RR: Please, everyone, see my author's notes at the end of the chapter! I have some very important notes and questions that involve your input! PS- This was posted on the morning of my first day of school! It'd make me awesomely happy to have some great reviews when I get home (I have like, 12 hours of school related stuff... you guys have time) (Shameless advertising, sorry!)
Disclaimer- If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would be the ultimate source, and no one would question me on anything relating to Yu-Gi-Oh. But, seeing as my brother, aherocansaveus is still trying to contradict my ideas, that's not the case. Then again, he would probably still debate with me on it whether I was the creator or not. Oh well. Love ya bro.
Dedicated to my brother aherocansaveus – don't panic, I mentioned you in the beginning this time. Thanks for your ideas and input, while some of them might be a little… well… (I'm not shooting Ryou! That's that!) Love ya lots! And no more arguing about my extensive writing or the time span, ok?
Like The Rain by Revolutionnaire Rouge
Chapter 7- What Lies at Rest
Priceless.
That was the only way to describe the look on Seto Kaiba's face. Anzu fought so hard to keep a straight face as she slammed the door of the limousine and turned her back to the dark tinted windows. Quickly, she turned around the corner of the nearest building, and waited until she heard the sound of the Kaiba limo pulling away. Anzu stood, pressed up against the wall like a secret agent, and stayed that way, as if fearing Kaiba would come back and find her, until she was sure the car was long gone. Then, she relaxed, and continued to walk towards the Game Shop, snickering. The fact that the cut on her back stung each time she giggled didn't bother her; Anzu had gotten the last word, and that's all that mattered.
For so much of the day, Kaiba had had the upper hand – of course he had, they had been in his domain. She was getting tired of seeing Kaiba everywhere she went – it was as though Anzu could never escape from him. Were it not for Mokuba, she would have never gone to the Kaiba Mansion. If it were up to her, she would never, ever, go back to that place. The Kaiba Mansion. Anzu couldn't help but shiver.
However, she wouldn't let one building dampen her mood. Despite everything that had happened, all of the pain, all of the awkward moments, she had figured out how to catch the kidnappers, she had spoken up for the maid, and she had gotten to last word in a conversation with Cold As Ice Seto Kaiba. Sure, she was bruised, battered, and exhausted, but she was still victorious. The temporary happiness helped her to forget the weariness in every limb – for a brief amount of time, it was as if gravity had decided to go on vacation, and she was floating through air.
Anzu pushed open the door of the familiar Kame Game Shop, the small bell tinkled, signifying her arrival.
Immediately, she felt weight return with a crushing force, her legs were slowly sinking nearer and nearer to the ground. Anzu felt her verdict beneath the pair of crimson eyes that judged her carefully. Suddenly, the dark eyes turned considerably lighter, allowing Anzu to take a breath of relief.
"Anzu," Yami said, sounding slightly off," You're alright."
Anzu nodded, and managed to mutter," Sorry I'm late."
Yami took a step forward, and grabbed her injured hand. Anzu looked at the connection, startled, and for a moment, felt that feeling return, the warmth… However, it soon died out. She just couldn't explain it. Something had happened over the past week that had challenged and changed everything that she thought and felt. Anzu didn't know what, but whatever it was, it hung above her and Yami now, like a thick cloud. Three days ago, a happier day, seemed ages away from where she was now. Yami led her to the back living quarters, Anzu struggling not to wince as he pulled slightly on her arm. Beyond his handsome back, she could see the bright, colorful light of a t.v. casting odd colors on a wall, and hear the blaring announcement…
"And that's it folks! In a spectacular final move, Alister Amelda has won the Duelist…"
"We were all so worried about you," Yami finally said.
"I'm sorry."
"ANZU!"
Suddenly, Anzu was surrounded by a group of teens who were all scrambling to get closer to her, as if she were a famous celebrity. Her friends looked to her anxiously. Shizuka was the first to speak.
"Anzu, are you alright? What took so long? Did something happen?"
The others, Yugi, Duke, Jou, Honda and Marik all followed with the same questions. She smiled nervously, and sat down on the couch. Anzu glanced to the television, not surprised to see that it was tuned to the IDM Channel – International Duel Monsters. Anzu shifted her focus back to her concerned friends. She took a deep breath, made a quick prayer, and mentally, began to dig herself into a hole.
"Sorry about being so late guys," she said, sounding sincere," I should have called you all and told you I was going to be late."
"What 'appened?" Jou asked," It's almost sev'n an' you get offa' work at four."
"Well, there was a problem at work," Anzu lied, wishing that she could turn away from the multiple sets of innocent eyes that were earnestly drinking in her story. However, she couldn't help but notice that Yami seemed slightly… distracted. His eyes glanced towards the television, and then, almost reluctantly, returned to her.
"Just a simple scheduling problem. Two of the girls called in sick to work, and there was no one else to cover their tables. The manager forced me to stay and take their tables until the next shift came in and covered it. I was so busy that I never got the chance to call."
They all nodded.
"We'd been so worried," Yugi said," Shizuka was afraid that something horrible had happened when you got off of work, and Jou and Honda were just about to head out and look for you when you showed up. Duke called the restaurant, but he must have called just as you left, because they said you'd already gone home for the day."
