Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh.
Well, Third Half of the Wishbone has been updated. Also, Demented Insane Spirit and I are working on an Ancient Egypt fic, so be on the lookout for that, too (XD). However, it will be on DIS's account, so go put her on Author Alert! Lol. Also, you should check out her stories! They're AWESOME!
The rating of this fic might go up in later chapters (just to warn you now); because the characters are much older, they've developed a more mature persona. There will be a little Yugi-Rebecca action in the beginning (sweat-drop), and other character pairings will follow suit.
I'm only going to put the character profiles in the first few chapters during in which time I will be introducing the "changed" characters. (;P) Here they are, the stars of this fic:
Anzu Mazaki (25) – a young woman who yearns to find somebody special, but fate keeps dealing her the wrong hand
Malik Ishtar (25) – he comes to visit his sister in Domino and runs into Anzu
Serenity Wheeler (22) – owner of a bakery and has a baby boy
Joey Wheeler (25) – works voluntarily at a children's hospital teaching sick kids how to play Duel Monsters
Mai Kujaku (28) – Joey's wife; she works for Industrial Illusions and has one son
Tristan Taylor (25) – married to Serenity and works for a real-estate company
Otogi Ryugi (25) – Pegasus's partner and maker of Dungeon Dice Monsters
Rebecca Hopkins (21) – married to Yugi; they'll have their first child in about nine months
Yugi Muto (25) – works for Kaiba Corp (one of Seto's most trusted advisors)
Yami Muto (25) – inherited the Kame Game Shop after Grandpa died; is married to Vivien with two children
Ryou Hitori (25) ((made up his last name since Bakura is his brother's name)) – works in an ice cream shop and is married to Miho
Bakura Hitori (25) – works at the Domino Museum and is Anzu's best friend; he used to be the leader of a gang of thieves before the police had caught them (luckily they hadn't been jailed)
Seto Kaiba (27) – CEO of Kaiba Corp and is married to Isis
Mokuba Kaiba (21) – works in Serenity's bakery alongside Anzu
Isis Ishtar (28) – married to Seto with two children and runs the Domino Museum
Miho Nozaka (25) ((from YuGiOh! the manga)) – married to Ryou and has one daughter
Vivien Wong (27) ((from YuGiOh! Grand Prix Tournament…)) – runs the game shop with her husband and takes care of the kids; she really has changed over the years
Note: This is an AU fic. The YGO gang has never met Malik, although they might have met of Isis. Bakura and Ryou are separate people, and so are Yugi and Yami. Uh, there are no such things as Millennium Items, and Bakura/Ryou and Yugi/Yami are brothers. There is no Marik (Yami Malik). Some characters maybe a little OOC… or way OOC (like Vivien), but take into consideration that they've done some growing-up.
Blue Mystery: Lol. Merry Christmas to you too. Lol. I'm just now updating…
animeaddict99: here's your update!
DojomistressAmbyChan: I didn't say exactly when… just like a few years ago. So it's been like 2 or 3 years since her parents died.
EvilChick87: Don't worry; I'll read your fic!
Summary: Christmas is approaching, and Domino City is once again crowded with shoppers and family gatherings. Too bad Anzu Mazaki doesn't have any family to celebrate with. One day she bumps into a foreigner named Malik Ishtar, who is the brother of Seto Kaiba's wife Isis. The two start to see each other frequently, and one thing leads to another. Maybe this Christmas won't be lonely after all…
Malik x Anzu centered; other pairings include Serenity/Tristan, Yugi/Rebecca, Ryou/Miho, Seto/Isis, Yami/Vivien
Stille Nacht
By: Chi Yagami
Chapter Two – Serendipity
Rebecca closed the apartment door and hung up her coat, hat, and scarf. She set the baby carrier down on her bed and looked around. As soon as one came into the apartment, Rebecca and Yugi's bedroom was on the left. A giant area to the right consisted of a kitchen and dining table. A large wall separated the kitchen and den (which was behind the kitchen). Next to the den was the study (or soon-to-be-baby-room), and the 'hallway' that the front door was connected to also linked to the study and another 'corridor'. Down that particular one (which was behind their bedroom) was the bathroom and a small closet. Their home wasn't much, but it was all that they wanted. They didn't need a large house, even if they could afford it.
