Chapter Eighteen

Anzu rubbed her arm, standing at the back of the group, watching Mai check them in. The blonde female chatted amiably with the front desk clerk. They had arrived in Hakone shortly after noon, giving them plenty of time to explore before they ate and hit the open-air hot springs.

Yoshiike Ryokan was tucked in Hakone in the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Set within the mountainous park that was thick with trees and foliage, it was easy to feel as if one was caught within the past. Even though the park was a short travel outside of Tokyo, it felt as if it were remote and far from any of the other cities. The drive through Fuji-Hakone-Izu had been enchanting and Anzu had gazed out at the lush trees from her vantage point in the van with a wide-eyed, excited stare. The girls had all driven together in the front while the men, aside from Kaiba who had driven himself, piled in the back together.

Now, as Mai turned and handed out the room keys to everyone, flashing Anzu a particularly sly smile, the excitement of the park faded to dread.

It was not that she did not want to share a room with Bakura. She had invited him inside to stay the night several nights, but there was an air of romance to the ryokan that was off-putting. Every time with Bakura had been organic and natural. Catching a glimpse of Miho beaming up at Honda, her arms clasped around his single one, her shoulders instinctively hunched. Romantic forays had never been something at which Anzu was adept and imagining Bakura as some Casanova in a romance movie was similarly jarring. They were, she reflected, as romantic as a wooden plank; both of them were far too blunt to play the suave, seductive part.

At the moment, Anzu envied Miho and Mai their femininity and wished, not for the first time, that she had surrounded herself with more females in her life.

"Don't look so enthusiastic," was Bakura's sarcastic quip as he snagged the key card from her fingers.

"I'm just taking a page out of your book," she returned, her tongue poking out towards him. He laughed in spite of her gesture and followed the clerk that was showing everyone their rooms. Anzu followed at a slower pace, glancing around her a last time at the others. Aside from herself, everyone was chatting excitedly.

It's fine, she reassured herself. It's not like you're a virgin, right?

This, of course, did not comfort her in the least.

When the clerk showed them to the room, Anzu stepped in ahead of Bakura and surveyed the room with a puckered brow. It was small and cozy. Stepping into the bathroom, the room had a private spring-fed tub with a mountain view. She stared at it for a long time, the same unbidden image of sitting naked in the water with him popping into her head.

"Are you going to be sick?" Bakura asked, coming up behind her, his curious gaze falling on her face.

"What?" She turned to him blankly and then shook her head. "No, of course not." Sidling away from him, she went back to the room where she had unceremoniously dropped her luggage and settled at one of the chairs that was placed by the open window. Outside, a traditional-topped structure rose in the distance between a copse of trees, the mountains looming in the background. The trees nearest to the room window were blooming, the pink buds popping out from the branches in a splash of colour. It was, she had to admit, a beautiful view. She could well understand why Mai had chosen this one out of all the hotels in Hakone.

Leaning back in the chair, she watched Bakura pick up the remote and idly turn on the television set, flipping through the channels thoughtfully, one hand comfortably propped on his hip. In spite of the anxiety of what she deemed a societal expectation of couples in a hotel room, the pressure eased out of her chest somewhat. He seemed so at ease that it was difficult to be anxious in his presence.

"Should we go meet the others?" she asked him as he flipped the television off, setting the remote back on the stand.

"That's an idea," he said and then went to her, leaning over the chair, bracing his hands on the arms. "Or we could stay in here."

"You're awful," she mumbled, the familiar, butterfly swoop causing her belly to tighten.

However, when he dipped his head and his mouth met hers, she did not pull away or try to wriggle away towards the door. She reached up, her fingertips skimming his jaw. No matter how many times she kissed Bakura or how often he touched her, each time felt like the first and burned just as much. Akin to the flaming warmth that she experienced that first day in the library, it built from her belly and spread through her chest and as it did, she pressed closer to him even as he leaned down further, trapping her against the chair.

As soon as he bent his head, trailing his mouth along her neck and to the soft skin of her shoulder, there was a bang that startled her so bad she almost knocked her head against his as he raised his face. Both of them turned to stare at the faces that peered back at them from the doorway where the door had opened so abruptly.

"Sorry," Mai said, unsuccessfully stifling her smirk, "but we're going to Hakone Shrine and wanted to see if you two were coming along." She pointed at Jounouchi, Honda, and Miho. "Or should we leave you two alone?"

"No! We'll come." Anzu turned to Bakura, whose mouth had twisted into a petulant scowl at the interruption. "Right?"

"Fine," he grumbled, straightening and shoving his hands in his pockets in as close to a pout as the male could get.

Anzu rose to her feet, feeling the blush on her cheeks as her friends continued to openly stare at the pair. Jounouchi, for his part, seemed to be struggling to not start yelling, his face turning redder by the second. He was looking from Anzu, to Bakura, and then to the ground all in quick succession.

