"Sometimes, you have to give up what you love the most to truly move on."
Yuugi told me that knowing that I understood what he meant – knowing that I was probably the only other person in the world who really knew where he was coming from.
Sometimes, it made me angry. Fate had brought us... no. I wouldn't lie, not about that. I wasn't mad about anything fate had done to us; I was angry about what fate had done to me. Fate had brought me into the life of this Pharaoh without warning, and we'd adjusted – not just me, not just the Pharaoh, but Yuugi, Jounouchi... All of us had fitted our lives to this new presence. Then, just as swiftly, he was gone.
And he had taken my heart with him.
Of all the things I remembered of him, the night before he left was the clearest in my mind. We were outside on the deck of that boat, looking at the stars... It hadn't occurred to me then that it would be the last time he'd see the stars; if it had, the moment would've been that much sadder.
"Anzu," he'd said, his voice almost a whisper. "You'll look after Yuugi... if anything happens, right?"
"Of course," I promised. I had kept an eye on Yuugi before he'd shown up, and I didn't plan to stop; having Yami around merely put my worries in the backseat. "But after all this time, he's stronger than he was before you... when you met him." I touched his hand, and he looked up at me. "You helped with that, more than I ever could."
He blinked, nodding like he'd decided on something, or been confirmed of it, maybe. I realized what he was planning as he moved closer, but that didn't make it any less surprising when he kissed me. Somehow, I'd expected a Pharaoh, even an ex-Pharaoh, to be some sort of Casanova, but he was shy as he kissed me, obviously nervous, maybe ill at ease – and despite it, kissing him was a dream come true.
"For as selfless as you've been," he said. "Isn't that all you've ever wanted?" I touched my lips, flushing as I nodded. He looked at the deck, and then nodded again before getting up on his toes to kiss my cheek. "Thank you, Anzu."
That was the last time I spoke with him privately.
"Anzu, are you okay?"
I looked over at Yuugi, smiling. Sometimes it made me angry, but most of the time, I remembered to be glad for what I had, for the time we had known him, and for who we became for having his influence. When it came right down to it, he was dead – we weren't. Yuugi was right.
"Yes, Yuugi," I said, smiling wider and touching his cheek; he beamed back at me, skin warming under my fingertips. "I'm fine."
notes
This was a gift ficlet for whiterain. It's really simple, and I'm not sure how the Yami characterization worked out, but I liked it. ;;; Also, I hope the hinted Yuugi/Anzu doesn't get me keeled – or the hints all over this crazy triangle, for that matter. nervousnervous But about the boat – I clearly remember a picture of a boat sometime in the AE arc. I don't know when, or why, or any of that jazz. But I remember a boat, damnit! So, um, just go with the boat. ;;; Maybe I just have an overactive imagination.