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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 6, 2012 13:14:24 GMT -5
Mokuba was in his room, frantically pacing back and forth, flailing his arms around and incoherently growling; there was still that part of him that recognized that he was being ridiculous about this whole thing, but that was such a tiny island in a sea of outrage and indignation; how could his brother have done that to Anzu? How could he just grab her and...in front of all those people and...gah! His face was so red and his head so boiling hot, he couldn't even think straight; the only thing that kept him from wanting to give his brother a good smack in the face was the fact that he was his brother. So he continued his angry march, not knowing when all his pent up energy was going to spend itself.
....
Yuugi and Seto sat together in the study; Yuugi knew he was feeling awkward about this whole thing, but Seto, he was impossible to read, as usual.
"It's a good thing for Seto that you've restrained me."
"Other me, stop it."
"Partner, he stole Anzu's first kiss from you, how am I supposed to forgive him for this? You think he didn't know how you felt when he decided to kiss Anzu, you think that didn't have anything to do with his decision?"
"Believe it or not, I doubt that Seto was thinking about me when he did...that." Yuugi was frustrated of course, but at least he could keep his head on straight; hopefully when his other self got his memories back, he'd learn some restraint and perspective.
"Fine, but if it happens again, it better not be in front of us, I won't be held responsible for my actions."
"Other me..."
"Yuugi, Seto, I'm sorry, but it looks like it'll be a little longer before Anzu comes down." Yuugi saw Anzu's mother peeking from around the corner.
"That's fine." Seto said in what most people would have mistaken for a petulant tone, but Yuugi knew better, Seto couldn't have even felt petulant, much less use that tone.
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 7, 2012 10:19:38 GMT -5
“She’s fine, thanks for asking.” Sakura came in and sat down next to Yuugi, facing Seto with his desk between them.
Yuugi had always liked Anzu’s mom. She was fun and made the best cookies and butterfly cakes – a skill Anzu had not inherited. Anzu had to look up the recipe for ice-cubes and had once actually managed to burn soup. He would have expected her to be just as mad as Anzu, but instead she seemed either indifferent or like she had forgotten about the kiss – which she disproved by asking a question straight off.
“Okay, so why did you do that?”
Seto breathed in through his nose. “If you are referring to the fact that I kissed Anzu, it seemed the most expedient means of stopping her making a fool of herself. It also had the simultaneous benefit of substantiating our story and the whole reason behind the press conference.” He said it with such coolness that Yuugi would have been fooled, but for the fact it was a little too practised. Was that what Seto had been doing as he sat there staring into space: constructing a reason for his actions? It was a characteristic response to an uncharacteristic blunder.
“Hmm.” Judging by her tone, Sakura didn’t believe it much either. She folded her arms over her chest and treated Seto to a look that could have cut through stone like a laser. Unfortunately, Seto Kaiba was harder than stone. He met her look imperturbably, all traces of emotion wiped from his face. “So it meant nothing to you.”
The briefest of hesitations. “No.”
“Do me a favour? Don’t tell her that.”
“Why shouldn’t I? I would think it would please her to hear that she doesn’t have any needlessly messy emotions to contend with other than her own.”
“Because, you silly boy, no girl wants to hear that her first kiss meant nothing at all.”
Seto blinked. And then blinked again. Something shifted behind his eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line. “I see.”
“No, I don’t think you do,” Sakura sighed. She dropped her hands into her lap, one folded over the other. She seemed to be studying the backs of her hands as she spoke. “What you fail to realise is that while this entire situation has been set up as a pretence, you’re playing with fire, and that fire is very real.”
“Excuse me?”
“You may find it easy to keep your emotions and your actions separate – and I’d debate that, actually, though now is not the time – but Anzu doesn’t. She’s an emotional creature. Today was hard enough for her – lying to people isn’t in her nature, so lying convincingly takes a lot of work. I should know, the number of time she’s tried to lie to me over the years and never once gotten away with it.”
Yuugi swallowed, wondering how she would react if she knew even half of the things Anzu had kept from her: magical, life-threatening, ancient Egyptian things. Still, the words seemed to be having the desired effect. Seto was watching her with the intensity of a predator trapped in a tree while an even bigger predator watched from below.
“Her first kiss meant a lot to her. In her eyes, you stole it, and you embarrassed her into the bargain. She’s confused and angry and upset – not the way she needs to be if you’re going to pull off your Green Gables Project bid. To Anzu, what you did wasn’t just a kiss, it was a violation, and you’re going to have to do a lot to make it up to her.”
“I am?” Seto said derisively.
“You are.” Sakura’s tone was iron. “You’ve introduced real emotions into your fake relationship, Seto Kaiba, and that’s a dangerous thing to do. Emotions make people act crazy and do crazy things. Now, I’ve calmed her down a little, but she’s still mad as a hornet after someone poked the nest.”
As if on cue, the door opened.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 7, 2012 12:20:06 GMT -5
"Seto." Anzu spoke stiffly as she stepped into the room, sitting down alongside her mother. "Do you promise never to do anything like that, ever again?" She looked down at his knuckles which looked so white.
"From now on, I will make sure that I have your express permission before...that." He cleared his throat. "Furthermore, to show my sincerity, I will indulge a single request of yours, anything short of an overt criminal act."
"Anything?" At first Anzu puzzled over this, this was not to be wasted or squandered. Then an evil grin crept onto her face as she remembered her dream from the other night. "Okay; tomorrow, we are going out to the park to have a picnic, and we're inviting all of our friends." It didn't take Seto long at all to process that, and the strange twists of emotion that expressed themselves on his usually frozen face were already doing wonders for Anzu.
