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-I've been watching you from a distance
The distance sees through your disguise
All I want from you is your hurting
I want to heal you
I want to save you from the dark-
Ryou noticed that during the day, Atemu would give him a glare every chance he got. It confused and worried him. Had he seen him and Anzu together? It made Ryou wonder if he had by the way he kept occupying Anzu at lunch so she wouldn't stop by and see him like she normally did when they thought she was in the bathroom or something. Right as the last bell rang for the end of school, Anzu hurried from class, no doubt in Ryou's mind it was so she wouldn't be late for her class. Once Ryou left school, he headed over to Anzu's house. He looked through some of the pots for a key. As he was looking under the small rocks sitting atop the soil, he noticed one of them looked a little odd. When he picked it up, he realized it was a fake rock but it looked remarkably like a real one. Then he noticed a small hinge on it. Turning it a bit, he pried it open and inside there was a small house key.
"That would be hard to find, it's a good hiding place. Of course living with Bakura, I ended up picking up some habits from him." He muttered as he went to the door and unlocked it.
When he got in, he went upstairs to Anzu's room. He had been to her house before and remembered where her room was. He went into her closet and looked for a small bag to use. He found one under a bunch of stuff and made sure it smelled all right before using it. He looked through her closet for about fifteen minutes before finally deciding on a dark red wine-colored turtleneck sweater and a black knee length skirt. The outfit would go well with the shoes she had worn to school that day so that wasn't gonna be a problem. He carefully folded them and placed them in the bag then zipped it up. He slung the strap over his shoulder as he went downstairs. He locked the door on his way out and slipped the key in his pocket in case someone was watching. He didn't want someone breaking in her house while they were gone. He decided to walk to the Academy where she was since he had around two hours till she got out. It took him about half an hour to get there. When he got inside the building, he went up to the desk and asked where Anzu Mazaki was.
-Give unto me your troubles
I'll endure your suffering
Place unto me your burden
I'll drink your deadly…poison-
The instructor was presently helping Anzu with a position when the door quietly opened. A few whispers spread through the other girls but Anzu ignored them as she was trying to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. However when the teacher moved to assist another student, Anzu couldn't help but sneak a glance in the mirrors to see what the fuss was about. Shock and surprise flushed through her body when she saw Ryou sitting against one of the mirrors behind her. Their eyes met and he gave her a small wave. 'What are you doing here?' She mouthed. 'Just watching.' He responded. She was confused as to why he would come here. She didn't know he liked this kind of stuff but then again she didn't know much about him. The rest of the time seemed to fly by and soon the class was over.
"All right, we'll resume this tomorrow. Many of you are improving but I regret to say that some of you still need to work on your form. Practice makes perfect." The instructor said before dismissing them.
"I thought we were meeting at my house?" She asked in confusion as she approached him.
"Well I decided to surprise you." He answered.
"Well I'll need to go home so I can change; I don't have anything to wear out." She said.
"That's already taken care of." He said, emphasizing the bag on his shoulder.
Anzu frowned slightly as she looked in the bag. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at him.
"Don't worry I stayed out of your dresser." He immediately defended himself.
"I know you wouldn't go in there. I was gonna ask how did you get in my house?" She asked.
"Oh well…you have a very good hiding spot for your key. But of course me being around Bakura forced me to become a very observant person so I was able to find it. I have it with me cuz I didn't know if someone was watching and I didn't want to risk your house being broken into." He answered.
"That would make sense." She said as she took the bag from him. "I just have to shower quickly to get all the sweat off so I'll be back as soon as I can." She said.
"It's all aright. Take all the time you need, I don't mind waiting." He said.
Anzu blushed lightly. "All right I'll be right back."
-Why should I care if they hurt you
Somehow it matters more to me
Than if I were hurting myself
Save you…I'll save you-
'What is wrong with me? I can't seem to stop blushing around him.' She thought as the hot water sprayed over her body. 'Do I like him? I admit something drew me to him when I first met him. But I thought it was just because I felt sorry for him and I was just being nice. After all this time do I really like him? I guess time will only tell.' She thought. She shut off the water and began drying off. She was so glad she always packed an extra bra and panties so she wouldn't have to wear the same pair she wore during class. She hurriedly changed into the clothes Ryou brought her then looked at herself in the full length mirror. She had to admit she looked good and he had a good eye. She brushed her hair, relieving it of the knots it gathered in the messy bun she put it up in during class. She tossed her clothes in her large gym bag along with the smaller bag and stuffed the bag in her locker.
