So, I watched a random episode of YuGiOh recently because I was feeling super nostalgic and used to love the show when I was growing up! Anyway, I was inspired to write a story as I used to love Yami and Anzu together so here goes nothing…

I hope you enjoy!

xox

She watched the light dance across the wall opposite her, the dim afternoon shadows sucking the life out of the small shards of happiness like a deep, black hole. She smiled bitterly; it reminded her of him. Faded blue orbs turned their attention to the window, grey clouds casting a hazy hue of blue across Domino City, dragging the colour out of it and blanketing it with a dull grey instead. She blinked slowly, boredom had come and gone and she was left feeling empty and alone. She glanced down at her arm, the full length of it bound tightly in a cast, it's weight resting uselessly in a cloth sling that dragged on the back of her neck and made it ache. But that was good; the pain was a distraction. Her gaze traveled to her ankle where it was propped up on a cushion ahead of her, swollen but not broken. Her pain relief and a now melted bag of ice sat next to it, untouched. She had promised Serenity that she would do both regularly all day, but that was just to keep her happy. The pain was good, it reminded her of what had happened, reminded her of him.

Her eye's glazed over and goosebumps tickled her skin as the memories flashed through her vision.

She was sweating from dance class, but a large coat was thrown over her shoulders anyway to cut out the chill from the autumn wind. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun on the back of her head, it's pin's and bobbles pulling on her hair uncomfortably making her occasionally wince in pain; she was longing to get home and rip them free. She buried her pointe shoe's into her bag as she hurried down the street; night was falling and the air was getting cooler with each passing minute.

She heard them before she saw them, turning on instinct to see two large shapes descending on her quickly. Her instinctive scream was muffled by large hands before pain erupted across her face sending her stumbling and falling to the ground with a loud grunt, her head ricocheting painfully off the concrete. Her world span in a nauseating circle as she was dragged to her feet, but before she even had the chance to think about bolting, her vision darkened and the world went black.

She woke up in what looked like a hotel room, slumped and tied to a chair in the middle of the carpet. Patches of blood lined the area around her, bleeding into the fibres like the roots of a tree. The blood was dripping from her mouth, her head slumped to the side awkwardly from where she'd been beaten and left unconscious. She blinked, trying to swallow but the movement was slow as the drug still racing through her system made her vision groggy and her memories hazy. She gagged at the metallic taste of her own blood and spat wearily, trying to get rid of the tainted saliva, but some clung to her chin and dribbled down her neck, dragging a slick mark through the already dried blood on her skin. She noticed only one of her hands had been tied to the chair, the other hung loose at her side. She went to move it to wipe her face but immediately regretted the decision as searing hot pain burnt up to the foundations of her arm, splintering into her shoulder and making her scream in agony. Her eye's rolled slightly as a nausea set in whilst her arm continued to protest at being moved. She grit her teeth, tear's starting to swell in the corners of her eye's as a panic set in. She took a shaky breath and glanced down at her arm, suddenly wishing she hadn't at the sight of it; it was clearly broken, bent out of alignment.

What a cruel joke.

Whoever had taken her had left it untied on purpose, limp and useless to tease her.

She used what little strength she had left to sit herself up properly, careful not to bump her arm as she whimpered in pain. She lifted her gaze to the closed door opposite her, but a flash of red caught her eye and she turned to the wall on her right to see a very familiar picture. There, in the middle of the plaster, was a crudely drawn millennium eye. She surveyed it with wide orbs, the implications of what was going on finally sinking in; they were after him, and they were using her to get to him. She felt anger course through her veins and grind into her teeth. When would this madness end? When would the violence stop?

She was jolted from her thoughts by the door ahead of her being swung open, bouncing off of the wall behind it with a loud bang. She jumped unwillingly, her eye's wide with fear as a masked figure stalked towards her. He grabbed a passing chair and dragged it behind him as he approached, placing it backwards in front of her, swinging one leg over the side so that he was now straddling the seat.

"I see sleeping beauty woke up?"

She breathed heavily, fear had knotted into her gut instincts and ripped it downwards, leaving her conscience nothing to fight with.

"-Andddd still not talking." He sighed wearily, "You know, I really didn't want to have to do this..." He reached a hand out towards her broken arm, his fingers brushing the skin lightly making her flinch in pain and shying away from him. "All you have to do, is tell me where he keeps that dam millennium puzzle and we can all go home."

