Chapter 13

Surf's Up, Dude!

Things were finally getting back to normal amongst their small group. Honda and Joey were up to their normal high jinks and Yugi and Anna were more comfortable around each other. The laughter was back, to the relief of everyone.

"We should all do something this weekend. Why let this beautiful weather go to waste." Anzu asked the group.

"Yeah! We haven't done anything really cool in a while." Added Joey.

"Hey, it's been forever since we went to the beach, why don't we go there?" Everyone seemed to like Honda's idea except for Anna.

"Beach? I thought we were inland?" Anna questioned his thought process.

"It's about an hour and half away; we normally take a bus." Explained Yugi.

"You bus to the beach?"

"Sure, you put your swimsuit on under your normal clothes, and you take a few bags, and boom, you're there!" Joey was getting really excited about the idea.

"What do you say?" Anzu pleaded to Anna who was the only hold out. "It will be fun."

"Okay, if that's what you want to do."

"Oh yeah! This is gonna be great! Hotdogs on the boardwalk, arcades, not to mention the hot chicks in bikinis." Joey and Honda started making a list of all the stuff they were going to do. Anna figured if anything, these two would be fun to watch.

Thursday's visit to Seto garnered her two surprises. Walking into his office she immediately noticed a new addition to the room.

"Is that a couch?"

"Well, I can't have you sitting on my desk, now can I?"

Anna walked over and sat down on it, testing its firmness. It was quite comfortable. "Nice..."

The other surprise was when Seto started sneezing. He had a box of tissues on his desk and was making use of them.

"Are you feeling okay?" Anna inquired.

"I think I caught a cold," Seto said with a sniffle.

"Ya know, I have a sure fire cure for that." Anna walked over to his desk. "And the first thing you need to do is take it easy." She pressed down on the lid of his laptop, closing it. He wasn't happy that she did that, but he was done with his work anyways. "Come on, let's go. I'll make you some tea."

Seto wasn't in the habit of taking orders, but he followed her instructions. They went down to the apartment, Seto got changed out of his business clothes into casual wear, and Anna wandered into the kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later with a cup. She handed it to Seto who was sitting in the side chair nursing his runny nose.

"My father always said that you could cure anything with hot ginger tea."

Seto tried to smell it, but his nose was too clogged, so he took tiny sips.

"And here," Anna presented Seto with a small pill.

Seto brushed it away, "I don't like drugs."

"It's not a drug; its Vitamin C." Seto under protest took his pill and drank his tea.

Through out the evening Anna tried not to treat Seto like a patient. She knew that he wouldn't like that one bit, but she did make sure that he was on the path to recovery before she left that night.

The five friends exited the bus and walked down the street to the oceanfront. As soon as the beach came into sight Joey and Honda took off in a mad dash for the sand. They found a place on the beach, dropped the gear they were carrying, peeled off their outer clothes and jumped full force into the water, whooping and hollering all the way. The others made their way to the spot where Joey and Honda had abandoned their clothes and stuff, and began to make camp. Yugi was helping, but the lure of Joey and Honda's jovial cries was getting the better of him. Anna noticed how much Yugi wanted to join the others and she encouraged him to go while she and Anzu finished setting up. Yugi plunged into the water and the three boys started splashing and dunking each other. Amid all the horseplay, suddenly Joey stopped and became very silent.

"Yugi?" Yugi and Honda stopped to see what Joey wanted. "You are the luckiest guy I know."

Yugi and Honda turned to see what Joey was staring at on shore. Their eyes about popped out of their heads. There was Anna removing her t-shirt and shorts, which Yugi thought on the bus were already too short, to reveal a skimpy black bikini. None of them had ever seen her in so little attire.

"Wow! She's got a great rack." Honda said almost in a trance.

"Hey!" Yugi said in protest

"Sorry, I..." Honda didn't realize what he said. He stumbled over his words, "Oo, uh, well; it's right there, how could I not notice."

"He's got a point, she is flashing it." Joey tried to defend Honda's words.

Yugi knew they were right, that outfit was too revealing, and he headed for shore to do something about it.

Honda looked at Joey, "I can't believe I said that out loud."

"You kissed my sister with that mouth?"

Honda shrugged.

"Ah, it's okay," Joey added. "I wasn't looking at her rack."

Yugi stormed out of the water and up the beach. Anna was sitting on a lounge chair and applying suntan lotion.

"Anzu, could you give us a minute?" Yugi asked Anzu politely. Anzu knew what this conversation was going to be about. She was also shocked at what Anna was wearing. Anzu headed down to the water and left them to talk.

"Anna, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, but sit down, if don't put some lotion on, you're going to get sunburned."

