Title: Behind Cold Blue Eyes

Written by: ChaosMagicianGirl

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the anime/ manga Yu- Gi-Oh.

A/N:

Konichiwa!

It's been such a long time since I last updated this story!

But, as I promised, no matter how long it takes me to update, I will not give up on this story! And none of my stories for that matter. Now, first the thankies of the readers and then on to the story!

CMG

!Thankies reviewers!

Princess Yunariana:

Thanks for the nice compliment and sorry it took me so long to update!

setoxserenity-4ever:

Yup, another cliff-hanger it was. I LOVE cliffy's!(stupid grin). If you read the second chapter carefully, you would have noticed the little hint I gave about Shizuka's feelings towards Takakura. But, to lift the suspense...No, they're not going to fall in love. Aren't you glad?

nkitty29:

Not really a soon update. But I updated!

LazerWulf:

OO! Well, the readability of my fic would be your apartment. But, yeah, I understand that this wouldn't get a perfect grade when turned in to an English teacher. But, then again, it's not my mother language, so I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. I'll send you the document of this ficcie by email tonight, so you can beta-read it.

(Gives LazerWulf a red pen for him to mark up all the nitpicks he sees in this chapter)

Lilitha-Star:

You think my story is cool? Why, thank you! And, as for your question, check the above written. And I agree, Seto is MUCH better for her. (winks)

Ileana DuBaer

:blushes madly: Thanks, heheh. I considered your advice when I was writing this chapter and I hope it has improved!

VeryShortMidget

WOOHOO! I got meself a fan:: smiles:

Light Child of the Dark

I really liked reading your review! It really made me feel special and wanted! So, mucho thankies!

Naziko-chan

Sure! I'll check out your chapters, as soon as I can find time. I would have done it sooner, but we've had problems with internet for months in a row. So, yeah, sorry for the late reply. But, better late than never, right?

Essenity

Here's more stuff for you to read ( finally) :Gives her a bag of popcorn and a soda:

RiterAnonymous

I totally agree with you! They really are annoying. I think you're going to like this chapter, though :wink: As for your question...:points to above written:

egyptianprincess1691

Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you took my yami's advice. But she's such a dork. :sighs heavily: Oh, well, she isn't here now. So, again thanks, and I thank you for keeping on with writing!

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Chapter three: My bark is worse than my bite!

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With her pounding heartbeat drumming in her ears, since she was scared senseless just a few moments before, she risked a glance behind her, to see who the heck scared the living daylights out of her. What she found didn't surprise her at all. She should have known that this unpleasant voice that spoke to her could only belong to one person; Mandy.

Now, Shizuka, normally never paid much attention to Mandy, especially not her appearance that is. She was most of the time busy ignoring Mandy and her army of "loyal followers" or trying hard to avoid them. Because Mandy never passed up a chance to make Shizuka feel like a total loser. Oh, how she hated that girl. Hopefully, soon, she never had to see her or the other girls again.

Oh, life would be so sweet once she moved in with her brother Katsuya who lived in Japan. Well, okay, that is, if she was allowed to go to Japan. She would have a hard time convincing her mother about the fact that one: she could take care of herself. She wasn't a little girl anymore. And two: Get it trough her mom's head that she wanted to go live in Japan with her brother. And believe it or not, that would be the hardest task. To get permission from her mother to go.

Her mother and Katsuya had never been on good terms, ever since the incident ten years ago. Events, she would rather forget. Nevertheless, her brother still held a grudge against their mother for taking his sister away from him. Her mother wasn't too fond of Katsuya either. They haven't had much contact since that faithful day ten years ago. Her mother was still bitter over the events that had transpired. And because Katsuya had lived with her dad all these years, her mother didn't think too highly about him. She thought her son took after their father way too much. Of course, Shizuka knew that was far from the truth. Her and her mother often argued about this fact.

She was also still angry at her mother, that for ten long years, her mother had not considered her brother as her real son. Yes, to convince her mother to let her go would prove a most difficult task indeed. Still, she hoped that the fact that their was a chance for her to see properly again, would be enough reason for her mother to let her go. Oh, the joy if she could leave this place. She had never liked it much in America. She didn't feel at home here. She felt she didn't belong here, never had. For years she had longed to return to Japan; her homeland. And now that the opportunity to return presented itself she would not let it slip out of her grasp. Especially if it meant leaving certain people behind that she despised.

