Lightning-Dono: Aha! Next chapter--
Jou: Bakura is tougher than I am. =(
Lightning-Dono: You're tougher than he'll ever be.
Jou: But...He ACTS tougher! I mean--the way he talks.
Lightning-Dono: You don't want to talk like him. He has language issues.
Jou: Whaddaya mean? I do, too!
Lightning-Dono: Listen closely to him sometime and you'll see what I mean. ..; And I know you do, but you don't have as much as he does. And don't follow Kaiba's example when he's mad, either. Man, that guy needs to calm down a bit!
OH! And guys...In this chapter I got rid of Jounouchi's Brooklyn accent (only present in the dub version).
SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG! After writing down a description for this fanfic in my profile, I suddenly got struck by inspiration. =P
-----
Honda stopped in mid-step and half tripped.
"What does that mean, exactly? Yami Malik CAN'T be back! You kicked his butt back at Alcatraz Tower!"
Yuugi shook his head.
"That doesn't mean he's gone for good. He'll never be gone for good, due to the fact that Bakura has access to the Shadow Realm and can bring him back anytime he wants."
"Does this explain anything?" Jounouchi scratched his head, even though his head generally didn't itch.
"Look, Bakura has his own body now. Who do you think he might've gotten it from?"
"Yami Malik?"
"Yami Malik and Bakura must've had a deal. Bakura gets him out of the Shadow Realm, he makes Bakura a fitting body."
Jounouchi shook his head.
"No wonder Mr. Psycho back there had red eyes. Must be from the fact that he couldn't make himself his own body." Jounouchi snorted rudely.
"But you all must go save Kaiba-san," the worker said, making exaggerated pain expressions on his face.
"Will do," Yuugi said lightly. "Honda, would you mind getting this guy to a safer place? This isn't the ideal place to be while you're injured."
"Okay. Up you go...anou..."
"Matsuruu."
"Matsuruu-san." Honda and the man exited the building.
"Now that that's taken care of, I suppose we should go check on Kaiba. It's not like him to kick workers out like that."
Jou started pulling faces. "What do you mean it's not like him? It's completely in his nature to do so!"
"CURSE IT TO THE SHADOWS!" Kaiba was shrieking as Yuugi and the others passed a very small, but radiantly colored, potted plant.
"Uh, does anyone have any clue what he's supposed to be 'cursing to the Shadows'?" Jou asked.
Yuugi then lost his temper, which had been growing quite thin ever since Yami had left him. "Who the heck cares?" He snapped angrily at Jounouchi, who, on instinct, lept out of the way as though he were escaping the jaws of an alligator.
"Chill out, Yuugi. I was just kidding."
"Now isn't the time to be making idiotic jokes," Anzu pointed out to him as they continued along the corridor, which was painted a cool metallic blue that gave Yuugi the impression that they were walking in a corrider made of ice.
"This guy knows how to decorate a building," Jou observed, touching the wall timidly with his fingertips.
As they walked past an office door labeled 'System Management', Kaiba just had to jiggle the doorknob angrily and strut out. Now, Kaiba was having one of those days, and the last group of people in the universe he wanted to see was one with a violet-eyed, tri-color haired rival of his; a blonde-haired inu (Otherwise known as Jounouchi); and a female who constantly preached to everyone about the importance of friendship.
"What the hell do you think you're doing inside this building?" He snarled, his gravity-defying trenchcoat spreading out around him.
"His eyes aren't blank right now...he must've been released from Malik's control," Anzu muttered into Yuugi's ear, keeping an eye on Kaiba who looked liable to explode any moment.
"Are you aware of the fact that Bakura is downstairs in one of the many rooms here listening to music, Mr. Moneybags? And very loudly, I might add? With his very own body?" Jou perked up, his mouth starting to work itself into talkative mode again.
"I don't care what he might be doing, inu. I never asked for your insight on how loud his music was playing, either."
Anzu brushed Jounouchi out of the way with her arm.
"Not you again," Kaiba growled.
