Hi everyone. We're just finishing week 5 of lock-down here, and I have to admit I'm really enjoying it. The sun has been shining for the most part, the roads are so quiet and the sky is clear of planes leaving exhaust vapour behind, meaning a sparkling blue sky - something we seldom see these days due to the volume of air pollutants... It's really giving nature a chance. To my American readers, I hope you are all safe? I've heard about the staggeringly high mortality rates and have seen the daft comments made by your president! I sincerely hope that no one sets up a dubious medical practice offering bleach or disinfectant injections!
Anyway! Let's get on with the chapter. Probably not suitable for minors this one, as it contains mentions of strippers and nudity.
Another little note: The giving of tips in America. Just in case anyone questions it, I googled how much it is customary to tip a porter/bell-boy and it states 2$ is the accepted amount. Yugi does not know that however, and ends up tipping a bit more than that.
Chapter 3.
Disastrous Reunion.
Doing his best to try and put the disappointment of being blocked by Anzu behind him, Yugi stepped out of JFK and scanned his surroundings for the transport he was told would be waiting for him.
He was not here to worry about Anzu not wanting to see him, he was here on business, and he intended to do a good job to justify Kaiba sending him here in his place.
As with all Kaiba Corporation funded trips, everything was arranged perfectly, and moments later a limousine glided to a halt close to where he was standing.
"Mister Mutou?" The Japanese driver said, getting out and greeting him with a bow.
"That's me," Yugi nodded, bowing in return. He had not expected Japanese courtesy in New York and it made him feel more at home.
The driver opened the car door for him to get in and he settled on the rear seat while the driver placed his bag in the boot.
Yugi was then driven to a swanky hotel in Manhattan.
Once there, he discovered he would be staying in the luxurious Kaiba Suite.
"Kaiba suite?!" His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he was told that Mister Kaiba owned the hotel. He had been completely unaware, until now, that Kaiba was also in the hospitality industry. Was there anything in which Kaiba did not have some sort of financial investment?
Thanking the check-in girl, he picked up his key-card.
He was about to pick up his bag and head for the elevators, when the bell-boy appeared. Even though he happy to take his bag up to his room by himself, he let the bell boy take it for him. He knew about the custom to give a tip, but had no idea how much he was supposed to give!
"Thank you Sir. Have a nice stay." Clutching his five dollar bill the bell boy left, delighted with his generous tip.
Once inside the sanctity of his suite, the first thing Yugi did was look around.
"Wow!" The bed was circular, and bigger than any King-size he had ever seen.
He had never stayed anywhere this fancy in his whole life and spent the next fifteen minutes playing with the the electronic gadgetry.
After fifteen minutes of opening and closing blinds, dimming and illuminating lights, and asking the entertainment system to play different types of music, he settled for soft rock, natural light and open blinds to maximise the view.
After unpacking some of his stuff and throwing it inside the walk-in wardrobe, he went into the en-suite bathroom. "Wow!" He shaved in the huge sink, brushed his teeth and then took a much needed shower. The shower was a massive walk-in and had all sorts of settings. He went through all of them before settling on the 'rain-forest' setting.
After drying himself off, he put on the big fluffy robe supplied by the hotel, and flopped down on the huge leather sofa with a can of Cola to chill out, watch the huge TV screen and get over some of the travel weariness he was feeling.
However, he was fidgety.
There was still a few hours to kill before the evening meal. He loaded a game to play on the huge TV, but he was not in the mood.
All he could think about was what Anzu might be doing.
Sighing, he decided to head out and visit the last known address he had for her. At best, she would be there and would agree to see him, at worst, she would no longer even be living there. But it was worth a shot.
After getting off at the wrong stop and walking in the wrong direction, he found himself a bit lost and decided to hail a cab. The taxi driver drove him to her old apartment block in a matter of minutes. Paying the driver, he got out.
As he pressed the door buzzer, he could feel butterflies fluttering in his tummy. But just as he feared, she was no longer living there.
The new occupants in the apartment did not even know who she was, but said the landlord might have a forwarding address for her mail.
Yugi thanked them and went to the landlord's apartment. The landlord said that he did not have a forwarding address, and any mail he had received he had taken to her in the coffee shop where she worked.
