A.N.

Hello readers, this is my first published work. It is a story I cannot get out of my head and I have been working on the whole thing since August of 2018, I have more chapters done as well as some unfinished that I am changing and correcting as the details come more and more through. I promise I will upload a new chapter every month or so, I have two small kids that have made it their life mission to destroy my house daily. Please enjoy and comment with constructive criticisms but no flames though. If you don't like it or the pairings then don't read, otherwise please enjoy. Some chapters I wrote listening to certain music or songs, I will post at the beginning of each chapter if you wish to listen off of Youtube as well to get into my mindset.

Of course, I don't own Yugioh (but I wish I did) or the listed works inside this story. Enjoy.

Song for this chapter's inspiration

BROKEN DREAMS - Beautiful Emotional Music Mix | Ethereal Dramatic Orchestral Music

Channel-Premium Music HQ

watch?v=5DNl22MvaNo (For some reason it cuts off part of Youtube's url, so paste this part in at the end.)

Photo cover is owned by Chocolapeanut and her work is fantastic

Prologue

Thump... Thump... Thump... Although the beats of her heart were beginning to slow, Anzu's sluggish mind was still aware of what was happening around her. It had been a little over a year since Yugi's final duel with Atem where Yugi was able to set him free after all those thousands of years of self-imposed isolation without his memories, all for the sake of every other living creature on the planet. Anzu imagined the relief Atem had felt was infinite even if the cost was them. Anzu couldn't tell him how she felt, she couldn't bring herself to be that selfish, she was forever thankful when Joey held her back even if at the time her heart was ripping out of her chest.

Now a little past the year mark had come and gone and life without Atem had slowly dragged on for the band of friends he left behind. The first few weeks were horrible for all but mostly to Yugi and Anzu. Yugi understood that Anzu would see him no more than a brother and willingly shared the burden of Atem's loss with her, they were as close as they could possibly be without a romantic connection. Anzu vowed to herself that only Atem would possess her heart, in life and in death. After returning to Japan, the gang eclipsed into the last few months of school slowly getting used to their loss; however, Anzu lost her passion for dance, she felt weary and tired and with her grief, she couldn't bring herself to perform again.

Her aunt and uncle who had reluctantly adopted Anzu at the age of eight, were more than thrilled when Anzu shared with them the news that she would no longer be pursuing her childhood dream of being a dancer at Juilliard. After the death of her parents, Anzu found herself more or less dropped off in her new home and reluctantly adopted by her father's brother and wife to save their public image, lest they put their own relative into an orphanage.

From very early on Anzu knew that she would receive no love from either her aunt or uncle, often being left to her own devices with a live-in nanny who would be replaced after every six months or so once they would protests to Anzu's family neglect until finally at the age of twelve, when her aunt and uncle had deemed her fit to raise herself in the City of Domino, the city where their company had been based prior to its move across seas. They had agreed when Anzu had asked to stay in Domino, bringing up a point of being out of their way and her arraignment was agreed upon. Her guardians provided Anzu with a home and were sending in a small monthly check for groceries and necessities but they were repulsed by her desire to dance professionally. Threatening to kick Anzu to the street if they found out that she used the monthly money sent to pay for her dance classes, thus forcing Anzu at the age of 15 to illegally get a job underage. Anzu vowed to herself that the only way to work towards the dream she had shared with her mother and earn her way through to a scholarship to get into Juilliard.

However, once Atem was gone from her life, Anzu couldn't muster up the will to do the one thing she had spent her whole life pursuing anymore, she felt no love in her heart to drive herself to dance. Her aunt and uncle had immediately tried pressuring for her to move to them across seas and help them build face for their company, it seemed that if they wished for Anzu to continue with the charade of the happy, loving family they portrayed, they would have to attempt to woo and win her over. Anzu would rather be homeless and told them so which resulted in her being kicked out on the street the very day she turned eighteen with threats from both her only relatives to refrain from contacting them ever again.

Anzu had used the entirety of her savings from Burger World to find a decent one bedroom apartment and pay her rent and utilities for the summer and enrolled in Domino's Community College for a secretarial certificate. Once Anzu had completed her course and began to put her name out in the local businesses, she was surprised one evening with a call from Kaiba Corp. Hesitantly answered thinking it was Kaiba, although for the life of her she couldn't fathom why Anzu was immensely relieved to hear Mokuba's voice over the other end.

