Revised: 24 July, 2005
Title: Behind Cold Blue Eyes
Written by: ChaosMagicianGirl
Edited by: LazerWulf
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi! But I do own two tickets to the Avril Lavigne concert in Amsterdam! (squeals happily)I won them from a contest I entered on www.why-online.nl! Go me!
B/N:
Hey, wow, that was a doozy to edit. There's a lot of changes, starting with the librarian's name. I changed it from Xavier to Stonebagel to avoid the OBVIOUS rip-off of X-Men. Next, I changed the conversation with Takakura, and I gave him more background. Instead of just hearing about Duellist Kingdom, he was actually there, supporting his cousin. And if you can't figure out who his cousin is, well...
Also, the "happy three friends" have been renamed the "Pep Girls". It just flows better, don't you think?
So, be on the lookout for various minor plot changes.
Phila-Del-Phia!
LazerWulf
P.S. All changes have been made with the permission of CMG.
A/N:
Howdy!
I'm back from being away! I guess you readers have been wondering what took me so long to post another chapter, right?
Well, I'm really sorry for the long wait! I'm not going to use any excuses, 'cause I don't really think you care, either way. So, I'll try to keep this as short as possible.
Now for the thankies to the reviewers:
Lilitha Star:
I'm flattered you think I'm good (blushes)I think you're an awesome writer too! Hope you like this chapter!
Blazing Wind:
Of course I know you! (winks) Love your new name, BTW! Here's your update!
Odango Mango:
Glad you like it! Enjoy this chapter!
SetoxSerenity4-ever:
Sorry, but Seto won't appear yet in this chapter. I'll try to get them to meet each other as soon as I can. Meanwhile, I hope the length of this chapter makes up a bit for the long wait...
ThefutureMrs.Kaiba:
You think my story is cool? Why, thank you very much! I love your work too!
VeryShortMidget:
Hmm, I didn't even know I got into detail that much, but thanks, anyway!
Nkitty29:
I updated as soon as I could. Sorry for the long wait!
Thanks to all you guys for reviewing my story! I love you all!
Now, without further ado, on to the story!
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Japanese terms I use in the story:
Aishiteru - I love you
Konichiwa - Hello
Konbonwa - good evening
Ohayo - good morning
Sayonara - Good-bye
Gomen nasai - I beg your pardon?
Ashikarazu - I'm sorry
Arigatou – Thank You
Ja-ne - See you later!
Demo - but
Honto - really
Hai - yes
Iie - no
Kami - God
Onii-chan (Nii-chan) - Brother (term of endearment)
Onei-chan (Nei-chan) - Sister (term of endearment)
Nandemonai - Easy!
Sensei- Teacher (or master)
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Chapter 2: Takakura
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A huge smile settled upon Shizuka's face as she finished reading her brother's letter. She folded it up neatly and put it away in her front pocket.
Her emerald green eyes had lit up and were sparkling with happiness.
I can't believe it! My brother actually got the prize money from Duellist kingdom! Now I can go to Japan, get my eye treatment ,and, most importantly, I can finally see my brother again! Shizuka thought excitedly. I hope mother will be alright with it, that I'm going to go to Japan to move in with Nii-chan. She just has to be...
Suddenly she remembered her brother's last statement, and started to giggle like crazy. The other occupants of the bus became aware of what she was doing and were giving her strange looks.
Putting a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles, Shizuka mentally berated herself for the stupid stunt she had just pulled.
Way to go, girl! Now everybody on the bus probably thinks you're crazy!
The rest of the ride Shizuka tried to keep quiet, drawing as little attention to herself as possible.
Outside, she appeared calm and serene, but she was so happy inside she thought that she would burst.
If the bus didn't stop soon, she was sure that she would start to bounce all over the place.
Finally, after an eternity of five minutes, the bus stopped at Shizuka's desired destination, Twello High school.
She heard the bus doors swish open, which snapped her out of her realm of thoughts.
