Yugi must have sent her at least ten messages, at the very least.
Hey Anzu, how's ballet going?
Anzu, we haven't seen you at the game shop for a while. We used to hang out everyday.
Remember we walked to school together since elementary school?
Anzu, France or Italy? Have you decided yet?
Grandpa is asking about you. He wants to know if your boobs got bigger, I mean if you grew taller.
Anzu let out a sigh.
She and Yugi Muto had been best friends since elementary school, but they were the total opposites. Yugi was short and sweet while Anzu was tall, athletic, and had no problem standing up for herself against the bullies and of course, perverts. Once, when Honda tried to discreetly lift up her skirt, she gave him a kick in the guts. Though that got her a week of detention, it was a crystal clear message to everyone in school – don't mess up with Anzu Mazaki.
Yugi, on the other hand, didn't have much of a spine.
He had always been picked on and bullied for his short stature. His best friend Jonouchi was picking on him too before becoming friends with him. To Anzu, Jonouchi was a jerk without much of a brain. But Yugi insisted that Jonouchi is a nice guy whose life is all messed up – his parents split; his sister Shizuka was going blind and they couldn't afford surgery; his father was battling alcoholism and thankfully getting help. It wasn't until Seto Kaiba came into the picture did Anzu begin to warm up to Jonouchi.
Yeah, Jonouchi could be mean; but at least he hadn't gotten anyone hospitalized.
Yugi's grandpa, Solomon Muto, owned a game shop; once he was an archaeologist and gaming master who traveled around the world. Among his collection was a rare duel monster card – the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Somehow, Seto Kaiba heard about it. He came to the game shop and demanded a duel. Offended by his lack of respect, Solomon accepted his challenge. Unfortunately, his health couldn't keep up with the new advanced technology. When Kaiba launched his Blue Eyes White Dragon, the realistic holograms gave Solomon a heart attack. The game ended up a draw and Solomon spent one week at the hospital.
Anzu advised Yugi and Solomon to file a suit against Kaiba for pain and suffering. Her father was an attorney and he pointed out that what happened to Solomon is a solid proof that Kaiba's duel-disk is not safe for all ages. While Solomon would rather not get to that, everyone in Domino city heard about it. To protect his business, Kaiba revised his duel-disk and challenged Solomon for a rematch. In his trench coat, he marched into Solomon's game shop everyday; and Solomon simply ignored him.
"Hey Yuge, why don't you duel with Kaiba?" Jonouchi suggested. "You are a genius at this."
Solomon nodded and handed his deck to his grandson. "Duel him Yugi. Show him what a real duelist is."
"I will," Yugi said genuinely. "But I need to prepare until I'm ready."
Despite his intelligence and knowledge, Yugi always took all the time he had to make sure he got all the information correct. His worst fear was losing a game or failing a test because of a stupid overlooked mistake. A homework assignment that only took Anzu five minutes would take Yugi three hours. Days went by, Yugi was still preparing. Meanwhile, Kaiba patiently waited at the game shop 24-7, eyeing Solomon'sBlue Eyes White Dragon like a predator eyeing a prey. Bottom line, he was not leaving until Yugi duels him. Anzu found this hard to watch. She began to avoid Yugi and spent more time practicing at the ballet studio than ever before.
Going through her texts, Anzu wondered what she should say to Yugi. Before she could text him back, Yugi called her.
"Hey Anzu, I got good news!"
"Kaiba left your game shop?"
"No, something else. Remember the millennium puzzle my grandpa gave me?"
"Yeah?"
"After eight years, I got it!"
"That's great Yugi!"
"Hey hope this isn't too much to ask, but I want to complete this puzzle with you."
"With me?"
"Anzu, we have been friends for so many years and you have always been there for me. This is special and I want you to be there when I complete the puzzle."
"Well, I love to, but–"
"If you are not comfortable coming over, I can come to your house."