As Anzu grabbed a jacket and slipped her shoes on, it seemed Jounouchi no longer had the will to contain himself any longer.

Puffing himself up to his fullest height after the door had closed and the group was in the hallway, Jounouchi said, "You'd better be treating her good, Bakura! Girls aren't just pieces of meat, you know."

Bakura's expression, when he turned to the other male, could have chilled summer water. "You should listen to your own advice, then," he told Jounouchi.

"I treat Mai great!"

"Yes, I can see that." Bakura's voice was heavy with sarcasm. "If only every man could reach your level of gentlemanly behavior."

Jounouchi's brow puckered, a suspicious gleam lighting his eyes. He had picked up on Bakura's tone and seemed to take affront to the question on his character. Anzu, for her part, had exchanged a look with Mai, who merely smiled and rolled her eyes. Miho and Honda, sensing the ensuing argument, walked ahead of the other four, Honda with an apologetic look towards his friend.

Shooting a dirty look after Honda at his retreat, Jounouchi turned back towards Bakura. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean." Bakura shrugged, a corner of his mouth kicking upward in a taunting smirk. "Try starting with minding your business."

"It is my business." Jounouchi folded his arms, glaring at him. "Anzu's not had a relationship before. As her friend, I have as good of reason to be worried about her as any of us. I don't need her turning into all the other girls around town that just get dropped after a guy's slept with her."

Bakura emitted a short bark of laughter. "Then you're a little late to the party."

"What?" Jounouchi's sober expression contorted to confusion and Mai covered her face, shaking her head. He looked to her blankly. "Why are you shaking your head?"

"Because I'm dating an idiot," Mai muttered.

Just as Jounouchi was going to continue his interrogation of Bakura, Anzu grabbed the back of his neck and forced him to lean down, pinching the sides of his neck painfully. Yelping, he squirmed under her grip, his puppy-dog eyes watering up at her. "Do you mind," she hissed under her breath to him, "not discussing my sex life out in the open?"

"Sex life?" he repeated, gaping at her. "How was I supposed to know that you'd already done that with him?"

"By assuming!" she snapped, releasing his neck.

"I tell you guys everything," Jounouchi mumbled defensively, rubbing his neck, glancing over his shoulder at Bakura. The latter male was watching him with an expression of mirth, likely knowing what they were discussing in undertones. "I still don't like him..."

"You don't have to like him! Just stop trying to play big brother for me. Everyone else is doing a good job of that already!"

Jounouchi puffed his cheeks out in a brief, sulking pout and then released the breath. Lowering his voice even further and bending his head down, he asked, "So, then...how was it?"

Releasing a sound of disgust, she shoved him away from her. "Boys!"

"It's a valid question!" he protested as she turned back to the other two.

The conversation was dropped as they met Honda and Miho outside, Anzu refusing to be goaded into detailing her bedroom exploits while Mai purposely talked over Jounouchi to keep the conversation from going south again. Bakura, for his part, seemed content to listen and let the women handle the conversation.

The group paid their respects to Hakone Shrine and after visiting the torii that lied on the shores of Lake Ashi, they made their way around the lake shores until it was nearing sunset. Once they returned to the ryokan, they settled into the private dinner room that had been reserved for them and met the remaining members of their group for food and sake that Mai had pre-ordered.

As the group ate and chattered excitedly together, Anzu drank her sake leisurely, sitting out on the engawa to watch the sunset. She could hear Jounouchi and Honda, in their typical fashion, trying to encourage Yuugi to drink more than he wanted. Smiling, she glanced behind her and then paused when she saw Kaiba and Bakura step out of the room. Where are they going, I wonder?

Her vision was blocked as Mai and Miho crossed the room and joined her on the engawa, Mai bringing a bottle of sake with her for the three girls to share. "It's nice here, isn't it?" she commented, each of the girls sitting on either side of Anzu.

"It's perfect," Anzu agreed, smiling.

"Sorry about Jounouchi earlier. You know how nosy he gets. He always has to know everyone's business." She rolled her eyes and took a drink of sake. "You would think he would have figured it out by now considering you and Bakura have been together for a while. I dread the moment when Shizuka starts dating."

Anzu laughed. "It's fine. I'm used to Jounouchi being the overprotective type. If Bakura hadn't already been lectured by Yuugi, I wouldn't care." She glanced over her shoulder thoughtfully. Neither Kaiba nor Bakura had returned yet.

The three girls lapsed into a brief silence, listening to the excited laughter and conversation behind them, gazing out at the trees. There was a poignant undertone to their vacation that was hard to miss. Anzu, sitting between her friends, could not help but reflect on the past four years. She recalled disliking Mai when they had first met since she had been flirting with Atemu and Yuugi during the tournaments. It was not until Battle City that Anzu really started to enjoy her company and notice the attraction between her and Jounouchi.

