Hey, minna-san! I am so sorry that this took so long to get out, I didn't mean it to last two months! >.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chappie of Mockingbird!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did, would I really be writing this fanfiction? -- I also don't own the legend of Tanabata
Claimer: I do, however, own Anzu's necklace, this plot, and a few other random characters poping in and out of the story.
"More Than Friends"- by 3LW
"...It's the same dream
Over and over
I can see us walking and holding hands
You and me
Closer and closer..."
Mockingbird
Chapter Three: Closer Friends
She inhaled a sweet scent as she woke up. A strong musk with something else mixed in… cinnamon. She exhaled and then breathed in again, instantly hooked on the smell. She slowly snuggled her way back into the covers and to the warmth behind her. Something was around her, circling her in soft body heat. An arm was wrapped around Anzu's lithe form, just above her breasts and right below her shoulders.
This was how Anzu woke up.
It was when she realized there was something warm behind her that her crystal blue eyes opened in confusion. She looked down at the arm touching her and then looked around the room, almost frightened. Where was she?
Slowly, she turned around to see who was holding her so lightly. It was comfortable and soothing, almost lulling her to sleep again, but she wouldn't go back to sleep until she figured out who it was. Her gaze rested on a tuft of white hair and she heard slow breathing. Immediately she realized it was Ryou and last night's events came back to her in a flash.
Instead of pulling away, she snuggled closer to the young boy. She pressed her head into the crook of his neck and breathed in deeply again. His scent was overpowering and she quickly became lost in it. Slowly, she was being soothed back to sleep.
Only to have it stop suddenly.
The alarm clock went off loudly with its annoying ring. Anzu jumped in Ryou's arms and he woke up. Russet eyes opened slowly to look at the alarm and then at the girl in his arms. A blush spread over his cheeks as the alarm switched off for the time being.
Anzu didn't look at Ryou; she too was blushing but neither had pulled away yet. She was content in his arms and felt safe while close to him. But she wouldn't tell anyone that. Especially him. No one would have to know what she felt; and no one would. She kept to tight a hold on her emotions.
Finally, Anzu shifted away from him. He seemed to wake up completely and also moved from her. They soon got out of the bed and stood across from each other. Ryou was the first to speak.
"Umm… you should probably go, Anzu-chan, before my parents wake up and find you here." He said softly. She nodded in reply.
"Ok." She whispered back. He escorted her to his front door and there they said good-bye until school.
"Ja ne, Ryou-kun. Thank you." Anzu said quietly.
"Ja ne, Anzu-chan. I'll see you soon." Ryou added. Before Anzu left, though, she hugged him tightly in her arms. He froze in his place as she left his house silently. He closed the front door and turned around. Then, he leaned against it and slid down the length of it slowly. He hung his head and sighed deeply before standing up and getting ready for school.
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Anzu blushed silently in class as she stared out the window. She had just thought of what she had done at the beginning of the day and could barely believe it. What was she thinking? She hugged him? She must've lost her mind for a moment.
And then she remembered the feeling that nearly overwhelmed her before she left. A feeling of thankfulness that she couldn't put into words. It made her heart jump in happiness before she finally calmed down. Finally, she declared to herself that she would push that thought to the farthest corner of her brain and, hopefully, never think about it again.
But part of her wanted to think about it; to think about him.
She shook her head violently as the thought came to her brain and began to reason with herself. I've only known him for two days… Oh, geez, I've only known him for two days! She screamed inside her head. But I still slept in the same bed with him? Oh my God! He must think I'm some sort of slut… her mind began to panic and she looked shiftily around the room. Anzu idly gripped the necklace she had found two days ago.
No, Ryou understands me… the one thought zoomed through her head and she stilled. That was right, he did understand her. He knew what it was like to be different from normal people. But she couldn't figure out why. It was probably because he was…
Her thoughts were cut off by the bell that signaled lunch.
She got up wearily and walked out of the classroom. She looked to her locker and there was Ryou, waiting patiently for her. Without warning, she blushed and stopped walking quickly. What's wrong with me? He's just a friend! she screamed in her brain. Not even thinking, she turned and rushed into the bathroom that was luckily right beside her.
