Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, Kazuki Takahashi owns it, blah, blah, blah, don't go suing me cause I don't even own a single cent. Honestly.
Hiya there!!! I'm back for the 9th chapter of this series!! Oh my God…It's finally about to be reaching double-digits!!! Yippie!! * Cough, cough * But that's not the matter, so thank you all for your reviews and for still standing by me even when this fic hit a rut in the road. * Sniffs * I think I'm getting teary…BUT PLEASE READ, ENJOY, AND REVIEW!!! Or better yet, abbreviate that to R+E+R!!! Now, I just sound embarrassingly corny…
Note (revised):
Anzu Mazaki = Tea Gardner
Katsuya Jounouchi (referred to as Jounouchi but called by first name by sister) = Joey Wheeler
Hiroto Honda (referred to as Honda) = Tristan Taylor
Shizuka Jounouchi (in actuality, her real last name is Kawai since her parents divorced, but I kept it as Jounouchi)= Serenity Wheeler
't' thoughts
"t" talking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ transition to next viewpoint
italics flashback/reading
My answers to my faithful reviewers!!
teafan123 = Well, if you read the fourth chappie, there was mention of snooping janitors when Jounouchi was putting the letter into Anzu's locker/cubby. And the reason Seto refers to Anzu as his sister is that since they're so close, they're like brothers and sisters. And yes, she knows she's not the Kaibas' actual sister. Your review gratifies me, though!!
Lady Light = Hmm, it would had been more funnier if I did make Seto faint at Mr. Ado's confession…Thanks for the suggestion!!
Umiko Morimoto = You'll see, Umiko…That is why there's a ninth chappie!! To continue things!! (Gawd, I sound retarded right there…)
Lynderia = As always, thanks for your constructive reviews! Won't be here without ya and many others!
Krazi = You really think this story is fun to read and you need your daily dose of it?? * faints at the compliment *
Animegurl = No, you didn't go overboard with the compliment. Like the name!!
dragonking = Well, Mai's not going to be in this story as far as I can tell (but she's gonna be in my next one "Rose Paradise"), and I'm sorry that there's too much Jou/Anzu for you to bear. Stay tuned, though, it won't be like this for long!
Angelic Tears = Arigato for your long review!! And yes, Seto's not really earning much points on her favorite persons list -_-; But it can all change in just a few chapters!! (I'm too hyper, aren't I?)
SilverStarz424, The Merciless Torturer, Card-Master, deity of death1, and einstein ami = And now, here comes the ninth chapter!!!
Hi, That's Not My Sister
Chapter Nine
In the Limousine
'What's wrong with Seto? I know we'd just have a fight, but he doesn't usually act like this afterwards…'
Staring at the man that was Seto Kaiba in full navy-blue school uniform garb, never ceasing to keep his eyes from going anywhere else other than the limousine's window, creases of worry showed slightly on Anzu's face- did she really say something wrong back there in school? If so, why wouldn't the ever-sarcastic Kaiba speak up by now?
"Seto…Is there something wrong?"
For a split second, the brunette had thought he had turned his head around to look at her, eyes fringed with anger- but it was simply only a hallucination as those sapphire eyes were soon back at the window, doing nothing but taking in the scene of trees and building blurring by- or so Anzu thought. A collective sigh only appeared from the CEO's lips, providing not a single answer, but that he was pondering something that didn't concern the girl's interruptions to grasp his attention.
"Iie, Anzu."
How long did he have to repeat Mr. Ado's revelation over and over again in his mind? That Anzu sitting across from him by the other window indeed had an admirer chasing after her- well, not exactly- in the likes of Katsuya Jounouchi? His sworn enemy that he would had crushed ages ago, if not for the blond being one of Anzu's best friends. Seto may not know the depth of Jounouchi's liking for the teen, but he was absolute on the decision not to tell Anzu. Until he dealt with the very person of this problem first.
"You're sure about that?"
