CHANGE OF HEART
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Yu-Gi-Oh related.
Author's notes: Before we begin, I would like to inform you that this story will utilize Japanese honorifics. This means that characters, with few exceptions, will refer to each other by their last name followed by a suffix indicated their relationship to one another. I mentioned exceptions. In this story, Yuugi and Atemu are fraternal twins. In order to distinguish the two of them (as it would be confusing to have them called "Motou-san"), I will use their first names, followed by whatever honorific seems best. If you need a guide on the meaning of these honorifics, I recommend this: /wiki/Japanese_honorifics. The significance behind the honorifics will be made apparent later. I would also like to point out that I am using the Japanese education system, explained here: /wiki/Secondary_education_in_Japan. Yeah, okay, FFnet doesn't let me post links. Alrighty then. Well, just go on Wikipedia. High school in Japan covers grades 10 through 12, and is mainly for those who wish to attend a prestigious university. Students in high school are also very closely monitored. Bear this is mind as you read this chapter.
And so, without further ado…
Chapter 01: The Calm Before the Storm
Present day
Domino, Japan
2:51 pm
Mazaki Anzu sat restlessly in her seat, staring out the window at the clear blue skies. She eagerly awaited for the bell to ring, signaling freedom for the day and for the weekend. The teacher droned on and on, assigning their weekend homework. With a sigh, the brown-haired girl jotted down her assignments. I don't why I'm so restless, she thought to herself, directing her cerulean eyes back to the window. It's not like I have anyone at home waiting for me. Besides, I'm only going to work. Anzu didn't live alone, not really. Her father was a criminal prosecutor so he was always traveling to parts of Japan, to wherever the court needed his service. Her mother was a businesswoman and was hardly ever home due to numerous business trips. Anzu wasn't bitter, though. It was what it was. She knew her parents loved her and were working hard for her.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING~
Finally, Anzu thought, with relief. She stood up from her seat and gathered her belongings, glad that the school week was finally over.
"Anzu-chan," Nosaka Miho greeted, giving her small wave, "you have work right after school, right? I'll walk with you today!" She flipped her long, blue hair behind her shoulders as she watched Anzu pack up her things.
Anzu gave her best friend a jolly smile. "Like you do everyday, Miho-chan. You just want to postpone doing your homework." Nosaka Miho had been Anzu's best friend since their first year in high school. Three years later, in their senior year, they continued to uphold their ritual of walking together after school.
"But Anzu-chaaaan, it's the weekend! You're probably the only person who does all their homework on a Friday evening." Miho crossed her arms and gave her best friend her best pouty look.
"I like to keep my weekend free," Anzu replied, giving a soft chuckle at Miho's expression. "Besides, I want you to get as much done as you can before we meet Saturday so we can work on your trouble spots." Miho had asked Anzu to help her with this week's math homework over the weekend. However, Anzu knew that it was all a ruse in order for her to copy her homework. So, as a defense, she made Miho promise that she would at least attempt to some of it tonight.
"Fiiine," Miho said, "but we should get going before you're late, Braniac-sama."
"Oh, right." Anzu quickly grabbed her things and turned around. As she did, her shoulder softly hit something solid. "Oh! Sorr—" She cut herself off as she found herself looking at a pair of sharp amethyst eyes.
"Mazaki" he formally greeted in a deep toned voice, with a curt nod and a slight narrowing of his eyes.
"Mutou," Anzu returned the formality, along with a bonus piercing glare. Mutou Atemu, her competition in pretty much anything and everything. They've known each other since grade school and have been contending with each other ever since, from who was the better speller to who can hold their breath the longest submerged in a swimming pool. In middle school, they had both participated in martial arts competitions and often sparred with each other. They also joined a multitude of sports and competed over amount of home runs, free throws, three pointers, et cetera. Now, in high school, it was over academics. Since it was their last year, both were fighting for the position of valedictorian. Neither of them knew why. It was just instinct to try and best the other.
"I believe you owe me an apology," Atemu smirked, raising his eyebrow cajolingly.