His tone was unpleasant but not pushy like she expected. Most probably to try and calm her into a false sense of security so as to get these so called 'answers' from her. She merely blinked, holding his gaze through the small slits in his mask.

"I don't know..." She muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry? What was that?" His hand was reaching again now, brushing the skin of her elbow. She tensed every muscle in her body in preparation for the pain.

"I said, I don't know. All the items went missing when-"

She screeched in agony as his hand crudely gripped her arm, squeezing just tight enough to irritate the shard's of bone deep beneath the layers of muscle. She sobbed, biting her bottom lip as tear's streamed down her face, streaking through dirt and blood on it's way to her neck. Nausea rolled in her stomach and the edges of her vision started to darken as she tiredly lifted her head to face the masked man again.

He raised an eyebrow. "Bold of you." He noted appreciatively, moving to stand. "But not good enough, I'm afraid."

This was it, she thought blandly, watching him raise his hand to hit her again. This one back hand would knock her out cold again and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to wake up from it. She shut her eye's in preparation, not wanting to see his slow build up to inflicting her pain. Shouts in the corridor distracted them both and the masked man whirled around to face the open door, the dark shadows from the now pitch black entrance seemed to shift and crawl into the space, slowly making their way into the light only to diminish and recoil slightly at the contact. She held her breath; she knew this place, knew this feeling, she had seen it so many times before.

The Shadow Realm.

He had come.

She had never seen him angry enough to use his powers before. Even though he no longer possessed the puzzle, his mind and remained the same and he was still able to call upon his abilities he once had as a Pharaoh. But this was different, she could practically feel the energy pouring off of him. The tension in the room tripled and she felt the air around them grow heavy and hot, making it harder and harder for her to breath. The sounds of men groaning echoed off the walls and a scuffle of cloth confirmed his entrance as he turned and stumbled into the room.

The relief that flooded through her system was so overwhelming she almost past out. She knew he would come, of course, he always did, but she had not been expecting him so soon. His head whipped around the room until it landed on the masked man and then shifted to rest on her.

She would never forget that look. Like someone had taken the sword in his soul and stabbed him in the stomach with it, his eye's wide with shock and burning a bright red that lit the skin of his face in a sickly hue of orange as he gasped; he was angry, very angry. Sweat dripped from his forehead as his eyebrows creased into a scowl and his breathing picked up in pace. His eye's were staring at her body; the bloody drips that littered the carpet around her, the broken arm that hung limp at her side, the dull void that was growing ever darker in her eye's as she started to shift in and out of consciousness. She could feel his anger, feel his pain through every fibre of her being. She had no clue why she had such a strong bond with him, such a strong pull towards him that made her heart ache every time she had to turn and walk away. None of the other gang experienced this, and yet now her body was calling for him, calling for him to save her.

And save her, he did.

The last sight she was gifted with was the millennium eye glowing bright across across his forehead as his eye's shone and the masked man collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, his chest heaving as life left him and his now empty vessel behind. Her vision darkened again and she felt herself fall as the weight of the chair tilted off balance and fell to the floor, dragging her with it. She didn't even feel the pain as her world moved in slow motion and her body landed with a distant thud onto the carpet. She blinked wearily, exhaustion kicking in as the sound of sirens started to fill her senses.

"By Ra, what have they done to you?" Yami muttered, his voice cracking slightly as sheer panic started to set in.

Her vision was filled with his presence as he loomed over her form, cradling her head carefully and staring at her with large crimson eye's that were now filled with concern and worry, his eyebrows creased into a fearful frown as he inspected her damaged body. With a gentle sigh she let herself go and the darkness took over, his last few words echoing against the wall's of her mind.

"Anzu, please forgive me..."

A loud knock on her door made her jump out of her thoughts as her head turned to stare at the source of the noise. She toyed with the idea of just not answering, telling whoever it was to leave her alone. But if it was Joey or Tristan they would just knock the door down anyway and Yugi would use his careful way with words to guilt trip her into letting him in. Serenity and Mai both had key's and the possibility that it was Yami after all that had happened were slim to none. She bit her lip, unsure of what to do until another insistent knock made her heave an angry sigh before she gently got to her feet and hobbled towards her apartment door.

Who was she kidding anyway, they all knew she couldn't leave the house.

She leant her weight against the door frame so she could steady herself on her good leg before she gently turned the handle and cracked the door open.

Boy, had she guessed this wrong.

