Anzu dragged herself up the stairs and to her room. "What do girls want," she mumbled tiredly peeling her clothes off to have a shower. "Such an innocent question, but oh boy had it turned into a loaded gun."

The hot water felt good on her aching body. The emotion of the last few days resulted in a practice that left her dance instructor wrung out like a used dishcloth.

"Such emotion and poetry," she'd cried. "The scholarship must be yours with a performance like that."

Ms Timu was still wiping the tears away when Anzu left to join Yugi. She had hoped for some normal time. Time where she could just sit and not have to think about Mokuba and Seto, and that infernal question. As she walked through the door, everything looked 'normal'. Grandpa Mouto was in his usual place, ready to discuss the closest thing to Anzu's heart.

"Is it?"

"Shut up, no one asked you." Said the upset girl, slowly massaging the conditioner through her hair.

"Well I was just asking?" retorted her mind

"Don't." She snarled back.

"We are precious."

"You better believe it." She punctuated every word, turning off the taps and grabbed the warm bath sheet.

"Anzu, is everything all right?" Her mothers voice filtered through the locked door to the steam filled room.

"Ah yeah, I was um, just talking to myself."

She could almost see that smile on her mothers face. She'd seen it several times in the last few days, and always when she was mumbling to herself.

"You're doing that a lot lately, is there anything you want to talk about."

Sitting on the vanity chair, she paused from the task of drying her hair. She deliberated over the possibility. "Could she? Would her mum understand without going the hardline about boys at her age, but I mean come on, I am eighteen."

Her mother called softly through the door again, noting Anzu's hesitation.

"Just so you know, I'm available anytime. Okay?"

About to leave the room, she spun round in surprise as the bathroom door flung open and Anzu latched onto her mother, clinging for dear life. At that moment she felt as young and confused as Mokuba earlier.

"I don't know, what to do!" She sobbed quietly."

With a gentle shake of her head, Anzu's mother stroked her daughters wet hair.

"None of us ever do. When the time comes we think we have it all worked out and then something, or someone, comes and changes the game plan."

Anzu raised her head slowly to look at her mother. The soft reassuring smile that had always made every scrape and fall seem like nothing was all that the girl needed.

Her mother, recognising that she was ready, gave gentle directions for the girl to get dressed and meet her downstairs. Calling to Anzu's father she indicated that they were going out for a girls night, and that they would see him when they saw him. Her father watched pensively from the middle of the kitchen, only once before had a girls night been indicated in such a tone. He started calculating the cost. Wasn't the first girls night out meant to negate the need for a second?

"Oh God," he groaned inwardly. "Just when we were getting ahead."

Starting with some retail therapy, followed by food, and a little bit of feminine care, they collapsed into the movie seats with a large box of popcorn between them. After the movie, Anzu looped her arm through her mothers and rested her head on the familiar shoulder, walking out through the doors onto the busy streets.

"Thank you." She sighed softly

"For what? Being your mother?"

"No, being my friend."

"I'm always that Anzu. How about we go somewhere and have a drink. And talk about that thing which we have successfully avoided all night." Wrapping an arm about her daughters shoulders, she pulled her close and kissed her head.

The morning was bright, too bright. Pulling the covers over her head she moaned at the ineffectiveness of white sheets.

"Fine, I'm up. Happy now. Stupid sun."

Wrapping her dressing gown about her she walked ever so carefully down the stairs. Every step seemed to mock her as the usually unheard creak echoed loudly in her ears.

Hearing movement her father tried to sit and pretend as though nothing was amiss.

"Mum must have told him," she thought hazily.

Grabbing a dry piece of toast she curled up on the lounge and nibbled it slowly. Looking at her father, she saw the teacup still positioned halfway to his mouth. Entering, her mother's condition didn't look much better than her own. The slamming of the cup brought both women's eyes to the perpetrator with an accusing glare.

"Anu please, I beg you, not so loud."

"Not so loud," his voice rising. "I…I can't believe it. I'd have thought you'd have more sense than to …"

"THAN TO WHAT!" Her mother countered. "For God's sakes Anu, she's eighteen not eight, she's allowed to drink."

Anzu groaned and wrapped her arms around her head trying to shut out the all too familiar sounds of her parents fighting.

"YOU think I don't know my own daughters age." He snarled. "I know full well how old she is, but in her condition, I mean a little bit of control please…"

Bits and pieces of the ranting filtered through the cloudy haze in Anzu's mind.

"But dad he's Special." She cried trying to untangle herself from the lounge.

Standing, her father's hand slapped the table. "That's precisely what your mother said to her father."

Anzu's mother seemed to be processing at the same rate as her, only on a different level.

"Anu?" Her voice now quiet. "What do you mean, her condition?"

a/n

I honestly did not think when I started this, that I would get such a huge response. A few people have asked questions so I'll answer them here.

AvidReaderAlso -
I was just curious -- why was Anzu at the Kaiba mansion in the first place? Is she tutoring the young lad?

btw, will someone please explain the meaning of azureshipping to me? I honestly have no idea...

The-hinotori –
Not really. Mokuba's importance in Anzu's life is such that if he says "jump", she will say "how high". Not that Mokuba would say that of course, that's the sort of charm you could expect from Seto.

Now with azureshipping I am making an assumption, and am quite willing to be corrected. I took it as matching the two blue eyed characters in a romantic situation ie Seto and Anzu. A more in depth answer could probably be better given by someone else, but that's the way I saw it.

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On a side note I was pleased to see that the double entendre with Mokuba's question didn't go unnoticed. But I'm sad to say that Mokuba never had a crush on Anzu, (sorry Rashi). It's all a matter of individual perception of the same sentence.

As for updating quickly, short of giving myself a brain haemorrhage I don't think I can. Trust me, considering that I have other stories that I haven't touched in ages, this ones doing well (probably, because I'm also enjoying it, and find the characters malleable). I have already laid the ground work for future chapters, they just need 'Tweaking".