Anzu woke the next day to see Isis beaming at her.
"What is it?" Anzu asked, her eyelashes fluttering.
"Someone's here to see you, dear."
"Ou avez-vous passé la matinee, ma cherie?" Anzu just stared at Bakura blankly. She knew what the last one meant, but had no idea what the rest meant. Isis let out a laugh.
"He asked you where you've been all morning, Anzu."
"Oui," was Bakura's noncommittal response. "Ainsi donc?"
"Bakura, she doesn't understand French." Isis informed him at last as Anzu blinked.
"Oui, moi reconnaitre." Bakura smirked at Anzu. "Moi came over to see if vous wanted to go out on a walk with moi." Anzu blinked, then nodded.
"After I have breakfast, of course. I slept in, I'm afraid." That's right...Lucifer rejected me last night. Anzu felt familiar tears well up in her eyes, but she ignored them. Bakura peered at her face closely, his eyes going dark.
"Something wrong, amour?" Isis' heart leapt and she whipped around and realized that he was just using the pet name.
"No," Anzu shook her head, hurrying into the dining room. Bakura frowned, turning to Isis.
"Amour?"
"Failed love. Lucifer rejected her yesterday."
"Lucifer?" Bakura snorted.
"What?"
"Le netteté of le imbécile indic: agir sottement se faire manquer de soi."
"You are certainly being cruel this morning, Bakura."
"Quoi que ce soit."
"Do you like Anzu?"
"Hum, hum. Not likely."
"And yet you are going out with her." A suave smile slid onto his lips.
"None of your concern, garce."
"Don't insult me in your language, Bakura!" She called after him as he strolled off into the dining room.
"Anzu, vous are acting like a desolate saule pleureur!" He exclaimed, sidling beside her.
"Please, no French, Bakura." She muttered, wiping her tears angrily. "I miss Lucifer."
"Ah, le imbécile." He smirked.
"I'm guessing you said that he was stupid."
"Moi? Never!" She laughed, her face glowing, the skin tickled with tears. "So, shall we go and eat, ma cherie?"
"I'm hoping you didn't call my ugly in that language of yours."
"Non! Never!" Bakura glanced out the window and raised his eyebrows. "It's Marik."
"So I see," Anzu murmured. The bailiff hurried to the door, nearly getting hit by it when Marik kicked it open. Marik scowled at the young male, who trembled with fright of his mistress' eldest brother. His eyes were so widely open that the white of his eyes showed.
"Really, kid," Marik began, exasperated, "can't you tell from my many visits that I don't need you opening the damn door for me?"
"Oh, Marik," Isis moaned with just as much exasperation as his, "must you torture my servants? Go along, Timothy." The young bailiff hastily left, stumbling over his feet. Marik snorted in anger and disgust at young Timothy. "Really, Marik! Timothy's barely ten and you harass and frighten him. It's rather – "
"Yeah, yeah, like I care. Shut your trap all ready," Marik muttered, rolling his eyes. Bakura grinned at him, a mischievous twinkle glimmering in his eyes. He opened his eyes, but Marik held up a hand. "If you talk, you speak English, got it?"
"Oui, I understand completely – "
"And yet you don't shut off the French in your brain..." Marik sighed, rubbing his head. "By the way, how are you feeling Anzu? Better than..." He shifted on his feet restlessly. "...last night I hope?"
"Yes, thank you for asking," Anzu replied, but there was a cool tinge that Marik had caught. His eyes narrowed and he was about to cuss her out, when Isis interrupted.
"Well, why don't you and Bakura be off? It'll be luncheon by the time you're ready to leave!" She beamed at the two and Marik's mind suddenly exploded with questions.
"Leave? Luncheon? What the hell are you talking about, Isis?" Marik's eyes narrowed to slits, his voice lowering perilously. Isis stiffened, wincing.
"Well, Bakura's invited Anzu to go out on a walk. It is, as I've observed, a most beautiful day and I see no harm in it – " Isis halted, seeing Marik's far-away look.
What the hell is Bakura thinking, now? He certainly has no romantic thoughts of Anzu, that I am sure of. He's a damn French-man, so perhaps...Is he romanticizing her so he gets laid? That sneaky bastard! That's exactly what the prick is doing! Well! I'll just go couple steps ahead of him.
"I'll join you two. Just for safety, of course," Marik added with a to-be innocent smile. Isis frowned.
"I see no reason why you shouldn't," Anzu told him lightly, a smile curling her lips. "We'd be glad to have you, wouldn't we, Bakura?" Bakura glared at Marik, obviously realizing that he had learned his plan.
"Faux," he snarled at Marik. Anzu just gave a puzzled look to Isis, who shrugged. She didn't think it would be right to translate 'bastard' to the delicate young lady. Why should she?
"Then I guess let's go." Anzu cheered, leaving to get her cloak. Marik and Bakura simply stared at each other, before Marik snorted and left outside. Bakura stared after him, his dark eyes flat.
"Anetrou," Bakura muttered.
