Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't mine, as much as I wish it was! My first anime! :(
Now Mitsuko has to deal with re-learning her native language, while at the same time going to school! How will things go now?
Read the chapter and find out!
Chapter 6: Mitsuko Meets Seto Kaiba
The next morning, Mitsuko got up bright and early, going to the bathroom for her morning ritual. She automatically connected to Atem's mind, so she could think what things were in Japanese so she could get them down faster. Hallway. Bathroom. Light switch. Sink. Faucet. Knobs. Water. Mirror. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Brushing teeth. Hairbrush. Brushing hair. Braiding hair. Glasses. Putting on glasses. Bedroom. Uniform. Putting on school uniform. Stairs. Walking down stairs.
"Good morning, Mi!" Sugoroku greeted as she sat down and began to eat.
"Good...morning... Jii. Chan." Chopsticks. Eating. Swallowing. Drinking. Bowl. Plate. Cup.
"You're concentrating on your breakfast like it's trying to fight you," he joked, patting her head. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and frowned as she kept up her word exercise, mouthing words between bites.
"Keep up your practicing, although you should wait until Atem and Yugi come down to start walking to school."
Atem came down a few minutes later, fully dressed and groomed. He smiled at Mitsuko as she put her things into her backpack.
/May I help in your practice?\\
/Yes, since you're thinking to me in Japanese.\
/What do you want me to tell you about?\\
/What's been going on at school?\
/You've heard of the school's former psychic, Kokurano-san?\\
/Yes. Did he do something?\
/I uncovered that he was a fake after he tried to end my life by tipping over the bookshelves in the school library.\\
/What a jerk.\
/He thought Anzu-san was in love with me from how she believed me when I said it was a sham. It isn't love, just trust between friends.\\
/Not just a jerk, but a moron as well. What came next?\
/The school festival came next, and it was our luck to get the best spot for our class' booth. We decided to do carnival games as our theme, but just as we were finishing setting up, one of the senior classes bullied our class into giving it up, destroying our booth with their enormous okonomiyaki griddle. I took care of that quickly and we were able to fix it in time.\\
/Since you omitted how you "took care of it" it was pretty gruesome, right?\
/Yes.\\
/Okay. Next?\
"We're gonna be late!" Yugi cried as he rushed down the stairs and grabbing a piece of toast, putting it in his mouth as he put on his shoes. "Come on, guys!"
They walked at a fast clip as Yugi raced ahead.
/Kaiba Seto stirred up trouble, I've told you that one, then Jonouchi-kun had trouble with the gang he was a member of before he met you and Yugi, but I took care of that as well with Yugi. There was a pause of about two months before I met Shadi and had him help you.\\
/Wow, a lot of things happened while I was sleeping, didn't they?\
/Yes. Perhaps after school we'll be able to go on a date.\\
She bit her lip and twiddled her fingers. I guess my sudden increase in affection for him that I've hidden behind my frustration all this time is partly because I know he cares about me, although he doesn't show it very well. /Sure.\
He smiled and they both paid better attention when they entered their classroom. Anzu noticed Mitsuko first and ran over, hugging her as she shrieked, "MITSU! YOU'RE OKAY!"
Jonouchi and Honda leapt over desks and chairs to get over fast enough to their other female friend. They inspected her like a couple of mother hens, just to make sure she was fine.
"Wow, I'm floored you're okay from being in a coma for four months!" the blonde exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'd thought you'd still be at the hospital!" Honda agreed, still looking her over some.
She grinned brightly and forced out, "I...am...okay..."
The three paused in their joy when the tiny girl spoke, before Jonouchi asked Atem, "What's going on? She's not talking right."
Atem guided her to her seat as she rolled her eyes with a frustrated sigh. "When she woke, she was unable to speak or understand Japanese. You remember the language I spoke at first? That was all she could speak yesterday morning. How she speaks now is the result of hours of speech drills. You know she's smart, she should be up to speed in no time."
