DIS: Welcome back! Thanks to raygypsy714, journey maker, xXRoseGoddessXx, drkmagiciangrl25, Dancers and Pharaohs, Innocentenough, xXXPsychoxKittyXXx, Anshu (Yeah, this story kind of writes itself, lol,) ANZU&ATEM FAN, SeleneXAngel, and marilou. I'm sooo glad that you guys liked it! I was really uncertain about this. Now, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
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Chapter Two, The effects of divorceMai Kujaku, once with the last name of Katsuya, moved through the opera house with Rena at her elbow. Rena ran through the chairs of the auditorium, laughing joyfully. On the large, spacious stage at the front was a shining, black piano. She had heard piano music when she was out in the lobby, but she could see neither the pianist, nor could she hear the music any longer.
"Rena," Mai called to her daughter. The girl ran to the front row of seats and then hurried to her mother. Mai felt a dark grimness at how much she looked like her ex-husband. Her eyes were wide and brown, her blonde hair a darker shade than Mai's. Even her skin tone was a bit darker than Mai's fair complexion.
Every time Mai looked at the four-year-old, she was reminded of Jounouchi Katsuya. She wasn't sure when their marriage had gone wrong or when they realized how their differences were too much for each other. All she remembered was the continuous fighting from when Rena was two to when she turned three. After that, they divorced and had remained that way for a year. Jou always sent the money for child support, but rarely was able to see Rena with his and Mai's schedule.
But he loves her, Mai reassured herself whenever she thought that Jou was neglecting his daughter. I know he does, and I know he wants to see her. We always fight with each other when he comes by, so it's not easy.
Mai took Rena into her arms as the girl came into reach. She mounted the stairs onto the stage and passed the piano and went to the back. She moved through a door and went up the stairs to a long corridor and another staircase. She heard talking down the hall, so she left down the hall to the room where talking was. A wry smile twisted her rouge lips seeing the man she was looking for. "I thought you said you would meet me on the stage, hon." Otogi Ryuuji sent her an abashed look, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Sorry about that," he apologized meekly. Rena pointed a finger at him and screeched, "Otogi!" He laughed at her shout and took her from Mai, tossing her in the air and then catching her. "And how are you, little Rena?"
"Mommy and I ate pizza last night," she informed him. "It was yummy." He chuckled.
"I bet it was." Otogi shifted Rena and said to Mai, "This is Yami Mutou, Mai." Mai shifted her mauve gaze to the male beside Otogi. He had a soft, welcoming smile on his mouth – it was a nice mouth, she noted – and was handsome. He was about the same height as Otogi with crimson-brown eyes, a strange mixture she had never seen. It was almost a mahogany color. Not quite red, but not quite brown, either. Mai had only seen the man on TV from time-to-time and knew little about him except that he was a famous pianist. It was no surprise that Otogi, as a violinist and business owner of musical instruments, would become acquainted with the worldly known pianist.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yami drawled in his deep, unintentionally seductive voice. Feeling a shiver run up her spine, Mai extended her hand and shook his. He smiled at her and then released her hand. He blinked and peered down at Rena who was hugging him around the legs, grinning up at him.
An attention hog, Mai observed dryly, just like her father.
Yami knelt down and asked gently, "And what is this young princess' name?" Rena's face lit up like a light bulb at being called a princess.
"My name is Rena," she announced to him. "What's your name?"
"Yami," he replied with a smile. "Can the Princess Rena sing?"
"Everyone knows how to sing," Rena pointed out to him in a patient tone. "I sing lots of songs." He laughed and lifted her up, settling her on his hip.
"You and I will have to sing, then, won't we?" She bobbed her head in agreement, her blonde tail bouncing. Yami chuckled again and handed her to Mai, who took her, surprised by Yami's ease with her child. "She must have taken her father's looks."
"What?" Mai asked dumbly, before saying, "Oh. Yes. She did." She smoothed Rena's bangs from her forehead, planting a kiss on her forehead, leaving an imprint from her lipstick. Rena didn't bother to wipe it off. Mai could feel the pianist's eyes on her and felt a shudder run through her body. She didn't like being scrutinized so closely, especially by such an attractive man. It gave her a little thrill at the thought that he might be interested in her.
"So, Mai, you're going to see, uh, him, right?" Otogi carefully asked, not saying Jounouchi's name, knowing it would only upset Rena. Otogi had been pleasant friends with Jou and Honda, but he hadn't spoken to either of them since the divorce. He hadn't seen them and neither of them had sought him out. Otogi had been mildly interested in Shizuka, but didn't dare try anything now that Jou wasn't speaking with him. After all, he had a handful of women at his disposal.
