Yes, I know I should be working on my other stories, (as my brother is constantly reminding me) but I have writer's block. And when I have writer's block, I end up with stuff like this.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! FF.net wont let me use my little stars. So [this] is my new action thing. [pout]
Anyway…
Ph34r. Yes, ph34r. That's 'fear'. And you should. Midnight plus three cans of soda plus Savage Garden's "Crash and Burn" = Hostshipping.
Ryou x Anzu.
Yes, you read that right. Ryou x Anzu. Like I said, ph34r.
Jounouchi: [swats away Anzu/Tea bashers with a giant flyswatter] Get lost, losers!
Bakura: Hey! How come Jou gets to swat the losers?!
Because Jou makes me sparkle. [sparkles]
Bakura: I thought I made you sparkle. [pout]
No, no, you make me squeal. Malik makes me glitter, and Jou and Mokuba make me sparkle.
Ryou: What do I make you do?
[uber-glomp]
Ryou: [sweatdrop] Oh.
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When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
-"Crash and Burn", Savage Garden
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Crash and Burn
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It rained all morning and well into the afternoon. The sky was gray, shrouded in heavy black clouds, and it was almost certain to worsen. A storm was on the way, hovering just on the horizon. All over the city, people hurried to get out of the rain. Returning from work or from running errands, they imagined arriving home to a happy family, or a loving spouse or significant other, who would welcome them with open arms. Or maybe they would return to an empty, but cozy apartment, crank up the thermostat and curl up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. Whatever they were coming back to, they could look forward to being out of the rain.
For one person, however, getting out of the storm was the last thing on her mind. She hardly looked where she was going as she made her way through the park. The wind chilled her and she wrapped her black raincoat tighter around her as she cursed herself for not wearing warmer clothes that day. Under the coat she was clad in a red turtleneck that had one sleeve, the other ripped off, and a knee length jean skirt that touched the tops of her calf high black boots. Her wavy brown hair, normally just past shoulder length, was nearly halfway down her back, dripping wet. Looking around, she observed a young couple sharing an umbrella, giggling happily as they splashed through muddy puddles on their way home. A sick feeling went through her at the sight.
She sat down on a bench that was partly dry, protected by a large oak tree, and sighed heavily as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She placed one between her lips and flicked her lighter, finding to her irritation that it was empty. Sighing again she leaned back and closed her eyes, not bothering to remove the cigarette. Though unlit, its presence was comforting nonetheless.
She could hear footsteps coming towards her, but she ignored them. They stopped in front of her and a familiar voice spoke. "Need a light?"
She looked up and smiled at the young man before her. He wore a long brown coat that matched the warm chocolate eyes that stared into her cerulean blue ones. His long white hair was still dry, due to the dark green umbrella he held. "Hey. It's you." She inwardly grimaced at the sound of her voice. It didn't sound like her at all. It was silky smooth and cold as ice.
Ryou didn't notice and smiled back at her. "Hey. It's you." He held out a lighter and lit the cigarette still held in her lips.
"Thanks." She inhaled deeply. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting." he answered. "I'm staying with my cousin until school starts. A month or so. You live here?"
She smiled again. "Yeah. Home sweet home."
"Got a job?"
"Two. For one, I'm a secretary at an office downtown. For the other," her smile turned predatory, "Well, it depends which guy I'm talking to."
His eyes widened for a moment. "But you're a dancer." he said soberly.
"No, hun. I was a dancer." She took another puff on the cigarette before raising an eyebrow. "You're not going to start preaching at me, are you?"
"No," he said, "But I will ask if an old friend can take a lady to catch up over drinks." He held out his hand. She stared at it for a long moment, the smile slowly creeping back onto her face.
Anzu took his hand and stood up, blue eyes sparkling. "I'd love to."
- - -
"So, what happened to you? You got that letter from New York and you were out of there with barely a goodbye."
Anzu didn't answer for a moment. She stared into her drink, thinking about how to answer. "I went to New York. They didn't want me."
"They didn't…?"
"Want me, yeah. Or rather, they 'thought I had potential, but felt I could be a greater value pursuing another course.'"
"Ouch. Dissed."
"Yeah."
There was an awkward silence. "Why didn't you come back?"
"Back to Domino? I was going to." She took a sip of her drink. "I got this far. I was spending the night in a hotel, when I looked out the window and realized I had no clue what to tell you when I got back. I mean, you all believed in me, or pretended to, and I…I felt like I had failed you all. I just…didn't think I could face you. So I stayed here." She took another drink and decided to change the subject. "What…what about you guys? How's everyone? How are you?"
Ryou didn't answer right away. "Well, I'm doing alright. I go to collage at Domino University. I'm a journalism major."
Anzu raised an eyebrow. "A journalist, huh? You always were good with words." She smirked. "Got yourself a girl?"
He blushed slightly. "No, if you're really curious. But you never know."
"Uh huh. What else did I miss?"
"Right after you left, Honda ran off to Kyushu {1}, no warning, to stay with his grandparents. He came back a year later, a cultured gentleman with a successful job and his own place in Oita. We hardly recognized him." Ryou laughed. "Do you know the first thing he did, the minute he got back to Domino?" Anzu shook her head.
"He goes straight to Miho's {2} house with a bouquet of roses and asks her out. Big surprise for him though, because she'd changed too. She had assumed he'd always be there, you know, nipping at her heels, so she was shocked when he left. Realized that she'd been taking him for granted and figured she'd better hurry and grow up before she got hurt. She nearly cried when she saw him standing on her doorstep. They've been steady ever since."