"Yea," Honda said, with a crooked grin," all of us got so worked up about you being late, except for Marik and Yami. They just sat around like lumps."
"Hey!" Marik said, defensively," I was acting as moral support! Everyone would have been even worse off if I hadn't been here to tell you all that everything was fine. And see, I was right! She's ok. I did more than Yami anyway!"
Honda and Duke rolled their eyes, Jou let out a guffaw, and Yugi and Shizuka sniggered. Yami smiled absentmindedly.
"I was worried," he said simply. Everyone else seemed to accept the answer, but Anzu felt a cold knot of dread growing in her gut. Shizuka startled her out of her reverie when she grabbed her arm, and tugged.
"Come on! I saved you some pizza from the guys. You must be starving!"
Instead of agreeing, Anzu let out a not so muffled cry of pain. She tore her arm out of the younger girl's grasp, and pulled it close to her. Anzu took a deep breath and tried to hold back the tears that were pushing towards the surface – Kaiba had done a good job bandaging her arm, but he hadn't given her anything to dull the pain.
"Oh my gosh, Anzu I'm so sorry!" Shizuka gushed," What happened? Did I pull too hard?"
Anzu nodded, feeling sick. Slowly, gently, without ever asking, Yugi took her arm in his own small hands and pulled up the sleeve of the long sleeved shirt. He gasped as he saw the tightly bound white bandage, and the thin strip of red that had bled through. The others took immediate notice, and swarmed her again. Anzu was bombarded by questions, but didn't answer; she just sat there looking green until Yugi pushed them all away.
"Give her some space, jeez," he breathed. Yugi then kneeled down at Anzu's side, and looked her deeply in the eyes with his wide, innocent violet eyes.
"What happened Anzu? How did you get this injury?" he asked, sounding earnestly concerned.
Anzu swallowed back the bile that had risen into mouth, and began.
"Well," she said, laughing nervously," It's really stupid actually. It happened when I was covering those extra tables. I was delivering a big order to one of the tables, and I was really in a rush. Well, anyway, as I was making my way back to the booths with the food, I wasn't paying attention to the tables around me. One of the customers was holding up his steak knife – he was talking and hadn't set it down – and I came too close and accidentally slit my arm open. The guy apologized even though it wasn't his fault. The cut really isn't that deep at all, 'tis but a flesh wound'. Well, one of the cooks bandaged me up, and one of the waiters lent me some extra clothes, because I'd gotten blood on my uniform. My arm is still really tender though." she ended her story with another nervous giggle. Her friends all nodded, understanding, and doted over her injury. Yami stayed to the back of the crowd, now flipping through his deck and making the occasional, necessary comment.
A pain more intense than the one she had felt when Shizuka pulled her arm ripped through Anzu now. Suddenly, it was as if every question had been answered – she now knew the truth, and the truth hurt. Everything was now blindingly clear. Yami wasn't as concerned as the others were. It wasn't because he was unkind, or because he hated her. It was because he was preoccupied; he had other things on his mind. Anzu knew for a fact what two of those were: The newest, large duelist tournament coming up within the next few weeks, and Isis Ishtar. The latter of the two being the thing that had caused the sudden change between them. Over a span of about one week, Yami had completely changed.
And now, now that she realized that Yami didn't love her, didn't feel the same way that she had for him, Anzu realized that maybe, she was changing too.
Something... she thought slowly, nibbling on the piece of pizza that Jou had shoved in front of her, looking regretful, has changed both of us. I don't… I can't… like him.
"Are you sure you'll be able to make it home alright?" Yugi asked, watching as Anzu slowly pulled on her shoes. Anzu turned, and put a brave, albeit false, smile on her face.
"Of course. I'll be fine." she said, but no one seemed to believe her words. Anzu saw Shizuka nudge Marik in the side, and he came up.
"Um, Anzu, I could take you home. I'm headed to the museum, and Shizuka told me that your complex is right on the way there."
"That's a great idea!" Yugi exclaimed," That way, we'd all know that you were alright, and got home safely."
"'Sides," Jou added," It looks like it's 'bout ta rain."
The group looked out the front door, and saw the dark clouds hovering above. Anzu sighed internally – the feel of the rain on her skin would be a refreshing change…
"No, really, I'll be alright! You don't have to go out of your way for me."
"Anzu," Duke said, his sharp green eyes burning with logic," You're injured. The more you overexert yourself, the longer it will take for your injuries to heal."
"But-"
"Anzu."
The entire group of teens turned to face Yami, the commanding voice of the crowd. Anzu felt the color drain from her face as he stared at her with imposing eyes.
"Let Marik take you home."
Without another word, he turned on his heel, and went back to the living room to watch a rerun duel of Insector Haga and a lesser known duelist. Yugi broke the awkward silence by clapping his hands together and smiling cheerfully," Well, now that that's been decided, you guys should probably head out. We've got school tomorrow and I figure Anzu should get a good night's rest!"
Anzu blinked, dumbstruck. So then, that's how it is? What Yami says, goes? What about… what about me?