"That...is not an overt criminal act. I...will go let Mokuba know." He stood up stiffly and walked away towards Mokuba's room.
"Well." Anzu looked to her mom, saw the amused smirk on her face. "I dare say, I think you taught Seto a very important lesson."
"I think so too Mom." Then she looked over at Yuugi. "Uh, Mom? Do you suppose you could get me and Yuugi a drink?"
She looked over at Anzu, over at Yuugi, and then nodded. She got up and went down to the Kitchen, leaving Anzu alone with Yuugi.
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 7, 2012 17:12:17 GMT -5
It was a long moment before either of them spoke. Yuugi’s tongue felt pinned to the bottom of his mouth by the weight of the things he wanted to say and the questions he wanted to ask.
“I don’t think I ever said thank you, did I?” Anzu said softly.
“What?”
“For coming here today and doing all this.”
“Anzu, you don’t have to thank me.”
“Yes, I think I do.” Her hands were clasped in her lap, thumbs moving rhythmically over each other in a nervous loop. She wasn’t looking at him. That felt significant somehow. “I also think I need to apologise.”
“Excuse me?” Now Yuugi really was confused. “What the heck do YOU have to apologise for? Kaiba’s the one who did something stupid, not you.”
Anzu’s shoulders hunched. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You guess? Anzu, he –”
“I know what he did, Yuugi. I was there, remember? I starred in the drama – leading lady, name above the credits, the whole shebang. By now my picture is probably splashed all over Goss-Pop again, plus half a dozen other gossip-mongering websites.” Her smile was brittle. “The dazzling life of a celebrity, huh? It’s funny; I thought that if I ever did get famous, it would be because I became a prima ballerina. Instead, I’m your infamous cheerleader and Seto’s infamous love interest. Some claim to fame, huh?”
Yuugi’s chest felt very tight. Anzu sounded tired. Exhausted, actually. He wanted to reach out and take her hand; reassure her it would all be over soon and they could get back to normal. The trouble was, just as she had obviously already realised, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“We’re not going to be able to flip a switch on Saturday and finish all this by the stroke of midnight,” she whispered. “I think … I think it’s got too big. You saw how those reporters reacted today. If I suddenly dump Seto after the party, they’ll eat me alive. If he dumps me, Project Green Gables might lose its backers and fail.” Her chin dipped onto her chest. “I didn’t expect any of this when I signed up. That’ll teach me to put money ahead of my own morals, huh? This must be karma or something.”
“We’ll think of something,” Yuugi said, a trifle desperately. The thought of Anzu being trapped in a fake relationship with Kaiba any longer than she had to be filled him with dread. He had endured this so far by thinking of Saturday as the finish line. If they could just get to Saturday and the party, it would all be over. Now someone had moved the tape and, try as he might, he couldn’t seem to see the end so clearly anymore. He had planned to tell Anzu how he felt on Sunday, when she didn’t have to worry about playing this role convincingly anymore. Could he put it off longer than that?
“Aibou,” the spirit of the Puzzle said warningly.
Anzu bit her lower lip. “If I’d known a bunch of homeless orphans would be counting on me this way, I would’ve told Seto to take his money and use it to buy some other girl for the evening.” She gave a humourless laugh. “You know, I was actually starting to think he might be an okay guy? I can tell you this, Yuugi. I know you won’t overreact and tell me what an idiot I am, the way Jounouchi or Honda would. I’ve already told myself I’m a big idiot, several times. I kind of hoped he’d thaw out and, I don’t know, be the kind of friend you’ve always believed he could be. I didn’t see it before, but now … I kind of do. I kind of see what you were getting at. There’s … good in him, I guess. When you get past the arrogant, selfish, use-anyone-to-achieve-his-own-goals parts.” She made an irritated noise. “God, I can’t believe I’m even saying this now. I should hate his guts, and part of me does, but the rest …” She didn’t finish her sentence, however frantically Yuugi wished she would.
Grandpa, you lied to me, he thought. You said her dislike of him would win out.
Suddenly the door crashed open and a small figure bounded into the room, spotted him and leaped into his lap. “Yuugiiiiii!”
“I think this belongs to you,” said Isono.
“Rebecca!” Yuugi exclaimed. Her timing couldn’t have been worse. “What are you –?”
“Didn’t I tell you I’d take care of things?” Rebecca cried joyfully.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 7, 2012 18:11:04 GMT -5
"Yes, and you most certainly did, making wild accusations that made us all look worse for wear." Anzu seethed as Rebecca snuggled herself into Yuugi's lap, Yuugi himself positively petrified.
Rebecca smirked that knowing smirk of hers whenever she, Yuugi, and herself were in the same room. "I'll admit it, your rival, Mikata Teki, was a bit tougher a nut to crack than I'd figured, but that other lady, Miss Chono? I handed over multiple copies of all the dirt I'd gathered on Mikata to her, and we let Mikata know in no uncertain terms what would happen if she so much as blinked at either of you the wrong way." Anzu boggled; when Rebecca had accused Mikata of being behind years of Yuugi bullying, she was sure the American girl was exaggerating, but apparently not. Then something else hit Anzu.
"Miss Chono?" Anzu blinked in confusion. "Why on Earth would she go against Mikata, I'm the one she hates."
