A Tribute to the Lost
Bow: And things are just going to get more depressing...
Dragon: Where does all this angst come from, Bow?
Bow: ::shrugs, sighing:: The fact that I hate school, perhaps.
Dragon: Well, that's reasonable, I guess.
Bow: ::nod nod::
Dragon: This angst is contagious... I feel... so... depressed...
Bow: Eh...
~*~*~
Yami's eyes opened slowly, his arms tightening around... nothing. He blinked, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. Where was Yugi? Most likely he was watching cartoons or eating. Yami had fallen asleep quickly after returning home early that morning. Thankfully, Yugi had been asleep during it all, and suspected nothing had happened. He slipped out of bed, bare feet brushing the plush carpet as he crossed their bedroom to the door. How long had he been asleep? Well, it couldn't have been that long, Yugi was still in his pajamas. But, that wasn't saying much. Last weekend Yugi had been in his pajamas until three in the afternoon before Sugoroku forced him to get dressed.
"Yugi?" Yami called out down the hallway. "Aibou?"
He recieved no answer, but the strong smell of maple syrup wafted to his nose. Pancakes? He followed the smell, and found Yugi hovering over the stove, flipping the golden disks in the air expertly before catching them once again in the frying pan. Sugoroku and Siulin were eating some pancakes themselves, along with drinking some freshly brewed coffee. Well, Siulin was drinking hot tea... Siulin was a nice woman, though she was a little unsure about him at first. But, that quickly passed once she grew accustomed to him and his relationship with Yugi. She was just happy to see her son happy, and the ancient spirit seemed to be very protective over him. He would make sure that nothing happened to Yugi.
"Good morning," Yami said to the pair at the table, giving them a warm smile.
"Good morning, Yami," Siulin responded, smiling back.
Sugoroku just nodded, returning his nose back into his newspaper.
"Yami!" Yugi exclaimed happily, turning his head to glance back at him with a wide grin before turning back to his pancakes.
"Yes, it's me," Yami chuckled, a soft smile crossing his lips. "You're making pancakes."
Yugi nodded.
"I'm glad. I could really use some of your pancakes now," Yami sighed, coming up behind Yugi to wrap his arms around his waist. He had had a long night...
Yugi giggled, blushing. "Well, I can't finish them if you're distracting me!"
"Well, that's no fun. You sure?" Yami asked.
Yugi nodded. "Just let me finish these, okay?"
Yami kissed Yugi's neck where it met his shoulder, sending a chill up the hikari's spine. "Okay."
Yami released his koi, and turned, seeing that Sugoroku and Siulin had fled the kitchen. Yami shrugged. Oh well, now they had some more privacy. "How much longer until they're ready, Aibou?"
"Just-" Yugi flipped the pancake in the pan. "-a few more minutes."
Yami pulled out a chair, sitting in it sideways and using the backrest as an armrest instead. He watched Yugi intently, smiling as he watched his koi flip the golden-colored pancakes into the air and catch them deftly once more in the pan. He rested his chin on his palm, crimson eyes fixed upon Yugi.
Soon, Yugi had made up two plates of pancakes, setting one syrup drenched stack in front of his koi, the other on his place at the table across from him. Yami looked down at the pancakes hungrily, licking his lips as he picked up his fork eagerly.
"You want some coffee, Yami? Grandpa had a pot ready for himself and there's some left over," Yugi told the yami.
Yami nodded. "Thank you," Yami told him. He had gotten a taste for the coffee of this time, especially with plenty of sugar and a dash of milk. "You know the way I like it."
"Why wouldn't I?" Yugi asked with a smirk, pouring the yami a cup. "I personally don't like coffee. But, tea will do just fine."
Yugi set Yami's coffee down next to his plate, getting himself some hot tea. As soon as he finished fixing his tea, the phone rang. Yugi picked up his mug, taking a sip before answering the phone. Yami watched Yugi intently as Yugi picked up the reciever.
"Hello?" Yugi began. "Oh! Mrs. Mazaki! Hello!"
~*~*~
Dragon: Well, this morning isn't going to stay happy very long, is it?
Bow: Hush! Let the readers do what they do best. Read!
Dragon: That sounded so gay... u.u()...
~*~*~
Yugi ended abruptly, listening intently to Mrs. Mazaki's words. Yami wondered why Anzu's mother would call this early... Maybe she needed to talk to Siulin or Sugoroku?
"Oh... Mrs. Mazaki, I-" Yugi paused, the mug falling from his hand and smashing against the kitchen tile. "T-thank you for calling to tell us... I- I'm so sorry, Mrs. Mazaki... Y-yes... Goodbye."
"Yugi, what is it?" Yami asked him quietly, rising from his chair to step closer to his Aibou. "What's wrong?"
Yugi looked up at Yami with tear-filled eyes. "I-it's Anzu... She's..."
Yugi's throat tightened as he was choked by tears. Yami ignored the shattered mug, gathering the hikari up in his arms, carrying him over to his chair where he sat down with Yugi on his lap. "Yugi, tell me. What's wrong with Anzu?"
"She's... she's dead! She was found in an alleyway... Someone snapped her neck," Yugi sobbed into Yami's shoulder.
"...Dead? Yugi..." Yami wrapped his arms around his Abiou. 'I'll find who did this... Why would anyone want to kill Anzu? She did nothing wrong. I'll find who did this and make them pay!' He thought to himself, pulling Yugi closer as the hikari tried to hide in his warm body.
He thought he had found happiness. He had Yami, found his Grandfather again, and his mother was away from his father. But then this happened. Would the pain never stop?! "Why did this happen, Yami? Why did this happen to Anzu?"
"I don't know Koi, I don't know..." Yami whispered, rocking him back and forth. He had not known Anzu long, but the time he had known her had shown that she was a kind-hearted and helping young woman. She and the rest of their friends had pulled through for them in Duelist Kingdom, and he didn't know what would have happened without them.
~*~*~
Bow: Omygod! It's so depressing! Ahhhhhhh!!! I can't take it any more!!! ::shoots self::
Wakka: ::throws a Phoenix Down on her:: Stop that! ::leaves::
Bow: ::blinks:: Sorry. Okay, I can't do this depression arc any more! I'm going nuts here! Let's move on to the actual storyline, okay? I apologise, but it's this or I'll avoid the fanficion again. Okay, er... They're still a little depressing (like constantly crying depressed. not the I'm going to kill myself depressed), as she was their friend, but now they're just really mad. To make it up to you, I'll do a Jou/Seto lemon, okay? And a little depression for Seto. I find it more suitable for Seto. If felt too alien for Yugi and Yami to me... I dunno... Sorry again, I'm just not in the best of moods tonight... ::sigh:: This will also be an extra long chappie to make up for the long delay!
