Typical Chapter 3: Marks of a Delicate Nature, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Konnichiwa, minna-san. I'm going to take this little time to answer a question that I received in a review.

If I did not make it clear, I greatly apologize. On the left are the names I am using for the characters. On the right is the American dubbed characters.

Anzu - Tea Gardner

Yugi - Yugi Motou

Yami - Spirit of Yugi

Ryou - Bakura Ryou

Bakura - Spirit of Bakura

Malik - Marik Ishtar

Marik - Spirit of Marik

Jounouchi - Joey Wheeler

Honda - Tristin Taylor

Mai - Mai Valentine

Shizuka - Serenity Wheeler

Otogi - Duke Devlin

Seto - Seto Kaiba

As I said in the first chapter, however, none of them are actual spirits. No magic. No Millenium Items (although I may add them in as just items that the characters are fond of and such).

And now, for chapter three of Typical. I hope you all enjoy.

- - -

And without missing a beat, she ran from him, faintly hearing him cry out her name, pleading with her to come back. But she did not return back to him. Because she could not return back to him.

Anzu had never run so hard in her life. She could feel the muscles in her legs already aching as she pushed herself to go faster. She wanted nothing more than to put distance between her and Marik. A lot of distance.

After minutes of running, which seemed almost like hours to the poor girl, she could no longer hear him calling her name, and to top it all off, she was no longer in the park. Anzu had somehow managed to make her way in front of the Turtle Game Shop. She didn't know what had possessed her to come here of all places, but deciding that it wasn't exactly a bad thing, she walked inside to take shelter from the rain.

Because of her encounter with Marik, the whole incident at the arcade seemed like a far-off memory, one that didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. That is, until she looked up from her spot at the doorway to see the group standing there, save for Bakura, Malik, and Marik, whom were not present. She held back a bitter laugh at the last name she thought of.

She knew why he wasn't here.

They had been talking with each other animatedly, and she could hear her name being mentioned in the conversation. She could see the faces of Jou and Honda, and knew instantly that they were quite happy with how things had turned out. She could hear the occasional cheer from one of them, and felt a sense of pride that two of her friends seemed to have finally taken notice of something they viewed as an accomplishment.

But she could instantly tell that the rest of them weren't as happy. In fact, they looked almost worried.

It's about time they care about you. They never seemed to before. Maybe you should bitchslap people more often.

Anzu mentally shushed her conscience, before letting out a slight cough to alert them that she was there. All of their heads snapped upwards to the girl, and everything became dead silent.

She just stood there, blinking at them, as they blinked back in return.

Great. Just peachy. Finally you show up, and now they're going all quiet on your ass.

But before she could further progress on this rather amusing thought, she was nearly tackled to the floor as she felt the weights of two people against her body. Letting out a feeble cry, all she could see was mousy brown hair, and faded golden locks. She instantly recognized the two as Mai and Shizuka, who looked very relieved to see her.

"Anzu, why did you run away like that? We were so worried!"

"That was amazing what you did, but damn girl, you shouldn't have left so soon!"

"Akira was so upset afterwards, but no one would help her, everyone knew she deserved it!"

"You finally showed that skank what for! Great job!"

Anzu was a bit dazed at the sudden compliments she was getting, and it took her a moment to snap out of it before she looked at her companions, who had finally released her from their fiery but friendly embrace. All she could offer them was a smile, and they decided that was good enough for them, as they beamed at her proudly.

In an instant, the boys had strode over as well, and she could feel so many eyes all directed upon her. It was a new feeling for her. For once, she was being noticed. Yes, it did take a little bit for it to finally happen, and it wasn't happening in the way she had wanted, but hell, she'd take what she could get. Anzu wasn't stupid or fussy.

Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, her smile became a bit more pronounced as the boys started talking just as excitedly as Mai and Shizuka had. Both Jou and Honda, like she had heard before, were congratulating her to no end. Yugi and Ryou, the two sweethearts of the group, were expressing their concern about her, asking if she was alright, and where she had gone. Yami was neither enthused about what she had done, nor really concerned about it as well. He kept a cool composure, just offering her a smile which told her that he too was a bit proud of her.

