I'm back with a new story! In this story, the characters are 42 and have teenage children. It covers marital problems, mental health and depression, but does have a happy ending.

Warnings: occasional swearing, mentions of sex, with some not too graphic sexual activity, as well as plenty angst, heartbreak, tears and guilt.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or the characters, but I do own my two OCs, namely Little Atem and Akemi.

Chapter 1,

Retirement.

The life of a professional dancer could often be quite brutal. It was highly competitive, work was not guaranteed and you were always one stumble or twist away from a potentially career ending injury. During her own career, Anzu had seen many a talented dancer's career hampered or cut short thanks to broken bones, ligament or tendon injuries.

Thankfully Anzu had avoided any major injuries and enjoyed a long and reasonably successful career. She put her lack of serious injuries down to, partly luck, but also to the fact that she had taken a couple of maternity breaks along the way, as well as varying the type of work she took on.

However, at forty two, it was time to hang up her dancing shoes and accept that she could no longer keep pace with the younger dancers.

She tried telling herself that she was okay with retirement: she would not miss the excitement of being on stage in front of an appreciative audience, or the backstage tension, or the touring and the... She chuckled –she definitely would not miss the bitching and the smell of sweaty bodies crammed into small dressing rooms.

Who was she kidding? She would miss it all, and had absolutely no idea what she was going to to do with the rest of her life.

Her gaze was drawn the a framed photograph that was hanging on the wall. It was of her dancing as Odette in Swan Lake. She was up on pointe, arms and head held high, posture tall and as near perfect as one could possibly hold themselves. Yugi had had it framed for her birthday one year. She had been twenty five in that photo and in her prime. It was also just a few months before she found out she was pregnant with her first child.

Sniffing, she wiped away the tears that were starting to fall.

Those heady days were long gone, and here she was in her new role as a middle aged housewife, cooking and cleaning for a husband and children who never once thought to thank her for their clean laundry, a tidy house, or the hot meal she placed in front of then when they came home ravenous after a busy day.

She was even starting to wonder if she was still happy in her marriage!

Thanks to their careers, she and Yugi sometimes did not see each other for several weeks! Once upon a time their reunions were passionate –heck, one even resulted in her first pregnancy! Sadly, those nights of passion were long gone, and sex had become something that only happened occasionally and had to be done quickly and in silence, in case the kids heard. What sort of marriage was that?

She wondered if Yugi felt the same way? Or was he too busy going about his daily routine (a routine he had built around her working antisocial hours and being away) to even give a single thought to how miserable his wife was feeling?

Tears were flowing freely now.

Anzu wanted to scream, make a scene, pack her bags and run away to New York; anywhere, as long as it was far away from the tedious rut her life was becoming.

The noisy bustle of her kids arriving home from school snapped her out of her self obsessed misery, and made her wonder why was she having such miserable thoughts when to onlookers she appeared to have the perfect life.

Splashing her face with water, she dried her eyes and forced a smile, as her two offspring came bursting into the kitchen, haphazardly discarding shoes, book bags and school blazers on their way. They barely even acknowledged she was there, choosing to continue whatever squabble they were having.

"Temmy's got a girlfriend!" thirteen year old Akemi taunted her older brother, Atem.

Her brother's face was bright red. "Arghh! She's not my girlfriend!" The sixteen year old yelled, almost pulling his own hair out in frustration.

For the sake of her children, Anzu put on a cheerful front. "Oh! What's her name?" she enquired, adding to her son's frustration.

"She's not….." he began, but was interrupted by his sister.

"Hanako Kaiba," said Akemi, sticking her tongue out and licking Atem's hand when he attempted to clamp it over her mouth. He made a disgusted sound and kicked out at her thigh. She dodged his foot and lashed out at him, but he caught her in an arm lock, making her squeal, "Mum! He's killing me!"

Anzu jumped in before they hurt one another. "Stop it! That's enough!" she ordered, pulling them apart. She had never known the pair to fight and she was not having them start now. "Akemi, you will stop teasing your brother. Atem, you must not hurt your sister." They both scowled at their mother.

"She started it," said Atem sulkily.

"Go and do your homework, both of you," ordered Anzu.

"I don't have any," Atem lied. Anzu saw through it.