Mitsuko felt someone's eyes burning into the side of her head and snapped her head towards the classroom door. She was met with a tall, blue-eyed brunette who seemed about her age, his jacket buttoned up and collar closed. She raised her eyebrows at the look he was giving her, a mix of confusion and annoyance along with a flicker of...admiration.
Did I just see what I thought I saw in his eyes? Who the heck is this guy and why is he staring at me?
Atem noticed her confusion through their link and turned his head towards the door, only for the teacher to come in and call, "Everyone take your seats! Class has begun!"
/Is something wrong?\\
/This guy I've never seen before in class.\ She showed him her memory of the teenage boy.
/Oh, it's—\\
"Mutou Mitsuko!"
"Here!" she called out, and the entire class turned to look at her.
"You're back at last, Mitsuko-san. You look much better and everyone, she's having trouble speaking, so don't tease her!"
"Yes, sensei!"
She felt an embarrassed flush come to her face as she hid it with her arms.
At lunch, the same boy came up to her as she bought some lunch. She raised her eyebrows again and asked, "Yes?"
He smiled and bowed to her. "I'm Kaiba Seto, nice to meet you."
She bowed back and was about to answer when he held up a hand.
"Don't strain yourself on my account. I know who you are: Mutou Mitsuko, the classmate who's been absent for the last four months due to a coma. Your grades are excellent and your attendance record was flawless until the incident that caused your coma. Until this spring, you were one of the most-bullied people in the school, but then things changed as Jonouchi and Honda became your friends and Damiri moved here as an exchange student. So tell me, what draws them to you?"
What's he getting at? Even if he's smiling, I can tell he's trying to pump information out of me. Why did he single me out when he walked into the classroom this morning? This better not be about getting revenge on Atem. She gave a non-committal shrug and walked past him to go pay for her food. She frowned slightly when he followed her and gazed at her, intent on getting her answer. After she'd paid for her meal, she asked, "Why."
He raised his eyebrows and then shrugged. "I'm curious about you."
What?! This is about me? "Why."
"Isn't everyone? You're quite the enigma in this school, second to Damiri. No one can figure out why, one day, you let your hair down and took off your glasses, looking like a different person altogether, yet the next day you were back to your normal look."
Has he been asking around about me? I don't like it. If he wanted to know these things, he could've asked me properly, unless he heard them just because of the rumors which have been flying around. "I...want...ed...to...be. Myself. For. Once."
With that she left him standing there, mulling over what she'd said.
"What kept you?" Atem asked as she joined him and the others while they ate at their desks.
"Kaiba...Seto..."
All her friends tensed. "Kaiba-kun talked to you?" Yugi questioned, worry on his face.
She nodded.
"What did he say?" Anzu asked.
"Introduced. Himself. Started. Spouting. Facts. About. Me. Wanted. To. Know. Why. I. Changed. My...look...for...one...day."
Atem looked concerned, but said nothing. Jonouchi demanded, "What did you say? For him to leave you alone?"
"I...answered." He hasn't done anything to me and unless he undresses me, he isn't getting the Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He was polite, so I returned the courtesy. I don't know him personally, so what was the harm?
Yugi sighed and shook his head. "You guys are too concerned about him being an enemy to realize that maybe he was just introducing himself because that was the polite thing to do."
/Mitsuko, keep your guard up with him.\\
/Why? You sense something wrong about him?\
/He shouldn't be so level-headed with how I punished him in such a short time. Why is he so curious about you when he knows you're associated with me? Did he ask anything about me?\\
/No, he only asked about me.\
/Hmmm... No, that couldn't be it.\\
/What?\
/You needn't worry about it now, Mitsuko.\\
/I'm curious, what did you guess about his motives?\
/I'm keeping it to myself for now.\\
She frowned as she focused on the outside world. What's he hiding? Is there something about Kaiba-san's curiosity that I shouldn't know about? I hope he doesn't use his Shadow Magic on him just because of this. Atem can be overprotective, although it's warranted, I am a trouble magnet with the Millennium Puzzle around my neck.