"Why do you always have to say those awful things to Jounouchi? He's no worse than any of us!" Anzu shouted to Jounouchi's defense. Jounouchi was astounded by this behavior. Usually, Yuugi was the one who fended for him.
"You don't have any right to speak to me about what I can and cannot do, you whore."
Yuugi gasped. Anzu still looked quite determined and unaffected by his offending comment, but Yuugi felt that it was time that he stepped in.
"Kaiba, she never did anything to you! Is softening your heart an excuse for you to insult her?"
"And is your Yami leaving an excuse for you to get in my way? I temper is RAGING today, Yuugi, and I can't wait to take it out on something..." He gave Yuugi a death glare. "...or someone."
Yuugi straightened up. "How'd you hear about my Yami?" He felt his face turn crimson, like a kid coloring something red in a coloring book.
"Yuugi, you're known as the top duelist and you seriously think no one knows about the disappearance of your Yami? Give me a break! Even someone as hard-headed as you should know-,"
There was a shrill sounding melody playing that interrupted Kaiba.
"Oh...It's my mobile..." (A/N: I'm not sure if they call cell phones mobiles or cells in Japan, so I'll go with mobile...) Anzu fumbled around in her purse to retrieve the sapphire-colored mobile phone. She had somehow earned the money to replace the one that had been crushed by a Rare Hunter. "Hello?"
"Get Jounouchi on the line! I need to talk to him!" Honda's voice growled from the other end. It sounded like he had gone off the deep end and had went back to being a street kid.
"Right away." She handed it to Jounouchi, who looked as puzzled as everyone else. Except Kaiba.
"Why are you even going to stay here?" Yuugi mumbled to him.
"I live here, dork." Kaiba's annoyed reply caught the young boy's ears and he nodded.
Honda's angry shouting was audible to all around Jounouchi. "AND YOU! YOU WERE IRRESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO LEAVE OTOUGI HERE WITH SHIZUKA! AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING THIS WHOLE TIME!? DO YOU!!!???"
"N-No," Jounouchi answered shakily, holding the mobile inches away from his ear.
"SHE SAYS HE'S BEEN HITTING ON HER THE WHOLE TIME! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?"
"W-what?"
Kaiba snickered at the pathetic reply. Clearly, Jounouchi was turning out to be the coward he had always known him to be. Too afraid of someone on the other side of the line to tell them to stop yelling. Or fight back, for that matter.
"I'LL NEVER HAVE A CHANCE WITH HER!"
Yuugi slapped himself on the forehead. Jounouchi held back a derisive laugh.
"News flash, buddy, there's plenty of fish in the sea, as the traditional saying goes."
"THIS IS SHIZUKA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"Honda, I was never good at expressing my feelings over the phone. If you would kindly escort Otougi over here, I'll knock his lights out."
"ARIGATOU!" With that, Honda hung up with a loud clatter.
"Feh. You guys are a worthless bunch. Why I even bothered to stand here and witness this horrid spectacle is beyond me. Now you kiddies better be getting along now. I have so business to tend to." Kaiba strode past them, gathering Mokuba in a short hug at the bottom of the stairs.
"I swear, that guy makes me want to jump off several billion cliffs." Yuugi sighed depressingly. Anzu goggled at him. It wasn't like him to give in so easily to pressure.
"No, Yuugi, you should feel like punching him in the face," Anzu told him as Kaiba left the building shortly after Yuugi's last comment.
"He always puts me down. It's just..." Yuugi gave a yearning glance up towards the ceiling. "I just keep thinking about how much longer I can take his retorts and stuff...The more I think about that, the more I just want to..." Yuugi gulped. Anzu put her hands on his shoulders, which were weak.
"Yuugi, we all need you. You can't do that to us all. And you can't let Kaiba's insults get to you. You need to stay strong!"
Yuugi smiled up at his friend with dilating trust.
On the other side of Anzu, stood Jounouchi, who was leaning on the steel railing and looking down at the bottom floor, his eyes shining.
"And what's with you?" Anzu, being her nosey self, leaned over to study Jounouchi's expression carefully.