There on her door mat, stood Yami Motou. He had been staring down at the street before and now turned to face her as she opened the door. His crimson eye's found her blue one's immediately and she felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck as she felt him practically peer into her soul. He had eye's that made you feel like he knew your deepest darkest secrets; they were full of knowledge and power, rimmed with a band of gold that seemed to reflect his blatant regal heritage. He was dressed casual, a pair of blue jeans visible beneath his black coat that shielded him from the cold autumn wind, the collar pulled up and around his neck to keep some level of warmth in. His hair was as unruly as ever, tumbled up onto his head it seemed to have a life of it's own as the wind drew a few strands free and scattered them across his cheeks. His skin was still a warm hue of brown, even coming into winter he had a tan. Last but not least, her gaze fell to his hand where he tightly clutched a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

She blinked at him, feeling anger slowly bubble to the surface.

"May I come in?" He muttered quietly, keeping his gaze focused on hers as he tried to gauge her reaction; Yugi had mentioned she was upset with him.

She merely turned and limped away, leaving the door open for him to enter himself. He did so quietly, removing his shoes politely but leaving on his coat; he felt that this may be a short visit. He turned to see her fighting to keep her balance as she hobbled back to her seat on the sofa, the cushions propped comfortably to make her feel less pain and a blanket that had been thrown aside to keep her warm. The room was dull and lifeless, not like the Anzu he knew at all. Plates of food lay untouched around the sofa, a puddle of ice had melted onto her coffee table and was now dripping onto the rug beneath, the soft pitter patter of it's descent the only noise that filtered throughout her apartment. Dust had settled in corners and the kitchen looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days. He noticed the packets of medications, their labels still intact from where she hadn't even bothered to touch them. He frowned, moving towards her to take her elbow and help her back into her seat.

"Anzu, why are you not taking your medication?" His voice came across with a hard edge, despite his soft touch to her skin as he tried to offer her a helping hand.

She shook him off roughly, placing herself back down on her own. "Why are you here, Yami?" She bit out, conflicted by her own emotions at his presence here.

"You know you will just end up back in hospital if you don't look after yourself."

She sighed rubbing her temples gingerly. "I know..."

"So why are you doi-"

"Because I didn't want to, Yami! Is that good enough for you?!" She snapped at him, irate and not in the mood for his persuasive attitude towards everything. She winced as a spasm ran up her arm and settled into her shoulder, settling there much to her dismay.

He frowned at her in response, not appreciating her sharp tone nor being spoken to like he was the one in the wrong. He closed his eye's, standing to his feet and padding to the dimly lit kitchen. He searched her cupboards for a glass and filled it with water, stealing his nerves and his temper so that he wouldn't snap back at her; he couldn't stand it when people were difficult for no good reason. He turned back around and took a seat opposite her on the carpet, placing the glass of water in front of her on the coffee table and next to her prescriptions. She eyed him carefully with calculating blue orbs as he picked up the box's of pills and ripped the labels off to get inside, starting to read the note left by her doctor with a confused frown as he began to match names to dosages. Anzu felt her anger dissolve slightly as she watched him; she knew not taking her medicine was incredibly detrimental to her health, but a part of her also knew that she had done it for his sympathy. She frowned at the thought; since when had she become so self absorbed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the cushions next to her softening as Yami took a seat. He took her good hand gently in his and opened it up to place a few different pills gently into her palm. She kept her head down as she stared at her hand, feeling suddenly embarrassed at her childish attitude towards him. He dipped his head to get her eye's to meet his, they were wide with concern at how she was acting.

"Please, Anzu..." He muttered.

She felt tear's prick her eyes as she leant forwards to pick up the water, popping the pills onto her tongue gently before swallowing. She placed the glass back carefully before settling back into her seat, unable to meet his burning gaze as her skin heated in embarrassment. The tears started to flow freely down her cheeks and she leant away from him as she felt herself unable to control them. She felt the warmth of his hand on her shoulder as he tried to comfort her, but there was nothing in this moment that could truly dampen the splitting of her heart; she so badly wanted to hate him for bringing such pain and fear into her life, but she had such a burning love for him that more often than not it dissolved all other emotions until all she was left with was this feeling of complete and utter fullness. She was sobbing now, her hand trying to cover her eyes as she turned it fully away from him; no way was he going to see her like this.

"Anzu! What's the matter?" He prodded gently, trying to lean around her to see her face better. Four years with his own body and he still had no idea of the boundaries of personal space or how to handle certain emotional situations, but he was getting better according to Yugi. This, however, was a true test of his abilities as he watched her with a worried frown; his brother had been right, she really was upset. But with him? He couldn't tell.