After school, Atem waved to Anzu and Yugi and announced, "I'll meet you back at the house, Yugi. Jii-chan knows where we're going."
Yugi grinned and called after them, "Have a good time on your date, Mi-ne!"
Anzu sighed and then waved as she cried, "I hope you're ready to tell me everything after your date tomorrow at school, Mitsu!"
Mitsuko blushed and shook her head. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
Atem led her to a stretch of beach that she'd never been to before. She tilted her head and asked mentally, /Why the beach?\
/I've never been to the beach and when I heard this city was next to the ocean, I had to see it with you.\\
She smiled and laced her fingers through his. This might not be what I think of when I hear the word "date", but seeing his face as he watches the waves, I can't look away. The childlike wonder on his face is breathtaking. I guess I can let this one go.
He walked to the place where the waves washed over the toes of his sneakers. He squatted and murmured, "I wonder what ocean water tastes like."
She opened her mouth to protest, then winced as he took a huge mouthful.
They ended up at the closest store, him drinking glass after glass of water. /You might've had the sense to warn me.\\
/I was about to, but you did it so suddenly! What did you expect? Ocean water is salty.\
/I feel so thirsty I could drink the whole of the Nile.\\
/Well, at least water is free here. In Japan, never drink water from any body of water.\
She drank from a water bottle as he drank so much he had to run to the bathroom to barf. She grimaced as she heard him heaving and shook her head. /Maybe you won't be so thirsty, now that you've had a nice conversation over the porcelain phone with Ralph.\
/What does that mean?\\
/Yu-nii, Jonouchi-kun or Honda-kun's never said that about somebody throwing up? Man, you're missing some colorful expressions.\
/You mean people actually say that when mentioning being ill?\\
/Yeah. There's several ways to say it, plus it's funnier than saying "did you enjoy throwing up?" I prefer spewing your guts, blowing chunks, tossing your cookies.\
/You're confusing me.\\
/Catch up with the times, or else a ton of people you meet on the street will confound you. You have three thousand years, go.\
/You're making up these phrases, I know it.\\
/Ask Yu-nii, he'll tell you they're common. I just have tried not to use them around you.\
He came out of the bathroom, an arm over his stomach. /Maybe we should just speak aloud.\\
/I sound like a retard when I speak Japanese right now, I'm not doing it in public.\
/Well then, we'll speak my mother tongue, just this once.\\
They stepped out after buying some sports drinks to calm Atem's stomach. She began snickering and he frowned.
"What's so amusing?"
"Only you would drink ocean water without asking if it's good to drink first."
"Stop mocking me! In my day, laughing at me was followed by a death sentence!"
"Oh come on, you're really gonna start talking like an old man, saying 'in my day'?"
"I'm far from being an old man, Mitsuko! Enough with this mockery of my person!"
"Please, you can take being mocked by your opponents, but a little lip from me and you explode? What's the difference?"
"You're doing it to amuse yourself! That's the difference!"
She sighed and shook her head, a smile still on her face. "Atem, you have to loosen up. I'm just teasing, you should laugh with me or tease me back. You shouldn't be so serious all the time."
"Your current attitude and look don't coincide with each other. Stop confusing me."
"When it's just you and me, you should be thankful I can relax enough to let myself out of the polite, quiet persona I use at school and home. This is a side of me I hardly show anyone, even Yu-nii."
"Why would you hide it?"
"Usually people get offended if I act this way around them, and I'm trying to be a good girl at school and home. Both Jii-chan and Yu-nii would've worried I'd become a delinquent."
"So you're lying to them."
"Everyone has a side to them they hide from everyone else. It's human nature."
He was silent as she watched her interact with the world with her bold side, yet she was never inconsiderate or rude when she crossed other people's paths, something that was common with both her personas. Her walk was also sure and not as reserved. She held her head high and smiled with confidence. It clashed badly with her braids and glasses.
On accident, a man bumped into her, and she chirped, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you!"