"You always have homework. Do as you're told, otherwise you will have to deal with your father when he gets home." Both kids snickered, knowing full well that their dad was pretty lenient when it came to discipline.

"Can we have snacks first?" asked Atem. Anzu nodded.

"You can take them up to your rooms, to have while you study."

"Thanks, Mum." Smiling, Akemi went to offer her mother a conciliatory hug. It was only then that she noticed her mother had red, puffy eyes. She frowned in concern. "Have you been crying?" she asked hesitantly.

Anzu nearly started crying again. "No. Maybe. You mustn't worry. I was just feeling nostalgic, and missing my career as a dancer," she said, not wanting to concern them with her feelings of desperation.

Both children sagged. Did their mother dislike being at home so much that she would rather still be working on the cruise ship?

Not just any old cruise ship: for the last five years, Anzu had been dancing on one of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world. It took her away for up to three months at a time, with just the odd visit when the ship came back to her home berth in Domino Port, for maintenance or a scheduled stop over.

"Don't you like being at home with us, Mum?" Akemi's question nearly floored Anzu, making her gasp. She could see her daughter's bottom lip was trembling.

"What?!" Anzu stepped forward and gathered her daughter in her arms. "No, no, sweetheart. I do love you – both of you. It's just… accepting that I'm getting too old to be a dancer is difficult. But I don't wish I was back on the cruise liner. It was non-stop hard work and, to be quite honest, I was starting to find being away so often hard. I just miss dancing and performing, that's all."

"But, you can still dance!" Akemi said, confused – it was not like her mother's legs were that old and useless.

"Yes. I can still dance. Just not how I used to be able to." Her feet were not that great any more and going up on pointe, like she was in the photo on the wall, was too painful. But at least the rest of her was still in good working order.

At an age where he was a bit embarrassed about showing affection, Atem came over and tentatively patted his mother's shoulder. "It's okay, Mum, we understand, don't we Akemi?" His sister shrugged. No, she was thirteen, of course she didn't. Atem continued anyway. "I'm sure you will get used to civilian life, Mum. And we're not bad kids to be around, just ask our grandparents." He grinned. The children had long since grown used to going to either Nana Mazaki after school, or to Nana Muto, because both of their parents had busy working lives. And when Great Grandpa Muto was still alive he would tell them cringe things about their dad when he was a young boy. He would also teach them how to play old games, and often recounted what they imagined were vastly exaggerated stories from his treasure hunting adventures in Egypt.

Smiling, Anzu gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "You're both amazing kids. I'm proud of you. I'm just having a silly moment. I'll be fine." She gestured at the jackets and bags. "New house rule: you do not throw your stuff on the floor, and that will also include your father, whenever he decides it's time to come home." With her not having been around often enough to keep order, Yugi was nearly as untidy as the kids when it came to discarding his stuff.

The pair groaned.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Go up and start your homework. I'll bring you up some drinks and snacks, okay?"

Nodding reluctantly, they grabbed their bags and made a dash for their rooms.

As Anzu prepared the snacks, she told herself to get a grip, and to give herself time to get used to her new life. One door may have closed, but a new one was sure to open.

However, Anzu was not fine, and as three weeks turned into three months, her mood did not improve. She tried hard to adjust, she really did, but it just was not working and she was beginning to feel resentful.

Every day, she would get up, make breakfast, give the children their bento boxes, which she diligently made the night before (Yugi did sometimes help her with those), wave the kids off to school and wish Yugi a good day at work, and then she would try and decide which boring household chore she should prioritise that day. As she made the beds, picked up discarded clothing and hoovered the house –an almost daily chore– she wondered how her life had managed to become such a dull, tedious shadow of what it once was.

::::::::::::

The times at which the children came home from school tended to vary, depending on what after-school clubs they had, or if they decided to hang out with their friends after school.

Lately, Yugi had begun working longer and longer hours, so Anzu hardly ever saw him. More than once, he would be testing one of Kaiba's latest VR simulations and would lose track of time, often coming home late at night. Or, he would be working late at the game store and his mother would give him his evening meal. One evening, he came home at nine thirty and said, "Don't worry about dinner, I've already eaten." He had not even had the courtesy of informing her in advance!