She sighed and leaned on the door, wondering idly what was wrong with her. She had only known him for two days but this never happened before. She looked up towards the mirrors and froze in her place. There, staring back at her was Mai.
Oh great, she thought bitterly, just what I need to brighten my already confused day… Anzu stared back at Mai, her emotionless mask on again.
"Oi, Anzu-chan, why are you all red?" she suddenly asked. This made her mask crack a bit as she blushed again.
"I'm not red, and why are you being so impolite!" she demanded coming over to the large mirror to look at herself. It was true, she was red. She sighed audibly and began to wash her face.
"Aww, Anzu-chan, I thought we were friends." Mai spoke, feigning hurt. "So, why were you blushing?" this comment only made Anzu blush again as her thoughts turned to Ryou.
"There was no reason, Mai-san. I was just… ano… embarrassed in class by the teacher…" she lied while washing her face again with cold water. She could tell that Mai didn't believe her.
"Come on, Anzu-chan, we know each other by now. No need to be so formal with me." Mai said, making Anzu nearly cheered in happiness when she didn't say anything about the lie. Maybe she could be friends with the girl.
"Oi, do you want to eat lunch with me?" Anzu asked her, completely random. She had just dried her face off and was looking at her intently. Mai was surprised and it clearly showed on her face.
"What did you say?"
"I said; would you like to eat with me, Mai-chan?" Anzu said again, this time with a small smile. Again, Mai looked surprised, but then she softened, a smile gracing her features.
"That would be nice. Thank you." She said softly. Anzu nodded and both girls walked out of the restroom. Anzu looked towards her locker and there was Ryou, smiling softly at her. She gave a small smile of her own and grabbed her lunch from her locker. Ryou didn't question about Mai at all and Anzu assumed he already figured it out.
They made their way to the table, Mai behind them. Once they got there, they were greeted kindly until Jou saw Mai.
"Wat is she doin' here?" he shouted while pointing his finger. His lips were drawn up in a light snarl and Mai only glared at him.
"I'm eating, you baka inu, that's what people do at lunch." She growled back. Unfortunately, for them there was only one seat left and it was right behind Jou. She sat down in a huff and crossed her legs. "Anzu-chan invited me."
"Chan? Since when did you two get so close!"
"Jou-kun, calm down, it's good that Anzu-chan made a new friend." Yugi offered weakly, making his friend's glare at Mai be redirected towards him. He smiled sheepishly and put his hands up in surrender.
"Ok, minna-san, let's stop fighting and start eating and such. I know that I need help studying for next period, I have a quiz in math." Shizuka sighed, breaking up the small tension at their table. Anzu and Yugi helped her study, Jou and Mai held a glaring contest, and everyone else chatted happily amongst themselves.
"Excuse me… May I have you're attention, please?" a voice called out. No one listened or paid any attention. "Everybody, listen up, please." It called again. He still got the same answer from the crowd of students.
"LISTEN TO ME!"
All mouths were shut and all eyes were drawn to the man standing in the doorway. He was tall, with a commanding blue gaze. He had very dark brown hair that was slightly balding on the top. The man wore a suit of black with a white tie.
"Thank you. I, you're principal, am here to announce the beginning of the school musical. This year, we will do 'Tanabata.' Here is you're music teacher for more information on that." He declared. Then, he stepped to the side and allowed a middle-aged lady to step through the doors.
The music teacher had short, curly blonde hair and dull, almost foggy green eyes. She had a strict face and stood stiffly in the threshold.
"Hello, students." She spoke lightly, "As you have heard, we will be doing 'Tanabata' as our play for this year. You all know that Tanabata is actually a legend, and we will be re-enacting it. Auditions for a part will be next week on Wednesday after school. I hope to see you there." She said calmly and then turned and walked out of the room.
"Now you may go back to you're regularly scheduled lunch-time. Thank you for listening." The principal spoke again and then also left. As said, the students each went back to conversing with each other happily.
"'Tanabata'? I love that legend." Shizuka commented. Everyone nodded.