Jou, Honda and Duke nodded in affirmation with Yugi's statement, but Marik and Shizuka sent a nervous glance in Anzu's direction, as if they could read her mind. Anzu nodded slightly.
"Ok, let's go," she said mechanically. Inside she was trying to convince herself that Yugi and Yami were right.
They're just looking out for me… Yami's right, I'll let Marik take me home…
Although she was pretty sure that, no matter what she had decided, she wouldn't have had a choice.
"Thanks Marik, I really appreciate it."
Marik cast her a wayward glance from the drivers side of the vehicle. The look, although harmless, froze her in her tracks.
"Somehow," he said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully," I don't think so…"
"What do you mean?" Anzu asked earnestly. Marik's brow furrowed, and he though a moment before speaking again.
"Yami and Yugi never asked you what you wanted. Everyone else just agreed… you had… no choice but to let me take you home. I don't know if you've noticed Anzu, but from the look on your face, I'm going to assume that you have. Yami's in control. Of the entire group, you know?"
Anzu nodded.
"I mean, don't get me wrong or anything, Yami's a nice guy and all, but, it's like, whatever Yami says, goes. And that's that. I've seen how he bothers you about your dancing. He doesn't like it because you're no longer there all the time to cheer him on. Do you know what I mean?"
Anzu nodded again, wearily. Marik had hit the nail on the head – that was exactly how she had felt.
"I do Marik, but I do appreciate you for dropping me off," she smiled slightly," I'm really exhausted, I'll see you at school tomorrow!"
Marik nodded, and drove off after he saw Anzu safely reach the stairs leading up to her apartment. Anzu trudged up three flights of stairs, and finally collapsed against the door while she unfolded her uniform and dug her key out. She unlocked the door and stumbled inside.
"Mai!" she croaked, looking around the empty kitchen and living room," Mai!"
Anzu began to make her way towards her own bedroom, but then noticed the flashing light on their answering machine, signaling a message had been left. She hobbled over to the machine, and pressed a button. The flashing light stopped, and her own voice filled the empty apartment.
"Hello, you've reached the Kujaku/Mazaki residence. If you're calling for Anzu, press 1. If you're calling for Mai, press 2. If you're selling something, we don't want it. Seeing as we're obviously not answering the phone at the moment, leave a message at the tone and we'll decide if your worthy of reply. Bye!"
The high pitch beep sung out, and then another voice came on.
"Hey Anzu!" a familiar British accent said cheerily," I just wanted to tell you that dad let me off a little early. Give me a call when you get home from work! I'll talk to you later, Bye!"
Anzu smiled a little at his happy tone. She reached for the phone, and then glanced to the open door of her room. The thoughts of a comfortable bed and a few hours of sleep were inviting.
"I'll call you back a little later Ryou, promise…" she whispered. Anzu turned away from the phone and walked to her room. She pushed the door open, dropped her dirty uniform in the laundry pile, although she knew that no amount of detergent would wash out those stains. And there were more than just blood stains. There were emotional stains as well. Anzu stared at the uniform, ripped and bloody, lying, discarded on the ground. Feeling as though she should find something metaphorical in it, but too tired to think about it for too long, Anzu collapsed on her bed and sunk into the blissfully thick comforters. Anzu was out before she heard the next high pitched beep, and a second message that had been left on the answering machine.
"Anzu, it's me, Ryou. I was just getting a little worried, it's 5:00 now and I know you get off of work at 4. I called over to Yugi's and he said he hadn't heard from you yet. Call me as soon as you get home, alright?"
And again…
"Anzu, where are you? I just got off of the phone with your boss, he said that you left at four, but it's 6 and I still haven't heard from you. I'm sure your fine, but still I can't help but worry. I know you've been having it rough recently, and well… you're my friend and I care for you a lot... well, just call me as soon as you can, alright? Please? Ok… I love you Anzu. Bye."
Anzu slept peacefully, ignorant of the phone confession… and the trouble it would cause.
Anzu slept for hours, not awakening when Mai came in later that night, or when Mai checked on the sleeping girl, looking worried. She slept as her alarm beeped, once, twice, and again, its wails getting louder. She slept as Mai, who had been awoken from the sound of Anzu's alarm, quietly turned off the alarm, checked her temperature, frowned, and left to go to work.
Anzu slept, happily unaware of the chaos that was happening in unobserved parts of her life. She dreamt of raindrops falling down and turning into familiar, blue eyes.
Thud. Thud thud thud. Thunk!
Immediately, Anzu's eyes fluttered open. She looked around her room, half expecting to wake up in the Kaiba Mansion. She was relieved not to be. For a moment, she wondered why she had gotten up- she had been having such a lovely dream that she now couldn't remember. Like a bright mood on a rainy day, Anzu's dream had vanished, gone without a trace. However, a feeling still remained, and while she didn't know why, she couldn't help but let a smile inch across her face. Bright, cheerful sunlight blazed through her blinds, but Anzu took no notice of it. The sound of knocking at the apartment door reminded her as to why she had woken in the first place.
Anzu swung her legs over the edge of the bed, allowing them to dangle for a moment as she yelled, at the top of her lungs," I'll be there in a minute!"