Battle City..., she mused, smiling faintly to herself. While Duelist Kingdom had its own shares of dangers, nothing had compared to the chaos that Malik had unleashed on Domino during Kaiba's tournament. That had tested the strength of not only Atemu's rivalry with Kaiba, but the limits of her friends' literal sanity, as well. That was when Bakura sacrificed himself for Ryou, too.

The memory struck her suddenly. So much had happened in Battle City and Bakura had been so low on her radar during the time that she had forgotten his duel with Atemu. Later, she recalled Yuugi telling her that Atemu was sympathetic towards Bakura, the spirit in the Sennen Ring. "I'm not sure what made him do it, but he overrode Malik and sacrificed himself so that Ryou wouldn't be injured," Yuugi had told her between duels on the blimp. "It makes you wonder if he's really all that bad."

More like he didn't want to win by cheating, Anzu wryly thought presently.

"We've all been through so much together," she spoke up. "After university starts, it'll be the first time all of us aren't at the same school seeing each other."

"It almost makes you miss duel tournaments, doesn't it?" Mai said with a wink.

"I wish I had known Honda then," Miho sighed. "You guys have such fun stories from that." Abruptly, she began to tear up. "I'm going to miss high school so much!" She leaned into Anzu, who put an arm around her as she cried softly into her hands.

"I'm going to miss everyone, too," Anzu admitted. "I wish it could stay like this forever."

Mai contemplated the younger females thoughtfully, draining her cup of sake, and then set it aside. Lunging forward, she startled them, nearly knocking them sideways as she flung her arms around them. "You two are too cute!"

"Mai, you're pushing us over!"

When the three girls landed in a heap, Mai on top, they erupted into laughter. Their laughter caught the attention of the boys, with Ryou peering out in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked them worriedly, gingerly helping Mai to sit up. "Maybe you should drink some water..."

"We're not drunk!" Mai said with a scowl towards him. "Maybe you should drink more!"

"Maybe you should drink less..."

Anzu helped Miho to sit up, both of them giggling as Mai shot a withering stare towards Ryou, who shrank back uncomfortably, but did not back down from her entirely. The other boys had returned their attention inside and Otogi cheerfully called out to Bakura, who had returned to the room. Kaiba, however, was still missing.

While Otogi pulled Bakura into one of his conversations, Anzu disengaged herself from Miho's arms, claiming the need for a restroom. After she had left the room and gone to the restroom, she wandered out of the dining building towards the garden to get a moment away from her friends. While she was happy to be with them, she was overwhelmed with melancholy at the thought of their group splitting up to take their own paths.

As she made her way through the garden paths, she caught sight of Kaiba's tall figure standing near a pond, his arms crossed over his chest. Approaching him, she said, "You're looking happy to be here."

"Astute of you, Mazaki," he sarcastically quipped in return, his eyes sliding to her. "What are you doing out here?"

She shrugged, not sure how to answer his question without lying. "I'm feeling a little sad, I guess." One of his eyebrows rose in question. "It's just...everyone is going their own way. I can't even remember a time in my life when I haven't had Yuugi around. He and I have been hooked to the hip since middle school. And after Duelist Kingdom, all of our friends have been together nonstop. It'll feel weird."

Kaiba released a mirthless laugh. "Welcome to the real world. It's how normal people function – alone. I don't see why you're so worried. Bakura is clearly not going anywhere."

Anzu blinked at the off-handed comment. "He's going to New York with Ryou as far as I know."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," was Kaiba's enigmatic response. Before she was given a chance to respond to that, he drove on, "Frankly, it's about damn time you found someone that isn't a loser, Mazaki. He at least takes care of things. All you could get from Atemu was him throwing himself in front of duel attacks and his boring, hero speeches. Otherwise, as a boyfriend, he was useless."

"Again," she said between gritted teeth, "as I keep telling everyone, Atemu was never my boyfriend."

"As if you never wanted that."

"Regardless of what fifteen-year-old me wanted, that's not what was going on!" She blew out a breath, releasing a frustrated groan. "I'm getting pretty tired of people making that assumption."

Kaiba eyed her from the corner of his eye, his expression remaining carefully impassive. Although his comments had unnerved her, she was more annoyed that even Kaiba, notorious for being self-absorbed, had noticed her attachment to Atemu. She wished she had learned the art of subtlety when she was younger. She had been, she realized, far too like Jounouchi – impassioned, brash, and often far too openly vocal about her interests.

