Yami: Last time, Nazo and I are started to get closer... And bad news comes in when we find out Isis is out of the country, Shadi and Malik are missing, and the Items have been stolen! What now?

Chapter 12: Dreams of the Past, Hopes for the Future

As the rest of the week passed by, Yugi slept little and studied as much as he could. He, Jonouchi, and Honda had among the lowest GPA of their class. He almost forgot about his and Anzu's date on Friday. Luckily, he only had one final on that day: History, his favorite subject.

Thursday night, Yugi tried to read over his text book quickly, but fell asleep at his desk. The next morning, Yami had to wake Yugi up. {Aibou! Haiyaku, Aibou! Today's the big day!}

"Sssnrrx-?! What? Huh?"

{Yugi, you're gonna be late for school!}

Yugi's eyes shot open. Yami normally slept in later than he did, so if Yami woke him up... He glanced at his clock. "8:30!? KUSO!! I missed the bus!!" He was already dressed from the previous day, so he ran downstairs, grabbed his bag, and sped down the street without saying a word to his family.

He failed to realize until he arrived at school that he had forgotten his shoes and his lunch. He slipped on his school shoes, took out his test book, and hurried to class. [1] The bell rang just as he turned the corner of the hall. The noise scared him, he slipped, and slid on his face until crashing into the door.

The rest of the class looked up at the crash. Yugi opened the door and dashed to his seat. "Glad you could join us, Mr. Moto," said Ms. Ryusake.

"Gomen-nasai," panted Yugi. He did not know he had a large red skid mark on his face, his clothes were wrinkled from being slept in, and he had at least two pencils sticking out of his un-brushed hair.

The teacher pulled one out and handed it to him. "Since it's the last day, Yugi, I'll ignore the tardy. Get ready for your test."

Jonouchi gave him a thumbs up, and Yugi groaned. 'I hope this isn't a bad omen for tonight,' Yugi thought.

"Nice save," said Honda, punching Yugi on the arm. "Just made it!"

"By the skin of my teeth!" exclaimed Yugi. "That was way too close for comfort! If Yami hadn't gotten me up..."

"You only would have flunked the one subject yer gettin' an A in," said Jonouchi.

The group spotted Anzu and Nazo talking, and Jonouchi motioned them to a corner first. "Gambare, Yugi," he said. [2]

"No problem," said Ryou with a wink.

"Show her what a cool guy you are," said Honda.

Yugi nodded, took a deep breath, and then walked out into the hallway. As soon as he saw Anzu again, he lost his confidence. He wanted to run back to the corner where the other boys were. But Nazo called out, "Oy Yugi!"

Yugi held up a hand in greeting. "Yo!"

Anzu closed her locker. "Ready to go?"

"Ah - well - you see – uh," Yugi looked down. "Can we sorta stop at my house first?"

"Why?"

Yugi's eyes disappeared under his bangs. "I kinda forgot my shoes this morning."

Jonouchi, Honda, Ryou, and Nazo all face-vaulted.

"That's fine," said Anzu. "What time's the show?"

"I got tickets for four o'clock, so we have time."

"Then we'll meet over at the CinePlex in a half hour. Sound good?"

"Un! Arigato, Anzu!"

Anzu gave a short nod, then walked out with Nazo. "See you there!"

Jonouchi watched as Nazo said goodbye to Anzu outside the latter's home. He waited for a minute, and then followed Nazo toward her house. A block away, Nazo stopped. "I know you're there, Jonouchi," she hissed. "You know I hate being followed!"

"Oooo! Ice Woman is back in action, ne," mocked Jonouchi.

Nazo whirled around. Her eyes flashed. "I can be far colder, so do not test me! What do you want? Why did you purposely wait for no witnesses?"

"Boy, ain't you on the ball," said Jonouchi, but he quickly turned serious. "Nazo, I want you to come with me to the police station."

"Turning me in?"

"Not you, yer dad."

A triangle symbol glowed on her forehead, the same way an eye glowed on Yami's whenever he got vengeful. "What," she snarled, "the fuck are you talking about?!"

Jonouchi did not flinch. "I'm talkin' about Saturday."

"I'd rather forget about it!"

"I can't. I'm probably the only one o' those guys who read between the lines. The way you talked; it was programmed into you. The way you acted; you thought one of us would hit you. Or something worse." He took a few casual steps forward, and she backed away defensively. "See? You right away thought I'm gonna hit ya!"

"Daddy does not hit me!! You're invading my personal space!"

"I'm still like ten feet away from ya!" He bent down to her eye-level. "Has he ever touched you?"