Anzu was annoyed. "Your dinner is ruined anyway," she said, making a huge point of angrily scraping the food she had kept warm for him into the bin.

"I'm sorry, I'll try and let you know next time," he said, looking ashamed.

Anzu was exasperated. "Why have you been working so late recently anyway? I hardly see you!" To her knowledge, he had not worked late like this whenever she was away, and if he did he made sure one of the grandparents were there for the children.

He shrugged. "It's not intentional. I'm just really busy at the moment, and my dad's not around much to help run the store, so I'm having to do two jobs – three if you count my King of Games media commitments." He bit his lip. "You know, the offer's still there if you want to work a few hours in the store each day? It would give my mum a break and ease some of the burden on me." Last time he asked, she had told him she wasn't interested in looking for work at the moment.

Anzu sighed. She was a dancer, not a shop assistant. Ignoring him, she put the TV on.

Yugi stood there, looking like he wanted to say something else for a moment, before turning away. "I'm… going up for a shower," he said, sounding crestfallen and irritable.

When he reappeared, he was in his pyjamas and dressing gown. Anzu looked at the time. It was just past ten o'clock. She yawned. "I think I'll go to bed," she said, leaving him alone in the sitting room.

Upstairs, she said goodnight to the kids and told them to put their lights out and settle down. They argued, but she would have none of it. "You've got school tomorrow," she told them, "so you need to sleep!" They grumbled, but did as they were told.

After brushing her teeth and changing into her nightie, Anzu settled down to read for a bit. Yugi came into the bedroom and slid into bed next to her.

He gazed at her with a bashful smile. "I'm sorry if I upset you by coming home late. I didn't intend to, but we're trying to get the new VR attraction ready on time for its grand unveiling and time's running away from us." He shuffled closer and kissed her cheek. She felt his hand touch her hip and slide over her tummy – she knew what he was after.

Huffing, she put her book down and pushed his hand away. "Night, Yugi." Turning her back on him, she snuggled down.

He sighed miserably. "Please, don't be angry with me! I've had a long, stressful day, and I said I was sorry." He sounded hurt.

Feeling mean, Anzu turned to face him. He was on his side, propped up on his elbow with his head resting in his hand. Anzu mirrored him. "I'm not an hotel Yugi. Please don't treat me like one."

He pouted at her and moved closer. "I'll make it up to you, promise," he said, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. Wanting him to know she was still annoyed with him, Anzu barely responded.

He stroked her shoulder with his fingertips and tried again. "We haven't made love lately," he said, looking longingly at her.

Rolling her eyes, she reached up to flick off the reading lamp above their bed. "Goodnight, Yugi," she said tersely, laying down and facing away from him, in a blatant show of saying she was not interested in having sex with him tonight.

She heard him sigh despairingly and snuggle down, but he was close enough to her that she could feel his minty toothpaste breath on the back of her neck. It irritated her. "Can you lay on your own side of the bed? I'm trying to sleep," she whispered irritably.

"Sorry." He touched her shoulder. "I don't think I can sleep if you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you, Yugi. I was, but I'm not now. Okay?" Without even looking at him, she could tell he was mulling over her words, but he had not moved and was still laying right on the edge of his pillow, as close to her as he dare, no doubt hoping for a cuddle.

"I didn't mean to be so late home. There just aren't enough hours in the day at the moment," he muttered, so full of remorse that Anzu caved and turned to face him.

She placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. "There. Forgiven," she said, snuggling back down, facing him this time. Relieved, he kissed her forehead and then settled down, his face close to hers.

They remained like that for a while, and Anzu felt herself drifting off to sleep, until he quietly said, "Anzu?"

"What?"

"I love you."

She was getting irritable again. "Yes. And I love you, too – I'm just not in the mood for sex, okay?"

He fidgeted. He felt they needed to talk, but was hesitant. "You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Nothing's wrong. I already said, I forgive you. Now, goodnight Yugi," she said wearily. Getting the hint, he muttered 'goodnight' and turned his back to her.

For a while, she lay on her back and gazed up at the ceiling. She wondered if she being too harsh on him. He did work hard, and he hadn't deliberately been trying to annoy her by suggesting she might like to work in the game store. It just felt that way.