"Considering how much you were crying over Atemu for weeks after he left, it's a good assumption to make," Kaiba said to her at last. "It's easy to see the dynamic of your group from the outside looking in. I even predicted to myself who would pair off. The only one I was wrong about was Otogi with that whining sister of Katsuya's."

"Is that really what you do in your spare time?"

"What else was there to do in Battle City when I wasn't dueling?"

"Yeah? And what was your prediction for me?"

Kaiba smirked, looking rather smug. "I knew you wouldn't date Yuugi."

"Bravo," she sarcastically said, her expression deadpan. "And I suppose you got that from how I acted around Atemu?"

"No, actually." She stared at him, waiting for an explanation, but he seemed to be enjoying leering down at her with his too-satisfied expression. Accustomed to stare-downs with Kaiba, however, she did not turn away or break eye contact. After a few more moments, he lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. "It was pretty obvious, Mazaki. His plans have always been to stay in Domino and since he became Duel King, he's made a name for himself here. Your plans never coincided with that and I don't take you for a girl wanting to put her life on hold and be bitter towards her boyfriend for the rest of the relationship. I think you know that."

Anzu would have liked to have a clever retort to his observation, but she was left speechless briefly. It was an insight that no one else had shared and she, herself, had never consciously thought of in regards to Yuugi. Even with Bakura, though, she had never thought to drop her own goals for him, no matter how strong the feelings.

When she fell silent for longer than anticipated, Kaiba dropped his arms from their folded position and made a move to leave, stepping from the pond. "Not that it's my business, but you've made the right choice in Bakura."

Startled from her thoughts, she turned her gaze from the pond where it had drifted back to Kaiba's face. "What?"

"He seems to have his priorities straight." When she continued to stare at him, confused, his eyebrows snapped down into an irritated scowl. "Don't just stand there gawking at me. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then talk to him." With that, he brushed past her, striding back towards the ryokan dining building.

Anzu gazed after him, perplexed.

She had wanted to ask him about the ambiguous remarks he had made about Bakura, but Kaiba was as close-lipped as the man in question himself sometimes. Unless he felt the need to divulge any information, it was more likely that he would spout off little comments and make his dramatic exit, complete with a trench coat flourish. She was thankful, at least, that he had not been wearing any trench coat to swing after his turn. She was not sure that she could handle that much Kaiba arrogance and ego in one night.

He and Bakura must have had a conversation, she decided. I can't think of how else he would know anything.

After a time, she followed him and when she entered the room, her friends were feasting on desserts that they had ordered. Mai had taken her place with Jounouchi, sharing sweet rice with him and Miho waved at her in greeting from her place next to Honda and Ryou. Her eyes sweeping the room, Anzu found Bakura seated in the back corner away from the others, a sake cup hanging from his fingertips, his elbow propped against the table.

His eyes raised from the table to her and as soon as she had settled herself beside him, he said, "I'm expecting little Yuugi to be puking by the time he gets out of the hot springs."

"How much did he have to drink?"

He snorted, a dry smile lifting his lips as he took a drink of his sake. "More than enough."

After dinner, the group retreated to the open-air hot springs that were separated between male and females. Anzu soaked languorously with the two girls, staring up at the steam that rose above her in the air. The sky had turned into a colourful sunset of neon pinks and oranges, brushing the sky with a brightness that faded the longer they lounged in the hot springs. She could hear the boys on the other side of the partition, though mostly it was Jounouchi laughing loudly.

She smiled to herself, her eyes closed as she listened to Miho and Mai discuss décor ideas for the new house. You can always hear Jounouchi from a mile away.

After the hot springs, each of them retired to their rooms and while Anzu still had the unsettled feeling from earlier, her mind was preoccupied with her conversation with Kaiba. Stepping into the room and locking the door behind her, she felt her stomach jump a bit at seeing Bakura lounging on the bed in his robe with it opened to the waist, revealing his bare, lean chest.

"Did Yuugi get sick?" she asked in an attempt to distract herself from temptation.

"No," Bakura answered with an indolent smile, "but he did pass out. They had to carry him to the room." At her alarmed gaze, he added, "He was breathing – if you can call snoring that."

"They really need to stop encouraging him to drink so much," she grumbled. Feeling his gaze on her, she shifted from foot to foot, aware that she was entirely naked beneath the robe. After a brief hesitation, she stepped towards him and he caught her wrist, pulling her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. "Um, Bakura – "

"Problem?" he murmured, cupping the back of her head and drawing her mouth to his. At the feel of his hand passing over her thigh, parting the robe, she shivered and allowed him to peel back the robe from her body, thoroughly distracting her from any questions she might have had for him.