"I'm just thinking," he responded, standing up straight and stretching. He then relaxed his tensed muscles and continued, "I can't even protect my younger sister from two...guys. I mean, they're friends, but they seem to be abusing the privilege of being my friend lately. Knowing Honda's history with me, he can be pretty rough and violating. Otougi is just girl hungry, no matter how many fangirls surround him. And...I feel so bad about exposing her to these people."
Anzu frowned. "Am I the only one who isn't complentating to end it all right now?"
Yuugi turned to meet her frown with his lovely little innocent look that melted Anzu's heart everytime she saw it.
"We're not complentating anything. We're just feeling bad about ourselves and thinking how cruel life really is."
Anzu sighed in a dispirited way. Then, she took in a deep breath, like she was about to make a very big announcement that was vital to all that lived.
"Life is cruel, but no matter how hard it may seem, there are things you face that are much harder. You have to live life to the fullest because you'll never get that second chance you always hope you will."
Jounouchi turned around when he heard this.
"How can you say something like that? What kind of pain have you been through?"
The girl looked at him through those clear, azure blue eyes.
"Actually, Jounouchi, I've been through more than you know of."
"Like what?"
"My my mom and dad died when I was twelve. My mom fell ill one day and died. My heartbroken father died soon after by killing himself. Ever since then, I've been living with my aunt and uncle. What I just told you a while I ago is what I learned as a lesson in life. Remember it."
-----
I just kind of sat there and made up Anzu's past, because as far as I know, there's really nothing in the anime or manga that says anything about her past. And I didn't want her to become some Mary-Sue, even if she's not my character. Yes, Anzu had a pretty harsh past that pretty much led her to nagging everyone to realize the light in friendship and such. =)
And I'm also getting the fearsome idea that people DON'T APPRECIATE THIS FANFIC ANYMORE. If no one reviews this fanfic within 4 days of this chapter's posting, I'll draw it to a close in the next chapter. Or discontinue it. Thank you for understanding, guys, and I hope you make the best choice because I have much in store for this fanfic in the future!
Jou: Bakura is tougher than I am. =(
Lightning-Dono: You're tougher than he'll ever be.
Jou: But...He ACTS tougher! I mean--the way he talks.
Lightning-Dono: You don't want to talk like him. He has language issues.
Jou: Whaddaya mean? I do, too!
Lightning-Dono: Listen closely to him sometime and you'll see what I mean. ..; And I know you do, but you don't have as much as he does. And don't follow Kaiba's example when he's mad, either. Man, that guy needs to calm down a bit!
OH! And guys...In this chapter I got rid of Jounouchi's Brooklyn accent (only present in the dub version).
SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG! After writing down a description for this fanfic in my profile, I suddenly got struck by inspiration. =P
-----
Honda stopped in mid-step and half tripped.
"What does that mean, exactly? Yami Malik CAN'T be back! You kicked his butt back at Alcatraz Tower!"
Yuugi shook his head.
"That doesn't mean he's gone for good. He'll never be gone for good, due to the fact that Bakura has access to the Shadow Realm and can bring him back anytime he wants."
"Does this explain anything?" Jounouchi scratched his head, even though his head generally didn't itch.
"Look, Bakura has his own body now. Who do you think he might've gotten it from?"
"Yami Malik?"
"Yami Malik and Bakura must've had a deal. Bakura gets him out of the Shadow Realm, he makes Bakura a fitting body."
Jounouchi shook his head.
"No wonder Mr. Psycho back there had red eyes. Must be from the fact that he couldn't make himself his own body." Jounouchi snorted rudely.
"But you all must go save Kaiba-san," the worker said, making exaggerated pain expressions on his face.
"Will do," Yuugi said lightly. "Honda, would you mind getting this guy to a safer place? This isn't the ideal place to be while you're injured."
"Okay. Up you go...anou..."
"Matsuruu."
"Matsuruu-san." Honda and the man exited the building.
"Now that that's taken care of, I suppose we should go check on Kaiba. It's not like him to kick workers out like that."