But the last time he had taken mail to her was eight months ago and he had no idea if she still worked there.
Yugi remembered her saying she was working in a coffee shop, and with his heart beating quickly in anticipation, made his way there and sat down at a table.
A slightly chubby waitress in her mid twenties, with long, light brown hair tied back into a ponytail, approached his table to take his order. He could not help noticing how her amble bosom strained to escape the fabric of her dark chocolate coloured blouse. Trying not to look at her chest, he ordered a coffee and asked the waitress about Anzu.
"Sorry! Never heard of an Anzu Mazaki." The waitress shrugged unhelpfully.
Yugi was filled with disappointment as he tried to explain. "I know she was definitely working here until about eight months ago."
"That's why I never heard of her then, I only started here a month ago." It appeared she did not really care to be helpful and Yugi felt his irritation rising.
"Well, is there someone here who does know Anzu Mazaki?" He asked, patience wearing thin.
The woman rolled her eyes, as she said, "I'll go ask my boss." She walked like it was all too much effort and disappeared out back.
Yugi waited impatiently, rising tension causing him a headache.
His relaxed again when another woman wearing chefs whites and in her fifties, with sharp features, reminding him of an older, female version of Kaiba, but with hair dyed black and tied in a bun, appeared from the kitchen.
She smiled, in a much friendlier way than Kaiba ever would, and told him that she remembered Anzu but that she had changed jobs six months ago to be closer to where she now lived. Unfortunately she did not have Anzu's new address. But she did know the name of the cafe where she was now working.
Thanking her, Yugi took his coffee to go and followed the instructions he had been given on how to get there.
He just about made it before they closed for the evening. The chairs had been placed upside down on the tables and the floor had been mopped.
The girl he spoke to at the counter was just turning everything off but still greeted him with a pleasant smile. Her name-badge said her name was Kirsten and Yugi was relieved that she appeared to be nice and friendly – he could not be doing with a confrontation right now.
"Good evening sir! If you're after coffee, I'm really sorry, the espresso machine's been turned off for tonight. But I can sell you a cold drink, if you like?"
"Thank you. But I didn't come for a drink; I came to see Anzu Mazaki. I was told.. she works here?" His heart was pounding with hope.
"Anzu ya say?! You a friend of hers? Only, I ain't never seen you before." She narrowed her eyes at him as if she were slightly suspicious, and Yugi wondered if they had a lot of creepy guys coming in asking for Anzu!
"My name is Yugi Mutou. Anzu and I have known each other for years! You haven't seen before because I only arrived from Japan today."
Kirsten smiled kindly, and sounded apologetic when she spoke. "Sorry, but she's got three days leave now. Best bet is to try her apartment."
"Oh..." Yugi hung his head in disappointment for a moment, before looking back up. "Do you have her address, please?" The young woman frowned at him.
"I know you said you're her friend and all, but I'm real sorry, I'm not at liberty to give out her address. Company policy I'm afraid." She could see how disappointed he was and felt sorry for him for coming all this way only to find she was not here. But he must not be a very close friend if he did not have Anzu's address. However, he did seem a genuine, likeable kind of guy. "Would you like to leave a note or something? I'll make sure she gets it."
Yugi brightened up a little. "Please?" He nodded.
She handed him a piece of paper, an envelope and a pen.
He wrote down his message, placed it inside the envelope and wrote Anzu's name on the front, before handing it to Kirsten.
Exhausted, and feeling deflated, he took a cab back to his hotel. At least he would be busy at the convention and product launch for the next couple of days, which would help to keep his mind otherwise occupied.
::::::::::::
The following day, even though she was not working, Anzu popped into the cafe for her lunch.
As staff, she was entitled to discounted food and drink. It also got her out of her stuffy apartment. She found it was quite nice to sit in the window and watch passers by all scurrying about their day.
"Hey, Kirsten," she greeted, ordering a strawberry milk shake and a tuna salad sandwich. Kirsten punched her order into the till.
"There was a cute guy in here asking for you yesterday." Kirsten grinned mischievously, keen for a good gossip about her colleague's potential romance to brighten up an otherwise dull day.