"Yes…I'm sure." Though Seto was more or less really saying it to himself than to Anzu.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kame Game Shop
"You really shouldn't avoid Anzu at a point like this, you know…She'll only get more suspicious. Do you really want that, Jounouchi?"
After a day of evading Anzu, Jounouchi had ran to the Kame Game Shop, desperate to talk his situation out with the others- a.k.a. Ryou, Honda, and lastly, Yuugi, who was half tending the shop, half listening to the blond pour his heart out. Upon hearing Ryou's statement, Jounouchi had amply whacked himself in the head, having not really thought about the potential consequences stemming from his reckless actions. It was really quite rare that the pale friend was there, as he was supposed to be doing the neighbors' laundry at this time for a tip of fifty cents per load, but he had taken the day off to help out around the Kame Game Shop. (Yes, again with Ryou's obsession with laundry)
"Of course not, Ryou!! That stupid letter that I sent her was only supposed to help me get some of the burden of really telling her off my chest! So when I'm really ready, I don't have to go into so much mushy stuff."
"And don't you know that those kind of letters are to clue people in, too?? How much of an brain you have to have to realize that?? Even I wasn't like this with Ribon-chan!!" (Ribon-chan's Miho Nozaka from season zero- she was called that because of the yellow ribbon she wears in her hair)
Furiously shaking Jounouchi, perhaps to drive some common sense in the blond's rather thick skull, a whole fiasco followed ending with Ryou holding back Honda, and Yuugi nursing his friend's aching head brought in from the force Honda shook him at.
"Look, you guys, this is not going to help Jounouchi at all if you just keep on banging sense into his head. He can't help it if he makes mistakes. But Jounouchi, have you ever thought that there may be people going after Anzu too?" Letting go of him, Yuugi let his words slowly consume Jounouchi's train of thought- what if there was competition? He had certainly never thought of that, before.
"Yuugi's right, Jounouchi. If you just wait until the moment is right to tell Anzu how you really feel towards her, somebody else might had already taken her by that time. It's not everyday you find a gutsy, yet nice attractive girl. She will pound the hell out of you, but she'll say sorry after. Anzu's not going to be single forever."
Seating himself on the floor- the store was rather too small and cramp to allow more than one chair in the free space allotted as customers had to go in also and Ryou occupied the chair- Honda peered at Jounouchi for any reaction to his quasi-speech. So far, nothing at all.
"…I did saw Tanaka make eyes at her one time…But Kaiba threatened him after school, before I could."
As the trio behind Jounouchi sweatdropped at the utterly useless comment, it was a relief to know that Jounouchi was warming to the theory- maybe he would gain some more reasoning in the process. But then there was someone else that wouldn't allow for that to happen without a few broken bones and black eyes springing up along the way…
"But Jounouchi, if you decide to tell Anzu your feelings, what about Kaiba?? Wouldn't he do this-" Ryou signaled a swift slash across the throat with one of his fingers "-to you? He's not exactly the most friendliest person in the world and if you and Anzu, well…"
"He may be younger than you by a couple of months (Jounouchi's born on January 25, while Kaiba's born on October 25, exactly 9 months apart), but he's freaking six feet one something, a better duelist than you, richer than you- need I say more?"
Turning his head around to inspect his friends, all of varying heights, appearances and personalities, ranging from Yuugi's tri-colored hair that spiked up without the use of hair gel, Ryou's country-club sweaters, and Honda's flirtatious ways, Jounouchi had the sudden urge to pound Honda and Ryou in for encouraging him to confess to Anzu, then out of the blue telling him to call the idea off. How helpful was that?
"Honda, Ryou- did ya had to do that, do you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaibas' Mansion
"Seto, I brought you some cream puffs me and Mokuba just baked- Seto?"
Missing was Seto's form hunched over his laptop, busily typing away work, instead replaced with an eerie silence, nowhere to be seen. Sure, Anzu had told Seto many times not to strain his eyes working so much, and he'd very seldom heeded the brunette's request- after she groveled to an extent, that was.
