A/N: Finally it is done! and I should totally be studying math for tomorrow's exam. o3o Eheehhee... I see failure ahead... Oh well, I know I got through the other math exam, so this isn't so bad, right? Right?!

I have wanted to write this for such a long time. In fact I have wanted to write Mai again since the illusionshipping- round last year. Oh Mai is so much fun to write with Marik, so I just had to put him in the story too, oh and Bakura too! *dances*

I still love writing both Anzu and Mai. And this fic was so much fun to do. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! 83

Lucky Girl

"Someone up there must really love you," the man said.

The girl humphed before getting up, sweeping dust off her skirt. The man's brow wrinkled, before he continued:

"Are you sure you're okay? I can take you to school if you want."

The girl gave a suspicious look at the car that had almost bumped on her. She shook her head and smiled.

"No thanks, it's fine."

The man nodded before disappearing into his car. When she was sure the man didn't see, she stuck out her tongue at the car. Then she glanced at her watch and noted that if she wouldn't run, she would be late, again. She picked up her schoolbag from the floor and ran.

"Anzu's late."

It was statement, not surprised. And the other just nodded. Two persons waited at the schoolyard, other with spiky tri-colored hair, other with white long hair. Finally the white-haired one spoke:

"Should we get in, Yugi?"

Yugi shook his head.

"She'll be here, Ryou, any minute now."

Ryou didn't protest, just nodded, and turned his soft brown eyes away from Yugi again. Soon a running figure appeared to their vision. It turned into a brown-haired young girl, with blue eyes. She stopped in front of the two boys, breathing heavily.

"Anzu, what happened?" Yugi asked, worried.

"Nothing," Anzu answered, steadying her breath: "Almost got bumped by a car."

There was a brief silence.

"Again?" Yugi asked.

"Yep."

"Are you hurt?"

"Nope."

Yugi ran his hand through his hair.

"Man, someone up there must really love you," he breathed out.

"Yeah, lucky me."

A man burst into malicious laughter. Soon he started coughing, when he almost chocked on his wine.

"Careful, Marik," a voice stated behind him. "We wouldn't want you to die, now would we?"

The man named Marik, turned his icy purple eyes on the man behind him.

"Sod off, Bakura."

Bakura, a man with spiky white hair and brown eyes, dressed in blackrobe, just smiled before ruffling Marik's blonde hair.
"It's time for the game, Lady said," he said, pronouncing every word carefully. "She wants you there, Lady said."

Marik put his wine aside, before standing up. He glared at Bakura.

"Since when the Death has taken orders from the Lady?"

Bakura just smiled.

"Death knows the powers of Lady, which the Fate seems to sometimes forget." Bakura turned to walk away, stopped, and continued: "Besides, I need some job to do, don't I?"

There was a room, dimly lit. There were shelves on the walls, full of figures made of stone. There must have been at least million of them. Some were small, some were big. Some were female, some were male. Some were new, some were old, and some were broken. But they were all human. There was a table, a gaming board an ancient one, made of solid rock. On the table were some figures, placed carefully.

At the one end of the table sat a woman. She had blonde long hair and purplish eyes and was dressed in white gown. The Lady.

She was holding one of the figures between her thin fingers. Her eyes were fixed on the face of the figure, and its beautiful details. Young woman. Smile, everlasting. Wind, frozen in her hair.

The woman sighed and put the figure down.

"Lady!" the yell echoed in the room. The woman winced visibly, her peace disturbed. She stood up, and turned to greet the approaching blonde.

"Fate, loud as always," she said.

Marik laughed.

"Mai, beautiful as always."

He bowed at Mai, before slumping on his chair. Mai's nose wrinkled as she glared at the man. Only he dared to call her Mai. Others, even Bakura who was famous for his arrogance, preferred her other name.

Marik leaned his chin against his skin, and studied Mai.

"Well Lady," he finally spoke. "Shall we play?"

Mai sat on her chair, and smiled.

"Yes."

The game began.

Anzu sat on the table and ate her lunch. Next to her Ryou and Yugi were chatting about something related to their new math teacher. Anzu sighed.

Someone up there must really love you.

How many times had she heard that sentence? Hundreds, maybe thousands. And how she hated hearing it. Because it was a lie. Someone up there did not love her, no. Someone up there hated her with passion, of that she was sure. Why would they otherwise torment her in such a way?

Anzu Mazaki was the luckiest unlucky person in the world. She was a walking catastrophe.

It had all started ten years ago, when Anzu had been only six. That day, she got into a car accident, but despite everything survived. From that day onward Anzu had gotten into accidents everywhere she went. Car accidents, falling, tripping, getting in the middle of a bank robbery… The girl attracted accidents like honey bees.