"Apparently it was part of some deal she made with a spirit or something; the moment she said she'd risk tanking her career to take down Mikata, her face started glowing and then she was...gorgeous." Anzu missed Yuugi looking off to the side and instead kept her attention to the present source of her irritation.
"Well, Rebecca, it seems I owe you a debt of gratitude. One that would be difficult to repay with you sitting where you are."
"Oh Anzu." Rebecca stood up, bringing plenty of relief to Yuugi's face. "Don't be so quick to assume I'm done working miracles for you."
"Huh?" The first utterance Yuugi had made in some time. "Rebecca, what are you talking about?"
"Let's just say that as someone far, far, far smarter than your typical member of the paparazzi, it wasn't difficult to work out that this whole Anzu/Seto thing was as fake as Dolly Parton's face. Though I have to admit, that kiss from Seto really had me going, but I guess he was a better actor than I gave him credit for."
"Okay, so you know this is fake, what difference does that make?"
"Simplicity itself Anzu; as it stands, it's going to be pretty damn tricky to untangle this whole mess after Saturday, but when you take into consideration how fickle the gossip columns are, the solution stands out in the open."
"And that would be what?" Anzu was sure that she wasn't going to like where Rebecca was going with this.
Rebecca wrapped her arm around Yuugi's, freezing him into place once more. "I go on a few high-profile dates with my darling; the press will eat it up, and you and Seto can do whatever you'd like after that. Heck, if you two fell into real love, I know I wouldn't mind."
"You can't be serious!" Anzu used every muscle in her body to keep herself from grabbing Rebecca and pulling her off Yuugi. "You may be a child prodigy, but you just don't get how this stuff works."
"All right, tell you what; this Thursday, Yuugi and I will go out on our first date where everyone will see us. The next day, we compare the volume of gossip we generate versus what you and Seto have going, and then we'll know how effective my plan was."
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Anzu had no idea why she'd doubt Rebecca's conviction; she was always so unashamed and open about her completely ridiculous and utterly absurd crush on Yuugi, why wouldn't she believe what she was saying? "What do you think Yuugi?"
"Well..." She could see it in his brow, strange thoughts were crossing his mind, an internal conversation between him and the other Yuugi perhaps? "It, it couldn't hurt, and we do owe Rebecca a lot for what she just did for us." Anzu slumped back into her seat, somehow feeling very deflated in the face of Rebecca's smug, victorious grin.
....
"Mokuba, how long are you going to be like this?" Beyond Seto's general care and respect towards his brother, he also had the fact that Anzu would be very upset with him if he got upset with his little brother. Even so, Mokuba was pushing things.
"I don't know, okay?" His voice was so defiant, his arms crossed tight over his chest and his head turned down and away from him. What the hell had gotten into him?
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 8, 2012 16:09:21 GMT -5
Mokuba fizzed with anger and a wealth of other emotions Seto had so rarely seen from him, he didn’t actually have names for them. “Just leave me alone, okay Big Brother?”
“Not okay.” Seto managed to maintain his composure – no mean feat, since he had stuck his foot in the door to keep Mokuba from closing it on him. The fact Mokuba had been slamming it at the time didn’t help. Pain radiated up Seto’s leg, but he couldn’t let himself react. “Tell me what’s wrong. Now.”
“What’s wrong is that you’re invading my privacy!”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“And you’d know!”
Seto almost flinched. Mokuba had never spoken to him like this before. He was acting like … like one of those TV teenagers who yelled at their siblings and parents, then went up to their room to listen to music behind mind-numbing headphones. “And what is that supposed to mean?” he asked in a carefully controlled voice.
“I think I should be asking you that,” Mokuba snapped. “What was with that kiss outside? You practically sucked Anzu’s face off!”
“Mokuba, that is a very vulgar way to talk.”
“Move your foot, Big Brother.”
“I came upstairs to tell you that –”
“MOVE YOUR FOOT!” The force of the shout was so great that Seto found himself following the order. The door slammed and he was left staring at the wood grain in confusion and shock.
“What on earth …?”
“Sir?”
He turned to see Isono standing behind him. “You heard that?”
“I think most of the household heard that, sir.” Isono turned his body a little and inclined his head for Seto to go with him. “I have a teenage daughter, sir. Judging by that little display and some things Mr. Mokuba has asked me about over the last few days, I think you and I need to have a little talk.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 8, 2012 17:12:46 GMT -5
"All right then, everything's settled; today I'll be looking into the restaurants where we can eat, we'll meet up tomorrow at the big picnic, and come Thursday, the date itself. It'll be marvelous darling." Rebecca had said before giving Yuugi a quick peck on the cheek. Anzu's face burned with indignation as the blonde child prodigy left the house, but before she could vent any of that, she and Yuugi heard Mokuba shouting, his voice forceful and full of fury. They both stared up in the proximate direction of Mokuba's room where the sound had come from.
"Sorry, Anzu." Yuugi's voice broke the silence that had since fallen.
"Huh?"
"You asked me to talk to him and help him with his 'guy problem'. Obviously I didn't do a very good job of it."
"No Yuugi, I'm sure you did your best; everything's been so off-kilter lately, who knows what the heck's going on."
"Well, I do know a little bit; apparently Mokuba's got a crush on someone."
"Really?" Anzu thought about that for a moment; Mokuba was growing up and dealing with the trials and tribulations that almost everyone went through, aside from his big brother of course. No wonder talking to Seto wasn't an option, before this whole thing started Anzu wasn't sure that Seto really noticed that half the human population was female. "Huh, I suppose that would make him act out of sorts."
