Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ With the Wind at My Back ❯ Hello Again ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own anything of Yu-Gi-Oh! Nothing at all. And that hurts. It really does... So much... Excuse me while I go curl up in a corner and cry.

Author's Notes: Beware falling AU! Medieval AU, at that. There will be no Kaiba/Shizuka in this fic. Reason being, they aren't a canon couple. Whoever started such a ridiculous, false rumor on the `net... Shame on you! Well, you shall get yours as the show progress and people see the truth for themselves. As for the joke between Mai and her Harpy Ladies, well... Mai's last name, "Kujaku," means "peacock." "Kasaru" means "crow." "Suzume" means "sparrow," and "Tsubame" means "swallow." They're all birds. And considering the type of monster that the Harpy Ladies are, it's a double joke, I guess.

Chapter Six: Hello Again

The walk back to the cottage was eerily silent. Whenever Yugi tried to start a light hearted conversation, Anzu would would offer only one word answers. Kuri scrambled between the basket and the girl's shoulder, trying to get her to at least smile. However, Anzu looked like she was miles away from her two companions. In the end, Yugi decided to leave her to her thoughts, since it seemed she wasn't willing to share.

He had a feeling that it had something to do with Kaiba. She'd been okay when he'd gone to check on the Blue Eyes. Granted, a little nervous about the dangerous creatures, but all right. However, once he'd finished with the monsters and had walked back, Anzu had been utterly pale, and more than a little eager to leave. Kaiba himself never lost his cold composure, but that didn't surprise Yugi. It took a lot to unsettle the Lord of the Blue Eyes.

Maybe, Yugi thought, she was still worried over that poster they'd seen about her. No, it wasn't her. He had decided after Anzu had claimed the girl on the paper to be someone else that he'd believe it. He knew very that it was all a lie, but he'd rather believe in the lie than the truth. Because the truth meant... He'd rather believe the lie.

When they arrived at the cottage, the wooden door swung open, creaking on its old hinges. The noise startled the trio, and they were startled once more when Sugoroku came bounding out, grabbing onto Yugi eagerly.

"It's about time you came home. Come on in!" Sugoroku exclaimed, enthusiastically. All the while yanking Yugi inside. "Come see who's come to visit us!"

As Yugi's grandfather hauled him inside, Anzu stood stock still, contemplating the consequences of this visitor. It could be someone she knew from the castle. If so, walking in would not only expose her, but would place Yugi and Sugoroku in danger. A danger she did not ever want to put them in.

She found herself taking a slow step back, dread encircling her stomach, settling there like a tight knot. On her shoulder, Kuri cooed worriedly, but was ignored. Anzu actually felt terrified. Images of Yugi and Sugoroku being tortured and even killed kept forcing their way into her head. She could hear their screams echo in her skull, and it made her nauseous. She couldn't bear the thought, she just couldn't.

"Anzu, my dear!" Sugoroku stuck his head outside, grinning widely. "What are you doing out there by yourself?" He waved her in. "Come on, now. No need to be shy."

Anzu's wooden legs practically ached, as she reluctantly and cautiously walked into the cottage. Her chest felt like it was going to explode, and she had to fight the urge to run out, or cover her face. Her breath seemed to leave her, and she could only take tiny gasps of air, making her head feel light. She rubbed her eyes a bit, allowing them to adjust to the darkened room, and bit the inside of her cheek hard as she finally dared to see who the visitor was.

The new guest was a boy around her and Yugi's age, with long white hair and big brown eyes. He had a rather pleasant expression, and a demeanor about him that seemed so gentle it was almost childlike. He was sitting at the table, talking quietly yet excitedly to Yugi, who was nodding enthusiastically every so often. The young man stopped his story when he noticed Anzu, and turned to give her a friendly smile. Whoever he was, Anzu didn't know him in the least.

"Anzu, this is Bakura," Yugi introduced them, obviously happy about the new arrival. "Bakura, this is Anzu."

"Nice to meet you," Anzu said, her fear slowly ebbing away.

"Likewise," Bakura smiled. "The old sir told me they had a helper living here. Oh! That reminds me," he clapped his hands together, before reaching out to shake Yugi's. "Congratulations to you both!"

Yugi and Anzu blinked, confused. Sugoroku, meanwhile, began to nervously play with the collar of his shirt.

"Congratulations for what?" Yugi asked.

"Hm?" It was Bakura's turn to be confused. "You don't know? You mean you and she aren't en-"

"Bakura!" Yugi interrupted, feeling his face become hot. "Let's go outside and talk some more. I'm sure Anzu would like to rest or try her new clothes on." He began to yank his taller friend towards the door. "We can come back here when it's time to start supper. We'll see you later, Anzu... Grandpa... " he added, his voice unusually flat.

Blushing, Anzu nodded, while Sugoroku began to sweat, and took a large gulp of air.

Once outside, Bakura looked apologetically at his friend. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you," he rubbed the back of his head, rather mortified. "It's just the old sir... "

"Grandpa gets a little carried away at times," Yugi agreed, trying desperately to fend off another blush. Deciding that a subject change was required in order to maintain the dignity he had left, he asked, "So, how was your trip?"

"It was all right, I suppose," Bakura relented, shrugging. "Father seemed to have us traveling to all sorts of places I don't even think I can pronounce. I think he found it more interesting than I did."