"Yes." She turned to her friend, her lips turning down at the corners. "I shouldn't be very long, unless he decides to start something."
"What?" Yami's startled voice spoke up, making Mai look to him.
"It's nothing," she dismissed. "He never tries anything."
"Mommy?" Rena queried, patting her mother's smooth cheek. "Mommy? Who you talking about?" Mai turned her attention to her daughter and smiled.
"No one, Rena. Now, I have to go. Be good to Otogi, okay?" Rena nodded, but puzzlement was written all over her young, gentle features. Mai set her down and slid her fingers over her soft hair. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Mutou – "
"Oh, don't be formal," Yami interrupted. "You can address me by my first name."
"Alright, hon. Yami, then. I'll pick her up at your place, Otogi."
"Have a blast," Otogi sarcastically answered with a cheerful tone to his voice. Mai scowled and gave him the finger. He snickered in response as Mai turned her back and started out of the room and down the hall.
X
Jounouchi cradled the phone against his shoulder as a knock came to the door. He groaned in irritation. Anzu had just called and he barely got to talk to his newfound friend. He usually wasn't able to make friends with any female, so he enjoyed her phone calls and visits. "Hold on, okay, Anzu?" He said. She replied with an, "Okay." He set his glass of milk on the table in the kitchen and hurried to the door. He swung it open and stared at Mai Kujaku with a touch of surprise. He didn't see Rena, so he guessed she came to talk about business. He ushered her in and closed the door. "Hey, Anzu, I'm gonna have to call you back. Is that cool?" He paused for her to answer and then said, "Okay. Bye." He hung up, snapping his cell phone shut and tucking it in his pants. "Mai, what's up? You usually call."
No matter how many times he saw her, Jou would always admire Mai's beauty. Everything about her was soft and curving. She had the kind of confidence that his sister lacked. She wore everything that she knew her body looked good in and flaunted it without a touch of shame. Birthing a child had done nothing to mark her flawless body.
"Rena is missing you," she informed him tensely, following him to the kitchen. He took a drink of his milk as she continued, "She's always asking when you'll come over. What have you been doing? Just sitting around?"
"I've been working," he replied without any signs that he was about to blow up. "I've been helping a friend with her apartment, too. She just got it all situated."
She? Mai repeated in her mind, surprised.
"I tried calling a couple days ago, but you never answered the phone. I left a message on your voicemail. It's not my problem you never called back." Mai stared at his calm, careless manner as he drank the rest of his milk. He let out a sigh and went to the sink, rinsed the cup out, and set it in the sink. Usually he would be arguing with her right now.
"So...you're dating someone?" She questioned slowly. He blinked.
"Huh?"
"The girl on the phone. Anzu." Why do I care? She demanded of herself. I could get a man in a snap, unlike this idiot. God, what did I ever see in him?
"No, that's the friend I was talking about. I can have a friend that's a girl. It's not like it's against the rules of relationships or anything." His disgruntled tone warned her that she was getting close to pissing him off. Although an evil part of her encouraged her to provoke him, she quickly dismissed it and brushed her thick, blonde locks from her face.
"Well, whatever. I didn't come here to discuss your personal life anyway. I want to set up a permanent schedule for when you'll be visiting Rena. I want you to see her at least once a week."
"Mai, I drive trucks and move stuff into houses. I don't have a schedule. You know that."
"Jounouchi!" She snapped, irritated. "Do you have any idea how much she misses you? Just because you send money doesn't mean that's enough!" She saw by the tightness of his jaw and the dark look that covered his face that he was about to start bitching at her. That was just fine with her. She was sick of his attitude. "You need to start acting like a father!"
"What the hell do you want me to do?!" He snarled. "This is the one job I'm good at and get paid well for! You want me to drop it just so that I can fix a permanent visiting schedule? Nuh-uh, no way, not happenin', doll face. I love Rena and I'd like to see her a lot more, but this is all I can offer, alright? I have to think of myself, too, ya know." For a long time, neither of them spoke, staring at each other angrily. The sound of the door opening and closing broke the tense silence.
"Hellooo!" Shizuka's bright voice chimed. "Big brother!"
"I'm in here," Jou called back, never taking his eyes off Mai's. When he next spoke, he was talking to Mai, "I don't have anything to do tonight or tomorrow. Why don't you let her stay over here for the night?" Mai's mouth tautened into a thin, white line, before she nodded.