It was then that Seto Kaiba returned to the study, a very strange look on his face; it was the kind of look that most people got when they'd learned something shocking, something close that turned their whole world upside-down. "Seto?" Yuugi asked concernedly.
"I do not believe that Mokuba will be able to join us for the picnic tomorrow." His voice was flat in a different way from usual.
"What? Why?" Anzu stood up. "Look, maybe if I talk to him..."
"No, I would advise against that." Seto looked directly at Anzu. "He...it would seem he...my brother..." Anzu's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. What on Earth could Seto Kaiba possibly be having so much trouble saying?
"Seto, what are you..." Anzu heard Yuugi gasp, saw the dawning of realization in his eyes. "Oh man, and we thought this was complicated before." He slumped down in his chair, head in his hands.
"Okay, what is going on with Mokuba? Tell me!" Anzu hated being the last to know and she wanted that sensation gone right away, tear that bandage off her ignorance as fast possible.
"Mokuba has a crush on you." Seto spoke so quickly that it was all practically one word, so Anzu had to spend a moment breaking it back down. When she did, she fell back into her seat. Everything about Mokuba's odd behavior over the past several days clicked into place.
"What now!?" Anzu cried up towards the ceiling.
....
"Excuse me, Mr. Isono?" Sakura Mazaki found him after she saw Seto going back down to the study with the strangest look in his eyes, after Mokuba's outburst. "Do you think you could tell me just what is going on with those Kaiba boys?"
"Hmm, your work requires you to deal with teenagers in emotionally sensitive situations, yes?"
"Often times, yes."
"Perhaps you could deal with Mr. Mokuba better than the rest of us. I'll explain on the way to his room." He led and explained, she followed and listened.
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 8, 2012 20:10:32 GMT -5
Anzu was just contemplating leaping out of the window and commandeering that golf cart she saw earlier to make her escape. This madness was far past getting out of hand. It was out of the hand, over the wrist and arm, abseiling down the leg and scurrying over the toes with a paparazzi camera in one hand and her dignity in the other.
“All right then.” Her mother walked in, dusting off her hands like some cartoon character who had just beaten up all the bad guys. “You three – wait, weren’t there four of you before?”
“Rebecca left to go plot and scheme things,” Anzu deadpanned.
Her mother paused for the briefest of seconds, then shrugged and continued. Really, she was taking all this a hell of a lot better than Anzu herself – and she was used to saving the freaking WORLD! “Here’s what’s going to happen: tomorrow you and your friends are going to go out and have your little picnic. You can go to Domino Park – AFTER school. I don’t want you, Anzu, or you, Yuugi, to have your studies suffer any more than necessary over all this. While you’re there, Mr. Isono is going to pick Mokuba up from school and deliver him to me at the Haven Centre.”
“He is?” Seto bristled. Evidently he didn’t like someone else organising his brother’s life.
Well, tough, Anzu thought. Things getting out of your control, Seto? Welcome to my world.
“He is,” Sakura replied firmly. “I think it will do him good to spend some time away from you lot, and it would also do him good to meet the kind of kids we have at the centre. To be frank, his little outburst just now was inevitable for one simple reason.”
“He has a crush on Anzu?” Yuugi suggested meekly.
“Nope. In my opinion, Mokuba is suffering from nothing more contagious or terrible than hormones.”
“What?” said Seto.
“He’s entering that scary time called puberty. Ooh, Seto, you’re in for a real treat by the looks of things.” The glint in her eyes was a little disturbing. “But that’s by-the-by. Now, regarding the rest of today, Anzu, you and I are going to go home. Yuugi, we can drop you off on the way if you like.”
“How are we going to get there?” Anzu asked doubtfully.
“Takada will drive you,” Seto said before anyone else could reply. “You’re not taking the bus. Those reporters may still be outside.”
“Oh joy,” Anzu said expressionlessly. “I can hardly wait.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 8, 2012 20:44:21 GMT -5
"Anzu." They stood at the gate, Seto by himself, Anzu with her mother and Yuugi. "Had I understood certain factors better, the situation would not have reached its current condition."
"You're sorry?" Damn it, why did that girl have drag these things out of him? He'd chosen his words carefully with mathematical precision, and she took a mallet to them.
"Yes." The worst part was that it was still working. Why? This had never happened with him before, why was it that now Anzu had this effect on him and no other time before? Well, that wasn't exactly true; back at Duelist Kingdom, when he'd threatened to kill himself if Yuugi didn't throw their match, Anzu had told him he was the real loser, that he was the real coward. His only retort had been a blustering accusation of her howling a loser's howl. Even back then, back when she had no reason whatsoever to think that he couldn't have her killed when all was said and done, she had no fear of him.
"Well, for your sake, I hope Mokuba settles down before tomorrow." Yes, even with her and the others out of his hair, he still had Mokuba to deal with; Gozaburo's twisted notions of upbringing had likely beaten the emotional impact of puberty out of him, but Mokuba had expressly been spared that hell. Now to survive this one...
"We'll manage something." Everyone could sense that there was nothing more to be said, so they got into the car and Takada drove them off, leaving Seto alone to return to his mansion.
....
Mokuba looked at himself in the mirror, his face scrunched up in an ugly scowl. "Why is Seto being so stupid?" He practically snarled at himself. The sound of his voice caught in his own ear, causing the muscles in his face to loosen up as he slumped forward. "Why am I being so stupid?" He remembered how Isono had unlocked the door to his room, a privilege of owning a copy of the master key, and let in Ms. Mazaki. He was utterly unable to look at her for fear of his eyes settling where they shouldn't have, and when she explained that he was going to visit the Haven Centre where she worked, all he could do was nod and continue not looking at her. "Puberty sucks." Mokuba uttered, realizing a truth learned infinitely many times the world over.
