Intervention. (Yuugi/Anzu)

[Scribbler]

“Anzu?”

She nearly stumbled. “Y-Yuugi?”

He was standing at the edge of the rink, just staring at her. He had waited for her to glide past before speaking, which meant he might have been there for a while. Anzu was instantly struck by a feeling of discomfort and embarrassment. She had borrowed a set of sweatpants and an ugly jumper that nonetheless kept her warm. To say she wasn’t looking her best was an understatement.

Not that you could tell from Yuugi’s expression. “You look … beautiful.”

“Uh, no I don’t,” she corrected. “I look hideous, but that was kind of the point.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you doing here? Were you stalking us?”

“No.” He paused guiltily. “Yes. Well, Seiko was, but she’s gone now.”

“Where?”

“You know, she didn’t say.”

Anzu wasn’t sure whether to thank her or curse her. Instead she did neither. “Would you like to skate? It’s open to everyone for the next half hour; then they have hockey training and we all get thrown out.”

Yuugi looked down at the ice. “I’m … not very good,” he said. “I fall down. A lot. But you’re good. Really good. You always used to skate when we were in elementary school, but I didn’t think you kept it up.”

“I didn’t, but it’s like riding a bike. You never really forget.” She turned a tiny pirouette and held out her hand to him. “C’mon, we’ll go slow.”

“I don’t know. Couldn’t we just walk around the floor and pretend we’re on the ice?”

“I won’t let you fall, Yuugi.”

He met her eyes and she saw the trust written there. “Okay,” he said, and put one foot out onto the slippery surface.

[Sorry for the lateness, I've been, and still am, catastrophically ill]

[cypsiman2]

While not the most studious student, Yuugi did enjoy reading every so often. One time he read a book about the human body and how ill-suited it was for bipedal movement and what a marvel it was that people tripped only as often as they did and not much more. In attempting to ice skate with Anzu, he felt like he was splitting the difference with her, taking up whatever clumsiness she had, forcing her to be true to her word and catch him more than once.

"See Yuugi, I'm not letting you fall." That she was, though it did require them to stay very close at all times, often touching. They both blushed, and Yuugi couldn't help noticing the way her touch lingered past what was needed to restore his meager balance. All at once Yuugi felt immensely lucky and horribly unworthy. Despite what his friends said, despite what his other self believed, despite Seiko's machinations on their behalf, he still found it so hard to believe that Anzu liked him at all the way he liked her; he understood exactly why it was he loved her, but for the life of him he couldn't see what it was about him that Anzu could feel the same way in turn.

"Anzu, have I ever mentioned how...how grateful I am, for you?" Yuugi said after he began moving again under his own power. Anzu nodded, eyes closed with a look of sweet reminiscence on her face.

"Well, I'm really glad that you're a part of my life Yuugi. I don't think I've ever told you how much you've changed me."

"Huh?" Not only had she not, Yuugi had no idea what Anzu meant by that.

"I used to be so selfish and shallow, and truthfully I still am a bit selfish, my heart just isn't as big as yours, but its definitely grown." So drawn in by her words, Yuugi skated subconsciously, smoothly. "It's the same with everyone else Yuugi, you've helped us all grow so much, become the kind of people you think we are. Most people can't do that, change people like that, and that makes you special."

"Wow, Anzu, I-whoa!" In that moment his skates got caught on the ice, causing him to pitch forward. Anzu, torn from her reverie, rushed in to catch, but overextended herself in the process.

"Well, this still counts as catching you, I guess." She said as she lay on her back on the ice, with Yuugi on top of her. Anzu just couldn't help laughing at how ridiculous it all was.

[Hey, it's no problem, you focus on getting better and then come back to the story. *healing vibes*]

[Scribbler]

Yuugi tried hard not to think about which bits of himself were pressing against Anzu. He was all too aware of how soft his landing had been, and the fact his midriff had been cushioned by her chest, which also put his butt pointing upwards and scant inches form her face. He scrambled backward, but froze more solid than the ice when his hand sank into something soft and warm.

