Umm…. so wow. I got flamed like tomorrow was never going to come. I guess I was tempting fate before! Oh well, if this is some sort of right of passage I'm just fine with it. From what I can gather everyone who isn't screaming hate about Anzu is flamed by this guy. And I must admit that he rhymed quite well… I can give him that much. If I had gotten real constructive criticism instead of people bitching about OOC and the fact that I like Anzu and who I pair her with, I really wouldn't have minded.
First of all if you do not want any OOC than you should just be watching the show or reading the manga and not reading fanfiction. I am not Kazuki Takahashi, never have been and never will be. Therefore all of the characters will be off in some way or another.
Secondly, I am very very sorry about this wait. I will never let it go for that long ever again. If I do then Nuggets and Webster might kill me. They are glaring down at me from their perch on my monitor right now. Stuffed purple horses and yellow ducks can be scary when they want to be
Finally, I have decided to go a bit more in depth with the story to explain some things (Mainly the Malik/Anzu relationship as well as some looks into Yami's own admirations). This will make the story a few chapters longer then I originally thought. I have already written the final chapter in advance just cause I couldn't resist. And check out my one-shot 'Champagne High', a Seto-Anzu romance, well sort of. If that goes well enough I will have either a Anzu/Ryo romance or Anzu/Bakura one shot out next. I'm really into Anzu/Bakura lately for some reason. So I hope you enjoy this new chapter and that you all don't hate me too much. Now, enough stupid author babble- on with the story!
The laptop's gentle glow was only a minor distraction as the young man stared off into space. He was doing something quite out of his character and was for once not thinking only in an analytical way but let his thoughts wander. The pen cap that stuck out of the corner of his mouth was also about as out of place as a penguin in a desert but in the late hours of the night, or more or less early hours of the morning, he was content that no one would find him here like this. He was wrong.
Although his thoughts wandered they circled around one main thought pattern. A girl, also outside his normal thoughts, had been plaguing him for many days now. He frowned and corrected his own inner voice, she was assuredly a woman, a woman who's mere shadow caused great discomfort to those who knew even whispers of her. All except for him, nothing got to him of course, or at least he wouldn't let it show. But the woman was a problem. She floated around this town as if she were a tourist or even a citizen adding more evidence to his hypothesis that Domino City was the most out of the way and secluded stop in the world. That was part of the reason that he had moved himself and Mokuba here after the 'accident' his adopted father suffered.
Leaning back into his chair Seto Kaiba let the cap less pen he held twirl in his fingers. He wasn't a cautious man, nor was he a coward. He knew the difference and prided himself instead on being a master strategist. A hero could be just that, a hero, but with no plan could be killed in a moment. The general was a man who never went into battle but watched and planned. Seto was like the commandeered. The real backbone of any operation who both thought and fought. A deadly and rare combination which had helped raise Kaiba Corporation to the top of the free world. However, Seto was caught between the part of him that wanted to plot for Rory Waters ultimate demise and the part of him which wanted to find Rory and kill her straight out.
'As if I could kill her any way' he thought as he watched the pen's movements. Seto very rarely admitted if or when someone was better than he was, though in his own mind this was a rarity. Rory was one of the few exceptions. He had met her, or at least seen her, when he was just eleven and she was sixteen. He and Mokuba (AN: that is around the age that they were adopted right??) had just been adopted into Gozubaro's home. Rory had been with another older man who left the two alone to deal with some sort of business. Seto wasn't sure what had happened or what cause it but a fight occurred that resulted in Rory nearly killing Gozubaro by hand after the man landed three shots on her at close range. Seto's initial thoughts of her were awe for surviving something like that. However years later after he had taken over the company Seto had walked into his office late one night to find someone very unexpected. They chatted for a while, Rory hidden in the shadows of the darkened room, Seto trying to find her in the darkness as well as place her voice in his memory. When he finally did she revealed herself to him and sweet-talked him before disappearing once more.
Seto was convinced that he had made an ally of her when he realized the next day what she had actually been doing that night. Nearly half his stocks in Kaiba Corps had been redistributed to the hands of those 'less that trust worthy' and millions of dollars had suddenly been misplaced. Seto had been lucky to keep it covered up but the damage nearly cost him his company to who would later be known as the 'Big Five'. Seto caught a glimpse of Rory again nearly a year ago in the ruins of his Philadelphia plant. That had almost ruined him as well and the information she had stolen and consequently destroyed had yet to be replaced. She had saved Mokuba however and no one had died in the destruction of the plant.
And now she was back in his life or more accurately the life of Anzu Mazaki. This puzzled him to no end. Seto could understand why Rory would have come to Domino City for him. He had practically set up a sign announcing his life is Domino with his Battle City tournament. That could explain why she would suddenly know where he was but it still left the question to Waters involvement with Mazaki. With this thought in mind Seto Kiaba pressed the intercom button that connected to the secretary desk outside his door. Despite the hour Seto knew that she would still be waiting there. She was new and eager to please and she had somehow gotten it into her head that she had to stay as long as he did. "Ms. Kino," Seto said clearly breaking into the silent office. On the other side of the intercom Seto could hear slow movements followed before a brief scramble showing that she had been asleep.
