The Notes Of My Heart

by Demented Insane Spirit

AU, Anzu wants to become a professional dancer, but knows that she cannot do it without an accompanist. After meeting Yami Mutou, a well-known pianist, she knows that he is exactly what she needs, and perhaps more than she expected...

37. The final act

Chapter Thirty-Seven, The final act

Kaiba kept his hand clasped around the glass of whiskey, staring down at the papers spread out on his desk. His head was propped up by his hand, his elbow wedged against the hard wood of the desk. His office building was quiet and felt empty around him, giving him peace for his mind to wander as it wished. Lowering his hand from his head, he straightened slightly and pulled one of the sheets of paper out, narrowing his eyes at the name printed beside the photo of the aging man. Meticulous in all things, Kaiba had gathered all the appropriate information needed for concluding his contract with Hanazawa and while it was complicated and more bothersome than he had expected, it was nothing he felt he would be unable to handle. Now that he was embroiled in Yami's mess, the amount of work needed to control the situation was expanding to an unprecedented level that he had not calculated before. His eyes flickered down the sheet, towards the end.

No previous contact, it read.

Sighing through his nose, Kaiba tossed the sheet back down and leaned back in his chair, digging in his pocket for the lighter and pack of cigarettes. After lighting one and taking a slow drag from it, he hung his arms from his chair, frowning down at his desk. A stream of smoke escaped his lips in a breath. This doesn't make any sense. What possible reason could Seiji have for disappearing like this? he thought distantly. And if he was propositioned by Rei, wouldn't he think that this might put Anzu in danger? No...something else is going on here, something that we're not seeing. Straightening, Kaiba put the cigarette to his lips, shuffling through the papers with his other hand, his eyes passing over the names. Mai Kujaku, Miho Nosaka, Otogi Ryuuji... He paused, drumming his fingers on the top of his desk. He sat motionless for a long moment, a cloud of smoke surrounding him. A sudden knock turned his cobalt gaze from the papers towards the door.

There was a pause before the door opened and Ryou popped his head in. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if you were busy," he said.

"Obviously I'm busy," Kaiba grunted, waving the smoke away. Ryou stepped in, followed by his two companions. Both Bakura and Malik looked annoyed and after the door shut, Kaiba suspected they had gotten into some argument. Ryou cast an exasperated glance to Kaiba, as if begging for help. "What are you two fighting about now?"

"Will you tell him," Malik said with a glare towards Bakura, "that we can't afford to pull Anzu from the ballet?"

"What?"

"You know damn well that he's probably connected Anzu to Yami by now," Bakura returned, his mouth turning down unpleasantly. "If she goes up there in front of all those people, it's only putting her at risk – it's putting all of us at risk. I agreed to set up men at the opera house, but for what? There's no way we'll be able to help her while she's up there. We'll only be able to catch him after he's shot her."

"That's assuming Rei or his men will get a gun inside," Kaiba interjected calmly. "My own security in addition to the opera house's usual security will be handling that."

"As if men haven't been able to sneak in weapons before."

"Anzu can't afford to back out now," Malik drove on relentlessly. "If what you say doesn't happen, she'll lose this chance to get into the dancing community. She's already worked too hard for this and I'm not going to let her lose the possibility of fame just because of your paranoia, Bakura!"

"Maybe you should be a little less concerned about someone's fame and more concerned with her life." Bakura eyed him and a small smirk played on the edges of his lips. "It's not like I don't see what you're trying to do here. If she does become famous, that doesn't guarantee that she'll turn away from Yami – she'll still have him – and you won't be able to fuck her like you want." Malik's face darkened with rage and Kaiba raised his eyebrows slightly. "It's not as if everyone doesn't see the way you look at her. You just want to try and get your hooks in her."

Just as Ryou made a move to halt his brother, Malik darted forward quicker, slamming Bakura to the ground. "Don't," Malik hissed, a hand on Bakura's throat, "pretend to know my intentions. You couldn't be more wrong."

"Then fucking prove it," Bakura spat back.

"Knock it off, Malik!" Ryou snapped, anxiously standing aside, uncertain as to whether to try and pull at the male. "We don't have time for this!"

"No," Kaiba agreed, standing up, crushing his cigarette in the ashtray on the shelving unit behind his desk. "We really don't. I didn't call you here to see you brawl, as amusing as it is."