~*~*~
"Big Brother? What are you doing home?"
Seto Kaiba looked over at Mokuba, who had just entered the living room. The room was Seto's favorite, as it had the TV in it, along with the gaming systems and computer. It was a room that the hired help were not allowed to enter, as it was specifically for him and Mokuba, and was inbetween their bedrooms. The only doors to the room was directly from either of their rooms. It was decorated with Duel Monsters posters and other memorabelia. Mokuba liked to collect the small plastic and di-cast metal figurines, and had almost the entire set. They had an entire wall of shelves to themselves.
"I didn't feel like going to school today," Seto answered, turning back to the television.
"Oh... Okay..." Mokuba answered quietly, pulling his hair back into a ponytail, binding it back with a red band that matched his equally red shirt. He also had on a pair of black, baggy pants which hung over half of his black shoes. He had gone shopping lately and discovered the skater style, and had adopted it as his own.
Seto forced a smile, turning off the TV as he turned to his brother, patting the couch next to him. "C'mere. So, how was you're day, Mokuba?"
Mokuba returned the smile, flopping down next to Seto. "Nothing much. We had a substitue today and she didn't speak Japanese very well. She just moved here from America. We had fun teaching her some stuff she didn't know."
"That's good." Seto paused, smile falling. 'Anzu wanted to go to America and study dance... Jonouchi told me that...'
"Seto...? What is it?" Mokuba asked him.
The brown-haired boy shook his head, blinking back unshed tears that gathered in his sapphire eyes. "Nothing... It's nothing, Mokuba."
"You sure, Big Brother?" Mokuba asked worriedly.
Kaiba nodded, forcing another smile. "Yes. I'm fine. So, do you have any homework you need to get done?"
"A little," Mokuba pouted.
"Why don't you go do that now before you do anything else," Seto half suggested, half ordered.
"Okay..." The raven-haired boy answered half-heartedly, stepping into his room.
As soon as Mokuba closed the door behind him, a flood of tears came to Seto's eyes. He brought his legs up to his chest, and he curled up into a defensive ball. All of the emotion he had been hiding from, all of the pain came rushing into him. Not only the pain from losing one of his friends, even if she hadn't been a particularly close one, but also from his past. A past filled with rejection, ice, and fear. That had gone when his foster father had died, leaving the company to him, but it still lingered deep within his heart. He didn't know why the pain had picked now to resurface, why his memory had been triggered by that memory of what Jonouchi had said about Anzu. But Anzu was dead, and there was no way they could get her back. Just like there was no way to regain his lost innocence that had been ripped from him when he witnessed his real mother and father's deaths.
But, they were lost memories. He couldn't even picture their faces any more. Mokuba, too, had been too young to remember them at all. He had been just a toddler. But then they had been put into foster care with him. The only thing good that had come out of him was his beloved company, Kaiba Corp. Seto was glad, though, that Mokuba had forgotten about their past lives; but he wasn't so lucky. They haunted him, drifting through his dreams, even small words or phrases triggering memories. But he had learned to put up walls against those emotions. But now...
...Now his walls were crumbling.
Seto Kaiba cried onto his knees, back shaking with his sobs. Why couldn't he stop? Why couldn't he stop his tears...?
"'Ey Seto! I thought you'd be in... here..." Jonouchi halted in the doorway that led in from Seto's room, fingers gripping the doorframe loosely.
"Jonouchi...!" Seto exclaimed, raising his forehead from his knees, trying desperately to wipe the tears from his eyes. But, he only succeded in smearing the tears, as his face was too wet to dry with his hand alone. He was able to stem the flow of tears, but it was too late now. Jou could see the tears glistening on his cheeks. "Now's not a good time, Jou..."
Jou's eyes widened in surprise, alarmed. He had never seen Seto... cry before. It was even a weird thought, using Seto and cry in the same thought. Unless 'not' was in the sentence. He felt as though his feet had been frozen to the floor; he couldn't move, and he didn't know what to do. Seto had always been the strong, rational one. He was the emotional, brash, and erratic one...
"S-Seto...? What's wrong?" Jou asked, finally being able to find his voice.
"Nothing... Jou, maybe you should come back later..." Seto began, looking away from the blonde.
Jou frowned. "Seto, tell me. I'm not leaving until you do."
"It's nothing, Jou. I just have something in my eye is all," Seto fumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"You're a horrible liar, Kaiba," Jou snapped. He walked over to Seto, kneeling down in front of him so he could look up at his lover. He was still holding his legs to him securely, and tears still graced his cheeks. "I always came to you when I was hurting. Now you can come to me. You don't always have to be the strong one."
"Jou, I... I don't want you to see me like this," Seto told him quietly. "I supposed to be the strong one for you."
"You don't always have to be. At least let me be the strong one for you when you need me to," Jou murmured, reaching up to gently stroke to older boy's cheek.
"Jou..." Seto mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes once more.
Jonouchi rose, sitting down next to Seto. The blonde pulled him into his lap, raising a hand to stroke his brown hair as Seto cried into his shoulder. The older wrapped his arms around the younger, holding onto him as he lowered his legs from his chest.
"Don't think that you can't come to me when you're hurt, Seto. I love you, and I want you to rely on me sometimes," Jonouchi told him, rocking him gently. "now what's wrong? Are you still upset about... Anzu...?"
"N-not only Anzu's death. I was thinking about Anzu, and then... I don't know why, but everything that I had hidden away, all that emotion, came back," Seto explained, wiping his tears from his eyes. He had stemmed the flow of his tears, and was able to speak normally. But, he was still clinging to Jou, head resting on his shoulder as he hid his eyes in the blonde's neck.
"What emotions did you hide?" Jou asked quietly.
Seto fell silent. Would Jonouchi still love him if he knew about his past? Would he see him the same way after learning about this other side of him? The last thing he wanted would be to hurt their relationship...
"Seto...?" Jou murmured.
"Jou... I can't," he responded in a hushed voice.
Jonoushi had encountered this kind of withdrawl from Seto before when he had asked about Honda... Was he worried about what he thought of him again? "Seto, I will not think any different of you because of your past. Just tell me why you are in so much pain. Please? I want to be able to help you," Jou told him, tightening his secure hold on the sapphire-eyed brunette.
Seto raised his head, looking into Jonouchi's topaz-colored eyes. "How can you be sure that your feelings won't change, Jou?"
"Because nothing can take me away from you. Not even Pegasus could keep us apart when he stole your soul, Seto," Jou murmured. "I ended up having to fight Yugi and Yami to try and get you back."
"But you lost, Jou. They saved me when Yami defeated Pegasus," Seto mumbled.