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 9, 2012 4:51:14 GMT -5
Anzu crept into school with the air of a turkey trying to survive Christmas. She prayed nobody would notice her arrival – had left early to take a different bus and walked a circuitous route she had never taken before – but no such luck. It wasn’t quite the media frenzy her house had been two days ago, but a news van was parked in front of the school gate and a woman in a bright red suit was perched in the passenger seat with the door open, shapely legs drawing the attention of most male students as she tapped a microphone against her knee. When she spotted Anzu she leapt up and hurried over, yanking a cameraman behind her.
“Anzu Mazaki! I’m Ripo Ta and I’d just like to ask you a few questions –”
“No comment.” Anzu ducked under her arm and hurried through the gates of Domino High.
“I can wait, sweetie,” the woman called after her. “It’s better if you talk to me rather than someone else telling me all about you. Ah!”
Anzu turned at her triumphant cry. “Oh no.”
“You remember me, don’t you? It’s Ripo Ta of –”
“No comment!” Yuugi scurried inside, clutching his school bag in front of him like a shield. When he saw Anzu he smiled briefly, but changed his route to take him in through a different door.
Anzu trudged into the communal genkan where the school kept all its shoe-lockers. As she slipped her fingers into her plain brown flats and stashed them in place, she hoped today would at least be less hectic than yesterday. She had barely slept a wink last night, and not just because her own mattress felt like concrete after those at Kaiba Mansion. Thoughts and anxieties had churned in her head like flotsam in a whirlpool. She had a good headache now that painkillers had barely touched, and was questioning her own sanity in making Seto come on a picnic this afternoon.
What was I thinking? she asked herself. The truth was, for an instant, as she looked at Yuugi and Seto together, she had remembered her dream of them all being friends and been possessed of the irrational urge to make it reality.
Class brought no more respite than she had found so far this morning. Miss Chono marched into the classroom, radiant and smiling the smile of one who has either found religion or some very good mood-enhancing pills. As one, the student body’s lower jaws dropped. Anzu couldn’t believe the change in their teacher. Miss Chono had always been beautiful, before she ran afoul of the Pharaoh, but it had been a harsh beauty, like an ice sculpture or the beautiful curve of a predator’s fangs. Now she seemed to glow, and when she spoke the kindness in her voice was staggering.
“Good morning, everyone. And are we all feeling fabulous today? Because I certainly am!”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 9, 2012 13:03:34 GMT -5
"Huh." The pharaoh's spirit held his chin in his hand as he looked upon Miss Chono. "Even after hearing what Rebecca said, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm glad to see this gamble of ours paid off."
"You're telling me." Yuugi couldn't help gaping at Miss Chono, and he was not alone; most of the other boys and even a few of the girls had that same unwavering 'deer-in-headlight' look in their eyes, their eyes pulled along by every move she made.
"All right class, we're going to find who among us hit the books last night and who needs to spend a little more time in the library and not on the net spreading nasty gossip." Yuugi followed Miss Chono's eyes and saw that they were aimed right at Mikata Teki, who looked positively frozen.
....
"Hmmm, hmm!" Rebecca Hopkins happily moaned as she took in the latest bite of her well-done steak. "Okay, this place would definitely make the list." Rebecca took out her PDA and added a little check mark to the barbeque restaurant she was eating in at that moment. "Only one more place to go before that picnic...I think I'll try the Italian place."
....
Mokuba was seated in the back of Mr. Isono's car, arms crossed tight to convey his poor mood; the guys at school had watched that stupid press conference and saw his stupid brother stupidly kissing Anzu without even asking or anything, and so half of them offered their 'condolences' while the other half mockingly told him to stay away from the girls they had crushes on, they didn't want another Kaiba taking them away. He'd been sorely tempted to just slug one of them, give them a good punch to the face, but he remembered that he would be seeing Anzu's mom at the Haven Centre, and he dared not get into trouble with her.
"We're here Mr. Mokuba." He looked up at Isono, honestly surprised; had that much time really passed?
"...Thank you, Isono." Mokuba got out of the car and stood in front of the Haven Centre. He took a deep breath, and walked on in.
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 11, 2012 9:40:25 GMT -5
“Mokuba!” Sakura Mazaki greeted him with an effusive hug that made his whole body stiffen. He was acutely aware of her floral perfume and ink smell as she pulled away from him. In her left hand she held a ring binder, which brushed him as she removed her arms. “It’s good to see you.”
“Uh, you too,” he mumbled. He still wasn’t sure why he was here, except that Seto didn’t want to deal with his moodiness today. Mokuba wasn’t upset that he didn’t have to go on the picnic. Much as he would have liked to see Yuugi and his friends, Mokuba felt so messy inside that he needed some alone time, and since he wasn’t likely to get that at home, being somewhere with people who didn’t know him was the next best thing.
“I just have a few bits of paperwork to put away, and then I can show you around,” Sakura said briskly. She was wearing the yellow suit again, paired with a cream-coloured blouse and some sort of flowery thing stabbed through her chignon. “You can have a seat in my office until we’re done.”