"Alright, I'll be home at around seven."
After Anzu came home, she found Yugi waiting for her in the living room. He was more than happy to see her. Together, they went to Anzu's room.
Yugi took out the almost-finished millennium puzzle out of his backpack. All he needed to do was to insert the last piece.
"Yugi, if you don't mind me asking, why are you so scared to duel Kaiba?"
"Oh I'm not scared. It's just…that Blue Eyes White Dragon isn't just any card. It's special to my grandpa. It's a gift from a dear friend of his, Dr. Arthur Hopkins. If I lost that card to Kaiba, I would break my grandpa's card."
"But you know the card game better than anyone in Domino."
"I know the cards but I don't know Kaiba."
"Why do you need to know Kaiba?"
"It's not just the cards. You have to know your opponent. Where does he come from? What does he like? Why is he dueling? What are his goals? By far, I only know Kaiba has a younger brother Mokuba. He's good with data and he doesn't like to talk to people. I need to know more…like I need to know his heart in order to beat him."
"How are you going to know his heart?"
"I'll just wait until I have all the knowledge I need."
"Does Kaiba have anyone else in his life? Like a girlfriend or a mother?"
Shrugging, Yugi replied, "I don't think so. When he's on the phone, it's mostly his brother or people from his company."
"I just don't understand why he's so obsessed with that Blue Eyes White Dragon card."
Maybe it reminds him of his mother, Anzu thought. The man really needs to get a life.
"Anzu, we don't have to talk about Kaiba. I promise you, I will duel him when I'm ready and I will beat him. Come on, remember the card I gave you when you started ballet class?"
"Yes, the Mystical Elf." Anzu took her deck out from her bag. "I still have it, even though my favorite card is Magician of Faith."
"You know what Mystical Elf does? She chants a spell and increases a monster's attack points. I gave that to you, knowing that she can make you stronger too."
"Thanks Yugi," Anzu said. "Okay, let's look at your millennium puzzle."
Yugi took out the last piece of the puzzle from his pocket. He placed it in Anzu's hand.
"You do it."
"Why? It's your puzzle."
"My grandpa said that if the puzzle is completed, it can grant a wish."
"Really? But what about you? Don't you have anything to wish for?"
"I don't have any wish. I have friends like you, Honda, and Jonouchi. I have my family. Look, to be honest, I kind of feel sorry for Kaiba. I think he's looking for a friend–"
"Okay, I'll finish the puzzle then!" Anzu cut him off, not wanting to hear anymore about Kaiba. As soon as she placed the last piece into the puzzle, a blinding light flashed before their eyes. And next thing she knew, the light was gone.
"Did you make your wish?" Yugi asked her.
"I guess," Anzu said. That was fast.
"What did you wish for?"
"I…I would rather keep it to myself."
"Well, I know how much you want to go to ballet school in Europe."
"Oh," Anzu blushed. Annoyed by all these Kaiba dramas, she forgot about her ballet career altogether. "Thanks Yugi."
He put the millennium puzzle around his neck.
"Good night Anzu."
"See you tomorrow."
That night, Anzu couldn't sleep.
The puzzle…
The light…
It was too fast and she didn't have the time to make any wish. The only thought that flashed in her mind right at the time was: that Seto Kaiba needs to get laid.
So, what would happen next?
Anzu decided not to dwell on it. She turned off the light to get some sleep. At very least, hopefully, it could give Kaiba something else to focus on instead of harassing Yugi. After all, it took Yugi eight years to complete the millennium puzzle. For him to be fully prepared to duel Kaiba, it'd probably take him a couple of decades.
Author's note: I was binge watching Yu-Gi-Oh and came up with the idea after seeing comments from YouTube regarding the character Seto Kaiba. One commentor said, "Kaiba needs to get laid" and the idea of this fanfic came to me. Please let me know if you want me to continue this fic. After twenty years, I still think Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monster is the best YGO series.