The relief was short-lived when he offered her the job of his brothers' secretary. "Why me?" Anzu had asked. "He needs someone smart, dependable, and organized who doesn't harbor a fantasy of jumping in his bed," Mokuba answered bluntly causing Anzu to jerk the phone away and stare in disbelief at Mokuba's choice of words, "Does your brother know you are offering me this position Mokuba?"

"Yes," Mokuba's answer was wavering slightly from the previously confident tone that made Anzu sigh, "Would he be able to fire me once he found out it was me?" "Haha, nope," Mokuba gained back his prior confidence, "after the last one, I tricked him into signing a contract stating he couldn't fire the next one without my authorization unless a physical or sexual assault claim came through." Mokuba sounded so smug and proud of himself Anzu had to ask, "How did you manage to do that?"

"I asked him to sign a form and when he asked what it was for I told him it was his permission for the school to place me in sex ed or he had to go to a parent-teacher conference for them to make sure he was able to teach me about the dangers of std's and pregnancy at home. I've never seen him grab a pen that quick or sign a form without reading it, don't worry though I'll make sure he knows that you weren't aware of that fact before you accepted the position," Mokuba paused for a moment, "So will you do it? Don't worry I get to decide your pay and benefits as well since I get to head up the HR department as Assistant Director while I'm in high school. Seto won't let me take on an actual position until I graduate," Mokuba grumbled out the last bit, making Anzu chuckle.

"Fine," Anzu sighed, "as long as he knows this is your whole scheme when he finds out I'm his new secretary I'll do a test run; however Mokuba," Anzu warned before he could celebrate, "you make sure to tell him that if we both decide after 30 days if we are not compatible to work together I will leave amicably and you are not to give him a hard time." "Deal."

And that was how she went to work for Kaiba who, as she and Mokuba predicted, protested but ultimately went along with Anzu working as his secretary, especially once he found out about Mokuba tricking him and with her stipulation for after 30 days. In the first few days, they were awkward and he was typically cold towards her but by the second week, they had begun to develop a steady working relationship and by the time the 30-day deadline came, they both decided for Anzu to remain working at the company. Anzu, it seemed to have the same kind of work habits as Kaiba, often working overtime without being asked and not complaining about being calling in on the weekend or early morning. Once after about two months, Seto had asked her why she was slaving herself, to which she had answered it was better than sitting at home focused on losing Atem. Upon hearing her answer, Seto never asked her again about it and they grew to amicable acquaintances. Anzu was able to set herself into a steady pace at work where her mind could be temporarily closed off to her pain.

Once the holidays had rolled around, Anzu had been with Kaiba Corp for about sevenish months and spent her time either catching up with the gang at the game shop or working tirelessly at Kaiba Corp or sleeping on her severely bare apartment. Her friends had been shocked at learning that she worked at Kaiba Corp, but after a few weeks of her not returning with tears and the knowledge that Kaiba was not abusing or harassing her, came to accept that it was how she chose to live her life. Kaiba had even invited her to a holiday party he and Mokuba held at their mansion for business associates and those of a similar social ladder where Anzu had gotten to meet Seto's secret girlfriend Maya. The two had really hit it off, Maya was playful where Seto was uptight and there was something about Maya that honestly had reminded Anzu of the Mana girl from Atem's past which had initially caused a twinge in Anzu's heart but they were actually really good friends with plans to hang out after New Year's.

It was not meant to be though, Anzu began to notice that the pain she had felt in her chest for the past few months had grown rather than fade and Anzu noticed that she had started to lose weight rapidly. Anzu had chalked it up to overworking herself and her increased intake of caffeine. But it was when Seto who worked similarly had noticed a change in her and offered her more days off to recuperate and began insisting she stop for meals. Seto even went as far as ordering lunch for her one day, to her credit she did try, but halfway through eating, Anzu's world began spinning and she had fallen unconscious.

Upon her waking, Anzu realized she was hooked up to a breathing mask and her heart was beeping overhead. On either of her sides was Yugi and Rebecca sleeping in the uncomfortable hospital chairs each holding onto one of her hands. Twitching the one Yugi held caused him to wake. Blinking his grogginess away, Yugi immediately called for the doctors who in turn gave their grim and unexpected news of a rare and aggressive cancer that had little research done on it due to its extreme rarity.