"But I still tried. We helped each other to get you back," Jou replied.
Seto paused before speaking. "Jonouchi, do you know that you are only the second person to genuinely love me, and to have me return that love?"
"Seto...?" Jou began.
"Please, let me speak, Jou. I'm explaining to you my past." Seto continued when he recieved a nod from the golden-haired youth. "Mokuba was the first, and then I met you, Jou. I saw you, laughing with Anzu and Honda, even when you teased Yugi at first. The reason I was so mean to you at first... was because I was jealous of you and your caring friends. The reason for that is in my childhood.
"You don't know this, but my father, who gave me Kaiba Corp., was actually my foster father. My parents, my real parents, died... a long time ago. Mokuba was only a toddler then. And then we were fostered into the Kaiba family. I don't know my original family name, Jou. But... our foster father didn't love us; we both knew that as soon as Mokuba was old enough to understand. And he... he beat us whenever we did anything wrong, even if it was just an accident. I protected Mokuba, so he wasn't hurt. But, that meant more pain for me; and I have the scars to prove it..."
Seto rose, much to Jonouchi's silent protest, and lifted his shirt over his head. There, along his chest and back, were thin white scars. "My foster father was old fashioned; he beat me with thin tree branches. They sting longer..." Seto muttered darkly.
Jou rose from the couch, walking over to Seto. The older boy looked down at him with fear in his eyes. What was Jounouchi thinking right now? Was he disgusted? Jou traced his fingers over the light-colored scars, sending a burning heat over Seto's skin. What... was he doing?
"Why didn't I see them before?" Jou asked quietly, walking in a slow circle around him.
"I would get dressed before you woke up, remember? And we... were too envolped by passion to really pay any attention," Seto mumbled.
Jou smiled, pausing as he recalled the memories that came to him at Seto's words. He then began to speak once again. "Seto... You know how bad my childhood was. Not as bad as yours, I'll admit, but still. Why did you think that this would make me think less of you?" Jou asked him, wrapping his arms around Seto's waist. He leaned against him, resting his warm cheek on Seto's cold back.
Seto shivered, resting his arms on top of Jou's. "But, I was always the one with the good life, the one who could comfort you when you were sad and lonely. I was the stable one for you. Don't... you need that?"
"Sure... Everyone does, Seto. Even you. Just because you have those negative emotions, those moments of weakness, doesn't mean I will love you any less. That's what makes you human, you know?" Jou told him.
Seto turned in Jou's hold, looking down at the blonde. "Jou...?"
"Hmm?" Jou asked him, russet eyes wide with curiosity.
"Do you know... how much I love you?" Seto murmured.
~*~*~Lemon! This is a warning for the younger readers! Lemon!~*~*~
Before Jou could open his mouth to speak, Seto was kissing him, deeply and passionately. It wasn't long until Jou was eagerly returning the kisses, gasping for air when their lips seperated for a split second. The brunette forced his way into the blonde's mouth hungrily, the younger meeting the other's tongue with his own enthusiastically. Seto pulled Jou's blue school jacket off of him, tossing it aside lazily as he held the blonde to him.
Seto moved Jou over to the couch, pushing him down onto the soft cusions as his hands made their way up the younger's shirt to caress his smooth, cool flesh. Jou shivered, running his fingers through Seto's hair, refusing the break their kiss for anything. Except one thing. Seto had to pull back to lift Jou's shirt over his head. But, then his lips began work on Jou's chest, tracing hot lines around the curves of his underdeveloped muscles. Jou let a loud gasp escape him as Seto closed his lips around one of his nipples, feeling his lover's tongue graze the peak of it at a painfully slow pace.
Seto tugged at Jou's pants, unable to get them off himself. He was currently keeping himself from falling on Jou with one hand, and he was trying to get rid of the offending article of clothing with no success. The Uke of the pair sensed the Seme's frustration as he growled onto his skin, and brushed Seto's hands away gently.
"Let... me help you with that," Jou whispered hoarsely, quickly discarding his blue uniform trousers on the ground.
Jou then worked on Seto's, managing to remove them with trembling hands and throw them onto the carpet alongside his own.
"Thanks..." Seto growled, nipping at the tender skin of Jou's neck.
Jou moaned, bringing his lips down to Seto's shoulder to stifle the sound. He could feel Seto's erection against his thigh, and was concious of his own pressing against both of their stomachs. Seto's fingers dug into the sofa, fighting to keep himself upright, as he plunged himself into the blonde. Jou screamed, but it was stifled as Seto captured his lips with his own, pausing as he waited for the biting pain in Jou's inner walls to die down before he continued.
"I... I'm okay..." Jou whispered into Seto's mouth thickly.
Seto nodded, arching back so he thrust forward deeper into his Koi, hitting deep inside of him. The younger boy's inner walls clenched around Seto's member, making the brunette let out a quiet moan of pleasure. Seto pulled back again, this time Jou arching to meet his thrust. They panted heavily, broken only by moans as a steady rythym was built up. Jou wrapped his long legs around Seto's waist, pulling Seto's length deeper into him as they rocked back and forth, hips hitting together almost painfully. With their joint efforts, Seto was able to reach the spot deep inside the Uke's body that made him go weak with pleasure, Jou letting a loud moan excape his lips as Seto hit the spot over and over again.
Jou could keep himself back no longer, and came onto their sweat-slicked stomachs, almost signalling to Seto that he, too, could release the immense pressure building up inside of him. Jou felt something warm fill him, and then Seto's length draw out of him, leaving him trembling weakly. The Seme collapsed onto the blonde, panting heavily onto his skin as they lay in a tangle of limbs on the sofa.
~*~*~End of the Lemon! It's safe, kiddies!!!~*~*~
After a long moment of silence, Jou was able to muster up the strength to speak. "I... I almost forgot, Seto..."
"F-forgot what?" Seto mumbled wearily, opening his shockingly bright blue eyes.
Jou was able to reach his pants from his position under Seto, pulling something out of a pocket. He held it up for Seto to see.
"A Duel Monsters card..." Seto whispered.
"Tenderness... One of Anzu's cards. Her mother sent us each one in the mail. She said in a note that each one of her cards reminded her of us, and she sent us each the cards that Anzu had picked. This is ours, Seto... Mrs. Mazaki said that Anzu thought we had such tenderness for each other, and that this was our card," Jou told him quietly, looking up at the card as Seto slipped his hand under his own.
"I'll miss her..." Seto whispered quietly, taking the card from his Koi's hand as he set it on the floor, making sure it wouldn't get damaged as they fell into a deep sleep, Jou pulling the blanket over the back of the couch over them.
