Slightly shorter chapter this one. The idea for Anzu's plight came to me after hearing all the publicity, over the last couple of years, regarding vile, wealthy men, who hold powerful positions in then entertainment industry, taking advantage of desperate young people who are trying to get a break into show business.
Warnings: Use of drugs, resulting in non-consensual sex.
Chapter 2.
Blocked.
"I need to ask you a favour Yugi," Seto Kaiba said, walking into Yugi's small office. This was Mokuba's idea and he was not entirely comfortable with it, but Mokuba had insisted that sending Yugi in his place made sense.
Yugi looked up from his sketch pad, on which he had been trying to come up with ideas for the new Kaiba Land attraction Seto had asked him and Mokuba to work on. "Huh?! What favour?" He replied, suspicion mixed with confusion etched on his face. Kaiba never asked for favours.
Seto rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not asking you to run naked across the car park, shouting Seto Kaiba is the best duelist ever," he smirked.
Yugi pulled a vomit face. "Is that your idea of a fantasy?"
Seto snorted. "No. It's called a sense of humour. Despite what you all think, I do have one you know. Anyway. Joking aside. I am supposed to attend a product launch in New York, but I can't go. I thought you could go in my place."
"Me?!" Yugi was shocked. Why would Kaiba want him to go? It was not like he was that familiar with most Kaiba Corporation products. Did that mean...? Either Kaiba was in a really generous mood! Or... was he was giving Yugi a poison chalice.
"Don't look so frightened Yugi. You're a duelist, therefore you're the perfect choice."
"B..but, product launch?" Yugi chuckled mirthlessly. "I'm no salesman Kaiba." He was far too kindhearted for the hard sell.
"Your family owns a shop," Seto snorted. "You should be able to sell tea to China."
"I think you're mistaking me for Grandpa. He has no problem getting people to buy stuff they don't need or want."
"If the old man is that good, then perhaps I should ask him to go in your place." Set gave him a smug look and Yugi narrowed his eyes.
"New York, you said?" Anzu was in New York. It might be his only chance to repair the rift between them. "I never said I wouldn't go. What exactly is it you need me to do?"
"It's to promote the new anniversary box sets and prismatic card releases, designed in conjunction with Industrial Illusions." Seto noted how Yugi sat up a little straighter in his chair, clearly intrigued.
"New cards?" Yugi was always excited by the prospect of new cards.
"Re-designs of old cards, as well as new cards." Seto handed a pack to Yugi. "Here. Pegasus sent these over for you." Thanking him, Yugi took them.
"Wow! These are cool," he smiled, holding up the new prismatic design for his signature card, Dark Magician, so that it caught the light.
"Those new cards also have the latest holographic chip in them. They will still work in the old duel disks, but the holographic resolution is relatively basic. Your job will be to demonstrate just how incredible and interactive the holograms are when the cards are used in the new duel disks. You will also be required to help the sales team to persuade potential customers that it is in their best interest to invest in the new duel disks." Kaiba was actually a little disappointed he would not be doing the demonstrations himself, but he had another, far more pressing business engagement to attend. And he had to agree with Mokuba, that Yugi was a better choice to go to New York than Mokuba was.
"Do I get one of the new duel disks? I mean, if I'm to demonstrate these cards..." Yugi's eyes twinkled as he looked through the rest of the new cards.
"Go to the production lab and see Hanasaki. I have instructed him to engrave one with your own personalised logo."
"My own logo?" Raising an eyebrow, Yugi looked up at him in surprise.
"That's what I said. No need to thank me."
"Well, it sounds cool, so I'll thank you anyway."
"Then I take it that you are agreeing to go to New York in my place?" He watched as Yugi carefully put the cards back into their box.
"Yes. I will go," Yugi confirmed, looking up. Kaiba would never take 'no' for an answer anyway.
"Good! You can pay the Mazaki girl a visit while you're there. Perhaps then you will stop moping about instead of working. I don't pay you to mope." Not exactly how Mokuba would have wanted him to word it, but Seto did not really care for subtlety. But at least he was doing his part. According to Mokuba, Yugi been pining for the cheerleader since his relationship with that pushy little pop singer had ended in disaster.
Why Yugi always went for pushy women, Kaiba would never understand. They were far too much trouble.
"What?!" Yugi blushed."I'm not..."
"Oh, come on Yugi. Spare me the faked ignorance. Either go and resolve whatever it is that went wrong between you and your former cheerleader with benefits, or move on."
"Nice of you to put it so bluntly Kaiba," Yugi scowled defensively. He did not think he had been moping about that badly. He looked down at his sketches and frowned. All he had drawn was a doodle of Kuriboh, carrying a love heart broken in two; his name in one half and Anzu's in the other.
He flipped the page, hoping Kaiba had not seen it but guessing he probably already had – hence the 'not paying you to mope' comment.
"I dunno though... I'm not sure if I should try and contact Anzu. We haven't spoken in ages and she didn't reply last time I messaged her. I don't have an up to date address for her either. Last I heard she was working in a coffee shop. No idea if she's still there.. or even in New York!" The string of excuses and his negativity caused Seto to roll his eyes in exasperation.