It took a while for Anzu to let it all sink in. She hadn't expected the sudden wave of emotions from the group. If anything, she had believed that they would have been angry at her. She was the cheerleader of the group, after all. Cheerleaders do not get into fights.

But that seemed to be the least on their mind at the moment. For once in her life, the attention was on her.

However, all good things must come to an end.

At that precise moment, a figure had entered the game shop, and unlike Anzu, his presence was noted instantly. Standing at a regal height, he had an air about him as if he was greater than this place, and had a look on his face that clearly stated that he did not want to be here at all.

That figure was Seto Kaiba.

A hushed silence fell upon the group as they stared at him, and it was one lone voice that broke the sudden tension.

"Yo' moneybags, whatcha doin' here?"

Of course, as always, it was Jou that had to say something. For some reason, those two had a rivalry towards each other. Anzu and the rest of them knew it was because of the Duel Monsters tournaments that always took place. Jou had always been able to enter the tournaments, and against Seto's belief, had always done well. However, the multimillionaire always stated that it was dumb luck that he had advanced, which was both a blow to Jou's ego and pride. And that was something the blonde didn't appreciate too well.

Sneering at the boy in front of him, Seto averted his gaze to Yami. A smirk began to grace his handsome face, before he began to speak. "I am going to be holding a tournament soon. I figured I'd come here and tell you, since I will be dueling you," he stated, as if there was no choice in the matter. And really, he was normally quite correct on such an statement. It was normally Yami and Seto that advanced the furthest, and it was normally a guarantee that they dueled at some point or another.

Instantly, Anzu knew this was the end of her little reign of triumph. In a matter of seconds, the room was filled with the excitement and buzz of Duel Monsters. Yami was staring at Seto intently, giving him his 'I accept your challenge' look, which meant that the tournament would be no different than any other. Both Jou and Mai were equally delighted, already rambling on about how they would win the tournament, and what they could do with the prize money. For the other four, they just smiled at the thought, because even though they didn't duel professionally like the other three, they enjoyed cheering on the others, and watching the duels as they took place.

Anzu had never been one to really appreciate the card game as them, and knew it was her time to leave.

Backing away slowly, she was able to slip away from Mai and Shizuka without them noticing. Turning around, her only barrier between her and the door was Seto. For an instant, she looked up, and their eyes locked. She could feel the sudden electricity that ran between them, as he gazed at her. And for once, his eyes held a different emotion than just hate. It was almost as if he was curious about her.

Quickly averting her eyes before anything was said, Anzu quickly shuffled past him, bumping into his arm as she moved. "Gomen ne sai, Kaiba," she murmured lightly, and was rewarded with a grunt in response.

Knowing that was the only thing that would escape the eldest Kaiba, she opened the door and exited the shop, closing it behind her before she just stood there, her back pressed against the wood as she gazed up at the sky.

It was still raining, but not nearly as heavy as before. Now, it was merely a light drizzle that was escaping past the clouds, and she could see a mist rising from the ground, creating the same light fog that she had gone through earlier.

She was still quite wet from before, but knowing that she really wasn't missed inside, decided it was time to head home. She would have to dry up there, and hopefully, her walk home wouldn't be the cause of some cold she might have the next morning.

Anzu pushed herself off the door, and without any more hesitation, made her way back home. Her hair was clinging to her face and neck, and in an irritated manner, she pushed it away, hating the feel of it when it was stuck on her skin.

As she continued to walk, that's when she heard the footsteps behind her. She could hear the sound of something that sounded like sneakers on the wet pavement, and with a backward glance, was greeted with a smile and a head full of white hair.

Ryou had decided to join her.

Giving him a small wave, she stopped and waited for him to catch up with her. That's when she noticed the umbrella in his hand. Always the gentleman, that Ryou. When he was next to her, he quickly opened up the umbrella and held it over the both of them, shielding them from the light drizzle that was still cascading towards the ground.