"Hey Anzu who's that guy you were talking to?" asked one of her classmates.
"He's just a friend." She replied.
"Arrghh! Most of your friends are guys…really hot ones at that. When are you gonna start dating and stop befriending?" She asked.
"I don't know. I guess when I find the right guy." Anzu replied.
"Well you should give this one a chance, I just talked to him. He seems really nice and he looks really cute." Her friend continued.
"Thanks I'll keep that in mind." Anzu said as she turned to face her.
"You do that."
Anzu laughed. "Well I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she left.
"Bye!"
-Fear not the flame of my love's candle-
Anzu met up with Ryou in the main entrance hall.
"Where is the bag?" He asked.
"Oh I stuffed it in my locker. I can get it tomorrow." She replied.
"Oh ok."
They elapsed into silence for a moment.
"So what movie do you want to see?" Anzu asked.
"Well I've wanted to see Devil's Rejects, it seemed interesting. What about you?" Ryou said.
"I want to see 'The Skeleton Key', it looked really good." Anzu said.
"Hmm don't think I've seen the previews for that. What's it about?" He asked.
"Well there this live-in nurse who is hired to take care of an elderly woman's ailing husband in their huge mansion out in the Louisiana delta. She's curious about the old couple and their house so she begins to explore. There's this key, it's a skeleton key that unlocks every door, and using it she discovers a hidden room that holds a deadly and terrifying secret. The previews were really good and when I looked it up online and read the description, I was even more hooked so yea." She said.
"That sounds interesting. We can go see that if you want." Ryou suggested.
"All right. We can see 'Devil's Rejects' another time." Anzu agreed.
"Ok."
-Give unto me your troubles
(Fear not the flame of my love's candle)
I'll endure your suffering
(Let it be the sun in your world of darkness)
Place unto me your burden
(Give unto me all that frightens you)
I'll drink your deadly poison…
(I'll have your nightmares for you if you'll sleep…soundly…)-
When they got to the movie theater, they purchased their tickets and refreshments then went into the room where the movie was and sat about six rows from the front. About an hour into the movie, they had already eaten half the popcorn and now the bucket sit forgotten at their feet, their soda already gone. Anzu was practically sitting on the edge of her seat. She seemed scared but couldn't stop watching. One scene made her jump backwards and latch onto Ryou's arm, hiding her face in the sleeve of his jacket. Once she pulled away to watch the movie, he laid his arm along the back. A few moments later she buried her face in his jacket again. This time he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her to him. She turned her head to watch the movie but didn't move off. After the movie, they went across the street to a small restaurant. It wasn't too fancy nor was it a hole in the wall. They discussed the movie along with a few other things while they ate.
"You were so scared I didn't think your face was ever gonna leave my arm." Ryou joked.
"Shut up." Anzu muttered, glaring at him half-heartedly as a blush crept up onto her face.
Ryou laughed. He was becoming a little more carefree and easygoing around her and he liked it. Anzu noticed it as well and hoped it would stay that way.
"I'm like that with horror films. I'll be scared but I won't stop watching it because I want to know what happens. I was like that around Bakura and Marik. I was scared as hell of them but I didn't let it show though I'm sure they knew." She said.
"Yeah they did." Ryou said with a small smile on his face and they both burst out laughing.
"Though I noticed that after Battle City Marik seemed to be nicer to me." She said.
"That's because Malik looked to you as a sister and Marik eventually saw that you weren't like your friends so he started treating you better." Ryou explained.
"What about Bakura?" Anzu asked.
"He never actually hated you; you just got on his nerves at first. He wasn't used to women in our time. They were more subdued in his time. Eventually he got used to you though he wanted to kill all the other females cuz they wouldn't leave him alone." Ryou told her.