"Yes Mr. Kaiba," came a hurried yet sleep slurred response.
"Starting tomorrow morning I would like you to get me all the information you can on Anzu Mazaki and her family." There was the sound of pen on paper followed by the standard, 'Anything else Mr. Kaiba?' Seto shook his head before snapping, "no just go home and get some descent sleep. And be sure that you get here on time so I can get real work out of you during pay hours." On one side of the door Seto's frazzled secretary let it sink in that she wasn't being paid, on the other Seto sat waiting for her to make her presence known to him. Impatience finally got the better of him and he growled, "are you coming out or do I have to wait all night?"
"I would think that you wouldn't be so cruel as to lead on your secretary like that Mr. Kaaba," Rory's silky voice flowed to him as she move as silkily in the only light from the window, save for the computer screen. Although he had seen her briefly in Yugi's game shop and through the smoke of his ruined complex only nights before this was Seto's first good look at her in sometime, though she was as he remembered her. She was a potent mix of darkness and fire. Her rich red hair stood out in the lamplight that leaked through the opened and was the only bit of light on her. Her normally green gray eyes had turned nearly black in the darkness and he could feel those dark eyes graze over him casually as his own blue ones studied her intently. She was dressed for her work that night and was dressed a burglar's colors. Black jeans shorts clung to her and were barely visible against the tight black pants, assumingly spandex, she wore under them. Her top was a practical black tank top cover by a black sweatshirt zipped up just enough to still show off her cleavage and breasts.
'Yes,' Seto thought grimly, 'dressed for the work of a prostitute.' Rory allowed a small smirk noting the suddenly uncomfortable Kaiba. He was a very hard man to read but Rory could notice the barest of blushes on his cheeks and knew that her appearance had taken him by surprise. Rory wasn't ashamed of using her body for an advantage in her job but she had a 'touch with your eyes, not with your hands' policy which she meant to enforce.
"Have you noticed Mr. Kaiba," Rory continued not moving an inch, "that all your secretaries have been female?"
"Don't bull shit around here Ms. Waters," Seto growled back. "Both of our time is took valuable to waste on idle chitchat." Rory however continued on her banter.
"You know that is a stereotype that we in the states have over come. You'd think that a man as 'progressive' as you would have moved past having only female sectaries."
"That's not what we are talking about here," Seto started to say but was interrupted by Rory,
"And what are we talking about Mr. Kiaba?" Rory asked inspecting a fingernail. "Because it seems to that there is nothing to discuss." She watched Seto raised an eyebrow curious, though knew that his patience was wearing thin. "It is my opinion," Rory said coming over and sitting on the edge of his desk so she faced the window, "that if we both just go about our lives that nothing will be amiss." She finished the statement with a wicked smile that reminded Kaiba of wolves.
"I could kill you right now," he told her nonchalantly though his eyes stayed locked her with deadly seriousness.
"But you won't," she informed his just as casually.
"Oh?"
"No," she told him again still keeping her eyes from him. "You'll go back to making game technology and I'll get what I want out of Anzu Mazaki and this city. And in the process," she was suddenly standing right next to him whispering in his ear, "rob you blind." He didn't move for a moment but when he finally turned to say something to her she was out of sight but not gone. "Oh and Seto?" her voice echoed off the walls of his office making her voice untraceable. "Leave Mazaki alone or else I will just it worse for you in the end." And then she was gone but not finished. She waited for him to leave, so frazzled that he left his precious laptop behind. She counted on this and quickly collected the machine before disappearing finally.
It was chilling to Anzu, in ways that it had not affected her before, the fact that Yami could be watching her all the time in the guise of Yugi. Or even from behind the boy's innocent eyes. This unnerved Anzu for the some reason and over the next few days she was uncomfortable when she was around Yugi. She knew that she was hurting her best friend's feelings and would have liked to talk to him about, well, everything. But the thought that Yami could be there watching her the whole time put her off. Anzu instead settled her deep emotional issues aside and focused instead on things she could control, mainly the physical and that meant to dance.
After the incident in the courtyard with Malik Anzu felt increasingly on edge and the fact that she couldn't talk with her best friends wasn't helping. This drove Anzu to endless hours in the dance studio any time that she could be there. It would not have been an odd thing to anyone who had known Anzu the time before Rory had entered Domino City but for her best friends, they knew the extremeness of her sudden passion was an area of concern. Anzu was just about unreachable in the days following her 'making up' with Yugi and the others. Although she acted normal in their presence, most likely for their benefit, Anzu's closest friends knew that she still wasn't one hundred present. And so this amounted to one thing.
"MOVIE NIGHT!" Jou shouted to a still sleepy Anzu one Friday morning outside of homeroom.
"I'd ask you to please not do that again," Anzu said a little too bleakly even for a sleepy Friday morning. Yugi looked up at her in concern.
"You all right Anzu?" he asked.
"Fine Yugi," she said rubbing her nose with a sniff without looking at him. "I think that I caught a spring cold that's all." The warning bell rang for latecomers to move to homeroom as Anzu finished her explanation. Summer had come a bit early it seemed, for at least today, and in the early morning hours the temper was already at an unseasonable 80 degrees. Despite this Anzu wore her winter uniform of a heavier pink sweater and longer skirt when earlier in the week she had been wearing her summer uniform. Despite the heavier outfit Anzu was obviously still cold and the light color of a fever spread on her cheeks. Yugi suddenly took notice of this as he watched Anzu sway weakly as she left them and moved to her seat. Yugi grabbed Honda and Jou before they followed her.