"Fine, Jounouchi. I'll go home and get her an overnight bag. You can go ahead and pick her up from Otogi's and come to the house and get the bag." She turned just as Shizuka was entering the kitchen. "Hi, hon."
"Mai!" Shizuka greeted, hugging the older female briefly. "You look fabulous as always. How are you doing?"
"Good. Did you just get off of work?" Mai inquired in a civil manner.
"Yeah, I did. How is the real estate business working for you?"
"It's doing really well. I've become one of the top salespeople."
"That's great!" Mai exchanged a few more words with Shizuka before she departed. When Shizuka turned to look at her brother, her smile fell at seeing his agitated expression. "Jou! What's wrong?" She reached out to touch him, but he brushed her off and stormed away from the kitchen. A moment later, he emerged from his room with his car keys in hand and a jacket slung over his slender frame. "Jou...?" She received no response as he slammed out of the apartment. She winced as the door banged shut.
X
Otogi rose to his feet as his doorbell rang. He glanced at his watch. It was sooner than he had been expecting Mai to be finished. Rena was sitting at the kitchen table drawing pictures. She had already made two with her and her parents running in a flower field. He hadn't made any comment on them. What he wanted to say wasn't fit for a four-year-old. She wouldn't understand.
He pulled the door open and blinked in surprise, seeing Jounouchi on his porch. "Hey, Otogi," Jou greeted, flicking two fingers from his forehead in a casual salute. "Can I come in?" Otogi mutely stepped to the side to let him in. Jou glanced around and then turned to him with a lopsided smile. "I came to pick Rena up. She's going to stay the night at my house for the night."
"Does Mai know?" was all Otogi could think to say.
"How else would I know she was here?" Jou demanded with a note of irritation in his voice. "Jesus. I'm not gonna kidnap her for God's sake." Otogi decided not to say that was exactly what he had been thinking. He had never quite gotten used to Jou's confident, social manner. Jou was the very image of a flippant attitude. He had loose-fitted jeans, a white t-shirt with the Nike logo, sneakers, and a comfortable blue, denim jacket. Otogi had a more elegant outfit and wondered how it was that Jou and Mai ever thought to marry.
"Daddy!" A wail came and Otogi sighed as Rena launched herself at Jounouchi.
"Hey, there!" Jou enveloped her in his arms, pushing her face in his shoulder. She let out a squeal of delight, locking her arms around his neck. "Where have you been all my life?"
"Daddy, you know where I live!" She giggled. Otogi felt suddenly very uncomfortable in his own home. Even if he did suspect Jou of kidnapping Rena, he doubted he would be able to detach the girl from her father now. "I made a picture of you and mommy and me."
"Did you? What's it look like? Describe it to me."
"There's bunches of flowers and we're running through them. Mommy and I wear princess dresses and you have prince's clothes."
"It sounds beautiful," Jou said to her. He glanced at Otogi and asked, "Did she bring anything with her?"
"No, just her jacket. I'll get it, though." Otogi left and returned with her pictures and her jacket. Jou set Rena down and helped her into her jacket. He handed her the pictures, but she shook her head.
"You can have them, daddy," Rena informed him with a gorgeous, bright smile. Jou's own mouth curved upward pleasantly. Otogi saw a hint of remorse pass over Jou's face. It was gone as quickly as it had come. Jou thanked Otogi and then the two were in Jou's used Honda and down the road. Otogi didn't call Mai to confirm that Rena was supposed to be staying at Jou's house. Even after months of not talking to him, he knew Jou was trustworthy and would never do something like that to Mai, or Rena, for that matter.
X
Anzu sighed as she slammed the phone book shut and gave a weary look to the clock. It was almost time for lunch. Jou had called her last night, saying he'd like her to meet his daughter and that he would take her out to lunch. He was supposed to be picking her up by twelve, so she only had about thirty minutes until he arrived.
She got dressed in a denim skirt and a pink tank top, pulling on some socks that went to her knees and some black-and-white sneakers. She checked her hair and then went back to the living room to look through the phone book. She had yet to find an available accompanist. Her hopes of dancing were becoming very slim indeed. She had even checked to make sure she absolutely needed an accompanist and, sure enough, she did. How had she not known?
Anzu went to the door as soon as Jou knocked and blinked as he let himself in. "Hey!" He greeted happily. "Um, sorry," he added at her scowl. "I'm just used to walking right in." Her face softened in forgiveness.