Yugi sat on the end of the lounge chair and Anna scooted up behind him. Anna rubbed the lotion onto his back and shoulders, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"We, I mean... I couldn't help but notice what you were wearing."

"This old thing? I haven't worn it in years."

"Maybe that's the problem. Perhaps it's a little too small for you?"

Anna stopped rubbing his shoulders, "Are you saying I'm exposing myself?"

"Well, there are lots of guys looking at you..."

"And that bothers you?" Anna resumed applying the lotion, but she turned it into a massage more than a rub.

"Frankly, yes."

"Listen Yugi, I work hard to look like this. I eat right; I go to the gym, and I not afraid to show it off."

"But I don't like...them looking." Yugi was being effected by Anna's massage.

"I do this for myself. But the only person I have to impress is you." Anna wrapped her arms around Yugi and whispered in his ear, "don't you like the way I look?"

Yugi took a deep breath; Anna had never been this close to him before, and definitely not wearing so little. "You look great. Better than great."

Anna kissed Yugi on the cheek, "Thank you." She released her hold on him and scooted back to her original position on the chair. Yugi turned slightly to look at her. She put on her sunglasses and smiled at him. Yugi was weak in the knees, he wasn't sure if he would be able to stand.

It took a moment for him to regain his composure. "Do you want to go swimming?"

"I think I'll stay here for now. You go have some fun."

Yugi headed down to the water, hoping desperately that his swim trunks weren't bulging in an obvious place. He rejoined the others and Joey immediately drew him away to talk to him in private.

"So what did you say to her?"

"I think she's fine...dressed like that." Yugi said timidly.

"She got to you didn't she?"

"She's very persuasive."

A couple of hours past and Anna still hadn't gone into the water, so the group tried to talk her into it.

"Come on Anna, the water is great." Yugi started.

"No thank you."

"You can't go to the beach and not go in the water." Joey complained.

"It's no different from swimming in the Nile." Honda added.

Anna peered at him over her sunglasses; "The Nile is full of pollution, crocodiles and hippos. No one swims in the Nile."

"I think we are missing something-here guys." Anzu had a revelation. "I think there is a big reason that she won't go in the water. Fess up, what is it?"

"If you must know..." Anna scanned their faces. "I have seen 'Jaws" way too many times to go in that water."

"The movie?" Joey just looked dumb-founded.

"There are fish out there, and some have really big teeth."

"We don't have sharks around here." Yugi quietly laughed at her.

"It's the Pacific Ocean, Yugi." Anna pointed. "There are hundreds of thousands of sharks out there. And most people who get killed by sharks are attacked in less than three feet of water and only ten feet from shore." Everyone could see that she was dead serious.

"You really hate sharks?" Yugi asked.

"No, I love sharks; I just don't want to share the same water with them."

Knowing that it was a lost cause, they decided to let Anna stay where she was. But after that, they were all a little more apprehensive about going back into the water.

Lunch was served out a basket that Anna and Anzu packed. Knowing Joey and Honda's appetites they made sure to make extra. After lunch, while everyone else was crashed out at base camp, Anna decided it was a good time to take a walk. She mainly wanted to get away from the group so she could check her blood sugar and get her injection. She still hadn't told Yugi about her diabetes. She wasn't she why she hadn't. Besides, she had it under control. As she walked up the beach her mind started to wander. She thought of Seto. She hoped that he was feeling better, she felt guilty that she was off having fun and he was probably miserable. But when she called yesterday he said he was fine, he even sounded better over the phone. So perhaps it wasn't as bad as she feared.

She wasn't walking very fast so Yugi was able to catch up with her. But when he came along side her, Anna knew it wasn't Yugi, it was the Pharaoh.

"All this sand remind you of home?" Anna asked him.

"I wish I could remember home."

"It's hot and dry, and the sand gets everywhere."

"You remember more of our past?" Anna thought it was interesting that he referred to it as 'our past' and no longer as 'his past'.

"No, but I can't imagine Egypt has change that much in three thousand years."

"Do you miss Egypt?"

"I miss the life I had there with my parents, but I don't miss the country."

The Pharaoh fell silent. He wasn't sure what to say to her next. Lucky for him, she spoke first.

"I went back to the museum."

"You did?" Pharaoh and Yugi both thought she would never set foot in there again.

"I went to the research department and asked for the provenance of that wall carving." She noticed Pharaoh didn't quite understand what she had said. "The provenance is the history of an artifact. Where it came from, who owned it previously, stuff like that. I'm hoping that we can get a full translation of the hieroglyphics. Maybe that will help unravel some of the puzzle."