Anzu laughed. "I don't blame him, I wanted to do the same they were so annoying." She sighed as she put her fork down on her plate and sat back.
"Full?" He asked.
Anzu nodded. "I think I ate half a cow and a whole head of lettuce." She replied.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked.
"Yeah I just gotta use the bathroom first." She said as she slid out of the booth.
While she was gone, Ryou paid the bill and left a tip. He stood when she approached the table and they left. They were glad for the walk home so they could work off their fullness and work it through their system. They talked the whole way to Anzu's house and didn't realize they had arrived until they almost passed it. Ryou gave her back her key before he forgot.
"Close your eyes." She said suddenly.
"Why?" He asked in slight confusion.
"I'm not going to do anything bad, just trust me." She said.
"All right." He said as he slowly closed his eyes.
There was a slight shuffle of movement and then he felt something close over his mouth. He opened his eyes in shock to find it was Anzu kissing him. He mentally froze for a minute before snapping out of it and responding. Anzu freaked for a second when he didn't respond but calmed and relaxed into the kiss when he did respond. After a minute Ryou slid his hands into her hair, holding her head firmly as he began to intensify the kiss. He licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She slowly parted her lips, gliding her tongue along his as it slid in and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid an arm around her waist, his other arm lined along her spine as his hand sunk deep in her hair. She gave a small squeal when he squeezed too hard and he let up a bit. They only stopped when Anzu pushed back so she could intake some much needed air. If they didn't need air to survive who knows how long they would've gone on?
"Wow." She breathed.
That was all she could say. Ryou blushed a bit. He thought he may have gone a bit too far but she apparently didn't mind.
"So I guess I'' see you tomorrow?" Ryou asked.
Anzu nodded; her mind still in a daze from his kiss.
"Goodnight." He said as he leaned in to kiss her once more. Anzu didn't hesitate to open her mouth. They finally parted and Anzu went inside as Ryou walked to the sidewalk and headed home. Off in the distance was a figure who had been watching everything and he was not pleased at all.
-Fear not the flame of my love's candle…-
Anzu arrived at school in a lighter mood. She was earlier than usual so not many people were there. On her way to her locker, she was grabbed and dragged into an empty classroom as she passed by it. She nearly screamed until she realized it was Atemu.
"What is wrong with you? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She exclaimed.
"Why are with him?" He asked…well more like demanded.
She gave him a confused look.
"Don't play stupid with me. Why are you with that fucking tomb raider!" He exclaimed again.
"Bakura's not here so that would be a little hard to do." She stated.
Atemu walked up to her and promptly backhanded her. She looked up at him in surprise, her hand coming up to cradle her cheek.
"You know who the fuck I'm talking about." He said.
"If you're talking about Ryou, I don't see how that's any of your concern." She replied coolly.
"I don't want you around that trash!" He exclaimed.
"Ryou is not trash and I can't believe the way you are treating him. He did nothing wrong!" She retaliated hurtfully.
"He was housing that bastard." Atemu said through gritted teeth.
"That wasn't by choice and you know it. Bakura wasn't that bad, at least not to me. At least I gave him a chance. That's probably why he left. He couldn't stand it here because of the way he was being treated, same thing with Malik and Marik. I don't blame them for hating you so much. You've become such an unforgiving, cold-hearted bastard. You're almost like Kaiba but at least he knows how to care for someone other than himself." She snapped at him.
Anzu was amazed at herself. She didn't think she could ever stand up to him, or defend Bakura, Malik, Marik, and Kaiba all at the same time.
"Whose side have you been on this whole time?" He asked after a silent moment.
"I used to be on yours…until the real you came out and I saw the way you treated people. I used to have a lot of respect for you but now it's gone. I actually used to have a crush on you but you broke my heart that day when Bakura left because of what you said about Ryou." She answered.
"You're not my father Atemu and you can't tell me who I can and cannot see. I like Ryou and I will continue seeing him if I wish. Good day." She added before leaving the classroom, slamming the door behind her.
-Let it be the sun in your world of…darkness…-
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Koki: Please review! Thank you.