"It's fine, Jou. Are we ready?" She grabbed her purse, her keys in hand.
"Yep." She followed him out and locked the door behind her. "Her name's Rena, by the way. She's four."
"She probably looks like her mother, huh?"
"Actually, she looks a lot more like me," he answered proudly. "Mai's hair and skin is lighter and her eyes are a different color. Yep, she's my daughter." Anzu chuckled and they exited the building to his car. She got in the passenger seat while Jou got in the driver seat. Anzu glanced in the mirror at Rena. She was a female version of Jounouchi. "Rena, this is my friend, Anzu Mazaki."
"Hi, sweetheart," Anzu cooed softly, turning to smile at the girl. Rena appeared unsure, but then at seeing Jou's encouraging grin, her mouth spread into a friendly smile, her wide eyes twinkling with delight. "I heard you stayed over at your dad's last night. Did you have fun?"
"Aunt Shizuka did my hair really pretty." She pointed to the two buns on each side of her head. "See?" Anzu nodded.
"It's lovely. You have to have long hair to do your hair like that."
"Uh-huh." For the rest of the car trip, Rena chattered to Anzu about her dolls, her friends at daycare, and even about her mother. Anzu had noticed how stiff Jou had grown when Rena began to talk about Mai, but she wasn't sure how to hush the girl up without offending her. She decided to touch her favorite subject with her friend's daughter: dancing.
"Can you dance, Rena?" She questioned when the girl paused to look at two dogs on the sidewalk.
"No," Rena replied, turning back to her, "but I can sing! Can you dance?"
"I can. Maybe I'll show you sometime. Does that sound nice?" Rena, with huge eyes and a huge grin, nodded her agreement. "And then, you can sing for me."
"I'll sing now!" Anzu laughed as the girl started to sing a song about a fairyland and a princess being saved by the man of her dreams. She actually didn't have that bad of a voice for a child.
X
Otogi quietly closed the auditorium's doors, the piano music gliding over the room like the wind over a prairie. Different notes and melodies erupted from the massive instrument on the stage. Otogi knew too well by the melancholy in the notes who it was that was playing. He moved down the aisle to the stairs and climbed them. The heel of his expensive, black shoes made the slightest clicking noise. He moved around the piano to stand beside Yami Mutou. The pianist had his eyes closed and didn't even open them as he asked, "How long have you been here?"
"Only a while, but I heard the music from the lobby," Otogi responded. The song reached its crescendo, the rhythm changing, more notes swirling together, forming a cloud of emotions; it began to slow and notes fell out until only a few were left to end the piece. Yami opened his eyes and slid his hands to his lap. "Was the concert cancelled?"
"No," the latter answered with a light sigh. He stood up and moved away from the bench, circling around it so he could face Otogi. "No," he repeated. "However, they didn't like the pieces I was insisting on playing, so I've been cut out of the concert. I am not feeling up to frenzied music right now and I doubt that I will be at the end of the month." He gave his shoulders a graceful shrug. "Those are the kinds of things that happen."
"Of course," Otogi agreed with the slightest of smiles. "That's how life is. But don't think on it, Yami. Musicians play their music based on their feelings. What's got you down?"
"Everything," Yami grumbled, waving a hand distractedly. "I'm not sure how much longer I can handle the same things over and over again. I play the same pieces everywhere I go because those are the ones that the people know and have heard of. I need some excitement! Something that's more than just playing the piano!" He glanced at Otogi, a smile on his lips. "You think I'm out of my mind, don't you?"
"Not at all. I, on the other hand, would be out of my mind if I had to only play the violin for my entire life. That's why I started my business. It keeps me occupied, not to mention the favors I do for Mai."
"Ah, yes. The gorgeous woman-friend of yours." Yami sent his companion a sly look, asking, "Are you sure you don't find her attractive yourself, Otogi?" Otogi laughed.
"No, I don't. Her ex-husband's sister caught my attention and she still has it. I can't go to her to obtain it, either, because her brother and I aren't on the best of terms any longer." He sighed a bit. "But you, Yami, you could try and hook up with Mai. I'm certain she's not uninterested." Yami shrugged. "What? What don't you like about her?"
"I usually don't go for women with children, let alone unresolved issues. And besides, she seems a bit vain." Otogi gawked at him.
"All women are vain, what are you talking about?"
