Did you all miss me? No. I thought not.
Anyway, because I had such lovely feedback for Life Beyond Egypt. I decided to do a sequel. Basically, it will, I hope, have some funny moments, embarrassing moments, a bit of angst, some drama, and of course, some romance. I did think about making a series of one shots, but decided to put it all into one multi chapter story. I hope it works okay, and doesn't jump about too much.
If you have not already read Life Beyond Egypt. I suggest you do. It will give some background as to what is going on in this story.
Warning: Some mild profanity, and suggestive content. Nothing bad though.
Enjoy.
Beyond Egypt 2. Back to Reality.
Today was Tuesday, Yugi's first day back at school. He had taken Monday to recover from the jet lag. But his mother wanted him to take the whole week off, so that he could rest, and recover from the injury he had received in Egypt. Yugi argued that moping around at home would do him no good, he had already missed far too much school already, and was in danger of slipping behind with his studies. Luckily Grandpa agreed with Yugi. So, his mother reluctantly agreed to let him go back, on one condition, she would drive him to school and pick him up.
As Yugi got dressed, he sighed. In his opinion, his mother was being far too over protective. But he had to admit she was right to be concerned. He had not really thought about how worried his mother might be, when he had gone off on his adventures. He had been far too wrapped up in helping Atem regain his memories, and with the fight against evil. Yugi felt a bit guilty about it, but there was no way he could have told his mother the truth. What would he have said? "See you later mum. I'm just off to the shadow realm, to fight a huge demon." He almost burst out laughing at the thought. Luckily Grandpa had no trouble telling huge lies to keep his parents from finding out about his connection to Atem. They would freak out If they ever found out that he had played numerous shadow games, nearly had his soul fed to the Leviathan and stopped Zork from destroying the world, all while sharing his body with a powerful Pharaoh.
"Yugi? Will you hurry up? Anzu's here. We need to get going." Yugi was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his mother call out, from downstairs.
"Coming right down." He shouted back.
Hobbling to the top of the stairs, he noticed Anzu waiting for him.
"Morning Yugi." She waved, smiling up at him.
"Hey, Anzu. Check this out." He grinned. Using the bannister rails for support, he launched himself down the stairs, four at a time.
"Yugi!" She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. Worried he might fall.
Keeping his weight off his left leg he landed in front of her. "Pretty cool huh?" He said, hopping on one leg.
Laughing, Anzu placed her hands on his sides to steady him as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Idiot. Just don't get overconfident. I don't want you to end up breaking your neck."
Placing his arm round her for support, he laughed. "you're as bad as my mum, worrying about me."
Anzu handed Yugi his crutches, that were by the door. "I would be a rubbish girlfriend if I didn't care about you."
Yugi smiled as they went outside to where his mothers Nissan was parked. He still couldn't believe that Anzu was HIS girlfriend.
Anzu thanked Yugi's mum for the lift to school and together they went into the building. As they changed into their indoor shoes, Jonouchi and Honda came up to them.
"Hey Yuge. Good to see you back man!" Jonouch said.
"Thanks guys. I need to get back into a routine."
"Helps take your mind off... Things.." Honda trailed off, looking tense.
"Its okay Honda. You meant Atem. Please, don't be afraid to talk about him. I want us all to remember him. He was part of Me. Of our gang."
"Yeah...He was. Thanks Yugi." Honda clamped his hand on Yugi's shoulder.
"We should hold a games night soon. In Atem's honour." Jonouchi added.
"Oh! How touching. Can anyone join this little dweeb reunion?" Kaiba sneered, approaching them.
"Grrrr. No one asked for your snide remarks. Kaiba." Jonouchi retorted angrily.
"Yugi! Keep your pet pooch under control? Or at least muzzle him?"
Yugi was about to speak when Anzu stepped in front of him. "Kaiba! That was unkind. You should apologize to Jonouchi?"
Kaiba let out a snort. "So. You have your little girlfriend speaking for you now, do you Yugi? I might have guessed."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Jonouchi was now in fighting stance.
Before Kaiba could respond. Yugi pushed between Anzu and Jonouchi. "It's okay guys. I can handle Kaiba. What are you doing in school anyway. I thought you had better things to do now?"
"I have. I passed all my exams a long time ago. Call it a social visit."
"Bull shit." Honda cut in.
Kaiba shrugged. "Whatever. Are none of you going to thank me for the loan of the Limo the other night? Mokuba thought I didn't know why he wanted it. I am not totally heartless you know."
"Well if you came here looking for our gratitude Kaiba, forget it." Jonouchi spat.
"Hey! Guys. That's enough. What did you want to speak to me about Kaiba?" Yugi said.
"I actually came here for a meeting with the principal. But I spotted you, and thought I would pay my respects. Believe it or not. Yugi. Your imaginary friend, was the only person whom I acknowledge as my...Shall we say, equal." He smirked.