"Tch. I'm only sorry it had to be you I had to bump into," Anzu narrowed her eyes. "Guess I have to wash this shirt again."
Sensing the increasing tension, Miho drew their attention to three of their classmates. "Oh! Oh, look guys, it's Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun, and Yuugi-kun!" She gave them an overexcited wave, in effect, cooling down the heat between Anzu and Atemu.
"Oi, Atemu-kun, bickering with Anzu-chan again?" Jounouchi Katsuya teased as he ran his long fingers through his messy blond hair. "And hello, Miho-chan! Ready for the weekend?"
"Oh, I would be," Miho sighed, "if it weren't for Anzu-chan handcuffing me to my homework." She sent Anzu a playful glare.
"Well," Honda Hiroto laughed, "that's like our future valedictorian. No less than a drill sergeant."
Anzu punched Honda playfully on the shoulder. "I'll do whatever it takes to get my best friend graduating beside me."
"I think I can manage just fine on my own," Miho grinned. "I mean, all I really have to do is copy your homework and I'm set!"
"Indeed," Atemu cut in. "You're better off on your own than with Mazaki. Besides, Honda-kun, the future valedictorian is me."
"Hey, Mutou, I didn't know you had a sense of humor," Anzu dryly replied.
"Oh, jeez," Honda threw up his hands. "There you guys go again! Can't we ever have a day when you two don't argue over something? Yuugi-kun, do something." He turned to a slightly shorter Atemu-look-alike. "Your brother is waaay too competitive, especially when it comes to Anzu-chan."
"Sorry, Honda-kun," Yuugi shrugged his shoulders, sheepishly. "It's his nature."
"I don't even know how you're related to him, Yuugi-kun," Anzu shook her head in mock-exasperation. "I mean, you're so much sweeter and nicer. The total opposite of him."
Atemu narrowed his eyes at her and was about to say something when Miho suddenly grabbed the brunette's wrist. "Oh! Anzu-chan, we're going to be late!"
"Wha? Oh, right! Gotta go, guys!" Anzu gave a short wave before being dragged out the door by Miho.
"I wonder where they go off to in such a hurry after school," Yuugi thought out loud.
"Whatever," Atemu responded. "It's their business and I'd rather be thinking about fecal matter than on how Mazaki spends her free time."
"Jeez," Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you think so little of her. I think she's great. Cute, too. Honestly, with the way you two go at it, one would think you were a married couple."
Atemu gave his best friend a cold glare.
"Alright, alright, lay off with that will ya? If looks could kill…"
Meanwhile, Anzu and Miho were en route to BurgerWorld, where Anzu currently worked. "Thanks, Miho-chan," Anzu said. "I'm glad you kept track of time. Though, it was nice talking to the guys again. Save for Mutou." She mades a face as she said his name, as if she were chewing something sour.
In response, Miho rolled her eyes. "You two have been competing over every little thing since our first year. You guys should just date already."
Anzu pretended to gag. "Yuck. I think I should call in sick to my shift today. The very thought of Mutou like that makes me want to hurl."
"Haha, I think you'll eat those words. In any case, Anzu-chan, we're here."
"Yep! Thanks for walking me, Miho-chan. Now you be a good girl and get started on the homework, okay? I'll see you tomorrow and we'll go over what you missed."
"Great. Now I want to hurl."
"Oh, you," Anzu laughed as she entered the restaurant. "Bye!"
"Be safe, Anzu-chan." I do hope she's careful, Miho thought. I wouldn't want her to be seen by any of our classmates. She could lose her job and I know how much she needs it. Even though Anzu's parents had very good jobs, they were away on business all the time, leaving Anzu to fend for herself. But this wasn't the reason why Anzu needed the job. Actually, she was saving money for college. Oh, but not just any college. No, the one Anzu had set her sights on was the prestigious University of Tokyo. But prestige has its price, which is why Anzu was slaving away, in secret, at a fast-food restaurant. Why a secret? Because Domino High School did not permit students to be employed, preferring them to study or partake in extracurricular events. And Domino High was very strict with its prohibitions. She peeked through the window to see Anzu happily giving a customer their order. Well, at least it's an okay job, Miho smiled as she walked away from BurgerWorld and towards home.