After their intense encounter, Anzu found herself in the exact position she had anticipated – sunken deep in the private bath looking out to the night sky, her arms folded over the edge of the tub, with Bakura behind her in the water. She felt his fingertips drift along her shoulders and back, his own elbow propping his head up against the tub's edge. Contrary to how she had imagined in her mind, there was no awkwardness or discomfort between them. She had forgotten how easy it was to be in his company in her anxiety-filled imaginings.

"Did you talk to Kaiba earlier?" she questioned, recalling her earlier thoughts.

His fingertips stilled and he turned his gaze from outside towards her. "No, he accosted me," he corrected her, his hand sliding from her as he pushed his damp hair from his face.

"Not...not like Yuugi did, right?"

Bakura emitted a low laugh. "No. Even I expect more from Kaiba than that. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to make you waste your tuition money you won from him." He tapped one of his fingers on his temple, a faint smirk alighting his lips. "He seems to think I'm going to lock you in a dungeon and use you as my sex slave so you can't go to school." At Anzu's horrified glance, he cackled in mirth.

"Y-you're not serious, are you?"

"Who knows?" He lifted a shoulder, his smirk more wide and prominent now. "He never said. He just interrogated me about money and school and that was it. He certainly never gave me any insight to what nefarious plans I supposedly have."

Taking note of Bakura's increasingly mocking tone, she frowned at him, though that did not seem to dissuade his good humor.

"So," he said after a brief silence had ensued, "what else have you been wanting to ask me?" His gaze was far too knowing and perceptive. He did not, however, look irritated with her in any way and while she sunk a little lower in the water, dipping the lower half of her face into it guiltily, she could sense his amusement. He had given her a chance to ask about his future plans when they had cut class together, but she had wanted to enjoy the moment with him.

Now, even though the night was heady with intimacy, she knew she could not put off the question any longer.

She had spent so much time growing accustomed to the idea of two years away from him that she had not thought she would even need to have this particular discussion with him. In his typical fashion, though, he had been trying to push her into asking, sensing her unease. In the past months, he had seemed less willing to bring up hard topics, preferring to wait on her to do so. She supposed that it was easy for him to talk about it when it was not something he considered a private issue.

Straightening slightly, she said, "I never asked because I thought I knew the answer." She glanced uncertainly at him, but he waited patiently, his head cupped in his hand. "You're going to New York, aren't you?"

"No."

She stared at him, not fully comprehending the syllable at first.

"No?" she repeated, her brows knitting together. "Why not? If Ryou is going – "

"He can do whatever the hell he wants," he interrupted, waving his other hand dismissively. "I have no reason to go right now. I chose to take my entrance exam at the university in town. I can easily transfer later. It's not like it's going anywhere."

"But...why?"

This time, his expression did transform to one of exasperation. He lifted his head from his hand, his arm falling to lie on the edge. "You're not stupid, girl – stop acting like it. It's fairly obvious. There's no point in going now. It's more likely that I'll be in Egypt in the future, so it makes more sense to take this time now. Ryou doesn't need me to hold his hand anymore. He can handle himself."

"Wait – the future?" she feebly said. "What do you mean?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you'll be my wife."

"W-what? You can't just – you have to ask me about that! You don't just tell someone that they're going to be your wife!"

"You want me to ask?" He was teasing her, his eyes glinting, taunting her with his familiar smirk crossing his lips.

"You're being an ass, like usual," she grumbled, her eyes darting away from him, feeling her cheeks warm. She heard him shift and when he pulled her through the water, towards him, she was forced to raised her eyes back to his face. "You did this last time, too, you know. Just claiming me as yours without my permission."

"Let me remind you," he said, "that you were the one who waited for months to have this conversation. I'm not going to waste time on some other vapid idiot who wants me to buy her damn jewelry and who is going to cry over everything I say." This thought seemed to displease him so much that it made his mouth turn down in an annoyed frown.

For a moment, she curled against him in the hot water, her hands resting on the hard feeling of his chest, her head tucked against his shoulder. The thought of being Bakura's wife had never occurred to her. She had certainly never imagined herself without him, so it seemed a natural, though unspoken, progression. The longer she mulled over it, the more pleasant of an idea it seemed.

Though the idea of marriage seemed alien to her. In her head, she was still a high school student that liked to play video games and wrestle with Jounouchi. With little to no feminine direction in her life, she had never imagined herself in the role of a wife. The idea of cooking every night for Bakura, kissing him when he got home seemed so foreign.

Then again, she mused, if I manage to make it into a dance company and he worked for Ryou's dad like he talked about, that scene might never play out.

"That's not until...much later, though, right?" she asked hesitantly at last.

"That's up to you."

The conversation seemed to end there and after they had gotten out of bed, dried, and dressed for bed, Anzu lie in bed in the dark for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling. Outside, she could hear the sounds of night insects buzzing and an owl in the distinct emitting a low call. She had never once considered past college, though she had always known that she would never willingly leave Bakura of her own volition. She had never been particularly interested in modern-day men and after watching her friends, she had certainly never wanted anything like their relationship. Aside from Bakura's jealousy towards Atemu and their communication at times, she had all that she could ask for from a relationship.

