I've been meaning to re-write this story. I made some much needed improvements. This was one of my earliest stories so it was only natural that I made a lot of mistakes, but re-reading it and I had to cringe just a little at some of the mistakes I made. I finally got of my ass and re-wrote it. Instead of one-shot I split the chapter up into segments now. The first segment is focuses on Anzu and her attraction and affections for both Yugi and Atem. I added more content into it, so this story does not feel exactly like the same story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. Kind of obvious, but I have to mention it.

The crowd roared with cheers at the Kaiba Dome. The air was filled with both excitement and anxiety. People were sitting on the edge of their seats, both figuratively and literally. What could be the cause of such upheaval? The answer would be a duel of course. This was not just any duel, this duel involved Muto Yugi the King of Duelists. Every duelist in the world dreamed of the chance to duel Yugi. Some were even inspired to become duelist because of him. To say that Yugi was famous would be an understatement. He was practically worshiped.

His victories in Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, and the K.C. Grand Prix had captured the hearts and admiration of many people. Yugi had become a symbol, one of inspiration and hope unbeknown to him. Yugi was focused on the duel at hand which was nearing its end.

"My turn, draw!" cried Yugi. He placed his hand on the top of his deck and drew his card. The trio colored man flipped the card over and grinned. "I'll play the magic card, Heavy Storm! This destroys every card in the magic and trap zone." Yugi's field was empty; however his opponent had Gravity Bind in play which was keeping Yugi's monsters at bay.

"Oh no my Gravity Bind!" the opposing duelist cried in horror. His field only had a Giant Soldier of Stone guarding his life points. Yugi had the Silent Magician which was currently at level 5 and Beta the Magnet Warrior on his side of the field.

Yugi: 1500

Yugi's opponent: 2100

Yugi continued, "I sacrifice my Beta to call forth, Summoned Skull!"

Summoned Skull ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LVL 6

"Summoned Skull, make his Giant Soldier of Stone into smoldering rubble, Demon Lightning!" Yugi commanded.

Following his master's command Summoned Skull unleashed an electrical current that destroy the Stone Soldier, leaving Yugi's opponent side of the field empty.

"Silent Magician, direct attack!" commanded Yugi.

Silent Magician ATK: 3500 LVL 5

Silent Magician unleashed a magic blast from his staff wiping out the remaining life points of Yugi's opponent. The opposing duelist let out a scream of agony as though he were attacked for real.

Yugi's opponent: 0

As soon as the opposing duelist's life points reached zero the crowd started shouting out more joyous cheers so loud that they could be heard miles away. The cheers were of course for their symbol, Yugi as he had obtained yet another victory. This caused the King of Duelists to blush uncontrollably. He rubbed the back of his head in modesty. He still wasn't use to all the praise he got. The constant praises and cheers are why he always allowed Atem to remain in control of his body until they ended. Since Atem's departure however Yugi was forced to endure all of the praises himself.

Yugi started to wave at the crowd to acknowledge their praise. He didn't want to be rude after all. The ones who cheered the hardest were his best friends. They were also sitting in the front row. Jounouchi and Honda had their arms in the air cheering at the top of their lungs. Otogi and Bakura were carrying a banner that read Yugi is the King. How did they make that in such a short amount of time was beyond him. And finally there was his eldest friend, Anzu. She was screaming along with the crowd, but with much more enthusiasm.

His gaze lingered on Anzu for moment. She was beautiful he thought. He began to wonder why he never pursued her, but then remembered that she was in love with the other him. No not the other him, he was his own person. He was Atem. Life had a cruel sense of humor to make his childhood crush take an interest in his old alter ego. It had been six months since he won the Ceremonial Battle and Atem departed from the world of the living. Anzu had probably taken Atem's departure the hardest out of them, even more than himself. She tried to put on a brave face for him, but he knew better. She had loved Atem and now he was gone forever. A part of Yugi actually started to fear that Anzu blamed him for Atem departure. He feared that she resented him. That thought deeply disturbed him. Yugi could handle just being friends with Anzu, but he could never handle her actually hating him.

'No, if she hated me she would have stopped hanging out with me by now. Besides we have been through a lot even before Atem showed up. Of course she doesn't hate me, but she is still in love with him. I may have surpassed you Atem, but I haven't taken your place in Anzu's heart,' he thought bitterly.

