A/N: Basically, I realized that I used Tea instead of Anzu like 1000x and realized I needed to pick one and stick to it. Since I want to use everyone else's Japanese names, Anzu it is. And just so I don't have to say it again: Anzu Mazaki=Tea Gardner. Katsuya Jounouchi=Joey Wheeler. Hiroto Honda=Tristan Taylor. And Chou Mirasaki is my OC.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.
Seto Kaiba glared at the sky. It looked like rain, quite typical considering this was the only day he chose to walk to work instead of taking the limo. He was deep in thought. How did Yugi defeat me again? I worked so hard. Everything went according to plan. The attractive now number two duelist mentally shook his head. He ran through the scenarios in his mind for possibly the millionth time.
Yugi was a better duelist with more skill. Impossible! Kaiba nearly snarled; he himself had been dueling a lot longer than Yugi. The CEO also knew that he had better cards than the pipsqueak so this option was officially invalid.
Yugi had a more noble reason for dueling. Normally, Seto Kaiba would have thrown this idea away like all of the rest. He was an analytical man, not easily given to ridiculous notions that would have no bearing, like friendship. But today was different. The blue eyed man could not get the events of that morning out of his mind.
Flashback
"Seto, can I go see Yugi, Jou, Anzu, and Honda at the store? I know they're not your favorite people, but there's talk of a mini-tournament for fun. Please, can I go?" Mokuba even used the puppy dog eyes on his older brother. This tried and true technique usually worked 3 out of 4 times. Only when Kaiba was really concentrating on work did he ignore his beloved younger brother.
Seto Kaiba looked up from the stock market graph displayed across the screen of his business laptop. "No." He simply said, turning his head down to get back to work. Mokuba respected his older brother. Whenever Kaiba told Mokuba no, Mokuba tended to bow out gracefully and end the matter.
This argument was different, however. "Seto, why not?" Mokuba persisted.
"Because I said so." Kaiba answered coldly though he was thinking of something more along the lines of fraternizing with the enemy. Mokuba turned to leave, then looked back with a nasty expression.
"You just don't want me to go be with my friends because you have a grudge against Yugi, right?"
"Obviously that's part of the reason." Kaiba was irritated now. This little conversation was getting out of hand.
Mokuba suddenly went from really angry to whimpering. "Seto, I miss you." Tears began to fall.
Kaiba, unsure of what to do, decided to handle the situation logically. "Mokuba, what are you talking about? I'm right here and I've never left."
"Oh yes you have. Ever since that man adopted us you've changed. He made you cold and hateful just like him. No one but me loves you and I don't even know if you love me anymore." Mokuba looked absolutely pathetic at this point.
"That's a lie and you know it." Kaiba had begun to raise his voice.
"Then why don't you smile anymore or have fun or laugh? Seto is gone, dead. Kaiba is all that remains." Kaiba's heart stopped. This is exactly what Gozoburo had said to him repeatedly; that little cheerleader Anzu Mazaki had also said something along the same lines.
He did not even try to stop Mokuba as he walked, still crying, upstairs to his room.
Flashback end
Seto Kaiba blamed his borderline obsession with work and power on a combination of Yugi Moutou and Gozoburo Kaiba. He works hard to defeat Gozoburo's ghost in the business world; he tries and fails numerous times to beat Yugi's remarkable power in the dueling world. Thus, he had opted to go for a walk in an attempt to clear his head.
He looks up, surprised at how far he'd managed to walk in such a short amount of time. Sitting on a bench, looking forlorn is Anzu Mazaki. He blinks a few times to ensure he is awake. Where's the rest of the geek squad? He wonders automatically.
He looks back at the pathway to head back to the Kaiba Mansion, but his resolve is gone. Now his curiosity is piqued. The Yugi crew is never separated and when they are it is never good. But he didn't care. Let the friendship losers handle their own problems. Mokuba's face then popped into his head; screw this.
Convincing himself that he was only going over to Mazaki to satisfy his curiosity, he approaches her.
Anzu looks up, her eyes a bit unfocused due to the tears she had shed previously. No, what's he doing here! She turns her eyes back down, trying to ignore the impossible to ignore duelist. She almost had a heart attack when he sat down right beside her. Breathe Anzu, breathe. She reminded herself.
"Hey." She greeted, still attempting to be friendly in her pain.
Kaiba did not look at her and did not respond.
She rolled her eyes. Of course, she thought, this has something to do with dueling and Yugi. Anzu Mazaki was not a girl fit for silence. She was not used to it and, quite frankly, long gaps in communication with others bothered her to no end.
But from what she knew of Kaiba, interrupting him was a bad idea. She had seen what he was capable of: hurting Yugi's grandfather, causing her crush Yami intense pain, almost killing himself at Duelist Kingdom, but she also knew of the love and care he showed his brother. Maybe-
"Mazaki." Kaiba said rudely. Aznu looked abashed. She sweatdropped inwardly. He sits beside me so it looks like he wants to talk and now he's all rude, typical Kaiba.
"Yes." Anzu answered politely.
"Where are your other loser friends?" This question, despite its demeaning quality, floored her. Kaiba? Asking a question like he cared?
"It's not that I care about you. I need to speak with Yugi about duel monsters, something a cheerleader like you wouldn't understand." Kaiba still did not look at her and this bothered her.
"For your information, Kaiba." Anzu spoke his name with intense dislike. "My so called friends, excluding Yugi, blew me off for some bimbo to hang around with, not that it's any of your arrogance's business."
"They replaced you. Idiots." Kaiba said looking at her evasively.
Anzu stood up ready to punch him in the face when she realized that his last comment was not an insult. "Why do you say that?"
Kaiba scoffed at her, "Isn't it obvious, no one's better at making annoying friendship speeches or psyching the opponent out with all that cheering than you Mazaki."
Gleaning the complimentary statement out of the myriad of insults, Anzu said, "For once, Kaiba, thanks."
Kaiba smirked. "Don't get used to it. Kindly relay the message to Yugi."
Anzu nodded stupidly as Kaiba stood up, walking away his trenchcoat flaring.
Not to self, always be prepared for something unexpected like that to happen. Anzu walked home not long after and called Yugi.
Yugi's grandpa answered, "Hi Anzu, I'll go get him. Yugi!"
"Who is it grandpa?" Yugi surely didn't want to talk to any of his guy pals right now, if ever.
"Anzu, son, now don't keep her waiting. That's rude." Grandpa walked off laughing to himself about teenagers these days.
"Hey Anzu , what's up? Can you believe what the guys did?" This was about as angry as Yugi Moutou had ever sounded.
"A lot actually, Yugi. And yeah I thought they were better than that. Anyways, you'll never guess who I talked to in the park." Anzu wasn't so sad anymore, as odd as it was to say, the conversation with Kaiba had improved her mood for once.
She relayed the whole story to Yugi whose interest she immediately caught, especially about the compliment and the tournament bit.
"Did he say where the tournament would be held?" Yugi could not wait to duel again.
"No, but he wants you to be preparing your deck."
"Cool, I'll talk to you later, Anzu. Customers are coming in."
"Bye" Anzu answered back after she heard the familiar tinkling of the Turtle Game Shop's bell and before she heard Yugi click to hang up the phone.
A/N: Hey everyone! I'm a bit new at writing for the Yugioh characters. Let me know if there's something you loved or hated about my story, but please do it respectfully.