Persevereshipping (Otogi x Anzu)
There was one thing that Ryuji Otogi could not stand for: crying girls. It wasn't right. Girls should not have to cry – every single one of them was beautiful, and if they knew just how beautiful, they'd never have to cry.
And especially, Anzu Mazaki should never cry.
Walking down the hallway, feeling restrained by his school uniform, he was more than ready to escape the prison known as school and get back to the rest of his life. Except he heard a soft sob, and every radar he had went on red alert.
It seemed to be coming from one of the classrooms he had just passed. He shoved his school bag under one arm and backtracked. He looked in three doors before he found the source of the sound.
Anzu Mazaki stood with her back to the doorway. The autumn sun set through the window, sending glimmers of red and yellow into the room and turning her pink uniform orange. For all he knew, she might have just been staring off into the distance – except her shoulders were shaking.
"Mazaki-chan?"
Anzu whipped around. Tears glinted through the air, little gems in a setting sun. Otogi could only stare. Anzu? Why was Anzu crying? He could remember her giving him the whatfor in the first days of school for hitting on girls, had heard that she had once been held hostage by a criminal and didn't miss a beat after his arrest – this girl wasn't one to falter.
"Oh...Otogi-san..." she said. "Sorry, you – you scared me."
She rubbed at her eyes, as though trying to hide the tears.
"No, I'm sorry," Otogi said. "For scaring you."
He bit his tongue.
"Hey...you all right?"
"Oh, yes, fine!"
Otogi frowned.
"You're not fooling me, Mazaki-chan."
"No, really, it's just allergies. I'm fine."
Otogi stepped into the room. He slid his bag onto a desk and walked across to Anzu. Her shoulders were still shaking ever so slightly. He placed his hands on those shoulders, and she stiffened slightly.
"I'm your friend, right?" he said.
"Of course," Anzu said, looking offended by the question.
"Then you can talk to me."
Anzu hesitated. The empty classroom seemed to echo with their beating hearts, although, Otogi was pretty sure that was his imagination.
"This is about Yugi, right?" he guessed.
Anzu ducked her head. Nailed it. Otogi squeezed her shoulders before he even realized it was doing it. He let go almost immediately, letting his hands drop to his sides. Dammit, what did Yugi do to her?
"I..." Anzu said suddenly, knocking Otogi from his thoughts. "I miss Atem. Do you remember Atem? The other Yugi?"
Otogi blinked. He sort of knew what she was talking about. He had seen the other Yugi before – actually, come to think of it, he hadn't noticed the two of them switching lately. Atem? Was that his name?
"He's gone, Otogi-san," she said. "He...he passed on. We won't see him again."
Otogi could distinctly hear his own heart. He could feel it pulsing heavily in his wrists.
"And I – Yugi – how...can I..."
Anzu stumbled over the words. Tears started to bubble over her eyes. And Otogi had had enough. He grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers in hers and squeezing. Anzu looked up, blue eyes shining with surprise. For a brief second, Otogi realized just how easy it would be to lean in and touch his lips to hers. And to his surprise, he realized just how much he wanted to.
"Okay," Otogi said. "I don't really know what's going on. But I'll tell you what – let's go someplace else. An empty school is way too dismal."
Before she could respond, he half pulled her towards the door. She came along slowly, hesitantly.
And just as slowly and hesitantly, the briefest of smiles appeared on her face.
A/N: I will never ever ever ever ever ship this because I am a diehard Peachshipper, but I think that Otogi would probably fall in love with Anzu. But he would realize that Anzu's heart belonged elsewhere, and it would be hard for him, but he would definitely want her to be happy. I think Otogi really cares about all girls, and that's the part of his personality that I like the best. He's still an insufferable flirt, though. Next is Pedocestshipping (Roba x Ryori). Um...what? I think Ryori is one of Roba's brothers...?