There were few men, either, that could understand the terror she had undergone during the dueling tournaments, not to mention in Atemu's memories in ancient Egypt.

There were few men that would have showed up to a dance recital uninvited.

"Bakura?" she murmured in the dark.

"Hmm?"

She hesitated a beat and then rose to an elbow, turning to him. She knelt over him, passing her fingers over his forehead, brushing his drying fringe from his face. He caught her hand and kissed her palm, an endearing, brief gesture. Taking a bracing breath, she said, "I...don't want to be with anyone else. When I thought that we were going to be separated for two years, it was hard to think about. And I don't expect my feelings to change. I don't think they can. There isn't anyone else outside of my friends that can share the type of things that we went through. I just, um, wanted to let you know."

He laughed softly and rose slightly so he could draw her against his chest. Now that her eyes had adjusted in her darkness, she could see him better, though he was still a dim outline in the dark. "I know you better than you do, Anzu."

Startled by the use of her first name, she felt herself flush and was thankful for the protection of darkness. He had never addressed her by her name and the sound of it rolling off his tongue stirred her in a way she had not expected. It felt more intimate and connected. The only people she had ever heard Bakura address by their first name, now that she thought of it, had been Yuugi and Atemu.

"Maybe," she conceded at last, recovering, "but why is that?"

"That," he replied in his low, rasping voice and kissed her, "is something you should have asked yourself a year ago."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

His smile was sly as he said, "I might. But for now, I have a better idea."

Epilogue

Anzu stood with her arms folded over her chest, listening to the hum of cicadas and feeling the warm, summer heat on her face. She drummed her fingers over her arm, scowling impatiently to herself. After university, she and her friends made it a point to gather together in Domino every season for a vacation together. The last year, she had gone alone, the only one aside from Otogi in a group of paired-off couples. This year, however, she had extracted a promise from Bakura that he would come along with her. She had not, however, expected him to keep her waiting for so long.

Where the hell is he? she wondered, checking her watch for the second time in the last half hour. She had reassured her friends that she would meet them at the Kame Game Shop, which Yuugi had taken over from his retired grandpa. She was still growing accustomed to the idea of Yuugi married to a girl he had met at the duel academy Kaiba had established, but after meeting her over the years during their vacations, she had grown to like her. She was, Anzu had noticed, almost the female equivalent of Jounouchi, who was still as loud and hot-headed as ever at twenty-five.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Anzu dropped her arms and stepped back to lean against the wall, her shoulders bracing against the cool brick in the shade. Closing her eyes, she reached up and rubbed her neck absently. It had been months since she had seen Bakura in person, relying almost entirely on video calls where half the time he grumbled about the spotty WiFi and reasons why internet was stupid. There had been intermittent periods within the last three years when either an excavation was completed or her ballet company's tour was finished for the year that they were able to be together.

The only time either of them took off time was for these vacations back to Japan to meet with her friends. Over the years, their group of friends had made multiple trips to different parts of Japan and China together. This year, with Mai securing discounts for them all through her work, they would be taking a two-week trip to Italy after a few days relax period in Domino to catch up. As what had become typical for their group trip, both Yuugi and Ryou's wives would be staying behind, preferring to let the high school friends enjoy the time together and reminisce.

In the words of Yuugi's wife, "I always feel left out when you guys start with the inside stories!"

"Are you asleep?" a familiar, dryly amused voice broke into her reverie.

Blinking, Anzu dropped her hand and opened her eyes to meet the dark, narrow gaze of Bakura's. His head was slightly cocked, his expression curious. Since his work in Egypt, he looked more as how she had seen him in Atemu's memories – tan, with short, chin-length blonde hair that had been bleached by the sun. Looking at him, she was unable to help a smile. Even without the looks that were so like Ryou's, he was still incredibly attractive.

"You're almost an hour late, you know," she said pointedly.

He shrugged. "Do I look like I control train schedules? Go complain to them."

Huffing, she pushed off from the wall and although she was annoyed, she knew it was out of impatience to see him rather than anything he had done. Reaching out, she slipped her hands beneath his arms in an embrace, pressing her cheek against his chest and breathing in his scent. While video calls satisfied her need to hear from him, they still lacked his presence that she missed the most at night when she slept in her apartment in New York.

"I missed you," she said in a softer tone as his hand passed over her hair, one of his familiar, gentle gestures.

"Miss me or just my body?" he asked in a teasing undertone. She pulled away, scowling. As she made to retort, he flicked her forehead, saying, "Don't lie."