But today was exceptional. The girl didn't even said a single thing to the CEO after getting out of the limousine, past the gates, the lavish gardens and fountains surrounding the estate, the security sensors, and into the mansion, for fear of knocking him off his reverie that had settled into Kaiba, just after the end of school.
Placing the tray of succulent cream puffs- Mokuba's favorite- onto Seto's desk, where work was usually done if he wasn't out at the moment, Anzu snooped around the home office slash bedroom, noticing that the Prussian velvet curtains that were drawn over the wall-to-wall windows were in need of dusting. Bookshelves covered the expanse of one wall, filled to the brim with books on all sorts of subjects and genres. On the other side of the room contained Seto's king-size bed, rarely slept in, and his body slumped over it??
'He's sleeping?!'
Pondering the latest discovery, the brunette made a perfect perch for herself right at the end of the bed. It wasn't like Kaiba to abandon work in the middle of the day and go right to sleeping…But then again, the teenager hadn't been himself ever since he left Domino High, shoulders sagging, an unusual contemplative look shrouding his sapphire eyes.
Sighing, Anzu drawn the blankets to cover to his haggard state, a faint smile breaking out among the worry and despair- Seto was as serene as his personality can let on, face nearly seeming innocent if the girl just stared a little while longer.
Seeming.
During the days when Gozaburo terrorized the Kaiba mansion, Seto's telltale laughter, smile, whatever that will indicate any sign of happiness, lessened and lessened with each beating and insult from Gozaburo. Soon, it was all frowns and smugness- just as the world gave Seto innocence, it took it away- gradually, over time.
'At least this is the closest I'll ever get to see Seto like his old self again.' Pressing a finger softly against his right cheek, Anzu laid a kiss on his forehead- just what Seto used to do to her when the wretched man was still here, slashing his legs and arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Domino Park, Five Years Ago
"Yay!! Push me more, Seto!! Higher!!"
Heeding Anzu's requests, Seto launched a terrific push on Anzu's swing, sending the fifth grader higher into the air, delirium overwhelming every part of her little body. A late summer sunset streaked the sky in flecks of orange and tints of red, setting the tone for what was to be Anzu's birthday of August 18, making her ten years old today.
Excitement eventually subsiding, Anzu skipped over to a nearby bench, where sitting and resting one's feet became an important priority to her, with Seto trailing behind her rather shyly. As the boy wasn't as hyperactive as some other kids would had liked him to be, he tended to get less tired than Anzu, who ran around constantly, knee-length skirt flapping just behind her legs.
"This is the best birthday ever, Seto!! I haven't play in Domino Park for so long!! Everything here is wishing me a warm welcome back." Letting the slight breeze play with her strands of dark auburn hair, Seto prided himself to sit next to Anzu, his already bulging shorts pocket about to rip at the seams. Fortunately for Seto, Anzu didn't quite notice his dilemma- the brunette's ability to be oblivious and inattentive to an extent, was always something that drove the boy crazy, but in this case, it was quite a godsend.
"But Nee-san, while you may be older than me right now, remember, my birthday's coming up in two more months."
"Oh yeah!! The 25th of October!! How could I almost forget!? I guess I'm too caught up into today to remember a lot of things!"
"And that's why you're Anzu...Always trying to be cheerful and upbeat even when the situation's sad." Reaching into his pocket to take out the thing that had been burdening his pants all day, Anzu could only muse as to what exactly Seto was going to present her. The two didn't have much money themselves- as a rule, Gozaburo didn't allow allowances, believing they would spoil them. Besides, he was a cheap, greedy fool, who gave below minimum wage to his employees, expecting them to do a week's work in one day.
A box was finally acquired from his pocket, and as Seto nimbly opened it, an amethyst broach with tiny diamonds fringing the stone, laid on a patch of thick cotton for Anzu to admire in awe.
"This is for you, Anzu. Happy birthday."