But nonetheless, Anzu had grown up to be a friendly charming young woman. Her two friends Ryou and Yugi were the best people in the whole world, and they understood.

And Anzu survived; somehow she always got away with everything the life decided to throw into her way.

Though Anzu didn't think so, she was in fact a very lucky girl.

The figures were set on the table.
"Well, who shall I kill today," Marik pondered out loud.

"It's always about killing with you, isn't it?" Mai asked amused.

"Well, I need to give Bakura something to do, don't I?" Marik answered, moving few figures a bit. "Otherwise he'd just get lazy."

Mai shrugged.

"I guess. Well Fate, about who are we fighting today?"

"22 lives, enough?"

There was group of 22 figures in the middle of the board. Mai picked up one, and gave it a critical look. She nodded, and put the figure away.

"Fine, it is set. Twenty-two."

Marik grinned, a lunatic grin, only he could master.

"And now… a meteorite will hit them!" A flaming rock appeared on Marik's hands, he was just about to throw in on the table, but Mai's voice stopped her.

"NO!" She folded her arms across her chest. "You know that Yami will kill us, if you start bombing Earth with big rocks. Anything in outer space is his business. Besides there is no meteorites even close to Earth."

Marik pouted. Still he put the rock away.
"No one ever let's me throw meteorites at people."
"We still have rules, Marik," Mai said simply. "It's your move."

"Fine, bus accident it is."

"Sounds good," Mai answered. She picked up two dices from the table. Before she threw them she asked:

"What does Fate say?"

"Everyone dies."

"We'll see."

And Mai threw.

Anzu was standing with Yugi and Ryou in the schoolyard.

"So we'll meet at five, in your place?" Yugi asked. "Watch a movie, and chat?"

Ryou nodded.

"Great! Are you coming too Anzu?"

Anzu grinned.

"I wouldn't want to miss it. See you tonight, guys!"

With that Anzu started walking home. She lived in the other direction than Yugi and Ryou so she usually walked to home alone. She didn't mind it, as long as she didn't get run over by a car or something.

Today, nothing happened on her way home. She was happy about that.

When she arrived home, she noticed her mom standing in front of the TV, worried look on her face. Anzu peeked at the TV. News were on. The man in suit and glasses was talking about something, probably important, since her mother never watched news. Anzu listened.

"…seven people lost their lives and fifteen were injured…"

"What has happened?" Anzu asked.

Her mother, finally noticing that she had arrived, sighed and closed the TV.

"A bus hit the side of a building, and exploded."

"Oh."

Her mother shook her head.

"I wonder where this world is going."

"Not bad," Marik admitted. He took the dices from the table, and rolled them in his hand.

"Second round?" Mai suggested. "Or are you getting bored already?"

"Well," Marik began and yawned. "I have to say, that this game contains way too much rules way too little meteorites for my taste, but second round? Fine. I can think of something nice."

There was a creepy smile on Marik's face, but Mai didn't feel threatened by it. She was used of Marik's weird mood swings and stupid ideas. After all she had been playing this game with Marik for all eternity. Nowadays the game was not at all that much fun. Of course, there were still people dying and living, because both Fate and Luck, but that has always been. Mai and Marik had both enjoyed wars much, for there they could really start planning and plotting. It was not that Mai and Marik hated each other, well much, after all they were bound to play this game for another eternity to come.

"Well, Marik, place your stake."

"One."

Mai raised her eyebrows.
"Only one?" she asked.

"Yes, but not just anyone." There was another grin on Marik's face. "The girl you have been protecting for the past ten years."

Without saying anything Mai placed the figure on the table. There was even now, facing the Fate himself, a smile on the figure's face. Marik picked the figure up and absent-mindedly started playing with it.

"You know," he murmured. "I've been trying to kill her for ten years now. But I have never succeeded, because of you." Mai nodded. Of course she knew all this. She had been protecting the girl for ten years. Marik placed the figure on the table. "This is the first time we're playing with her on table, since…" Mai just nodded again. "Well, Mai, it's win or loose. If you win now, I will not disturb the girl again. Is that okay?"

Mai considered it. The stakes were high, not to Marik, because all Marik could loose was his pride, but to Mai. But, on the other hand, Mai was a gambler at heart. She looked Marik into the eyes and answered:

"It is set."

Marik laughed.

"I love your spirit, Lady, a true gambler."

Mai leaned back in her chair and asked:

"What will happen to her? Will a tree fall on her head or something?"

Marik seemed to get a bit annoyed by the mockery in her voice. He growled in annoyance.