"Guys I don't think that Anzu is going to make it for hanging out tonight."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Honda said rubbing the back of his head. "She barely looks like she can make it to her seat." The three looked over to where, as if to spite them, Anzu sat down most ungracefully. All three winced slightly. "Guess we'll just have to reschedule." Jou gave a noise of disappointment but didn't expand on it as an equal noise to those not in their seats came from teacher. It didn't take long for the homeroom teacher, Ms. Chitada, to finish taking role and start in on the day's grammar lesson. All the while, despite her best intentions, Anzu's attention kept wavering and her notes were full of marks where her hand had slipped as she fell forward, uncontrollably dozing. Only Jou of her friends didn't seem to be concerned over Anzu's uncharacteristic behavior. He was instead glaring at Kaiba who was also uncharacteristically watching Anzu.
"Knock it off Kaiba," Jou growled in the loudest voice her dared while the teachers back was turned. Kaiba, who sat, oddly enough next to Jou didn't take his level eyes off the ailing girl.
"What's your problem Mutt?" Kaiba asked icily.
"Stop looking at Anzu. I don't know what sick things you are thinking about but don't do it while you're looking at her. Hell don't do it when you're in the same room as her" Jou snapped.
" Little possessive aren't we pup. Why? Jealous?" Seto asked removing his eyes for Anzu to smirk at Jou sadistically. Jou was about to jump out of his chair and literally kill the CEO when Yugi's panicked voice bounced out off the white walls of the classroom. Everyone turned to look at Yugi when another noise, a resounding crack brought their attention to Anzu who had just fallen out of her chair. She muttered a tiny, but audible 'oww', before falling unconscious. In almost and instant her friends where surrounding her trying to help the fallen girl.
"Anzu? Anzu?" Yugi repeated as her shook her shoulders.
"Stupid idiots," came Kaiba's cool and commanding voice over the din. "Idiots," he repeated as he too kneeled by Anzu, "give her some air."
"I'll call the nurse!" Ms. Chitada said as if she had suddenly wakened up.
"Don't bother," Kaiba counseled as his hand moved with expertise over Anzu, "call an ambulance. I think she is going into shock."
"Don't touch her!" Jou and Honda chorused together. Kaiba gave no recognition that he heard either of them.
"Hey!" Jou yelled and continued " I said," but Yugi interrupted.
"Knock it off Jou!" Yugi yelled at him with as much of a raised voice as he could manage. Both Jou and Honda looked taken a back.
"Yes," Ryou said quietly. "Anzu needs help. And if Kiaba can give it to her then we need to let him help her." That seemed to settle the matter at the nurse arrived and ordered everyone out of the room. Yugi somehow managed to stay in the room and left with Anzu when the paramedics came and took Anzu. Jou, Honda, and Ryou all watched them leave mournfully, wanting to be going as well. Ms. Chitada however had a different idea and ushered everyone back into the classroom. As soon as that class ended however Honda, Ryou, and Jou congregated at Jou's locker as he snuck out his cell phone and promptly called Yugi.
"Guys!" he answered instantly. "She's going to be ok." All three sighed a breath of relief.
"So what's wrong with her?" Honda asked stealing the phone away.
"We don't know yet. Just that they don't think it's serious."
"Who's we?" Jou asked taking his phone back forcefully.
"Me and Mr. Mazaki. He got here just a minute or so after the ambulance did. I guess the school called him."
"Are you staying down there?" Jou asked fighting Honda off for the phone.
"Mr. Mazaki told them to let me stay. Says I'm practically family anyway" Yugi said his voice getting quieter as the sentence came to a close. Jou rolled his eyes, practically seeing Yugi blush as he spoke.
"Yugi! You sly dog, trying to get to the dad while the girl is knocked out." Jou paused thoughtfully. "Maybe I should try that sometime."
"Jou," Yugi mumbled in a low, miserable voice. There was a moment of silence filled in only by the noises of the emergency room before Yugi spoke again. "Is that?" he questioned trailing off.
"Is what what Yugi?" Jou asked after giving Honda a particularly hard shove away from him. The other youth was now particularly anger which made Yugi's reply particularly hard to hear.
"I thought," Jou made out and then, "red head." And then finally, "Call later." There was a click and then the connection was gone.
"Thanks a lot Honda!" Jou shouted at his friend but only found his words echoing off of the now empty halls, Ryou and Honda gone. Jou looked around stupidly. "Where'd everybody go?"
"Mr. Katsuya!" came a menacing voice from behind him causing Jou to jump a good ten feet. "Mr. Katsuya," the voice repeated as Jou turned to face the voice he now registered as the school's vice principal and one of his least favorite people, right up next to Kiaba. (AN: I don't know about any of you but my vice principal in high school was a real dick I mean seriously. And I was a good kid! He gave me Saturday morning detention for skipping lunch of all things!! Lunch!! Oh well he is an ass and I'm in college so poo on him!!!) "Mr. Katsuya," he repeated for a third time, "do you really think that you are exempt from obeying the bells like everyone else?"