She led him along a corridor that looked like it could have been in a school. It had no personality and the rooms it bordered were labelled in boring black font: 098, 0999, 100, 101. Sakura stopped at the last door, 122, and pushed it open. Inside was a bank of photocopiers and several desks, at which sat two other women and a man in a short so orange it hurt the eyes. They greeted her as she passed by, looked curiously at Mokuba, but didn’t say anything to him. Their looks made him wonder whether they thought he was one of the teenage runaways that frequented this place. Before he could correct them, Sakura opened yet another door and Mokuba was hit by the strains of classical music and the smell of her perfume writ large.
“I won’t be a minute,” Sakura told him, putting him in a chair and vacillating a moment. “Would you like a drink?”
Mokuba looked around at the photos on the wall. Most were of Sakura and Anzu at various stages of their lives. The one on her desk showed a little girl who couldn’t have been more than five or six wearing a tutu. Anzu had her index fingers hooked into each corner of her mouth and her tongue stuck out, her eyes crossed. Next to her a younger Sakura did likewise. A man’s shoulder was visible on Anzu’s other side, evidently because he was carrying her, but the rest of his body disappeared behind the edge of the frame. Was this Anzu’s absent father, Sakura’s ex-husband?
“Mokuba?” Sakura prompted.
“Uh, sure.”
She pulled open a tiny fridge on top of a filing cabinet and extracted a soda. “Only diet, I’m afraid.” She patted her stomach as if that explained and apologised for the lack of sugar.
“That’s fine. Thank you.” Mokuba accepted the drink and popped the tab.
Sakura examined him. “Excuse me for saying so, Mokuba, but you seem like an entirely different boy today.”
His cheeks flamed and he dropped his head. “Uh, sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? You can’t help it. I was just noticing, that’s all. I have a big mouth.” She waved a hand and went back to her paperwork.
Mokuba stared hard at the can, suddenly wishing he had gone on the stupid picnic after all. He thought of Anzu and Seto playing lovey-dovey, however, and quickly changed his mind. Whatever he was going to do here at the centre, it was better than watching that.
….
“It was cool of you to arrange a picnic,” said Jounouchi, linking his hands behind his head as they walked. “You, uh, didn’t make your food yourself, did you?”
Anzu told herself that strangling him was a bad idea. “No, my mom baked some cakes and cookies for me to bring.”
“Oh. Cool!”
They had each been told to bring something to contribute to the food. Anzu had hers in a plastic bag that dangled at her side from half-slack fingers. Yuugi carried a bowl of something covered in cloth and a box of crackers. Honda’s contribution was in his backpack, while Jounouchi’s was nowhere in sight. He assured them he had brought something. It made Anzu wonder what: a single candy bar? A tiny packet of raisins? Some gum? Bely-button lint? Each was entirely possible.
“So this was Rebecca’s idea, huh?” said Otogi. “I haven’t seen that tyke in ages.”
“She wanted to spend time with us while she’s in town and suggested a picnic as a nice way to spend the end of our afternoon,” said Yuugi. He was such a terrible liar, but there was a grain of truth in his statement, which made him sound slightly more believable.
They entered the park, still dressed in their uniforms and carrying their book-bags. Rebecca was just inside the entrance, looking a little green about the gills. Yuugi immediately went over to ask if she was okay, but she shot him a dazzling smile.
“Of course I’m all right, darling.” She gave a small burp, grimaced and took his arm. “I’m with you now, aren’t I?”
“Uh …” Honda exchanged a surprised look with Jounouchi. Anzu wondered how long it would be now before the fan was covered in something horrid and smelly. “What’s her deal? I thought she wasn’t doing that kind of thing anymore.”
“And how come you aren’t bunching your fist and making your usual face?” Jounouchi demanded.
“Bigger fish to fry,” Anzu replied. “It’s been a long day, guys. Forgive me if ragging on Rebecca isn’t top of my list of priorities.” Stopping them from bolting would be, though. She wondered if all the cookies would break if she dropped her bag to rugby-tackle them when they tried to flee.
They crested the rise into the picnic area. Solid wood tables and benches littered an area studded with cherry trees and picturesque bushes, which provided shade and a small amount of privacy. Anzu hung back as Rebecca marched Yuugi towards one of the tables and Jounouchi, Honda and Otogi followed. She knew the moment they saw what was going on, because they all stopped and Jounouchi’s hands went to his sides like he was about to start throwing punches.
“What the hell? What is he doing here?”
Looking extremely uncomfortable, and carrying and honest-to-goodness picnic basket covered in red and white checked cloth, Seto sat at one of the tables. He rose when he saw them, but made no greeting. His face betrayed nothing, though his eyes sought her out immediately.
Jounouchi followed his gaze and rounded on Anzu. “What the hell, Anzu?”
“You wouldn’t have come if we’d warned you beforehand.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 11, 2012 14:07:57 GMT -5
"I can assure you, Jounouchi, that absent Anzu, being forced to spend time in your company would indeed, be hell for me." He spoke to Jounouchi but his eyes were plainly still on Anzu.
"Trust me, this ain't no picnic for me either..." Seto so wished that that he could pounce on that; it was such an easy, open target, not tearing it apart was practically a violation of the natural order, but he remembered what Anzu had said before; he had to respect her friends in order for their false relationship to work, for there to be any chance for it to become real...no, bad thought! Regardless of irrational feelings, regardless of the fact that this was no longer a relationship that could be quickly and easily dissolved absent some sort of miracle, which Seto Kaiba was not foolish enough to believe would come, the fact of the matter was that Anzu was still far too vexing a person for any sort of real relationship to happen.