"Pervert!! My body is none of your business!!"

Jonouchi kicked a stone on the street. "Look, I've been there. You think you're worthless 'cus your dad keeps tellin' you that. You never have time to think it out yerself, 'cus he's 'Daddy,' so he must be right. And when he hits ya ... That's gotta be normal, right? It happens all the time. Why tell anyone about it? Other people won't understand."

Nazo started to turn, eyes in shadow. "That Shadow Game you gave me," said Jonouchi, "it reminded me of all of that. Those were tough times. But I got help. My dad's in jail now. And I'm livin' off his life savings in an apartment of my own. My sis visits me all the time. She's even there now." His eyes connected with hers. "You can be better off, Nazo! Let me help you!"

"Keh," Nazo said. "You're taking things too far. Everything's okay now. I'm not going to take any of his shit anymore."

"How?"

"I have more confidence in myself. I won't let him walk all over me!"

Jonouchi shook his head. "It ain't gonna be so easy. I'm a low-class kid with no job or position. He's a big shot workin' fer Kaiba Corp. I need you to tell the police. It can't be only me!"

"Keep the police out of this!" She walked off. "It's my business!"

Jonouchi spat. "Idiot! I'll give her until Sunday to change her mind. That's when she said he's comin' home. Didn't she?"

Anzu laughed. "Yugi! That's the third jumbo burger you've had!"

"Really," Yugi asked wiping his face. "I didn't notice! I was real hungry!"

The couple ate heartily after watching the movie. Yugi now wore a clean pair of dark-blue jeans, a nice gray long-sleeved shirt, and his usual choker and armbands. Anzu hand changed into a white blouse, yellow skirt, and wore a ribbon in her hair. Not too fancy, but dressy enough.

She drank the rest of her soda. 'Yugi sure has been eating more than usual lately. Maybe I'm just imagining things.' She thought about the long-stemmed rose Yugi had brought her when he arrived to pick her up. 'Is he really serious about us getting together? I've known him for years, but dating? It's surreal!'

Yugi sipped his own soda. His thoughts were about the movie, or at least what happened during it. Instead of paying attention to the screen, he focused on Anzu. At one point he tried to put his hand on hers. It took him over half the movie to sum up the courage to try. Her soft hand lay on the armrest, and he reached out to place his hand on it, but she pulled away to snack on gummy bears!

'So much for that,' he thought miserably.

Anzu gazed out the window. "Still wanna take a walk in the park?"

"Yeah!" Anzu started to get her purse to help pay, but Yugi waved his hand. "My treat!" He paid the cashier, and helped Anzu out of her seat.

"You're such a sweet guy," she said.

They walked along the main walkway for a while before turning off into some smaller paths. The sun was setting, and the streetlamps began turning on. Yugi inhaled the sweet scent of the crisp, end of winter air mixed with flowers and cherry blossoms. 'There's no one I'd rather spend a sunset with! But how can I say that without it sounding so corny!?' He absent-mindedly took her hand as they walked.

"The cherry trees are so pretty this time of year, don't you think," said Anzu.

He wanted to say, 'Nothing is as pretty as you,' but instead he said, "Yeah, they are nice. It usually takes another couple of weeks before they're in full bloom." After a minute, both realized they were walking holding hands, and promptly let go.

"Hey look!" Anzu pointed at a sandbox with rusting playground equipment. "Its gotten so old! The paint's peeling off!" She turned to him. "You lead me here on purpose, didn't you?"

Yugi grinned. "Kind of!"

Anzu walked over to the trees near the swings. "Let's see... It was just after I came to Japan, so it was ... Wow! Nine years ago!"

Yugi walked out to the ladder of the slide. "Yup! Nine years next month! I was new in town too, so I just stayed by this slide and worked on that cube-puzzle Ji-chan gave me."

"And I danced by myself under these trees. With the sakura blossoms falling, I thought I was in a fairy land, so I sang a little. God, that was a mistake! A bunch of boys came over and asked me why I was twirling around in such a 'girly' way. I said it was 'cuz I was a girl!" She fingered her skirt. "I was wearing jeans ... I didn't know most little girls in Japan wore skirts."

"Not always, but mostly. You started crying, so I came over," he walked toward her, "like this and said, 'I think your dance is pretty!'"

Anzu giggled. "You were so kawaii! I thought you were five!"

"You thought I was weird, ne? Just coming up to a strange girl and saying something like that?"

"I lived in New York! What did you expect?"

"What's it like in America anyway? Why's it so special?"