~*~*~
Bow: O.o?! Who am I and what did I do to myself?! Jeebus that was different!
Dragon: ::sighs happily:: That was nice... ^_________^
Bow: Like I said, Catnip for dragons. Oh! And I'm far from over! Still got a few more scenes to do! Woot! XD
~*~*~
"Shizuka! Shizuka, you home?"
Brushing a few stray auburn strands out of her russet eyes, Katsuya Shizuka opened the door to meet Hiroto Honda. "Honda! You're early!"
Honda grinned, hugging his best friend's little sister to him before planting a kiss on her cheek. "I thought it would be best to get there a little early to keep Ryou and Bakura company. They've been there since around noon."
Shizuka smiled up at Honda. "Noon? Why'd they get there so early?"
He shrugged. "You can never know with Bakura." Hinda released her from his embrace, squeezing her hand as she laced her fingers with his. "C'mon. Let's get going."
~*~*~
"It's such a pretty day today. I'm glad."
Ryou looked up into the sky, smiling slightly as he watched the coulds roll by at a lazy pace. "The sun is shining, and there's no sign of rain."
"It's too cold for it to be summer," Bakura mumbled, resting his chin on Ryou's shoulder as he came up behind him. "But I like it more then the hot Egyptian weather."
"I'm glad. I only wish Anzu was with us to enjoy it," Ryou murmured, pulling a card out of his pocketl the Magician of Faith.
Bakura reached around his hikari, his fingers holding onto one side of the card. "Part of her heart is in each card she gave us. She'll be with us soon."
Ryou looked up from the card, eyes falling upon a grey slab of marble. Anzu's tombstone. "But only for a moment, then she'll be gone."
"We must send her, Ryou. Her heart is stuck here until we do," Bakura explained quietly. "so is the price we pay for dealing with the shadow magics."
Ryou nodded reluctantly.
"The others should be here soon. It's nearing two," Bakura whispered, wrapping his free arm around Ryou's waist.
"We're here!"
Bakura looked over his shoulder, dark brown eyes falling upon Honda and Shizuka. "Did you bring your card, Honda?"
Honda nodded, pulling out Shining Friendship. "I have it."
Bakura nodded in return. "Good. I was worried you had forgotten."
"I wouldn't forget something so important, Bakura. How are both of you?" Honda asked them.
"We're okay. I don't think anyone has been better then okay since we lost Anzu," Ryou murmured.
"I don't think so either."
Honda and Shizuka turned, watching Yugi and Yami walk up to them. Yugi couldn't meet their eyes, and he continued to stare down at the ground. His eyes seemed glazed over, like he wasn't fully aware of what was happening. Yami was holding onto his hand, leading him over to the others.
"What's wrong with Yugi?" Honda asked, alarmed.
Yami shook his head. "I don't know," he murmured, closing his eyes. "He's been like this eince this morning when we got our card. He wasn't able to go to school either."
Yami pulled out the Happy Lover out of his pocket.
"Maybe the sending will help," Bakura suggested.
"I hope so. Siulin and Sugoroku are beggining to get worried. The only time this happened before was at Duelist Kingdom when he had to fight Kaiba. But... that was because of me... This, this I just don't know about," Yami murmured, fingers tightening around Yugi's. There was still no returning pressure from Yugi's hand; it was still limp.
"We'll have to hope the sending helps then," Bakura echoed.
"Where's Jonouchi? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Shizuka chimed in.
"We're... here!" Jou called out, exasperated. His blonde hair was disheveled, and he seemed to be having some slight trouble walking.
Seto was following the blonde quickly, hair looking equally tousled. "Sorry for being late."
"Good. We can do this, then," Bakura muttered under his breath, ignoring the obvious reason for the pair's lateness. He turned to Yami, who was looking down at Yugi worriedly. "Yami, would you like to have the honors?"
Yami tore his eyes from his hikari, crimson eyes filled with sadness. "No, you do it," he told him, shaking his head.
Bakura watched helplessly as Yami knelt down by Yugi's side, pulling him onto his lap to cradle the boy. Yugi still made no response to Yami's actions; he was lost deep within his mind...
Bakura looked up at the others, holding out his hands. "Your cards please..."
They nodded, handing him the cards.
"Yugi... come on, we're going to send her now... Yugi...?" Yami murmured, tears gathering in his eyes.
~*~*~
"Yugi, I'm going to have to go soon. I can't stay much longer."
Yugi looked up at Anzu, who was forcing a soft smile on her lips. "...Go? But, Anzu..."
"You can't stay in your mind much longer. You're worrying the others, especially Yami," Anzu told him.
Anzu was standing in the hallway between his and Yami's soul rooms, clad in a long white gown and glowing with an etherial light. Yugi looked away from her, staring at the ground sadly. "I don't want to worry them... But, I missed you, Anzu. I don't want you to go."
"I have no choice, Yugi. I cannot stay in this plane of existance any longer. My place is not here," Anzu told him gently. "I have loved seeing you again, Yugi, but I have to leave this world."
Yugi nodded sadly, not tearing his eyes from the floor. "I know..."
Anzu smiled softly, and slowly faded from his mind.
"Anzu...!" Yugi called out weakly, reaching out his hand to stop her, but she had vanished.
~*~*~
"Anzu...!"
"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed, tightening his hold on the hikari as he struggled. "Yugi, calm down!"
Yugi stopped moving, looking up at Yami helplessly. "Yami... I... I'm sorry for worrying you."
"It's alright, Aibou..." Yami paused, looking up at the others as they hovered over the pair. "Are you okay?"
Yugi nodded. "...But, where's Anzu...?"
"She's gone, Yugi. We sent her to the other plane," Bakura told him quietly.
"Oh..." He murmured.
"Are you sure you're okay? You seemed... lost to us," Yami said.
"I... was talking to Anzu," Yugi whispered.
"What?!" Everyone blurted out. Yugi winced.
"She was inbetween our spirit rooms, Yami. I think she was in the card she gave us," Yugi told him.
"In the card?" Honda asked.
Bakura nodded. "She would have been in one of the cards, while small fragments of her spirit were in the others. It's not surprising that she was able to talk to Yugi, especially since he is the only one here linked directly to this world that has Shadow Powers."
Yami nodded. "Yes, that would explain it."
Yami helped Yugi to his feet as he stood, wrapping an arm around his waist as his eyes fell upon Anzu's gravestone. "Then we're done. Our tribute to the lost."
~*~*~
Bow: And I'm done with this chapter! Hope you liked it. I made myself finish it today so I could put it up while I still could.
Dragon: Took you how long to finish?!
Bow: ...Er...
Dragon: ::blinks:: -.-()
Bow: So, R/R you guys, I love my reviews! ^_______^
Bow: And things are just going to get more depressing...