"Yugi-kun had another great duel," Bakura said.

"Of course he did. That guy he was dueling was just another hotshot punk who was full of himself. No way could someone like him have beaten Yugi," Jounouchi stated.

"Where is Yugi anyway? I thought he was going to meet us outside the dome?" questioned Honda.

The group of five waited outside of the dome watching Yugi's audience leave the dome. After the duel ended they met up with Yugi briefly. Yugi had been mobbed by fans as usual. He told them he would meet them outside after he was done.

"You know how his fans are. They are probably still pestering him for his autograph," Anzu suggested. "Yugi can never say no to young duelists when they ask him for advice or his autograph," she added. That was just like Yugi. The brunette chuckled to little herself. "I can see it now. Please Yugi-san can give me your autograph. You are my inspiration for dueling." Anzu did her best imitation of a fan.

Honda laughed lecherously. "Or maybe a bunch of his female fans jumped him in the back and are fawning over him as we speak." He let out another lecherous laugh.

Jounouchi started to grin himself that was every bit as lecherous as Honda's laugh. Their friend was babe magnet. Oh how he envied Yugi and his ability to draw women to him. He did it without even trying! "Yugi does have a lot of fan girls and most of them are just so freaking hot."

He and Honda became so lost in thought that neither of them noticed that Anzu was glaring daggers at them.

"Remember Vivian?" asked Honda. His eyes were closed as though it would help him picture the woman in question.

"Of course I remember her!" shouted Jounouchi. "She had a great body and she was all over Yugi! I wouldn't have minded being her love slave." The two friends' faces turned lecherous. They were totally oblivious to Anzu's anger. Bakura and Otogi did their best to warn their friends of the coming danger.

"Guys cool it on the Vivian thing," Otogi whispered.

Unfortunately Otogi's warning came too late. Anzu delivered a beating to the unsuspecting Jounouchi and Honda. The beating was so vicious that Bakura and Otogi had to close their eyes. When the screams and pleas for help stopped they decided brave it and opened their eyes. What they found were Jounouchi and Honda on the ground with swollen cheeks and black eyes. The duo was nursing their injuries while Anzu stood over them still looking very angry.

"You two are such perverts! Thank god that Yugi can see past women's bodies after being around you two for so long!" she screamed. After her verbal assault Anzu started to walk off in the direction of the Kaiba Dome.

"Anzu-chan, where are you going?" asked Bakura.

"To find Yugi," Anzu replied.

As she stormed off Jounouchi and Honda got up. The four boys watched as Anzu went into the building.

"Are you two alright?" Bakura asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Jounouchi answered. He was still nursing his injured cheek. 'Man Anzu can hit hard,' he thought.

"It's your own fault. You know how bad she gets whenever you mention Yugi-kun's fan girls," Otogi explained. Bakura nodded his head in agreement.

"I know I know," Honda said. He wasn't sure if the ringing in his head would ever stop. "I forgot never mention Yugi's ability to attract women in front of Anzu. I just hope for Yugi's sake that he wasn't mobbed by fan girls."

"I would be more worried about the fan girls then Yugi," Jounouchi added. The other three boys nodded in agreement.

'Stupid Jounouchi, stupid Honda,' Anzu thought angrily. Why did they always have to act so perverted? The conversations always seemed to lead into which girl had nicer ass or which woman had a better rack. They could show her a little consideration. If she couldn't talk "chick stuff" as they dubbed it than they shouldn't be able to talk guy stuff. After all it was only fair.

As Anzu continued to walk down the hallway she noticed a group of teenage girls who were chatting away. The girls were probably a few years younger than her. She could not hear what they were saying, but she would soon be within ear shot range.

"He's so amazing. Did you see him out there?" one girl said.

"Yes Yugi-kun is one of a kind!" another girl exclaimed.

"And he is so hot, especially with that collar on!" the last girl cried. The trio of girls started to screech.

'Great more Yugi fan girls,' she thought bitterly. 'One of them actually called him Yugi-kun! They don't even know him.' She hated how all these fan girls flocked to Yugi simply because of his fame. Not one of them even knew him. All he was to them was a hot guy with exceptional dueling skills. 'Wait did I just think Yugi was hot?' she asked herself.