However, when he suggested working in the game store again the next morning, she wanted to scream at him. Instead, she calmly said, "When I decide to start looking for work, it will be as a dance teacher, or choreographer, not as a shop assistant." She did not tell him that she was considering applying for a choreography job in New York. But it was a six month contract, and if she applied and was successful, she would have to move there for six months. The thought of being away had held her back from applying, but today she decided to apply.

Unfortunately, the next day, she got an email back to say they wanted someone with experience. She applied for another position with another dance company, but heard nothing back at all.

Deflated, rejected, she decided not to bother applying for any other jobs.

::::::::::::

Over the next few weeks, her resentment grew, and her mental health declined. Yugi continued working late, and had started to be a little awkward around her, like he was unsure how to behave.

That night, when they went to bed, he tentatively asked, "Are we okay, Anzu? Only, you seem unhappy lately. If it's something I've done…." he trailed off.

This could have been her opportunity to finally admit that she was not okay, but she let the opportunity go. "I'm fine, Yugi. We're fine. Just, you know, time of the month." That was the excuse she had used last night when he came home from an evening out with his friends smelling of alcohol and started to get frisky in bed, so she was sticking with it.

Yugi looked a bit crushed. "Well, if you do need to talk, I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks. But I told you, I'm fine," she lied.

Over the next few days, she continued to let it fester.

And, then, this evening, as she sat opposite him at the dining table and watched him tucking into the meal she had spent half the afternoon cooking, she felt something snap. And instead of saying what she knew she should say, she snarled bitterly, "Are you enjoying that?!" He had not even thanked her for the meal when she dished it up.

Yugi nodded around his mouthful, and both children stopped eating and looked up.

"Mum…?" Akemi muttered.

Emotionally, Anzu screamed, "I've had enough!"

Yugi looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise, and noodles still protruding from his mouth. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but couldn't without spitting food everywhere.

The kids looked back and forth between their parents, waiting for what might happen next. Their mother had been unhappy for a while now, and they had been treading carefully around her. But Dad appeared to be oblivious. Or was he?

Finally, Yugi gulped his mouthful down. "Anzu, what's wrong?!"

Despite the concern in his voice, Anzu still felt angry. But not wanting to have a screaming fit at the table, she bit it down and snarled, "Nothing."

Eyes narrowing, Yugi very deliberately placed his chopsticks down. He had been treading carefully for the last few weeks, but enough was enough. "Kids, go to your rooms," he quietly ordered. "Your mother and I need to talk."

The children did not need to be told twice: when their father used that tone of voice, he meant it.

As soon as they were out of the room, Yugi's face became fraught with concern. "What's wrong, Anzu? Talk to me, please?!" He should have persisted and got to the bottom of what was troubling her weeks ago, but was worried about the possible consequences.

Feeling completely choked, Anzu did not know what to say, or how to say it. All she could do was shake her head and tremble. In the end, she managed a tearful, "I don't know." She noticed he had a blob of noodle, or something, on his neatly trimmed beard. She did not even like beards, but he had grown it years ago in order to make people take him more seriously as a businessman. She had been away studying in New York at the time and did not like to ask him to shave it off, so she tolerated it because she loved him, but now... she suddenly hated it. "You've got something on your beard," she said blandly, touching her own chin.

He frowned, and wiped his hand over his chin impatiently, and then levelled her with a pointed look. "What do you mean, you don't know? Something's been bothering you for weeks, Anzu, and unless you tell me I can't help you. Please, what is it?" he asked again.

Anzu was trying hard not to sob hysterically. "I don't know if I can do this any more." She felt like she hardly knew herself these days. "I feel… empty. Washed-up. Unloved."

Yugi suddenly looked stricken. "What do you mean, unloved? You know how much I love you!"

Anzu rolled her eyes and found her tongue. "How would I know, Yugi?! When was the last time you showed me you love me, or paid me a compliment, or took me anywhere nice? You don't even appreciate me being home, doing all your cooking and cleaning!"

He became angry. "What do you mean I don't show you I love you?!" he shouted. "Every time I try you keep pushing me away! I'm scared that if I say anything you'll tell me you don't want me any more, so I just pretend everything is fine between us, even though I know it isn't."

Anzu's jaw flapped. So, he had noticed, and he was frightened she no longer loved him.