As soon as Shizuka had laid her eyes on Mandy, her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. It was as if she took in Mandy's appearance for the first time.

" How….how the heck can anyone wear something like that?" was Shizuka's first thought.

There Mandy stood, hands on her hips, her eyes filled with loathing while she glared at Shizuka with an " I'm the queen of the world" and you made a mistake by pissing me off look plastered on her face. But, what caught Shizuka's interest was something else. In this case, Mandy's outfit.

She was wearing a light pink miniskirt, and in this case really mini, a fuchsia pink shirt with a low V-neckline, which was showing way too much cleavage in Shizuka's opinion, and a white pinkish blouse. On her feet she wore blinding pink, high-heeled pumps. Accessories that went along with the outfit were a silver necklace with a pink heart dangling from it and, ugh…, PINK earrings!

Shizuka cringed mentally as she was done assessing " Pink Ladie" her outfit. She turned her head, as not to look at the disgusting sight that was in front of her anymore. She had the sudden urge to throw up.

'Oh my god!……. Can you say fashion disaster? Or rather spell S.L.U.T in big bold letters? How preppy can you get? UGH!'

But when she thought the worst part was over, she noticed the last choice of clothing attire on Mandy's neck.

'Dear Kami! Is…is…..that……a…. pink…. A PINK BOA!'

As soon as that particular fact had gotten trough to her, she started to laugh uncontrollably.

Until this particular moment in time, Shizuka had tried to keep up a cool indifferent demeanour. When she saw the pink boa however her façade went out the door as fast as it had come. Shizuka continues to laugh hard, almost choking from lack of oxygen, her head turning beet-red.

Mandy, who was baffled at Shizuka's sudden mood swing, was standing there, perplexed, frozen at the spot she was standing on. After a few moments however Mandy noticed that Shizuka was laughing at her. After that conclusion she got extremely angry.

"What the hell is so funny, Japanese Bitch?" she demanded to know, her tone of voice resembling the hissing of a venomous snake. Her cheeks adorned a faint blush, clearly indicating that she was embarrassed.

"How dare she mock me?"

Shizuka, who heard Mandy call her a Japanese Bitch, again, immediately stopped laughing. Her smile disappeared in a matter of seconds and was wiped of off her face. Her mouth curled into a grim, thin-set line. Her emerald eyes had lost their usual sparkle and turned into dark-green pools who regarded Mandy with ice-cold venom lying in their mesmerising orbs. Rage was hidden underneath their surface, just waiting for the perfect moment to be released.

Shizuka forced herself to remain calm, at least for the moment. Outside she appeared calm, for now. But inside she was boiling with unreleased, suppressed anger. Anyone who knew Shizuka well knew that this was just the calm before the storm. Of course, Mandy didn't know that.

After moments of a silent staring contest between the two of them, Shizuka finally spoke up in a calm, low voice with underlying rage, that didn't sound like her melodically, clear voice at all. Shizuka masked her emotions well at the moment, but her eyes betrayed her real feelings. Mandy didn't notice this however.

How did the saying go again? The eyes are the window to one's soul? It sounds rather ironical. Because, the eyes will only resemble "windows" when the person searching for them knows where to look.

"Stop insulting my Japanese Heritage, Hawkins…" Shizuka breathed out in a near whisper, uttered loud enough for Mandy to pick up on. Her fists were balled, as she tried real hard to keep her building anger in check.

" And why should I do that, hmm?" she said rather smugly, full of herself. "I rather like the new petname I've thought out for you." she finished while studying her manicured fingernails. Looking up, she waited for Shizuka to say something. Her eyes were sparkling with snide amusement at her upcoming "victory".

It remained silent, as Shizuka made no move to counter Mandy's continuing verbal attack. Shizuka's fists clenched and unclenched. Her anger was reaching its peak. And it wouldn't take much more for her to unleash its wrath.

" Hah, cat got your tongue, Kawaii?" Mandy asked her, malice evident in her voice.

