secretive relationship has been leaked, they share a mesmerizing glance with each other. Caught in each others eyes, as we can see, and obviously hooked on their love!
Whilst we must apologize to our love-doves for exposing their very personal connection, we cannot help but share it as hope for the loveless, for right here, in our very halls, young love is blossoming!
The besotted couple is currently still denying their relationship and trying to hide their puppy love for each other, but the Rumor Mill must share their romantic story, for who can resist such a sweet story?
We wish Miss Mazaki and Mr. Kaiba the best of their blooming relationship, and hope that they learn that they can share their overwhelming love and open their hearts.
Good luck Baa-Baa and Zuu-Zuu!
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"Baa-Baa" finished reading the story and died.
A/N : Well, I should be working on something else, but this idea just wedged itself in my head and I had to get it out. It was awfully fun writing the Rumor Mill articles!
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and the idea.
Please leave a review! I love to get feedback.
MINTT.