When she saw that she was at the place she needed to be, she got up from her seat, slung her bag over her shoulder, and made her way off the bus.
Still in a cheerful mood, she checked her wrist-watch, and saw that she only had about ten minutes left till classes started. Quickening her pace, she ran through the entrance doors.
The hallway was already crowded with students happily chatting with each other, taking out books from their lockers or walking off in different directions to get to their first class.
She was soon engulfed in the mob of students and had to push her way through the crowd to get to her own locker at the end of the hallway. When she finally reached it, she opened it and took out the books she would need for her first half of the day: English, Mathematics and Biology.
She zipped open her book bag, and put her books in it. She closed her locker and grabbed her bag of the ground, heading off to her first class: English.
While she was strolling down the hallway, she noticed that it was much less crowded than before. In fact, the whole hallway was almost completely empty now, as most students were in their classrooms by now.
She let out a huge sigh when she checked her wrist-watch once more, her cheerful mood considerably darkening at the prospect of being late.
She was certain that she was never going to make it to her first class in time. Her coming in late would just be another excuse for the "Pep Girls", as she had dubbed them, to make the start of yet another day at her school "wonderful".
Mandy Hawkins, Lizzie Dupree and Katie Holmes were seniors like her, and, because they were cheerleaders, they were considered the most popular at Twello High. Because they were popular, they were considered the authority at this school. Thus, you should remain on their good side.
Unfortunately, Shizuka hadn't known about the "unwritten rules"and, because of that, she had already made her first enemy: Mandy Hawkins, cheerleader captain and most popular girl at school.
On her first day, she somehow managed to impress the captain of the football team. That didn't sit well with Mandy, as she was trying for months to get him to go out with her, but, somehow, the guy wouldn't notice her.
When she found out how easily Shizuka had the guy wrapped around her finger, without doing anything, she vowed to make Shizuka's life a living nightmare.
To make matters worse, later that day, she tripped, lost her balance, and spilled her lunch on the clothes of Lizzie Dupree and Katie Holmes. After that, the three girls decided to join forces against her.
She was also an easy bully target, because she was rather quiet and somewhat insecure. Every day she tried to ignore them. But it was difficult and after all this time, they still persisted. Shizuka didn't want to let them get to her, but it proved to be harder than she had at first thought.
Bullying Shizuka Kawai was always high on their priority list. They would never pass up a chance to show her that they were superior, or to completely humiliate her in front of others.
They would always figure out a way to make her school life miserable, be it by talking behind her back, spreading lies and rumours about her. Or just by being outright mean to her.
Her mood brightened a little again at the prospect of going to Japan to go live with her brother. When she moved to Japan, she would never have to see the "Pep Girls" again.
Her high heels made clicking sounds on the tiled floor. The whole hall way was empty, which made her footsteps echo against the walls.
Finally, she reached her classroom.
Standing in front of the door, she hesitated to go in, but knew that waiting would just make it worse. She couldn't avoid them anyway, so she would just have to put up with them.
Taking in a large gulp of air, she mentally prepared herself for facing the day ahead of her, starting with what lay beyond that door.
She put her hand up and gave a few taps on the door, waiting for her teacher to reply. After a few moments the voice of her teacher could be heard from inside the classroom.
"You may enter."
As Shizuka walked into the room, the eyes of 15 of her peers fell on her, distracted, for the moment, from the new kid in front of the class.
"I guess he must be a new student." She thought to herself, while taking in his appearance.
He was quite tall, about 6' 4", had ebony coloured hair, tan complexion, and bright ocean-blue eyes.
He wore tight, black, leather pants, a blue, sleeveless shirt with the text "dawn of the dead" printed on it, some chains and buckles on his arms and a choker around his neck, with black boots to finish his ensemble.
He was extremely handsome to boot, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the class.
Her point was proven when she stared from the corner of her eyes at the "Pep Girls", who were already swooning over the new boy. She mentally rolled her eyes at the sight, before she was snapped back into the real world and her teacher's voice spoke up.