Jou started pulling faces. "What do you mean it's not like him? It's completely in his nature to do so!"
"CURSE IT TO THE SHADOWS!" Kaiba was shrieking as Yuugi and the others passed a very small, but radiantly colored, potted plant.
"Uh, does anyone have any clue what he's supposed to be 'cursing to the Shadows'?" Jou asked.
Yuugi then lost his temper, which had been growing quite thin ever since Yami had left him. "Who the heck cares?" He snapped angrily at Jounouchi, who, on instinct, lept out of the way as though he were escaping the jaws of an alligator.
"Chill out, Yuugi. I was just kidding."
"Now isn't the time to be making idiotic jokes," Anzu pointed out to him as they continued along the corridor, which was painted a cool metallic blue that gave Yuugi the impression that they were walking in a corrider made of ice.
"This guy knows how to decorate a building," Jou observed, touching the wall timidly with his fingertips.
As they walked past an office door labeled 'System Management', Kaiba just had to jiggle the doorknob angrily and strut out. Now, Kaiba was having one of those days, and the last group of people in the universe he wanted to see was one with a violet-eyed, tri-color haired rival of his; a blonde-haired inu (Otherwise known as Jounouchi); and a female who constantly preached to everyone about the importance of friendship.
"What the hell do you think you're doing inside this building?" He snarled, his gravity-defying trenchcoat spreading out around him.
"His eyes aren't blank right now...he must've been released from Malik's control," Anzu muttered into Yuugi's ear, keeping an eye on Kaiba who looked liable to explode any moment.
"Are you aware of the fact that Bakura is downstairs in one of the many rooms here listening to music, Mr. Moneybags? And very loudly, I might add? With his very own body?" Jou perked up, his mouth starting to work itself into talkative mode again.
"I don't care what he might be doing, inu. I never asked for your insight on how loud his music was playing, either."
Anzu brushed Jounouchi out of the way with her arm.
"Not you again," Kaiba growled.
"Why do you always have to say those awful things to Jounouchi? He's no worse than any of us!" Anzu shouted to Jounouchi's defense. Jounouchi was astounded by this behavior. Usually, Yuugi was the one who fended for him.
"You don't have any right to speak to me about what I can and cannot do, you whore."
Yuugi gasped. Anzu still looked quite determined and unaffected by his offending comment, but Yuugi felt that it was time that he stepped in.
"Kaiba, she never did anything to you! Is softening your heart an excuse for you to insult her?"
"And is your Yami leaving an excuse for you to get in my way? I temper is RAGING today, Yuugi, and I can't wait to take it out on something..." He gave Yuugi a death glare. "...or someone."
Yuugi straightened up. "How'd you hear about my Yami?" He felt his face turn crimson, like a kid coloring something red in a coloring book.
"Yuugi, you're known as the top duelist and you seriously think no one knows about the disappearance of your Yami? Give me a break! Even someone as hard-headed as you should know-,"
There was a shrill sounding melody playing that interrupted Kaiba.
"Oh...It's my mobile..." (A/N: I'm not sure if they call cell phones mobiles or cells in Japan, so I'll go with mobile...) Anzu fumbled around in her purse to retrieve the sapphire-colored mobile phone. She had somehow earned the money to replace the one that had been crushed by a Rare Hunter. "Hello?"
"Get Jounouchi on the line! I need to talk to him!" Honda's voice growled from the other end. It sounded like he had gone off the deep end and had went back to being a street kid.
"Right away." She handed it to Jounouchi, who looked as puzzled as everyone else. Except Kaiba.
"Why are you even going to stay here?" Yuugi mumbled to him.
"I live here, dork." Kaiba's annoyed reply caught the young boy's ears and he nodded.
Honda's angry shouting was audible to all around Jounouchi. "AND YOU! YOU WERE IRRESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO LEAVE OTOUGI HERE WITH SHIZUKA! AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING THIS WHOLE TIME!? DO YOU!!!???"
"N-No," Jounouchi answered shakily, holding the mobile inches away from his ear.