"I'm also looking for someone a little more serious now," Yami continued, ignoring Otogi's comment completely. "I'm twenty-five, going on to twenty-six. I'll be thirty soon and I'll still be unmarried. I want a child that will carry my name and has a mother that I love. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"All you serious musicians are so romantic," Otogi said with disgust, a glint of humor in his emerald eyes. "Now I think you have lost your mind, my friend." Yami chortled, giving his head a shake.
"Perhaps."
"Actually – getting back on topic, here – Mai's ex-husband, Jounouchi, came to my house the same day you met her. He was picking Rena up for her to stay at his house for the night. It was the first time I saw him in a long time." Yami eyed Otogi's speculative expression and could tell that seeing his friend's ex-husband had been a shock to him. "He's a great guy, you know," Otogi continued faintly. "He doesn't give a damn what people think about him and is really a caring idiot. He adores Rena and I know her sentiments are the same. It's just...amazing...to see them together."
"He sounds like a wonderful father," Yami supplied.
"Well." Otogi shrugged, his eyes passing over the seats and balconies of the auditorium. "He would be if he visited more often. I keep telling Mai that she should cut him off completely if he can't come and see his daughter every once in awhile, but all she said was that he had a job that had no real schedule and that he had to take care of his little sister, too. I guess I can understand that, but I still think Rena needs a more permanent male presence in her life."
"Has Mai tried dating again?"
"She has, but she's grown so picky these days that all she does is go to dinner with them, maybe sleep with them, and then – wham, bam – she's back at home, sulking. The divorce has killed her, I swear."
"It'll get better," Yami assured. "Sometimes it's hardest on the woman when it comes to divorce. She'll toss those picky habits soon enough."
"Mmm...I hope so."
X
Mai was furious. Just last night Jou had returned Rena to her, her cheeks flushed from playing at the park and her hair done in a cute style of buns on the sides of her head. Jou said he could do this every Friday and Saturday since he usually had those days off. Mai agreed. It wasn't that which pissed her off. It was what Rena talked to her about. When Mai asked what they did, Rena had replied, "Me, daddy, and Anzu had lunch and then we went to the park! Then Anzu – "
"Who's Anzu?" Mai had asked, wondering if it was another little girl that Rena had made friends with. She had completely forgotten the name from Jou's phone conversation.
"Daddy's friend." And that was what had caused Mai to get angry. She recalled Jou talking to someone named "Anzu" on the phone then when she had met with him and how he had called her a "friend." She couldn't believe that he had brought his girlfriend (who she assumed was probably some whore) with him on an outing with his daughter! The rage was more from jealousy than anything, but she wasn't willing to admit that. She hadn't yet dated a man – not for a respectable time, anyway – and here Jou was, flaunting his girlfriend around!
Well, that was what she was guessing, anyway.
On the morning after the night he returned Rena, she pounded in the numbers to his cell phone and waited while it dialed. She was so mad her hands were shaking. Jou's friendly voice chimed, "Hello?"
"You fucking bastard!" Mai shrieked at him.
"Whaaaa? Mai, what's your problem?" He demanded in a clearly astounded tone.
"You, that's what my goddamn problem is! Jounouchi, how could you bring your slut girlfriend with you when you were with Rena?"
"Hey, wait just a minute – "
"You shouldn't even be allowed to see her!"
"Mai, just chill for a second, will ya?" Jou snapped on the other land. "She isn't a slut and she isn't my girlfriend. Her name's Anzu and she's just a friend. She's friends with Honda and Shizuka, too, so just cool it. Rena loved her, anyway."
"So you're trying to replace me?" Mai immediately asked, a crack snapping her heart in two. "Is that it, Jounouchi? Are you trying to make her hate me?"
"What? No! How could you think something like that?!"
"You tell me, Jounouchi, what will there be to live for if Rena doesn't need me anymore?"
"Wha...Rena will always need you. Would you stop overreacting?"
"I'm not!" Mai jerked her phone from her ear and stabbed the red 'End' button. She threw her cell phone across her room and then collapsed on her bed, sobbing in her pillow. Why does he want to make her hate me so badly? Rena's all that I have. She's all that I need to keep living. He already broke my heart once. Why is he trying to do it again?
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DIS: Drama! Just a warning, this story isn't going to be focused entirely on Yami and Anzu (as you can tell.) There's going to be all sorts of twists and loops that you'll feel like you're on a roller coaster. Yami and Anzu will probably be meeting here soon. Please review before leaving! I need to know what people think. Ciao!