"Well, good morning, Miss Kawai. I see you decided to join the lesson. Do you have a valid reason for being late?" her teacher Mr. Perkamentus asked her, with a tiny hint of a smile on his face. "This is the first time you're late, so I assume you must have a reason for it?"
Mr. Perkamentus was by far Shizuka's favorite teacher. He was still pretty young, about 25, had dark-brown hair and honey-brown eyes.
He was originally from the Netherlands, where he was born and raised, until he moved to America. He also had a foreign accent, which made his English sound rather weird. The first time she had met him, during her first English class, she had a mental laughing fit, when she heard him speak for the first time. It was just so funny! He sounded like one of those English butlers with a heavy British accent.
She quickly tried to come up with a good excuse, for why she was late. But the fact was, she couldn't think of any.
Argh! Why can't I think of something?
When she noticed that she had been quiet for quite some time, and hadn't responded to her teacher's question yet, she saw that the entire class was looking intently at her, waiting for her answer.
The "Pep Girls" started to giggle, and some of her classmates were giving her weird faces.
Without thinking, she just blurted out the first excuse that entered her mind.
"I... I... missed the bus, sir," she spurted out, and turning beet-red, once she figured how lame, and false, her excuse was.
What her teacher said next didn't exactly help things, it only made things worse.
"That is most surprising, if I do say so myself. I would never have thought of you as the 'tardy' type," he said, putting emphasis on the word tardy.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his honey-brown eyes twinkled with amusement.
Shizuka's face turned as red as a tomato at her sensei's statement. That is, if her face could even turn a brighter shade of red than it was already.
She didn't know what to say back, there was nothing she could say back anyway. Her teacher just told the plain and simple truth. She was in fact "tardy", at least, today she had been.
Her teacher sensed her discomfort. He didn't really mean to embarrass her like that.
"Seeing as it is the first time you're late, I will let it slip...this once," he spoke up again.
Shizuka released a sigh of relief, when he had said that. He might be her favourite teacher, but he was also very strict.
Kami, thank you! I don't have to spend an afternoon in detention, like I thought I would have to, she thought happily to herself.
"Um, you may take your seat now, Miss Kawai," her teacher said, referring to the fact that she was just standing there, doing nothing.
"Oh...Right!" Shizuka replied sheepishly, coming to herself again.
She walked over to her seat, a slight trace of pink still tinting her cheeks.
When she sat down on her seat, a voice from behind her spoke up.
"Teacher's pet!"
It was unmistakably Mandy's voice.
Shizuka rolled her eyes, getting aggravated at her statement, and annoyed that she had made such a fool of herself today.
Mentally sighing, she put her head on her desk, and continued sulking, while tuning out the annoying fits of laughter from the girls behind her, and listening to her sensei who continued with what he had been doing, before she came in and interrupted the lesson.
"Now then...Where was I?" her teacher started "Oh, yes...Class, today we have a new face in our midst. This is Takakura Tsunami, and he's an exchange student from Japan. He has come to America, to spend his final and senior year here to learn more about our culture, and might I add, to further polish his English skills, or so he has told me," Mr. Perkamentus finished, turning around to face the boy standing next to him, giving him a smile.
The boy named Takakura smiled right back at him and faced the class, speaking for the first time, since he entered the classroom.
"Konichiwa," he greeted them in Japanese, a heavy foreign accent accompanying his smooth and deep voice.
Shizuka was surprised to say the least, after her teacher introduced the boy, finding out that he was of Japanese origin.
She was silently contemplating this newly acquired information to herself when she suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up to find the boy's gaze meet her own.
Is he smiling at me? Shizuka wondered.
And sure enough he was.
Shizuka, startled, dropped the pencil she was holding, and it fell with a clunk on the ground beneath her.