"Is anyone here gonna try out for a part?" Yugi asked, looking around the table with a smile on his face. His purple eyes nearly sparkled in delight. "I think I'll work backstage." He added.
"Well, of course, I'm going to try out for a part." Mai said loudly. Anzu almost chuckled as she flipped her hair over her shoulder to hit Jou in the face repeatedly. "I mean, how could we have a good school play without me in it?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.
Of course, she got one from Jou.
"We could have a better one without your low-class actin' skills." He said with his trademark New York accent. Mai glared at him with fierce lavender eyes.
"And nobody asked you, Jonouchi Katsuya!" she yelled. He glared back with the same fire behind his golden-brown eyes.
"It don't matta if no one asked, I'll talk if I wanna!" he shouted back. They glared at each other a little while longer until they stopped, huffed, and sat back down glaring in opposite directions.
"What about you, Anzu-chan? Do you think that you'll try out for a part?" Yugi asked, turning the attention to her. She could feel Ryou's pointed gaze on her, reminding her of yesterday's after-school discussion.
"Hai, I think I might go out for a smaller part. It would be fun." She said a small smile on her face. She turned to Ryou and saw that he too, was smiling at her. She turned away, a light blush caressing her cheeks. This did not go unnoticed by Mai who chose to stay quite at the time.
"Lunch is about to end, so I'm gonna head off to my next class." Honda spoke up quickly while standing. Everyone said goodbye to him kindly, except Mai, who didn't really know him well enough for that. Just before he was out the door, he bumped into someone. He quickly turned to say he was sorry but the man he crashed into was cold to him and very arrogant.
"Oi, who's that guy over there?" Anzu asked; pointing to the man Honda just bumped into. Everyone looked over to where she was pointing. Jou glared at him harshly and Yugi sighed.
"That's Kaiba Seto. He's the leader of Kaiba Corp." Yugi explained.
"He's the leader? But he's still in school!" Anzu exclaimed. Everyone nodded in response.
"His adopted father disappeared a few years ago, and ever since then he took over." Yugi spoke again, seemingly knowing everything. Anzu looked closer at Seto, into his aura. His inner aura was a very light blue, like ice, and got lighter as it neared his body. The outer aura was mostly just a horde of colors splattered around. She could barely tell any distinct color apart from another one.
"He must be very busy…" Anzu commented. Shizuka nodded.
"Yeah, what with his business to run, school, and he takes care of his little brother Mokuba. So far, though, he's only gotten one person to help him with it all and that's Kisara." Shizuka said.
"Kisara? Who's she?" The brunette asked.
"Did someone say my name?"
Anzu turned around to see another girl standing behind her. She had pale skin and light blue hair. She was different from the rest, Anzu could tell before even looking into her aura. The girl had sparkling dark blue eyes that stared at everyone at their table, waiting for their explanation.
"Yes, we were just telling Anzu-chan how you were the only one helping Kaiba-san." Shizuka told her truthfully, obviously knowing the girl well. Kisara smiled and nodded in response.
"Hai, I watch over his little brother when he needs me to." Kisara told them. It was then that Anzu decided to look into her aura, just to see if she was different like the rest of Domino. She nearly screamed when she did, however; as she saw something incredible.
Kisara had a blue-ish/white dragon wrapped around her body, its head resting on her shoulder.
The dragon's eyes were closed, as if in some sort of sleep. Two large wings from the dragon came out to surround the girl, like it was protecting her. Now Anzu knew why she sensed that Kisara was different. It's because she was.
"Well, I'd better go. Class is going to start soon. It was nice meeting you all, ja." She said with a smile and then left. She walked to Seto and then left with him, probably talking about her job and such.
"She seems nice." Ryou commented.
"She is very kind. We should invite her to sit with us sometime." Shizuka said with a bright smile on her face.
"Yea, but if we invite her, then she might bring Mr. Moneybags along too." Jou growled and rolled his eyes at the mention of his nickname for Seto.
"Really, Jou-kun, you could try to be a little nicer to him." Yugi said kindly.