"So, any plans for the weekend guys?" Honda asked. Because they lived in the same general area, Honda, Jounouchi, and the Mutou brothers often walked the same way together.
"No, not really, "Jounouchi replied. "We should hang out! It's been awhile since we've done that." They went on for a while, discussing weekend plans and venting about school. Atemu, however, was very quiet for he has other things on his mind. More specifically, a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl.
I wonder why she infuriates me so, Atemu pondered. I don't hate her. But I have this unnatural desire to always want to be better than her. It's been that way since we first met. Though, he smirked as he remembered their previous encounter, she poses a healthy challenge for me. I have never met anyone so strong-willed and intelligent.
"—mu-kun!" He saw a hand waving very close to his face. "Atemu-kun!" Jounouchi, the owner of the hand, looked exasperatingly at him. "You there?"
Rolling his eyes, he replied, "Where else could I be?"
"Well, we were seeing if you wanted to meet over at BurgerWorld later to eat. Unless you want to dine at whatever planet you inhabited a while ago."
"Har har, Jounouchi-kun. And BurgerWorld sounds fine. Meet in about an hour and a half?"
They agree and go to their respective houses to change out of their school uniform.
"Hey, can I shower first?" Yuugi asked as Atemu unlocked the front door of their house.
"Oh, sure," he replied. He walked to the living room and started to sit down on the sofa but catches sight of the Mutou family heirloom, mounted above the fireplace. It was a beautiful sword; its radiance could be seen from miles away. Its hilt had been inscribed with the Kanji characters for "wings" and "life."
"Admiring Tsubasa, are we?" Mutou Sugoroku, Yuugi's and Atemu's grandfather, inquired. A renowned retired archaeologist, Sugoroku spent his days happily running the Kame Game Shop, as well as taking care of his two grandsons.
"Grandfather," Atemu smiled, walking towards him and giving him a warm embrace. "Do you think you can tell me the story of the sword? More specifically, about the infamous rivalry between the Mutou's and Mazaki's? I—" he hesitated, unsure of how to explain his sudden curiosity. "I am interested in the family history."
This must be about Mazaki. Of course. It's only natural that he questions his relationship with her, his feelings towards her. "Very well, grandson. Back in Feudal Japan, the Mazaki and Mutou clans were very powerful. They held a great influence over Japan. People feared them, honored them, even prayed to them. However, Mazaki and Mutou were great enemies. Each felt that they were better than the other and strove to prove it. Over the years, this rivalry spiraled out of control."
Walking toward the sword, Tsubasa, Sugoroku wistfully caressed the blade. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "It was out of control. It had spread to their children, the only two heirs to the Mazaki and Mutou clans. Both children were rigorously trained in the ways of martial arts, in the world of sorcery." He shook his head sadly. "Both families took great effort in making sure their children would have the power to continue the rivalry, that they would have the abilities to finally finish the other off. And they did. They took it upon themselves to challenge the other in a final showdown. And so they fought, and tragically died. When their bodies were found, they were intertwined with one another. The Mazaki's daughter was found in Mutou's arms, her twin daggers piercing his lung and stomach, both fatal blows, as she was trained to do. And this very sword had pierced both of them through the heart. It is said that this had sealed the fate of both families, for both families, in every generation, will always meet. They are destined to forever rekindle the rivalry. You must take care, grandson."
"So are you saying Mazaki and I will kill each other one day?" Atemu looked at his grandfather, skeptically. "Times have changed, Grandfather."
"You are inexplicably drawn to Mazaki Anzu, aren't you?" Sugoroku gave him a warm smile. "The desire to beat her in every single occasion. It gets under your skin, doesn't it? But you're right, Atemu. Times have changed. This rivalry doesn't have to continue. Break the tradition. Why don't you try being friends?"
