Over Yonder

June 21, 2006

Summer Solstice

by Pearl of the Dark Age

There is a reason for my madness. It may not be apparent right away, but all shall reveal itself in due course.

Chapter 1

He did not know how it really happened, only that it was Mokuba's fault. I can't believe I got myself into this, Seto thought. When did I lose so much control over my own life? If there was one thing Seto Kaiba could not stand, it was lack of control. He had lost a bet to Mokuba, and now Anzu Mazaki was firmly implanted in his life in ways he never imagined.

On the plus side, he smirked to himself, at least I've won out against Yugi over something. His new girlfriend was smart enough, attractive enough, and talented enough, but he still could not see eye to eye with his brother. Mokuba was crazy about her. He had set them up, and now Seto was stuck with a girlfriend. It was a stupid bet to begin with, he thought bitterly. How was I supposed to know that the name of the street had changed? Mokuba tricked me! (A/N)

On the other hand, she afforded him many opportunities to gloat over Yugi, who took the new, unexpected relationship stoically. But these opportunities came with a price. She was not high maintenance, as he always assumed Mai Kujaku and Vivian Wong would be. She was self-maintained, assertive, and independent, but she did try to encourage him to "come out of his shell" as she once put it. And then there were the speeches… He hated the speeches! Why did I kiss her? Seto thought. I should have just taken her to the door and wished her good night - nothing else! The CEO's naiveté in the flowers and chocolates department told him a good night's kiss was the "right" thing to do at the end of their first date. So much for chivalry.

The crowded mall bustled with noise, glitz, and excitement. Seto was carrying three large shopping bags and wearing a subtle expression of exhaustion. Anzu skipped ahead a little, stopping in front of a shoe shop, and made a beeline into it. There is no way I'm following her in there! But he did anyway, settled himself in a chair, and deposited the bursting bags next to his tired feet. A shoe saleslady came over to ask him if he wanted to try on some shoes. Doing his very best to not be completely rude, he gave her a cold look and explained that he was just here with his girlfriend.

Anzu had five pairs surrounding her feet, trying on one pair after another. She moved down the aisle, perusing at leisure. She picked out everything from sandals to strappy high-heels, dancing shoes to hiking boots. Seto was too tired to try and understand what exactly she was looking for. About twenty minutes later, she ambled over with nine pairs in her hands and piled them noisily onto the floor next to Seto, waking him. "I'm having difficulty deciding which ones to get," she informed him. She selected a pretty pair of Italian heels and held them up for him to observe. "What do you think of these?"

"Do they fit?" he asked dully. Practicality was a strong point for him in these situations.

"They all fit," Anzu replied. "I'm just not sure which ones to get. I don't want to spend a lot of money."

"It's my money," Seto answered, a little puzzled. "Look, get whatever you want. If you are looking for my advice, pick the ones you know you will wear more than once and those that don't hurt your feet."

"Well, that excludes this pair," she said, kicking them out of the pile. "Are you sure it's not too much? I would like to spend some of my own money sometimes." She did not like the fact that he over indulged her every whim. If she said she liked it, he bought it. So she learned to stifle her reactions.

"I'm not stopping you from spending your own money," Seto smirked dryly. "I've told you before, it's not an issue." He had flown them to Tokyo for the day to shop at the largest mall in the country when she had said she wanted to go shopping. He had money to burn. It both enticed her and irritated her, dividing her own thoughts in two.

She gave him a weak smile and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks," she murmured. Her new boyfriend could buy her the Moon, yet something was lacking. He was nice to her, treated her fairly, and even was a little less caustic to her friends, but there was no spark. Maybe I had read too much into that kiss, she wondered. But it was a really, really good kiss. She was a sucker for soft lips and tenderness. That kiss surprisingly had both, surprisingly. Anzu had assumed that Seto was "more than meets the eye," and she had resolved to give him a chance.

She could not deny that she had fun with him. He took her to many different places she had never even imagined. They had gone hiking in the mountains, scuba diving in Okinawa, attended sumo wrestling matches in Hokkaido, visited old Shinto shrines, museums, art galleries, and so much more. Half of the time Mokuba went along, but every time, so did what Anzu fondly called the Other Mistress. Seto never went anywhere without his laptop, and in every single spare moment, he was using it.

Granted, she respected the demands of the Other Mistress, aka Kaiba Corporation, but she still found herself wishing he could leave her for just one day. And in that one day, devote his undivided attention to Anzu. Shopping was the only thing she could think of to accomplish that. He had brought the laptop, but she had insisted he leave it in the rental car.


The door bell chimed a visitor, and Shizuka answered. She was ecstatic! Her mother brushed passed her, drooping under the weight of a large, dolphin-patterned suitcase, set it down, and stooped to remove her shoes. A trim, young, blonde girl a few years older than Shizuka followed her in, carrying an even larger suitcase. "Let me help you with that, Onee-san!" Shizuka rushed forward to take the enormous luggage from her visitor.