Kirsten was a boisterous girl of Nigerian origin, who's parents were doctors and had emigrated here when she was five. Kirsten did not share their ambition for her to also become a doctor and was instead studying for a degree sports science. Their joint love of fitness and exercise meant the two girls got on well.
Kirsten raised a curious eyebrow when Anzu put her hands to her mouth and gasped in horror. "No! Did he leave his name?" It had to have been Yugi.
"Yeah... Yuto.. Yuki or...Hang on, he left you a note." She fished around for the envelope Yugi had left for her. "Ah! Here it is. He had real awesome hair!" She glanced at the Japanese handwriting wishing she could understand it, before handing it to Anzu.
"His name is Yugi," Anzu managed a smile, "and he does have pretty awesome hair." She frowned as she read the note.
"You okay Anz..?" Kirsten worried at the frown on Anzu's face. "Thought you would be happy about seeing a friend from Japan. He's not bad news is he? He didn't seem that type!" She had actually been smitten by how nice and polite he was.
"No," Anzu shook her head "he's not bad news. Yugi is the most wonderful, sweetest guy in the whole world. We were in love. But things got difficult with us both studying and stuff, and long distance relationships are so difficult. We decided.. well, I decided, we should break up." She waved the handwritten note in the air. "He wants me to meet him."
"He's come an awful long way! What have you got to lose?"
Anzu smiled weakly. "Nothing, I guess." Nothing except her reputation, her dignity. Not to mention that Yugi thought her pure of heart and mind, level-headed and strong. If he found out how just how weak and pathetic she had become...
She sat down and re-read the note. He was in New York for five days at a gaming convention and product launch. He had given her the name of the hotel he was staying at and his room number.
Wow! He really was doing well if he could afford one of the best hotels in Manhattan!
Luckily, the hotel was a reasonable enough distance away from where she lived so it was easy to avoid him. However, she wanted to see him so badly that it hurt.
She put her head in her hands and sighed.
::::::::::::
The gaming convention was buzzing. The noise and the atmosphere in the huge convention hall was awesome for someone Yugi, who absolutely loved all the new and existing games on display at all the different trade stands.
Industrial Illusions had their own trade stand, that due to shared collaboration with Kaiba Corporation, also featured Kaiba Corporation products related to Duel Monsters, that had been developed alongside Industrial Illusions. Yugi's job was to demonstrate the new duel disks and help the saleswoman convince as many buyers as possible that investing in the latest version of the duel disk was worthwhile.
Yugi had half expected to see Pegasus here, but was relieved to find that he had been called away on a more urgent matter and would not be putting in an appearance until the last day.
So far, everything was going well and they had sold several units and also taken two large orders from retailers.
However, as much as he tried not to think about Anzu, he could not get her out of his mind. Every spare moment he had, he would check his phone for any messages from her. So far, nothing. And as the day went on he got more and more disheartened.
When Caroline the saleswoman saw him sag with disappointment, she asked him what was wrong?
"Nothing," he replied, but she was insistent so he relented. "I was hoping a friend I haven't seen or heard from in ages would get in touch. They know I'm here."
Caroline smiled knowingly. "An old flame eh?"
"A what?" Yugi did not understand the expression.
"An ex-girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Don't take you for gay, but ya never know," she winked.
Yugi grimaced. "Girlfriend," he stated assertively. "Or she was. We split-up due to her being here and me being in Japan. I tried to get in touch to see if we could meet up, but she's ignoring me and I don't know why."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Caroline smiled sympathetically. "I don't wanna be negative, but do you think that maybe she's moved on? Some people don't like to see their ex after they spit-up."
"But Anzu's not like that! We've been friends since we were kids. It's just that..." Huffing, he sagged in disappointment. "It's not like her to ignore her friends."
"Maybe she hasn't got your messages!"
Yugi shook his head. "I'm sure she has. She blocked my number. But the girl she works with promised to give her the note I left for her. All I want is to meet up for a chat. I'm not asking her for anything else!"
Caroline sighed. Poor guy was lovesick, she could tell. Maybe a night out would help him get over it. "A few of us are going for a drink after we leave here. Why don't you come along?"
Yugi gave her a doubtful, slightly worried look. She winked. "Don't worry, I'm not coming on to you. I prefer women."