A light blush appeared on her face. She wasn't the only one to notice however, as in a seat behind her, Mandy was seething once she noticed that the boy she had set her sights on was checking out Shizuka.
Just you wait, little bitch! That boy is mine! And mine alone, you hear me? she silently fumed inside herself.
Shizuka dove down under her table to retrieve her fallen pencil, and to hide her embarrassment.
When she came up again the new boy had already finished his brief introduction, and was facing the opposite direction, no longer staring at her.
A bit relieved she settled back into her seat.
Boy, his stare is really unnerving. And why did I blush? I don't like him or something, do I? Well, he is handsome, but… She trailed off after the last part, blushing once again. She mentally scolded herself. Sheesh, get a hold of yourself, girl! He's just a boy, nothing more.
She heaved a huge sigh, giving up the mental battle against herself. She couldn't win anyway.
She took up her pencil from her desk again, and began to twirl it between her fingers absentmindedly. She wasn't paying attention when her teacher spoke again.
"There's an empty seat next to Miss Kawai. You may take that seat."
Takakura walked over towards Shizuka, and took the empty seat next to her.
Shizuka, still in daydream land for the moment, didn't notice him, until she heard his deep voice speak out to her. "Hi. What's your name?" Takakura asked her.
The sound of his voice made Shizuka whip her head around immediately to locate the source of the voice. When she found it, she blushed scarlet.
"Umm... hi," Shizuka managed to choke out, casting her eyes downward, too shy to meet his penetrating azure gaze focused on her. Realizing that she didn't tell him her name, blurted out soon after that, "My name is... is Shizuka."
She could literally smack herself on the head for how lame she introduced herself to him.
He probably thinks I'm some love-sick little schoolgirl. What a first impression! Shizuka berated herself mentally.
Mandy felt like vomiting, literally. Oh, please, it was so obvious she was hitting on him. She was playing the part of Misses Shy really well. Disgusting bitch…I can see through your façade as easily as I can see how fake you really are…..
"Shizuka? Isn't that a Japanese name? Are you from Japan originally?" Takakura questioned her.
Shizuka, snapping out of her stupor, met his gaze once again. Finally she managed to say a sentence without stuttering and stumbling over her own words like an idiot.
"Yes, it is," Shizuka confirmed his question. "I was born in Japan, but I moved with my mother to America when I was about six. I really hated it here at first, 'cause I really felt out of place here. Everything was so different from what I was used to. But, after a few years, I got used to living here. I really miss my Onii-chan, though, who still lives in Japan, with my father. I haven't seen him for years now..." She trailed of. Bad memories came back to her, ones she didn't want to remember. "I'm sorry; I don't know why I even told you this. I just got to know you. No offence, but this subject is rather painful for me, I must admit."
Oh, boohooh! Shut up already, will you? It's not like any of us want to know about the "tragic soap opera" that is your life. But, seeing how interested in Shizuka Takakura seemed to be, made Mandy's blood boil.
"I understand. You don't have to tell me. Maybe I shouldn't have asked," Takakura apologized to her.
"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."
Why can't he see right through her sugary sweet attitude. Just how dense is he? Mandy fumed.
"Okay...," Takakura replied. Before he could say anything else, he was interrupted by the teacher, Mr. Perkamentus, who rapped his hand a few times on the blackboard to get their attention.
"If you two could please postpone your chat, 'til after this class, and focus your attention on the lesson from now on," he requested the both of them, with a tiny hint of a smile on his face. "There's enough time for you two to get to know each other, LATER," he finished.
Takakura and Shizuka both giggled, while looking at each other. Sitting in the seat behind them, Mandy seethed, eyes narrowed, and gritting her teeth.
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3 hours later, lunch break, Twello High, 12 AM.
Shizuka and Takakura were walking down the hall, talking animatedly with each other.
Shizuka was glad to have met him. Even though she had only known him a few hours, she had already found out that they had much in common. Not just their Japanese origin, they had similar interests, so they could relate to one another.