Oh hell. He was touching Anzu’s boob. No, he was GROPING her boob!

“I’m sorry!” he squeaked. He opted for rolling away, which didn’t help. A pair of other skaters had to part to go around him. “Sorry!” he said again, not sure who he was apologising to anymore. “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”

“Yuugi!” Anzu tried to snap him out of it. “It’s okay. Look, skating’s fun, but how about we call it quits now?”

Yuugi shook his head. “You’re enjoying yourself.”

“I’ll only enjoy myself if you’re enjoying it too. There’s no point if I know you’re miserable.”

“I’m not miserable. I’m here with you.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. Yuugi wanted to snatch them out of the air and shove them back into his mouth.

Anzu’s expression crystallised for a moment. Yuugi honestly couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but several emotions flickered behind her eyes. Eventually she got to her feet, grabbed the side and held out her hand to him. He took it hesitantly, not wanting to pull her over again. His hand still tingled from her warmth.

“Look,” Anzu murmured, “we need to talk, but not here. How about a decaff mocha? I was recently introduced to a place …”

….

The coffee shop bell jingled on its curl of brass. The air smelled heavenly and the steam helped take off the last of the chill from the ice rink. Yuugi stared around at the old-fashioned décor, which looked caught between 1920s Paris, thrift store chic and that part of the attic you never went to but knew you should sort out sometime. Anzu went straight up to the counter like she had been coming in here forever, but there was nobody there to take their order.

“Hello?” she called.

Yuugi spotted a tiny push-button bell, of the sort found in hotels, smack dab in the middle of the counter. He indicated it and Anzu dropped her palm on it a few times. The chime rang out loudly – seeming even louder since the place was empty apart from them.

“Hello?” Anzu called again.

When nobody answered for a second time, Yuugi tugged at her sleeve. “It’s okay,” he said. “We can go someplace else.” The coffee or where they sat wasn’t important. What was important was the talk she had mentioned. He remembered what Seiko had told him and his stomach rolled a little. Could this be it? What else could it be?

Anzu looked sidelong at him. “I can hear someone moving around back there.”

“Anzu, honestly, it’s not important.”

“But it is,” she replied, slightly frantically. Yuugi peered up into her face and saw that she was nervous. Anzu was actually nervous! “It is important,” she added. “This is … important.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Anzu –”

“I said back at the rink that you changed me when you became my friend,” she blurted. “I’m not a big fan of change. I never have been. I like little changes, sure, but big ones? No. The thought of upheavals in my life fills me with the kind of dread that makes me want to puke. I like my life the way it is. If it isn’t broken, why fix it, right? But then … then things happen, and other things happen, and you kind of get swept up in what’s happening, and it’s not until you stop to think about what’s going on that you realise stuff may have changed already while you weren’t paying attention, and now you have to deal with that when you’re totally not prepared and … and …” She did look a little green.

“Becoming my friend made you want to puke?”

She loosed a tiny laugh, but stopped when someone finally appeared at the counter. Yuugi was not a violent person, but he wanted to shove the barista boy back where he came from so Anzu would finish what she was saying. He had waited too long for this to have it interrupted by some stranger now.

“Sorry about the wait,” the barista said. “Problem with the dishwasher. I’m the only one in today, so I had to fix it or we’d have no cups for the evening rush.”

““Two decaff mocha specials, heavy on the whipped cream topping, light on the cinnamon,” Anzu said gratefully. Yuugi had agreed to let her order before they got here, so he was willing to go along with her choice.

The barista rang it up and told them the price as he plucked two gigantic white ceramic mugs from a stack and flipped a switch on the monstrous looking machine behind him. Steam shot into the air and the bittersweet smell of coffee percolated around them. Anzu leaned forward a little, as if trying to peer into the back room.