"No Lady, nothing will fall on her," he answered. "Instead…"

Marik placed another figure in front of the girl. He petted the figure.

"Instead, she will be killed by him."

It was half past eight. Anzu was heading home from Ryou's place. She had had fun with her friends, but she still needed to finish her homework. It was already dark, and there were not much cars on the street, good. Now maybe she wouldn't get run over by one.

Merrily she skipped forward. Suddenly she noticed, form a corner of her eye, a figure. She shrugged it off soon though. It was probably just some random man heading home or walking a dog.

But why was he following her then?

Anzu started walking a little faster. There was still some way to her house, but she didn't want to turn around and go back to Ryou's place either, because then she would have to face her mysterious follower. And no cars, or other late-night strollers around, perfect just perfect.

So she continued to walk, the man tailing her.

When she turned around the corner, the man was finally close enough to make his move. He grabbed her hand and slammed her against the wall. Anzu struggled to get free and tried to scream, but was silenced by a hand placed on her mouth.

The man's face was just inches away from her face. She could see the knife in his hand.

"Hush now precious, this won't hurt…Much."

Mai stared at the dices in her hand. This was it. One final throw.

"Well, Lady, are you going to throw or just give up?" Marik's mocking voice broke into Mai's head. Her head snapped to face Marik.
"I will never give up," she growled and threw the dice.

They dices rolled on the table for a while. They turned to show two ones. Mai felt her heart sinking. Marik's malicious laughter ringed in her ears.

"Two?! Only two?!" he laughed. "This is too easy!"

"Still, you must throw," Mai said. "It's the…"

"Rules… Yeah, I know, I know."

And Marik threw the dices. They hit the two figures on the table. The attacker's figure fell, and broke into thousands of pieces. The dice, which hit the attacker, flew from the table and disappeared into the shadows of the room. Marik stared at the board his mouth hanging open. Gently Mai picked the girl form the table.

"That's cheating!" Marik screeched.

Mai shook her head.

"You know as well as I do, that you can not cheat in this game, it's all about fate, and luck. One life you said. One life was on stake. I gave you one life."

"But the girl isn't safe yet," Marik yelled. "She is injured. The game isn't over."

"It is for you, Marik," Mai answered. "The next part of the game will be played between me and Bakura. And I will save her."

"Stupid! Stupid!" Marik screamed, hitting his fists on the table. "She was supposed to die ten years ago!"

"Lady Luck can give people another chance," Mai answered simply.

"One in a million," Marik growled. "She survives others die. Why is she so special?"

Mai raised her gaze. She was still holding the stone figure in her hands.

"Because she is one in a million."

Death walks silently in this world. He walks through battlefields, and crime scenes, collecting the souls of those who have fallen. The favorite place for Death to be is in hospital. Peaceful.

Bakura's footsteps made no sound as he walked in the hospital's white, cold corridors. There was a smile on pale lips.

Death was at home here. He could feel it in the building, death. And here people were not afraid of Death, here they went with him peacefully, some even showed gratitude to him, when he came to pick them up.

Bakura breathed in the cold night air.

Peaceful.

He stopped in front of one white door. Inside he could hear the steady beeping of the machine. Still alive. Bakura shrugged to himself, and stepped in through the door.

The girl laid on the bed, fast asleep, peaceful. Bakura took a chair, and waited.

At some point, for Death's sense of time is very flexible, the door opened and a nurse peeked in. She stared right through Bakura, smiling at sleeping figure, before closing the door again. Of course, the people didn't see Death, not until he came to pick them up.

Bakura waited.

In the old days, there had been a tradition. A tradition, where people sat with their dying love ones, and greeted Death together with him. Bakura had quite liked the tradition. Now there was just him, sitting with the dying ones.

Bakura took an hourglass from inside of his robes, and stared at it thoughtfully. Still some more time. There was a name carved on the hourglass, and Death read it out loud:

"Anzu Mazaki."

"Bakura, you will not take her."

Bakura raised his gaze to meet Mai's. White-haired man's brow wrinkled.

"With all respect Lady, I'm just doing my job," he said.

Mai took a chair at the other side of the bed. She stared at Anzu's sleeping face, and for a second her eyes showed something never there seen before. Emotions? When she spoke again, her voice was almost pleading:

"Take someone else, Bakura, I know you can do it."

Bakura didn't answer. He placed the hourglass on the bedside table, and stood up. He glared at Mai.

"This is not a game, Lady. I'm not doing this because Marik wants her dead, nor am I stopping this because you want her alive. I'm doing this because it's her time to go. I do not play games, dear Lady."

A scythe appeared on Bakura's hand, it glowed in white light. Bakura leaned against it, and waited. Mai shook her head.