"No sir," Jou answered miserably.
"Then I suggest you start listening to the bell and go to your class," he ordered and Jou turned to go thinking that he had gotten off easy when the deadening voice caught him again. "And join me for detention this afternoon." Jou flinched.
"Yes sir," he said walking off and added in a mumbled voice "stupid Mr. Pencil-Penis(AN: High school nickname for that ass of a vice principal-sorry for the crudeness but I saw him the other day and he was a complete ass!! I mean I'm in college now and he still acts as if he can lord over me…. I think I have repressed issues…. Carry on with the story now)
"What was that Mr. Katsuya?" the subject of the slur asked. But the halls were already empty.
Meanwhile Yugi had hastily shoved his cell phone in his pocket, keeping the familiar woman in sights at all time. When she rounded the corner, Yugi dared a look around and saw that Mr. Mazaki was occupied so he jogged after the woman. As soon as he rounded the corner he saw her enter an elevator and got a full shot of her. She looked like one of the 'naughty nurses' from Jou's movies though she was dressed like any other nurse in the hospital. In fact if it hadn't been for her flaming red hair, which was so eloquently twisted in a bun, Yugi might not have noticed her. But it was the same woman he knew from his few previous encounters.
Without even taking a moment to think about it Yugi took off for the now closing doors of the elevator and got there just in time for them to shut in his face. Pressing his forehead to the cool metal doors of the elevator Yugi gave a defeated sigh before the ding of a bell brought him back to his senses. Looking up he saw that the elevator had stopped on the fifth floor. Feeling refreshed Yugi rushed to the stars and started to climb the three flights that separated him from Rory Waters. Upon reaching the fifth floor with a cramp in his side he ran promptly into Rory, or at least the woman he thought was Rory. Yugi's vision filled with the papers of the poor nurse's file whom he was currently trying to help stand. Her red hair now flying very haphazard around her around her face, now freed from her tortoise shell clip, was just trying to get away from the obviously crazy boy who was stammering about spies and such.
"Yugi!" Yami's voice suddenly rang out in his subconscious.
/What is it Yami? I'm kinda busy right now/ Yugi said mentally while on his hands and knees trying to get all of the nurse's scattered papers.
"Over there, she's around the corner!" Yugi's head shot up at Yami's comment and he whipped around only to find a doctor and patient in a wheel chair conversing. The young boy in the chair was talking adamantly to the young fair-haired doctor before a male nurse came up and seemed to be apologizing for letting the boy leave his room. Yugi shook his head and went back to picking up papers telling Yami /you're going crazy. That's not/ but stopped short when he noticed all the papers where gone. Instead he found an angry looking nurse who was obviously about to go off on him.
"Is there a problem here?" a new deep voiced asked. The fair-haired doctor had come over and was looking between the two with concern.
"None Dr. Honjo," the nurse answered before Yugi could even open his mouth, "I was just about to escort this boy out." And as if to prove her point she took Yugi's upper arm in a vice grip and started to steer him toward the door.
"Well wait a minute," Dr. Honjo said suddenly. The nurse and resultantly Yugi stopped. "I think I know you," he paused thoughtfully, "yes that's right. You came in with the girl from Domino High School right?"
"Ahh yea. That's what I was doing here. I was looking for her," Yugi quickly lied. The nurse, not to be forgotten spoke up then.
"Well this certainly isn't visiting hours and anyway that girl is not to be disturbed."
"I really just wanted to make sure she was ok," Yugi shot back looking desperately at the doctor for some sort of support.
"Well I think that we can allow that," Dr. Honjo said. The nurse opened her mouth to object again but the doctor raised a hand. "Its really alright. I'll take the boy in for a quick visit. In and out. No harm done." The nurse still looked doubtful. "Why don't you go take a break," Dr. Honjo continued, "You look as if you could use it." For a moment Yugi thought that she wasn't going to comply but then she sighed and relesed his arm muttering about needing a vacation. She entered onto the now open elevator and Yugi and the doctor were left. There was a moment, a pause, before the young doctor turned on his heel and began to walk down the hall. It took Yugi a half a breath to realize that he should be following but caught up with him in a moment.
It was less than I five minute walk, two lefts and then a right before they entered a ward marked for observation. Yugi looked up at the various charts as the pair passed them looking for Anzu's familiar name. The doctor stopped suddenly and Yugi almost ran into him. He was gazing through a glass window that wasn't really a window at all. Well in a sense it was. Yugi looked through it as well and instead of seeing so sort of view as he expected he saw Anzu sleeping peacefully, her face turned toward them, her right hand resting on her chest. Yugi only stared for a moment at the scene that framed Anzu in perfect tranquility despite the fact that she was in a hospital; the one place Yugi knew she truly hated. In the months preceding her death, Anzu's mother had spent a great deal of time in this very hospital. Now Anzu was close to phobic of anything relatively close to hospitals. In fact she had faked illness when their class was supposed to go to a local nursing home in the holiday season. The silence was broken by the forgotten doctor standing next to Yugi.