The knocking stopped. Anzu bounded out of bed, but her joyful leap was cut short by a sharp pain that streaked across her back. She doubled over and held her arms close to her, taking deep breaths to overcome the sting. But, as she clutched her arms near to her stomach, another ripping pain issued from her arm. She unclasped her arms, and stood up straight. Anzu remembered everything. She wished that it had been a dream, but there she stood, sweating and breathing heavily as if she had just run a four minute mile. Tentatively, Anzu took a step, and let out a sigh of relief as her knee and leg stayed strong, not buckling as they had yesterday. Anzu shuffled to out of her room, through the living room, and over to the door.
"Who would be knocking at this hour?" she asked herself, in an imitation of what she knew Ryou would say. Anzu had gotten up to go to school, surely, and she knew that she got up early. Anzu pulled open the door.
"Shizuka!" Anzu exclaimed, looking surprised to see the younger girl standing there, slightly staring up at her with big, olive green eyes.
"Anzu, you're alive!" Shizuka said as she stepped in. Anzu looked at her, puzzled.
"Of course I am, what did you think? And Shizuka, shouldn't you be on your way to school?"
This time, it was Shizuka's turn to look puzzled. Anzu noticed that Shizuka already had on her school uniform, and had her backpack slung around one shoulder. Shizuka had her hair pulled back in a pony tail, and Anzu could see that she had already put on her make up.
"Anzu… what do you mean? School's half way done." Shizuka paused as Anzu sent her a startled look," Haven't you looked at a clock?"
Slowly, Anzu turned to look at the clock above the kitchen stove. Her eyes were blurry still from having just woken; Anzu blinked once and the clock came into sharp focus. She stared at it, taking a moment to let her brain absorb the information presented in front of her. There's no way…
"It's 11:30…" Anzu muttered, disbelieving," Lunch break."
Shizuka nodded.
"But, how is that possible? I – I…"
Shizuka took Anzu's good arm and steered the confused girl to the couch. Anzu sat down, and Shizuka sat down next to her.
"You looked like you had a rough day yesterday, and Marik told me that you looked absolutely exhausted when he dropped you off last night. I know that you've been going through a lot these last few weeks, between work and school, I'm sure you were just tired and this was your body's way of getting caught up."
"But, I've had perfect attendance…" Anzu mumbled. Never, never, in the history of her high school life, had she ever missed a day of school. And now, she had, not because she was dead, or gravely ill, but simply because she had overslept.
"Don't worry about that," Shizuka said, her eyes shining in sympathy," I think you needed a day of rest."
Anzu nodded dumbly, and Shizuka continued.
"The real reason I came here today, was because I really needed to talk to you. I'm here on lunch break, so I don't have that much time, but even if I'm late, it won't matter, I have economics next and the teacher loves me… Anyway, I have a question."
"Alright," Anzu said," Ask away." She was still tired, upset at having missed school (she realized that there was no point in going now), and a little annoyed at having been awoken for conversation's sake, however, Shizuka was a good friend, and somewhat like a little sister to Anzu. She had very few female influences in her life, having grown up with Jou and their drunk father, so Anzu took every opportunity offered to help the girl.
"Um… well…" Shizuka turned her head away from her friend, and looked at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Anzu could see a bit of color enter on Shizuka's cheeks. Anzu fought the urge to raise her eyebrows in question, but instead sat and waited patiently.
"Well… what do you think Yami would do if… if…" Shizuka trailed off, now looking both distraught and embarrassed. Judging from her actions, Anzu had formed some ideas about what Shizuka was going to ask, and therefore understood why Shizuka was acting how she was.
"What Yami would do if Marik and I… started going out…" the girl finally spat out, her hands wringing together in her lap. Shizuka looked up to Anzu, who was smiling brightly.
"Shizuka! Oh my gosh! I just knew it, you two will be perfect together!" Anzu flung her arms around her friend, and gave her a big hug, being careful of her injured arm nonetheless. Shizuka giggled and blushed, and then pulled away.
"I'm glad you think so…" she mumbled, sounding disheartened, but still smiling slightly.
"But why are you worrying about Yami? Shouldn't it be overprotective older brother that you're worrying about?"
Shizuka shook her head," No, Yami. Marik told me that he talked to you a little bit last night, about Yami's role in the group…"
Anzu nodded, understanding.
"Well, I think that Jou will be a lot easier to get past than Yami. You know, that whole Battle City thing still really bothers Yami – he acts alright, but I can tell. Jounouchi has kind of gotten over it, so it would be easier to convince him that Marik's all good now. But, well, Yami… there's kind of the Ancient Egyptian grudge, you know?"
Anzu nodded again, and couldn't help but think back to what had happened at Battle City. She tried to restrain a shiver as she remembered how a possessed Marik had possessed her, trapping her real spirit in the Shadow Realm, and battling Yami in a duel for her life. Of course, she didn't remember any of it, but she had been told that while Yami had won the duel to save her, it had been Kaiba who had removed the danger of her getting crushed by a ten ton crate by using his Blue Eyes White Dragon card to knock the controls of the crane holding the cart out of the hands of the Tomb Keeper. However, she knew that Marik had changed - the fact that sweet, kind Shizuka had fallen for him was good proof of that. But Anzu could see where Yami would have trouble with the whole relationship. Shizuka was right, Yami didn't fully trust Marik yet.