Dragon: Where does all this angst come from, Bow?
Bow: ::shrugs, sighing:: The fact that I hate school, perhaps.
Dragon: Well, that's reasonable, I guess.
Bow: ::nod nod::
Dragon: This angst is contagious... I feel... so... depressed...
Bow: Eh...
~*~*~
Yami's eyes opened slowly, his arms tightening around... nothing. He blinked, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. Where was Yugi? Most likely he was watching cartoons or eating. Yami had fallen asleep quickly after returning home early that morning. Thankfully, Yugi had been asleep during it all, and suspected nothing had happened. He slipped out of bed, bare feet brushing the plush carpet as he crossed their bedroom to the door. How long had he been asleep? Well, it couldn't have been that long, Yugi was still in his pajamas. But, that wasn't saying much. Last weekend Yugi had been in his pajamas until three in the afternoon before Sugoroku forced him to get dressed.
"Yugi?" Yami called out down the hallway. "Aibou?"
He recieved no answer, but the strong smell of maple syrup wafted to his nose. Pancakes? He followed the smell, and found Yugi hovering over the stove, flipping the golden disks in the air expertly before catching them once again in the frying pan. Sugoroku and Siulin were eating some pancakes themselves, along with drinking some freshly brewed coffee. Well, Siulin was drinking hot tea... Siulin was a nice woman, though she was a little unsure about him at first. But, that quickly passed once she grew accustomed to him and his relationship with Yugi. She was just happy to see her son happy, and the ancient spirit seemed to be very protective over him. He would make sure that nothing happened to Yugi.
"Good morning," Yami said to the pair at the table, giving them a warm smile.
"Good morning, Yami," Siulin responded, smiling back.
Sugoroku just nodded, returning his nose back into his newspaper.
"Yami!" Yugi exclaimed happily, turning his head to glance back at him with a wide grin before turning back to his pancakes.
"Yes, it's me," Yami chuckled, a soft smile crossing his lips. "You're making pancakes."
Yugi nodded.
"I'm glad. I could really use some of your pancakes now," Yami sighed, coming up behind Yugi to wrap his arms around his waist. He had had a long night...
Yugi giggled, blushing. "Well, I can't finish them if you're distracting me!"
"Well, that's no fun. You sure?" Yami asked.
Yugi nodded. "Just let me finish these, okay?"
Yami kissed Yugi's neck where it met his shoulder, sending a chill up the hikari's spine. "Okay."
Yami released his koi, and turned, seeing that Sugoroku and Siulin had fled the kitchen. Yami shrugged. Oh well, now they had some more privacy. "How much longer until they're ready, Aibou?"
"Just-" Yugi flipped the pancake in the pan. "-a few more minutes."
Yami pulled out a chair, sitting in it sideways and using the backrest as an armrest instead. He watched Yugi intently, smiling as he watched his koi flip the golden-colored pancakes into the air and catch them deftly once more in the pan. He rested his chin on his palm, crimson eyes fixed upon Yugi.
Soon, Yugi had made up two plates of pancakes, setting one syrup drenched stack in front of his koi, the other on his place at the table across from him. Yami looked down at the pancakes hungrily, licking his lips as he picked up his fork eagerly.
"You want some coffee, Yami? Grandpa had a pot ready for himself and there's some left over," Yugi told the yami.
Yami nodded. "Thank you," Yami told him. He had gotten a taste for the coffee of this time, especially with plenty of sugar and a dash of milk. "You know the way I like it."
"Why wouldn't I?" Yugi asked with a smirk, pouring the yami a cup. "I personally don't like coffee. But, tea will do just fine."
Yugi set Yami's coffee down next to his plate, getting himself some hot tea. As soon as he finished fixing his tea, the phone rang. Yugi picked up his mug, taking a sip before answering the phone. Yami watched Yugi intently as Yugi picked up the reciever.
"Hello?" Yugi began. "Oh! Mrs. Mazaki! Hello!"
~*~*~
Dragon: Well, this morning isn't going to stay happy very long, is it?
Bow: Hush! Let the readers do what they do best. Read!
Dragon: That sounded so gay... u.u()...
~*~*~
Yugi ended abruptly, listening intently to Mrs. Mazaki's words. Yami wondered why Anzu's mother would call this early... Maybe she needed to talk to Siulin or Sugoroku?
"Oh... Mrs. Mazaki, I-" Yugi paused, the mug falling from his hand and smashing against the kitchen tile. "T-thank you for calling to tell us... I- I'm so sorry, Mrs. Mazaki... Y-yes... Goodbye."
"Yugi, what is it?" Yami asked him quietly, rising from his chair to step closer to his Aibou. "What's wrong?"
Yugi looked up at Yami with tear-filled eyes. "I-it's Anzu... She's..."
Yugi's throat tightened as he was choked by tears. Yami ignored the shattered mug, gathering the hikari up in his arms, carrying him over to his chair where he sat down with Yugi on his lap. "Yugi, tell me. What's wrong with Anzu?"
"She's... she's dead! She was found in an alleyway... Someone snapped her neck," Yugi sobbed into Yami's shoulder.
"...Dead? Yugi..." Yami wrapped his arms around his Abiou. 'I'll find who did this... Why would anyone want to kill Anzu? She did nothing wrong. I'll find who did this and make them pay!' He thought to himself, pulling Yugi closer as the hikari tried to hide in his warm body.
He thought he had found happiness. He had Yami, found his Grandfather again, and his mother was away from his father. But then this happened. Would the pain never stop?! "Why did this happen, Yami? Why did this happen to Anzu?"
"I don't know Koi, I don't know..." Yami whispered, rocking him back and forth. He had not known Anzu long, but the time he had known her had shown that she was a kind-hearted and helping young woman. She and the rest of their friends had pulled through for them in Duelist Kingdom, and he didn't know what would have happened without them.
~*~*~
Bow: Omygod! It's so depressing! Ahhhhhhh!!! I can't take it any more!!! ::shoots self::
Wakka: ::throws a Phoenix Down on her:: Stop that! ::leaves::
Bow: ::blinks:: Sorry. Okay, I can't do this depression arc any more! I'm going nuts here! Let's move on to the actual storyline, okay? I apologise, but it's this or I'll avoid the fanficion again. Okay, er... They're still a little depressing (like constantly crying depressed. not the I'm going to kill myself depressed), as she was their friend, but now they're just really mad. To make it up to you, I'll do a Jou/Seto lemon, okay? And a little depression for Seto. I find it more suitable for Seto. If felt too alien for Yugi and Yami to me... I dunno... Sorry again, I'm just not in the best of moods tonight... ::sigh:: This will also be an extra long chappie to make up for the long delay!