"Oh, it's not that much different! I just wanna go back in order to go to a good dance school. NYU is one of the best in the world." She closed her eyes, picturing herself on stage. "Someday I'm going to play the lead on Broadway as Dark Magician Girl! I've learned those steps since I was little. That's my ultimate dream!"

Yugi gave a very sad smile. He'd heard this statement so many times in his life. But if she planned to move back to America, she'd leave him behind.

Flashback "Stick up for yourself and be a man for once," said Honda.

Flashback Ryou said, "Ya know, you gotta have more confidence in yourself." "Yeah," Jonouchi added. "If ya don't, you'll be a pushover forever."

Flashback {Yugi, you're almost never selfish! Now's a time you should be!}

Yugi stared at Anzu's face. For a moment, the falling blossoms could not have a finer color and diamonds not match the sparkle in her eyes, so filled with hope. 'How can I act selfishly when this means so much to her?' He walked along beside her. "I know it!"

"Know what?"

"You'll become a great dancer, and dance in that play!" He held a fist in front of him. "Not only do you have the talent of a pro, but the beautiful heart of a pure magician. You fit her part perfectly!"

Anzu beamed at Yugi. "Yugi..."

He held up his hands like a camera with Anzu in the center. "I can see it now. Hundreds of people gathering inside that theatre, with many more outside demanding tickets. The orchestra tunes up as the audience takes their seats." He flattened his hands. "A hush falls over the crowd. The lights dim. The curtain rises." He lifted his hands, mimicking his words. The band starts to play! And there you are, in full costume, flying high above ready to make your big entrance!"

"Oh Yugi ... You see it all so clearly ..."

"That's because I'll be in the front row. I don't know how I'd ever get there, but I will, and I'll be cheering you on," he cupped his hands to his mouth, " 'Gambare!! Gambare, Anzu-chan!!' "

"What's all that ruckus?" Yugi and Anzu jumped at the newcomer's voice. It belonged to an old man carrying a violin case and wearing an old suit. "What're you kids doin' out here? Havin' a party?"

Yugi laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Hahaha, just sharing some memories 'n stuff."

"Well, be careful. This place isn't too friendly at night. Especially to a kid and his nanny."

Yugi looked away. He knew the man didn't mean the comment to be so cruel, but it still made Yugi so embarrassed hearing that said in front of Anzu.

"I am not his nanny," called out Anzu. "I'm his date!"

Yugi nearly jumped out of his socks! 'Did ... did she ... did she really...'

Anzu stepped out towards the man. "He's a sixteen-year-old guy whose smart, sweet, and the World Champion of Duel Monsters! He's one of the most famous guys in Japan!!"

The man blinked a couple of times. "Oh! Geez, girlie, I didn't mean nothin' by it! And who are you to be hangin' around such an important guy?"

Yugi stepped forward, and proudly proclaimed, "She's my best friend, the most wonderful girl I know, and the next star on Broadway!" He snapped his fingers. "Say mister, do you know any songs from the play 'Dark Magician Girl and the Stone?'"

"Why, yes I do."

"Can you play it for us?"

"You got 100 yen?"

"Un!" Yugi turned to Anzu. "Hey, Anzu, would you like to dance? I'm not very good, but you can help me."

Anzu touched Yugi's cheek, which instantly reddened. "Sure!"

Nazo was in the living room sorting her cards when she heard her mother come home from one of her many parties. She quickly stuck them back into her many pockets and stood up to greet her mother.

"Hello, Dahling," drolled her mother. "Behaving yourself?"

"Yes, Mummy Dearest," Nazo sighed. "How was your party?"

"Oh, quite nice today. But it was only a luncheon. Some of the wives of the biggest executives in Kaiba Corporation ate together and talked about this and that. Mrs. Umizaki complained about the weather as usual…"

Nazo tuned her mother out and thought about what Jonouchi had said earlier. 'It's none of his business,' she repeated. 'Besides, when Dad gets home on Sunday, I'll handle it myself.'

"…and I was so disappointed that Kaiba-sama's fiancé failed to show. Oh, she's just the kind of person you must meet, Dahling! So pretty and refined! I had hoped to arranged a play-date."

'Sounds like a real pip,' Nazo grumbled mentally.

"Excuse me, Tanaka-san," said Shunsuke, the butler, "but didn't you say she was with Kaiba-sama in America? Perhaps the Master will set up a meeting."

"Dad's in America to meet Kaiba," asked Nazo.

"Yes dear, don't you recall? Your father means to sell off those rare cards of yours."

Nazo put her hand on the part of her jacket that hid the cards. 'Oh no! What'll happen when he realizes he doesn't have them anymore?!'