Shizuka looked up from where she had been staring at the floor for minutes in a row. Her hair that was shielding her face from Mandy's vision fell back over her shoulders again, as she turned her eyes on her. Blazing emerald met dark-brown.

What happened next surprised both Mandy and Shizuka herself. She didn't know she had it in her. However, she knew she had nothing to lose. No more Mrs. shy and nice girl. She was going to show Mandy that her bark was worse than her bite. This was her chance to show Mandy just what she was capable of. It didn't matter to her anymore what would happen if she did go through with this. She knew she was signing her own death warrant. But she couldn't care less. When she would be off to Japan in just a few days, it didn't matter that she was going to do this anyway. And she would be off to Japan. She would make sure of that.

Shizuka took a step backwards, and turned around, offering Mandy a nice view of her back.

Mandy, surprised at her act wasn't too happy about Shizuka's sudden move.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Japanese Bitch," she snapped.

Shizuka smirked, and let out a shrill, high-pitched laugh. Mandy didn't see Shizuka's sly smirk, tugging at the corners of her mouth. But she did hear her shrill laughter. It was more like an insane cackle, than anything else. This caused an involuntary shiver to run down Mandy's spine. "What are you laughing about?" she demanded to know, beginning to feel awkward at Shizuka's strange behaviour that was so unlike her.

"You know, Mandy," Shizuka let out suddenly, turning sharply on her heel, facing Mandy directly now. Shizuka was standing right in front of her, not even one feet separating the two of them from each other anymore. "It's rather funny you're calling me a bitch…..when you're like a female dog in mating season who goes after every hot guy she happens to meet. And wagging your tail like a good girl, waiting for the guy to pet you on the back," Shizuka's snide remark cut through the air, surprising and startling Mandy at the same time.

Mandy stumbled a few paces backwards when she noticed their sudden close proximity. Whatever Mandy had expected Shizuka to do, it was most certainly not something like this. It took Mandy a few moments to come to herself again and get the sudden shock impression Shizuka made on her to get through to her. She composed herself soon after this.

'I don't know what's wrong with her today. But, no matter, she won't get away with treating me like this,' Mandy thought.

"I don't know what's up with you today, Kawaii. But, I couldn't care less. I've come here for one thing only and that is to make my point. Now, I'm telling you this only one time and I'm not going to repeat myself. So, you better listen real good!" She paused after this, to let her words sink in.

Shizuka contemplated on Mandy's words, and chose to respond rather calmly.

"And that point would be?" Her tone of voice suggested she was bored. Her tone was also taunting. As if the hidden message in her words was: "Is that the best you can do?" Shizuka crossed her arms and started to tap impatiently with her left foot.

"I don't have all day, you know. So, please do elaborate on what your point is."

By now, Mandy was also boiling with anger. 'How dare she!'

"Let's keep it short and sweet, shall we? Stay away from Takakura, if you know what's good for you! He's mine!"

Shizuka only chuckled at this. "I don't think I've seen a label on him that says he is your possession, Mandy….And, besides, you think I'm going to listen to you? I can decide for myself on who I hang out with and your opinion on the matter doesn't mean anything to me," Shizuka quite casually retorded at Mandy, enraging her even further. Shizuka continued, "Besides, I'm not even interested in him that way. We're only friends, nothing more. And in case you haven't noticed, you can stop your pathetic attempts at gaining his attention…He's not interested. Unless of course, you would like me to make a sign for him to hang around his neck, saying: "I don't date intergalactic space tramps". I think the unwritten messages he's been giving you all morning won't get through your thick skull any other way."

"Why you….why you…" Mandy was left at a loss for words. She couldn't find a smart remark at all to counter against Shizuka's verbal attack.

"Who's at a loss for words now, huh?" Shizuka muttered sarcastically.

" You, just…….SHUT UP!" she nearly screamed at Shizuka.