"Thank you," the blonde replied. She was exhausted, but her crystal-blue eyes sparkled with euphoria to have arrived at last! "I'm so excited! I'm finally here! Japan!" The young American exchange student suddenly rushed forward to hug Shizuka, who giggled delightedly. "I finally get to meet you!"

Shizuka hugged her pen pal with equal adoration. "I'm happy to meet you, too, Kuritsu!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad your dad finally gave you permission to come!"

"Yeah, me too," Crystal replied. "I had to chug a whole six-pack, but I made it!"

"A six-pack?" Shizuka queried. "Do you mean beer, Kuritsu-ne?"

Upon seeing the confused look on the younger girl, Crystal added, "Don't ask." She was too thrilled to be in a gorgeous, new country to correct her new friend about the pronunciation of her name. "I still can't understand how sitting on a plane for fourteen hours makes a person tired!" she rhetorically stated. She remembered proper custom and removed her shoes before following Shizuka to her new room.

"I can't wait until Nii-san meets you!" Shizuka exclaimed. "He's going to be so surprised that I've got someone all the way from California living with me for the year!"

"From the way you describe him in your emails," Crystal replied, smiling, "he must be heavenly." She glanced around the room as she helped her friend help her unpack all her things. The larger suitcase contained a smaller one that fit snuggly inside it. The smaller one had been packed with stuff, and then it was packed inside the empty, larger bag.

Shizuka turned to her blonde roommate. "Why?" was all she managed.

"I'm going to eat onigiri, drink sake, and buy all the anime and manga I can carry!" Crystal explained. "All my souvenirs are going in this bag."

"That's a lot of souvenirs," Shizuka commented under her breath.

Together, the two girls made short work of putting all of the new comer's things in drawers and the closet. Crystal's laptop and removable 200 gigabyte hard drive was set upon the desk and assorted plushies decorated a corner of the floor. Shizuka showed her new friend where the guest's futon was located and quickly demonstrated how to store it away properly.

Before both girls knew it, Shizuka's mother was calling them to wash for dinner.


Ryou Bakura sighed. His head ached and the dust was irritating his lungs. He surveyed the dingy antique shop, picking up items absentmindedly while he waited for his father. His father was an archeologist, and he was also a nut for anything that was old in general. The store merchant glanced at the white-haired youth suspiciously. He was paranoid about shoplifters. He kept one eye on Ryou while dealing business with the elder Bakura.

An old chair dating back to the middle of the 1800's sat next to a writing desk. A small place card claimed that the set had belonged to Commodore Perry. Bakura sniffed derisively. He knew a fake when he saw one. He had a sudden urge to burn the place to the ground. It was fraudulent, overpriced, and dusty. Ryou's delicate senses were offended. His doe-like eyes traveled over the antiques, picking out the fakes from the worthless old junk.

"Bakura-kun, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice behind him spoke.

Startled, Ryou jumped out of his skin and timidly turned around to face Ryuji Otogi. Green eyes glowed like embers in the dim light. "Otogi-san!" Ryou cried. "I am just here with my father." He pointed in the direction where the two men stood, engaged in a discussion. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for something creepy," he answered. He laughed at the politely incredulous look on Ryou's face and elaborated. "It's for my new apartment. I want to decorate it with weird stuff to make it unique."

"Okay," Ryou replied slowly. "When did you move out on your own?"

"Last week," the dice master informed. "Say, I'm looking for a roommate. Would you like to move in with me?"

Ryou thought about it for three seconds. "Sure!" he said enthusiastically. "I'd be happy to move away from home!" He glanced over to his father. His home life was not bad, but very dull. His parents had given up on him after he had mysteriously disappeared and returned from Egypt. They did not know that he was now cured of what they called "his curse," and they still treated him like he was psychologically ill.

"Is everything okay?" Ryuji asked, observing his silent friend.

Ryou seemed to snap out of his reverie and nodded. "Yes, everything is fine now."

Two days later Ryou Bakura had moved everything he owned into the apartment on the other side of Domino City. The apartment was across the street from the brand new branch of the Black Clown. Ryou had asked why they could not live above the game store like most other owners did. Ryuji explained that this new branch had both stories devoted to selling and storing his merchandise. "Oh," was all Ryou had commented.

Even though they were tired from all the unpacking, they stayed up playing DDM until the aurora of the dawn streamed into the window. "I think it's time for bed," Ryuji muttered sleepily. "You're a quick learner, Bakura-kun. I'm going to have to be a little more careful next time."

Ryou smiled benignly. "These kinds of games come naturally to me," he said. He yawned loudly. "I could play…" he paused, yawning wider still, "all night." And he fell over, sound asleep.


Author's Note: This bet that Mokie and Seto made is based on a true one I made with my brother. While we lived elsewhere, he insisted that the street perpendicular to ours was called East Camano, and I knew that it was called Eldger Bay. Anywho, long story short: I won ten bucks!

Crystal is an OC. Don't use without permission.