AN: Okay, I finally wrote the next chapter… which will also be the last. I am really, really sorry for the long wait… but here it is, so all's fine, right? Right…?

Note: This fic changed quite radically from what I had thought it to be, and so the previous chapter turned out to be the real fourth chapter after all, not just a side-fic. So if you haven't read it, do it now, it'll help you to understand better what happens here.

This chapter… just kind of happened. I don't know where it came from. I call it a 'discussion chapter'… it's quite short, I know, but, well… just be glad you got something… It takes place… hmmm… let's say about eight years after Anzu left, so the characters are about… uh, 23-24 years old? I don't know.

I hope the discussion isn't too confusing…

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Period.

Chapter 5

Two figures, sitting in a quiet corner of a café, staring at their drinks in an awkward silence.

The other one moves restlessly. "Umm… do…" Cough. "Do you regret it?"

A sigh. "…No. Yes… I don't know. All I know is that I sure wouldn't have left if I had known…"

Silence. The clock on the café's wall ticks quietly.

"It's not your fault, you know… And… no one knows what might have happened had you stayed."

Another sigh.

"I know… But still… It feels so… so…"

The silence takes over again. Then, it is broken, hesitantly. "It always does…" The voice grows fainter, until it is barely audible. "Even if it's not in any way connected to anything you have done… or haven't done…"

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Wha… I… No. Nothing important. So… what are you going to do now?"

There's a quiet clinking sound as coffee is stirred with a spoon.

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll settle down somewhere and finally write that book. Or two… I have some ideas."

"So you're cured from the wanderlust?"

Quiet laughter, short and a little sad, but it still helps to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah, maybe. For now at least."

They drop talking and concentrate on their drinks; green tea and coffee with lots of milk, both in white cups. For a moment the only sounds come from the clinking of the cups, nervous shifting of legs, the ticking of the clock, the muffled voices that carry from other tables…

"I've been waiting for you."

"Huh? Oh. Well… that was quite a long wait."

A snort, slightly amused. "Yes, I guess it was. But I was sure you'd come back some day."

"Really? How long were you prepared to wait?" The tone is teasing, and the smile is evident in it.

"…Don't know. Never really thought about it…"

"Oh my, don't tell me you're blushing…"

"Well, it'd help if you stopped laughing at me, you know."

"I'm sorry, I… you just looked so… so… Oh, I think I'll have that censured…"

"Thanks for that."

Laughter fills the air. "You haven't changed much, you know…"

"Maybe not. What about you? I never really knew you well enough to know…"

A shrug. "I don't know. At least I've seen much… I'm not as naïve as I was when I left."

Eyebrows rise a little. "Were you naïve? I wouldn't have believed…"

"If I were. When I left I…"

The clock strikes four, cutting off the sentence.

"I…I guess I really imagined that all would be fine as soon as I'd be free. I didn't really have any idea how difficult it'd be to get money for living. I had quite much when I left, of course, but it didn't last for long… travelling is quite expensive, you know. There were times, when I was walking alone on the streets of some strange city, when I wondered whether I really was totally sane, doing something like this… I sold everything of value I had with me, and that helped a little, but finally I had to start to work. And it wasn't that easy to find work, without any kind of a permit… I mean, where do they give working permits for underage runaways?"

"What did you do, then?"

"Oh… This and that. For example, there was one old lady in London I met by chance, and she needed someone to help her clean up and so every now and then… Then I looked after kids and dogs and all kinds of animals and helped everywhere I could… Sometimes I wrote some short articles and such, some about Japan and some about things I saw on my travels. Some magazines actually bought them."

A sip of coffee.

"Don't get me wrong… It was great time. Mostly, anyway. But I've talked enough about myself… What have you been up to while I've been gone? And everyone else?"

"Well… nothing that interesting. Just studied, mainly. Even Jou. Ever since he got together with Mai he's been much more… diligent when it comes to studying, believe it or not… Yuugi and me are in university… Did you know that he's engaged? Yuugi I mean?"

"What? With whom?"

"One girl you don't know… at least I don't think that you know her. Saito Misako? …Yes, I would have been quite surprised if you had known her. She's really a nice girl… Do you mind it?"

"Mind what? Her being a nice girl?" Laughter. "Oh, don't look at me like that, I know what you mean. No, I don't mind it. Why should I, really? That's what I told him to do, anyway… You don't have anyone?"

"No. I've never met anyone who would have interested me…"

"Mmm… Too high standards, perhaps…?"