Well it's not like she thought he was unattractive. In fact she always thought Yugi was rather pleasing to the eye, but she never thought of him as hot. Ok that wasn't exactly true. There were one or two times when she thought he was hot. 'Why am I lying to myself again? Because we're friends and friends do not think of friends as hot, attractive yes, but not hot. That is crossing a line. Who am I trying to kid here? Yugi and I have crossed that line already.'

She let out an exhausted sigh. She already knew where this thought would lead her to, the topic being what her feelings for Yugi were exactly? This had always been a difficult topic for her, mostly because of disembodied spirit that once inhabited black haired, magenta laced, and blond boy's body. 'Atem,' she thought. The ancient pharaoh always stirred up some powerful emotions. For some reason Anzu always seemed to find herself drawn to him. Perhaps it was because he seemed so mysterious and brooding. As cliché as it sounded she did like the brooding bad boy demeanor. There was how his steely yet fiery gaze would stare down any who dare challenge him. Of course he exuded confidence from every pour of his body. It always seemed as though failure was a foreign concept to him. He did not understand it nor did he wish to learn it. When they discovered that he was a pharaoh she thought it made perfect sense. All those qualities were natural for a ruler of the majestic land. Atem was every girl's fantasy. That did not mean he was without faults.

She remembered how Atem was when he first appeared before them, before they knew he was his own person and not another side of Yugi. Originally Atem was so cruel and distant. He would appear to deal punishment on the wicked, challenging them to games, defeating them, and placing harsh punishments. He was a dark avenger and did not seem to have any other side to him. Looking back on it now she wondered how he attracted her with his one track mind and lack of social skills. She really did fall into the cliché school girl role of falling for the emotionally distant guy. Perhaps even convincing herself she could change him.

After some time with Yugi the spirit had started to understand the world better. He even started adopting some of Yugi's qualities, such as valuing friendship and compassion. After all he started to value Jounouchi, Honda, and herself as more than just his host's friends and saw them along with Yugi as his own friends. That was probably why she thought him another side of Yugi, a more mature side. He spoke in Yugi's voice, except it was deeper and more sure and he stood tall and proud. He gave off the illusion that he was taller than his own partner. These were qualities Yugi had, but never used due to his lack of confidence. Atem was very proud and he absolutely despised losing. Those faults had dire consequences for all of them and especially Yugi.

Back in Duelist Kingdom she remembered the duel between Kaiba and the ancient pharaoh. It had been a difficult especially when Kaiba played his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. However Atem gained the upper hand. In a desperate attempt to win Kaiba threatened to jump off the castle if Atem went through with his final attack. While fear entered her heart she was sure he would not go through with it because Yugi would never go through with it. How wrong she had been. Without hesitation Atem declared his attack. Rather he thought Kaiba was bluffing or if he just didn't care she was appalled by his actions. She ran to him as fast as she could and begged him not to go through with it. She said it was not like him, not like Yugi at all. To her relief he or rather Yugi called off the attack in order to spare their rival. He chose to accept defeat rather than risk Kaiba's life. In that moment the differences between the two personalities had never been more apparent to her. Atem possessed the pride that allowed him the confidence Yugi lacked, but he did not have Yugi's heart.

That brought her to Yugi. He was the most pure hearted, gentle, and compassionate person she had ever met and probably would ever meet. Yugi simply wanted people around him to be happy. He rarely thought about himself. He had this astounding capacity to forgive people and give them second chances no matter what they did. His belief in the human spirit and in redemption was one of his best qualities. She envied that ability. If more people had Yugi's ability to see beyond the past then the world would be a much better place. A perfect example of this was Jounouchi and Honda. They used to bully Yugi relentlessly. She tried her best to keep them at bay and when she was around they backed off, but whenever Yugi was alone they started in on him. Yugi never once complained to her or anyone else about the bullying. At the time Anzu thought Yugi was too fearful of the two to do anything. She thought it weakness originally and did not realize until much later that Yugi did not do anything because he considered them friends. Why he did was beyond her. Ushio had been observing the duo's bullying and decided to do something about it.