"I wasn't going to!" she protested, glancing around and blushing as if everyone else could hear their exchange. Even after so long of being with him, she could not halt the immediate flush on her skin when he said such things in public.

They made their way out of the train station to hail a cab, with Anzu grumbling under her breath about him, to which he simply smirked in response. He had already dropped his luggage off at their hotel while she had been at Miho and Honda's apartment since she had flown in earlier that day.

When they arrived at the game shop, there was an explosion of cheers as they walked in. Yuugi's wife, Nanami, had the expression of an overwhelmed host who wanted nothing more than to dump some alcohol on the group and leave. Thankfully, they were all only meeting at the game shop before moving on to Mai and Jounouchi's house that night after dinner to give her some peace.

"Let me take care of that," Anzu offered to Nanami after hugging her friends in greeting. Jounouchi had gone to Bakura and clapped him on the shoulder, causing the other male's face to break out into a scowl at the too-familiar touch. "You look like you could use a break."

"You have no idea," Nanami sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter as Anzu loaded the dishwasher from the dishes that had accrued in the time she had been late. "Thankfully Kaiba isn't here, though. If I have to hear one more remark about me dropping out of the duel academy..." She made a rude gesture, her expression turning fierce.

"That's about how Kaiba makes everyone feel," Anzu said to her wryly.

Nanami patted her belly meaningfully, smiling. "Well, at least this will help me feel a little more productive."

"Er..." Anzu stared at her, her eyes drifting to where Nanami's hand lay on her flat stomach. "You mean...?"

Eyes twinkling, she nodded. "We just found out!"

Pregnancy aside, Anzu was having a hard time imagining Yuugi being intimate with anyone. In her head, he was still the awkward, bumbling boy from school sneaking porn magazines into his bag from Jounouchi.

Perhaps her expression showed it because Nanami laughed in the silence that ensued. "Your expression is great, Anzu!" She jerked a thumb towards the living room outside of the kitchen. "What about you and Bakura? Any plans on marrying yet? Yuugi's said you two have been together since high school."

"Oh...well..." She tucked her hair behind her ear, giving a tiny, awkward smile. It was a question she had heard every year from Mai, Miho, and even Shizuka. Her parents had even pressed the question on her occasionally, as if impatient for a wedding reception. Their expressions had always had an edge of worry to them at the lack of progression on that front, their eyes curious and probing. Nanami, in her outright, blunt manner, only seemed to express genuine curiosity rather than concern. "We haven't really talked about it."

That, at least, was true. Neither she nor Bakura had brought up the nature of their marital status. There was an understanding between them that neither of them intended to seek out another relationship and aside from the titles of husband and wife, there had been no reason to be married.

"Do you want to?"

Anzu smiled, this time more widely. "I guess I just already feel we are, like we don't need a wedding to make it happen. I mean..." She grimaced a little uncomfortably. "I know that I'm not going to be with anyone else."

While there had been times of frustration due to their long-distance relationship, Anzu had never wanted to pursue a relationship with another man in New York and she trusted Bakura enough to not turn elsewhere, either. She had watched divorces break out in the relationships of her colleagues and, in university, she had watched Honda fumble through attentions from other girls and the tension that ensued. Even if she did have bouts of loneliness, she knew that it was a self-induced one. If at any point she had wanted to quit her ballet company, she could have done so and joined Bakura in Egypt. Even if he had been the one to quit and join her in New York, her schedule was often so busy that the only time she had was late at night and during breaks between tours. The nights were hard, but she knew empty days without productivity would have been harder.

Nanami nodded thoughtfully, seeming to consider her words for a moment and then lifted her hands palms upward before dropping them in a careless gesture. "Well, no reason to do it, then, is there? Some people need that piece of paper, to fit into that societal mold. My parents would have been scandalized if I moved in with Yuugi without being married, but they're also extremely old-fashioned and tried to lock me into an arranged marriage when I was twelve." She paused, her eyes drifting out to the others. "I remember I asked Yuugi about it before and he told me that Bakura said to him once that it was you or nothing – pretty bold statement for a guy."

"Yeah...It is."

Bakura said that? Anzu thought as Nanami started the dishwasher and then ushered her back out into the living room as everyone began to collect their things to head out to the dinner reservations Mai had made. It can't have been recent. It must have been during school.

The restaurant Mai had chosen had a wide, open room she had reserved where they were privy to Domino's finest kaiseki dining. The room held a karaoke machine where, after dinner and a few drinks, the girls were happy to indulge in. While Mai and Jounouchi belted out a pop song, Anzu laughed as Otogi and Honda debated on car parts. There were some things that simply never changed.