"And well," Shizuka continued," Yami's kind of the group leader. I get the feeling that if he doesn't 'approve' of our relationship, we'd either have to leave the group, or not be together. And personally, I'd rather not opt for either of those choices. What should I – we – do?"
Anzu sat there in silence for a moment, stroking her chin and trying to think. Shizuka sounded distressed as she spoke, and she couldn't help but pity the girl. Anzu could imagine how she felt – she figured that it would be the same if she and Kaiba ever fell i-
Whoa! Too much! her head screamed, making her wince You will NEVER fall for Kaiba, nor think of him like… anyway, focus on Shizuka's problem!
Anzu could feel a headache coming on.
"Okay," she started," I think that you and Marik should go for it. Start dating, and don't worry about what the others say. Yami doesn't control your life, and if he and the others consider themselves your friends, than they'll see the reasonability in your decision. You should never let what someone else thinks come in the way of true love. However, just remember, that no boy is ever worth losing your best girl friend."
Anzu watched as Shizuka's face lit up happily.
"Thank you sooo much Anzu!" she exclaimed, wrapping her in a tight hug," You helped me figure it all out! You make it sound so easy and simple, I really think that Marik and I will be able to do this!"
Anzu smiled," You're welcome Shizuka. Don't worry, everything will be fine. Now, you should go ahead and get going – you don't want to be like me and be late to class."
Shizuka smiled and nodded, before giving Anzu another hug and rushing out the door. Anzu noticed the twinkle in the younger girl's eye, and the rejuvenated spring in her step. She hadn't seen Shizuka look so happy in a long time.
Anzu, on the other hand, felt sick. She was happy for Shizuka, yes, but at the same time… Anzu hadn't believed a word of what she had said to encourage Shizuka. Anzu was positive that Yami wasn't going to be happy, and that trouble would come of all of this, however, she just couldn't sit there and watch her friend waste away, locked in a dilemma that required her
to keep her love secret. Anzu waited until Shizuka was out of sight before she turned and shut the door of the apartment.
"I can't believe…" she muttered," That I missed school. That I overslept…"
Anzu trudged back to her room, still not bothering to change out of the long sleeve shirt and pants from last night. Something about the clothes tugged at her, but she couldn't think of what. As she settled down into her comfortable bed again, she noticed a faint trace of spicy smelling cologne coming from the shirt.
It took Anzu much longer to rouse herself the second time around. However, instead of waking to the distant sound of a fist pounding on her front door, she woke to two, very close, chocolate brown eyes staring down at her. Anzu blinked, and then shot up in bed. Their heads collided and banged against each other with a painful thunk. Ryou took a step back, rubbing his head, as Anzu stared at him.
"What are you doing here Ryou?" she asked, moving a hand up to her own forehead and rubbing it. She hoped that there wouldn't be a bruise.
"Um… good afternoon to you too Anzu," he mumbled, but Anzu could detect a smile in his tone of voice. Ryou sat down in her desk chair, sitting in it backwards and leaning his arms up against the back of it.
"I came to see how you were. I knocked on the door for quite a long time, but when you never answered. I started getting worried. So, knowing that, as your best friends, it's my duty to watch over you, I used the spare key and let myself in," his soft British accent turned a little harder as he narrowed his eyes and looked at her with unbridled concern," Anzu, I'm sorry, but I was so worried. I tried to call you, but you never picked up, and when I called, Yugi hadn't heard from you and your boss had said that you had left and I was panicking all night and when you didn't come to school I-"
"Ryou, don't worry," she said, sitting up a little straighter in bed. She was touched by his concern for her – it was concern that she hadn't seen since she'd left the lower kitchen of the Kaiba Mansion," I'm alright now. I'm sorry for not calling you back, I got your message, but I was so tired that-"
"Did you get the last two messages I left?" Ryou asked, sounding both anxious and a little…sheepish. Anzu looked at him, curious and puzzled.
"No, I only remember listening to the first one. Why?"
Ryou looked away from her for a moment," No reason."
The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, Anzu looking at Ryou, curious, and Ryou looking away from Anzu, pretending to be fascinated with a picture on her desk. Suddenly, Ryou turned back to her, and clapped his hands together much like Yugi had done the night before.
"Would you like some lunch?"
Anzu laughed," Sure. But no cereal this time, ok?"
Ryou nodded and sighed," I'll try, but that might be the only edible food in the household."
"There was some leftover Chinese food," Anzu offered. Ryou grinned, and stood up. He held out his hand, and Anzu took it with her uninjured arm. He pulled her up and out of bed. Anzu walked out of her room behind him, relieved that he still hadn't noticed there was anything wrong with her.
Maybe he won't notice anything… and I won't have to lie to him.
Anzu sat down at the kitchen table, and watched as Ryou shuffled through the cabinets. After a few minutes, he brought out a dented box of macaroni and cheese. He found a clean pot, filled it with water, and set it on the stove to boil. He grabbed a cup from one of the over head cabinets, got out a jug of water, and filled it before setting it on the table in front of Anzu. Then, he sat down at the table in the chair opposite of hers.