"Fuck off, Kaiba," Malik said, turning to glare at him. He paused and then slowly rose to his feet, flexing his hand. Bakura eyed him with a gleam of grim satisfaction on his face before Ryou helped him to his feet. "You don't know Anzu," Malik continued to Bakura. "You don't know what drives her."

"I didn't say she had to like it," Bakura replied, rubbing his throat absently.

"Asking her to choose between Yami or dancing isn't going to work, Bakura," Kaiba said calmly, having rounded his desk to lean against it, his hands braced against the edge. "She would rather sacrifice her safety and go for both. That's the beauty of being young and naïve – you think you can get everything so long as you have a positive attitude, even if it gets you killed."

There was a pregnant pause as his words sunk in. Malik looked annoyed at the blatant, yet accurate, description of their female friend. Ryou, for his part, had an exhausted, worried look around his eyes. Kaiba could tell that the stress was beginning to wear on everyone. Even though Malik would never admit it, Kaiba knew that Bakura's accusation of his intentions towards Anzu had rattled him badly. Part of it, he suspected, was that Malik himself knew the accusation was deserved – he had never treated any woman kindly before – and the other part was that he was unwilling to admit he had found a familial attachment with Anzu that he had been unable to find since his biological family's death. Others often forgot that, as a businessman, Kaiba was inclined to not only collect data for his records, but observe the small personality changes in those around him. He doubted whether anyone else besides perhaps Yami had caught onto Malik's purely innocent attachment. Kaiba was certain Yami would not trust the dancer with Anzu under any other circumstances.

"Swan Lake opens tonight," Ryou spoke up softly at last. Kaiba checked his watch idly, his mouth twisting at the realization that it was, in fact, past midnight. "We don't have time to change our plans, even if we wanted to. All we can do now is hope for the best. We've prepared Anzu as much as we could and Yami will be up on stage with her if something happens and we'll all be in the crowds. Bakura, you and your men will have guns on you. If you see something, then you have a means of at least avoiding it."

"It's going to be a dark, crowded theatre," Bakura said plainly. "There's only so much I can do."

"Malik and I will be watching from the top of the stage...I can't promise that will help, but..."

"All we need to do is get through this weekend," Kaiba told them. "Anzu will likely be offered a position outside of Domino to go on tour and she'll be safer then. After that, Yami can deal with this better."

"Fine," Bakura said with a shrug. "But don't come crying to me if something happens."

X

Anzu sat on her balcony wrapped in a blanket, staring out the window, watching as the grey mist faded from Domino City. She had not slept much the night prior due to nerves. Even as she felt the calm of morning settle upon her, the ache of sleep did not draw her back to bed. The city seemed so innocent, but she knew it was hiding things behind the buildings that she could not see. The reality of the situation had hit her hard ever since she discovered her father missing. Pulling the blanket around herself more securely, she drew her knees to her chest and rested her cheek against them, watching the sun rise with an intent, exhausted expression. She had been afraid before, had felt anxiety and fear, but nothing compared to what she felt now. Even though she knew she had Yami and the others there to protect her, her father's absence made it feel as if she had lost her one anchor in life.

Where are you? she wondered and this time, her eyes were dry as the thought crossed her mind. What could you possibly be doing?

She knew that Kaiba and the others still believed that her father was collaborating with Rei, but the text she received made her believe otherwise. She was unsure why, but she did not tell anyone, even Yami, of that text. She knew it must have been her father that had sent the text. He always took her safety and well-being above his own. Whatever he was doing, he felt it was justified for her protection. She only hoped that his actions did not put Yami in any danger. Her father was not a malicious man, however, and she felt certain that he was not out to destroy anyone in the process. She only wished she knew more to know that he was safe. It was unlike him to move on his own this way.

Anzu continued to dwell on this for some time and by the time she stirred again, the sun had risen well above the horizon, spilling sun rays over the buildings, giving the city a delicate haze. Stretching her cramped legs out, she released a slow sigh and then rose to her feet. She tossed the blanket on the couch and while she was in the middle of making coffee, she heard a knock on the door. Stiffening, she stood in the kitchen, listening to the coffee pot percolate. Another, more impatient knock sounded on the door.

Be realistic, Anzu, she admonished herself, would a criminal knock on your door? Glancing at her balcony and finding it unoccupied, she crept to the door and peered through the peep hole to see Ryou and Malik on the other side. The latter male had his face close to the peep hole, an aggravated expression upon his face while Ryou looked around behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, she unlocked the door and opened it.