The three girls engaged in a few karaoke songs together, shimmying to the upbeat tune while Jounouchi cat-called them. After several more rounds of karaoke, Yuugi announced Nanami's pregnancy, which caused a loud round of celebrations, Jounouchi and Honda thumping his back energetically. Anzu, her body pressed closed to Bakura's side at that time, watched the celebratory round of sake be passed around. They had already raised their cups to the celebration and as the night grew later, Anzu began to feel the warmth of the alcohol spread over her body, making her relaxed and comfortable against Bakura.

"Do you think you'd want a kid?" she asked him, gesturing towards Yuugi, who was laughing and rubbing the back of his head bashfully as Ryou gave him medical advice on how to help Nanami with her pregnancy.

"And have to deal with a little brat running around, crying?" Bakura returned, snorting. "I'll pass. They're a pain in the ass."

Anzu laughed, having almost expected this response. Bakura's tolerance for teenagers had been low when she had been in high school; she could never imagine him actively placing himself in a situation where he would have to endure childlike behavior for longer than necessary. She admired the women that had the mental fortitude for raising children, but she had decided after handling Johji, Honda's nephew, that she did not have the right personality for that.

After a few more moments where Bakura sipped on his sake and Anzu listened to the conversations of her friends interestedly, she asked, "Do you remember on our trip to Hakone, you said you wanted me to be your wife?"

Bakura said nothing at first, swirling his sake in his cup as he peered down into it. At first, she thought he had not heard her or was otherwise ignoring the question, but then replied, "I remember."

"How come you never brought it up again?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, lifting his gaze to hers. "It wasn't my decision." She blinked, staring at him and he rolled his eyes, scowling slightly in annoyance. "Clearly you've forgotten what I said then."

"Meaning what?" she retorted, her own face contorting with petulance.

"Stupid girl." He lifted her chin with a tap of his knuckle, smiling slightly. "I made it clear what I wanted. I said it was up to you when that should happen."

Anzu gaped at him in disbelief. "You've got to be joking." With a smirk, he took a drink of his sake and did not respond. "You can't just say something seven years ago and expect me to remember it!"

Bakura chose to remain silent on this, as well, seeming amused as he finished his sake and set the cup aside. Anzu, now thoroughly annoyed with the entire misunderstanding, found herself glowering at the table.

"So," he drawled lazily, his eyes fixed on Jounouchi acting out a story about being thrown out of a bar, "should I take that to mean you want me to ask now?"

"You're annoying."

He chuckled. "That's a 'yes.'"

Anzu glanced up at him, wanting to be angry with him, but upon seeing the warmth in his eyes, all annoyance washed out of her. Sighing out the frustration, she leaned into him, running her nails along his thigh, tracing small little lines and circles on his jeans. He straightened slightly and pulled her in tighter to his side, his arm around her shoulders.

"Well?" he prompted in a murmur, forcing her to meet his gaze again. While there was still that amused, melted chocolate stare, she could also sense the impatience in his body, as if he had been waiting for far too long over the years. "Will you?"

She smiled, her chest blooming with a well of emotion. "Geez, Bakura, you really aren't romantic at all."

This caused him to emit a dark chuckle, lowering his face to hers as he pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Isn't that why you love me?" he teased.

This time, she laughed. "I guess." There was a pause and he peered at her expectantly. "And yes. I will."

"Good, because you're already mine."

I am, she agreed silently, leaning up to capture another kiss, and I have been for a long time now.

Finis

A/N: And thus ends another story! I tried my best to keep Bakura in character towards the end, but there's only so much you can do when he turns into a shoujo version of himself. It went the way of My Little Monster, which I felt was very fitting.

There will be a bonus chapter after this final chapter, written from Bakura's perspective that I thought would be fun since the entire story was written from Anzu's perspective. I didn't think it would match his character to go into an exposition of his feelings for her, hence why he never explicitly says 'I love you' in the story at all or even addresses her by her first name except for in this chapter. The bonus chapter is only a fun little addition, nothing too heavy and doesn't go through scenes already covered in the story. It'll just be a brief, 10-page bit of leading up to him approaching Anzu in the first chapter. That is posted at the same time as this chapter so that I can mark the story as completed, so don't stop reading just at this chapter – there's one left! 😊

As everyone probably knows, this was my quarantine project after being laid off during the pandemic that I dumped a lot of energy into and while I'm not a huge fan of the later chapters because I liked the dynamic of earlier chapters more (simply because their relationship isn't really established then), I had a lot of fun writing this story. It's been a long time since I've devoted this much time to a fanfiction and I don't think I've ever dropped so many chapters within two months, lol. I'm usually deplorable about updates, but I really didn't want a story just hanging out there just because I went back to work.

In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this vexshipping fluff piece :D I miss this couple so much. I've been reading a lot of YuGiOh! manga, so you might see some more one-shots from me later for this couple.