"You didn't come to school today," he started, his voice light and soft. Anzu saw that he must have just come from school – he was still wearing his school uniform, although he had taken off his blue jacket and was just wearing his white under tee-shirt. She looked around, and saw his backpack abandoned near the front door.
"Yea," she replied," I know."
Ryou laughed a little," I figured you would, but I had to come and tell you, just in case you weren't aware. What happened?"
Anzu bit her lip, knowing that this question would be coming.
"I was really tired after work. As soon as I got home from Yugi's, I just crashed. I forgot to set my alarm, and overslept. I didn't wake up until Shizuka came by on her lunch break to ask me a question."
Ryou nodded," I thought I saw her sneak off. Marik said she was in the library doing a project, but I didn't believe him – if she really had, he would have gone with her. I really do think that they're going to start going out. I don't know how the others haven't noticed, they're almost always around each other. Not even Duke and Honda have noticed, but then again, but then again, they don't notice much."
Anzu laughed, and took a sip of water.
"Yea, actually, that's what Shizuka came to talk to me about. She and Marik want to make their relationship… public. But she was afraid that Yami would have a problem with that."
"Yami?" I would have thought that it would be Jou she was worried about."
"Same here, but she was more concerned about Yami. He still hasn't gotten over that whole… Battle City thing."
Ryou sighed, and looked away," Yea, that makes sense."
Anzu could see the pain that slowly came across his face – she was positive that he was remembering his own involvement in Battle City. Well, not really his involvement, but Yami Bakura's, who had possessed his body and caused trouble for everyone. He had worked together with Malik, Marik's Yami, to overthrow Yami and Kaiba and take over the world. Fortunately, they didn't succeed, but the memories still burned strong in those who chose to remember. Ryou stood up and went over to check the water. During their conversation, it had started to boil. He dumped in the noodles, waited and stirred them, and then drained the water from the pot when they were ready. He stirred in a bit of milk, butter, and finally the cheese. Ryou got out two bowls, two spoons, and some napkins. He placed the bowl in front of Anzu, and got a big spoon. Ryou brought the pot over, and started to scoop some macaroni out into her bowl.
"Bon Apetit!" he exclaimed, smiling. Ryou scooped the rest of the macaroni into his bowl, and then set the pot in the sink. He came back over to the table, and sat down. Anzu was already buried in her eating. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been. The last thing she had had to eat was a cold slice of pizza, and before that… a cup of tea that she had been afraid was spiked. And one really can't eat tea.
"Ryou this is deli-"
Anzu stopped as she looked up. Ryou was sitting there, staring at her strangely, holding a spoon full of macaroni and cheese above his bowl. Anzu has a very bad feeling…
"What's wrong?" she asked, perturbed by his stare. She was affronted by chocolate brown eyes – she wanted to look away, but she just couldn't.
"Whose clothes are those?" he finally asked, setting down his spoon and motioning to her long sleeve shirt and pants. Anzu blinked. This was the moment of truth… or, well, lies.
"Um, Jou." she said, quickly looking away from his deep brown eyes," he let me borrow them when I got to Yugi's."
"Why did you need to borrow clothes?"
This was one of the down sides to being the best friend of Ryou Bakura – he wasn't afraid to ask questions. The formalities that dictated normal conversation were dropped, especially when he was worried. That trait of his was coming back to bite Anzu now.
"Well," she replied quietly, mentally taking her shovel from the storage shed and starting to dig again," My work uniform got messed up."
"How?"
Anzu had never imagined that someone as kind and caring as Ryou could have a gaze so intense that it rivaled that of Seto Kaiba's.
"I- I… was attacked on the way back from work."
Ryou's eyes widened, his panic clear. Her arm had been resting on the table; Ryou grabbed her hand and cupped into between his, squeezing it tightly.
"Why? How? Wh- Oh my God Anzu, are you alright?"
Anzu smiled weakly," I'm still here, aren't I? Yea, I think I'm okay. I was on my way to Yugi's when this guy came up to me with a knife and told me to come with him or else. He tried to grab me, and I fought and screamed."
Anzu stopped for a moment, watching the pain and worries in her best friend's eyes unfold. She felt sick to her stomach – Kaiba had told her that she was a bad liar, but all of her friends had believed her stories so far. She completely forgot the fact that the story she was telling Ryou was different from the one she had told the others.
"I got away, but not before he nicked my arm. That's all, really. Then, when I got to Yugi's, Jou had brought some extra clothes because he was going somewhere later. My uniform was all messed up, so he let me change into that after Grandpa bandaged me up. I'm really alright, I swear."
Without speaking, Ryou removed one of his hands from hers, still holding it firmly with the other one, and slid the sleeve up to her shoulder. He stared at the bandage, and the blood that had soaked through from the injury. He squeezed her hand tighter, and gently traced the red line with a finger. He then looked up at her, capturing her with his eyes that same way Kaiba had the day before.
"Anzu… I… you should have called me."
"I know," she whispered," I was just… so tired."
Suddenly, she felt everything well up inside of her. Everything that had happened yesterday, everything that was happening today – the lies, the pain, the care, it was all spilling out from her eyes, clouding her vision. She heard Ryou's chair scrape against the floor, and felt his arms wrap around her shoulder.