"Oh, come on Yugi! Since when did you become the sort of man to give up so easily? I'm sure you could find her address if you tried. If you want me to, I can run a few checks? I bet I can find out where she is in no time."
For a moment Yugi was tempted, but then he shook his head.
"Thanks. But no. I can find her myself." The last thing he wanted was for Kaiba to go through Anzu's social security records, medical records, American work permit and any other personal information he could find.
"Suit yourself," Seto snorted. "You will be leaving this Wednesday. My secretary will give you the travel details." He left the office, leaving Yugi alone with his thoughts.
He did not want to give up hope entirely that he and Anzu could get back together. But, if, for whatever reason they were unable to re-kindle their romance, at least they could reconcile their strained friendship. Maybe he would get some closure so that he could move on properly.
As he spent the next two days preparing to go to New York, anxiety over the trip started to plague him to the point where he had trouble sleeping.
What if she was ignoring him because she was engaged or married?
He needed to know where he stood before setting foot in New York.
Swallowing his pride, he tried to ring her. It went to voicemail. Caught off-guard, he left a rather garbled message saying he was coming to New York and would be really happy if she could ring him back so that they could arrange to meet up for a friendly – no strings attached – chat.
He gave her several hours to get back to him, but when she did not return his call he tried sending a text and discovered he had been blocked. He was utterly crestfallen.
::::::::::::
Anzu woke up at eleven in the morning feeling like crap. She really should not have drunk so much vodka last night.
But wait?! She did not recall having more than one drink!
Rubbing her hands over her forehead, she tried to remember. She could remember up until the point where she came off stage, got changed, meeting Tony at the bar and him buying her a drink. She had no recollection of anything after that. She did not even know how she managed to get home!
Her throat felt dry and pasty.
She was naked.
Her body felt violated.
A male voice from her kitchen/diner called out for her to get her ass out of bed; he had made a pot of coffee and some toast.
She groaned. So that was how she got home last night.
Things had cooled between her and Tony. He messed around with other women and she was unsure she wanted to be in a relationship with him any longer. She was thinking of leaving her job at the club.
He put on the charm to change her mind.
Bought her a drink.
That toe-rag bastard; he must have slipped something in her drink and then brought her home, and in her stupefied state she'd had sex with him.
Shuddering, she pulled her nightdress out from under her pillow and put it on.
How had she let herself be so stupid as to get into this mess?
It all started six months ago when she met him in the bar of a theatre where she had been auditioning. She had been rejected, again, and was upset. He was so friendly and kind. He promised to use his contacts to help her get into a Broadway show.
But he was never going to get her into a show, was he? It was all lies, just to keep her under his control.
She hated herself for her naivety.
As she stood up a wave of nausea hit her.
"Shit!" She mumbled, slamming her hand over her mouth, stumbling off the bed and running to the bathroom to throw-up last night's cocktail of drugs and alcohol.
This stupid lifestyle had to stop.
Some ten minutes later, showered and feeling more composed, she shuffled back out of the bathroom.
Tony handed her a coffee as she slumped down on the sofa.
"You look like shit!" He laughed.
"I feel like it too," she groaned, nursing her coffee and inhaling the brew.
She spotted her handbag on the floor. She did not want to leave it there and bent down gingerly to pick it up.
She instinctively reached inside for her phone.
Surprised to see her phone flashing with a message from Yugi, she quickly shielded the phone from Tony. If he knew she had a message from another man, he would hit her.
"I feel terrible. I think I'll go back to bed," she grumbled, dropping her phone back into her bag and taking it to the bedroom with her.
"Don't forget your coffee," he grinned, gold tooth glinting. Yuk! She hated that stupid gold tooth.
"Thanks." She took it and smiled at him bleakly. "You don't mind seeing yourself out, do you? Think I might spend the rest of the day in bed."
"If you're sure you'll be okay?" He had business to attend soon anyway.
"Yeah.. I'll be fine." Not wanting to take the risk of Tony overhearing her listening to her voicemail message, she closed her bedroom door and locked it.
Sitting on the bed, she listened to Yugi's lovely, soft, lilting voice. His message was a bit garbled, but it appeared he was coming to New York on business and wanted to see her. He wanted her to call him to back to make arrangements for when they could meet up.
Even though her heart beat faster at the thought of seeing Yugi again, she did not return the call – how could she when she was living like this? If she spoke to him, he would want to chat about how she was doing and she would have to lie. And she could not lie to Yugi because she loved him too much.
Taking the cowardly way out she blocked his number.
In doing so, a lump came to her throat and her heart broke. She would never love anyone else in the same way she loved Yugi. The cute spiky haired kid she had grown up with and had been through so many adventures with.
She wiped her tears, blew her nose and pulled herself back together, just as she had been forced to do so many times lately.
She told herself she was blocking Yugi because she was protecting him from the disappointment he would feel if he found her.
She was not deserving of a lovely man like Yugi, and until she sorted out her life and got some self respect back, he would remain blocked.
And she would sort her life out! She would find a way to get out of this ever decreasing circle of sludge she had found herself drowning in.
All she had to do was stick it out at a little bit longer, in the hope that Tony was not going to let her down. Despite her better judgement, part of her still wanted to believe that he would get her that all important lucky break.
All she had to do was keep on trying and not give up.