Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ One for All and All for One! ❯ One for All... ( Chapter 1 )

ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE!!!

Anzu looked around the room. She was walking into a ballroom wearing a light blue gown, long light blue gloves, a tiara and * shock * glass slippers!

'Oh boy!' she thought, 'It's Cinderella tonight!' Last night it had been Sleeping Beauty, the night before that was Snow White, and then Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, the Little Mermaid and so on for nearly two weeks since Battle City. 'Curse you Disney!!'

Right on cue Yami approached her asking her to dance. She sighed and took his hand surrendering to the dream. She knew it would be just like the others. First she would dance with Yami, then cuddle with Yugi, and then finally, the three would end up naked together on a big bed somewhere.

She sighed again. 'No use trying to fight it!' she thought as she leaned into Prince Yami's arms, and the dream continued toward its predicted end.

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Sano watched his little sister Anzu sleep, his brow furrowing in concern as he watched her. A small tear rolled down her temple as she slept, but she continued smiling. She kept whispering 'dark' and 'light' as she tossed and turned. The strange necklace she was wearing kept giving off this eerie glow. He closed the door to her room and returned to his.

He lay in his bed trying to figure out what (or perhaps who) was causing his perky little sister to behave so strangely. He'd been back from the U.S only a few days but he'd immediately noticed that something was amiss. She was always distracted, hardly ate, spent practically every spare minute practicing at the ballet studio, and she obviously wasn't sleeping very well.

'And those idiot friends of hers seem completely oblivious!' He clenched his fists and fought the urge to go give them a hands-on demonstration of how he got to be an Olympic Boxing gold medal winner. He got up again and decided to go call Megumi. After all it was still early in California and she was probably studying like a good little workaholic med-student. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.

Anzu woke up and looked at her alarm clock. "Five am!" she groaned. "But it's Saturday! I wanted to sleep in!" she whined but knew that if she went back to sleep it would just be another round of Disney torture. She blushed when she remembered the latest installment. The dreams were getting more and more vivid. Last night she could've sworn she was physically in the room with them! She smiled, reveling in the warm memory of the dream.

'It's just a dream,' she told herself sadly as she got up. Walking towards the bathroom she heard her brother's voice coming from his room. 'He's probably talking to Megumi again.' She sighed as she continued towards the bathroom.

'Everyone has someone it seems, even Honda!' She locked the bathroom door and started the hot water in the tub. While she brushed her teeth, she remembered how he'd come to her after the whole incident at Noah's and the two of them had talked to each other about how they felt about everything that's happened. She'd been surprised when he admitted that he didn't love Serenity, at least not the way he'd thought at first. He loved her like he loved his own sister. Currently he was dating a girl named Yuffie who worked at the Domino City Speedway where Honda was spending most of his spare time training to become a world-class motorcycle racer.

'Hmm, I never realized how big this bathtub is,' she thought as she stepped in. 'You could probably fit two people! Or three if they're small…' She stopped. 'ANZU!!! What are you thinking!!' she scolded herself. 'Get your brain out of the gutter!!!' She took a deep breath and concentrated on that insightful conversation with Honda just after Battle City's final match.

///"Really Honda? I could've sworn you were head over heels for her." She turned slightly so she was facing him.

"Nah! Spending time as an electronic monkey made me really think about my life, what I want to do with it and how I feel about everyone around me." He leaned back and turned to face her, resting an elbow on the back of the bench.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. So what do you want to do?"

He leaned over conspiratorially and said, "Well, don't tell the guys yet, but I was thinking about being a motorcycle racer!!"

"That so suits you Honda!! I bet you'd be great at it!!!"

"Think so?"

"Oh yeah!" she said clapping excitedly.

"Hmm, you know, I can see why Yugi's always relying on you. You really have a gift for making people believe in themselves."

"A gift huh?" she said, pleased with herself.

"Yeah! The goddess of cheer!" He threw his head back as he laughed.

She slapped him across the back of the head. "Stop that!" she scolded.

"Ouch!" He rubbed his head and turned back again to face her. "No, but seriously. He relies on you a lot…well they both do."

"I can't see how my cheerleading helped Yugi and Yami save the world." She said with a touch of sarcasm.

"That's where you're wrong. Every time I've seen them slump in near defeat, one word from you is enough to make him straighten up and pull a winner out of nowhere."

"I don't know, Honda. I always feel so useless…" she said turning away, doubt and self-pity creeping into her voice.

"Just hear me out will ya! Remember that time we were on the Death-T?"

She snorted. "How could I forget!!!"

"If you hadn't been there, we'd have been electrocuted or flattened or both, and you didn't see how Yuug glared at my little nephew for grabbin' at ya." He winked. "Besides you're the one that came up with the friendship pact thing. How many times has Yuug credited his wins on that?"

Smiling, she agreed. "Well…since you put it that way…"

The two turned around to watch Jou and Mokuba running across the garden laughing hysterically as Mai chased after them pulling silly string out of her hair shouting threats at them. Bakura was lying on the grass watching the clouds and barely managed to roll out of the way as Jou and Mokuba came barreling in his direction. Anzu and Honda laughed. Honda elbowed her and pointed towards Seto who'd looked up from his laptop and was laughing. * Shock * 'He actually looks his age when he smiles!' Anzu thought. Serenity was so intently learning Dungeon dice monsters from Duke that she barely noticed what her brother was up to.

"So…what are your plans?" asked Honda.

"Same as before."