"It's alright," he said," Everything's fine, don't worry."
She sniffled a reply, and Ryou helped her stand and led her to the couch. They sat down, and she laid her head on his shoulder again.
"Thank you," she murmured," Thank you so much."
"Of course," he replied, again taking her hand," That's what friends are for. Someone who can be a shoulder to cry on, to talk to when you need to get something out, to be there when life seems to suck."
"Yea," Anzu said," And to make really good mac-and-cheese."
"Oh, is that why I'm important?" he said, teasingly," You need someone to cook food for you all the time?"
Anzu smiled and punched him gently in the shoulder," No, I need someone to worry when I disappear and to keep me from killing Seto Kaiba."
"Ah, well then, I've got that covered!" Ryou said cheerfully. Anzu nodded, and sat up.
"Are you going to finish that macaroni?" she asked, remembering her still roaring hunger.
"Go for it."
Anzu stood up and grabbed his unfinished bowl from the table, then came back over and sat down on the couch.
"Well," Ryou started, sighing a little," Now that I know that you're alive, I should probably go. I didn't call and tell Dad that I was going to be home late, and I'm sure he'll be upset when I get home. I was supposed to help him categorize some rocks from a site that his crew believes might have once been an ancient Egyptian temple.
"Sounds fun," Anzu replied in between bites of macaroni and cheese.
"Yea," he said sarcastically," It'll be a blast."
Anzu laughed, and Ryou stood up. He grabbed his backpack, and turned the door knob, but didn't open the door.
"Are you sure everything is alright?" he asked, his voice concerned again.
"Absolutely!" she replied, trying to keep a smile on her face. Somehow, she doubted that he fully believed her.
"Alright. If anything comes up, you know, call me, I'll be home. I'll see you at school tomorrow, right?"
Anzu nodded," Bright and early! I'll make sure to set my alarm tonight. I think that, just with all of the work and everything that happened yesterday, I was exhausted. But I got a good night's sleep yesterday, and will get one tonight."
"Okay. Like I said, if anything happens, call me."
"Yes Sir!" Anzu said, making mock salute. Ryou smiled slightly, pulled the door open, and with a final "Good-bye", closed it and made his way down the stairs.
Anzu breathed a sigh of relief. She had managed, at least temporarily, to fool her best friend. Hopefully, she had him under the belief that she was fine. That she had just over slept. That she had borrowed the clothes from Jou. Anzu wasn't sure how Ryou would have reacted had she told him to truth. She didn't really want to find out.
Anzu stood up from the couch, taking the empty bowl with her. As she walked past the kitchen table, she grabbed the other empty bowl, and set them both in the kitchen sink. She'd clean them later. Anzu made her way back to her room, passing the phone in the process. Anzu remembered the strange comment Ryou had made about the messages, and stopped. Curious, she pressed the "Play Messages" button on the answering machine, and waited.
"You have no new messages." and automated voice said.
"Weird," Anzu muttered to herself," Mai must have erased the messages when she got home…"
Anzu entered her bedroom, opened her closet, and pulled out a comfortable pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. She realized that she was going to have to explain everything to Mai when she got home, and the prospect wasn't appealing. Anzu grabbed her clothes and walked across the hall into the bathroom. She flicked on the light, and gasped at what she saw in the mirror.
No wonder everyone's been so worried about me… she thought, as she stared into the mirror, I look like I'm a victim of a hit-and-run.
She smiled grimly.
Ha ha, that's right, I am. In a sense…
Anzu changed into her own clothes, and folded the clothes that Kaiba – not Jounouchi – had lent her. She brushed her hair and washed her face, taking all of the steps necessary to start feeling human again. Slowly, she was starting to look like Anzu Mazaki again. Anzu was just debating whether she should change out her bandage or not when the phone rang.
Who is it now? she thought, picking up the phone. She prayed with all of her might that it wasn't Yami. Or worse – Kaiba.
"Mazaki/Kujaku residence, this is Anzu speaking." she said in a polite tone as she answered the phone.
"Anzu! How are you?"
"Mokuba?" she asked, confused. The voice sounded a little like Mokuba, but yet-
"Yea, it's me. I know, my voice is all crackly. Isn't it weird?"
"Just a little," she replied honestly," You're sounding great though!"
Mokuba laughed," Well, under the circumstances, I feel okay too. I slept all last night and all of today, and Nii-san said that you weren't at school today so you must have done the same. Are you doing alright?"
Anzu sighed, and smiled. She couldn't help it; the younger boy's exuberance was infectious.
"I'm doing okay. I overslept, and missed school, and my back aches a little, but besides that, I think I'll survive."
"Good," his voice suddenly turned serious," Anzu, I have a question. I'm going to ask you something very important, and you've got to promise that you'll do it, alright?"
Anzu paused, a strange suspicion floating through her mind. Something wasn't right about all of this… but still. The kid had been through so much, the least she could do was promise him something.
"Sure, I promise. But why ask me if I promise that I'm going to do it anyway?"
Mokuba laughed, and Anzu swore that she could hear a hint of nervousness in the tone of his voice.
