Cheapskate Cheap Date

Pairing: Shizuka x Otogi, mentioned Anzu x Kaiba

For: Mirabelle456

Genres: Humor

Obvious: Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of several people who aren't me.

"-and then Mokuba ran in with a camera," Anzu said, laughing. "He looked so triumphant, waving it around like it was the key to happiness. Seto got so mad.."

Shizuka laughed along with her, but to her own ears the laugh sounded hollow. She was happy for Anzu, she was, but honestly? She really didn't want to hear about how happy they were together (even though Kaiba didn't seem all that different to her) when her own thing with Kaiba had failed horrifically.

Anzu stopped laughing and blinked, then frowned and reached out to touch Shizuka on the shoulder lightly. "Hey," she said, her voice slightly gentle, "if this is something you don't want to talk about, all you have to do is tell me. I know that you and Kaiba didn't, um, work out.."

There it was. That was a chance to avoid hearing about how great Anzu's love life was when her own was so painfully nonexistent. Shizuka wanted to, she badly wanted to; but what kind of friend would she be then?

"I'm fine," Shizuka answered in a faux-bright voice, forcing a smile onto her features. "Really, I am. Come on, you can keep talking!"

Anzu's expression clearly said that she didn't buy that story for a second, but Shizuka still didn't drop the facade, and Anzu sighed. "Shizuka, I think you need to come to my house."

Shizuka blinked. "What? Why?"

"We're going to experiment with something."

Shizuka stared blankly at the screen of the laptop that Anzu had just dropped on her lap for a minute or two, then redirected the same blankness to her friend's face. "Why am I looking at an online dating website?"

Anzu pulled the laptop over and clicked the button that said 'sign up.' "Because you're going to make a profile," she answered, "and we're going to find you a boyfriend. You are seriously too introverted, and this is a good way to get out more." Anzu paused and winked at Shizuka. "Plus, you might finally get another boyfriend, eh?"

Shizuka sputtered indignantly as Anzu entered 'Kawai Shizuka' in the name field. "Hang on a second, I never agreed to this!" she said, her voice almost whiny.

Anzu pushed the laptop back over to her with a laugh. "Too bad, I'm not giving you a choice! Finish filling out the profile and let's get started."

With a sigh, Shizuka grudgingly filled out each field, pausing each time she came to a new one to think of her answers. She blinked when she came to the 'age' field, then turned on Anzu accusingly.

"Anzu! I'm not old enough to sign up for one of these sites!"

Anzu smiled sheepishly. "Come on, it says you have to be eighteen. That much is true. But sixteen isn't that much younger, and I don't think it'll really make a difference -"

"Anzu! That's breaking the law! I refuse!"

"Come on, Shizuka, nobody will care...!"

"Nobody except for me, that is!"

Anzu resorted to pouting childishly for a few minutes, then grinned. Shizuka didn't like that grin; it was her 'I-found-a-loophole' grin, and that had never boded well for her.

"Fine. I'll let you get out of the dating website...so long as you let me set you up with a friend I know."

Shizuka cringed; she liked the idea of blind dates even less than she liked the idea of online dating, but she definitely didn't want to break a law, even though Anzu was probably right and nobody would really care. Her morals were too upstanding for that, and she couldn't just ignore the rules..!

Feeling like there was no other option and admittedly being a bit dramatic about it, Shizuka relented. "Fine."

Somehow, she got the feeling that she might have just made a huge mistake.

Shizuka sat on her couch nervously, waiting for Anzu to call and tell her when the 'blind date' was on his way. She had showered and gotten ready almost a full half hour ago, and she was wearing a nice outfit, but Anzu hadn't told her where she was going or what this guy was like...from her experience with dating, that was sort of a vital piece of information to know.

When the phone rang, Shizuka leapt to her feet, grabbing for the receiver like her life depended on it. After nearly tripping over the coffee table and falling flat on her face in her urgency, she picked it up and answered, panting slightly. "Hello?"

"Hey, Shizuka! He's on his way over now, so make sure you're ready." Anzu's voice came through the phone line clearly, her tone too self-satisfied for Shizuka's tastes. "He said he didn't want to go anyway special, so don't overdress, okay?"

Shizuka sent a glance down at what she was wearing and was somewhat relieved; since she'd only put on a pair of jeans and a three-quarter sleeved shirt, she wouldn't have to change. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Oh, he also said he likes redheads. Looks like somebody's in luck..!"

"Anzu!" Instead of trying to deal with her friend (who she could now hear laughing madly on the other end of the line), Shizuka slammed the receiver down and huffed.

And then the doorbell rang.

Groaning, Shizuka moved to the door, opening it quickly with no regards as to who might be behind it. "What?"

She blinked.

….Was that who she thought it was?

"Well," Otogi said with a smirk, "it's nice to see you too...Shizuka." The way he said her name sounded off to her, and Shizuka's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Heh, um, sorry," Shizuka said, smiling sheepishly and laughing a little. "So what are you doing here, Otogi?"

Otogi raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "I was directed here by Anzu for a blind date. And considering you're the only female present.."

"Oh, shut up."

Shizuka laughed and closed the door as Otogi walked away, shaking her head. She'd never expected the blind date to be him, of all people. He'd been friends with her brother for almost a year now, so she'd seen him around plenty of times. She also knew he had money, so she wasn't really sure why they'd gone to Burger World of all places, but Shizuka supposed it really didn't matter; she'd had a good time anyway, and she knew she'd be seeing him again.

After all, she'd taken his wallet when he wasn't looking.

A/N: Fffuuuu that was probably not the greatest fic you've ever read, Mirabelle. Sorry D: I originally had this epic of epic planned that would've been so much fun to write, but then I messed up my left hand and could only type with my right, so..this materialized. And the ending is way too rushed. ;-; It's not very special or anything, but I do hope you like it, or at least some of it.

By the way, this is Defenestration of the Mind. :D Merry Christmas!