~*~*~
"Big Brother? What are you doing home?"
Seto Kaiba looked over at Mokuba, who had just entered the living room. The room was Seto's favorite, as it had the TV in it, along with the gaming systems and computer. It was a room that the hired help were not allowed to enter, as it was specifically for him and Mokuba, and was inbetween their bedrooms. The only doors to the room was directly from either of their rooms. It was decorated with Duel Monsters posters and other memorabelia. Mokuba liked to collect the small plastic and di-cast metal figurines, and had almost the entire set. They had an entire wall of shelves to themselves.
"I didn't feel like going to school today," Seto answered, turning back to the television.
"Oh... Okay..." Mokuba answered quietly, pulling his hair back into a ponytail, binding it back with a red band that matched his equally red shirt. He also had on a pair of black, baggy pants which hung over half of his black shoes. He had gone shopping lately and discovered the skater style, and had adopted it as his own.
Seto forced a smile, turning off the TV as he turned to his brother, patting the couch next to him. "C'mere. So, how was you're day, Mokuba?"
Mokuba returned the smile, flopping down next to Seto. "Nothing much. We had a substitue today and she didn't speak Japanese very well. She just moved here from America. We had fun teaching her some stuff she didn't know."
"That's good." Seto paused, smile falling. 'Anzu wanted to go to America and study dance... Jonouchi told me that...'
"Seto...? What is it?" Mokuba asked him.
The brown-haired boy shook his head, blinking back unshed tears that gathered in his sapphire eyes. "Nothing... It's nothing, Mokuba."
"You sure, Big Brother?" Mokuba asked worriedly.
Kaiba nodded, forcing another smile. "Yes. I'm fine. So, do you have any homework you need to get done?"
"A little," Mokuba pouted.
"Why don't you go do that now before you do anything else," Seto half suggested, half ordered.
"Okay..." The raven-haired boy answered half-heartedly, stepping into his room.
As soon as Mokuba closed the door behind him, a flood of tears came to Seto's eyes. He brought his legs up to his chest, and he curled up into a defensive ball. All of the emotion he had been hiding from, all of the pain came rushing into him. Not only the pain from losing one of his friends, even if she hadn't been a particularly close one, but also from his past. A past filled with rejection, ice, and fear. That had gone when his foster father had died, leaving the company to him, but it still lingered deep within his heart. He didn't know why the pain had picked now to resurface, why his memory had been triggered by that memory of what Jonouchi had said about Anzu. But Anzu was dead, and there was no way they could get her back. Just like there was no way to regain his lost innocence that had been ripped from him when he witnessed his real mother and father's deaths.
But, they were lost memories. He couldn't even picture their faces any more. Mokuba, too, had been too young to remember them at all. He had been just a toddler. But then they had been put into foster care with him. The only thing good that had come out of him was his beloved company, Kaiba Corp. Seto was glad, though, that Mokuba had forgotten about their past lives; but he wasn't so lucky. They haunted him, drifting through his dreams, even small words or phrases triggering memories. But he had learned to put up walls against those emotions. But now...
...Now his walls were crumbling.
Seto Kaiba cried onto his knees, back shaking with his sobs. Why couldn't he stop? Why couldn't he stop his tears...?
"'Ey Seto! I thought you'd be in... here..." Jonouchi halted in the doorway that led in from Seto's room, fingers gripping the doorframe loosely.
"Jonouchi...!" Seto exclaimed, raising his forehead from his knees, trying desperately to wipe the tears from his eyes. But, he only succeded in smearing the tears, as his face was too wet to dry with his hand alone. He was able to stem the flow of tears, but it was too late now. Jou could see the tears glistening on his cheeks. "Now's not a good time, Jou..."
Jou's eyes widened in surprise, alarmed. He had never seen Seto... cry before. It was even a weird thought, using Seto and cry in the same thought. Unless 'not' was in the sentence. He felt as though his feet had been frozen to the floor; he couldn't move, and he didn't know what to do. Seto had always been the strong, rational one. He was the emotional, brash, and erratic one...
"S-Seto...? What's wrong?" Jou asked, finally being able to find his voice.
"Nothing... Jou, maybe you should come back later..." Seto began, looking away from the blonde.
Jou frowned. "Seto, tell me. I'm not leaving until you do."
"It's nothing, Jou. I just have something in my eye is all," Seto fumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"You're a horrible liar, Kaiba," Jou snapped. He walked over to Seto, kneeling down in front of him so he could look up at his lover. He was still holding his legs to him securely, and tears still graced his cheeks. "I always came to you when I was hurting. Now you can come to me. You don't always have to be the strong one."
"Jou, I... I don't want you to see me like this," Seto told him quietly. "I supposed to be the strong one for you."
"You don't always have to be. At least let me be the strong one for you when you need me to," Jou murmured, reaching up to gently stroke to older boy's cheek.
"Jou..." Seto mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes once more.
Jonouchi rose, sitting down next to Seto. The blonde pulled him into his lap, raising a hand to stroke his brown hair as Seto cried into his shoulder. The older wrapped his arms around the younger, holding onto him as he lowered his legs from his chest.
"Don't think that you can't come to me when you're hurt, Seto. I love you, and I want you to rely on me sometimes," Jonouchi told him, rocking him gently. "now what's wrong? Are you still upset about... Anzu...?"
"N-not only Anzu's death. I was thinking about Anzu, and then... I don't know why, but everything that I had hidden away, all that emotion, came back," Seto explained, wiping his tears from his eyes. He had stemmed the flow of his tears, and was able to speak normally. But, he was still clinging to Jou, head resting on his shoulder as he hid his eyes in the blonde's neck.
"What emotions did you hide?" Jou asked quietly.
Seto fell silent. Would Jonouchi still love him if he knew about his past? Would he see him the same way after learning about this other side of him? The last thing he wanted would be to hurt their relationship...
"Seto...?" Jou murmured.
"Jou... I can't," he responded in a hushed voice.
Jonoushi had encountered this kind of withdrawl from Seto before when he had asked about Honda... Was he worried about what he thought of him again? "Seto, I will not think any different of you because of your past. Just tell me why you are in so much pain. Please? I want to be able to help you," Jou told him, tightening his secure hold on the sapphire-eyed brunette.
Seto raised his head, looking into Jonouchi's topaz-colored eyes. "How can you be sure that your feelings won't change, Jou?"
"Because nothing can take me away from you. Not even Pegasus could keep us apart when he stole your soul, Seto," Jou murmured. "I ended up having to fight Yugi and Yami to try and get you back."
"But you lost, Jou. They saved me when Yami defeated Pegasus," Seto mumbled.