The man rubbed the back of his head and bowed his head. "No, it was my fault, little girl. Thank you for the apology, though."
She bowed her head back and replied, "You're welcome, and just so you know, I'm sixteen."
The man gaped, but she went on her way and smiled as she looked up at a tall skyscraper. She chuckled and pointed at it. "That's KaibaCorp's main office building. I wonder if Kaiba-san's slaving away up there, being the CEO at sixteen."
"Why do you call it 'KaibaCorp'?"
She snorted. "Everyone does, it's shortened so you don't have to have your mouth full of 'Kaiba Corporation' all the time. Even he calls it that, and he's the one who runs the company. Random fact for the day: KaibaCorp used to be a company which manufactured weapons for war. I'd bet you wouldn't know it by how popular its products are with Seto Kaiba at the helm!"
"Why did it change?"
"Change of CEOs. It used to be run by his stepfather, Gozaburo Kaiba, who adopted him and his younger brother, Mokuba, from an orphanage when Kaiba-san was only ten. At fourteen, he staged a hostile takeover and changed it to a gaming company. Even Jii-chan has products from KaibaCorp."
"How do you know all this?"
"Some of it is common knowledge, others, I had to look up on the Internet. Seto Kaiba is smart, hardworking, resourceful, and is strict on how is company is run, slacking isn't tolerated in the slightest. I'd hate to work there, even as hardworking as I am."
/You're getting better at speaking in Japanese again. I suppose all this connection between the both of us is helping you more than just interacting with people and stumbling through it.\\
/I noticed that too. I didn't stumble at all when I spoke to that man, which would've been awkward, to say the least.\
"I'm sure you would do fine, once you graduated from high school."
She pursed her lips, but shrugged. "If you say so, I don't agree with you." She looked up at the building again and then shook her head. "Whoever becomes his wife will be a lonely woman indeed, if he works as hard as I suspect he does. A born workaholic, that's Seto Kaiba."
"Why would you think about such a thing?"
"Why not? It's just a random thought." He sure jumped on that quick. Does he think I might be in danger of liking Kaiba-san? That's just weird, I barely met him today!
"Sometimes even random thoughts can be dangerous."
"You're weird. It's not like I dream about being anyone's wife at night. Marriage isn't on the top of my list of accomplishing in my lifetime."
"Why?"
"Being a housewife means 'Game Over' on my plans for the future. I'm going to college, getting a master's degree in astronomy, then becoming an astronomer. I'm sure by then, I'll be at least in my late twenties. Maybe then I might consider getting married and starting a family."
He stopped walking and she paused. What's with him?
"You don't even think that after you finish school, we might get married?"
"Why? I don't plan on having kids when I'm eighteen. I'm sure I'll be an awesome mom, but my dream comes first. You know this already, so why are you asking me?"
He lowered his head and muttered something she couldn't pick up. She leaned closer, hand to her ear.
"What was that? I didn't catch it."
He began walking again and she knew that what he'd said was important for to hear. He just doesn't get that most women in Japan chase their dreams first, then comes marriage and all that other stuff. "Atem, Atem! Wait! What did you say?! Come on, spit it out! I won't laugh or get mad!"
"It's obvious you think my views on our relationship are second to yours. What has this world come to that I must wait for my destiny until you think you're ready?"
She shrank back and held her chest. Is he serious? I thought he was respecting my opinion and letting this go at my pace. Am I really being so selfish that I want my dreams to come true first? He didn't really expect me to fall into his arms from the very first and we'd have a whirlwind romance, getting married at sixteen? People would look down on us and say he must've made me pregnant when I was fifteen so I was forced to marry him! No one gets married and has a kid at sixteen!
She shook until she exploded, "YOU THINK I'M BEING SELFISH, MY PHARAOH?! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT WORLD AT ALL!"
With that she whirled around and ran back home.
In record time she got back to the Kame Game Shop, boiling mad. Yugi noticed her mood and backed up when she stomped to her room, throwing the Millennium Puzzle on the floor and slamming the door closed, locking it.