“So … Mr. Daisuke went home?”

The barista looked at her strangely.

“Only, I was in here earlier today and he served me and my, uh, friend when we came in at lunchtime.”

“I don’t think so, honey.”

“What?”

The barista shook his head. “Mr. Aikahara couldn’t have served you today or any other day.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not a regular, are you?”

“No, I’m not. What does that have to do with it?”

“Well, if you were a regular, you’d know that Daisuke Aikahara died three months ago.”

Anzu’s mouth dropped open. “B-But he couldn’t have. He was right here. I saw him!”

But the barista was shaking his head again. “Look, sweetheart, I don’t know who you thought you saw, but I’m the only one who’s been on shift since this morning, and I never served you. At lunchtime I was on the phone to the repairman about the dishwasher, so you probably thinking about someplace else.”

“But … no, it was … here,” Anzu said uncertainly, looking around. “I was sure we came here. My friend called him Double Daisuke.”

“Double Daisuke?” the barista said sharply.

“Um, yes?”

“Is this a prank?”

“What?”

“Are you trying to pull something? Because that is SO not funny, girlfriend.” He clicked his fingers aggressively. Yuugi hadn’t even realised that was possible until this moment. “Who are you?”

“Um, my name’s Anzu.”

“And I’m Yuugi Mutou,” Yuugi added.

“Yuugi Mutou? The King of Games?” As if noticing him for the first time, the barista’s eyes shone and he reached out to pump Yuugi’s hand up and down enthusiastically. “I’m SUCH fan of yours! I never got to go to Duellist Kingdom, but I SO wanted to when I heard how you won out of, like, NOWHERE. I caught practically all your duels during Battle City and my internet pen pal, Gerard, went to Kaiba Grand Prix and sent me the choicest video clips of you and all the hottest duellists there. That Siegfried Von Schroeder – mmm!” He punched his own chest with a fist, which was apparently an act of appreciation. “I can’t believe I’m actually serving you coffee! Now the decaff thing makes sense. You need to stay sharp in case you’re challenged to a random duel, right? I’ll bet that happens all the time. Can’t be too jumpy or you’ll lose your cool in the face of danger.”

“Uh, right,” Yuugi said dubiously. “Do you mind me asking, why do you think Anzu is playing a prank on you?”

“Oh, that? Because only one person was ever allowed to call Mr. Aikahara ‘Double Daisuke’, and there’s no way she’d be in here today. The rest of us were too scared – he was a gruff old coot. You’d think he had a heart of stone unless you saw him with his wife. She has Parkinson’s Disease. A real tragic story. She still lives at the old folk’s home. Mr. Aikahara was driving out there to see her three months ago when the car he was in got broadsided by a truck. No survivors.” The barista shook his head, sadly this time. “The carers say she still sits by the window waiting for him to pull up, only he never will.”

Anzu’s eyes had gone wide. “Who was driving?”

“Huh?”

“The car. Who was driving the car? Was it Mr. Aikahara?”

“Uh, no, he couldn’t drive anymore. Glaucoma. He carpooled most days with this awesome chick – she was this total romantic who went out of her way to make sure he never missed a date with his wife. On Valentine’s Day she bought balloons and teddy bears and stuff for him to take to her, which he grumped about, but you could totally tell he appreciated it.”

“Was she called Seiko?” Anzu asked.

“So you DID know her?” The barista’s eyes darkened. “You’re sick, you know that? Seiko was fantastic and you have no right to bring her into any weird-ass jokes. Which. Aren’t. Even. Funny.” He punctuated each of these last words with a finger-snap, after which he finished preparing their mochas and plunked them on a tray, delivering the change from Anzu’s money with bad grace. He glared as Anzu took the tray, but finger-waved to Yuugi. “If you ever wanna, like, hang out or anything, just come by here. We can talk and, y’know, whatever.” He giggled coquettishly.

