A/N: Still here? Good

Don't own any of it. Full stop.

Chapter Three – Cruel To Be Kind

Sitting in his sunlit position in the library Yuugi looked up to see his friends drifting through the rows of books on shelving towards him just as a bell was rung signalling the end of a period.

"Hey Yuug!" Beamed the blonde before stopping and scratching his head, "You know I got a weird letter from Kaiba yesterday, said something 'bout going on holiday with Mokuba. Did any of you guys get one like it?" Everyone nodded their heads in response to his question.

"Why would he send out only one invitation to you anyway Joey?" asked Tristan, "You hoping for something?" the brunette grinned mischievously before dodging a flying textbook grabbed hastily off the nearest rack.

"I guess Seto wants to finally thank everyone for what we've done for him and his little brother." Thought Ryou aloud, everyone except Yuugi looked at him incredulously.

"Nahhhh…" They said collectively, Tristan waved his finger in the air,

"It's more than likely that he's just doing it because it's what Mokuba wants." All those present nodded.

Yuugi smiled, "Funnily enough that's exactly what Yami said. Along with some other things..."

Anzu grew dreamy eyed as the Egyptian spirit was mentioned, "He must have been a brilliant Pharaoh in the past. He's so knowledgeable, so thoughtful, so brave and…"

As she looked about to start another sentence Yuugi's puzzle glowed and he felt slightly lightheaded,

"Will you cease your endless whittling on! It's almost enough to make me wish I was still stuck in that infernal puzzle!" Shell-shocked faces greeted this statement, as the spirit took over Yuugi's body. "My feelings are already taken woman, your…quite frankly, humiliating displays of what seems like hero worship will not sway me!"

Anzu started at the outburst only for her eyes to begin to tear up a few moments later, then almost as abruptly as the situation had arisen she ran with her shoulders shaking from the room. Briefly it looked as though a flicker of regret passed into Yami's eyes but it was gone before anyone could discern it for what it was.

Yuugi mentally frowned at his darkness' emotions trickling through their mindlink,

/ Yami? Don't you think that was a little harsh? /

A little Yuugi, but Anzu has failed to listen to the fact that I'm not interested time after time. I just got so irritated by her not listening again that I lost control and felt I was willing to go to whatever lengths were needed to make sure she understood my feelings clearly /

Yuugi nodded to himself even though he knew Yami couldn't see his action and sent a wave of reassurance towards the spirit, It's okay Yami, I understand

/ Thank you. I...I need some time alone Yuugi. I'm sorry... Yami returned Yuugi's body to his control and retreated to his soul room wondering just how he'd managed to get in a situation where the slightest kind gesture from the person whom he loved, and would never love him in return, could create in him such turbulence of despair.

Tristan raised a questioning eyebrow at the groggy looking friend sitting in front of him, "What was that all about Yuugi?"

Yuugi blinked to clear his head before looking down at the textbook in his hands, "You've all heard Yami telling Anzu that he is not interested in her in that way?" they all nodded,

"Well this time he just had enough and wanted to make sure he got through to her. Unfortunately this meant being really horrible to her, but it's like that saying. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. He didn't want to hurt her, it was just the only way."

Yuugi looked up and gazed intensely into his friends' eyes, "Would one of you go and see if she's okay? I don't think I should go seeing as I look like Yami and in a way did just say that to her."

Joey gave him the thumbs up, winked and started out towards the exit, "Sure thing bud, I'll go. She'll be alright just you wait and see."

Joey heard sobbing long before he saw her, rounding the corner he could see Anzu huddled in the foetal position crying her heart out. Walking softly towards his friend he could almost feel her despair, he sat down besides Anzu and placed a comforting arm around her shuddering back.

"It's okay Anzu, go ahead and cry…"

With a loud sob she threw her arms around Joey's neck and proceeded to soak his collar with hot tears. After several minutes a very wet Joey and a red eyed Anzu sat quietly with Joey rubbing his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion, "I'm so sorry Joey…"

"You've got nothing to be sorry for Anzu, you can't help it if the guy you like already has feelings for somebody else. You can't choose who you fall in love with, someone once told me that you can't truly appreciate a relationship unless you've been hurt. This is for your best interests in a warped way, I know you probably don't want to be cheered up right now but I can't help it."

Anzu sniffled, "It's alright Joey. I appreciate what you're saying but in a way I was in the wrong to start with. I continued to pursue him even though I knew I shouldn't, I don't blame him for what he said. It's just that I couldn't give up hope, hope is the only thing in this world that keeps people going. Hope would be worth nothing if we all gave up on it so easily, battles have been won and lost because of the fluctuations of hope. I just couldn't give up on it. Let's go back Joey. I need to apologise for falling hopelessly in love."

She dried the tears then applied some make-up to disguise the red puffiness of her eyes, Joey offered her a hand which she took. Together they walked in silence back to the scene of the drama.

On with the torture! To the next chapter!

YT