She took off her cold, moist garments and threw them into the hamper. Rebecca pulled on a pair of warm, light blue sweatpants and a yellow spaghetti-strap top. She walked lazily into the kitchen and pulled out some hot chocolate mix. As she was pouring the hot mixture into a Santa cup, Rebecca thought she heard the shuffling of feat. But that couldn't be right… it was too early in December for her husband to be let out of school. She had finished college early back when she was a teen, but he was still a senior. She plopped two marshmallows into her drink and flopped into the den.
"Yugi!" she exclaimed, setting the mug down on the coffee table. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school until the twentieth?"
He turned around and grinned at her. Yugi looked exactly the same as he always had; even his eyes were still childlike. He was currently trying to string lights onto the tree, but he wasn't having much success. The lights lay skew on the floor, and he was sitting next to a large pile of dead bulbs.
"I am… but they told me I could finish my work at home," he replied. "I already took my midterms."
"Oh."
Rebecca joined him on the floor and began to mess with the burnt-out group. Yugi wasn't looking, so she began trying to pull random strings out of the pile. When he turned around, he found his wife going to war with a dead army.
"Rebecca! No! I had just sorted those out!"
"Oops," she apologized. "I'm sorry, sweetie; I didn't know."
She tried to help him, but instead Yugi got tangled in a bunch of lights. She giggled and threw some more on his head. He smirked and Rebecca knew that her fun was over. He lunged at her, his hands tickling her stomach. She squirmed in discomfort and tried to weasel out of his grasp. She started falling over and grabbed his collar.
"If I'm going down, you're coming with me!"
She fell backwards, Yugi crashing down on her stomach. His hands flew out and he pushed himself into a more comfortable position. She looked up at him; he was lying on top of her, his nose inches above hers.
"Why don't you wear contacts?" he asked, removing her glasses and placing them next to her drink.
"I don't like the way they feel," Rebecca replied. Yugi leaned down and kissed her. They still loved toying around with each other; they'd have to stop when the baby arrived, though.
"But I can't see your beautiful eyes when you wear them," he said, kissing her cheek. Yugi nuzzled her neck and held her close. She flinched when his tongue rested on her skin, but she relaxed after a while. He began to fool with her spaghetti strap, and he looked into her eyes longingly before licking her ear.
"Yugi," she moaned, "now is not the time…"
"We never have time anymore," he argued. She tried to sit up, but Rebecca was trapped under his body. He'd gotten a bit taller, but everyone else still loomed over him. She cocked her head to the side as he fingered her pant string.
"How about a compromise?" she offered. He gave her a sideways-glance but nodded.
"You let me take care of the baby during the day, and as soon as Serenity's got Ethan back, I'm all yours," Rebecca said, putting the idea out on the table. He frowned; he wouldn't be able to play with her until seven thirty? It seemed quite unfair…
"Fine," Yugi agreed, and she sighed. "But on one condition."
"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You won't wear your glasses tonight," he said, nipping at her neck. She gasped out and frowned. He'd promised… figures… men… She moaned and twisted her neck a little. Yugi sucked on her skin possessively and smirked. No one would've thought little Yugi had it in him, but after years of hanging out with Joey and watching R-rated movies… Rebecca heard the baby cry out suddenly.
"Honey," she complained, wincing as he shifted his position, "Ethan needs me…"
"Alright, alright," he said, licking her lips. She shot him a warning look as she climbed out from under him. She ran into the bedroom and pulled the baby out of his bedding. Rebecca rocked him softly in her arms until he just looked at her, drool forming at his mouth. She smiled when he grabbed a strand of her hair. She gingerly placed her fingers on the spot were his teeth had pierced her skin. Yugi leaned on the doorframe, watching his wife. It would be wonderful once they had a baby of their own, although he'd miss the alone time.
"Just remember," he said in a low tone, "you're mine tonight."
Mokuba entered the game shop carrying a small parcel. He watched as two twins chased each other around the shop and up and down the stairs. He chuckled and approached the counter where Yami was busy restocking the Duel Monsters card supply.
"Hello Mokuba," he said, looking up as the young boy set the box of pastries down on the glass countertop.
"Hey," he replied. Mokuba's hair was shoulder-length now, and he was wearing his work jacket. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail that stuck out of the hole in his baseball cap, and his card-shaped necklace still hung around his neck.
"Your wife ordered half a dozen donuts?" he asked pulling out a clipboard and collecting envelope. Yami nodded. The older Muto brother had kept most of his teen features, but he had changed a bit. He signed the paper and gave Mokuba a check. He tipped his hat and went outside, riding away on his delivery bike.
"Darling," Yami called up the stairs, "your donuts are here."