“Uh, thanks,” Yuugi said, chasing Anzu into a booth.

“An interesting development, aibou,” the spirit whispered into his mind. “Can you really argue against fate when I am not the only spirit endeavouring to bring you two to your rightful happiness?”

Yuugi sat down across from Anzu, but neither of them reached for their mugs.

“Talk about an intervention,” Yuugi said at last.

Anzu looked at Yuugi. Yuugi looked at Anzu. The implications of what they had just leaned ricocheted between them. Eventually they both opened their mouth and the words that emerged arrived fully formed, as if there was no way they could have said anything else at that moment.

“You have GOT to be kidding!”

[cypsiman2]

[Ha! I was thinking of making it so that Seiko was Yuugi and Anzu's daughter from the future, going back in time to make sure her parents get together, but you beat me to the punch something good. Well done! ;D]

"Okay, I think I should say this now, before the Anthropomorphic Personification of Fate itself decides that we're still dragging our feet and tries its hand at shoving us together." Anzu then took a deep sip from her mocha before bringing the mug back down on the table. "Yuugi, I love you, as more than just a friend. I'm not sure exactly when my feelings for you changed, but this is how they've been for a while." Anzu sighed and exhaled. "Like I said before, I don't like change, especially big changes like this, but trying to act like it hasn't happened when it so clearly has, as everyone and everything insisted on telling us today, that really doesn't work." One more sip of her mocha. "So, there it is, I think you're absolutely wonderful and would like to spend the rest of my life with you. There, that should convince the universe that it can stop meddling, thank you very much."

Yuugi couldn't help blinking in shock. It...wasn't a traditional love confession, but then again, nothing about this day or even their lives had ever been particularly traditional. Then his jaw resumed working, so he spoke his own words. "Well, I love you too Anzu, and I've known it for a long time, I know just when it started." He blushed as the memory came to him of its own accord, it was her eleventh birthday and he wanted to get her just the right gift more than anything in the whole world. "I, never thought that you'd ever feel the same way for me, and I've never been so glad to be wrong about anything in my whole life. So, if you'll let me be with you, I'll do my best to make sure we're both happy." An awkward pause. "You got that universe? We don't need any more help." The two laughed and finished their mocha before taking off together, hand in hand and identical blushes on their cheeks.

[Scribbler]

“Well … that was anticlimactic.” Jounouchi blew his bangs from his eyes and folded his arms under his chin.

Beside him, Honda leaned away from the wall and linked his hands behind his head. “What were you expecting? It’s Yuugi and Anzu. They were never gonna be all melodramatic and Romeo and Juliet about it.”

“Thank hell. Romeo and Juliet ended up dead.”

“You actually paid attention to that in class?”

“Shut up, man.”

“I’m just saying,” Honda shrugged. “Oh, I get it. You just liked ogling that chick in the movie version.”

“Her head totally should’ve exploded when she shot herself at point blank range like that. No way she just gets a pretty little perfect hole in her temple.”

“You’re sick, dude.”

“I said shut UP.”

“Good advice for both of you.”

As one, they whirled around. “Mai? Shizuka?”

“Hey.” Shizuka gave a little finger wave – at least until Mai stepped in front of her like some kind of protective lioness defending her cub. “We were worried.”

“About us?” Honda said hopefully.

“No, about the ozone layer,” Mai snapped. “About Yuugi and Anzu, you idiots.”

“Oh.” Honda couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his voice.

By contrast, Jounouchi puffed up his chest and said proudly, “All taken care of. One set of lovebirds, checked off the list.”

Mai raised an eyebrow. “You actually got them together.”

“Sure.”

“Well, we kinda helped,” Honda corrected. “They did a lot of it on their own. Oh, and Johnny Steps was a bit-player.”

“Johnny Steps?” Shizuka echoed. “That guy at the arcade who always plays DDR? Anzu told me about him.”