"Where-Where did you get that, Seto??" Following awe was well-pronounced shock, as the brunette meekly reached out to touch it, afraid to break it if she just took it out normally. After all, it wasn't like Seto to be giving her diamonds and gemstones for every one of her birthdays.
"It was Mother's…Before she died giving birth to Mokuba. She loved it a lot. I want you to have it."
"But it means so much to you!! I don't care if I don't get any present as long as you keep it. Your Okaasan is too special to give this to me! And what about if I dropped the broach in the gutter or something??"
Releasing the tiny needle from the back of the broach, Seto proceeded to pin it on Anzu- which he promptly did, leaving the girl in even more confusion and bafflement.
"There, it looks nice on you, doesn't it? Now, let's go home, Anzu."
"But-"
"We're going home."
Taking the first few steps out of the swing area, leaving Anzu momentarily to confront her own thoughts about the events that had just taken place, she looked down on the broach that was pinned onto her chest, a melancholy expression overtaking her aquamarine eyes.
'Don't you want to keep memories of your mom, Seto?…'
TBC
A/N: Aiya!! After a month, I rebound with this weird-sounding chapter!!! AH!!! The world is ending before my very eyes!!! How horrible!! Yes, school have started for me again, and last week (which was the third week of school), we finally got lockers!! No more lugging my backpack everywhere I go, and accidentally tripping people with it!!! But I hate my new Language Arts teacher like hell!!! He gave me a C+ just for putting quotation marks in dialogue format- and he said to do it in the first place!! And he gave somebody else a C+ just for getting the date wrong!! o_0; What a weirdo…
Anyway, I have been thinking of writing a new fanfic. But I don't want it to go in the direction as Nagareboshi and Color My World. So, I put up a summary and a brief excerpt of it here!!! If you like, I'll make it into a fic!! If you don't like, then I'll X the idea. Sounds fair?
Rose Paradise Summary:
Can this be!!? Anzu's grandmother just died, and now Anzu has to live with her rich mother and her three children, Mai, Seto and Katsuya from her previous marriages!! (They're all half brothers and sister, basically -_-;) And Anzu's has a crush on one of the brothers, Seto?? To make things worse, Jounouchi likes him too! And then there's Seto dead fiancée, Shizuka Kawai, which he still misses after two years…Will sweet Anzu ever find love among this zoo?? Find out in Rose Paradise!!! (God, I am so corny…)
Excerpt from Rose Paradise:
"Look here, Imouto-san!! He's mine!! If you're going to live here, you have to learn that!! You cannot seduce him, you cannot be near him, and you will not be in my way!! Got that!?" Staring down the 5'5 girl with vengeance in his throat, Jounouchi drew his bathrobe- decorated ridiculously with tons of ruffles and frills- closer to his body. Anzu obviously was going to be one of those leechy type of women, sticking close to his man, whispering lovey-dovey things to Seto…he wouldn't tolerate it a bit!!!
"What makes you think I'll be that way?? Even if I do like him, and I don't, really- what makes you think I'm going to go prey on Seto-kun!!?"
Sticking a finger in the middle of her cerulean eyes, Jounouchi let a growl emit from his throat; a sweatdrop rolled down Anzu's forehead, thinking how much of a dog the blond sounded like right now.
"You…You…I cannot stand you!!" Storming past her, grabbing a few bags of chips from the counter along the way, Anzu could only dare mutter one thing in the silence that now surrounded her.
"So weird…"
This scene is expected to take part in the first or second chapter- well, it really depends if I'm gonna write it. The story also features Jou/Seto/Anzu (^_^; funny how they're fighting for Seto), then Jou/Anzu/Seto later on, as well as Mai/Honda (don't really support them, though…) and Seto/Shizuka look-alike (don't worry, they won't end up together). If you think the story line sounds familiar, I based this fic on the Taiwan series The Rose, which based The Rose on some Japanese comic that I can't find the name of…
JA NE, FOR NOW!!!
~ ~ * Shinaka * ~ ~