He beat the living crap out of both Jounouchi and Honda. Later he got Yugi, showed them to him, and demanded Yugi pay him (as if!) Yugi told Ushio to stop hurting his friends to those three's surprise. He even stood to their defense, despite knowing he stood no chance against Ushio. It amazed her. She thought him too weak to confront Jounouchi and Honda for fear of being beat up, but he stood against Ushio without hesitation. After that day Jounouchi and Honda had been Yugi's friends. His actions and willingness to defend two people who had tormented him had earned their respect and loyalty. After that day Anzu never made the mistake of thinking Yugi weak again. Then there were people like Pegasus and Marik who tried to kill him to achieve their own goals. They manipulated him and toyed with his loved ones to those ends. At the times Yugi regarded them as enemies perhaps even hated them. He had every right to hate them after everything they had done to him. Most people would have held on to lifetime grudge against them, but Yugi was not most people. After the battles were over and things were settled Yugi treated them like they were old friends. He saw that they were remorseful and that their motives were not entirely selfish. He empathized with them and found the courage to forgive them. There was his courage. Yugi was very courageous, but most people missed it. He stood by anyone who needed help. She loved Yugi's kind and courageous heart and his empathy for others, however she did think Yugi was too timid and soft spoken for his own good.

He was afraid to speak his mind. Yugi always held back as though he feared to let anyone in as if there was something wrong with him. Did he fear that if he let people in that they would reject what they saw and shun him? Just as Atem lacked Yugi's heart, Yugi in turn lacked Atem's confidence. There in lied her dilemma. Both Yugi and Atem had qualities that drew her to both of them yet ones that did kept her from fully embracing either side. She hated herself for even thinking this for an instant, but she had at one point wished they were indeed the same person. It would have made it easy for her to acknowledge those non-platonic feelings she had for both of them. It was incredibly selfish to want that. It not only denied that Yugi was a whole person, but also brushed aside Atem's identity even if at the time it was unknown. Anzu could not get over how both Yugis seemed to lack something that the other person filled in. Atem's confidence and Yugi's heart those had been what had won her affection. Which quality had captivated her more was the question she asked herself often. If she knew that than she would know which one she wanted. The brunette dedicated herself to discerning this mystery for all their sakes.

Life however decided to make things more complicated. It decided it was too easy for her to decide which she preferred more Yugi's heart or Atem's confidence. It allowed the two Yugis to start to adopt qualities of the other one. Yugi become more outspoken and confident. Atem on the other hand became more humble and empathic. She remembered during the Ceremonial Battle that Jounouchi said that Yugi and Atem taught each other qualities that they originally lacked. Thinking about it and how both of them developed during their time together Anzu decided he was correct.

The Doma incident highlighted these changes. Anzu had finally gotten her chance to spend time with Atem alone. Unfortunately it came at a price. Yugi's soul had been taken by one of Dartz's swordsmen, Raphael. The details were still largely unknown to her. She knew the key facts though. Atem was losing in the duel and had two choices, to risk defeat at the hands of Raphael, but keep his soul as well as Yugi's soul intact or risk both at the chance of victory. He had chosen the path that would lead to a chance of victory. He had allowed his pride to get the better of him and used the Seal of Orichalcos for fear of losing, putting both the Yugis souls at risk. Despite his play he was still defeated and had to pay price. Yugi was quick to act. He sacrificed himself to protect the pharaoh believing that he was the only one who could save the world. How could Atem put his partner at risk like that? She never showed it to anyone considering how furious Rebecca was and how Jounouchi was off put by Atem hopeless attitude, but she was angry. No angry was not even the right word she was absolutely furious with the pharaoh. He was supposed to protect Yugi, not put him in danger intentionally! This was different from all the times they fought as one before, different from the duels against Pegasus, the other Marik, and Kaiba Noah. This battle wasn't to stop a mad man or to save anyone. This duel had been about Atem's pride. He couldn't handle losing and once again he did whatever it took to win. He thought of nothing of the consequences. He put Yugi at risk for his pride. She could not overlook that.