"You didn't have to follow me, you know," she said, trying to be casual with words. All she received in response was a slight shake of the head, and a genuine smile. "It was no trouble at all, Anzu, I wanted to come," Ryou spoke politely, causing her to grin sheepishly right back at him. At least someone was still noticing her.

As they began to walk back to her house, Anzu let herself study him for a moment, and began having the same thoughts about him as she had been having about Marik previously that day. She watched with fascination the way his hair shaped his face. He had wonderfully silky hair, she decided. His chocolate colored eyes were captivating, to say the least. They had an innocence in them that she had lost so long ago. His face was shaped perfectly, and as her eyes wandered downward, she realized that he was in good physical shape.

"Ummm, Anzu?"

It was then that she realized what she was doing, and she quickly returned her attention back to him, her head snapping back up so harshly she thought she'd get whiplash. There was now a permanent blush on her face as she also noted that he had caught her checking him out.

Why on earth was she checking him out!

Because he's the first guy to walk you home. You want something to happen from this.

She quickly shook the voice away, before smiling sheepishly at Ryou, who seemed oblivious to the mental war that was raging inside her head. "Gomen ne sai, Ryou, what were you saying?" she asked with a nervous laugh. Ryou raised a suspicious eyebrow, but then let it drop, continuing with what he had been previously talking about.

It was actually a fairly pleasant walk back home. She found herself smiling, laughing, enjoying everything a lot more than she ever had. And she knew it was because of Ryou. He was one of those people that you just couldn't be sour around.

As they finally made it to the front steps of her house, they stood there somewhat awkwardly, and it was Ryou that broke the tense silence.

"I'm glad I was able to talk with you Anzu."

She looked up at him with bright eyes, and nodded her assent. "Yeah, thanks for walking me home, Ryou. You saved me from getting wetter than I already was," she said with a chuckle, in which Ryou joined in as well. Taking a step down so that he was back on the cement path that led to the sidewalk, he gave her a polite nod. "I'll see you around, Anzu. Just remember, if you ever need to talk, just find me. I am your friend," he said clearly, before turning and walking away.

She watched until he was all the way around the corner before sinking to the ground. She knew this wasn't love she was feeling, or any romantic concept like that. However, she was very happy with herself. She had herself a true companion, a friend, someone she could go to with problems. Yes, she was very happy with herself.

Now it didn't seem to matter if the others noticed her. At least someone would.

Quickly standing up and brushing herself off, she opened the door to her house and walked inside. Just to be greeted with the face of her father.

As she shut the door behind her, she could feel his eyes upon her, and knew that she was about to become very miserable. He leaned in very close, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She made no comment about it, nor did she move from her spot. It would have been suicide to do so.

"So, who was that boy, Anzu?" he asked in a raspy voice, and she let out a faint squeak. He had seen Ryou. That was not good, in any sense of the word.

A nervous laugh escaped her slightly parted lips, as she sidestepped her father and tried to head into the kitchen. However, when she felt a rough hand grab onto her arm, she realized this conversation was far from over.

"I asked you a question. Who. Was. That. Boy."

As he enunciated every word, she turned to him slowly and forced a smile to appear on her face. "His name is Ryou. He's a really nice boy, and he's very kind to me," she said, trying not to make it a big deal. But that's exactly what her father was planning on.

Gripping onto her arm even tighter, he pulled her close to him, and she could feel him breathing on her cheek. A look of disgust was trying to make itself visible, but she pushed it back, keeping the placid smile there instead. "Just a really nice boy, huh? Bet you're already fucking him, you dirty slut," he spat out, causing Anzu to cringe at the tone of his voice.

"No, father, that's not what we're doing, not a-" but before she could finish, she felt herself getting pushed to the floor. A yelp escaped her as he grabbed a fistful of her auburn locks and dragged her across the floor.

She wasn't in school the next day.

- - -

It wasn't until the next week that Anzu finally made it to school. Her teachers had given her worried looks, and her friends were slightly concerned. But a quick excuse that a family member had been sick made all of them forget that she had been gone for so long.

No one could see the bruises on her neck from where his hands had grabbed ahold of her and choked her.