"DONUTS!" the two five-year-olds cried. Vivian smiled and shook her head.
"For later," she told them. "Right now, why don't you two come help Mommy make Christmas decorations?"
"Sure," Aryka said happily. She loved helping her mom do stuff; it made her feel important. Aaron, however, made a face of disgust.
"I don't wanna do craft," he whined. "I wanna stay with Papa!"
"I have work to do, Aaron," Yami said. "Why don't you go help Mommy? Please? I'll let you help me later; I promise."
"Oh-kay," the little boy sighed as he followed his mother and sister upstairs.
The three sat down near the tree and got to work. Vivian cut paper angels since the kids couldn't be trusted with scissors, Aryka strung popcorn and hung it on the tree, and Aaron made holiday cards for all of his classmates.
"Are Uncle Joey and Aunt Mai coming over for Christmas?" Aryka asked.
"I think so, but don't be sad if they can't make it," her mother replied.
"I hope they come; I wanna play with Cody," Aaron said. "I've got no one to play with."
"Aryka plays with you," Vivian said, cutting a blue bell out.
"No. She plays with Sakura and Kyumi," he replied.
"It's funner with girls than you," Aryka replied.
"Ayrka, 'funner' is not a word. We say 'more fun'."
"It is in my dishonary."
"Oi! Wake up, you!"
Ryou sprang up from his seat, scooper in hand. "Hello and welcome to Marble Slab. Would you like to try our Monday special? It's a triple scooper topped with three cherries followed by the regular sundae toppings…"
His boss frowned and narrowed his eyes. Then Mr. Juhen burst out laughing; Ryou gave a 'hahaha that's so funny I forgot to laugh' look before sitting back down. The ice cream shop was pretty dead so far. Ryou twirled around on the bar seat to make sure Anita was washing the dishes. She smiled and pointed at him. He gave a puzzled look before realizing she was pointing to behind him. He twisted around to see two people entering the store. He quickly flipped on his triangular hat and picked up the scooper.
"Hello and welcome to Marble Slab. Would you like to try our Monday special? It's a triple scooper topped with three cherries followed by the regular sundae toppings and an option of peaches or bananas," Ryou said to the man standing in front of the counter. The man blinked a few times before pointing at the menu.
"Last time I checked," the blonde man said slowly, "today was Tuesday…"
Eyes bugging and cheeks flushed, Ryou scanned the calendar to find that, indeed, it was Tuesday. Trying not to look embarrassed, he asked the man what he wanted.
"Oh, nothing for me, thanks," he said. "Sakura, what do you want?"
Ryou peered over the counter to see Sakura, Kaiba's daughter, looking up at him. "Hey Sakura. The usual?"
"Yeah!" she said. "Hello Uncle Ryou! Where's Kyumi?"
"She's at home right now," the albino said while preparing a cookies-and-cream scoop. "Who's this you're with?"
"This is my Uncle Mawik," she said proudly.
"Hello," Malik said. "You know Sakura?"
"Yeah. My daughter and she are good friends," Ryou explained, handing Sakura her ice cream. "Although I knew her parents long before that. I still can't believe Kaiba's got two kids running around…"
"You know Isis?" Malik asked. "I'm her brother; I flew in from Egypt for the holidays."
"Ah, so you're Malik? I've heard about you."
"Uhh, excuse me for being rude," Malik said, "but you look kind of familiar. Do you work at the museum?"
"No… but my brother does. He works with your sister. His name's Bakura," he replied. Malik nodded.
"I met him."
Suddenly, Ryou's cell phone went off. He pulled it out and opened it.
"Hello?"
Malik watched as Ryou's face turned from happy to puzzled to serious to worried.
"Uh-huh… yeah… sure! Hold on, okay? It'll be fine; I'll be right over after I tell Anita. Bye."
Ryou snapped the phone shut and stuck his head into the kitchen.
"Anita, I gotta run! There's something wrong at the bakery! I'll be back!" he shouted. "Hey, Malik, sorry about this, but my friend needs help. I'll see you around?"
"What kind of help?" Malik asked. "I'll come with you."
Ryou stopped halfway out the door and turned to him. "Well… leave Sakura here then; Anita will watch after her."
"Sakura, you're going to stay here, okay?" Malik told his niece. "Anita will give you ice cream."
Malik told her he'd be back to pay for the ice cream, and the two boys were gone.
Well, how was that? Sorry it was shorter than the 1st chapter, but I had to finish it today because this week I'm grounded… (;;;) Well, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Please review! Sayonara!