Atemu whipped his head around. "Me? Friends with that ignorant, cocky, self-centered—"
"She isn't any of those things and you know it," Sugoroku cut in. "I have taught you many things, grandson, but I have never taught you to disrespect and insult another human being."
"Hey, guys!" Yuugi trudged into the living room. "Atemu, you can shower if you… What happened?" Yuugi had walked into the living room only to find his brother and grandfather glaring at each other.
"Oh, just trivial matters, Yuugi," Sugoroku smiled. "Go on then, I think I may go for a walk. The day is young." With that, he strode out of the living room.
"Right," Atemu deadpanned. "Well, I'll take my shower now." He rushed upstairs.
"Well," Yuugi ponders out loud. "I wonder what the hell that was about."
Sugoroku wandered around Domino Park, thinking about the story he just told his grandson. He closed his eyes, feeling the wind tickle his face. You have done well, the wind whispered in his ear. He smiled in response for he knew what it had spoken of. There was something he left out in the story, a missing element. For it was something greater than rivalry that drove the young children in his story to their demise. But Atemu was going to have to find out about that tidbit on his own.
Phew, Anzu though to herself as she plopped down on the chair in the break room. Today is so busy. Well, it is the start of the weekend after all.
"Oi, Mazaki-san," Uehada Mahara, manager of BurgerWorld, called from the entrance of the break room. "I know I've been doing this a lot lately, but can you stay and help close? It's busier than I thought and I could use the extra hand."
"Hmmm," Anzu muses aloud, putting her finger to her chin. "Should I forgo my Friday night, skip out on gallivanting around town to stay here and close. Well…" she mischievously grinned. "I guess I'll stay."
"Sweet!" Uehada exclaimed. "Nearly got me going there. Thanks so much, Mazaki-san."
"Anything for you, Uehada-san!" I need the money anyway. It's all for the future. Anzu glanced up at the clock and with a groan, got up as she realized her break was over.
Back on the floor, Anzu went back to waiting on tables. BurgerWorld, though classified as a fast food restaurant, was more like a diner, where customers were waited on instead of waiting in line for their food. Anzu applied for the job because she needed the money but as she continued her employment, she found that she actually enjoyed it. It gave her an opportunity to meet new people and her coworkers were like an extended family. She would never tell anyone but BurgerWorld was like her second home.
"Mazaki-san!" Uehada calls. "Can you take Table 5 for me? I have a phone call I need to answer."
"Sure thing!" Anzu strode towards Table 5. "Welcome to BurgerWorld! How can I take your… Oh holy hell." It takes all had to not run out the door as she was with the curious glances of none other than Atemu, Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Honda.
"Anzu-chan? " Yuugi looked at her shocked expression. "I… Didn't know you worked here. Umm…"
"Yeah, uh… ahh," Jounouchi scratched his head, confused on how to proceed. "This is uh..."
"Oh, for the love of Jesus Christ almighty," Anzu snapped. "I work here, have been working here for the better part of two years. Look. Just… tell me your order."
"Mazaki," Atemu cut in, "you know you can get in trouble by the school if you are discovered right? I mean, this is a well-known fast food restaurant. Anyone can walk in here. Besides, I know your family is pretty well off. So why are you taking this risk?"
"None of your damned business, Mutou," she retorted. "Now please let me do my job and take your order. And," she looked around, "your meal is on me, just don't tell anyone. Please! I need this job, I…"
"Mazaki…" Atemu had never seen her look so lost before. He was always accustomed to her strong will and self-confidence. Her eyes have always had a look of pride and certainty. Now, they held desperation and fear. "Look. Your business is none of mine. And we won't say anything." Well, I guess it's time I put Grandfather's "friendship" idea to work, he mused. "And we'll pay for our meal. Hell, we'll even tip." He gave her his trademark smirk. Now, Atemu was the one being met with curious glance. Was this really their Atemu, being nice to Anzu?
"What?" he growled.
"Nothing," Honda said with a smirk of his own. "It's just that you're being awfully nice to Anzu-chan. Change of heart?"
