DIS: Yeah, I know. Every published and unpublished author(ess) has done this plot about a thousand times over, but I've never been given a chance to do a common plot, so I thought it was my turn. Not to mention, I took a lot of creative liberties with this, so it's nothing like the rest of them. Please read below and enjoy!

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Title: Beauty

Rating: M, just in case

Genre: Romance/Drama

Summary: AU, Anzu is pushed into a struggle between two heartless princes and locked in a castle where Malik Ishtar, a heartless man, lies. She knows the only way to make things better is to get closer to the resentful prince, but as she does, she dooms them both to the power of his rival, Seto Kaiba. But he's not the only threat to Malik and Anzu's relationship. Anzu's friends and family are coming to save her, guided by Seto.

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh, though I do own some of this plot.

Notes/Warnings: AU; Malik/Anzu; some mature content

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Beauty

Prologue

Seto Kaiba steepled his fingers and peered down into the glass. The girl that was sitting alone at her table, staring down at the letter she was reading was Anzu Mazaki. The prince had observed her for a while now. She wasn't quite what he was looking for, but she would have to do, he supposed. She had an attitude and wasn't about to allow anyone to push her around like a bag of potatoes. Her personality wasn't as sweet and meek as he could have hoped for, but in that corrupted village, he doubted he'd get anything better.

Seto smiled to himself, lowering his hands. Anzu Mazaki would do perfectly, he concluded suddenly. Malik would hate her stubborn attitude, but admire it at the same time. He wouldn't hate her quite as much as he would her friend, Shizuka Katsuya, who was sweeter than sugar. He'd like her mix of good and bad. The only reason Seto hadn't chosen the younger girl over Anzu Mazaki was because she never went into the forest and didn't have a curious streak like Anzu. This way, the girl he chose would get to the castle on her own and without any problems.

Yes, he thought, passing a hand over the glass so the view disappeared, this will work very well.

Chapter One

A shrill call echoed in the forest and Anzu raised her head in curiosity. She saw the great hawk cut through the trees, soaring on the wind. Smiling vacantly, Anzu watched it for a moment, immobile in her position in front of the berry bush. When it disappeared from sight, she returned to picking the wild raspberries. Her basket was already half full of raspberries. She supposed she should go looking for blueberries. It was getting late, anyway. I have to meet Shizuka and Jounouchi soon, Anzu thought, peering up through the trees at the sun. Based by the position of the sun, her assumption was correct.

Hastily moving to the blueberry bush, she picked the berries with nimble fingers, careful of the thorns. Plucking them daintily, she made sure not to smash any in her fingers. She was lucky. She had been coming to this forest with her mother ever since she was a child. They would pick berries for hours on ends and sometimes swim in the nearby stream. Even after her mother, Sakura, had died, Anzu continued to go to the forest. It helped her relax and think of better times.

With a full basket, Anzu dashed through the forest and the fields. She went to her home that was placed conveniently on a hill so that not many people would come. Anzu was harassed daily by the villagers and teased by males her age. Her father admittedly was not the wealthiest man, but he was kind and never one to return the jibes that were thrown at him. Anzu wasn't quite as fortunate. If someone insulted her or her father, she would throw an insult right back at them. It was probably why she was still unmarried at the age of twenty and only had two friends that were her age. The other not-so-fortunate villagers adored her, but they were either children, middle-aged, or elderly folk. Ah, well. At least she had Shizuka and Jounouchi.

Speaking of which... Anzu threw herself out her front door and slammed it behind her. She peered up at the sky and let out a yelp, her cerulean eyes widening. It looked like she was going to get punched by Jounouchi again. Lifting her worn skirts, she ran down the hill, tripping, to the shabby home positioned next to the eastern side of the village's well. "I'm so sorry!" She gasped to the two that were sitting on a bench next to the well. "I lost track of time."

"Don't you always?" Jounouchi Katsuya growled, rolling his eyes, a teasing smirk on his lips as he rose to his feet. Anzu scowled up at the blonde male, irritated to the say the least. The only male that she took teasing from was from her best friend and that was because he never meant anything by it. Jounouchi was naturally playful and therefore couldn't help but press his nature on others; that included his rash, violent decision-making. It often resulted in his opponent being bruised and bloody. They usually deserved it, though, so neither Anzu, nor Shizuka ever said anything.

"Anzu is always in the forest," Shizuka spoke up, her kind, brown eyes – so much like her brother's – twinkling with suppressed amusement. "We have to forgive her for letting her mind wander." While Jounouchi was wild and energetic, Shizuka was calm and with a kindly nature. Anzu and Jounouchi were usually her protectors since those that threw insults at them did it just as regularly to Shizuka. She was of a more sensitive nature than they were, though. Jounouchi fought his battles physically and Anzu fought hers verbally. Shizuka usually flushed and ran from them, crying. Anzu wished that her friend wasn't in such a world where you had to have money in order to have any respect.

"My mind doesn't wander!" Anzu protested, blushing lightly. "I just don't pay attention to the time of day as I should." Shizuka raised her fingers to her lips and stifled a giggle.

"Very well, Anzu," her female companion conceded, "if you say so."

"Anyway," Jou interrupted them gracelessly, "I was wondering, Anzu...Can you make me something to eat?" He thrust his lower lip out in a pout, widening his brown eyes pitifully. "Shizuka says I'm not pulling my weight around here..."