Pharaoh was greatly pleased that Anna was taking an interest in their past. He was afraid that she would shut him out completely after what happened. "Do you think it will help?"

"It couldn't hurt."

Although a male of the species now accompanied her, it didn't deter men on the beach from gawking at Anna. After a few loud and suggestive whistles Pharaoh had to ask. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"It used to bother me, but now it's kinda fun."

"Fun to be treated like an object? Something men think they can do with as they please."

"That's strange coming from you."

"Why do you say that?" Pharaoh was confused and little angry.

"You're a king. You had thousands of slaves and servants at your disposal. People you could do with as you pleased."

"I may have had slaves, but there is no proof I treated them badly. Besides, I didn't force you to marry me, I asked you."

"You asked Anck-su-namun, not me. And what was she supposed to say? No thanks. You were Pharaoh, a god on Earth, and no one denies Pharaoh."

Anna's words struck home. Did he force Anck-su-namun to marry him against her will? It couldn't be like that. Something from his past had to have sparks these feelings he had for her. And what is to say that they didn't fall in love?

Before he knew it they had returned to the spot on the beach where the others were. While they were talking Anna had cleverly turned them around and headed back. She didn't want to spend too much time with Pharaoh. He was so distracted that he didn't realize what she had done until it was too late.

The boys eventually wandered off the local arcade and the girls continued manning the post. Anzu's curiosity was up.

"So what did Yugi have to say about your outfit? He didn't look too happy." Anzu asked from the neighboring lounge chair.

"He hated it, of course. But he just had to deal with it. Besides, I wore less than this on beaches in France and Italy."

"Less?" Anzu wondered how you could wear less than what she was in now.

"Yeah, they have nude beaches in Europe."

Anzu was shocked. "You were on a nude beach? Were you naked?"

"It's kind of a requirement." Anna said calmly.

Anzu's mind started racing. "So everyone was looking at you?"

"Everyone's nude, so you don't really stand out. And believe me, there were girls there that were a lot prettier and better endowed than me. I don't think I turned any heads."

"But there are guys there, right?...Ones that aren't too hard on the eyes."

Anna knew what Anzu was hinting at. "There were some...good size men there. But most of them were egotistical jerks. They were just there to show off or hook up. But mostly what you see are older men, who should be covering up their goods. Like around here when you get these old guys who try to squeeze their big butts in tiny Speedos."

"Like him?" Just then, as if on cue, a rather large man walked by wearing a very unflattering bikini type shorts. Anna and Anzu held their breaths trying not to laugh. He noticed they were looking at him and he winked at them. As soon as he got out of earshot they let out a simultaneous "Ooooo, yuck!" Followed by roaring laughter.

Although Anna had caused Anzu much heartache when it came to Yugi, she was still glad to have her company. It was impossible to talk to the boys about some things, especially girl issues. And Anna gave her an outlet to do that. And Anna was a world traveler. She had heard and seen things that Anzu had only read about in books or heard in passing rumor. Who else could give her the scoop about nude beaches? Life wasn't dull around Anna.

A while went by since the boys left and Mr. Speedo walked by. Anzu had decided to sun bathe and Anna was reading a magazine. Suddenly a spray of sand hit Anna's legs as a stray volleyball landed near her chair. A gorgeous blonde man approached her.

"Excuse me, I'm terribly sorry" the man said in French as he retrieved the ball.

"It's no problem at all." Anna replied in French.

"You speak French?" The man was shocked, he didn't expect to meet anyone in Japan that spoke French.

"I used to live in France."

"Where?"

"Near Burgundy."

Anzu watched as they two of them conversed. She couldn't understand what was being said, but she was pretty sure that Anna introduced herself. The man took her hand and kissed the back of it. A moment later another man came up behind him, probably wondering what was taking his friend so long to get the volleyball back. He took one look and knew what the delay was. Anzu couldn't believe it, there were two! They were both buff, muscular, tan, and hansom. The blonde introduced the second man to Anna. Anzu didn't want to be left out so she cleared her throat slightly to remind Anna she was there.

Anna turned to her. "Oops, sorry, where are my manners."

Anna exchanged everyone's names and the second man; the brunette came over and sat down on the end of Anzu's chair. He said something in French, probably a greeting, and kissed her hand, very slowly, gently. Anzu was hoping she wasn't blushing too much.

The three boys had left the arcade and were making their way back to the beach. They were each declaring their prowess and ability in conquering some video game when their feet touched the sand near their base camp. Honda and Joey weren't paying too much attention, but Yugi immediately saw what was going on.

"Who are those guys with Anna and Anzu?" Yugi was staring at the two men sitting dangerously close to the girls.

