Disclaimer: Yuugiou (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) is the property of Takahashi Kazuki and respective publishers, including Shueisha, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, Toei Animation, 4Kids, and others. I would never claim to own it or attempt to make money off of it- just think of this as a written, free doujinshi and hopefully we'll get along fine ;)
Notes: Written for the third challenge, Love, of the new Live Journal community, YGO Drabble. Please check the community out, it needs more love!
Practice Makes Perfect
There are many different kinds of love, all valuable, but for a long time now Anzu has always thought of friendship as safest, strongest. At least in her life, it's weathered the storms the world throws at it most effectively, always coming out better rather than worse for the wear. Ever since she'd first seen that little boy being bullied in the back of the classroom before the teacher arrived and decided that yes, she was a dancer and could kick hard enough to scare the other boys off, it's been that way.
They were two, then four, then five, and then six, and she's always treasured it.
Romantic love, she's not always so sure of. It flares about, not knowing just what rhythm it wants to take up, and on its own it's just not steady. It's like her early attempts at a new dance, awkward things which she doesn't like to look back on once she's learned her lessons from them.
And maybe it had been worse because, though she hadn't known it, it had been Atemu rather than just another Yuugi, and she was trying to build an infatuation with the wind rather than a solid dance which she knew. It always blew away from her, and for too long she ignored what was staring her right in the face, because just friendship was easier.
Yuugi, sitting by her and explaining all of his different games, happy to keep her company while she avoids the idiot boys outside who seem to think that 'pervert' is a compliment. "I trust Yuugi, after all!" she declares, and, shy as ever, Yuugi blushes.
Yuugi, making sure that she never walks away from the festivals the nearby shrine holds without an armful of prizes. "You don't lose at any games, do you, Yuugi?" she teases, grinning as he blushes and stammers out a response.
She's been ignoring it for so long, but maybe she's needed the practice, needed the time to get used to it. And she knows now that this is a bond which needs to be made to happen, needs a solid beat and more than just a quick hum lost on the air. There isn't much time left, but she's ready.
On their last festival together she dumps her prizes onto Jounouchi and Honda, hands her snacks to Bakura-kun (she knows she won't see them again, but that's all right), and gives Otogi-kun a glare which hopefully tells him what he needs to know (he winks, so it seems to work). She then grabs Yuugi's hand and pulls him away with an excuse about looking at the cherry blossoms.
Underneath those blossoms she kisses Yuugi for the first time. Her heart beats faster, and she knows that the dance has started up.
And this time, it's perfect.