"We can't really find much wrong with her other than she seems fairly stressed. And in being so stressed she has weakened her immune system to the point that something as trivial as a cold practically take her down. Nothing other than sleep and some rest and relaxation can cure this. Her father tells me that she is a dancer and has been working very hard at that lately but he doesn't think that that could be what has caused her to break down like this so suddenly. He couldn't think of anything else but you're her friend. Perhaps you know something that she hasn't told her father. Something that could induce something like this." He looked down at Yugi who was still watching Anzu as she slept on, various monitors beeping in time with the rise and fall of her chest.
His thoughts of course went to what had been happening over the last few days. About Rory Waters and about what had happened in front of Anzu's dance studio. About her running out of Honda's house and the fact that Malik was back. And that now Yami was choosing to make his feelings known to her. Yugi looked at the doctor who was currently placing Anzu's file back in its holder beside the door. "No," he answered finally, "nothing out of the ordinary." Dr. Honjo made a noise in his throat that Yugi couldn't read but he thought it might actually be something close to relief.
"Well in that case I think that we should get you back downstairs so that neither of us get into trouble. Do you remember how we got here?" Yugi nodded mutely still watching Anzu wanting to go in and try to help her. As if sensing Yugi's unrest her continued on to reassure him. "Don't worry about her. She'll be out of here as soon as we get a few tests back. All she really needs is to take it easy for a few day and catch up on her sleep." The doctor turned his dark eyes on Yugi. "I'm sure you're being missed down stairs, besides I have to go get a blood sample from your friend and if you're caught in here without me you could get into a considerable amount of trouble." There was a note in his voice that told Yugi that he had better get going. With one last fleeting look at Anzu, he could feel Yami's gaze linger as well, Yugi turned to leave. Just before reaching the double doors that led out of the ward Yugi looked back once more and saw the doctor prepare to take some Anzu's blood. Yugi felt slightly queasy at the sight and turned away thinking he now understood why Anzu hated hospitals so much.
It never occurred to him that it was an odd thing for a doctor to be taking a blood sample or that his eyes had been strikingly familiar, feminine almost.
In Anzu's quiet room the young 'doctor' stood over Anzu inserting the needle in the exact spot that it had been pressed in earlier. He didn't want any of the medical staff to ask questions about why there was another mark. Withdrawing the needle after taking about half a test tub amount of blood he quickly cleaned off the wound and replaced the bandage perfectly. Transferring the blood from the needle to the vile took only half a moment, as did the disposal of the needle and any other sources of evidence. Pulling a briefcase from its hiding spot under Anzu's bed he knelt down and placed the blood sample in the specially designed case that kept it both cool and secure. He next pulled down what one would think was the lining of the briefcase but instead held a kit of source. Pulling out the materials he was about to open up a small black case when he head voices in the hallway. Cursing under his breath everything thing was cleaned up in what seemed like half a second then booth the briefcase and the doctor were hidden under the bed. The door opened a moment later and stayed open after two pairs of feet enter and walked to the side of the bed that the hidden doctor had been on just seconds before.
As the two new arrivals conversed the 'doctor' under the bed thought quickly. Briefcase in hand, he slid soundless in one movement on the white hospital floor and then stood up quickly and just as quietly as he had across the floor. The motion caught the two doctors eye though neither seemed to be bothered by it. Both just looked at him as if he had been there the whole time.
"What can I do for you Dr. Tohsaku?" one asked.
" Just dropping these results off for you," she said handing a file folder to the doctor across the bed who smiled.
"You and your staff always do such great work down in the lab. Thank you." The blonde haired lab technician returned the smile.
"Not a problem. Well I had better be getting back," she bowed to the two who did the same and then she left. The doctor who had received the file watched her thoughtfully for a moment and then turned to her colleague.
"Was her hair that short earlier?"
Meanwhile the woman in question had ducted into a bathroom and quickly locked the door. She was thanking every deity that she knew of that people were so dense. Why the hell would a lab tech be wearing a surgeon's uniform, like the one that Dr. Honjo had worn? It would have been so simple if that boy, Mouto or whatever the hell his name was hadn't caught her in the nurse uniform. She was lucky that she was able to change so quickly and disguise herself as best she could. She had almost forgotten to put in her color contacts in her haste and could curse herself for how sloppy she was. Taking on the surgeon's persona had been easy but getting rid of the boy had to be handed delicately. She couldn't give him any reason not to trust in Anzu's well being. It was just a lucky convince that the nurse he had knocked over looked a deal like her.
But her job was only half done. She cursed under her breath quite a few times. She had been right there, the ink case in her hand to take Anzu's fingerprints but then the two doctors had walked in. She was lucky that the wig she had chosen for Dr. Honjo had been close enough to the color of the lab technician Tohsaku though she had a feeling she hadn't let the wig out enough. Flipping quickly through her directory of the hospital personal Rory swore softly and quickly placed it back into her briefcase which she now covered and attacked a strap to so that it resembled more of a messenger bag. She then quickly changed out of the surgeon's uniform and into the outfit she had originally come in-as a local med student who would be starting her residency at the hospital soon. After replacing her contacts with harsh pink ones and tucking her hair up into her baseball cap Hikaru Mizutani unlocked the door and proceeded down stairs, right past Yugi Mouto who was lost in his own thoughts, and the security officer who was looking for a Dr. Tohsaku impersonator. 'This is was almost too easy' Rory thought letter her hair down. 'Either that or I'm getting too good' she thought with a cocky smirk. Readjusting her grip on her bag Rory set off.