"Whatever," he grunted in return. "But Mazaki," he turned to her, "you better be careful. With all this extra work, your grades could slip and the position of valedictorian is mine."
"Heh," she sneered, "I've been doing this for years and so far, I think I have still bested you in academics." I knew his being nice wouldn't last for very long. But then again, I was getting kind of freaked out when he started talking nice to me.
"We shall see, Mazaki. Now then," he pondered over the menu, "I think I'll take—" He was abruptly cut off as the ground began to violently shake.
"Earthquake!" Anzu shouted. She turned to them. "Look, huddle under the table, alright? Don't come out until you get my signal. Even if the ground stops shaking, do NOT come out until I come around."
"Anzu-chan, what about you?" Jounouchi reached out to grab her arm.
Anzu dodged his grasp. "Sorry guys. But I have to assist my other guests." She then moved to the other tables, telling the other customers to huddle under their table. By the time she met with her coworkers huddling under an unused table, she could barely walk for the ground was brutally shaking now.
"Come on, Mazaki-san, there's room," Uehada beckoned.
"MAMAA!" Anzu whipped her head around to the source of the scream. It was from the table adjacent to Table 5. A young boy had crawled away from his mother's grasp to get at a stuffed animal he had presumably dropped and had moved away with the tremors. And now the boy was out in the open, surrounded by falling glassware.
"Damn it to hell," Anzu seethed and rushed towards the crying boy.
"Mazaki-san!" Uehada screamed.
Anzu tried to run towards the boy, but tripped as the ground continued to shake. She crawled, ignoring the little shards of glass piercing her hands and knees. She reached the stuffed animal and scooped up the boy. Upon reaching the table where the mother was sobbing, Anzu pushed the boy into her arms. "Here, you're safe now," she gently crooned, easing his crying.
"Anzu-chan! Look out, above you!" Yuugi gestured towards the light fixture above her, now dangling from the ceiling on loose wires.
She looked up and swore as the wires snapped, one by one.
The tri-colored hair boy pushed the others out of the way as he struggled to get himself out from under the table.
"Atemu-kun!" They tried to hold him but to no avail.
She should move, at least roll out of the way, but her fear froze her in place as she watched the last wire snap.
He heard the snap but his focus was on Anzu. He prayed he can reach her in time.
She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the pain to come.
He scooped her, and rolled out of the way, barely in time, with him on top of her, cradling her.
She felt two strong arms encircle her and she opened her eyes to find Atemu on top her. "M-Mutou! Why…?"
"Because I'll be damned if my rival can pull off a heroic act and all I can do is cower under a table." He frowned. He didn't know why, himself. He saw Anzu in danger and it seemed that every nerve in his body was yelling for him to get over to her. You are inexplicably drawn to Mazaki Anzu, aren't you? His grandfather's words echoed in his mind. The tremors grew more violent. "Let's get to safety." He rolled away and helped her to a standing position. They tried to move towards a table but the ground was shaking so hard that they could barely keep their footing.
"Shit," Anzu murmured. "I can barely walk straight."
"Yeah," Atemu replied. "Got ourselves in a pickle here."
A pang of hurt crossed Anzu's face. "You didn't have to—"
"That's not what I mean," he cut in. "I—" The ground gave a violent shake and the two fell forward. Atemu grabbed her arm to steady her but she stumbled and they both fell, hitting their head on the edge of a stray chair.
Everything went dark.
Afterword: Sorry to leave with a cliffhanger. I will post the next chapter soon, though. Sorry it's so long, but I wanted to work on some character development and give some more insight on the rivalry between Anzu and Atemu.
I would like to dedicate this chapter to someone I went to high school with. I was not close to her but I did know her. It just hit me, as it was really close to home. Lives can change in an instant. So, in her honor, tell the people you're close to that you love them and appreciate them. You never know when you may never have the same opportunity again. Embrace life, good and bad. For it's better to have that than nothing at all.
As always, read and review. Thank you.