"You know, I was supposed to have a dance audition today..." She sniffed, managing to control her emotions as she stared out at the flat grey sky.

Yami stayed quiet, watching her carefully.

She smiled bitterly, "It was for the royal academy of dance in New York. They were holding auditions for their next lot of seniors. But I couldn't go, because..." She felt hot angry tears sting her eyes again. "Because of this!" She gestured down at herself, her arm sitting useless in it's sling, her foot throbbing from the weight she'd put on it earlier.

"Anzu, I had no idea…" Yami started, unsure of what to say for once. She looked at him then and she saw the pain in her eyes, so obviously there and yet she had been trying to hide it for so long. How had he been so clueless?

"Do you know how many times they come to Domino City, Yami?"

He shook his head at her piercing gaze; it was his turn now to avert his eye's in embarrassment.

"Every four years." Saying the words felt like a stab in the gut. "And by then I will be twenty five and too old to qualify." Just like that, her world came crashing down again.

Guilt washed over Yami like a bad smell as he shut his eye's to try and get rid of the vision of Anzu trussed and bound to that chair, covered head to toe in her own blood. The metallic stench of it still haunted him now and he knew that he would never be able to get that image out of his head. She had no idea, but out of everyone excluding Yugi, he cared for her the most. He had never felt anger like that, it was so raw, so electric that it made his skin dance and his muscles ache. She had been so hurt, so punished for his sheer existence and it was something that he would probably never forgive himself for.

"- And I'm just so angry!" Her voice was getting louder now. "Because If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place! But I can't stay mad at you because I love you so much that it hurts! More than I ever thought was possible! And I'm just so confused because I don't know what I'm supposed to feel now!" Her head fell down into her good hand as she cried again, her explanation trailing off into hiccups and sobs.

Yami sat stunned, his eye's wide with shock as he stared at her. Had she just said what he thought she did? Did she really love him? He felt his heart flutter at the thought and he was surprised by that. He had noticed a certain attraction towards her a while back but he just thought that his new body was still getting adjusted and because Anzu was one of the only women he knew it was only natural to find her attractive, right? But it had been different, like he was pulled in her direction. He would always seek her out or stand next to her when with the gang, he would listen intently to her stories even if he had no idea what she was talking about and he would come to her dance recitals even though she would ask him not to just because watching her dance made him feel like he was back home. It was an odd feeling and he had no idea why it had that affect on him, but it was a comfort and he drank it up like soda on a hot summers day.

But this was just all hormones, right?

"You love me?" He said quietly, his eye's watching her intently.

She froze, her bangs shadowing her eye's as her hand fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Of course I do. We're friends, right?"

Her tone was not convincing but Yami nodded anyway, "Of course." He gave a small laugh of approval, not believing it himself either.

A silence engulfed the room as they sat there next to each other, an awkwardness settling within the confined space between them which made Yami frown in concern; since when was there any awkwardness between them. He contemplated Anzu's words, turning to stare at her as she in turn stared out of her window and onto the city of Domino. Her dream had been shattered all because of him and it was another thing he could add to his list of unforgivable acts; his list was getting pretty long, he noted dryly. He shut the vault door in his head on that matter, he could deal with it later when there weren't more pressing matters at hand.

"I am truly sorry, Anzu. I want to make it up to you. Maybe I could look after you here for a bit? I'm sure Isis would let me work from home and I could cook you dinner and clean -"

"Yami. No."

He blinked, "No?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to be looked after. I think ... I think I just need some space." The words were out before she had a chance to take them back and a small feeling of regret began to build in the back of her mind.

"What do you mean?" He asked, shock filtering in his system as he realised that he knew the answer already.

"From you. I need some space from you..." She spoke so quietly Yami wasn't even sure he had her right.

"So you mean, no longer be friends?" His heart hammered in his chest at the thought.

She nodded slowly, "Just until I get myself back together. I need some time to think, I need space."

She kept emphasising this one word and the more she said it the more he felt the virtual slap in the face. His chest heaved slightly at her declaration and he suddenly realised he was standing, his eye's wide with shock as he stared down at her. She was looking at him calmly, her eyes cold and unsympathetic for his cause.

"I... I don't know what to say." He muttered, running a hand through his already tousled hair.. "Anzu, it doesn't have to be this way! I can make it up to you, I pro-"

"Please Yami. I Think you should go." She gestured loosely towards the door.

He stared at her, not believing what he was hearing but the words still slamming his mind like a hammer on nails all the same.