"Right, of course. So, Anzu…"
"Yes?"
The boy laughed again," Will you come over to the mansion to have dinner with me and Nii-san tonight?"
Anzu almost dropped the phone, and she felt her leg go weak. Only one word raced through her mind.
"No."
Suddenly, she realized what she said, and how callously she'd said it. She was just in a state of shock.
"I mean, no, thank you Mokuba, but I just don't think that I can."
"But why not?" he whined. Anzu could hear that she had been set up – it was obvious.
"Well, I'm still a little tired, and I've got some plans tonight and-"
"Well you can't complete your plans if you're tired! Please Anzu? Come? You promised!"
Anzu scowled – she had definitely been set up. But, at the same time, she could hear the ears in his voice as he begged her to come. She was sure that Mokuba was giving her puppy eyes on the other end, even though she couldn't see them in real life, just the thought of them was enough to make her give in. However, she tried again.
"I know Mokuba, I'm sorry I just can't."
But you promised!" he cried," Why won't you come? Is it because of Nii-san?-"
Well that's one reason… she thought.
"I promise he'll behave! And besides, I think that he's as thankful as I am that you came and helped me. I don't think he'll be any trouble! Or is it because you're hurt?-"
There's the other reason…
"Because you know, Nii-san told me that you didn't get cut that bad, and while I'm sure that they hurt a lot – I know mine do – I still just…"
Anzu felt guilty. Here Mokuba just wanted her to come and eat dinner with him, and she was refusing him. He was hurt a lot a lot worse than she was, but he still managed to sound happy, and want to eat dinner and have her come. If she had been him, she would have still been in bed. And well, as for Kaiba…
"Alright," he said, in a tearful whisper," I understand… you don't have to come. I'll tell the cook to hold off on the extra plate. Thanks anyway. I'll talk to you later Anzu…"
She could tell that he was about to hang up, when finally, it got to her.
"Mokuba, wait!" she exclaimed.
"Yea?"
"I'll, um, I'll come."
"YESSS! Thank you Anzu!" all traces of sadness and tears in his voice were gone, she realized with a sinking feeling that he had probably just been acting the entire time, in order to get her to come," The limo will be by at 6:30 to pick you up! We'll eat at 7. We're having lasagna, is that alright?"
"Yea, that's fine," Anzu replied, startled that the all mighty and rich Kaiba's would be having something as mundane as lasagna for dinner. Or maybe they were just dummying it down for her.
"Alright, I'll see you then Anzu! Thanks!"
"No problem Mokuba. Bye."
"Bye!"
Mokuba hung up, and Anzu followed in procedure. She slammed the phone back down into its base, and leaned up against the wall. Slowly, she slid down, ignoring the tingling in her back. She put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Anzu had dinner tonight at seven. Dinner with Mokuba and Seto Kaiba.
"Really," she asked herself, trying to sound reassuring," How bad could it get?"
Alright! Well, that's all for this chapter, as I'm sure you can tell. I regret to inform you that my school year is starting up, and if last year was any indication as to how my work load will be this year, well, I won't have much spare time. I will try my hardest to update with all reasonable speed, but the chapters might be shorter. Also, I'm at somewhat of a miniature writer's block… I have a lot of ideas planned, but good advice and ideas from my betas and others has sent my mind and planning into a tizzy. I need to figure out what I'm going to do, and not do, and how to go about doing it! I promise that I won't make you wait for too long… however, just think of the wine concept! It takes a long time for a good thing! I don't think my chapter will take 30+ years, but you get the idea.
Next order of business. Now, this involves all of you good reviewers, so read up! Due to my own affections, and the many mentions of you, my reviewers, an idea has sprung into my mind. I'm sure that we're all aware of the major role that Ryou plays in this series, and I know that I, and many of you, love him! So many of you have said "I wish Ryou would just get together with Anzu"…"Ryou is the greatest"…"I never used to like Ryou until now…" and trust me, I feel the same way. So, I was thinking that, after I'm done with Like The Rain, I might write an alternative ending. It won't be an entirely new series, just a few chapters. It would start from one of the chapters of Like the Rain, and then branch off, still following some of the main events, but in the end, it would be Ryou who finally earned Anzu's love, not Kaiba. Like I said, it wouldn't be a new series, just a branching off. I won't come out with it until Like The Rain is over, but I would like to know what you all think about it. I want to make sure that the idea is worth mulling over and planning for, or if I should forget an alt. ending, and put my full efforts into another series (I will be coming out with another series, but that's the next order of business). Tell me in your reviews what you all think. Would you guys be willing to read an alternative ending if I wrote one?
Ok, next next order of business. I've been thinking that well, I only have one story! And while that's all well and good, Like The Rain is getting kind of lonely. I'm thinking about starting another series (It may be a while from now), that is based off of another fanfiction that I started writing 3 years ago and never finished. The original was Yami X OC X Seto, but the updated version would be Yami X Anzu X Seto, and would be based in Ancient Egypt. Yes, an Egyptian Arch series. Anyway, tell me what you guys would think of that!
Alright, finally, thanks to all of my AWESOME reviewers! I'm so happy, chapter 6 merited over 20 reviews! You guys made my days! Review replies later!
RR