Should this story be deemed offensive by the creator, Mr. Takahashi, his solicitors or any of the (unsettling amount of) companies holding licenses to the series it shall be of course taken down without hesitation.
A/N: No, I'm not dead. And neither is my mom. I'm happy to say that we are all back on track (although it took us longer than anticipated to get there) and that life is slowly returning to normal. That means that I'll be updating my stories again.
(No parades, please. .)
I'm quite giddy: I have been given the Yami Yugi X Anzu Mazaki pairing at 30kisses and I found a very interesting prompt list on live journal, too. Lots and lots of things for me to write but don't worry, I won't forget about this story, either.
Just go and read for yourself.
Love,
Acalanthis
PS - I hade some trouble uploading this so the formating might be... off. I promise I'll see what I can do about it.
This chapter was beta read by ILuvsBakura!
Thank you for offering the time to help!
This doesn't mean anything - Lies
The next time they meet is a little awkward and it's not because the memory of their nightly conversation still lingers or because there are people watching. There always are people watching where he is concerned and she knows that eventually, she will be moving into a similar spotlight. No, the awkwardness is due to another reason entirely.
It is because Mokuba is sitting between them.
Of course, he does not mean to create a barrier between them. He just wants to be a part of what they share.
It's too soon.
And so their afternoon together - the first one without a script - is a true first date and it is awkward and emberassing and he wishes it were over already and he wishes it would never end.
It's too soon, way too soon.
It is not a perfect date. Really.
They can't see the movie she wanted to see because Mokuba is too young. They can't see the movie he wanted to see for the same reason. And they can't see the movie Mokuba wants to see because they are all too young for that one, too.
They end up watching a Wilt Dasney movie. Their animations are vastly overestimated, he notes, and briefly he entertains the notion of entering the movie business until he remembers that he is on a date and that he promised not to think about work the entire afternoon.
It's amazing how well she can read him after so little time spent together because she offers him the popcorn only after he shook his head to clean it of forbidden thoughts and casually states 'Back to funtime'.
Needless to say, the Dasney movie is almost sickeningly sweet, and in the end, the hero gets the girl. Naturally, Mokuba and Anzu love it. They chatter about it excitedly on their way back to the foyer, where they spend another 30 minutes looking at the posters and screenshots and reminding each other of their favorite scenes. They make an effort to involve him in their conversation, but he blocks them effortlessly.
"What was your favorite scene, Seto"
"The credits"
Anzu laughs.
It is the first good thing about their date.
He wanted to take her to his favorite café, but with Mokuba tagging along other demands are more important.
They end up at the ice cream parlor and thereafter, his younger sibling drags them along to the arcade. They - meaning Mokuba and Anzu - play a few games against each other. Seto watches boredly. Except for when Anzu decides to beat the current high score at Footloose, a dance game with a stage. The flashy lights are meant to distract the dancer, but the brunette has enough routine to turn them into a part of her performance and he nods in approval: the game has nothing to do with her actual dancing skills (how could it?), but her presence is captivating and she makes the steps look effortless with a few gestures (a clap here, a flick of her wrist there).
Her dancing, eyes sparkling and hair flying, is the second thing about their date that he likes.
Mokuba tries his luck, too, but his score comes nowehere near 'Giselle', which is the name under which Anzu saved her new highscore.
And then Mokuba is gone, and in a flurry of unruly black hair, small arms around his waist and "I'll be home by curfew, promise!" his little brother is abducted by three other boys that attend school with him. And they are alone. He feels remotely bad for feeling so relieved. It's almost the third thing that makes this date worthwile. Almost.
It's too sudden.
She likes the café, she says, and after they place their orders (plain green tea for him, white tea for her) they lapse into silence again because now the wall that accompanied Mokuba is no more but neither is sure whether the other is willing to acknowledge that. Naturally, she is the one to revive conversation.
"It was the first ballet I ever saw"
Her statement is met by his questioning eyes.
"Giselle. It was the first ballet I ever saw. I wanted to be like her... not Giselle, obviously, but the dancer. The way she moved"
His voice is quiet when he admits that he isn't familiar with the ballet, but the story of deceit and a love that transcends death is quickly told.
"Do you want to dance 'Giselle"
It sounds like an invitation but what he means of course is whether she wants to dance the part.
"I think everyone one wants to. It is one of the most difficult parts to dance"
She explains about the duality of the character, about the high level of difficulty and all the demands a dancer has to meet to be considered for the part. He assures her that he isn't faking interest for her sake and orders another round of tea for them. They spend the remainder of the day talking about the different ballets she'd like to perform one day, about the dancers she admires, the different types of dancing there are and somehow they manage to draw it all together in a manner that allows him to offer his opinion on a topic he normally wouldn't bother with.
Time flies and before he knows it, it is past eleven and they both realize that they have to go home to an empty house and a gloating younger sibling bursting with curiosity to know even the tiniest detail, respectively. He orders two more drinks to go - hot chocolate because it is not yet too warm for it - and they set off.
Strictly speaking, their walk takes a lot longer than it should have, but she doesn't want the night to end and neither does he. Still, the moment her front porch appears down the street comes too soon - because it means that their date is over.
She stands with her back to the door and he remembers the first time they parted here, the first time the moonlight reflected off her eyes like that.
He promises not to say it this time. She opens her mouth to speak, but he hushes her, placing one finger on her lips.
"Don't say it"
His hand gently grasps hers.
"Why"
"It might be a lie"
His lips brush against her cheek softly and his warm breath - smelling of chocolate - tickles her just under the ear.
"Then... what does it mean"
He squeezes her hand slightly and then lets go, shaking his head.
"Good night"
She calls after him, loudly, and her voice can be heard clearly in the dead of the night.
But he doesn't turn around, doesn't acknowledge her question and the growing confusion inside.
Because he knows he lied when he told her it didn't mean anything. She lied, too.
Because his third favorite moment was when he squeezed her hand-
and she squeezed back.