Later that night, much to her father's protest Anzu sat curled up on her couch, watching a horror movie from America. Something about an inbred village and a mass murderer with a chainsaw. Jou looked as if he was going to be sick and seemed to be twitching involuntarily. Honda sat next to Anzu on the coach and only gave away that the movie was getting to him by his unblinking eyes and the death grip he had on a pillow. Yugi seemed fairly scared as well and jumped every so often knocking in to Anzu whom her sat in front of on the floor. She wanted to enjoy the movie, she really did but her mind just kept wandering away thinking things like 'I can't believe I missed a whole day of dance.' So to make up for it she was going though each step of each scene and act of the original recital she was staring in her mind. She was about halfway through the third scene when Jou suddenly grabbed onto, and unfortunately for both of them Anzu had been stretching at the time and Jou's dive had driven him into her chest. Without a moment's hesitation Anzu let out a scream and slap Jou hard upside his head which resulted in him going head long into the floor, face diving into the floor next to a very confused Yugi.
"Jou!!" Anzu screamed at him standing up.
"What are you yelling about?! You're the one who hit me!"
"I believe that was justified," Anzu yelled back.
"I was a scary part! I can't stand this stuff!"
"Then why the hell are we watching it!" They went on like for a few minutes more, Yugi trying to get a word in to stop the fighting. Honda still hadn't moved when suddenly the lights went on.
"What is all this screaming about?" a very confused Kenji Mazaki asked entering the room. "This is supposed to be a nice relaxing night."
"Jou was trying to assault me daddy," Anzu sad easily with a hint of mischief in her eye that Yugi had not seen in a while. Her father turned slowly to Jou who looked more frightened now then he had during the movie.
"I ah ee umm….it, it was an accident!" Jou finally concluded in his defense. Now standing Yugi shot a look at Anzu when she heard him stifle a giggle. Turning back to the situation that was about to explode Yugi was distracted when Anzu suddenly grabbed his arm and motioned to the door. Not really understanding what she wanted Yugi looked at her confused as Anzu rolled her eyes. Instead of just motioning to the door Anzu dragged him toward it, away from her father and Jou and Honda who still, surprisingly, wasn't moving. The two of them moved to the hall and slid soundlessly out of the house. Anzu gave a healthy sigh and then jumped from the top step of her porch to the ground below.
"God it feels good to be out of that house," Anzu said stretching and looking back at Yugi who was still by the door. "Come on," she said sounding like and impatient child, "lets go for a walk." Yugi looked hesitant.
"Should we? You're not supposed to be doing a lot. You know, relaxing." Anzu frowned at him.
"This will relax me. I'm going crazy in that house anyway." Yugi sighed in defeat and joined her down the steps. I was one of the first truly warm nights of the year and both could walk freely without jackets. Moving down the street Anzu looked up at the stars which were surprisingly visible besides the fact that they were in a city.
"So you going to tell what is really going on?" Yugi asked testing his luck.
"What do you mean Yugi?" Anzu asked sounding surprisingly confused.
"You know what I mean. You did collapse today because you've been stressed over the dance recital. Its everything else that is going on isn't it?" Both of them looked at each other before turning away in silence. There wasn't a lot that Anzu liked to keep from Yugi and she could feel her chest tightening again at the thought of lying to him once more. Sighing loudly Anzu finally spoke.
"You know that I don't like keeping things from you Yugi, but," she started and Yugi dreaded the 'but' she hung on. He feared that she was going to say that she had to this time but she surprised him. "But I need to tell you but please, don't tell Jou or Honda and especially not my father. This has got to stay between us. Promise?" she said stinking out her pinky finger, something they used to do other when they were young. Yugi happily hooked it with his own, happy that she was finally ready to talk.
"Well you see," Anzu said taking a breath and lunching into her story, "it doesn't have to do just with Rory. She started it yes, but its not all her. She came up to me one day and told me that she thought that I was an American named Tea Gardner who had been kidnapped when I was young and brought here to Japan." Yugi looked like he wanted to speak but Anzu just shook her head. "Don't stop me Yugi or it may never come out. Anyway its totally crazy right? I mean there is no way I could be anyone but my mom and dad's girl. But the thing is it isn't that crazy." Anzu paused but kept walking her eyes down cast on the ground. Yugi didn't speak but just kept in stride with her. "Its just that she answered a lot of unanswered questions for me. She brought up a lot of good points, she explains the dreams and the memories…" she trailed off for a second. "But that's not just it. My dance recital that's coming up isn't just any recital. There are going to be a lot of talent scouts that Mika called in just for me. I could finally get that big break. And then there's Malik," out of the corner of her eye she saw his eyes flicker just so much in a sign Anzu couldn't decipher. "I know as much as you guys don't like him but I still think he needs a chance despite the way he has acted. He really is a good guy even though he didn't show it at first. I mean would he have conceded in that last duel if he didn't have a shred of good in him would he?" She looked over at him and expected an answer but he just kept walking and didn't look at her. She stopped. "I shouldn't have told you." She said slowly. He stopped a few feet in front of her and looked back.