"Oh!" Blushing, he scratched his neck.. "I... erm... It's not that.."
"My girlfriend is meeting me after work. I think you will get on with her. She's probably no match for the King of Games," she teased, "but she plays the card game and you're her favourite. She would love to meet you."
"Really?!" He was flattered. "Okay. If Anzu hasn't called me by the time we leave, I'll come."
Anzu did not call, and Yugi found himself in a bar with a group of people he did not really know all that well.
He planned to stay for one drink, and then slip away to his hotel. But they were such a fun bunch of people that after a couple of drinks he was enjoying himself too much to go home.
Caroline's partner, Verity, was excited to meet him and got him to pose for a few silly selfies with her. Yugi promised to duel her when they were more sober.
Verity joked that if she got him drunk enough, she might challenge him this evening since it would probably be her only chance to win against him.
When someone else suggested they move on to a nightclub, everyone agreed.
Not ready to go back to his empty hotel room and huge empty bed, Yugi went with them.
The club had an adjoining casino, and Yugi even considered going in there to play some tables later, if he stayed sober enough to play and win that is.
They paid the entrance fee, which was more expensive than Yugi was anticipating. But once inside, he discovered the reason for the high entrance fee: Tonight they had 'erotic' dancers performing.
Jonouchi had persuaded him to go and see some strippers once, so he half knew what to expect. And while it piqued his male curiosity, he actually found it a bit sad that girls would degrade themselves for the pleasure of men.
Despite this thought, he was more than happy to watch the girls performing.
The pole-dancer was amazing!
Since the drinks were very expensive, everyone agreed to buy their own. Yugi purchased one beer and decided to make it last; he had already drunk more than enough alcohol anyway.
Having found a table, he and his companions sat and continued to watch the show.
The headline act was announced by the resident drag artist. On being announced, Bambi, Bunny and Vixen flounced out onto the stage, wearing skimpy outfits covered in sequins, feathers and frills.
Lewd calls and wolf whistles could be heard from the audience of mainly inebriated men.
Strobe lights flashed and then dimmed. Multi coloured spotlights highlighted the girls as they began to dance and writhe provocatively.
It was immediately apparent that one of the girls was a way better dancer than the other two. She was simply amazing, and moved so beautifully that it reminded Yugi of the way Anzu used to move.
Due to the amount of make-up the girls were wearing, and the flashing lights, it took him several moments to realise that the girl was actually quite a lot like Anzu – she could even her her twin!
And then, as a creeping feeling of horror made its way from his gut to his spine and then crawled up into his throat, it hit him. It WAS Anzu!
He did not know what to do. All around him, people were leering, wolf-whistling, calling for the girls to get their kit off and to touch one another. They sounded like hyenas yapping around prey.
Suddenly, he was feeling nothing but disgust towards everyone in the room. How dare they leer at his Anzu like that. He wanted to storm the stage and yell at them to all stop looking at his girlfriend.
He clenched his fists around the material of his trousers and could feel his nails digging into his knee through them.
She was no longer his girlfriend and he had no right to stop her in the middle of a show. But what was she was doing?
It was degrading...
Anzu always had more pride in herself than this!
A few years go she had caught Jonouchi, Honda and himself fantasising about watching strippers. Jonouchi waved his tickets in her face and she rounded on them, saying that men who enjoyed watching that sort of filth were dirty perverts. While the girls themselves were cheap and easy. She had literally grabbed Yugi by the collar and dragged him away, telling him not to let them corrupt him.
So, to find her working here...
Shakily, he sat like a statue in his chair, eyes fixated on Anzu. He dare not let any of the people he was with know that the beautiful Japanese girl was HIS beloved Anzu.
When the girls turned their backs to the audience and dropped, bums in the air and legs apart, their almost non-existent panties leaving nothing to the imagination, Yugi's jaw clenched. He picked up his beer and gulped it down, almost crushing the class.
A man rushed the stage to try for a grope and Yugi saw red.
The colleagues he was with jumped out of their skins when he suddenly leaped out of his chair, knocking the table and glasses flying. "Get your fucking hands off her?!" He yelled, but could not really be heard above the thumping disco beat.