She threw her glasses off and undid her hair, running her fingers through it as she paced her room, only pausing to put her contacts in. She pulled out her gym uniform and put another outfit and her swimsuit in her duffel bag, picking it up and throwing the Millennium Puzzle in the bottom. It's only "just in case" I get in trouble. If no one can see me wearing it, why would they pick on me? It's all because of my stupid "quiet persona" that I'm this weak. I can't even swim, for Pete's sake!
She put her hair back in a ponytail and came out of her room, Sugoroku about to knock. He jumped back at her appearance and asked, "Going out again, Mi?"
She nodded and answered, "I need to go to the gym."
Yugi, who had heard her door slam open, was peeking from behind his door. "But you're always saying that gym class is too hard, Mi-ne. Why take it up now?"
"I have to relieve some stress, and staying in my room won't help that. I'll be back in a few hours for dinner."
She ran out of the house, all the way to the gym, which was ten blocks away.
After that, every night she went to the gym after her work at Burger World (she'd gotten her job back after explaining the situation to her boss), getting help from the regulars and trainers, who found out she was having problems with her boyfriend. She soon learned what was good for her and did everything from weight training, aerobics, swimming, to judo. She was pressed to stay away from Atem, the root of all her stress and problems, so her exercise was obsessive. Her gym grades shot up as she got better at physical activities, her muscle tone obvious under her uniform. When she went to and from school, she jogged, so that even bullies who would've wanted to pick on her couldn't keep up.
One day, during gym class, they were at the pool and were about to swim from one end to the other, the gym teacher placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You can sit this one out, Mitsuko-chan. It's written in your records that you can't swim."
"No, I can do it," she insisted, doing the proper stretches everyone did before going into the pool.
"You mean you've been trying? Then, if you can get even a quarter of the way there, I can let you turn back. I can't have you drown."
"I'll be fine."
Anzu came up to her, worried. "Are you sure, Mitsu? You haven't been able to swim since we took swimming lessons when we were kids."
Mitsuko frowned and touched her toes. "I've been practicing. I want to show everyone I can do it."
"Please, don't push yourself. I know you've been working hard, but I don't want you getting hurt."
"Just watch, I'll do it." She thinks she knows me, she doesn't. Everyone will watch me as I touch the other end of the pool. She shot a look at her other friends, including Atem, who showed the most concern next to Yugi. You'll see, I can swim half a lap of the pool. Water won't hold me down anymore. Just watch me, Pharaoh! I'll show you I'm not weak!
At almost the end of gym class, when it was almost Mitsuko's turn to swim again (the teacher kept skipping her name, which annoyed the heck out of her), Kaiba came in, obviously late because he'd had to work. The teacher sighed and shook her head.
"Kaiba, late again? Come take your turn, please."
Mitsuko frowned and a not-very-nice idea came to her. She stood on the edge next to Kaiba, who raised his eyebrows. "Something wrong, Mutou?"
She shrugged and stated, "I just need to take my turn, too. Do you mind?"
He shook his head and as the teacher brought the whistle to her lips, she whispered, "The one who gets to the end of the pool first has to buy the other lunch."
His eyes widened as she leapt in just before he did. She swam quickly, her feet kicking and arms pushing her through the water in the classic stroke. Everyone gaped as she touched the wall just a split second before the brunette did. She grinned at him and held out her hand.
"Do you want to eat in the lunchroom?"
His eyes narrowed and he hissed, "You knew you were going to beat me."
She shrugged. "Not really, I just wanted to see how much better I'd gotten. It was by pure chance I beat you."
"You'd better be prepared to be challenged in something else later."
She smiled and hoisted herself out of the pool. "Okay, I'll be happy to."
The rest of the class was whispering to each other.
"Was that Mutou-chan?"
"What has she been doing that she can swim like a pro?"
"That was so cool!"
"Go Mutou-chan!"
"She does look stronger than she was before, I wonder if she's been taking lessons from Damiri-kun?"