"I know you don't play games, Death," her face was lit up by a smile. "But that doesn't mean, you can not be cheated."

Bakura snorted.

"Cheating me? What are the odds? One in a million…" The words died on Bakura's lips.

"Exactly," Mai said. "And I'm that one in a million. So give up on her."

Bakura seemed to consider this. Pale fingers tapped on the blade of the scythe.

"Come on," Mai continued. "Don't you have any other people to kill?"

"Ah, but I don't kill them, life kills them," Bakura corrected.

"You know what I mean."

There was a smile on Bakura's lips.
"I do."

Then the white-haired man glanced at Anzu again.

"She is special to you, Lady, isn't she?" Bakura whispered. Pale fingers touched lightly the girl's cheek. "Yet there's nothing special about her. She's just a normal girl, with you on her side. What a lucky girl."

"Jealous, are you?"

Bakura ignored the remark. He tilted his head, and curiously watched Anzu sleep. The hourglass had stopped moving, just before the last grain of sand had fallen.

"She's living on borrowed time, until I decide."

Mai nodded. She hadn't expected this to be an easy task. Somehow Marik was way too easier to beat than Bakura. Fate loved gambling, but Death just wanted to get his work done. Mai just had to hope, that Bakura would make the right decision.
"You do realize that if I save the girl's life, Marik will hate both you and me for the rest of eternity."

"Do you really care?"

"No, not really." Bakura sighed. "Fine Lady, I think I can arrange this."

Mai breathed out in relief.

"What do you want for reward?"

"Nothing now," Bakura answered, before simply flipping the hourglass upside down. "But you'll know when I want you to pay back. And remember Lady, my wages are not small."

"I know, Bakura. Thanks."

Bakura just put the hourglass back to his robes, and started walking away. Before he left, he murmured:

"What a lucky girl she is…"

Mai was left alone with Anzu. The girl was still fast asleep, and wouldn't wake up for a long time. Mai watched Anzu's chest fall up and down, and felt a relief sweeping through her. What she had done, saving Anzu's life, hadn't probably been smart, and she would hear about it from everyone. Still she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Never. She had always watched over her.

Mai stroked Anzu's brown hair.
"I remember," she whispered. "I remember when you were only six and I first saw you. It was a normal game. Few lives at stake. One of them was yours. It was not my lucky day. "Mai let out a bitter laugh. "I could save only one. And I had to decide. I don't know why I saved just you. Guess you were even then a lucky girl." Mai closed her eyes for a second, and breathed out steadily. "We aren't supposed to get attached to humans. Still I got. I don't know why, or even how. But Marik noticed it. And before I knew, I was saving you all the time." She smiled. "But now, finally it has come to an end. You can live in peace, lucky girl, no more accidents, I swear. Marik can be an ass, but even he can't smuggle his way out of this deal. You're safe."

Mai's voice faded away. She opened her eyes only to notice there were tears in her eyes.

"I guess this means, I can't help you anymore. I can only watch over you. Remember, that you have my eternal blessing."

Mai stood up, and placed a dice on her palm.

"This saved your life; I think it's only fair that this belongs to you now."

Then Lady Luck planted a soft kiss on the girl's forehead, and whispered:

"I wish you best of luck, Anzu."

Then she was gone.

Anzu smiled in her dreams.

Anzu opened her eyes. She stared at the white ceiling, blinking her eyes.

Where was she?

She heard hurried footsteps outside her room, and beeping of machine, and loud happy yells, belonging to Yugi and Ryou:

"Anzu, you're awake!"

"I am?" she asked, bewildered. She sat up, and glanced around her. "Where am I?"

"In hospital," answered Ryou, sitting next to her bed.

Anzu opened her mouth to ask Ryou, but before she could so, she was silenced by Yugi hugging her carefully, as if she would break.

"Thank god you're okay!" the boy breathed out.

Anzu wrapped her arms around Yugi, and gave a confused look at Ryou.

"You were attacked on your way home," Ryou hurried to explain. "But before anything worse could happen, your attacker got a heart attack and died. But you had lost much blood. The doctors weren't sure, if you'd make it."

Anzu saw the pain in Ryou's eyes, and felt Yugi's tears soaking her clothes.

"But I did, didn't I? I made it."

Ryou nodded and smiled.

"Someone up there must really love you."

Anzu laughed, before pulling Ryou too into the hug. She was smiling. She glanced at the ceiling, as if praying, holding her friends. There were tears in her eyes.

Someone up there must really love you…

Her fingers closed in around the dice in her hand. For a second a picture of a woman in white appeared in her mind, before fading away.

Lucky girl.