That was probably the only time she was ever truly angry at the pharaoh, the only time she wished he never came into their lives. But when her anger was at its peak and the hateful glares she shot him when he wasn't looking, she saw something in him that made her anger evaporate. She saw remorse. It was then that she realized that it wasn't just her who had loss her dear friend, but Atem as well. No one was closer to the spirit than Yugi. Without him, without his guidance and his heart Atem was truly lost. He had despised himself more than either Rebecca or Anzu could. After seeing that she just couldn't stay angry at him, instead her sorrow increased for both of them, Yugi and Atem. When he confessed that without Yugi that he had found it hard to empathize with others she did not recoil in disgust, but became a shoulder to lean on. Without even realizing it she was become more enthralled with the pharaoh as he obtained more compassion and understanding of the human heart. He was becoming what she thought she wanted, but there was still haze. If Atem had both the qualities she was drawn to shouldn't he had been the one her heart desired? Why did she still get lost in the fog? Why did the man she desired continued to have his face be shrouded in it? Yugi still stood out to her, still drew her as well. She did not know the answer for this until their next journey, their final one with Atem.

During their adventures in the Memory World she witnessed Yugi's growth. He was far more confident in himself. He took charge of their mission to rescue Atem and led them to the pharaoh's aid. She was a fool to have not Yugi grow. She had been blinded by the pharaoh and his deeds that she missed the young man she had known most of her life, grow within his shadow. He had gained what he originally lacked the strength and belief in himself that allowed him to stand without Atem to guide him. It was Yugi's strength that Atem drew from to summon Ra to defeat Diabound before the evil spirit manipulated events to his favor. Yugi was the one who continued to give Jounouchi, Honda, and herself hope when it looked as though Atem had perished. It was he who was determined to discover the true name to the "other Yugi" and help him win this game. But perhaps the crowning moment for Yugi in her opinion was how he faced the evil Bakura in a duel on his own. The evil spirit taunted him about how he was just a vessel and he lacked Atem's strength. He had even gained the upper hand in their duel and pushed Yugi into a corner. That did not deter Yugi at all. He never lost faith in himself. She was so proud of him at that moment. She witnessed him draw his true strength on his own, without Atem to draw it for him. That strength allowed him to defeat the other Bakura soundly. The spirit himself commented on his surprise on how he was defeated by the "vessel" and not the pharaoh. The fog was still there for a reason and she knew it. The two men she had once thought incomplete were no longer that. They had learned from each other how to draw out the qualities that were buried deep within them.

She couldn't manage these feelings properly at all. The Ceremonial Battle was thrust upon them. There was no time for her to evaluate these conflicting emotions. The brunette did not wish for Atem to go. It was too hard for her, because she did not want him to leave them, to leave her. He couldn't just leave before she could resolve these feelings. But he did or at the very least he was resolved to leave as soon as possible. When the battle took place the inner conflict waged on in full. Which one did she want to see win, Yugi or Atem? She wanted Atem to stay and at first she thought she was rooting for him to win. However early in the duel when Atem took the lead by summoning all three God cards she took no solace from it. There was just this overwhelming sense of dread that consumed her and washed over the conflict within her. Then there was the moment when Yugi had avoided being defeated by the God cards. Relief sprouted from that dread. She caught herself. She didn't want him to win. She did not want Atem to win the duel. Anzu did not want Atem leave there was no question about that. But when it came down to it she could not find it within her to root for him, to root for Yugi's downfall. What did that mean? She wanted Yugi to win, but not for Atem to leave. Did that mean something at all or was she simply reading too much into something that was minor?

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she realized she had reached the Kaiba Dome's inner workings. Her blue eyes went from left to right. She scanned the dome, but found no signs of the Duel King.

"Where could he be?" she asked herself aloud. Anzu's scanning continued. Her search finally paid off. She spotted him, however he was not alone. There was a woman with him. She had vibrant red hair that went all way to her hip. She had a slim figure, wore a sky blue a mini-skirt, along a matching coat that looked similar to their school blazers. Over that coat was a white shirt that revealed a lot of cleavage. The woman had a duel disk on her right arm, while her left arm was busy touching Yugi's shoulder. This caused Anzu to frown. That woman was flirting with her Yugi! She wasn't just going to stand there and watch some fan girl flirt with her Yugi while their friends were waiting outside. Anzu narrowed her blue eyes. A storm of formed within them, resentment, spat, jealousy mixed together. Whoever this fan girl was Anzu was going to make sure she knew that if she was planning on making Yugi her trophy that she would put a stop to it. Anzu started making her way to the arena.

So how is it? Please tell me it is at least better than the original one. Please review and comment.