"The ballet stuff…cool. But I was talking about you and Yugi."

Blushing, she answered shyly, "I don't know…"

"Well, I don't know much about this sorta thing, but I think you and Yuug make a great team!" He winked again.

Anzu shoved him off the bench and ran off laughing…///

A tear rolled down Anzu's cheek as the memories came back while she sat there in the tub.

/// She had run off to talk to Yugi. He was supposed to be in his room changing for the after party. His door was slightly ajar, and she stopped in the hallway about to knock when she heard Yami and Yugi talking.

"My dear hikari, I will always be with you." She could see Yugi standing with his back to the door and the slightly taller somewhat transparent form of his dark half standing in front of him.

"I know," Yugi said and reached out to hug Yami. It was an embrace returned gently by the Pharaoh who took it one step further and pulled Yugi's face up to kiss him. Yugi didn't resist, and Anzu had to bite her lip to keep a gasp from escaping them. She ran back to her room and cried. It took her at least a half hour to regain her composure before she returned to mingle with the others. She passed Jou and Mokuba in the hall on her way back. Mai had caught them and doused the two with whipped cream.

She looked around as she returned to the garden…

Yugi was the hero of the day. Kaiba was being a surprisingly good sport about losing to Yugi. From the minute he'd won the Millennium Rod from Marik, he'd calmed down quite a bit. Bakura was back to his normal self and it seemed as though he and his dark half had reached some sort of truce. The Ishtars had left as soon as the last duel was over, and with them had gone all the danger and angst this tournament had brought. It was over, and for now they could just be kids.

Yugi spotted her and waved her over. 'Two's company, but three's a crowd,' she thought as she put on her best smile and walked over. Besides, she had to admit that Yami and Yugi did look cute together. ///

A soft knock at the door brought her back to the present.

"Hey Sis? You in there?" asked Sano.

"Yeah, I'm done! I'll be right out!" she called to him. Taking a deep calming breath as she dried off, she put on her Millennium Necklace under her robe, and then rushed back to her room to dress.

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Yugi woke up and rolled over to look at the alarm clock on his bedside table.

'Five AM! But it's Saturday!!!'

Through their link, he heard Yami chuckle softly and say, 'Well then, partner, you should stop having such interesting dreams!'

Yugi snorted. 'Well I didn't see you putting up a fight Prince Yami!' They both laughed.

'But seriously Yugi, those dreams seem to be getting more real every time!'

'I know,' said Yugi, 'and more frequent too!'

'I get the feeling they're more than dreams sometimes.'

Yugi laughed. 'Yeah! They're wishful thinking!!'

'That's not what I meant, Hikari,' Yami corrected.

Yugi groaned. 'Can we please leave the philosophical debate for later? It's Saturday! I want to sleep some more.'

'And see if you have some more interesting dreams?' Yami teased.

Yugi snorted. 'As if you didn't want to!' The two laughed, and Yugi rolled over again. Within minutes, he was asleep.

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Almost an hour later, Anzu emerged from her room and went to go check on her big brother. He had taken a shower but fell back asleep half dressed. Anzu giggled and closed his door.

'He's probably still on California time… actually more like Megumi-time!'

She went down the stairs into the kitchen. Her parents were still out of town. They'd called last night saying their flight was delayed, and wouldn't be back until Monday night. So it left her in charge of breakfast. She glanced up at the clock, and it read seven AM.

'I'll just sit and read until Sano wakes up.' She made herself some toast and sat down to read. Sometime after nine o'clock the phone rang

"Hello? Who is this?" she answered cheerfully.

A familiar voice replied, "Little miss Anzu! It's nice to hear you, that it is!"

Recognizing the unusual pattern of speech instantly, Anzu yelled, "Kenshin!! It's been so long! How've you been!!!"

Kenshin Himura, Sano's best friend and old Olympic teammate answered, "I'm doing well. Thank you, Miss Anzu."

The two old friends talked for a bit, and Kenshin asked her to relay the message that the old gang was getting together at Burger World for lunch and to meet them there.

"Really!!" she said excitedly. "Can I come!?"

Kenshin answered, "Of course! Kaoru will be there and so will Miss Keiko and Yusuke. We are all looking forward to seeing you, Miss Anzu, as well as your brother!"

Anzu squealed in delight. "Yay! Does that mean that Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei are gonna be there too?"

Kenshin responded, "Indeed they will, Miss Anzu, and perhaps Aoshi and Miss Misao, too, if they're back in town."

She jumped around and screamed "Yay!" over and over again until Sano yelled down from his room.

"What's with all the racket?"

Anzu passed the phone to her brother and hurried back to her room to change her clothes again!

After about an hour, she settled for red shorts, a pink jacket, a yellow top and red platform sandals. Pretty much what she was wearing on that date with Yami before Battle City. She sighed at the memory but decided to stick with the outfit.

'Nothing's gonna spoil my fun today!' She couldn't wait to see all of her big brothers and big sisters. 'This is gonna be a great day after all!!'

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The Kame Game Shop was so busy that even Yugi's mom was helping out. Grandpa's business had tripled since Yugi won Battle City. He couldn't wait until lunchtime when he could go to Burger World with the guys. He'd been trying to call Anzu, but there was no answer at her house and her cell was turned off when he tried it.

'I hope Jou and Honda were able to get a hold of her,' he thought tiredly as he tackled yet another rush. His mind drifting every now and then to the latest dream kept his spirits high and the sales up.