Anzu smiled. "Well, good for them. What about the others?"
"Have you been following the news?"
"Not really."
"Remember the Kaiba's? Seto gave control of the company over to Mokuba when he went into collage. He never really wanted to run the company, you know. His real passion was always inventing."
"Given up on the whole 'I am the best' deal?"
"Almost. He's calmed down a lot. He knows when to admit defeat now."
"Amazing. What about Otogi? I heard that Dungeon Dice Monsters is getting pretty big."
"It is. He's getting really famous. He and Shizuka are officially a couple, did you know? Wait, of course you didn't."
"Speaking of Shizuka, how's Jou?"
"Are you sitting down? Jou left after the summer. He got a full scholarship for an elite collage in the U.S."
The brunette looked shocked. "No way. Jou? I mean, he was doing so much better in school, but a full scholarship? What's his major?"
"It's a medical school." Ryou grinned at the look on her face. "He came back to visit this summer. He's staying till the beginning of December, and he'll go back for a late fall session."
Anzu tilted her head to the side, looking curious. "Why is he staying so late?"
Her companion smiled. "He bought a ring. Mai's birthday is in November, so he's holding out till then."
"Are you serious? How romantic. I'm glad those two finally got over themselves and started dating. They're made for each other."
"Yeah."
They sat for a long time, both knowing that they had skipped someone, neither wanting to bring up the subject. Eventually, Anzu knew she had to swallow her pride and her pain and ask. "How…how is Yugi?"
"He's still in Domino. He goes to the university with me, he's taking psychology. He's doing okay." Ryou paused. "…He's got a girlfriend." Anzu felt her heart ache, but she smiled, a little sadly.
"That's good. I – I'm glad he's moved on." She stared into her drink, not wanting to meet his eyes.
"He hasn't." She looked up, surprised. "He hasn't moved on. He likes to pretend that he has, but he hasn't." The boy across from her caught her eye and somehow she found herself unable to look away. "He still loves you."
Her heart leapt into her throat. "You – you're trying to guilt me into leaving, into going back…I'm not going back, Ryou. Not for him. Not for anyone. You can't make me."
He stared into her eyes. "I'm not trying to make you go anywhere, Anzu. There's no guilt. You asked. I'm simply telling you what you wanted to know."
"…I didn't want to know that."
"I'm sorry." He hesitated before asking his next question. "Your…job…were you serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"…"
"I can't dance. I can't make it through college, I don't have any motivation. I'm a crappy secretary. It's all I have, Ryou. You have to understand."
"…I do. I didn't think I would but…I do."
There was another long silence before Ryou spoke again. "Do you ever stay?"
Anzu's voice, when she answered, was oddly strained. "It's not my job to stay."
"Do you ever want to stay?"
"…That's not a fair question."
"No. I suppose it's not." He looked up and saw that tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Anzu? Are you alright?"
"What?" She reached up to touch her face and realized she was crying. "Oh, god. I mean…this is so stupid…it just won't stop…"
"Shh. It's alright." He reached across the table and took her hands. "It's okay. I'm here."
They left soon after. Ryou offered to walk Anzu home and she accepted, still crying a little. The storm finally hit the city as the walked, rain pouring down in sheets. Wind whipped through the trees and lightning forked across the sky. The pair arrived at the shabby apartment building, slightly out of breath from running. They took the elevator up to the third floor and walked down the hall. Stopping in front of a door, Anzu sighed. "Well, this is it. Home sweet home." Her voice was flat and dry compared to her words in the park earlier that evening. She dug in her purse for her keys. "Thanks for walking me home. You…you didn't have to."
"I wanted to."
"Yeah. Thanks for the drinks. It was…nice…catching up. Thanks."
"No problem."
She bit her lip, hesitating. "Well…bye then."
"Yeah…bye. Anzu." He started to leave.
"…Wait."
He turned to look at her. "Do you…" Thunder drowned out her next words.
He was at her side in an instant.
- - -
It was still raining the next morning. Lightning lit the inside of the small bedroom. Ryou woke early and stared at the sleeping form of his companion. He brushed aside a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear, laughing softly as she smiled in her sleep. He silently started to dress, trying not to disturb the girl. She was a light sleeper though, and before long he felt an arm slip around his waist. Turning around, he met her eyes, brilliant blue shining with unshed tears. "Won't you stay?" she whispered.
"It's not my job to stay, Anzu." She almost wanted to hit him for using her words against her, but the feeling quickly disappeared.
"Don't you…don't you want to stay? Stay with me?"
He didn't answer. He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply.
Lovingly.
"Stay with me…" she repeated breathlessly as he lay beside her. "…Why?"
"I want to." And he kissed her again.
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Somewhere in there, at the end of it, he took a breath, a clear draught of air he felt all the way down to the depths of his lungs, and he knew that he had been holding his breath for a long time now. Three years, at least. Perhaps even longer.
-American Gods, Neil Gaiman
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Owari
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Well, there you go! Hope you enjoyed the crappy piece of fiction. Hurrah.
Notes:
{1} Kyushu is one of Japan's four main islands.
{2} I don't know much about Miho, except that Honda likes her and she kind of ignores him.
I do not like Honda that much, but I have vowed to be nice to the evil dork.
…Dammit! [checks watch] Seven minutes. Yeah! New record!
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