"Good morning," Ryou greeted, smiling at her as he stepped through. "We brought breakfast." He raised a box of what looked to be an assortment of donuts and bagels.

"It's a little early, don't you think?" she asked, shutting and locking the door behind them.

"Well, we figured you would be awake." He set the box on the counter, eyeing her worriedly. "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

"I couldn't," she admitted, dragging a hand through her hair. "My mind is spinning..."

"Eat," Malik said, gesturing towards the box. "You need your strength."

"Why?"

"Some practice beforehand," Ryou explained as Malik moved to the cupboard and began pulling out coffee mugs and plates.

"It's purely selfish," Malik added to her, turning to look at her with a mild expression. "You are not the only one who is on edge. Dancing releases endorphins, gives that feel-good emotion, reduces stress, et cetera. It would be good for all of us so that we're not jumping at our own shadows tonight. It will also make certain you mess up now with us rather than on stage. That would hardly make for your first show, now would it?"

Anzu smiled at this, but when she turned away, her expression clouded over. She would never admit to either Malik or Ryou, but throughout the night last night, she considered dropping out of the ballet. If not for the amount of effort everyone had put to get her here and the type of security they had promised, she would have for the sake of her father. If she were not at risk, he would not have put himself at risk. That thought had continued to reappear in her mind over and over again, yet even as it did, she could not stop reminding herself that at the same time, she would be letting her father down. Just as the others had helped train her, he had supported her from the beginning.

"Stop worrying," Malik interrupted her reverie. "Everything's taken care of."

"I know," she said, offering a reassuring smile. Another of her secret thoughts surfaced to her mind and this one, she felt, she could not keep to herself. "Can I be honest with you two?"

"Of course," Ryou was quick to respond, smiling.

"And...I need you to be honest and unbiased." Neither of them replied to this, waiting instead for her. Malik had poured himself a cup of coffee and had his elbows leaned against the counter, cupping the coffee as he surveyed her over the rim. Turning away from them, she folded her arms over her chest and released a slow, shaking breath. "When I was younger, I wanted to dance so that I could be like the dancer I saw with my mom. I wanted to be that elegant and that graceful. Even when I became older, I had no idea the type of world that dancer existed in. I didn't see the politics, the drama, or the danger. I didn't think of anything but the beauty of dancing. Now that I've seen all of this...I don't know if I want to do more after this ballet. Maybe I want a taste of it, but I don't want to be famous. I want to dance because I enjoy it, not for the fame. I used to want that so that I could dance in America, but now...I just can't see myself there. I don't have the motivation I used to."

She knew she had stunned them. Even Ryou was speechless. When she glanced over her shoulder, she found that he was contemplating his hand resting on the counter, his brow furrowed in concern. Malik, instead, had not drawn his eyes from her. When their gaze met, his own narrowed slightly and he straightened, setting the coffee mug on the counter.

"Is it because you're afraid of what's happened to me and Yami?" he asked her at last. "Ryou is one of the most well known dancers, but he avoided this life."

"Not without taking risks, though, Malik," Ryou quietly said, "and it was not without threats and a good deal of pressure. There were multiple times my life was at risk because I chose not to consort with them. If not for my relationship with Bakura, it could have turned out differently."

"Anzu will be connected to all of us by the time this is over."

"That may not be beneficial."

"I don't want you to think I don't appreciate everything that you've done," Anzu quickly interjected before their argument became hostile. "It's just...this isn't what I signed up for when I took dance classes. I don't mean to give up dance forever, but I just want to do small scale productions and work part-time as a barista. That would make me happy."

Malik opened his mouth, perhaps to attempt to persuade her, but some thought crossed his mind and he closed his mouth, frowning. After eyeing her, he shrugged and took a drink of his coffee, turning away from her slightly. "If that's what will make you happy. You can always try again later if you change your mind."

Anzu rounded the corner so she was facing Malik. He glanced down at her before she hugged him around the waist. "Don't be mad."

He sighed after a moment, placing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her face against his chest. She felt him kiss her forehead briefly. "I'm not mad. Just eat your damn donut so we can practice."

She smiled in spite of herself. "Thank you, Malik."