Launching himself at the stage, he reached Anzu and her unwanted admirer at about the same time as two bouncers did.
The bouncers quickly had the man who rushed the stage in a headlock and started dragging him away.
Anzu seemed a little shaken by the unwanted admirer, but was unharmed and ready to continue the show...
But then her eyes met Yugi's horrified, hurt and angry glare.
She immediately stopped moving and gaped at him in utter horror. "Yugi?!" Her hands flew to her mouth in utter despair.
He reached for her arm. "Anzu wh..." they were the only words he managed to say before a bouncer grabbed him roughly in a headlock, forcing his arm up behind his back.
"No! Don't hurt him!" Anzu tried to interrupt the bouncer. But she was pushed aside as the bouncer started dragging Yugi, kicking and screaming, away from the stage and towards a side door where he would be ejected from the club.
Anzu dare not run through the audience, so she ran back stage, kicking off her stupid high heels as she did so. Quickly grabbing her bag and wrapping her coat around herself she hurried out through the backstage entrance, into the chill night air and pouring rain.
She arrived just as Yugi was being thrown out.
He was not making the bouncers lives easy, and much to Anzu's horror, it was taking three big, burly blokes to throw out one slightly built, not very tall Japanese man.
He was shouting her name, resisting and trying to get back into the club. She had never seen Yugi fighting like this before and she was frightened they would hurt him.
"No! Stop!" She yelled, running over, her bare feet getting cold and wet. "Ray! Get off him. Let me deal with him... Please? I know him."
The bouncer called Ray, looked at her. "What are you doin' out here Miss?"
At the sight of her standing there, Yugi stopped resisting the bouncers and called out to her. As soon as he relaxed, the bouncers let him go. Caught off-balance, he staggered a bit and then fell onto his bottom on the wet ground.
A mixture of anger and embarrassment washed over him as he looked up at Anzu towering over him. She looked everything from hurt and embarrassed, to traumatised and angry, as she glared down at him furiously, one clutching her coat closed, while the other clutched her backpack. Her thigh length coat was haphazardly pulled around her; legs bare to the cold reminding him of what little she was wearing underneath.
His embarrassment at being seen storming the stage and then bundled unceremoniously out of the club was far outweighed by his anger, rage and heartbreak. "What the hell are you doing in a place like this Anzu?!" He demanded, staggering to his feet.
"Earning enough to pay the rent! That's what," she yelled defensively. "What's your excuse for being here, Yugi?"
"At least I'm not taking my clothes off for people to leer at," he yelled back, emotion making him irrational and thoughtless.
"No! You're just watching. Is that any better?!" She never pictured Yugi as judgemental and almost screamed at him as tears pricked her eyes.
"It's better than being a..." he faltered, the word 'stripper' choking in his throat when he saw she was on the verge of crying. "Why, Anzu?" He said, more calmly now; anger turning to sadness at how miserable she looked. "You used to hate places like this! You said girls who worked in them were cheap and had no self respect. What happened to you?" He stepped forward to touch her shoulder but she shrugged him off.
"Just go Yugi. Leave me alone. I'm not the sweet, innocent girl you remember."
"I'm not going anywhere. Not until we at least talk," he demanded.
She shook her head. "You don't wanna know my problems." She pulled a pair of leggings and a pair of pumps from her backpack, and hastily began pulling them on. "If it makes you feel any better, you probably just lost me my job anyway."
He suddenly felt a rush of guilt. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm going home now. Don't follow me." She turned to leave. Ignoring her request, he jumped in front of her.
"No way am I letting you go home alone. I'll walk you. We have to talk."
His work colleagues appeared. Great! That was all he needed. Humiliation complete.
Caroline cleared her throat. "Is everything okay Yugi? We brought your jacket out." She handed it to him. He was getting cold and wet and his jacket was much appreciated.
"No. It's not okay," he seethed, pulling his jacket on. "But I don't want to talk about it right now." He zipped his jacket up. "Thanks for my coat. I'll see you at work tomorrow."
When he turned to talk to Anzu again she was already walking away.
Well done to everyone who guessed that Anzu was working as a stripper. Not exactly her career choice, but one of the main reasons she had been wanting to avoid Yugi.
Please review,