They hadn't stopped talking since their first class. It was surprising that they hadn't run out of topics to chat over with one another. She had gotten over her shyness pretty quickly, and figured she didn't have a crush on him, as she had first thought.
It was just the spur of the moment, and she couldn't be blamed. Takakura was a good looking boy. It wasn't just noticed by her, but half the population of school.
What annoyed her the most, though, was that Mandy was obviously interested in him.
During the rest of their classes, she was trying to get his attention the entire time. What was most amusing, though, was the fact that Takakura clearly wasn't interested in her.
HAH! Take that, "Miss Perfect"!
Right now, she was telling him about her brother who lived in Japan.
"So, he's also a duelist, like me?" Takakura asked her.
"Yup!" Shizuka smiled while beaming at him. "He also participated in Duellist Kingdom. He came in second, after Yugi Motou," she continued.
What Shizuka said last earned her a wide-eyed stare from Takakura.
"You mean to tell me, that you're Katsuya Jonouchi's sister?" he exclaimed, amazed at her statement.
"Uh, yes... What's so strange about that?" Shizuka was a bit baffled by his strange reply, and raised a questioning slender eye-brow.
"My cousin, Kayiki, and I were in that tournament. Kayiki actually duelled Yugi, and I had the privilege of seeing your brother defeat Ryuusaki, who was ranked second in all of Japan."
"Really?" Shizuka retorted. "I just received a letter from him this morning, telling me that he won second place, and he received the prize money from his best friend Yugi. But other than that, he didn't tell me anything."
"Oh, well, it isn't that surprising. The tournament ended last weekend, so the news of the winners of the tournament, should take at least till today to become known in America. I was booted off the island pretty quickly, so I was lucky to catch the results before I had to board my plane to leave for America. When the creator of Duel Monsters holds a tournament, the winners are bound to show up in the news. They interviewed Yugi, the champion, and Jonouchi always hung around him, so you might get a chance to see him on TV! It should be airing soon, so check the TV guide."
Shizuka smiled up at him.
"Wow, really? I can't wait to see my brother! Sure, he occasionally sends me pictures of him and his friends, but this will be so much better! And it will be even better, when I go to Japan to see him!" Shizuka exclaimed enthusiastically, mood brightening even more, when she thought about finally seeing him again.
"What do you mean?" Takakura looked at her with a confused expression on his face, not really knowing what she was talking about.
"Oh, sorry! I guess I forgot to tell you that part of the story, huh?" said Shizuka, feeling a bit dumb, since she hadn't told him about this yet. "Well, it's a long story, actually..."
"Go on, I have the time! Lunch won't be over for another hour, anyway," He grinned at her, encouraging her to continue.
"No offence, but I don't know if I'm ready to tell that, yet..." Shizuka trailed off at the end, her mood considerably darkening at this point.
Takakura, sensing her change of mood, from happy to depressed, put a comforting hand on her shoulder while saying: "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. If you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine with me. I take it there are bad memories?"
"No, I'm sorry, Takakura. You don't have anything to do with it, nor is it your fault. It has something to do with me and my history. I'm actually the main reason he participated in the Duellist Kingdom tournament," said Shizuka, flashing him a weak, apologetic smile.
"Oh, I never would have thought... Your brother is a courageous and superb duellist, though. I really admire him. He plays with such a passion, such a fire; I don't know how to say it."
"Yes, he's one great individual, my Onii-chan. He would do anything for me, and I for him. I'll always be there for him, like he's there for me. If they mess with my brother, they're messing with me!" At the last sentence, her voice was as sharp as a venomous razor, and risen slightly in volume.
Takakura, a bit taken aback at Shizuka's tone of voice, also winced at the hard sound, rubbing his thrumming ears.
"Woo! I get it, Shizuka! He's really important to you," Takakura finished, slightly backing away from his fiery new friend, before she "burned" him.
Shizuka blushed a little, after she found, that she had been a little too enthusiastic.