"SHE SAYS HE'S BEEN HITTING ON HER THE WHOLE TIME! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?"
"W-what?"
Kaiba snickered at the pathetic reply. Clearly, Jounouchi was turning out to be the coward he had always known him to be. Too afraid of someone on the other side of the line to tell them to stop yelling. Or fight back, for that matter.
"I'LL NEVER HAVE A CHANCE WITH HER!"
Yuugi slapped himself on the forehead. Jounouchi held back a derisive laugh.
"News flash, buddy, there's plenty of fish in the sea, as the traditional saying goes."
"THIS IS SHIZUKA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"Honda, I was never good at expressing my feelings over the phone. If you would kindly escort Otougi over here, I'll knock his lights out."
"ARIGATOU!" With that, Honda hung up with a loud clatter.
"Feh. You guys are a worthless bunch. Why I even bothered to stand here and witness this horrid spectacle is beyond me. Now you kiddies better be getting along now. I have so business to tend to." Kaiba strode past them, gathering Mokuba in a short hug at the bottom of the stairs.
"I swear, that guy makes me want to jump off several billion cliffs." Yuugi sighed depressingly. Anzu goggled at him. It wasn't like him to give in so easily to pressure.
"No, Yuugi, you should feel like punching him in the face," Anzu told him as Kaiba left the building shortly after Yuugi's last comment.
"He always puts me down. It's just..." Yuugi gave a yearning glance up towards the ceiling. "I just keep thinking about how much longer I can take his retorts and stuff...The more I think about that, the more I just want to..." Yuugi gulped. Anzu put her hands on his shoulders, which were weak.
"Yuugi, we all need you. You can't do that to us all. And you can't let Kaiba's insults get to you. You need to stay strong!"
Yuugi smiled up at his friend with dilating trust.
On the other side of Anzu, stood Jounouchi, who was leaning on the steel railing and looking down at the bottom floor, his eyes shining.
"And what's with you?" Anzu, being her nosey self, leaned over to study Jounouchi's expression carefully.
"I'm just thinking," he responded, standing up straight and stretching. He then relaxed his tensed muscles and continued, "I can't even protect my younger sister from two...guys. I mean, they're friends, but they seem to be abusing the privilege of being my friend lately. Knowing Honda's history with me, he can be pretty rough and violating. Otougi is just girl hungry, no matter how many fangirls surround him. And...I feel so bad about exposing her to these people."
Anzu frowned. "Am I the only one who isn't complentating to end it all right now?"
Yuugi turned to meet her frown with his lovely little innocent look that melted Anzu's heart everytime she saw it.
"We're not complentating anything. We're just feeling bad about ourselves and thinking how cruel life really is."
Anzu sighed in a dispirited way. Then, she took in a deep breath, like she was about to make a very big announcement that was vital to all that lived.
"Life is cruel, but no matter how hard it may seem, there are things you face that are much harder. You have to live life to the fullest because you'll never get that second chance you always hope you will."
Jounouchi turned around when he heard this.
"How can you say something like that? What kind of pain have you been through?"
The girl looked at him through those clear, azure blue eyes.
"Actually, Jounouchi, I've been through more than you know of."
"Like what?"
"My my mom and dad died when I was twelve. My mom fell ill one day and died. My heartbroken father died soon after by killing himself. Ever since then, I've been living with my aunt and uncle. What I just told you a while I ago is what I learned as a lesson in life. Remember it."
-----
I just kind of sat there and made up Anzu's past, because as far as I know, there's really nothing in the anime or manga that says anything about her past. And I didn't want her to become some Mary-Sue, even if she's not my character. Yes, Anzu had a pretty harsh past that pretty much led her to nagging everyone to realize the light in friendship and such. =)
And I'm also getting the fearsome idea that people DON'T APPRECIATE THIS FANFIC ANYMORE. If no one reviews this fanfic within 4 days of this chapter's posting, I'll draw it to a close in the next chapter. Or discontinue it. Thank you for understanding, guys, and I hope you make the best choice because I have much in store for this fanfic in the future!