"No, I won't shut up. Now, let me get my point across to you. Something that I should have told you, a long time ago," said Shizuka, now deadly serious. "You know, Mandy…You think you're all that, just because you're popular. Let me tell you this: You are nothing but a pathetic little girl, craving for attention, to want to be noticed. And in the only way you're capable of. At least I have real friends who care about me and love me for who I am, not for who I pretend to be. Your façade may work properly for you now, but will it in the future? Do you even have any real friends? Or do you just have loyal followers, who tag along with you, just because they want to be considered popular too. Are you happy with who you pretend to be? Do you enjoy tormenting other people, just to make yourself feel better about who you see in the mirror every day. For that is kind of pathetic, sorry…"

"You're way out of line, Kawaii……" Mandy's voice croaked. Shizuka's words stung her more than she would dare to admit.

"Am I? Or are you afraid that I'm right? You hate me for telling the truth? Maybe I'm just the first person stepping up to you with the guts to tell you this straight in the face. And you know what the sad thing is? You know I'm right, but you'll never admit it anyway. And now…..I've got nothing more to say to you," Shizuka finished, turning around and walking back to her seat in front of the comp. While she sat down in her seat again, she heard Mandy say something to her, even though she had to strain to hear it. She didn't turn around, she just listened.

"You……you'll pay for this, Shizuka," said Mandy, pointing an accusing finger at her, before stalking of angrily. But through her mask of anger, you could see the hurt shine through. Shizuka could see it clearly, as she stared after her retreating form. Sighing heavily, she slumped down in her computer chair.

"What just happened?" she whispered, almost inaudibly.

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Takakura was just in the process of entering the library, while carrying two trays of food; one for him and one for Shizuka. He figured Shizuka would be hungry, so he had gotten her something to eat as well, taking it with him. He had randomly chosen something edible, which he hoped she would like. The cafeteria food at this school wasn't all that bad, but he preferred the cafeteria food at his old school. There were dishes here that he had never seen before, or eaten. He liked sushi a pretty good bit. But it turned out that they hadn't heard about it on this school. DUH! This is America, not Japan!

He turned the doorknob and opened the door and was met with Mandy, who pushed him out of the way rudely. He almost lost his balance from the impact she made on him but managed to keep himself standing. 'What the hell? Was that Mandy?' The person looked like her, but he couldn't be sure. She had run by him in a blur. He looked after the girl. Cocking his head to the side, he raised an eye brow at the strange encounter. An ebony strand of his hair fell over his eyes, because of his previous movement. He blew it out of his face, irritated, but it fell back in front of his eyes again. To be rid of it, he tucked it behind his ear. And shaking his head at the weirdness of it all, he went into the library.

The librarian, Mr. Stonebagel, greeted him with a warm smile once he noticed the youngster that had entered his domain. Takakura smiled back at him. He walked over to the desk, where Mr. Stonebagel was standing behind. After he had looked up and greeted the boy, Mr. Stonebagel continued with sorting the books that were brought back by students, setting them in order.

"Um, excuse me, sir? Can I ask you something?"

Mr. Stonebagel turned around at the sound of Takakura's voice and fixed his attention on him. "Yes, what can I do for you, my boy?" he asked him kindly.

"Well, have you seen a girl with long reddish brown hair come by here recently? I'm kind of new here and….." Before he could finish his sentence however, the librarian interrupted him, saying "Oh, you mean Shizuka?"

"Well, yes, but, could you tell me…"

"Where to find her?" the librarian finished for him.

Takakura was left dumbfounded. Could that guy read minds or something?

"She's over there, in the computer area," he continued, pointing in the right direction.

"Um, thanks….I guess," he replied, walking off into the direction the man had pointed out to him.

"Don't mention it," the man called after him, a cheerful smile visible on his face.

Takakura walked towards a door that had the sign on it saying " computer area". And through the windows of the room he could see the one occupant of the room sitting behind a computer at the far end, to the left. It was no doubt Shizuka. He opened the door and leisurely strolled over to the spot she was sitting at, balancing the trays with food on them, careful not to spill anything.

Shizuka was typing away at the keyboard. She was replying to her brother's mail. She had to keep it short and sweet since she couldn't keep Takakura waiting any longer. She was just done typing her email and sending it off, when speaking of the devil himself, she heard Takakura call out to her. "Hey, Seren!"

He came over to her, a bit out of breath from walking all the way and trudging op the stairs to get to the library.