"And everyone else around you." Mai added on darkly. Jou was about to retaliate, when the bell for lunch dismissal rang. Everyone stood up and gathered their books. They all began moving to go to their separate classes after saying bye to each other. Ryou and Anzu walked together, as they had the same class to go to.
"Are you really going to try out for a part, Anzu-chan?" Ryou asked.
"That's what I told you before, right?" she said. He nodded in response. "Then I will try out for one, but that doesn't mean I'll get it. I'll try my hardest though." She said.
"Then so will I." Ryou said firmly. Anzu knew that he also planned to try out for a part. She just wondered what parts there were to try out for. She defiantly didn't want the lead, but maybe a close part to that. She wasn't very sure though. Her thoughts were broken by Ryou.
"Are you ready for English? I heard we have a substitute today."
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Anzu sighed as she walked into her house. She just needed time to think; about everything. The past two days were just too much for her to handle. The moving part was okay with her, but meeting people that could do the impossible was taking a toll on her sanity level.
And the worst part was; the people who could do the impossible, didn't know that they could.
The brunette trudged upstairs and prepared a bath for herself. She just needed to go over everything in her mind, maybe even write it down later. But right now, she just needed to think.
Slowly, she stripped herself of her clothing and settled into the bath. The breathed in deeply as the warmth cradled her body softly. She tilted her head up and rested it on the wall. Her cerulean eyes stared unfocused on the ceiling; unseeing, as she was lost in her thoughts.
Domino, the city she moved to, the city her father grew up in. The people here were different. Way too different. But why? What happened to make them that way?
Anzu decided this was much too big of a question and redirected her thoughts to something smaller.
Like, why would Kisara have a dragon in her aura?
Its eyes were closed, Anzu remembered, as if it was asleep. So maybe Kisara could actually control this dragon. And the wings, seemingly coming out of Kisara's back, almost surrounded her completely. So… was the dragon her guard against something?
Something apparently evil?
This thought rocketed Anzu back to the night before, the whole reason why she ran to Ryou. The evil mist in her room, chasing her. Why had it chased her? Why had it not been able to get into Ryou's home? What shielded her from it? Was it Ryou, or someone else?
Anzu began to get a headache. Her own questions were proving to be too much to think about, let alone answer, all at once. She inhaled deeply before ducking her head under the water, trying to clear her thoughts.
She came back up and began to think again. Kisara's dragon was nearly plaguing her mind. For some reason, it reminded her of the guardians of the houses… Her head shot up. What if it was her guardian? Like how some houses held guardians, what if she had her own that she could call upon if she was in danger? And what if she took it to the next level, what if everyone had a guardian? But she could call on it, and the rest were dormant within their masters…
Anzu could feel another headache coming along.
She sighed and stood up. The brunette unplugged the bath so the water would drain out as she dried herself off. Her brown hair dripped water onto her shoulders as she continually tried to rid herself of the water on her body. Finally, she succeeded. Quickly, Anzu got changed into her nightgown and walked into her room.
Suddenly, she stopped, completely still. Her eyes stared straight ahead, blank and unseeing.
It was here… the evil was still in her room…
Without any warning, she lashed out with her arm towards her right, as if swatting something that only she could see. Quickly, she ran out of her room and shut the door, leaning against it heavily. She needed a plan; her parents would grow suspicious if she suddenly didn't sleep in her room anymore.
Then, the idea hit her like a splash of cold water.
It was perfect! She thought happily, there was no other way around it, so it had to work or she didn't know what would happen to her. She rushed downstairs to her parents and slid to a stop in front of the kitchen door.
"Can I stay over at Amane-chan's house tonight?" she asked bluntly. Her parents, both in the kitchen eating, only stared at her. Her mother was the first to respond.
"Well, if it's ok with her parents." She muttered. Anzu nearly fainted from happiness. They weren't that suspicious and they actually said yes! Now, it was only up to Amane…
"Ok, I'll go ask now!" she exclaimed and nearly ran out the door. She approached her neighbor's house and knocked on the door. She breathed in deeply as she tried not to think of what would happen if they didn't agree. The door opened to reveal Amane.
"Oh, hello, Anzu-chan. Daijoubu desu ka?" she asked, peering out into the darkness.