"Oh, Bakura, don't insult him behind his back. That was low, too." Bakura gave her a puzzled, pissed-off look. "Calling him an asshole, I mean." Bakura just turned and left to the dining room, where his own cloak was.
X
With Marik trailing behind the two, they walked through the town.
"Oh, look!" Anzu pointed across the street where a man was playing a psaltery. "I can't hear it that well...Can we cross?" Bakura simply nodded, glancing behind him to look at Marik, who followed them mutely. "Oh, it's beautiful!" Anzu exclaimed, clasping her hands. The male glanced up at her and smiled while playing the mini-harp. "My mother used to play this. Not as well, I grant you, but I've always loved the sound. Don't you?" She turned to Bakura questionably. He blinked, then smiled at her.
"In France, there is a musician or performer at nearly every corner. Well, where the peasants live, at least."
"You shouldn't insult the people less fortunate than us," Anzu pointed out wisely. Bakura shrugged, not planning to apologize to her.
"They were born what they are, it is their own fault and no other's." Anzu scowled, but did not retort.
"You two are lovers, yes?" The performer inquired after finishing his music piece. Marik glared at him, but the man did not notice.
"Somewhat," Bakura replied, smiling charmingly. The man chuckled and winked at Bakura.
"Pray accept my love song for you two, milady?"
"Well, I – " But before Anzu could finish her sentence, he was already off, plucking the strings lovingly.
X
"I didn't like that man," Marik muttered to himself. "That song could have made be hurl..." He paused, glancing up at the two who were talking. What about, Marik did not know. Noticing he had fallen back, he hastened his step.
"...the song was lovely," Bakura agreed, "but I doubt that it was as beautiful as you, Anzu."
"You are...Sweet." She blushed, turning her face from him. Marik glowered. He wasn't about to let Bakura win her into his bed. She'd be scarred for life. Not because of his performance, no, but because he'd get her pregnant, dump her on the street and leave her. Marik perked up, spotting a familiar male.
"Let's go this way," he told them abruptly. Bakura's fists clenched, but he did as told as Anzu steered him the way Marik had indicated. She didn't seem to mind. However, Marik swore at himself silently for the brief physical contact they had made.
"Ah, le imbecile..." Bakura murmured under his breath, spotting the elder man. Indeed it was le imbecile AKA Lucifer. The man was reading leisurely under a tree. The appearance of him made Anzu stiffened with horror and perhaps even wonderment.
"Lucifer," Marik acknowledged casually. The male jumped in surprise and smiled at them, glancing at Anzu a bit in concern.
"Hello, old boy," Lucifer greeted. "What are you three doing today?"
"Walking," Bakura replied flatly, frowning. Lucifer winced at the hostility in his voice and grimaced.
"Well, um...How are you Anzu?"
"Quite all right," Anzu responded, her voice steady. "Bakura and I were, ha ha, blessed by a performer on the streets."
"Is that so?"
"He did a song on a psaltery," Bakura explained. "Quite good, actually." Anzu stared up at him in surprise. For their walk, he hadn't said one French word. She was actually amazed.
"I see," Lucifer stared at Bakura for a long time. "Psaltery's are normally played with a feeling of...love."
"He mistook them for being lovers," Marik told him. "We'd best be going. It's nearly luncheon."
"Yes, well, tallyho, chaps!" His eyes met Anzu's and he gave a rueful smile. "I was on the street with a woman named Alice today. A man took us for a couple and played a love song. Unlike you and Bakura, however, he was not mistaken." Anzu stared at him and Marik frowned.
"Lucifer – " Marik began, but Bakura beat him to it. The Frenchman leaned over and clapped him on the shoulder painfully.
"If you were you planning on harming Anzu's feelings, I'll hunt you down. However, if you merely meant to inform her, I'll just break a few of your bones," Bakura whispered in his ear. Lucifer shuddered, but made sure that Anzu knew nothing of his true reaction. "Am I clear?"
"C-clear," Lucifer sputtered in a whisper.
"She's mine. And she'll be in my bed, no one else's. And I highly doubt there's a woman named Alice, so..." Bakura smiled wickedly. "You'll be near dead tonight." He pulled away, beaming. "We'd better hasten back to Isis' or we'll be left to starve."
"I suppose you are right," Anzu sighed, following Bakura, rubbing her growling stomach. "I am rather famished."
"I couldn't disagree with you," Bakura told her cheerfully. Marik sat down beside Lucifer.
"Are you two battling over her?" Lucifer asked in wonder as Marik lit a cigarette.
"Oh no," Marik shook his head. "I'm merely attempting to save her from her demise. The girl's going to end up in Bakura's bed if she isn't careful."
"He wants her, you know..." Lucifer shut his book, his hands trembling. "In his bed, that is. Anzu shouldn't be around such a dangerous man."
"You think? Oh, Bakura appears harmless enough, but hell, he isn't a quarter as innocent as he claims to be."
"So I noticed," Lucifer murmured, raking a hand through his hair.
X
DIS: Hmm, now I'm considering making it a Bakura/Anzu fic. Decisions, decisions! (pause) Why don't you peeps out there decide? When you review, vote for whom Anzu should be with! Please!