Mai sighed and shook her head. “Knowing you two, you managed to screw everything up and somehow it got fixed so you can take credit.”

“Hey!”

“That’s harsh.”

“No, what’s harsh is being stopped in the street by some random bald tattooed chick who SOMEHOW knows my name and tells me my boyfriend would like me to shave my head.” Mai eyeballed Jounouchi. “Care to elaborate?”

“Um …” Jounouchi trailed off nervously. “Eh heh. Heh. Heh …”

----

Natsumi Aikahara sat in her chair by the window. She knew in her heart of hearts that her husband wasn’t coming, but she couldn’t NOT wait for him. It was a silly compulsion, but every visiting time she asked an attendant to wheel her to her selected spot and sat as if someone really was coming to see her. It was better than watching the other old folks and their families, knowing they felt sorry for the lonely old dear who obviously had nobody to care about her anymore. Pretending was preferable to that.

Getting old was the pits. She had taken to looking through all her old photo albums, when her hands weren’t shaking too badly for her to hold them. Pictures of Daisuke and herself when they were young, when he had courted her and brought her flowers every day for a month just to make her agree to a first date. They had never had any children, but their life had been happy and fulfilling regardless.

And now she was alone.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Stiffly, she turned to look. One of the nurses smiled down at her.

“You have visitors,” she said.

“Who, me?” Natsumi blinked. “I think you’re mistaken.”

“No, they were very specific.”

The nurse gestured behind her to two young people Natsumi had never seen before in her life. The girl was tall and graceful, the boy tiny and sprouting the oddest hair. These teenagers and their dyes – and was that eyeliner he was wearing?

“Hi, Mrs. Aikahara,” said the girl. “You don’t know us, but –”

“You’re right,” Natsumi interrupted. “Who are you?”

“My name is Yuugi Mutou, ma’am.” The boy, despite his appearance, was well-spoken and bowed as he introduced himself.

“And I’m Anzu Mazaki.” The girl did likewise. “As I was saying, you don’t know us, but we kinda knew your husband.”

“You knew Daisuke?”

“I’ll just leave you three alone to get acquainted,” the nurse said, spotting her colleague gesturing across the room. Apparently Mr. Fuu had gotten himself locked in his en suite again and needed rescuing. “Remember, Natsumi, you need your pills in half an hour.”

“I remember,” Natsumi said tartly. “I have Parkinson’s, not dementia.”

“Righty tighty,” the nurse replied irritatingly brightly.

“When I say we knew your husband,” the teenage girl said, “I actually mean I met him once. But we’re friends of Seiko.”

Natsumi instantly softened, though she was still wary. “Seiko,” she murmured. That explained the odd hair and abundance of chains. What an odd necklace the boy was wearing. “Such a shame.”

“Yeah,” the girl agreed. “We miss her too.”

[Scribbler]

Quick question: is this fic finished?

[cypsiman2]

Well, I don't really see anywhere else to go with the fic; it's about Yuugi and Anzu getting together and that's been accomplished, so there it is.

Thanks again for contributing to the story, it was a lot of fun.

[Scribbler]

Another quick question: Do you want to put this in your FFN portfolio? If not, could I put it in mine? Credit where credit is due, of course - you started this puppy after all.

[cypsiman2]

Oh! I'd forgotten all about that. Yeah, I think I'll go ahead and post it up on my FFN portfolio, and I will be crediting you of course.

[thatonetime]

Anzu huffed as pulled her cellphone out of the sequined nightmare that was her purse for the evening. She glanced back at his retreating form with a small frown and shook her head. At least Johnny had kept his word though. That's when she noticed an unmistakable head of purple spiky hair. She narrowed her eyes as her suspicions were confirmed when the figure attempted to hide behind a newspaper with four holes cut into it that looked it had been ripped straight from a spy novel.

"Yugi?!?" She exclaimed out loud, marching over towards her.