"Hai, daijoubu desu. Ano… I was wondering if I could sleep over here tonight." She asked, slight worry leaking through her mask. Amane looked at her, question in her eyes. They stared at each other for a while until Amane suddenly blinked and smiled at Anzu.
"Hai, just let me ask first." She said kindly and then invited her inside. Anzu stood inside the house, the door closed behind her. It was then that she took in her surroundings, last night she was too preoccupied with getting away from the darkness to really look around.
The house was pretty, not over-extravagant but not dirty either. They had a few family pictures up and some other decorative pieces as well. Finally, Amane came back with a smile on her youthful face.
"My mother says you can." She stated brightly, "Come on upstairs, I'll show you around." Another smile appeared on her face. It was nearly contagious and Anzu also found herself smiling, in friendliness and relief.
Amane showed her around quickly, telling her where each room was. Anzu mentally sighed as she had not yet encountered Ryou. She was almost completely relaxed as she walked into Amane's room. As they prepared their beds, they chatted with each other.
"So you're half American, right?" Amane asked. Anzu nodded in response. "That's really cool. Our family is completely Japanese; the only thing that really makes us stand out is the white hair. Only my mother and brother have that though, I didn't inherit that." She stated.
"So if you didn't inherit that, what makes you stand out?" Anzu asked. She didn't notice as Amane stilled while pulling back her covers. The raven-haired girl knew what she was referring to, their first meeting. Amane smiled and shook her head gently.
"Nothing makes me stand out. I'm just your ordinary girl living a plain life." She said with a sigh. Anzu knew she was obviously lying, knowing from her first meeting that she was different. She didn't press the matter though, and let it slide.
"Thank you, Amane-chan, for letting me sleep over tonight." Anzu said gratefully.
"I just figured you needed a favor since it was so sudden. Sometimes I can just tell that people need something, almost like Seeing the future, ne?" Amane said; a smile on her face with her eyes closed. "Well, let's get ready for bed now, we need to wake up early tomorrow for school." she stated while turning off the light.
Anzu nodded and settled into her bed comfortably. What had Amane meant by that? Seeing the future? Anzu wondered as she closed her eyes. Sleep overtook her tired brain quickly and she let her thoughts drift silently into her subconscious. Tomorrow would be another day to think about all that had happened, and maybe even what would happen to her.
Well, that's the end to another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, MINNA-SAN! AND HAPPY TANABATA!
In case you're wondering, the reason Anzu's parents agreed so quickly is because she's never been this close to someone before. They want her to have friends, but she's always been distant with everyone until now. -
To my wonderful reviewers that keep me going:
randomreviewer: Thank you so much! I'll try to!
MarialeBenitez: Yeah, Mai does have an important part, I'm glad you noticed it. Yes, Yami will be appearing soon if I can get him to work with me, he's slightly difficult to portray... Bakura-kun will be making another appearance rather soon, be patient:) thanks for the review!
ang3L-blue: uwah! Arigatou! It may turn into a triangle... Shizuka, I'm not sure about quite yet, but she will have someone!
DojomistressAmbyChan: Yes, hopefully each chapter will thicken the plot a bit more until it all unravels... Yes, many strange people live in Domino, and there's a reason behind that too! The shadow will be revealed later on, it does have importance. Lol, yeah, I really rushed that, but I hope I cleared it up a little bit for you. (I'm not that evil that the parents would come in... though, the thought did come to mind...) Thank you so much! Here's the update!
SoujirouKaorufanatic: Thank you so much, you're words are so kind! Yes, the pairing is very rare, so I love writing this story. Thank you again!
Elwryan Leatherleaf: Thank you, I'm sorry that you had to wait so long! Again, thank you!
moonscout11: Thank you, I'll try!
Bloody Rose90: Thank you, here's the update!
SilentMonkGirl: Thank you so much! I will continue!
LadieAnimeFreek: heh, you can put the really really bighammer down - Thank you, I really love this pairing as well. I hope you enjoy this chappie!
Well, everyone; Read, Enjoy, Review! Ja ne!