Shizuka had crossed her arms and was mock pouting. One slender eye-brow raised, she met Takakura's gaze with her own. "Only my brother is allowed to call me Seren, Kura…." she observed, a playful twinkle in her eyes. If he was going to call her by her brother's nickname, why couldn't she too?

"Oh, I'm so sorry I offended you, your highness," he emphasised on the last word, giving a mocking bow.

"Cut it out, you dork," said Shizuka, smacking him on the shoulder good-naturedly.

"Ouch, you hurt my feelings with that one…" Shizuka rolled her eyes.

"You might want to look out that you don't spill the content of those trays you're carrying all over the floor," she casually commented, as if it was an everyday occurrence.

Takakura, who had forgotten all about them, replied, "Oh, yeah…." He turned a little red in the face. Shizuka only giggled.

He grabbed a chair and sat down next to Shizuka, while setting down the trays on the table in front of him. Shizuka followed his actions out of the corner of her eyes, while she turned off the computer. She eyed the content of both trays. "Say, Takakura, are you that hungry?" she commented.

"Huh?" He turned to look at her. "Oh!" he said when it dawned on him what she had just said, and he saw a mischievous smile lighting up her face. Witty, sly, and observant little fox, aren't you… "No, no…I brought some food with me from the cafeteria for you."

"Well, if that's the case…." She shrugged, and reaching over towards the trays, she took one of them. She picked up her fork and dug into her lasagne. After she had taken a bite, she picked up her can of diet coke. A loud pop was heard when she opened it.

"OKAY……I guess I made the right choice going with the lasagne and the coke," he said, his eyes wide, when he saw she was practically stuffing her face. "Ever heard of table manners?"

"Ow..shwut ..whup,(Oh, shut up)" she managed to say with her mouth full.

"What was that?" he enquired in a sarcastic tone. She glared at him and continued eating. Takakura only laughed at her " death glare".

They ate a while in comfortable silence. Takakura decided it was time to make some conversation again.

"So…." he started, trying to break the silence that had settled between them. "How does the librarian know your name?"

Shizuka answered him after she had taken a sip of her diet coke. "Well, we're kind of on a first name basis, since I'm a regular client here."

"Oh, so that's why he knew your name."

"Yup," replied Shizuka.

"You know, something weird happened to me when I was on my way to the library."

" Oh?" was Shizuka's reply, with curiosity mixed into her voice.

"Just when I was about to enter the library I was almost knocked over by a girl. She rudely pushed me out of the way. I think it was Mandy….She looked pretty upset…I wonder what happened to her?" said Takakura, munching on his sandwich thoughtfully, totally oblivious to the fact that Shizuka's face had paled considerably.

"Oh, well….whatever it was….it must have been bad."

"Yeah….heheh…" was the only thing Shizuka could get out of her throat, that had suddenly turned considerably dry. She twiddled with her fingers nervously while Takakura continued rambling, Shizuka not really listening anymore. She was lost in her own little world by now. She was looking down, suddenly VERY interested in the floor.

Takakura, who was by now alerted to the fact that Shizuka was very quiet, snapped her out of her stupor while saying: "Hey, are you even listening to me?"

" Huh? I…oh yeah…what were you saying?" she replied sheepishly. Takakura raised an eye brow at her strange reply. When he saw her pale face however, his annoyance got replaced by worry.

"Shizuka, are you alright? You look sick to me."

"Nah, I'm fine" Shizuka offered, waving away his concerns. "Why would there be anything wrong with me?" She was averting her eyes, letting them dart around the room, trying hard to avoid his penetrating azure gaze.

Takakura set down his tray on the table and stood up from his chair, moving directly in front of Shizuka. "You're a horrible liar, you know that?"

" ……"

"Okay, spill the beans! Your lips are moving, but you're not saying anything! You've been acting weird ever since I started talking about what happened on my way to the library!" And that's when it clicked. "Wait a minute…." His eyes narrowed as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Let me guess, you had something to do with it?"

"What? Of course not!" she snapped, indignant, trying to defend herself against his accusation in vain.