He was jolted out of his good mood by a rather rude customer wanting to buy an expensive 3-d chess set with a check and refusing to show ID. Yami felt the man was trying to deceive Yugi, but the boy held Yami back. A packed shop was no place for a shadow game! In the end the would-be fraudster was repelled with good stubborn adherence to the store policies and threats from Yugi's mom to call the police if he didn't stop yelling at her son.

Yami said moodily, "I still would've rather sent him to the shadow realm."

Yugi sighed, 'He wasn't worth it, Yami. Besides, he got on my mom's bad side!'

Yami laughed, "Yeah! She's pretty scary when she wants to be!"

Yugi stifled a chuckle and thought back to him, 'Yeah, sometimes I wish I were more like her, but she says she loves that I'm more like my Dad.'

Yami was about to say something else when Honda and Jonouchi walked in the shop. He waived them over to the counter, and they waited while Yugi rang his last customer up.

"Hey Guys! Did you finally get a hold of Anzu?!"

"We tried," said Honda, "but there was no answer at her house, and her cell goes straight to voice mail."

Yugi sighed, "Oh well, she's probably hanging out with her brother."

"Oh yeah! I forgot!" said Jou. "He just came into town this week huh!"

"I have a question: How did Sanosuke Sagara end up as Anzu's big brother?" asked Honda.

As they headed to Burger World, Yugi told them the story about how Anzu's parents had adopted Sano after his parents died in a car crash.

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Anzu and Sano walked into Burger World a little before noon.

"There they are!" she squealed in delight as she saw the others already there. She pointed them out to Sano. "See I told you we should've come earlier!"

Sano just rolled his eyes and followed his overly excited little sister as she ran up the flight of stairs to the level where they were all sitting. Yusuke picked Anzu up in a bear hug and passed her to Hiei who did the same, followed by Kenshin, Kuwabara and Kenshin's brother Kurama.

"I'm sooo happy to see you guys!" Her eyes were brimming with tears of joy. Keiko pushed past the guys to get to Anzu, and the two young women hugged tightly. Kaoru made her way forward and joined in the hug. Once the hellos were done, they sat down and chattered excitedly, catching each other up on what had been happening in their lives. Misao and Aoshi joined them a few minutes later, and the hugging and helloing went into round two.

While they waited for their food, Kurama and Anzu went to the jukebox and picked out some music. Anzu picked a few of her favorites and with a little of that cheerleader spirit and some back up from Kurama, an impromptu party was soon in full swing.

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Meanwhile our intrepid heroes…

Jou, Honda and Yugi walked into Burger World and noticed the party in full swing upstairs.

"Hey there's Hanasaki!" said Yugi pointing at a booth by the window near the entrance.

The three amigos headed toward Hanasaki who was waving them over eagerly. He greeted them enthusiastically and told them about some of the people he'd seen arrive at Burger World while he waited.

"Guys! You'll never believe this… I just saw Misao Makimachi!!"

Jou and Honda's eyes went wide…

"No way!!" Jou said in disbelief, "The Misao!! As in singing sensation super pop star of Japan, Misao!! That Misao!"

"YES!!" answered Hanasaki emphatically.

Honda whistled softly. "Dude! Did you get her autograph?!"

"No way!" replied Han, wide-eyed. "She was with this tall, rich looking dude who had a monster Kaiba glare! No way was I getting past him!" He shivered as he recounted how people had literally jumped out of the way with just one look from him.

Honda and Jou continued to press Hanasaki for details, but Yugi was barely listening, his attention completely focused on finding Anzu.

Frustrated, Yugi hit the talk button on his celphone and speed dialed Anzu's number for the umpteenth time.

'Where is she?' he thought as the phone rang uselessly.

Yami answered just as Anzu's recorded voice played her leave a message greeting, again, 'As you said Yugi, she is probably with her brother and doesn't have her phone with her.'

He slammed his phone shut in frustration. The other two were so intent on Hanasaki's account of the celebrities he'd seen going up and down the 2nd level, they hardly noticed Yugi's abnormal aggravation.

'Yugi? Are you all right?' asked Yami, noting his partner's climbing frustration.

Yugi could feel Yami's concern through their link and tried to calm himself before responding.

'I'm ok. It's just that suddenly I get this feeling that something's wrong, that I'm missing something and Anzu's going to suffer because I don't know what it is!'

Yami's concern intensified as he replied, 'Yes I've been getting a similar feeling, but I am as frustrated as you.'

The waitress briefly diverted Yugi's attention as their hamburgers arrived. Yami laughed at Yugi's simple contentment as he devoured his favorite food. Jou finally caught Yugi's attention and started telling him to look up at the 2nd level railing so he could catch a glimpse of the famous Misao as well.

Yugi looked up and paused in mid-bite. While the others drooled over the singing sensation as she descended the stairs accompanied by a pretty black haired girl, a couple dancing in front of the jukebox near the railing captivated Yugi's attention.

His eyes went wide as his mind registered what he was seeing…

Anzu swayed from side to side, her hands up in the air. Her body moved in time with Aaliyah's recorded voice coming from the jukebox. As he watched, the music stopped and the handsome man dancing with Anzu threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

Yami's jealous rage exploded at the same time Yugi's own despair sought to smother him.

'Who is that man, and what is he doing with our Anzu!!!' Yami raged as Yugi looked away. The image of Anzu dancing in a provocative way with a tall, handsome redhead was more than Yugi could bear.