Yugi could tell Kaiba was laying down a challenge, in a round about way. He met Kaiba with a smirk of his own. "If you want to duel me Kaiba, you only have to ask."
"Yugi?" Anzu gasped.
"Yeah. Yuge. Don't let him bully you into duelling. You're injured and are still getting over Atem." Honda said.
"It's okay guys, you don't need to worry about me. If I am going to prove myself worthy of being called The King of Games, without My Other Self, then I need to beat Kaiba."
"Oh, please. Spare me. I don't have all day to stand here and listen to you lot. Make your mind up Yugi. Are we, or are we not going to duel."
Yugi turned to face Kaiba. "Kaiba. I accept your challenge."
Anzu and Jonouchi exchanged looks. Anzu full of concern, Jonouchi full of pride in his friend. He winked at Anzu. "As a fellow duelist I understand how he feels Anzu. Yugi needs to do this. I have faith in him." Jonouchi thumped his fist on his chest to show heart. Anzu was trying to understand, but to her, it still felt like macho posturing.
Kaiba rolled his eyes at Jonouchi. "Once a moron, always a moron." He mumbled, before turning to Yugi. "Well it looks like you've grown a pair of your own. Yugi. You better be at your very best, because I won't go easy on you. I intend to take back what is rightfully mine. Seven o'clock tonight, Kaiba dome. Don't be late." With a nod of the head, Kaiba turned and left in the direction of the Principals office. Satisfied that he had got what he wanted. He had not even had to challenge Yugi outright. The little runt, eager to prove his worth, had challenged him! Seto Kaiba smirked. He would win and regain his title as the worlds best duelist.
"Why does Kaiba always have to be such a jerk. Did nothing Atem say get through too him?" Anzu had felt like punching him.
Yugi placed his hand on Anzu's shoulder. "Hey. It's not like you to get so upset, you know Kaiba only says those things to annoy us."
"Good morning everyone. Did I miss something?" Ryou Bakura joined them, just as Kaiba was walking away.
"Yeah. Kaiba being a noob." Jonouchi said
"Yugi just challenged Kaiba to a duel." Honda answered.
"Oh! Is that wise Yugi? You have just come back from Egypt and you are injured." Ryou fussed.
"Guys? Please. Stop worrying about me. I will be fine. Besides, I don't duel with my leg." Yugi was trying to make light of the situation, appearing confident. However. Deep down, he was wondering what on earth he had been thinking.
"I got faith in you buddy. We will all be there to cheer you on. You won't be doing this alone." Jonouchi added.
"Thanks Jonouchi." Yugi smiled, relieved that at least one of his friends, thought that duelling Kaiba, was a good idea.
The rest of the morning proved to be interesting. Yugi found himself the centre of attention. It seemed everyone wanted to know how he had been shot, and what it felt like. By lunch time he was a little fed up with all the attention. So he and Anzu found a quiet place in the library, to spend some time together.
Sitting down in a corner, where they knew they would be obscured from view, should anyone be looking for him. Yugi let out a sigh."Peace and quiet at last." He whispered.
Anzu snuggled up to him. "Yeah. Why everyone should find being shot so exciting, is beyond me."
"Morbid curiosity. I guess." He shrugged.
"Yugi?" Anzu sat up straight and looked at him. "Do you have to duel Kaiba tonight?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Well. I can't back down now."
"Couldn't you have given yourself a week or so, to get better. You are tired. Still getting over Atem, and you're injured."
"I didn't really have a choice." He rubbed the back of his head, as he always did when he felt awkward.
"You could have said you were busy tonight. Arranged the duel in a few days time. Maybe you could have chosen some easier opponents first. So you can get used to not having Atem with you."
"Are you worried I might lose? That I can't beat Kaiba on my own?"
"It's not that. I just don't want you getting hurt. I know you are really keen to prove you can win on your own. But Kaiba can be mean. I really want to see you kick his arrogant butt. I just wish you might have considered some easy duels first."
Yugi chewed his bottom lip and looked down. Did Anzu doubt he could win on his own? His blonde bangs fell forward and hid his expression. Part of him was still afraid, but he wouldn't show it. When he had confronted Kaiba earlier. His old self had told him to stay quiet, but he hated that part of himself, so he had responded in the way he knew Atem would have. He only hoped he had the ability to back it up without Atem there to help him.
Anzu could tell he was having his own internal battle, somehow she always seemed to know what he was thinking.
"I think you will beat Kaiba, but please don't hurt yourself to win. Turn the duel disks intensity down so that you don't feel the blast from attacks, or duel without disks so that you can sit down or something." She gently stroked his hair back from his face and kissed his cheek. "We should be getting back. Classes start again soon."
He tilted his head to meet her gaze. "Thank you Anzu. I will beat Kaiba. I promise. I have built a new, powerful deck, with a few cards Kaiba hasn't seen yet. My Other self had faith in me. I won't let him down." He clenched his fists.
Anzu smiled, she felt a warm glow flow through her body. This was her Yugi and she felt proud of him.