It was several hours later until they were nearly finished practicing. They had been able to use one of the backroom studios in the theatre, as the theatre was being prepared for that night's show. Malik lounged in a chair, drinking wine that he had retrieved an hour previously while Anzu and Ryou practiced. He watched her with carefully neutral expression, swirling his wine glass by the stem. He had trained many women in his time in the dance community and even though he respected Anzu's decision to back out from the fortune of a famous dancer, he felt that it was a waste of talent. He had told her himself that it took more than just skill to succeed, but since he meeting her had never had a moment's doubt on whether she could survive and rise above them all. She had made more connections than most would as an amateur and was dealing with the harsh side more than others did.

Malik looked down at the glass of wine and took a deep drink from it, savoring the tang of the alcohol combined with the fruit accents. No, he decided, it has nothing to do with whether she can or cannot survive. She is already tired of fighting her way and worrying about those nearest to her. Neither Ryou nor myself ever needed that. The fact is that, as a dancer, you are either alone or you are using someone. Getting close to someone...that is rare and often is riddled with complications. By herself, Anzu could get far, but Yami and her family is holding her back.

His jaw clenched and he drained his glass, setting it aside on the chair next to him where the bottle of wine sat. He was ashamed of his own thoughts. One of the reasons he had grown attached to Anzu was because of that optimistic nature of hers and that willingness to let even the lowliest of persons into her heart. While the teacher in him disapproved of her decision, he knew that it was realistic. As she was now, she could not enter that world without putting those around her at risk. She had learned well enough from Yami's situation that there was too much danger. She was being smart, even if it meant sacrificing her dream.

"Drinking all the wine alone?" Ryou teased, walking up and pouring himself a glass. Malik broke from his gloomy thoughts, smiling lazily at the latter male.

"It's not expensive enough for me to hog to myself."

"Why do you think I buy cheap wine?"

"Because you're cheap, why else?"

Anzu laughed, wiping her face with a towel. "You two remind me of Yami and Kaiba."

"What a flattering comparison," Malik sarcastically quipped. "I'm either an uptight asshole or a sensitive teenager."

"I think we both know which you would be," Ryou muttered.

"I'll take being an asshole over a teenager any day."

"Not really what I meant," Anzu said, walking up and drinking from her water bottle, "but I guess that works, too."

Malik checked the clock on his phone and sighed. "Best get going here shortly to shower and get dressed. We have a few hours until show time."

"Make that half that time for other preparations," Ryou reminded him.

"Yes, of course. I did calculate that, as well, no worries there."

Anzu released a deep breath, glancing at them both. "And let's send some prayers that everything goes smoothly."

X

Kaiba stood in the back of the theatre, listening to the buzz of conversation in his earpiece with his arms folded over his chest. This is the last night of the show, he thought, glancing around, and it's packed. I would have thought that the opening night would have been like this. It's damn near impossible to see anything.

He had been tense on the opening night, but his stress levels were nowhere near where they were at presently. It was clear that Anzu's performance had drawn some interested eyes and some of those who wanted to see it twice. He had seen more than a few scalpers outside the theatre and from what his security had told him, all of the tickets been sold from them by the time the show had started. It was apparent that there were people looking to get into the show even at a high price. Bakura's prediction of a crush had come to pass after all due to this. Kaiba had been to a few ballets in his time and while Swan Lake had always been popular, only some of the best shows had brought this type of crowd.

"I can barely see a goddamn thing up here," Bakura's husky voice came through Kaiba's earpiece. "Do you see anything down there?"

"No," Kaiba muttered, "and my guards have not reported anything. Is this a normal crowd?"

"For Domino?" Malik replied in the earpiece. "Only for some of the bigger productions. It seems that Anzu and Yami attracted some attention, though. That's good for her career, at least."

"Fuck her career!" Bakura snarled. "I told you this would happen! My men can't move in this crowd without people noticing them. I've had to keep them stationary."

"We have enough people," Kaiba snapped under his breath. A couple glanced at him curiously and he nodded respectfully to them. The man nodded uncertainly in response and then shuffled his wife a few feet away. "Listen, stop complaining and just focus on the crowds."

Up in the balcony, Bakura cast his earpiece a disgusted look and then dropped his hand, muttering to himself, "Easy for him to say." Beside him, Ryou glanced from his opera glasses to him exasperatedly. "Can you see anything else?"