"You should have told me earlier," he told her simply. " God Anzu, it explains so much of why you've been acting this way lately. I mean you've had a complete personality switch over the past week. To say I was worried is an understatement. But I'm also glad in a way. The fact that you even told me, well…it means a lot to me Anzu."
"Yugi," Anzu whispered and in a moment she had thrown herself at her shorter friend. She wrapped her arms around him, Yugi steady himself from the impact and then returned her hug. He could feel dampness on his shoulder and realized she was crying.
"Don't, don't cry Anzu" Yugi said trying to consul her.
"No Yugi," she said drawing away and whipping her tears away, "I'm happy. I'm so happy that you are my friend and that I can trust you so much. You're my best friend in the world. I can't believe I ever kept this from you but I really didn't want you mixed up in my mess." Yuig shook his head as she finished.
"How much have we been through that you have stuck by me with out questioning any thing. You never have to worry about me not being there for you Anzu."
She smiled at him. "Come on," he said, "I think we've been gone long enough. You're dad must be done reaming Jou by now." Anzu giggled and followed him home.
The next morning Anzu did something very out of character. She slept in and didn't feel guilt about it. She then made a huge brunch for her and her father and never looked at a calorie count. Then slipping into a bathing suit top and a pair of shorts she went to sunbathe in the back yard. Around one o'clock however she had an itch she couldn't get rid of and now she was arguing with her father over what she saw as a cure for said itch.
"Please Dad, just for two or three hours?" Anzu pleaded with her father over the kitchen table.
"No Anzu. You need to rest and dancing is not included in that."
"Two hours?"
"No."
"One?"
"No Anzu and that's final," he said standing up and making to leave the room.
"If you don't let me go the studio then I'm just going to do it here!" she yelled after him. Her words made him stop and he turned around.
"You will not, I forbid it," he said sternly.
"What are you going to do? Tie me to a chair? Come on if I go the studio Mika can keep an eye on me for you and make sure I don't over do it." She walked up to him and held her hands in front of her in a pleading act. "Please Dad, I need to work back into it and I can't miss this recital. Please Dad its really, really important to me." She gave him her best puppy dog eyes hoping to wear him down. Finally he sighed in defeat.
"Fine but I'm driving there and talking to Mika myself," he said sternly. Ignoring his tone Anzu gave a little squeal of delight and dashed upstairs.
Half an hour later Anzu couldn't help but smile as she stretched in front of the large mirror in one of the smaller rooms in the dance studio ignoring the scowl her instructor gave her.
"You know," Anzu sculled mockingly, "if you keep making faces like that it will stick that way." Standing up Anzu gave herself a little shake and walked over to where a small boom box sat in the corner. It was tiny but the noise would echo nicely against the polished wooden floor. She was calmly looking through her CD book trying to find the one she wanted when Mika's voice broke into her thoughts.
" This is just plain stupid Anzu. You collapsed yesterday. You should be resting not dancing."
"Oh come on Mika, you starting to sound like my father," Anzu told her and she could hear a tiny snort in response. Laugh to herself Anzu hit the play button and stood, strode to the middle of the room and faced the mirror. Mika was still sitting on the floor scowling. "Now you're starting to look for my father."
"So you going to tell me what's up?" she asked ignoring the previous comment. Anzu shot a questioning look over her shoulder. "Your father happened to mention that the show was the cause of your stress and that I should consider taking you out." Anzu spun around so quickly that the treads on her dance shoes made a squeaking noise of protest. "Don't worry, I would never take you out of this. But the thing is that I know something else besides the 'boy troubles' you told me about earlier. Cause I know it can't be dance. You are putting yourself through the same stress you always put yourself through before a major show. And I would have noticed if your dancing was off. I do have to say that over the past couple of days that you've been dancing with a bit more passion than usual. Anything up?" Anzu chewed on her lower lip in anxiety. Telling Yugi was one thing but despite how much she looked up to Mika she just couldn't tell her. As if sensing this Mika went onto a different subject. "Have you decided what you are going to do for your independent piece yet?"
"Hmmm" Anzu mused.
"Is that a yes or a no?" Mika asked raising an eyebrow.
"Both"
"Care to indulge me?"
"Sure," Anzu said walking back over to the boom box and skipping a few songs ahead. A few moments of pianos and violins started the song off before a soft male voice filled the room as Anzu pieced together some of the preliminary moves she had thought of earlier.
I've dealt with my ghosts
And I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame
Trapped in the past for too long
I'm moving on
I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm moving on
I'm moving on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone
Even though there was more of the song Anzu stopped. She had caught Mika's face in the mirror. It appeared to be disappointment and possibly confusion.
"What?" Anzu asked turning to face her. Mika looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Its just, that it isn't right. Well it is right and it's a beautiful song but not exactly right for right now. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"No, no I really don't think I do," Anzu responded honestly.