"Anzu, I-"

"Yami... Please will you just-" She sighed heavily, cutting off her own explanation before shaking her head slowly and turning to look back out the window again.

Yami watched her silently, wishing that she didn't feel this way but feeling guilty all the same at the fact that he had single handedly completely broken her. Sure, he could blame it on the people who took her or the millennium puzzle he too so desperately sought after, but at the end of the day, his decision to stay in the mortal world with his friends had caused this madness. It was his sheer existence that had put her in this situation and he made a silent vow to himself that he would spend the rest of his waking hours making it up to her. He turned his gaze away, his bangs shadowing his face as he ran one more tired hand through his tanged locks before making his way to the door. He turned as he reached it, watching her again before cementing his decision and shutting the barrier tight behind him.

As soon as the door shut she let herself break, tears streaming down her pink cheeks as she mourned the momentary loss of her closest friend. She would miss him to hell and back, but she had to do this for her own sanity; it was the right choice, the right decision to make whilst she tried to sort through her emotions towards him. It would be hard and difficult, but hopefully at the end, he would accept her friendship again and they could go on as normal.

She crumpled, her head falling into her hand as she cried into the silent mist that descended over her now empty apartment. Yam watched from the window, his gaze analysing her broken form before his determination resolved and he strode away; he would make this up to her and dam straight would she remember it.

His flowers lay forgotten on the table.

xxx

She slept fitfully that night, her head tossing and turning as her dreams were filled with dark crimson orbs and flickering firelight. She was dancing, her hips swaying and her arms above her head in a sensual display of feminine beauty. She flicked her wrists, the movement ricocheting down to her shoulder as she threw her head from side to side and felt her stomach muscles tense in response, her hips gliding in rhythm to the beat of the music that thrummed insistently from the handmade instruments plucked by pheasants to her right. Her garb was neutral in colour, its thin fabric doing nothing to conceal the sweat that dripped over her tanned skin as she moved.

She frowned. Tanned? Since when had she been tanned?

Her dancing continued against her own will as she observed her surroundings carefully. Everything came in blinks and flashes; a few shots here and there of other women dancing, men pursuing and then those mysterious, sharp eye's that seemed to follow her where ever she went. Firelight shone across her skin, illuminating it in a sickly glow of yellow and red as she moved and swayed around it, her focus now within the flames as they almost seemed to swallow her whole, their very being seemingly licking and caressing a the skin around her stomach and eliciting a deep and pleasurable sensation deep within the pits of her soul.

She squirmed delightfully in response, giggling behind her hands as she let the flames continue their ministrations, before suddenly those wisps of firelight were replaced with hands and she danced straight into the arms of the man with the crimson orbs. They were burning bright now, mischievous under the glinting starlight of the full moon as he spun her around in circles, his hands resting comfortably and so easily within the folds of her skin.

She welcomed him with open arms.

He was all encompassing, the only thing that filled her mind, her vision and her senses. He smelt of cinnamon, vanilla and another scent that was so recognisable and yet she couldn't put her finger on it. She was swept away by him, a smile stretching her lips as his arms found her waist and he pressed their bodies together, his face resting in the open curve of her neck as he inhaled her scent. She felt goosebumps rise across her arms from the heat of his touch her face moving to find his as her lips craved love and attention.

She gripped his face, her vision still flawed as she desperately tried to see the man who made her toes curl and stomach tingle in anticipation and pleasure.

Her vision cleared and just as her eye's were about to move from his lips up she-

Anzu woke with a start, her chest heaving and sweat pouring from her skin. She sighed, rubbing her hands across her forehead to relieve herself of some of the heat. Her arm ached and her face screwed up in agony as she slowly sat up. Her breathing was heavy and laboured as she reached for the glass of water and pills on the bedside table. She tiredly checked the time and noted it was five in the morning and time to take her next batch of antibiotics and pain medication. She drank steadily, trying to dull the nausea that was rolling in her stomach. She grumbled quietly in response to it; a side effect of all the medication, apparently.

She sat back gently and rested on her propped up pillows, her gaze finding the crack between her curtains as she stared up at the bright full moon, it's gaze seemed to rest solely on her as she stared up at it, her dream haunting her vision as she wondered why on earth and who on earth she had been seeing. She sighed, lying back and rolling over she shut her eye's to drift off back to sleep.

It was just a dream.

xox

First chapter down! Let's see if I can keep this going whilst also writing Silver Linings too … (wish me luck!)

R+R!