"Not a stir in the crowd," Ryou answered, lowering his glasses briefly. "I would like to think that we miscalculated, but this crowd seems a little...strange...don't you think? It's not uncommon for there to be a big crowd on the closing night, but for an unknown debutante and for every seat to be sold? I'm a little uneasy."

"Kaiba seems to think that if a shot is fired, we have enough men that can literally redirect a bullet to the wall."

Ignoring the sarcasm, Ryou continued, "We have about thirty minutes until intermission and then just a few hours after that. We might just get out of this one. The advantage of the crowd is that it will make it harder for Rei's men to move."

"If the entire place isn't full of his men," was Bakura's negative pronouncement.

"Thank you for that, it's not as if I'm not anxious enough."

Bakura settled into a brooding silence, scanning the figures in the gloom of the theatre. As they were situated on a private balcony, he had his pistol pulled out, ready to start firing into the crowd if needed. He did not much care if he hit a civilian in the process; he could always blame that on Kaiba later and remind him that pistols were notoriously inaccurate. If he has a rifle, he might have felt a little more at ease making a shot from the balcony. There was no way that even Kaiba could convince the theatre security the need for that type of force, though.

Resentful, Bakura continued his search of the crowds and by the time intermission had arrived, he was feeling more than a bit annoyed. Ryou attempted to engage him in optimistic conversation, however he had only further ill tidings of death and destruction. Exasperated with him, Ryou fell into silence and they roved the corridors, popping into balconies while the occupants were either otherwise engaged or absent. Like the previous two nights, nothing was out of the ordinary. They continued to patrol the corridors and by the end of intermission, the occupants were returning to their balconies. Bakura and Ryou stood aside, politely nodding and smiling with their hands behind their back. Kaiba had secured them uniforms to match the theatre's security so they blended in. Ryou had chosen some false facial hair and a wig to match so that his appearance was not recognized by any of those who had seen him on stage. Malik had taken similar precautions down near the orchestra pit.

Once the ballet had resumed, the two returned to the top of the balcony and checked each balcony to ensure each one was full once again. This time, however, they found that several were empty. At first, they had assumed they were simply those who were slow to return from intermission, but as several other of the six-person balconies were found to be empty, it became clear it was more than a coincidence. The brothers exchanged glances and each of them removed their pistols from inside their uniform.

"We're missing people from upstairs," Bakura murmured into his earpiece, hastening down the corridor to the downstairs. "We're checking the main hall down."

"Fuck," was Kaiba's soft curse on the other end. "There's still some movement down here, too. Get your men on it, Bakura. I'm going to find my security, as well."

"Fine."

"Do you need help in the lobby?" one of Bakura's mercenaries asked.

"No, stay in the theatre. Keep an eye on the stage. Malik, are you listening to this?"

"I can see some people moving around," Malik answered smoothly. "Be careful."

Bakura ignored the caution, breaking into a run. Nobody was in the corridor and Ryou was following close behind him. He could hear his men issues soft commands in the earpiece, but blocked that out. As soon as the lobby doors came into view, he could see that the men had changed and the bulge in their jackets gave him enough of an idea as to determine that it was not the theatre security. Bakura held up a hand to halt Ryou, who drew near him.

"Some are at the doors," Bakura whispered in the earpiece. "We have them."

"Careful," Malik cautioned again on the other end, "they may have back up."

"I expect they do."

"I'm sending you two other men," Kaiba promptly told him. "Wait for them before you take action."

Bakura waited, listening to the sound of piano and violins from the theatre, keeping his eyes trained on the men at the door. He knew that Ryou was watching behind them, making certain that nobody ambushed them from there.

"We have them in our sight," a stern voice intoned in the earpiece. "At the ready, sir."

"Now," Bakura hissed. In one fluid movement, he stepped out from the shadow he was crouched in and grabbed a hold of one of the men. Another set of men came from the other side and the larger of the two bashed something against the latter male's head. He crumpled and Bakura jerked his own quarry's head in a quick, cracking movement so that he joined him. The two men nodded to him and Bakura opened the door to the lobby, peering through it. He could see several men staked out in the lobby. Two were leading theatre employees out of the building with their arms raised. "There's a group in the lobby. They're getting rid of the employees."

"We're probably surrounded, then," was Kaiba's grim conclusion.

"How many of the crowd do you think are actual customers?"

"Enough to where they can't unleash an all-out attack. There's no way for us to stop the ballet without drawing attention."