By the time Honda and Joey stopped and looked, Yugi was halfway across the beach. He halted right in front of Anna so she would be sure to see him.

Anna smiled and told the man in French, "This is my fiancée, Yugi."

"This?" He replied in French. "You are a beautiful, vibrant woman; you need a man who can satisfy you. Not some little boy."

Anna gave him a slight smile. "I think I know what it is I need."

When Honda and Joey appeared the two men knew it was time to take their leave. The blonde man kissed both of Anna's hands and said his good-byes. The brunette kissed the back of Anzu's hand, then turned it over and kissed her wrist. Anzu didn't have any clue what this guy had been saying to her over the past few minutes, but she didn't care. He was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. The men departed and Anzu repositioned herself in the chair to watch them leave.

"What was that?" Yugi demanded. He was extremely angry.

Anzu turned around, took a deep breath and answered, "Olympic bronze medallists in volleyball."

"They're here for the World Championships this week." Anna replied calmly.

Anna acted like it was no big deal, and when Yugi pushed her on the subject she didn't feel any need to defend herself. She didn't do anything wrong.

After what just happened it was decided that it was best to pack up and leave. Yugi was tired of guys staring, whistling, and making moves on his fiancee. Anzu dragged Anna away from the boys who were packing so she could talk to her alone.

"Please tell you know what that guy said to me." Anzu pleaded.

"Well, I didn't hear it all, but I'm pretty sure he was propositioning you."

"He was?"

Anna leaned over and whispered to her exactly what she heard him say. Anzu's jaw dropped and she turned beat red.

"We have to take a trip to France," was Anzu's only reply.

The bus ride back was quiet. Honda and Joey had fallen asleep and Anzu was dosing off. Yugi was upset and still wide-awake. Anna sat looking out the window at the scenery while listening to the music on her headphones. Yugi had made sure than when they sat down, that he and Anna had a row to themselves. He reached over and nudged Anna on the arm to get her attention. She clicked off the music and dropped the headphones around her neck.

"I'm confused," Yugi began. "Are we engaged?"

"Of course we are."

"Then why are you flirting with other men?"

"Those two guys? I wasn't flirting with them; they were flirting with me."

"Maybe if you told them you were engaged they might not have flirted with you."

"I did tell them at the beginning of the conversation. He asked me why I was there alone and I told him that I was with my fiancee. Throughout the entire thing I never gave him any hint that something was going to happen. I wouldn't do that to you."

"You hurt me, I didn't like it."

Anna reached over and took Yugi's hand in hers. "Okay, I'll make you a promise. No more flirting with strange guys. And if I get the urge, I'll come over to your house and flirt with you."

Anna's suggestion made Yugi smile shyly. He really liked that idea.

"But I do have a confession to make." Anna added.

Yugi's smile faded away. 'Confession? What kind of confession?' he thought.

Anna reached into her bag and pulled out the magazine she was reading earlier. She flipped to a full-page color ad of a woman in a bikini sitting on a beach chair near a pool with a laptop on her lap. Anna pointed to the ad and said, "That's me."

Yugi took a good look. He had seen the ad before. It was an aerial shot and a big hat blocked the model's face. But the more he inspected the image, the more he could see that it was Anna.

"How?" Yugi was mortified.

"It's Sung Computer's new ad campaign. It started out as a calendar for the office. All the departments had someone do some sexy pose with a computer. I was picked out of the I.T. department, and this is what we came up with. It was meant as a joke, but it caught on. Suddenly everyone's got their calendar up in their office or at their desk and they were all on my month. No one wanted to change the month because they wanted to look at my picture. Then someone in marketing got the idea that they could use it as an ad. And suddenly I became the 'I.T. Girl.' I'm sure you've seen the ads. They're for the new computers we're designing, ya know with the hook line, 'smart and sexy.' It's brilliant advertising."

"But why does it have to be you?"

"Well, they wanted to make sure that the model was what they claimed, 'smart' so she had to have a good I.Q. I fit that bill. And...My uncle ordered me to."

"There are guys who have this ad pinned up in their lockers at school. How can I pass by them knowing that these guys are drooling over you?"

Anna moved in close to Yugi and whispered in his ear. "Let them look. They promised me that my identity would be kept secret, so no one will know who I am. It'll be fun. We'll be the only two who will know the truth. You can walk down the halls and laugh at them. Let them have their little fantasies, but you're the only one that will get the goods."

Gee, when she puts it like that, it's hard for a boy to resist. And Yugi didn't resist. They rode the rest of the way home holding hands and Yugi fell asleep on Anna's shoulder.