"But I still tried. We helped each other to get you back," Jou replied.
Seto paused before speaking. "Jonouchi, do you know that you are only the second person to genuinely love me, and to have me return that love?"
"Seto...?" Jou began.
"Please, let me speak, Jou. I'm explaining to you my past." Seto continued when he recieved a nod from the golden-haired youth. "Mokuba was the first, and then I met you, Jou. I saw you, laughing with Anzu and Honda, even when you teased Yugi at first. The reason I was so mean to you at first... was because I was jealous of you and your caring friends. The reason for that is in my childhood.
"You don't know this, but my father, who gave me Kaiba Corp., was actually my foster father. My parents, my real parents, died... a long time ago. Mokuba was only a toddler then. And then we were fostered into the Kaiba family. I don't know my original family name, Jou. But... our foster father didn't love us; we both knew that as soon as Mokuba was old enough to understand. And he... he beat us whenever we did anything wrong, even if it was just an accident. I protected Mokuba, so he wasn't hurt. But, that meant more pain for me; and I have the scars to prove it..."
Seto rose, much to Jonouchi's silent protest, and lifted his shirt over his head. There, along his chest and back, were thin white scars. "My foster father was old fashioned; he beat me with thin tree branches. They sting longer..." Seto muttered darkly.
Jou rose from the couch, walking over to Seto. The older boy looked down at him with fear in his eyes. What was Jounouchi thinking right now? Was he disgusted? Jou traced his fingers over the light-colored scars, sending a burning heat over Seto's skin. What... was he doing?
"Why didn't I see them before?" Jou asked quietly, walking in a slow circle around him.
"I would get dressed before you woke up, remember? And we... were too envolped by passion to really pay any attention," Seto mumbled.
Jou smiled, pausing as he recalled the memories that came to him at Seto's words. He then began to speak once again. "Seto... You know how bad my childhood was. Not as bad as yours, I'll admit, but still. Why did you think that this would make me think less of you?" Jou asked him, wrapping his arms around Seto's waist. He leaned against him, resting his warm cheek on Seto's cold back.
Seto shivered, resting his arms on top of Jou's. "But, I was always the one with the good life, the one who could comfort you when you were sad and lonely. I was the stable one for you. Don't... you need that?"
"Sure... Everyone does, Seto. Even you. Just because you have those negative emotions, those moments of weakness, doesn't mean I will love you any less. That's what makes you human, you know?" Jou told him.
Seto turned in Jou's hold, looking down at the blonde. "Jou...?"
"Hmm?" Jou asked him, russet eyes wide with curiosity.
"Do you know... how much I love you?" Seto murmured.
~*~*~Lemon! This is a warning for the younger readers! Lemon!~*~*~
Before Jou could open his mouth to speak, Seto was kissing him, deeply and passionately. It wasn't long until Jou was eagerly returning the kisses, gasping for air when their lips seperated for a split second. The brunette forced his way into the blonde's mouth hungrily, the younger meeting the other's tongue with his own enthusiastically. Seto pulled Jou's blue school jacket off of him, tossing it aside lazily as he held the blonde to him.
Seto moved Jou over to the couch, pushing him down onto the soft cusions as his hands made their way up the younger's shirt to caress his smooth, cool flesh. Jou shivered, running his fingers through Seto's hair, refusing the break their kiss for anything. Except one thing. Seto had to pull back to lift Jou's shirt over his head. But, then his lips began work on Jou's chest, tracing hot lines around the curves of his underdeveloped muscles. Jou let a loud gasp escape him as Seto closed his lips around one of his nipples, feeling his lover's tongue graze the peak of it at a painfully slow pace.
Seto tugged at Jou's pants, unable to get them off himself. He was currently keeping himself from falling on Jou with one hand, and he was trying to get rid of the offending article of clothing with no success. The Uke of the pair sensed the Seme's frustration as he growled onto his skin, and brushed Seto's hands away gently.
"Let... me help you with that," Jou whispered hoarsely, quickly discarding his blue uniform trousers on the ground.
Jou then worked on Seto's, managing to remove them with trembling hands and throw them onto the carpet alongside his own.
"Thanks..." Seto growled, nipping at the tender skin of Jou's neck.
Jou moaned, bringing his lips down to Seto's shoulder to stifle the sound. He could feel Seto's erection against his thigh, and was concious of his own pressing against both of their stomachs. Seto's fingers dug into the sofa, fighting to keep himself upright, as he plunged himself into the blonde. Jou screamed, but it was stifled as Seto captured his lips with his own, pausing as he waited for the biting pain in Jou's inner walls to die down before he continued.
"I... I'm okay..." Jou whispered into Seto's mouth thickly.
Seto nodded, arching back so he thrust forward deeper into his Koi, hitting deep inside of him. The younger boy's inner walls clenched around Seto's member, making the brunette let out a quiet moan of pleasure. Seto pulled back again, this time Jou arching to meet his thrust. They panted heavily, broken only by moans as a steady rythym was built up. Jou wrapped his long legs around Seto's waist, pulling Seto's length deeper into him as they rocked back and forth, hips hitting together almost painfully. With their joint efforts, Seto was able to reach the spot deep inside the Uke's body that made him go weak with pleasure, Jou letting a loud moan excape his lips as Seto hit the spot over and over again.
Jou could keep himself back no longer, and came onto their sweat-slicked stomachs, almost signalling to Seto that he, too, could release the immense pressure building up inside of him. Jou felt something warm fill him, and then Seto's length draw out of him, leaving him trembling weakly. The Seme collapsed onto the blonde, panting heavily onto his skin as they lay in a tangle of limbs on the sofa.
~*~*~End of the Lemon! It's safe, kiddies!!!~*~*~
After a long moment of silence, Jou was able to muster up the strength to speak. "I... I almost forgot, Seto..."
"F-forgot what?" Seto mumbled wearily, opening his shockingly bright blue eyes.
Jou was able to reach his pants from his position under Seto, pulling something out of a pocket. He held it up for Seto to see.
"A Duel Monsters card..." Seto whispered.
"Tenderness... One of Anzu's cards. Her mother sent us each one in the mail. She said in a note that each one of her cards reminded her of us, and she sent us each the cards that Anzu had picked. This is ours, Seto... Mrs. Mazaki said that Anzu thought we had such tenderness for each other, and that this was our card," Jou told him quietly, looking up at the card as Seto slipped his hand under his own.
"I'll miss her..." Seto whispered quietly, taking the card from his Koi's hand as he set it on the floor, making sure it wouldn't get damaged as they fell into a deep sleep, Jou pulling the blanket over the back of the couch over them.