Shizuka jumped up a little too fast in Takakura's opinion. "Right, and I'm Yugi Mutou, the king of games!" replied Takakura, unconvinced.

"Fine……" Shizuka surrendered "I'm the main reason why she was so upset," she muttered quietly.

"Please, do enlighten me," he said, a small smile on his face, as he settled back in his chair again.

Shizuka let out a huge sigh. "Sit back and relax….it's going to be a long story…"

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"Wow! You sure showed Mandy who's boss! She gave you dirty looks in class, but she didn't dare say anything to you."

"Trust me……this is just the calm before the storm…I'm sure she's set her plans into motion already to get back at me for humiliating her," said Shizuka, miserable already when she thought about what Mandy had in store for her. "Why couldn't I just keep my big mouth shut? I'm SO dead tomorrow! Will you come to my funeral?" Shizuka continued sulking.

Takakura only laughed at the poor girl next to him. "Oh, come on! Be proud, girl! You finally gave her a taste of her own medicine! Besides, she deserved it. Just call it payback for all the things she's done to you!"

"Proud PROUD?" Shizuka nearly roared. "That wasn't me! That was the "spur of the moment Shizuka" . I got ahead of myself and said things without thinking them through first! I always do that when I'm really angry. I still can't believe I said all those things to her!"

The last school bell of the day had had it's ring and Shizuka and Takakura, as many other students, were making their way to their lockers, and celebrating another school day was over.

Both of them had to push their way through the crowd of students. Once they reached their own lockers they took out the stuff they needed, and threw in the stuff they didn't need. Shizuka put on her coat and picked up her sport's bag, throwing it over her shoulder, and closed off her locker.

Takakura was leaning against the wall next to her, waiting for her already.

"Ready?" he asked. Shizuka only nodded

Once they were out of the confines of school, they started talking with each other again.

They were walking over to the school parking lot, where Takakura had parked his car this morning. Once they reached it, Shizuka couldn't help but admire it. It was a really nice car. It was a sporty type of car. And it was a beautiful dark blue colour with a blue eyes white dragon painted across both the sides. She didn't know what brand the car was…let's just say she had little knowledge in that department.

Takakura, who noticed her admiring the car had a proposal for her. "Need a ride home? It's much more enjoyable than the buss," He offered, winking at her.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately I can't. I have to get to Martial Arts class." Shizuka smiled at him with a sad face.

"Maybe another time then." he said, getting into his car.

"Sure."

"Hey, how about we get together at my house tonight to watch the interview?" Takakura proposed, "You might get a chance to catch your bro on live TV."

"Sure! Why not?" Shizuka agreed, happy at the prospect to see her brother, even if it was on TV.

"See you at my house when the clock strikes eight?" Takakura exclaimed enthusiastically.

"That's fine with me!" Shizuka answered cheerfully at his slightly strange answer. Takakura could sure make her laugh with his comical jokes and comments. "But….would you mind if….I …um…bring chocolate with me?" Shizuka asked him, her face resembling that of a cute puppy.

Takakura only laughed at her silly attempt of giving him the puppy dog look. "Haha, whatever you do or bring with you, I don't mind, but please stop with the faces you're making. I think you're gonna kill me with your over-cuteness."

"Why you!" Shizuka crossed her arms, trying to appear as if she angry.

"Hey, you should take it as a compliment!" said Takakura, while slamming the car door closed and revving up his engine.

"A compliment from you is usually meant as an insult, Kura…" Shizuka replied at his statement. She moved out of the way to let Takakura put the car into reverse and drive off the parking space it was parked at.

"See you tonight then, chocolate addict," he winked at Shizuka from across his seat in the car. Shizuka didn't say anything, she just stuck her tongue out at him.

Takakura drove away, and Shizuka waved after him. "Ja-ne!" she yelled after his disappearing car. She saw him wave back, but not turn his head around to look at her. She did see him smiling in the rear view mirror.

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A/N:

Um...So, what did you guys think? Was Shizuka too mean to Mandy? I don't know. I think she definitely got what she deserved, though! (mean grin)

Leave a review, if you wish!

My fourth chapter will be posted sometime next week. Yup, I wrote two chapters, instead of one.

CMG, signing out!