He sighed and thought sadly, 'But, is she really our Anzu?'

He made an excuse to leave and muttered goodbye to the others who barely acknowledged him. They had just recognized the black-haired girl with Misao as Kaoru Kamiya, current Miss Japan and Miss Universe.

Yugi fled Burger World, his half eaten hamburger completely forgotten. Tears streamed down his face as he ran towards the alleyways that would eventually take him back to the game shop. Halfway down one of the darker alleys, he stopped and leaned against the wall sobbing his little heart out. Yami tried to comfort Yugi.

'She has to make her own choices, she has to follow her own heart,' said Yami gently, attempting to calm Yugi.

Yugi continued to sob and thought sarcastically back to him, 'Yeah! And her heart leads her to someone taller, better looking…' He paused as he realized whom Anzu had been dancing with.

'He's a figure skater!! He won a gold medal in last year's Winter Olympics in Salt Lake!' Yugi groaned in absolute despair.

'So what does that mean?!' asked Yami angrily.

'Don't you see?' replied Yugi. 'He's tall, handsome, artistic, talented and successful! He's perfect for Anzu!!'

Yami's ire reached its boiling point. 'BIG DEAL!!' he roared. 'How many times has he saved the world from destruction with that gold medal of his? Would he be able to rescue Anzu from deranged prison escapees or psychotic fortunetellers with it!!! Huh! HUH!!' he demanded.

Yugi sighed and wiped the tears from his face as he pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning on.

'As you said Yami, "she makes her own choices"…'

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From the balcony on the 2nd level, Sano and his best friend noticed the whole little drama that played across Yugi's face as he watched Anzu dance.

Sano leaned over and whispered to Kenshin, "Let's go see what's behind all this teenage drama, shall we?" asked Sano as he watched Yugi flee Burger World.

Kenshin nodded, and the two discreetly made their way after Yugi.

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Jou and Honda were craning their necks to see who else was up on the second level, when a familiar figure spotted them.

"Hey Guys!" Anzu shouted, waving at them excitedly.

All three boys shouted, "ANZU!!!" Jou turned to where Yugi had been sitting and was surprised not to see him. He turned to the other two, but none of them could remember where he'd gone.

"Come on up!!" she called down to them.

The three boys did not need to be told twice! They grabbed their food trays and sprinted up the stairs.

Anzu greeted them enthusiastically as they set their plates down. She introduced them to everyone except Sano and Kenshin, whose whereabouts nobody knew.

"Hey Guys! Where's Yugi?" Anzu asked.

"I don't know," replied Honda.

"He was with us a minute ago," said Jou.

"Maybe he just went to the restroom," supplied Hanasaki.

"I don't think so," said Jou looking over at the table they'd just vacated. "Look, his back pack isn't there!"

"I did see him on his celphone," said Hanasaki thoughtfully.

"Hmm…maybe he had to go back to the game shop," guessed Honda. He flipped open his cell and dialed the game shop

"That's probably it!" Jou decided. He explained to Anzu how busy the shop had been when they went to pick him up while Honda spoke to Yugi's Mom.

Honda shook his head, closing his cell and putting it back on his pocket. "He's not there. He must've just left. I left a message with his Mom to call us."

"I hope he can come back," said Anzu. A chill suddenly ran down her spine as she felt, through her millennium necklace, a powerful wave of shadow magic emanating from Yugi's Puzzle.

"Uh…I'm gonna go see if I can find Sano and Kenshin, you guys. I'll be right back!!" she lied, and raced down the stairs in search of Yugi.

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Yugi began again to walk to the game shop. He avoided the main sidewalk and stuck to the dark and gloomy alleys and back ways, barely noticing where he was going. He came to a sudden stop as he realized he'd reached a dead end. He turned around to double back, but found his path blocked.

"Well, well …if it isn't the little prick from the game shop," a man sneered, partially hidden by shadows. Yugi heard two others laughing at him in the semi-darkness of the alleyway.

'It's the guy from earlier at the game shop!' Yugi thought to Yami.

'And I am so ready for him!' Yami replied, glad to find an outlet for his pent up anger.

"What's the matter, you little freak! Mommy's not here to save ya!" jeered the lead thug and would-be fraudster. The three men laughed hysterically and advanced toward Yugi.

The magic surged out of the puzzle and enveloped Yugi in its familiar embrace. His eyes went from their normal soft violet color to crimson as Yami took over. The three thugs stopped as they noticed the sudden change in the youth.

"By the time I'm through with you, slime, you will wish you had dealt with her and not me!" Yami replied in his husky voice.

The three thugs laughed again and continued their advance…

"I challenge you cowards to a shadow game! Do you have the courage to accept?" he demanded in his most imperious tone. The shadows around the pharaoh drastically deepened and the temperature dropped several degrees. The creeps stopped…

The lead thug replied, "Coward! Ha! You're on, you shrimpy little freak!" but a slight edge of nervousness crept into his voice.

"Then let us begin. But be warned: if you lose, you and your comrades will have to play a penalty game!"

"And if I win?" the thug asked.

"I will give you whatever you wish," Yami replied calmly, as he pulled out his duel monsters deck from a little leather pouch on his belt.

The lead thug beamed. His greedy little mind already working out the numbers, trying to figure out how much money was in the Kame Game Shop safe and how good it would feel to beat the crap out of this uppity little creep for having foiled his earlier plans.

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Sano and Kenshin exited Burger World and saw Yugi dash into in alley across the street.

