"Hey, Yuge. How're you feelin' today? Any better'n yesterday?"

The clock had struck, and school had ended. The class was filtering out of the classroom, save for the two monkey friends, Anzu, and Yugi. Kaiba had already gone outside.

The tricolor-haired boy didn't say anything, at least not immediately. As he watched Anzu approach them and grab her best friend's hand, he grinned, his cheeks turning a pleasant red, letting the action speak for itself.

"Hey guys," Anzu called.

Silence. Jonouchi and Honda's jaws hit the floor.

"W-W-W-Wha?!" Jonouchi shouted, pointing his finger accusingly at the two of them. "You two…are you…"

"Together?" Anzu finished his question for him. She looked down at Yugi. He returned her gaze for a second before turning to them and nodding wordlessly but happily, unable to believe it himself.

"No way!" Honda screeched. "That's so awesome! You two are going to be the best couple, I just know it," he oozed.

Yugi and Anzu both blushed at his prediction. "Why do you say that?" Yugi finally spoke up, desperately curious.

To that, Jonouchi knew the answer. He waved his hand at them dismissively, as if it were obvious to everyone. "You two have been makin' ga-ga eyes at each other for yeas."

Honda nodded energetically. "You really have. Yugi, you've been talking about Anzu for a long time. Even when your words aren't saying you're into her, everything else is," he explained sagely, accompanied by Jonouchi's folded arms and emphatically agreeing nods.

Yugi felt himself shrink to the size of a pea. "I'll be going now," he said in a daze, turning almost robotic and walking awkwardly out of the room.

"Oh no you don't," Anzu said, pulling him next to her again. They all walked together, Jonouchi and Honda cackling and making inappropriate jokes behind their backs, straightening up innocently when Anzu glared at them and resuming their antics when she looked away.

The four of them reached outside, and Anzu split off, dropping Yugi's hand to face the two boys. "Hey guys, there's something I have to do, so I'll catch you later, okay?"

Suddenly, they were serious again. They understood. "You don't need'a tell me twice," Jonouchi said. "C'mon, Honda, let's go grab a bite at that fancy American restaurant."

The two of them walked off cackling, and Anzu blushed furiously. "How did they…?" Then, she looked down and over at Yugi. He was scratching the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Ch'," she said, rising to her full height again. Outside of his view, she cracked a smile.

When Yugi had stopped laughing and looked back up at Anzu, she was gazing with a hint of melancholy across her features.

"Yugi, I'll catch you soon, alright?"

Yugi nodded. He understood without her giving any details.

Anzu found Kaiba in the distance, waiting for her by a tree. He looked sullen as always, with his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes hidden partially by his hair and partially by the shade.

She approached him carefully.

"Hi," she called.

Kaiba looked up. "Hey." He unfolded his arms and came out of the shade.

Silence pierced the air.

"I'm going to get straight to the point, because it's killing me," Anzu started ominously.

Kaiba's blue eyes grew wide.

"Yesterday, I was…"

How honest could she be?

She caught his curious, worried gaze, and after a brief moment of thought, she shook her head.

The truth was one thing. A stake in the heart was wholly another.

"…thinking," she finished, vastly understating the details. "And I started to realize that… I don't really know you. We don't really know each other that well at all," she emphasized.

"I don't know your dreams, I don't know your birthday, and I don't know how you react when you feel backed into a corner in a situation you thought you understood." Kaiba looked confused. Anzu continued.

"I don't know your favorite flower, and I definitely don't know how you feel about music," she said with a hint of wonder, echoing Yugi's discussion with her earlier.

"And I feel that, if I don't know these things… If I don't even know what the real you is like, how can I be with you?"

Kaiba digested her words for a time.

"Anzu, we can learn all of that. Why does it matter whether we know that at the start of a relationship?"

"Because I know that knowing all that…"

She thought of Yugi's face.

"…has made all the world of difference to me in the past, and I can't be without it. I want someone who's been with me through thick and thin, and knows these things not because I told him, but because he's experienced them with me."

Kaiba quickly gathered that she was no longer talking about him.

"Anzu… I know what this is about."

She looked up, surprised. "You do?"

"If you're going to do this, at least don't be a coward about by giving me one of your flowery speeches."

Anzu gasped. "What on earth do you…"

"You're talking about Yugi."

Anzu gritted her teeth at his sudden hostility. She could feel it permeate the already-thick air between them now.

"Have it your way. It's over. Just go and hop into your little prince's arms," he said, sarcasm inundating his voice as he turned his back on her and started to leave, his cape billowing out behind him.

With that, he was gone.

Anzu stared after him, feeling a potent mixture of anger, sadness, trepidation, guilt, and relief vying for control.

When he had left, Yugi came to stand beside her.

"He's strong," he said.

"Yeah, he is," she agreed.

"Though, it's a very hard thing…to let you be with someone else. I would know."

Anzu looked at him, sympathy all over her face. "You don't have to think about that anymore."

He smiled. He looked at her like she were his lifeline, taking her hands in his.

"I love you, Anzu."

"I love you too, Yugi."

With that, Yugi pushed onto his toes and kissed her. Before long, he no longer had to.

Atem wrapped his arms around Anzu and kissed her as passionately as if it were the last time he would ever see her. She kissed him back, letting him take the lead and choosing to pool her arms against his chest like a shy little girl.

He was her protection. He was her freedom.

He was her everything.

Atem pulled back from her. He smiled as her eyes shot wide for a split second at his changed appearance.

He would make his voice heard.

"I love you too, my sweet Anzu."