Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or anything contained in the fic. As everyone likely knows, if I did, the world would be shrouded in darkness right now.
Author's Note: Okay, this one is dedicated to Danni-chan, who gave me the most interesting pairing idea this morning. I hope this pleases you! The ending is tailored to make you blink and say, "WTF?"
Shizuka sighed softly as she fell backwards onto her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest tightly. Sunlight danced through the open windows, setting her hair on fire and creating ominous shadows in the corners of her room; luckily, Shizuka was no longer afraid of the dark, and in fact found its cold embrace rather soothing after all of her ordeals. She closed her eyes against the harsh glare, sighing once more.
"They have all but forgotten about me," she lamented quietly, shivering as a breeze played across her bare skin and caused gooseflesh to spread. "Every one of them, save for Bakura-san and onii-chan, act as if I don't exist anymore." Sad as her tone was, it held a vaguely detached quality, hinting towards an encroaching apathy that threatened to consume her.
"Bakura-san still takes the time to call, and write, and even visit me on occasion. He is such pleasant company, so polite and well-spoken, and it seems he genuinely cares about my well-being. I never saw it coming though. Quiet, polite Bakura-san, providing me with the companionship I expected from Honda-san and Otogi-san. Isn't it ironic, how true the 'out of sight, out of mind' saying is?"
Her listener didn't respond.
"It's a little insulting," Shizuka continued, her voice taking on a peculiar sing-song quality. "While I was in Domino City, those two did nothing but fight for my attention. Honda-san even sacrificed himself for my sake in that awful virtual world. After Battle City ended, before I returned home, Otogi-san showered me with gifts and pleaded with me to stay. Honda-san declared his undying affection for me, saying he never wished to leave my presence. I had never felt so accepted and desired in my life, what with two attractive older boys chasing after me.
"Then again, you already know all of this, don't you? How many days and nights have I spent laying here, crying my eyes out to you? You know how they smothered me in affection and gifts and devotional words, and all for what?"
Suddenly unable to hold back the tide of anger steadily rising within her, Shizuka threw the pillow aside, hearing it softly collide with the wall and likely damaging itself more than anything else. Most of her mild tantrums ended that way. She opened her eyes, amber orbs flashing. "Sure, for the first month or two they kept in touch, but their later dismissal exposed their lies! Nothing they had said to me was true. Not one word. But why? Why did they do this to me?"
Silence answered her once more, but Shizuka did not seem upset by her listener's quiet counsel.
She rolled onto her stomach and stared at the closed door, the anger abruptly giving way to tears; her emotions had been nothing if not unstable for the past week and a half, and today was no different. The tears trickled down her cheeks in a silent admission to her true feelings about being abandoned by those she once considered her friends.
"Anzu-san was far more direct than those two, telling me outright that between school and dance, she had no time to visit me. Her phone calls and letters dwindled as well, first to a trickle, and now to nothing. I even heard onii-chan mention briefly that she and Otogi-san were together, but neither he nor Bakura-san would give me details. They probably think it would upset me. Fancy that." She hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks, her gaze hardening once more.
"I really shouldn't let this get to me," she admitted, trying to calm her stormy emotions. "After all, Domino City never was and never will be my home. I have friends here, and kaa-san, to help me catch up on my studies and cheer me up when I'm down. I'm surrounded by people who love and care for me and cherish my companionship, much more than that group of self-absorbed posers onii-chan clings to. Don't you think I'm better off here?"
Shizuka rolled off her bed and padded to one of the windows, taking in a deep breath and savoring the tangy taste of fresh air. Heedless of her nudity, she held her curtains aside, drinking in the sight of trees and lush grass, the birds singing and flitting from branch to branch, making her long to spread her own wings and fly away. The sunlight enveloped her body in a cocoon of warmth, and for a moment, she was able to lose herself in the pleasure.
For a moment.
"I do miss onii-chan," she said finally, stepping away from the window, her back straight and her chin held high; if she was the least bit self-conscious, she did not show it. "But he understood why I had to return here, and Bakura-san promised he would bring him along on his next visit. Now that I think about it, Bakura-san sounded upset about that. I wonder why." She blinked slowly. "He always did seem pleased to have me to himself. No matter."
A smile bloomed on her face, lighting up her features but never filling her eyes. "All of them mean nothing compared to you though. You are always willing to listen to me, never interrupting and never shoving bad advice down my throat. You've been there for me more than anyone else, and I want to thank you, because your friendship means an awful lot to me. You have helped me through more than even onii-chan has, and I have confided my darkest secrets in you, and you have never once betrayed me. What more could a girl ask for?" She approached the door, hips swaying with a grace she was unaware she had. That walk would have made even Kaiba Seto's mouth go dry, had he bothered to acknowledge her presence more than once. The thought flitted through her mind and right out again; she had never dwelled upon the icy CEO for more than a few moments, knowing better than to entertain a fantasy so out of her reach. Much like everything else she desired.
She knelt languidly, fingers idly stroking the polished wood of the door, her caress gentle and even a tinge shy. She leaned forward, lips brushing against the doorknob tenderly.
"Thank you."