At the same time, three suspicious looking men followed after him. Sensing Yugi would be in trouble, Sano and Kenshin hurried after them, cutting through shops and across rooftops in an attempt to reach the kid before the thugs did. However, Yugi's path through Domino City's intricate labyrinth of alleys was extremely erratic and difficult to follow. A few times, they found themselves doubling back because they'd lost his trail.

When they finally caught up with him it was too late. The thugs had trapped Yugi in a dead end, but just as they were going to drop down from the rooftop to intervene, they saw - and heard - the sudden shift in Yugi's demeanor.

"Whoa! What the hell just happened?" whispered Sano. Kenshin just shook his head, and they watched Yugi's unique approach to this perilous situation with fascination. The area below them was suddenly swallowed by an unnatural darkness, blocking Yugi and the thugs from their sight. The temperature around them dipped several degrees. They watched for several tense minutes wondering if they should drop down and investigate.

Just as they were about to take action, they heard several blood curling screams as the darkness suddenly dissipated. Sano and Kenshin found themselves rooted to their spots, mouths agape. All three thugs were curled up in a fetal position on the ground with their arms over their heads and whimpering. Kenshin and Sano stared, as Yugi just calmly picked up his backpack and stepped over the thugs on his way out of the alley.

"Uh… Sano? Perhaps it would be wise not to confront this young man in a dark alley, don't you think?" asked Kenshin.

"Well duh…" came Sano's reply.

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Anzu raced down the street with her necklace showing her the shortest path to Yugi. She found him walking out of an alley.

"Yugi! Yami! I sensed the magic. Are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine!" Yami growled. "What are you doing here!" he demanded roughly.

"What do you mean, 'What am I doing here!!'" she said annoyed. "The same thing I'm always doing when I come running! Trying to help!!"

Yami said nothing, but continued to glare at her.

"What's with you anyways! Why are you being such a jerk all of a sudden!" she insisted.

"I don't see how that would concern you! We can take care of ourselves! Return to your party. We have work to do!" commanded Yami. He waved his hand in an imperious shooing gesture as he tried to walk past her.

He didn't get very far…

Anzu grabbed him by his shirt collar and slammed him against the wall and slapped him hard across the face. Whoever said ballerinas were wimps had obviously never met Anzu Mazaki, scourge of all bullies at Domino High. And Yami found out first hand…

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"That's my girl!" admired Sano softly to Kenshin from his rooftop-hiding place.

Kenshin watched with concern and wondered aloud if they should intervene before the boy had the chance to repeat the stunt from before.

"No. I'm sure he won't use it against her. I think I know what's going on," he assured his friend.

"Let's just watch for now," he said calmly.

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"What…the hell…was that about?" Anzu spat out angrily. Her fists were clenching so tightly that her fingernails were digging into her palms.

'You went too far, Yami!' Yugi was screaming through their link, 'That was uncalled for!!'

Yami flinched at Anzu and his hikari's combined ire, and found himself speechless.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, huh?" she demanded. "Am I supposed to hover about you constantly like your personal cheerleading squad? And be available whenever the mighty King of Games or the Pharaoh requires it!!" she roared, her fists shaking with barely contained rage.

"Well, let me give you a reality check, your highnesses!!" she spat, jabbing a finger in his chest hard enough to shove him back against the wall again. "I am not your personal servant girl, waiting to serve you hand and foot! Wrong century pal!!" she snarled.

Yami's face twisted in pain as a result of the physical and verbal punishment he was getting from both Anzu and Yugi for his outburst. Yugi pushed at the Puzzle's magic and suddenly where there was one boy before, there were now two. Sano and Kenshin nearly fell off the roof…

"Well…" demanded Anzu, looking from one to the other.

"We're sorry Anzu! We didn't mean it!!" pleaded Yugi contritely.

"I apologize as well Anzu. It was uncalled for…I'm sorry," said Yami softly.

"We're just having a bad day…" Yugi supplied lamely.

"And what's that got to do with me coming to help?"

The two teenagers just bowed and apologized again. She looked from one to the other, and her body began to relax. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, her face was an unreadable mask.

With a touch of sorrow, Anzu realized at that moment, their friendship had reached a dead end. Her worst fear was realizing itself. It seemed to her that while Yugi and Yami were not ready to admit it, she was still a burden to them. A fifth wheel, so to speak, and she was woman enough to admit it, too. 'Might as well stop it now before the damage is irreparable,' she thought sadly. 'Things change, and perhaps it is for the best.' She reached behind her neck to undo the clasp of her necklace.

"This isn't gonna work anymore Yugi," she said, taking Yugi's hand and putting the necklace in it. "I'll always be your friend and stand by you, but I'll do it with my thoughts. And from a safe distance," she added. With all the regal bearing of a queen, she walked away.

Horrified, Yugi watched her go with the millennium necklace cupped gently in his hands. Once she was out of sight, he turned a desperate look towards Yami.

Yugi choked, "We have to do something Yami!"

Yami was shocked. He held out his hands in a gesture of utter helplessness. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. He couldn't think of anything to say or do…

"Poor boys," said a slightly mocking voice from somewhere above them. "It looks like they need a clue."

"Indeed they do Sano. Miss Anzu's happiness is at stake here," said another more serious voice.

In one quick motion, each man grabbed one side of the ladder bolted to the side of the building and slid down to the ground, landing gracefully in front of Yugi and Yami.