"A-Anzu! What brings you here? A-aren't you supposed to be with Johnny Steps?" Yugi stammered. Anzu rolled her eyes; Yugi was terrible at hiding.

"Were you spying on me?" Anzu asked bluntly, arms folded across her chest. Yugi shook his head a little too quickly.

"Um, no I was here because I heard they had some delicious food at this...." Yugi looked up at the building whose table he had been hiding at. "Custom-made figurines shop...." Yugi finished lamely. He could hear the spirit chuckle at his flop. But really, why did this place even have this type of table outside if it wasn't a restaurant? Anzu narrowed her eyes and Yugi sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Anzu. You're my friend." Yugi answered truthfully.

"Yugi...." Anzu replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. An awkward silence fell between them that filled the air like smoke.

"Yugi? Anzu?" A familiar voice rang out. They turned around and saw Mokuba Kaiba staring at them, a smile on his face. "What are you two doing here?" He asked, doing his best not to do a double take at Anzu's outfit.

"I'm fine, how are you!" They both shouted in unison, happy for the sudden distraction. They both glanced at each other, faces red before turning towards Mokuba.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is your brother with you?"

"What is that you're holding in your hand?"

Mokuba backed up as he was peppered with their overly enthusiastic and sudden interest in what he was doing.

"Um, I'm buying big brother a new paperweight. Some idiot couldn't handle the consequences of his own incompetence and tried to throw the last one at my brother's head. Naturally, Big brother was unharmed. Can't say the same for the paperweight though." Mokuba said with small amount of pride. He held up the custom made figurine for them. It was an exquisitely crafted and expensive looking white-gold blue eyes white dragon, with two sapphires for eyes. It seemed to be casting white lightning from it's gaping maw.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Anzu exclaimed, stooping down so she could admire it.

"Only the best for my big brother!" Mokuba replied a little smugly.

"Well, I'm sure he'll love it." Yugi said.

"So what are you two doing here anyway?" Mokuba asked again. "Are you on some kind of date?" He said mischievously, staring pointedly at Anzu's outfit.

"It's not a date!" They both replied a little too quickly.

"We just went ice skating." Anzu replied, gesturing towards the ring.

"In that outfit? Then you're even dumber than you look, Mazaki." Kaiba's cool voice rang out from behind them. He was leaning against a sleek black limousine, his arms folded across his chest and a his famous smirk fixed onto his face. Before Anzu could retort Mokuba ran up to his brother and smiled.

"I got that paperweight you asked for, take a look!" Mokuba said excitedly, shoving it into Kaiba's hands. Kaiba stooped down to take it and allowed a small smile for Mokuba.

"It's perfect. Impeccable taste as always, Mokuba." Kaiba said, placing a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "Now c'mon we're leaving." Mokuba nodded and Anzu and Yugi jumped as two burly bodyguards seemed to morph out from the shadows and follow behind.

"Hey, Anzu, Yugi, would you like a ride home?" Mokuba asked suddenly, turning around. Kaiba glared at them, seemingly daring them to accept the kind offer. Yugi felt the spirit takeover and move his body towards the car before Yugi could politely refuse. He wasn't one to turn down a challenge, no matter how small. Kaiba bristled, literally staring down at the Pharaoh but didn't say a word. Yugi felt the spirit do the same and rolled his eyes as the Pharaoh accepted the offer. Anzu got into the limousine as well, not happy about the situation but glad she wouldn't have to call a cab or worse walk home in the awful outfit she was wearing. The Pharaoh marched into the cab calmly, sitting down in the spacious black leather seat as though it was a throne.

"So, if you guys weren't on a date then why DID you go ice skating in that outfit? Did you lose a bet or something?" Mokuba laughed easily, attempting to break the ice. With that Yugi felt the feeling returning to his own body as the Pharaoh relinquished control.

[thatonetime]

eRR FORGET THAT LAST PART i DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A SECOND PAGE!!!!