"I don't think so. And don't you look at me like that…"

"Sorry… You're just too much fun not to tease… Uh, my coffee's getting cold! …There, now there's no fear of that. …You have still some tea left, I'm sure it's getting pretty cold too…"

"Let it be… I don't think that I'm going to finish it."

Long silence, spent mostly on staring at the cups on the table. Then, very softly:

"I can't believe it…"

"Anzu…"

A quiet sob. "It's just too much… that they all are… If I had known about father I would have come home then… immediately… and then this wouldn't have happened…" Another sob. "I ruined my sister's life…"

"No, it… Anzu, don't. Please stop that… I…" Two hands grasping each other. "It wasn't your fault. There's no way you could have ever imagined that something like that could happen… Don't blame yourself. I… I know it hurts… I still remember when my mother and sister died, and you know, even I blamed myself about it… I came up with all kinds of ways I could have kept them from getting into that accident. It's just that… no one can know what is going to happen… It's always easy to be wise in hindsight…"

"I know, but… I should have come home earlier… or at least called them or something… I thought about it sometimes, I knew that I should do it, but… I don't know. Maybe I was afraid… that it'd only show that nothing had changed…"

"It's not your fault." The words are very soft. "And you're alive, your life goes on. If you hadn't left you'd be regretting it now… And it's possible that something still would have happened to them, maybe even to you. No one knows. At least you're alive now, and you've done things you've always dreamed about."

"You're right…" A long, deep sigh. "You're right, of course. I guess we should be going now… You've grown to a gentleman, haven't you?"

"I'm just helping you up, what's so special in that… What are you going to do next?"

"I think that I'll go to the cemetery… alone. I'll go alone, if you don't mind…"

The outdoor slams shut.

"Of course not. Uh… could we… I mean if you have time tomorrow, would you want to go somewhere or… something…"

The laughter has a slightly hysteric note in it. "Oh my god you're blushing again! Don't look towards the cars, the drivers will think you're a traffic light and stop… Oh, I'm sorry, you're just… oh god…"

Few seconds pass, then, very dryly: "Could you try to stop that laughing?"

"What… wha…t do you think… I'm doing? I…oh my, I'm sorry… I guess I'm kind of tired or something… You're still so red…"

"I give up… Anzu! People are looking…"

"Who cares… let them look… Is it illegal to laugh nowadays?" A deep, very deep, breath. "Okay, I'm calm now. I am calm…"

"Hope so…"

"Hey, I'm sorry, really, don't look like that… And about your question… I'd love to see you tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Of course. What'd you want to do?"

"I… um… I don't know… What if I come to get you… about five o'clock? Then we could decide what we want to do…"

"That's fine. See you tomorrow, then…"

"Yes… uh… bye then."

"So-oo red… Not laughing. You see? I'm not laughing. Well, just a little… Bye!"

Sound of steps leading to two directions. Suddenly the others stop.

"Hey Ryou! Is this your first date?"

The other steps stop as well. There is a moment's silence, then:

"Do you really have to shout?"

"Re-eeed… eep!"

The steps start again, this time to the same direction, and they are very fast.

Okay… I said that it's a discussion chapter… So what did you think? I hope you weren't too disappointed with it, I'm not sure if it were that good… And I know it was short, too…

Anyways, this was the last chapter. Definitely. This was really supposed to be a one-shot, and you've already turned it to a five-shot… Hmmm… how does that saying go… I don't know how it's in English, but direct translation from Finnish would be like this: Give your little finger to devil, and it'll take the whole hand. Maybe we could put it like this: Give a one-shot to devil and it'll take a multi-part fic…

Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic! That is:

LadySilverDragon, Sunflower-chan, Silver Dragon Golden Dragon (So… It is the fourth chapter after all…), Kari, Celine Flac the sorceress (Happy now?), Princess of Darkness and me, lil angel/devil, JenniChan (thanks once more for getting into favorites! Hope you still like this…), Bean Sprouts (Insightful reviews. Thanks for them!), purplechaos04, Rosz of the Angel, Magicman/Smokegirl, MarikzAngel, MysticTides1, Crazy Kitties, fOX-SPIRIT AKA Y.V, Rayne-Jelly (Thanks for all the help, once more), Yami Lover, kaz, Hikari Yamasa, Lita Maxwell, sakuya, yugiohluver, DaakuKitsune and Anime-Mastah.

A very big thank you for all of you. I really appreciate each and every one of my reviews.

Yep… That's it.

…Hey, remember that ficcy I sent to Chibizoo's contest, the one I mentioned in the third chappy? It won the humor category. Someone's happy…