"We can give you guys a clue," offered Sano, who was leaning lazily against the wall with his hands deep in his pockets, "but it'll cost ya." A mischievous smile tugged at his lips.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Sano, stop teasing these boys, that you should!" he scolded.

"Why?" asked Sano, an angry glare replacing the mischievous smile. "That's what they're doing to Anzu!"

Horrified, Yami began, "We would nev…"

"Quiet Yami!" Yugi shouted desperately. "I'm sorry, mister Sanosuke, sir! Please help us! I don't know what we did wrong! We want to fix it!! We'll do anything!!!" His words tumbled out of him in a rapid-fire succession as he stood before Sano with the necklace still cupped in his hands. His cherubic appearance and supplicant pose made him look like a little japanese Oliver Twist.

"Please sir…" begged Yugi softly.

Sano was just not coldhearted enough to turn him away.

Sano glanced at Yami, but the other boy was just staring at him with a helpless look on his face.

"What do you think?" Sano asked Kenshin.

Kenshin smiled and said, "Miss Anzu is our priority, that she is."

At that moment Kenshin's celphone rang. Kaoru was on the line wanting to know where Kenshin was and to let him know that Misao had attracted a crowd. They were going to continue the party at the Kaiba mansion per Mokuba Kaiba's invitation. Kenshin asked if Anzu was with her, and when she replied in the affirmative, he promised to meet her there.

He told the others of what he'd learned, and together they walked to the Kame game shop, all the while trying to figure out a way for Yugi to get the rest of the day off.

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Anzu marveled at the richness displayed in the Kaiba mansion. Everyone was having a good time. 'Those Kaiba brothers sure know how to throw a party,' thought Anzu, 'even if it's a last minute one!' She smiled, content to see all the people that mattered to her together in one place. Well, almost all…

She watched Mokuba flit from one group of people to the other. He seemed to be shaping up to be quite the charming host. He had invited some of his classmates and quite a few of hers. The girls just thought he was so cute!

She glanced around the room. Seto was sitting away from the others playing a game of Go with Aoshi. It surprised her that the two were getting along. 'Like birds of a feather!' she thought, slightly amused. They each looked up every now and then to check up on Mokuba or Misao, depending on who was looking.

'I wonder where they are?' Anzu thought. Sano and Kenshin still hadn't appeared, and she wondered what was holding them up. Hiei and Kuwabara were talking to Jou and Honda and it seemed pretty obvious from the hand gestures and poses that they were talking about boxing. Hanasaki was chatting up a storm with Mai and Kaoru. Whatever he was telling them seemed like it was very interesting. People around them stopped to listen in.

She sat with Kurama and some of his friends visiting from the U.S. She liked the one called Jai. He seemed so sweet and sensitive, but Carson was absolutely funny. She smiled in amusement as she remembered how Aoshi had growled at Carson when he was commenting on how hot Aoshi looked today. She had nearly died laughing when Carson had turned his attention to Seto. He had commented that the excessive buckles were way too eighties and he was much too cute for them, and then he gave him some unsolicited fashion advice. Seto had been so angry that for a moment she thought he was gonna send Carson to the shadow realm.

Surprisingly, it had been Aoshi who saved the Fab Five's fashion expert by challenging Seto to a game of Go. Seto's eyes had lit up at the prospect of a contest. Immediately, he ignored Carson and barked at an unsuspecting servant to fetch his Go board. Aoshi had glared at Carson one last time before walking away. Misao nearly fell over laughing as Carson fanned himself dramatically and said, "Somebody check the thermostat, this room is way too hot!" as he watched Seto and Aoshi head off in the same direction.

Anzu had briefly thought of Yugi and how he would find it amusing as well, but she pushed all thoughts of him out of his mind. 'Tonight I'll scream and cry and gorge myself on Rocky Road ice cream, but right now nothing ruins my fun!' she thought determinedly.

The Fab Five, as they were known in the U.S., were still commenting on the general décor of the Kaiba Mansion and what they would do to update and modernize it. She listened, and occasionally made a comment or asked a question. She asked questions about New York and about the New York City Ballet Company and whether they'd ever been to it. They were more than happy to share as much information as they could. Jai, the culture guy, was the most informative, and he was full of insightful conversation. She listened attentively to his advice and tried to ignore Yusuke and Keiko making out on the other side of the living room. She couldn't help giggling when they finally left the room. She elbowed Kurama and he followed her line of sight, as did his friends. They all laughed.

Sano and Kenshin arrived, and Kenshin was immediately glomped by Kaoru. Sano just rolled his eyes and made his way towards his sister. Anzu sighed…

"Are you ok, Anzu?" asked Jai softly.

"I'm fine. Why?" she responded.

"You seem to get a little melancholic when you look at couples," he said gently.

Anzu was shocked by this observation. She had thought she was doing a good job of keeping her feelings to herself. Before she could say anything Kurama asked, "Boyfriend troubles?"

"Or girlfriend?" wondered Carson with a wink.

She laughed bitterly. "I don't have any boyfriends orgirlfriends! I only have friends…" she finished softly and looked away.

"Oh," said Jai. He patted her knee sympathetically, and they changed the subject.

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It wasn't too hard to get Yugi off the hook, especially after they told Mrs. Motou about the ambush in the alley. She assumed that Sano and Kenshin had done the deed of dispatching the bad guys, so she had gratefully agreed to let Yugi off for the rest of the afternoon, provided he remained in the company of the two young men.