"Well," Mika said stretching her arms, "it's a nice set of moves and I know that you can relate to that song. A lot of people probably can even though it was originally an English song right?" Anzu nodded mutely watching Mika waiting for some give away. "But the thing that this is supposed to be a piece that I intended for you to put all of yourself to. It should show you and show what is going on in you at the time. Follow?" Anzu nodded only slightly too lost n her own thoughts. She knew what Mika was saying. She had to find something that wasn't just pretty to dance to but something that would connect her with the whole audience. Mika, meanwhile was watching Anzu and practically reading her thoughts by the expression on her face. "Don't worry. You'll get it," she said rising up from the floor and twisting all of the kinks out. "Now don't work too hard. I'll be back to check in on you in a half an hour."
Mika knew that she wouldn't dance much now. In fact when she did peek in an hour later Anzu was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling one of her god awful mixes playing. Meanwhile Anzu lay in deep thought. She knew what she had to dance for and how but she didn't have song and wasn't sure she had the courage to anyway.
Malik punched the wall for the second time that day and it had the same results as before. He was still frustrated and angry and to add insult to injury his hand really, really hurt. But he wasn't sure there was much else he could do. He was too prideful to go and actually talk to and apologize to Anzu but it was the only thing on his mind. It was almost a week ago that he had had his 'discussion' with her in front of her school. And then the damn pharaoh had walked off with her. Feeling his temper rising again he punched the wall once more and was fairly certain that he had broken his hand. Shaking it in hopes to easing the pain Malik walk into his tiny kitchen in his tiny apartment, when to the tiny fridge and pulled out a tray of ice.
Mumbling incoherently under his breath he struggled for a moment to get the cubes out of the plastic and place them into a waiting towel. Wrapping up the cubes Malik gingerly placed it on his hand wincing only slightly. As much as he would like to concentrate on his injured hand but his mind kept wandering to someone. Two someone's really but one of them was dominating his mind. During the events of battle city when the darkness in him that killed his father and drove him against the ways of his family there was something that always puzzled him. And that had to focus on one of his adversary's friends. How could she just have been a friend? How could the two of them not notice that they practically fell over themselves in each other presence yet when he had searched the girl's mind there was no knowledge of the pharaoh's obvious affection for her.
And the pharaoh? He was obviously head over heels for her but didn't seem to realize it. It was at point that Malik had decided that the girl was going to be worth holding onto as a tool against Yugi Mouto. What better way then to destroy them then to take them out from the inside? But something other than the time he held her captive always rose to the front of his mind and that was the time he spent as Namu. It was only a brief moment but he the girl had accepted him as if she had known him her whole life through. It was an odd sensation, one that he quickly tried to forget. Despite his resolve to do this he found himself taking refuge in her mind while the demon inside of his took control of his physical body. And that he was sure was when his mere fascination with her went from just until possibly more. He wouldn't call it love. He still wasn't sure if he should but his feelings for her grew more powerful each time he say her.
There had been a part of him that was worried when he took her body over one last time to challenge his evil side and if it hadn't been for the girl's friends showing up he probably would have lost and taken her down with him. And that's where the first twinge jealously had risen in him. Her friends were her lifelines and they were prepared to do anything for her and she for them. At the time he didn't realize that he had that in his sister as well as Rishid and even though he knew that it didn't keep him from wanting more. And he wanted that in the form of a girl by the name of Anzu Mazaki, the gem of the pharaoh. But as with most things in his life his timing was off. Apparently he had walked in on some major crisis in Anzu's life as well as the pharaoh getting ready to declare his love for her.
He was hesitant to say that he loved the girl. Jealousy and love were easier to mix up then lust and love. And God knew he lusted for her but hated the nagging in the back of his mind that told him it was just because he wanted to see the pharaoh's heart crushed. Seeing Yami's vessel, Yugi, suffer though had him slightly concerned because the boy had been so quick to forgive him and Malik appreciated that if for nothing else then his sister's sake. But although he knew he was forgiven and released from his fate as a tomb keeper all at the same time he could not help feel some bitterness toward Yami still. After all it was because of him that his family had stayed locked away for all those thousands of years and he had this carving, a constant reminder of his painful childhood, engraved in his back for the rest of his life. If he had not been forced underground then the darkness called Marik would never have even been born. His father would still be alive.
Feeling a sharp pain shoot up his hand Malik looked down and realized that he was gripping the counter and shaking. 'Damn the pharaoh,' he thought, 'just another cause of pain for me.' Even though he was supposed to be loyal to his "master" now Malik would not let that keep him from figuring what was going on between himself and Anzu. He could still remember the smile she had given him on the blimp that last day of Battle City, the one she only gave those how were special to her. He wanted her to smile like that at him again. Since his return to Domino he had yet to see that smile. No, he would not give up. Even though he knew she was probably past giving him second chances by now he had to try. He would apologize but first he needed to go see a doctor. His hand was slowly going numb.
WOW!! Nearly a year later I update. I am so horrible!! I wouldn't be surprised if this story wasn't even liked anymore-I wouldn't like me anymore. So I will have this story updated as soon as possible! And the next chapter of 'You Wish' will be out by next Friday(as in a week from the 15th). Hope you all enjoyed this. I finally had to stop myself from writing. I could have finished this story in this chapter if a good friend of mine reminded me of how long ago I had updated. So please please forgive me and hopefully you'll see me real soon.
-Star!