Less than an hour later, Yugi led Anzu to her door. She stayed in her doorframe to talk to him. "I really had fun tonight."

"I'm glad! That's all I wanted for you." Silence. Yugi looked down, trying to think up something to say. "Hey, your grass is really," he hopped a little, "springy!"

"Yeah," muttered Anzu off-hand. "Dad waters it...a lot."

"Yeah, water it." Another stretch of silence. Both felt like they should maybe do something, but before they made another move, Anzu's dad called out to her from inside.

"Okay, I'm coming," called Anzu back. "Goodnight, Yugi." She kissed him on the forehead, and went inside.

Yugi waited a moment, taking it all in, then walked away. Once they'd left Anzu's block, Yami popped out of the Puzzle and screamed, {I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT!!} Yugi smirked as Yami split from the Puzzle. {You could have kissed her at any time! Why didn't you!?}

{I'm saving it, I guess.}

{FOR WHEN!?}

Yugi laughed. {You're more upset than I am!}

{Upset, no. Frustrated, yes!}

{I know you might not understand, but I think a first kiss should be really special. Tonight didn't feel like the right time. Besides, you heard her, she's got her heart set on moving to America. I can't get in her way. It'll hurt us both in the end. She wouldn't stop her hopes for her future on a count of me! And if she did…} Yugi gulped. {It'd be my fault that her hopes would be crushed. I love her too much to hurt her in any way.}

{That's it, though! You love her!}

{It's not the same as you and Nazo, Yami. You two are so much alike, it's as if your destined to be together forever. I want to be an archeologist and travel to remote regions of the world. She's going to be a dancer in New York-}

{Love isn't practical, baka!! It isn't born out of convenience! It's an uncontrollable feeling! Shukura was a thief, remember? Our relationship must have been rocky from the start! But it held through over three thousand years! How can yours and Anzu's be so different?!}

Yugi's eyes disappeared under his bangs. {We're not the same, Yami.}

Yami threw his arms in the air. {ARGH!! I can't deal with you when you act so stubborn!} He disappeared. {I'm going to sleep! Good-night!}

Yugi smiled weakly. {Yami…. You're so strange!{ He wandered around the block, enjoying the nighttime air. The street he was on had already gotten quiet. As he continued on, he recognized a kid taking out the trash for the next morning. "Oy! Hanasaki-kun!"

The small boy looked up and grinned. "Yugi-san! Long time no see!" [3]

"Hey," said Yugi, shaking his old friend's hand, "what's with this 'Yugi-san' stuff?"

"Well, you've gotten so famous-"

"I'm still me, Hanasaki-kun! How've you been? You transferred, ne?"

"Yeah. I moved to a private school. My folks don't like me being beat up all the time."

"You should've hung out with us! Jonouchi and Honda scare the bullies away from me, so I've been safe!" Since Hanasaki didn't know about the Puzzle, Yugi thought it best not to tell. "So, you still into American comics?"

The two talked for a while, mostly about DM (Yugi tried getting Hanasaki into it) and what their school life. In his new school, the boy had made a lot of new friends, and even joined a comic club. All seemed to relax, until a black limo barreled down the street and nearly ran Hanasaki over. Yugi pulled him out of the way just in time.

"What the heck was that," exclaimed Yugi.

Hanasaki didn't look surprised. "That's Tanaka-san's car."

"Tanaka? As in Tanaka Hitoshi?"

"Yeah. He scares me." He lowered his voice. "He lives behind my house. Sometimes, at night, I can hear him yelling at his family, then some horrible banging and screaming sounds. My parents say it's nothing, that Tanaka-san is a well respected man. But even well-respected men can be jerks, right Yugi-kun?"

"Un! Kaiba-kun comes to mind." But Yugi wasn't thinking about Kaiba. He remembered the fear Nazo had the week before when she talked about her dad, and how Jonouchi had sympathized with her so much. Was Nazo really being abused? He had to find out!

"I gotta get going, Hanasaki-kun. Come by the shop and I'll teach you to play DM sometime. Ja ne!"

1 - In Japanese schools, there are special slippers you wear around school, while your normal shoes are kept in the locker.

2 - Gambare Good luck! { Go for it!

3 - Hanasaki - from early Yu-Gi-Oh manga issues.

Yugi: Ohaiyo minna-san! Kuso!! This is gonna be an action-packed, seriously exciting chapter coming up!! Nazo's getting beaten up by her dad, and Yami and I come to her rescue!

Next time: Never Piss Off the Heir of the Shadow Games!!