Sano and Kenshin took him back to Sano's place and grilled Yugi hard on what had really been going on at those seemingly innocent Duel Monster Tournaments and also what had really happened at Kaibaland. Yugi answered all their questions, volunteering as much information as possible. He hoped he would gain some clue as to Anzu's sudden mood shift, but try as they might, Yugi and Yami couldn't figure what went wrong. Yugi clutched the millennium necklace as a tear rolled down his cheek. Yami wasn't as solid as he was in the alley, but he was still visible to Kenshin and Sano. He was even more of a wreck than Yugi. Yami believed that Anzu and Yugi's unhappiness was something that he had directly caused.

Guilt consumed him…

Sano and Kenshin let them suffer in silence. All Sano's questions had been answered, and his little sister's adventures had been explained in excruciating detail. He winced at the thought of some old guy trying to usurp Anzu's body. It pissed him off to think of all the psychos that had come at her and that he'd not been around to stop them. He had to admit that these two did care, considering how many times they'd gone out on a limb to protect Anzu.

Finally, Sano spoke. "Ok, enough teenage angst. Listen up, both of ya!!" Sano explained that he believed Anzu's problem lay in the fact that she couldn't bring herself to pick between either one of them. So instead, after agonizing for at least a week, she had decided to just walk away in order to preserve their friendship. "Who knows? This could have been going on for months! But I've only been back a week so I don't know!" he pointed out sternly to the two weird teenagers.

"Mr. Sano, we didn't know!!!" Yugi cried out as realization dawned on him.

"We never thought that Anzu would see us as more than a friend," said Yami, his eyes widening with sudden understanding.

"Especially, because of our circumstances!" explained Yugi, eyeing Yami.

"But please believe us when we say that we care deeply for Anzu," intoned Yami seriously.

Yugi nodded his agreement vigorously, "Yes! She's our light at the end of the tunnel! The lighthouse on a foggy night!! She…"

"Enough! I get it!!" Sano massaged the bridge of his nose. All this weirdness was giving him a headache…

Yami nodded, his expression still very serious, but he seemed to have regained some of his confidence. Kenshin watched the exchange quietly. He still didn't know what to make of the situation. It seemed to him, though, that Anzu, if she was really still interested, would stand to gain two loving, protective and powerful boyfriends for the price of one! He suppressed the smile of amusement that was creeping its way onto his lips at his train of thought.

"Now, I hope you two know what you're gonna do about this!" Sano said sounding irritated.

"We should head for the Kaiba Mansion first, that we should," suggested Kenshin, speaking for the first time since they arrived at the Masaki house.

"Yeah!" Sano agreed. "We'll get her to come talk to you. The rest will be up to you two."

"We understand!" Yugi answered eagerly. A little bubble of hope was growing inside Yugi again. Now that they knew what was wrong, they would be able to fix it. He hoped…

"We are in your hands, Mr. Sanosuke," said Yami gravely.

"And just for the record," Sano began, "I find all of this extremely creepy, and if you ever hurt Anzu on purpose or otherwise again, then I won't give you a chance to use that creepy magic of yours, you got me!" he warned, directing himself mostly to Yami.

"Indeed we won't," agreed Kenshin seriously.

Yugi and Yami smiled. "Of course, Mr. Sanosuke sir! We understand!" said Yugi cheerfully and the two boys stood up and bowed respectfully towards Sano and Kenshin.

"And stop calling me that! Its just Sano or Sanosuke. No misters or sirs got it!!" He couldn't help liking the two boys. Despite their strangeness, they seemed like good guys.

"Understood!" they both replied.

"So Yami," began Kenshin as they left the house, "If you're five thousand years old, aren't you a little old for Yugi and Anzu?" he asked with a smirk.

Yugi laughed hard as Yami tried to explain the nature of their relationship. He grew frustrated with the scandalized looks Sano and Kenshin were giving him, and it was only after a while that he realized they were all teasing him. Yami just sighed as the other three laughed.

'Anything for Anzu,' he thought.

'Agreed!!' Yugi thought back to him as they drove off towards the Kaiba Mansion in Kenshin's car.

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Anzu looked up and saw Sano approach her, a mischievous smile on his lips…

"Hiya, Sis!!" he said cheerfully, and waved hello to the others around her.

Carson complimented him on his choice in casual wear. Sano waved off the compliment saying that Anzu bought him the shirt and belt he was wearing. Carson turned the compliment towards her for her good taste. The conversation would have continued in the subject of Sano's wardrobe had it not been for his next interruption…

"Listen, Sis! We brought a surprise for you!!" said Sano, cheerful as Care Bear.

"Really?" wondered Anzu, eyeing him suspiciously. "A surprise for me?"

"Sure! Come on I'll show you!!" he said, yanking her off the couch.

He dragged her out of the living room and down the hall. Opening a door that led to a library, he told her to wait by the fireplace. Anzu complied and sat in one of the large comfy sofas as Sano left the room.

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Yugi entered the Kaiba Mansion through the back door, and a servant led him to the library. He waited hidden behind some shelves. Sano and Anzu entered the room. Yugi watched as she sat in one of the chairs, while Sano locked the door behind him. That was his cue. He took a deep breath, quickly went over what he was planning on saying, and then walked over to where Anzu was sitting.

"Anzu…" Yugi and Yami whispered.