She rolled her eyes and walked to the gym teacher. "How did I do?"
"You were wonderful, Mitsuko-chan! Have you been taking lessons?"
"You could say that."
"Keep up with it and maybe the swimming team might ask you to join them!"
She shrugged and headed to the showers as the teacher blew the whistle. "Class is over! Make sure you rinse off well so your skin doesn't dry out!"
Anzu came up to her as they rinsed off the chlorine from the pool. "When have you had time to take lessons when you're dating Atem-kun, studying hard and..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "...working double shifts at Burger World?"
"Cut out the 'dating Atem' and you'll find your answer."
"You mean you two haven't been dating this past month?"
"Do you think after our first date we'd keep dating? You've got to be joking! You heard from my own lips he doesn't understand me at all and most of the time we argue!"
"But everyone can see that you two are a couple!"
"We haven't talked for a whole month."
"I think you're running from your feelings, Mitsu."
"I might think he's hot, his personality for the most part is nice, but he wants me to marry him when we're out of school and have kids. He doesn't even consider that I don't want that until I'm at least out of college with a master's degree."
"Maybe your hobby can wait. Haven't you seen how he looks at you? He's in love with you, it's written all over his face!"
"You know how much my dream to be an astronomer is, Anzu. It's not just a hobby and you know it."
"Yes, I know, but dreams change."
Mitsuko gave her childhood friend a flat stare. "Would you give up your dream of going to New York to dance if some guy were to ask you to marry him right out high school?"
"If I loved him, yes. This isn't about me, it's about you and what future you want. There's an unbreakable connection between you two, and I'm positive you love him, too! You just don't want to admit it!"
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Oh no! We're going to keep talking until you see sense!"
What you see as sense. I wish you would stop being so insistent on pushing what you think about what's good for me, since you want to see Atem happy.
Mitsuko felt her meek persona cracking. Her face twitched some in anger as she pushed it back together. She dressed in her school uniform and stepped out of the locker room, Anzu hot on her tail.
"Ever since you changed yourself for a day, I've seen you mistreating Atem-kun by ignoring him, after all he's done for you! If it weren't for him, you could've gotten hurt a lot more than you have!"
"I'm not some damsel in distress."
"Don't you think you've been rather pigheaded about this whole thing? Your arguments with Atem-kun are doing nothing but hurting him! He wants what's best for you, shouldn't you meet him halfway?"
Mitsuko didn't answer as she entered the lunchroom, struggling to keep herself under control.
"Don't ignore me, Mutou Mitsuko! You're just being entirely too selfish about this!"
Like a light bulb smashed against a wall, Mitsuko snapped. Her shield shattered into a million pieces and they lit on fire, shown in her eyes as she whirled around and screamed, "NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT FOR ME! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE PUSHING ME AROUND BECAUSE THEY THINK I'M TOO WEAK TO MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS! WELL GUESS WHAT?! I'VE CHANGED AND NO ONE CAN BULLY ME ANYMORE, FRIEND OR NOT! IF YOU CAN'T SUPPORT ME IN MY CHOICES, YOU'RE NO FRIEND OF MINE, UNDERSTAND?!"
She turned, panting for breath, before she turned her head back towards the shell-shocked Anzu. "If you like Atem so much, why don't you date him? He's a dream-killer, and no girl should date him that has high expectations for herself."
With that she took her glasses off and let her hair fly free, her stance open and confident. She smiled in a way that screamed pride, as she walked over to where Kaiba stood, his eyes wide as he watched her. She stopped next to him and looked him straight in the eyes. "Still on for lunch, Kaiba-san?"
He recovered and smirked. "Of course. You defeated me fair and square, but just wait until we try something else."
"I'd be glad to do whatever you challenge me to."
"You'll wish you never said that."
"Perhaps, the future isn't written in stone." Unlike for certain people.
Mitsuko and Atem's relationship is on the rocks, but then again, when has it ever gone smoothly? Will they get back together, or will her new attitude stick?
Only the next chapter will tell!
Please review!