"Don't be so sure that we will be doing that," Malik interrupted. "There's a lot of movement up here. I think people are arguing over seats."

"Rei's men?"

"If they're trying to intimidate – shit." A gunshot sounded on Malik's end and Bakura tensed.

"What do we do?" Ryou asked in a panicked tone. "We can't leave the lobby doors unprotected."

"Looks like they're coming to us, anyway," Bakura muttered, seeing heads turn from the men in the lobby. Shutting the doors, he shook his head. "We're going to get trampled here." There were screams from the theatre and the commotion of people running. "Get to the stage and to Anzu. We need to get her out of here."

X

Anzu knew when she saw the group of men moving closer to the stage through the corner of her eye that she would need to act quickly. She caught Yami's eye. He had opened his eyes just long enough to see the men and exchange a look with her. They had gone over this plan several times during the last week. She was to find her way out of the theatre, even if it meant alone. The others would try to find her if they could, and Yami's goal was to find Rei and take care of him as quickly as possible. Without Rei, the thugs would have no reason to continue with their plan.

She kept her eye on the group, even though her dancing suffered somewhat for it. By the time the gun swung around, aiming for the stage, she was already in position. Just before the shot went off, she swept low to the stage and the bullet soared somewhere over her head. She heard screams as she rolled away and sprang to her feet, running. She did not look back to see what anyone else was doing. Her body was powered by adrenaline and even as she lurched to the backstage where several other men were, she barreled through them, knocking the unprepared men over.

Hearing more gunshots and swearing, she leapt onto a ladder and scrambled on it. As she came to the top, she pulled the ladder up and secured it with shaking hands. Tearing off her dress so she was in only her leotard, she discarded it on the metal bridge and then ran across it to the other side. The curtains and darkness concealed her movements and while she could hear men yelling at each other on the backstage, it did not appear they knew she had escaped upward. She slowed her steps as she came to a maze past the balconies. She found her way by foot and then saw the window she had been seeking. This was one escape that she and Malik had gone over, as he told her that it would be less expected from a common girl. She unlatched the window and pushed out, scrambling out. Her stomach lurched upon viewing the height. She could hear women crying out below and when she looked down, she saw a man being struck down by one of the thugs. From far away, she could hear police sirens.

God, she thought, momentarily paralyzed, all of this terror and destruction...

Trembling, she found her way out of the theatre and edged her way along the building until she came to the fire escape. She clambered down it and hearing it squeak and feeling it sway, she slowed her steps and made her way along it quietly. As she stepped down the ladder, she heard footsteps and froze seeing two men. They did not aim at her, though. One gestured frantically.

"Hurry!" he whispered.

"Who - ?"

"We're with your father," he interrupted. "We have no time to explain, though. Hurry!" Awash with relief, she swung off the ladder and both men grasped her arms, helping her to her feet. "Follow us!" They broke into a run and she followed behind them, glancing behind her. She felt strangely at ease with these men, even though she did not know them and their presence was not in their plan.

They led her down several alleyways and she found that they were soon at the river where the ferries moved to and from the ocean. She could see street lights glimmer on the other side of the bridge and suspected they were leading her to the other side of town. Even though Anzu was in shape, she was beginning to feel out of breath as if she had been running a marathon. The men, perhaps sensing her fatigue, slowed down and allowed her time to catch her breath. As she breathed in great gulps of air, they watched around them anxiously. As she was about to ask a question, one of them stiffened and then threw himself over her and his partner. They went crashing to the ground just as gun shots sounded over their head. The two men pulled out their own pistols and began to shoot wildly. Anzu felt frozen in place. There were more than two men that had followed them. She could hear gagging as men died. She was suddenly yanked up and then knocked away as the two men struggled with their attackers. More gunshots were heard and by the time Anzu had struggled to her feet, a hand was on her arm.

"Are you okay?" a familiar voice asked grimly.

"Malik!" she gasped out. One of the men that had guided her to the river was dead, but the other had survived and had joined them, a deep gash in his forehead. He wiped the blood from his eye and pointed to the other side of the river.

"There is a safe house over there, Ishtar," he informed him. "We need to get her there before Rei finds us."

"He's already on our trail," Malik stated plainly. "We can't afford to lead him there."

The man hesitated. "We could hold out against him...maybe."