Anzu jumped. "Yugi!! You scared me! I thought I was alone in here!" She went on lecturing him about sneaking up on people as the two watched her with fascination. All of their carefully rehearsed words flew out of their minds. They were lost in the sweet sound of her voice and could only sink to their knees in awe.

Anzu stopped the rapid-fire nonsense that was flying out of her mouth. Yugi was kneeling in front of her, as was Yami. She looked from one to the other, eyeing them suspiciously.

"What's going on?" she asked them.

Realizing they'd been just staring, Yugi began, "Anzu we don't want to lose you!"

Yami added, "What happened at the alley… It was all a misunderstanding."

"Please let us explain," pleaded Yugi.

"Gee, I thought it was pretty clear," she said bitterly.

The two teenagers winced at the scorn in her voice, but refused to give up. Yugi took a deep breath as they bared their souls. They explained that they had just been jealous when they saw her dancing with that guy and didn't think things through. They told her how much they needed her, how much they relied on her and how important she was in everything they did.

"You mean the world to us, Anzu!" said Yugi.

"The only thing we want is your happiness, Anzu!" said Yami.

"We love you, Anzu!" the two boys said as one.

Her breath caught in her throat. 'It's dream,' she thought. 'It has to be…' Then the image of Yami and Yugi kissing after Battle City's last tournament floated into her awareness. Anger suddenly flooded her…

"Ok! Hold everything!" Yugi and Yami flinched at her anger, but noticed that her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "After Battle City, I saw the two of you quite cozily kissing each other in Yugi's room! And today I seemed to have gotten a clear message that said that two is company and three is a crowd! Am I wrong? Am I missing something here?" she added with angry sarcasm. Her brain just could not accept what she was hearing even though her heart wanted to.

"If you two are playing with me I swear…"

"NO!" they yelled, cutting her off. Yugi and Yami were horrified by the very thought.

"We would never, ever think of it!!!" Yugi pleaded.

"Anzu! Please listen. I love you as much as I love Yugi. You're both more important to me than anything else in the world! You are my world!!" declared Yami desperately.

Yugi nodded his head in agreement. "Anzu you have stood by me and been my friend for as long as I can remember. You've always believed in me. I love you for that as much as I love Yami!"

"You're our guiding light…" they said in unison, and Yugi extended his hand, holding out the millennium necklace.

Yami put his hand in Yugi's and the two merged back together. Yami's ability to be visible strained Yugi's shadow powers, and he'd already been doing it too much today. Anzu watched Yugi's violet eyes turn crimson as Yami joined with Yugi. They continued to hold out the necklace, waiting for her decision.

At her unrelenting silence, they began with a touch of sorrow in their voice, "We know this may not be easy to accept, and we'll understand if you want to stay away…"

She took the necklace from Yugi's slightly trembling hand and put it back on without saying a word. They waited while she adjusted the necklace. Her face was unreadable. When she was done, she looked up. There was a glint of mischief in her eyes.

That was all the warning they got…

Anzu threw herself off the couch and glomped Yugi. His eyes went wide for an instant, but the shock wore off quickly as Yugi wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her kiss with "double" the fierceness. The force of their combined emotions enveloped Anzu in a tight grip, her awareness of them all the more powerful because of the necklace's magic. The magic suddenly swirled around them and transported Yugi and Anzu to Yami's soul room. She laughed when she saw them and then looked down at herself and laughed even harder.

They were all dressed as the three musketeers…

The three of them laughed and Anzu said, "Kind of appropriate don't you think?"

Yugi pulled out the saber on his belt and asked, "Now, how did that saying go?" as he pointed it up to the sky.

She pulled out her saber and touched the tip to Yugi's. "I believe it goes: One for all…"

Yami pulled at his and touched it to Yugi and Anzu's. "And all for one!" he finished.

The three of them laughed merrily and Anzu used her necklace to transport them to her soul room. It still looked like Cinderella's palace, and the boys gasped when they saw her in the blue gown from the night before.

"I have a confession…" they all started at once.

"Ah, wait…me first," said Anzu. "I've been having these crazy R-rated Disney dreams…" she began.

"Cinderella…" Yami interrupted suddenly, as he looked around.

"Wait! This is the dream from last night!" said Yugi.

"Ok, how do you guys know about this dream!" demanded Anzu.

"We thought it was our dream!" said Yami and Yugi at the same time.

She started recounting some of the dreams she's had in the past two weeks and blushed fiercely when she realized they'd been in all them.

"This one was our favorite," Yugi admitted shyly.

She laughed sweetly, and the three began to twirl around the ballroom. Anzu was more content than she had been in weeks. She allowed them to carry her through a reenactment of the dream. It was made much more pleasant by the fact that they would be able to share the experience with open knowledge of their feelings.

She sighed contentedly as they moved around helping each other undress.

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Sano and Kenshin came in to check after a while.

They found Anzu and Yugi on the couch, holding hands and apparently asleep. Yami was nowhere to be seen.

"Aww…How cute," whispered Kenshin.

Sano rolled his eyes…

"I wonder what happened to the other one," asked Sano as the two men left the room.

"Probably went back to his puzzle," answered Kenshin.

"Oh well. Everything seems okay now! That's all I care about!" said Sano.

"Yeah! Mission accomplished," Kenshin agreed.

"And it's happy endings all around!" The two men laughed and went back to the party.

THE END

For now…

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That's a wrap!!! My extreme gratitude to my: Beta J_Rhaye. Oh, to anyone who reads this…READ HER STUFF!!!

It's way too good people!

Thanks a heap!!!