"Heheh... Gomen, I didn't mean to appear that brash or abrupt." Sighing, she continued. "I... He just means the world to me, you know? I don't know where I'd be without him, even if there are a few continents between us."
"I understand. I'm like that with my cousin. Ever since my uncle, his father, disappeared, he moved in with me and my parents, and he's been like an older brother to me."
"Arigatou, Takakura," Shizuka uttered quietly.
"Hey, you know what? Let's go get something to eat! What do you think about that?" Takakura proposed, grinning at her, trying to lighten the mood.
Shizuka grinned right back. She knew what he was trying to do, and she thanked him for it. She didn't really want to continue talking about said subject anymore. Not if she could avoid it.
"Sure! Why not?" she heartily agreed.
When they reached the cafeteria though, a thought hit Shizuka.
Kami! How could I forget? I wanted to check my email, to see if Katsuya or one of his friends sent me anything!
She turned to Takakura, and said: "Hey, Takakura. Do you mind if I go to the library first? I have something I need to take care of first."
"That's okay," said Takakura. "I'll join you there later, okay?"
"Alright. See you there!" Shizuka said last, walking off into the opposite direction of the school cafeteria.
Takakura waved her goodbye, before entering the cafeteria lunchroom.
Shizuka waved back once, before turning around and making her way to the school library. She had to trudge up a few stairs before she reached her destination.
When she entered the library, she saw that it was practically empty and devoid of any students.
The librarian, Mr. Stonebagel, greeted her.
"Good day, Shizuka! How are you today?"
"Hey, Charles! I'm fine. How are you doing?"
"Fine as always," he answered, smiling.
Shizuka was a regular client here, so she and the librarian were on a first name basis.
"Did you come here to get some new books to read?" he enquired.
She was a real bookworm and loved to read, she had to admit that, but that wasn't what she came here for.
"Nope, not today! I just came here to get access to the World Wide Web."
"Well, feel free to use the computer as you desire, my lady," he jokingly put on a mock chivalrous tone.
"Thanks, Charles," she winked at him, while sitting down in her usual spot.
She went to her e-mail inbox and saw that she had about ten new e-mails. They were mostly junk, but one was from her brother, another was from her Dutch pen pal Iris, and two were from her brother's friends: Honda Hiroto and Anzu Mazaki. She sighed when she read over Honda's name.
I SO hope it isn't another one of those mushy emails, she silently prayed to herself.
Honda had a tendency to get carried away with his emotions. He hadn't even seen her, and he was already professing his undying love to her!
Hesitating for a few seconds, with the cursor of the mouse hovering above his name, she hastily clicked on her brother's email instead.
Just as his email loaded in the view screen, she was scared out of her wits when a voice behind her snapped at her with ice like venom laced onto every word it spoke.
"I think it's time to let you know who gives the orders around here. I've tolerated your antics long enough, Japanese Bitch!"
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A/N:
Wow! This took me a long time to write! I'm sorry that I didn't update last week, like I promised, but I realized, that this chapter took me a lot longer to write, then I'd first expected!
Anyway, if anyone is still reading my story, please review! Pretty please:does puppy dog eyes:
One last note...
Please don't flame me for eventual mistakes, be it in the grammar or spelling department or with anything really. Of course constructive criticism is welcomed, as it helps develop my writing skills!
ChaosMagicianGirl, signing out!
B/N:
In case you're still wondering, Kayiki is the Japanese name of Mako Tsunami. And if there are still grammatical mistakes, I'm sorry. I can't catch 'em all. (I guess I'll never be a Pokemon Master --;;)
LW
CMG: "Uhm, LW? What does Pokemon Master have to do with the whole thing?" : scratches head: "I mean, we are talking about grammatical errors here, not pokemon errors, lolz!" : sniggers: "Oh, well, never mind! I'll just base it on you having one of your more weirder moods…….."
: bounces away from the scene, having a mental laughing fit:
CMG, signing out