"Look," Anzu spoke, breaking Seto out from his introspection. "If we all can't manage a civil afternoon together after everything that we've gone through up to this point, then there's something seriously wrong with us. Now come on Jounouchi, sit down and put your contribution on the table." Damn it, that was at least half of what his damnable subconscious found appealing about her, that she had no problem whatsoever with putting Jounouchi in his place.
"Fine, fine." Jounouchi took his seat as Seto put the picnic basket on the table. Jounouchi took a quick peek under the cloth covering it. "At least the spread looks good." Anzu cleared her throat. "Right, right." Jounouchi then reached in under his coat and pulled out four packages of eight hotdogs each. "You got ketchup in their, right rich boy?"
"Yes."
....
"...and that takes care of that." Sakura Mazaki said as she signed the last of the forms in a fashion more reminiscent of a knight swinging a sword. "Paperwork, one day I will find a way to do away with you." She then put the forms into an envelope and walked it out to the man in the orange shirt.
"Thank you Sakura."
"You're welcome Ichiro." She then turned back to Mokuba. "Let's go visit the cafeteria first, there should be a fair few grabbing their afternoon snacks about now."
"Uh, sure." Mokuba felt himself bracing on the inside, wondering just what the kids who came here would be like.
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Post by Scribbler on Feb 11, 2012 16:43:01 GMT -5
They made their way along the same corridor as before. Mokuba looked again at the numbered doors, but this time Sakura spotted him.
“You’re wondering what’s behind them, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah,” he admitted. “I don’t really know what this place does. I mean, the clue is in the title, but I’m not so clear on the details.” Or why I’M even here.
Sakura nodded. “Well, the Haven Centre functions as a place for teens to go when they feel like they can’t cope at home anymore, rather than staying on the street or getting involved with people who’d take advantage of them. We’re not a hostel where cases can stay permanently; more like a halfway house with access to other places and resources they might not know about. We play liaison with parents, police, social workers, we accompany those who are scared to the hospital for certain tests and examinations they’re scared to attend on their own, we locate other family members teens may not be in contact with anymore, and we sometimes help our cases find work if they’re of age. We also provide counsellors and mental and emotional health schemes to get cases into a frame of mind to go home or accept the help they need if they’re resistant to it. We have an effective anger-management course and a wonderful art therapy programme – you should see some of the stuff our kids produce; it’s stunning.”
Mokuba bobbed his head up and down, although to be truthful, the thought of teens who needed anger-management, social workers and contact with the police. Sakura’s talk of ‘certain tests and examinations’ kids would be ‘scared to attend on their own’ made him feel uncomfortable and he quickly turned his thoughts elsewhere. Luckily, they had reached a door marked with the much easier to understand ‘cafeteria’.
Unfortunately, when they pushed through the swinging double doors, it was to find chaos erupting between the tables. A crowd of about ten teenagers were huddled around something Mokuba couldn’t see, all whooping and hollering like banshees. Some younger boys and girls had shuffled to the ends of their benches and were trying to pretend it wasn’t going on. They chewed rhythmically at their food, dead eyes staring straight ahead, as if they were used to ignoring violence. A few chanced scared glances, their eyes darting around in fear until they spotted Sakura and Mokuba.
Sakura didn’t say a word. She just marched into the thick of the mob, which scattered at her presence. A couple dived for their seats, as if she wouldn’t notice their participation that way. More froze in place. The only ones still moving were the two in the centre, two boys trying to turn each other’s faces into meat paste. Still wordlessly, Sakura inserted herself between them, apparently not caring whether their wild punches hit her. She didn’t touch either boy, just used her own body as a wedge. It did the trick. They both backed off, separating themselves rather than hurt her.
“Okay, what’s going on?” she asked quietly.
Silence fell. You could have heard a pin drop. Mokuba did hear a fork clatter to the floor. One of the boys had been holding it in his fist. Had he been about to stab the other boy with it? Fear washed through Mokuba. What kind of place WAS the Haven Centre?
“He started it,” said the one who had dropped the fork.
“Is this true, Hitoshi?”
The other boy mumbled something inaudible. It couldn’t have been good, since the first one launched himself with a cry and outstretched hands, fingers curled into claws.
“You take that back!”
“Make me!”
“My mom is NOT a –”
Sakura stuck her arms out. “All right, ALL RIGHT! Break it up, you two. Rocket Dog, go to my office to cool off. Hitoshi, go to the medical room to get that cut seen to. I’ll be along to speak to you in a minute. You know that sort of talk is inappropriate.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Hitoshi cursed, touching his cheek and the long cut that had appeared and was dripping onto his collar. “Crazy bitch! She needs to be sedated or tranquilised or something.”
“You call my mom a whore again, you’ll be sorry.”
“Medical room. Now.” Sakura looked around. “Goro, you go with him and wait for Ichiro to arrive. Rocket Dog, come with me.”
She led the one called Rocket Dog to the door. Mokuba pressed himself flat against it. He realised with surprise that what he had thought was a boy was, in fact, a black-haired girl dressed in baggy jeans, fingerless gloves and a baseball jacket two sizes too big for her. Close-up he could see her dark eye make-up and even darker lipstick, which gave her a strange, ghostly look. Her lower lip and nose gleamed with small silver rings and she had a painful looking bar through one eyebrow. She glared at him as she went past.
“What are you looking at?” she demanded.
“Rocket Dog,” Sakura said warningly. “Be nice.”
She muttered something and stalked ahead of them.
Sakura sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, Mokuba. That’s not a regular occurrence, I can assure you. Rocket Dog has a … bit of a temper when it comes to her mother. Obviously I can’t give you details, but she’s a nice girl really.”