~*~*~
Bow: O.o?! Who am I and what did I do to myself?! Jeebus that was different!
Dragon: ::sighs happily:: That was nice... ^_________^
Bow: Like I said, Catnip for dragons. Oh! And I'm far from over! Still got a few more scenes to do! Woot! XD
~*~*~
"Shizuka! Shizuka, you home?"
Brushing a few stray auburn strands out of her russet eyes, Katsuya Shizuka opened the door to meet Hiroto Honda. "Honda! You're early!"
Honda grinned, hugging his best friend's little sister to him before planting a kiss on her cheek. "I thought it would be best to get there a little early to keep Ryou and Bakura company. They've been there since around noon."
Shizuka smiled up at Honda. "Noon? Why'd they get there so early?"
He shrugged. "You can never know with Bakura." Hinda released her from his embrace, squeezing her hand as she laced her fingers with his. "C'mon. Let's get going."
~*~*~
"It's such a pretty day today. I'm glad."
Ryou looked up into the sky, smiling slightly as he watched the coulds roll by at a lazy pace. "The sun is shining, and there's no sign of rain."
"It's too cold for it to be summer," Bakura mumbled, resting his chin on Ryou's shoulder as he came up behind him. "But I like it more then the hot Egyptian weather."
"I'm glad. I only wish Anzu was with us to enjoy it," Ryou murmured, pulling a card out of his pocketl the Magician of Faith.
Bakura reached around his hikari, his fingers holding onto one side of the card. "Part of her heart is in each card she gave us. She'll be with us soon."
Ryou looked up from the card, eyes falling upon a grey slab of marble. Anzu's tombstone. "But only for a moment, then she'll be gone."
"We must send her, Ryou. Her heart is stuck here until we do," Bakura explained quietly. "so is the price we pay for dealing with the shadow magics."
Ryou nodded reluctantly.
"The others should be here soon. It's nearing two," Bakura whispered, wrapping his free arm around Ryou's waist.
"We're here!"
Bakura looked over his shoulder, dark brown eyes falling upon Honda and Shizuka. "Did you bring your card, Honda?"
Honda nodded, pulling out Shining Friendship. "I have it."
Bakura nodded in return. "Good. I was worried you had forgotten."
"I wouldn't forget something so important, Bakura. How are both of you?" Honda asked them.
"We're okay. I don't think anyone has been better then okay since we lost Anzu," Ryou murmured.
"I don't think so either."
Honda and Shizuka turned, watching Yugi and Yami walk up to them. Yugi couldn't meet their eyes, and he continued to stare down at the ground. His eyes seemed glazed over, like he wasn't fully aware of what was happening. Yami was holding onto his hand, leading him over to the others.
"What's wrong with Yugi?" Honda asked, alarmed.
Yami shook his head. "I don't know," he murmured, closing his eyes. "He's been like this eince this morning when we got our card. He wasn't able to go to school either."
Yami pulled out the Happy Lover out of his pocket.
"Maybe the sending will help," Bakura suggested.
"I hope so. Siulin and Sugoroku are beggining to get worried. The only time this happened before was at Duelist Kingdom when he had to fight Kaiba. But... that was because of me... This, this I just don't know about," Yami murmured, fingers tightening around Yugi's. There was still no returning pressure from Yugi's hand; it was still limp.
"We'll have to hope the sending helps then," Bakura echoed.
"Where's Jonouchi? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Shizuka chimed in.
"We're... here!" Jou called out, exasperated. His blonde hair was disheveled, and he seemed to be having some slight trouble walking.
Seto was following the blonde quickly, hair looking equally tousled. "Sorry for being late."
"Good. We can do this, then," Bakura muttered under his breath, ignoring the obvious reason for the pair's lateness. He turned to Yami, who was looking down at Yugi worriedly. "Yami, would you like to have the honors?"
Yami tore his eyes from his hikari, crimson eyes filled with sadness. "No, you do it," he told him, shaking his head.
Bakura watched helplessly as Yami knelt down by Yugi's side, pulling him onto his lap to cradle the boy. Yugi still made no response to Yami's actions; he was lost deep within his mind...
Bakura looked up at the others, holding out his hands. "Your cards please..."
They nodded, handing him the cards.
"Yugi... come on, we're going to send her now... Yugi...?" Yami murmured, tears gathering in his eyes.
~*~*~
"Yugi, I'm going to have to go soon. I can't stay much longer."
Yugi looked up at Anzu, who was forcing a soft smile on her lips. "...Go? But, Anzu..."
"You can't stay in your mind much longer. You're worrying the others, especially Yami," Anzu told him.
Anzu was standing in the hallway between his and Yami's soul rooms, clad in a long white gown and glowing with an etherial light. Yugi looked away from her, staring at the ground sadly. "I don't want to worry them... But, I missed you, Anzu. I don't want you to go."
"I have no choice, Yugi. I cannot stay in this plane of existance any longer. My place is not here," Anzu told him gently. "I have loved seeing you again, Yugi, but I have to leave this world."
Yugi nodded sadly, not tearing his eyes from the floor. "I know..."
Anzu smiled softly, and slowly faded from his mind.
"Anzu...!" Yugi called out weakly, reaching out his hand to stop her, but she had vanished.
~*~*~
"Anzu...!"
"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed, tightening his hold on the hikari as he struggled. "Yugi, calm down!"
Yugi stopped moving, looking up at Yami helplessly. "Yami... I... I'm sorry for worrying you."
"It's alright, Aibou..." Yami paused, looking up at the others as they hovered over the pair. "Are you okay?"
Yugi nodded. "...But, where's Anzu...?"
"She's gone, Yugi. We sent her to the other plane," Bakura told him quietly.
"Oh..." He murmured.
"Are you sure you're okay? You seemed... lost to us," Yami said.
"I... was talking to Anzu," Yugi whispered.
"What?!" Everyone blurted out. Yugi winced.
"She was inbetween our spirit rooms, Yami. I think she was in the card she gave us," Yugi told him.
"In the card?" Honda asked.
Bakura nodded. "She would have been in one of the cards, while small fragments of her spirit were in the others. It's not surprising that she was able to talk to Yugi, especially since he is the only one here linked directly to this world that has Shadow Powers."
Yami nodded. "Yes, that would explain it."
Yami helped Yugi to his feet as he stood, wrapping an arm around his waist as his eyes fell upon Anzu's gravestone. "Then we're done. Our tribute to the lost."
~*~*~
Bow: And I'm done with this chapter! Hope you liked it. I made myself finish it today so I could put it up while I still could.
Dragon: Took you how long to finish?!
Bow: ...Er...
Dragon: ::blinks:: -.-()
Bow: So, R/R you guys, I love my reviews! ^_______^