No one could see the welts on her back from where he had taken a belt and beat her.

No one could see the cuts on her arms and legs from where he had slashed at her with a broken beer bottle.

No one could even see the tears that escaped her eyes every time she moved.

In fact, no one seemed to ask what family member had been sick, what they had, and if she was alright from it all. They just went back to their lives, and seemed to forget that she was even there.

And what hurt the most was that Ryou wasn't even talking to her. He had offered her a quick 'Good morning', but other than that, no other words had been shared.

But it didn't really matter too much. She couldn't talk to him anyways…

"Are you calling your dear ol' daddy a liar?" he snarled at her, his thick fingers finding their way to her delicate throat before grabbing ahold of her neck tightly. He began to increase his grip, watching as she tried to claw at his hands, tried to get him to release his hold on her.

He could see the pain in her eyes, the way they slightly bugged out of her skull from the lack of air. Her skin started turning pale, and was tinted with a light blue before he finally let her go. "I don't ever want to see you with that boy, or any other boy, ever again!"

She laid there, gasping for breath, but before she could try and escape his rage, she looked up to see the deadly look in his eyes, and knew it would be a long night.

Anzu shivered at the memory, forcing herself to stop before it went too far. Her body still ached from the devastating beating she had received, but she forced herself to keep from wincing too much. Heaven forbid if someone actually noticed her pain.

She was currently in her math class, and even though it was probably the most boring class she had, it went by rather quickly. It shocked her slightly when she heard the familiar sound of the bell, signaling to every student that they could leave and prepare for their next class.

As she stood up, she felt her legs go numb beneath her. Anzu gritted her teeth in frustration, not wanting to give in now. She had to make it through the day. Gathering her books in her arms, she heard her friends around her, laughing and joking about different things, such as duel monsters, pranks Jou had pulled on Honda, and if the substitute teacher for history would be hot or not.

Anzu watched as they walked ahead of her out of the room, but she made no effort to catch up to them. She was in no hurry to be ignored.

As she moved across the room, her head began to pound, and the sudden feeling of it caused her to drop her books. A mournful cry was heard as she knelt down to pick them up again.

But it wasn't until she saw him in front of her did she realize that she was not alone.

Although he wasn't sporting his trademark smirk, Seto Kaiba had kneeled down as well and began to help her pick up her things.

A faint blush appeared on her face, but she kept herself quiet, picking up a notebook and her folder herself before standing. He was currently holding her book and her planner, and when they were both fully upright, he handed them back to her. "You should watch it, Mazaki. You could hurt yourself," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. However, it was just the fact that he chose to say something like that… She became slightly worried.

"H-hai, Kaiba, I'll remember that…" she replied in a soft voice, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Normally, it was Anzu that would fire off at him for making a comment like that. But here she was, acting all meek and timid, and it was starting to etch onto his nerves.

"Is there something wrong with you, Mazaki? Did the mutt give you some kind of flea or tick that no one knows about?" he asked with a sneer, knowing that it would get to her this time. She had always hated it when he made the dog jokes about Jounouchi.

However, her reaction was not something he had expected.

"Maybe he did… Perhaps that's why they won't come near me," she whispered, giving him a quick nod before walking past him and out of the room. He noticed a definite limp in her steps, and was not only concerned about that, but had been rather shocked at what she had said.

Standing there with a look of uncertainty on his face, he glanced at where her seat had been. It was then that he noticed the faintest trace of blood on the side of the desk, where her arms had been resting.

Seto took a few steps forward, placing his hand on the spot before raising it to his face. It was fresh.

He looked back at the door where she had just exited from, and now it was a frown that graced his handsome face.

"Mazaki, what is happening to you?"

- - -

There we go, the end of chapter three. I had wanted to put a bit more action in the story… But, I figured that it was enough.

I will try to update again as soon as possible, but until then, read and review please.

And do not worry, the story will be picking up soon… I'm thinking maybe chapter five or six, I might have the little twist. However, I am not sure if I want it that early in the story. So just look forward to that while you read.

Please leave your reviews, and check out my other stories. Ja ne.

Miyuki