“No I’m not!”
“And she has excellent hearing.”
Mokuba watched her warily. “Rocket Dog?” he said to Sakura.
She nodded. “A lot of kids who come here don’t want to give us their real names at first, so they give us fake ones or nicknames until they feel ready to come clean. Rocket Dog, however, has never given us her real name herself. We found it out when we contacted her home. Anzu tells me ‘Rocket Dog’ is the brand of shoe she was wearing when she arrived.” Sakura shrugged. “It’s not the worse choice I’ve heard. Now, would you like to stay with the girls in the office bordering mine while I get Rocket Dog sorted out?”
“I guess …” Mokuba replied. “If you think that’s best.” He was remembering the fork, but more than that, the tears in Rocket Dog’s angry, defiant eyes. Something about that made him want to know more about her, which was all kinds of stupid, since she was more hostile than a declaration of war. Stupid hormones, or whatever was making him act like a complete twerp around females lately.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Feb 11, 2012 18:37:02 GMT -5
Despite the shaky start when Jounouchi and the others realized that Seto Kaiba was going to be eating with them, or at least attending the picnic with them, things settled down surprisingly quickly. Well, not that surprising in Yuugi's estimation; both Anzu and Rebecca were quick to glare down anyone present who dared breach the peace and break the good mood, and that included Seto Kaiba. Though it was mostly Anzu who did that, and less because Seto was actively being a jerk and more out of him refusing to engage with anyone...anyone but her.
"Darling." Yuugi's attention was torn away from Anzu as she made Seto answer Otogi's question regarding the particulars of how Solid Vision worked, and towards Rebecca Hopkins; she had a small bowl of salad, no dressing, and she'd only eaten half of that. "I understand that we're all friends here, but you should pay a little more attention to your dear."
"My dear?"
"Yes; darling, dear, they both go together so well, don't you think?" Yuugi then heard her groan, saw her rub her stomach.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He leaned in a bit closer to her, and just barely caught the glint of victory in her eye.
"Oh, yes; it's like I told you yesterday, I was going to check out all the restaurants to see which one we'd go to tomorrow, and I ended up having something from each one, and they were all sooo good."
"How...how many did you go to?"
"Four or five I'd say; the official Domino City brochure had lots of suggestions." Four or five meals, at the most expensive restaurants in town? Yuugi couldn't help wondering how on Earth Rebecca managed to eat that much and not burst. "I think we'll go to the Italian place, their angel hair pasta was to die for."
"Well, if you say so." Yuugi himself still had considerable doubts about Rebecca's plan to draw the heat away from Anzu and Seto's relationship, not least of which was her ulterior motive; her crush on him was as strong as ever, and despite her respect for Anzu, that didn't stop her from being especially touchy whenever Anzu glanced their way. For example, just then.
"So Rebecca." Anzu spoke in a firm, polite tone. "What sort of deck are you using these days?"
"Why, fishing for tips for Seto? Oh Anzu, you are such a good girlfriend."
"I do not require, nor would I accept any such...tips, against any opponent."
"Well, one day I'm sure we'll end up dueling; then we'll see whether your pride wins out or not. I for one know that I won't have a single problem accepting any of my darling Yuugi's advice."
Yuugi felt his face getting flush, and he looked over to Jounouchi, Honda, and Otogi; their eyes had the same message, we ain't walking into that minefield. Yuugi couldn't blame them.
"It is a formidable situation indeed, partner." His other self offered up, a grim yet somehow amused expression on his face.
Then Seto's cell phone started to ring. He answered. "Hello? Ah, Isis." He put his hand over the speaker. "Anzu, I shouldn't be long." And then he took off, leaving them all to wonder what the heck Isis had called about, and whether it would be yet another complication in their already overburdened lives.
....
Mokuba tried to sit by himself in the office while he waited for Sakura to finish talking with Rocket Dog, but unfortunately the women who shared that office had not been inclined to allow him that.
"Oh come on, stop being so frumpy faced." That of course only made Mokuba's face scrunch up even more; apparently some women just thought he was too adorable for his own good. He remembered that one girl back at Domino High who'd grabbed him up and wouldn't let go until Anzu rescued him from her...and away from those thoughts, far far away.
"Michiko, could you please not bother the poor boy?" The other woman, Amaya according to her name tag, said even as she kept a lollipop in her hand. "You know that Sakura brought him here for a reason, and it's not so you can dote on him."
"Well I'm sorry, I can't help that his cheeks look so pinchable." If there was one thing to look forward to from puberty, it was that it would make his face harder, leaner, and distinctly un-pinchable for anyone. Especially if he got some decent facial hair going. True, Seto didn't have any facial hair of his own, but that didn't mean he couldn't grow his own, right?
Then the door to Sakura's office opened, and she and the other girl, Rocket Dog, emerged. "It's like I said; it's okay for you to be angry, but you need to find better ways of expressing it; fighting like that is what they want."
"Yeah, sure." Rocket Dog had her hand gripped tight against her fingerless gloves. Then she looked around and saw him. She stared at him for a moment, making Mokuba wish he could back himself through the wall and into the hallway. Then she stepped forward, her face unreadable. "You're Mokuba Kaiba, aren't you?"
"Yes?"
"Former Capsule Monster Chess champion?"
"Yes." Mokuba was surprised to hear that game brought up; it hadn't been in vogue for a long time, and he hadn't played it at all lately.
"...Care for a game?"
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