"Well, you're not, brother," Shizuka huffed a bit, eyeing him with a frown. "I can never get you to do anything anymore!" He gave her a sulky look, his pout still in place. Anzu smiled, watching them patiently. Shizuka and Jou had been orphaned young and so they depended solely on each other for comfort, help, and friendship. Anzu had met them when she was young and had been shy at the time. After they were orphaned and forced to make their own money and take care of each other, Anzu opened up to them and helped them as much as she could. Now, she was thankful that she had befriended them. She wasn't sure how she would survive without their company.

"I always help!" Jou whined. "I work at the stables with Seiji and go to the market with you for food!"

"But you never help around the house," Shizuka informed him. "You were supposed to feed the chickens this morning, but instead you went back to sleep." Jou's pout was gone at this point in the argument and he was staring at her like she had lost her mind. Anzu covered her mouth at his expression, coughing to hide her laugh. Jou's eyes were popping out and his jaw was hanging wide open.

"Shizuka!" He exploded suddenly. "It wasn't yet dawn! How did you expect me to feed the chickens?" She ignored his complaint, turning back to Anzu, smiling gently.

"I was going to make a cherry pie, Anzu. I've still not got it quite right. Would you mind very much in helping me?" Shizuka clapped her hands together in a begging gesture that she had gotten from her brother. Anzu laughed and took her friend's hands, squeezing them.

"Of course, Shizuka! As soon as it's cool – "

"We can eat it?" Jou cut in hopefully. Shizuka frowned at her brother. "What?"

"We can eat it. You still have to feed the chickens, Jounouchi." He stared at her for a moment, and then gave a dark look before storming over to the chicken pen, grabbing a bucket of feed. Shizuka giggled and looped her arm through Anzu's. "The only way I can get him to do anything is starve him."

"I can tell," Anzu chirped in reply, laughing with her.

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Seiji Mazaki returned from the stables, his back and feet aching. His hip was pulsing with pain from where a horse had kicked him. He had unwittingly passed behind it and in return, it kicked him right in the hip. As Seiji entered his warm home, he could smell a delicious aroma in the air. A smile touched his lips and he removed his boots after shutting the door behind him. He traveled through his small home to the kitchen, where his daughter was singing softly to herself and cleaning the kitchen. "Papa," she greeted in surprise, opening her eyes wide in glee. "You're home earlier than usual. Dinner's nearly finished. There's some blueberry pie on the table."

"Thank you, sweetheart," he murmured wearily, taking a plate and fork and going to the table. He slumped in a chair and took a piece out. As he took a bite, he moved his drooping eyes to his daughter, who was feasting on some raspberries. His heart sunk in sadness.

He had been trying to get his daughter a husband ever since she turned ten-and-six. It was all for naught, though, since she cared nothing for getting married. Jou near attacked every man that approached her. Seiji knew that the possibility of Jou liking Anzu was very high, but he wasn't looking for someone in the same disposition as Anzu. He wanted a man that could give her a comfortable life, one where she wouldn't have to worry about food, money, firewood, or clothing. Seiji could tell by her rejections that she was looking for someone to love.

Somehow, Seiji thought as Anzu removed the casserole from the stone oven, I don't think that she's going to find him. If it's not Jou, it's not anyone. And if it were Jou, Anzu would have done something by now.

"Here, papa." Anzu put a plate of casserole and a roll on the table with a cup of milk from their cows. She got herself some food and sat across from him, smiling. Seiji's returning smile was less brilliant than hers. He watched her eat for a moment, before eating himself. "Is something wrong?" She asked him as he took small bites of his food. He sighed and with an unsteady hand, he set his fork down and rested his arms on the table, gazing across at her with his tired, chocolate colored eyes.

"Anzu, why are you doing this to your father?" He demanded gently after a pause.

"What are you talking about?"

"This, Anzu." He gestured impatiently around him, indicating the house and its furnishings. Anzu's eyes flickered briefly around her, uncomprehending. Her father had been distant lately, often not even eating, just gazing across at her with his forever-weary eyes. She had never asked about it, afraid that it would upset him. "You push away any guy that comes near you, save for Jounouchi, and he certainly isn't going to become more than a friend, it appears. What are you waiting for, Anzu? What could it possibly be that's holding you back?"

"I don't want to get married, papa," Anzu said, appalled at the idea, and a bit angry that he wanted her to be married. "What kind of man would I find here? They are all rude, nasty jerks that care for nothing but their money. I don't want to marry a man like that. I want someone that I can love – "

"Love isn't what makes a happy life, Anzu," he interrupted her a bit sharply. "You'll be happy if you're with a man with good station, however rude and nasty he is."

"You would have your daughter go to bed with someone who would treat her like dirt?" Anzu demanded, livid.

"You'll be happy," he repeated.

"No, I won't, papa!" She snapped at him. "I'm happy now. I have my friends, I have my time, and I thought I had a father that loved me, but I guess I was wrong! You just want me out of the house. I want to stay so that I can take care of you. Is that so bad?"

"Of course it's not, but I want what's best for you, Anzu."

"This is what's best for me! I don't need a husband or a lover or...or any man to make my life happy. I need my family and friends and that's all!" She stood up and stormed out of the room, her eyes filling with tears. She could feel her father's eyes on her back until she was out of his sight. She threw open the door and went outside, slamming it behind her. She stumbled around the house and slumped against the side, sliding down. A sob escaped her throat and she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. You don't know what's best for me, papa, Anzu thought as she stifled her cries in her hands. You don't understand anything.

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DIS: There's the first chapter! Next chapter will be more interesting, I promise! Please leave a review to tell me how it was! Ciao!