After her doctor's visit, Anzu asked Yugi to make the calls to the rest of the friends and Kaiba Corp for her due to the painkillers the doctors were administering to keep her comfortable. Mokuba immediately came up to visit and offered to help with any treatment Anzu might need. Anzu, using what little strength she had, calmly laid her arm over Mokuba's gently, "No Mokuba," she gave him a slight nod, "I don't want chemo, I'm in pain in my body and soul, I think this is just my fate and I've accepted this, I want to be at peace when I go. I'm eternally grateful for your willingness to fight for my life, but I just want to rest."

Yugi was probably the only other one who had a bond with Atem so strongly, abet not in a romantic sense like Anzu, but still, he could sympathize with the loneliness Anzu felt even if he had now given Rebecca a chance who helped fill that void in his heart.

And so, Anzu made her arraignments, her aunt and uncle, who had not spoken to Anzu since their fight after graduation returned a call after Anzu sent out an email. At first, they believed she was asking for money for treatment and had screamed at her until Yugi snatched the phone out of Anzu's startled hand, "She just wants to say goodbye you disgusting excuse for a family!"

Breathing heavily Yugi handed the phone back to Anzu's shocked demeanor before Mokuba and Rebecca ushered him out of the room throwing their goodbye over their shoulders before Yugi lost his temper once again. Waving weakly at their departures, Anzu returned back to the call reluctantly and listened to the obvious change in tone her uncle's voice now used. By the end of the call, Anzu had more or less thanked them for not leaving her to rot in the street at a young age and declined their offer come and to say their goodbyes in person.

As Anzu ended the call, an unexpected visit from Seto Kaiba himself, caused him to overhear their departing words. Mokuba, Yugi, and Rebecca were the last visitors that evening and Mokuba had made no mention of Seto visiting, so Anzu was not only shocked at the visit but also at his disgusted expression towards her otherwise ignorant family members as she ended the call that had been on speakerphone. "Some parents," Kaiba scoffed misunderstanding their relation to Anzu as he set his briefcase down on the counter next to the sink in the private room.

"They're not my real parents, Seto," Anzu murmured casting her eyes down at his shocked expression. "They adopted me only because my real parents died, my stepfather is actually my uncle, brother of my biological father. They only adopted me to save their reputation at the time, hiring nannies to be with me until I was around twelve when I could take care of myself and they just paid for my home and sent money for necessities."

Seto sank quietly into the chair at Anzu's bedside, "How old were you?"

"I had just turned eight the month before the accident," Anzu's eyes closed as she grimaced against the pain in her chest, the machine injecting painkillers into her automatically clicked and soon, Anzu relaxed as much as she was going to be able.

"I would have helped, Anzu, in any way I could have. You know that right?" Seto spoke once she relaxed, taking her small hand in his larger, noticing how icy they were.

"I know that Seto, but you and I also know that you would have worked in a non-stop pace killing yourself fighting the time crunch and I probably still would've died, only you would blame yourself, no Seto I don't want that on your shoulders, I'm ok with this really," Anzu gave him a slight smile.

"Is it because of him?" Seto asked without malice, but genuine curiosity as he rubbed her hands trying to get some warmth back into them.

"Partially," Anzu breathed as she fought another wave of pain, duly noting that it was getting harder to breathe. "I don't want to die necessarily to go to him, honestly we probably will never meet again, he was a King. I am a nobody, but, I can't fight the pain of losing him with the pain from cancer, I just want the pain to stop."

Her breathing was coming in slower, Seto seemed to notice it too and opened his phone to alert Mokuba who would, in turn, alert the others that it was time.

"They won't make it," Anzu's voice was barely above a whisper, "thank you, Seto, for making sure I didn't die alone." Anzu's eyes closed against the weight of death that was slowly suffocating her in its gentle grip.

"Anything for you Anzu, you are the sister I never had and as much as I am vocal about disbelief in the destiny thing Yugi preaches, I secretly believe in it," Seto's voice sounded choked and the grip around her hands tightened.

"Oh," Anzu breathed out amused, "And what in the world could make the infamous anti-destiny Seto Kaiba pro-destiny?"

"Maya, she looks like the Dark Magician Girl Card and she gets a kick out of it," Kaiba was getting more anxious as he was reading the vitals on heart monitor start decreasing while he spoke.

Anzu gave a wheezy chuckle causing Seto to return his slightly panicked eyes back to her calm ones but Anzu had no more strength to give a further reply. Listening to the slowing final heartbeat on the monitor, Anzu gave her final thoughts to the man who her heart belonged to, shuddering her final breath as a lone tear slipped out the corner of her eye, then nothing, she was finally free of the pain as she sank into the numbing darkness.