"Let's not take chances. Go ahead and tell them what's happened. I'll take Anzu the longer way if you tell me where it is. We might be able to lose him."

He hesitated again and then nodded. He gave Malik an address and general vicinity. Malik seemed to recognize the area and nodded before the man hurried away from them, looking back at them only once. Malik crouched down and pulled a pistol from one of the men's hands, handing it to Anzu. "Just in case," he said soberly. "Come on, we need to run like the devil."

Anzu followed Malik, cringing from the slippery feel of blood on the pistol she was holding. Her entire body ached, but she was accustomed to running through pain. She followed him faithfully, panting beside him, the spot between her shoulder blades twitching. She felt as though she had a bullseye on her back, waiting for someone to strike it. It was a disconcerting feeling.

He abruptly turned into an alley, yanking her with him. "They're close," he muttered under his breath. "Fucking prick." They broke out from the alley and just as they did, someone dove from above them. Anzu was shoved forward and she instinctively curled her body into a ball and went rolling forward. As she did, she heard a shot and when she looked up, a man was lying still on the ground and Malik was struggling with another man. Without having ever seen him, Anzu knew that it was Rei. He held many of the similar features of Yami's and the lines on his face made his age distinguishable. Malik struck out and Rei released him, jumping aside to avoid the punch. Rei moved forward to slash at him with the wicked knife in his hands and as Malik jumped back, another man sprung from the shadows and knocked the end of his pistol against Malik's temple. Anzu sucked in a breath and stumbled to her feet, raising the pistol. As Malik's body fell, a roar sounded in her ears and his attacker jerked back with the force of the shot. She stood, shocked. Rei looked at his thug interestedly and then cocked a head, surveying her.

Anzu dropped the gun, shaking violently at the reality of what she had just done. Lazily, Rei retrieved his own pistol and considered it. "This isn't the life for you, my dear," he told her. With a bored, blank expression, he turned the gun on her and as she heard the shots and felt the burn course through her knee and then her shin, she heard a shriek of horror somewhere from the side. She turned her head just enough before Yami collided into his father. Dimly, she was aware that he must have been possessed by some type of insane rage because Rei looked as alarmed as she might have felt in other circumstances. She did not see the blood as Yami tore into his father with the knife that had been in Rei's hand. She turned her head to see Bakura and Ryou had been behind him and Bakura was lunging toward her as she swayed back.

The cold of the water hit her, but her body did not seem to feel it. The numbing pain in her leg awoke as the cold water hit her wound and she coughed, bubbles floating above her. She blinked in the water, but could see nothing but foaming bubbles above her, blurred by the watery vision. When she looked down, she saw blood streaming from her wounds, dissipating in the water.

She closed her eyes and as she drifted into blackness, her mind returned to her. The anguished sight of Yami's face, the rage that had triggered him into attacking a man that he had feared all of his life, had been very real. She remembered the wine induced sleep she had found Yami in when she had first met him, the memories he had tried so hard to drink away. Above all, though, she remembered the days she had spent with him in bliss, the smile only she seemed to capture and illicit. Her limbs acted on their own and she screamed in the water as her wounded leg thrashed. Holding her breath before choking on the water, she struggled upward, pumping her arms and legs despite the pain.

An arm around her waist made her thrash harder, but it only tightened on her and as she blinked her eyes open in the dark water, she saw the brightness of Bakura's hair. With her other hand, she swam frantically, allowing him to help her to the surface. As they broke the air, she coughed and spat out water.

"Anzu, Bakura!" Ryou called in a hysteria-edged voice. There were two cars there now, neither of them police vehicles. At the edge of the river, she saw her father standing anxiously beside Ryou, who was crouched at the edge. With Bakura's help, Anzu made her way to the edge and the two men pulled her out of the river. As Ryou touched her legs, she cried out and he jerked away from her, startled.

"Jesus," her father muttered, bending over. "Sugoroku! Quick! We need to get her a doctor! She's been shot in her leg."

"Her leg?" Ryou murmured. As Seiji pulled her damp body close to him, she saw Bakura scramble out of the water and Ryou's quickly paling face turn to his brother. "Bakura..."

"I know," was all Bakura said in a muted tone.

"Yami and Malik...," she choked out and tears spilled out of her eyes. "Please..." She heard a murmur of voices, but a wave of pain washed over her, pulling her into a comforting abyss.

TBC