Their lips brushed as they shared a brief kiss. Pulling away slightly Anzu went to stand up. But Yugi held onto her preventing her from moving.
"Just a few moments longer." He smiled, pulling her into a longer, more passionate kiss. Yugi had his hand resting on her thigh, he could feel the firmness of her dancers muscles through her silky tights, sending shivers through his body. He slid his hand up the outside of her thigh and under her short skirt, his fingers brushed the edge of her panties. His face started to burn, embarrassed by his own forwardness, but somehow he couldn't stop himself. He could feel his heart pounding. He was half expecting her to slap him, but instead he felt her hands under his jacket, massaging his back. Their kissing was becoming more and more passionate.
Suddenly, they were startled by a loud cough along with the sound of someone slamming a large book shut. They almost leaped out of their skins as they quickly removed themselves from each other, faces pink with embarrassment.
"Mrs. Watabe!" They both exclaimed at the same time.
"Miss Mazaki, Mr. Mutou. May I enquire as to what you are doing? In the Library of all places!"
"Erm. err..." Yugi stuttered out.
"The library is for studying and reading books, is it not?"
"Yes Mrs. Watabe." Anzu replied.
"You both know that this sort of thing is forbidden on school premises?"
They both nodded sheepishly.
"Good. Then I shall be reporting you both to the school principal. I cannot allow such behaviour in MY library. Now I suggest that you both hurry along to your next lessons. Immediately."
"Yes Mrs. Watabe." They both replied. Anzu stood up first. Yugi had to pick his crutches up from the floor. He was so flustered that he almost toppled over and dropped one of his crutches. Anzu had to help him.
Mrs Watabe watched the pair of them leave. "Teenagers." She mumbled to herself. With a shake of the head, she went back to stacking books back onto the shelves. She was surprised it was those two she had caught in a heated embrace, they were among the better behaved students. She had always found Yugi a very polite and rather shy young man, not the sort of boy who seduced girls in the school library. She decided not to report them to the principal, the threat was probably enough to frighten them.
Yugi and Anzu spent the rest of the afternoon waiting to be called to the principals office. They were too embarrassed to tell anyone what had happened.
The afternoon proved to be just as eventful and embarrassing. They had a Biology lesson, and it was all about human reproduction. Every time Yugi and Anzu glanced at each other, their faces would flush. Not helped by Jonouchi, whispering rude and smutty remarks.
They were then divided into pairs, and given very realistic baby dolls to look after. Anzu and Yugi quickly paired up together. Jonouchi and Ryou were told to pair up by the teacher. Honda scored a result by being paired with Miho. He was quick to impress her with his parenting skills, having had plenty of practice babysitting his nephew.
"Why have they paired me with Jonouchi? I'm not a girl!" Ryou was indignant.
"I think you make a lovely couple." Honda pursed his lips and made kissing noises.
Jonouchi threw his baby at Honda, who ducked. The baby hit the floor and immediately started making a crying noise. The whole class erupted in laughter as Jonouchi rushed to pick the poor little thing up, by its leg.
"Arghh. How do I shut this thing up?" He wailed, shaking it, which only seemed to intensify it's screams.
"Mr. Jonouchi. Take this seriously. Or, get out of my class." The teacher yelled.
"Some help here, people. Please?" He went to shove the doll at Ryou. Who nervously took it and looked pleadingly at Anzu.
"I don't know what to do either." He whined.
"Here, you cradle it. Like this."Anzu shoved her doll at Yugi, who held it like someone had just placed a delicate glass ornament in his hands. It immediately started to cry. He almost dropped it in horror.
Anzu arranged the doll in Ryou's arms. It seemed to work, it stopped crying. While the one Yugi held out in front of him was now screaming.
They then had to practice changing nappies. Yugi found he was quite good at it.
"Wow Yugi, that was quick." Ryou was impressed. He was in a muddle with his.
"Well, I just approached it like it was a puzzle. It was easy." He said, proudly admiring his work.
"Yugi can be chief nappy changer when you two have a baby together, Anzu." Jonouchi smirked.
Yugi's face went scarlet.
"Any more smart remarks, and you will be wearing that nappy on your face." Anzu snarled. She looked at the baby Yugi was holding gently against his chest. He seemed to be getting the idea. She suddenly found herself thinking he would make a good father and imagined the baby with spiky Tri coloured hair. She could feel her face going red.
"Anzu wants a baby, Anzu wants a baby." The temptation to tease them was too much for Jonouchi to resist.
"Right, that's it. You are wearing that nappy." Anzu snatched the nappy from his hand and was about to chase him with it, when the teacher intervened.
"That's enough. Mr. Jonouchi, you are supposed to be eighteen not eight. Out of my class. NOW."
Mumbling to himself Jonouchi left the classroom and spent the remainder of the lesson sat in the corridor.
Please let me know what you think.
I don't know why, but I was in a silly mood when I wrote the last part. The next chapter will be more serious.