She barely heard him when he asked quietly, "Do you still love me, Anzu?"

This was the moment when she suddenly had to face her feelings. Did she still love him? She thought she did, but was not sure.

She blinked back tears. She could lie and say she loved him as much as she did when they were first married, or she could tell the truth.

"I… I don't know. It's like we've grown apart… and… do you want me to leave? I can stay with my parents if it makes things easier."

He was frantically shaking his head. "Of course I don't want you to leave! Do you want to leave?"

"Yes," said Anzu, with a slight nod of the head. Her expression became pained. "The kids…. What do we tell them?"

Yugi ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "I don't know. We shouldn't be doing this to them."

"Well, we are doing it, Yugi. We can't keep pretending we're happy, when we're clearly not!" she said harshly.

Outside the room, the two children were listening behind the door, and had heard every word. Tears streamed down Akemi's face, and Atem had a forlorn expression as he tried to be brave and hold back his own tears.

Akemi looked at her brother, desperately pleading for him to do something to stop their parents arguing and splitting up.

Atem put his arms around his little sister. "It'll be okay. They won't…" he began, but jumped when the heard a loud thump, followed by a crash.

Yugi had lost his temper, hammering his fists against the table and standing so abruptly that his chair crashed backwards and onto the floor. "I was happy!" he bellowed. "You're the one who's been so fucking miserable lately!"

Anzu's jaw dropped. Okay, so she knew Yugi could occasionally lose his temper, but he seldom shouted or swore at anyone, especially not at her. "Yugi!" she hissed. "The kids… might hear." He looked so enraged that she was actually really scared of him.

"So what if they do?! They'll find out soon anyway!" Exasperated, he balled his fists and growled.

Unable to stand here and argue with her any longer, he turned, stormed towards the door and yanked it open.

The two children stood before him cowering. They had never seen their kind, gentle dad so irate before, and, like their mother, they found this side of him terrifying. "I thought I told you to go to your rooms?!" he yelled at them.

Anzu rushed over and grabbed his arm. "Yugi! Stop it! It's not their fault!" she pleaded. He rounded on her, shrugging her off and looking threatening, but did not raise his hand to her. Even so, she took a fearful step back.

Looking up at her father with tear filled eyes, Akemi's bottom lip trembled. She was afraid. "Please, Dad, don't hit Mum!" she pleaded.

Mortified at himself, Yugi's rage fell away and he visibly deflated. He bent down slightly and hugged his daughter. "Hey! I'm sorry. I would never hurt your mum. We're just discussing some grown up things, and...and it got a bit heated." Forcing a sad smile, he wiped his daughter's tears with his thumb. "Everything will be okay, so try not to worry," he said, not knowing if it would be okay. She pouted at him and nodded.

Atem was not so sure. "Tell us the truth, Dad? Are you and Mum splitting up?"

Yugi flinched. He could lie and say 'no' but he did not know for certain that they would not be separating. He looked over at Anzu for some sort of support, but got none. He turned back to face his children. "Honestly? I don't know. Just go to your rooms, and we'll talk to you later."

"Only if you promise to stop shouting," Akemi said defiantly, but also so innocently that Yugi felt tears pooling in his eyes.

Straightening up, he nodded. "I promise, no more shouting. Now, go to your rooms." He watched, as Atem steered his reluctant sister towards the stairs. At the foot of the stairs, young Atem turned and glared at his parents. But behind the glare was hurt and sadness.

::::::::::::

"Geez, what a fucking mess we're making of this!" said Anzu, righting Yugi's chair.

Yugi closed the door as calmly as he could and went over to her. "I'm sorry I shouted at you. I don't know what I was thinking."

"What are either of us thinking?" she replied. "We used to be so close, but now we don't even know how to tell each other how we feel."

"Not for want of me trying," Yugi growled pointedly. "You're like a closed book lately. I just wish you would talk to me!"

Anzu shook her head. "I can't. Not right now. We're both too angry." She sighed. "I can't stay. I'm going up to pack a bag." Trying not to catch his gaze, she walked past him and out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, he slumped onto the chair and cried.

Not a very happy ending to the first chapter.

If you enjoyed it and want to read the upcoming chapters, please review, fav, follow.