"Sorry," Yugi frowned, sympathetically.

"That's okay," Bakura waved it off. "It was nice to spend the time with him. Besides, some places really were nice to see. Father managed to buy some interesting pieces of art, as well."

"Really?" Yugi asked, curious. "I'd like to see them."

"You can see them anytime you want," Bakura smiled. "Just visit. By the way, Yugi... " His voiced trailed, almost sounding a little deeper than before, "Have you finished that puzzle yet?"

"My puzzle?" Yugi repeated, something cold racing up his spine. This was the second time he'd been asked that recently, and neither time did it leave a good taste in his mouth. Though, Bakura always asked if he'd solved it yet. He'd been asking Yugi that question since the smaller boy had first gotten the puzzle. Yet, this was the first time Bakura's usual question left an unusual uncomfortable feeling tightening in Yugi's stomach. "No, I haven't," the boy finally answered.

"Really? Shame, that," Bakura answered, an unfamiliar frown marring his features for a moment, making him look far older. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the scowled vanished, and the white haired boy showed off his normal smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out soon, though."

The unnatural feeling in Yugi's abdomen went away with that remark, and he grinned back. "You always say that."

"It's bound to be true sooner or later," Bakura shrugged, sheepishly.

"Well, I do have three pieces together now," Yugi admitted.

"See?" Bakura said. "Before you know it."

"Yeah, I hope," Yugi agreed, remembering the words of the Holy Elf. "I wonder what it'll look like when it's done."

"I'm sure it'll look... Like something you've never seen before," Bakura answered, the octave change in his voice going unnoticed by the smaller boy.

"Come on, big brother!" Shizuka all but dragged Jounouchi away from the castle. "You promised you'd spend the day with me."

"Yeah, yeah... " Jounouchi said, offhandedly, his mind elsewhere. He knew King Pegasus told him it was none of his concern, but that just made him even more curious. Why would the king be in need of a Black Forest Witch? It just didn't make any sense to him. Though, Jounouchi wasn't very knowledgeable on all of what a Black Forest Witch could do. All he knew was that it wasn't good.

That, and...

"You can argue with Lady Mai later, big brother!" Shizuka pulled on his arm again, now pouting.

... That, and Jounouchi found he couldn't stand the particular Black Forest Witch he'd brought back with him. She was arrogant, pushy, obnoxious, and had absolutely regard for others. And he found that it had become his responsibility to guard her, which basically meant he was to serve her whatever she desired. Which, quite naturally, he hated. It certainly didn't help that she found supreme pleasure in making him miserable, and laughed that ear-splitting laugh at him whenever she got the chance. One of these days he was going to forget his manners, and slap her across that pretty, obnoxious face.

... Not that he found her pretty. Jounouchi scowled, sour face unseen by his blind, still yanking sister. He meant she was pretty obnoxious. Not pretty, and obnoxious. Pretty obnoxious. Yes, that was it.

"Who said I was thinking about that bi- witch?" he bit his tongue, holding back his usual swearing for his sister's sake. "Let's go." Jounouchi finally began to move forward, which nearly knocked an unsuspecting Shizuka to the ground.

Still, she managed to keep her grip on his arm, and began to walk with him. Shizuka thought fleetingly about keeping the conversation going, but smartly decided against it. A new topic was required in order to get her brother out of his foul mood.

"Hey, wait up!" someone called. Honda came running out of the castle, one arm having a basket slung on it, his free arm waving in the air.

Jounouchi looked flatly at his friend as he reached them. "Honda, what are you doing here?" he asked, pointedly.

Honda held up the basket. "You're such an inconsiderate brother, Jounouchi. Taking Shizuka out without bringing dinner. I figured we could have a picnic."

Jounouchi's left eye twitched. "Inconsiderate... 'We?'"

Shizuka clapped her hands together, delighted. "I'd love to have a picnic!"

Jounouchi glared daggers at Honda, while Honda himself grinned victoriously back.

Finally, Jounouchi sighed. "Fine. Let's go have a picnic." He grabbed the basket away from Honda, giving one final dirty look, before leading his sister into the forest, his friend not far behind.

Anzu sat on her bed, her eyes to the ground. The events of the day had shaken her more than she'd even shown. Kaiba's words kept repeating in her head, until she contemplated actually hitting her skull against the wall to make it stop. When Yugi's friend came to visit she thought she was just going to fall apart on the spot. Sure, in the end it hadn't been anyone who knew of her, but the threat of danger still lingered.

She couldn't do this anymore. She'd promised herself at the beginning that she wasn't going to stay long, and so far she wasn't doing very well keeping that promise. But now it was going to be different. She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt because of her selfishness.

With a determined expression, Anzu stood up, startling Kuri, who'd been sleeping on her lap. The creature skittered to the floor, gazing up at his mistress with a curious look. For her part, Anzu packed the few meager things she owned in a satchel. The whole process took less than five minutes, and she felt her hands grow cold with nerves. But she ignored her worries, instead focussing on the goal at hand, which was to keep Yugi and his grandfather safe.

Anzu looked down at the outfit she was wearing, and immediately felt guilty. It was one of the dresses she'd bought just that morning. A dusty pink, that reached almost below her ankles, the hems' ruffled. A white sash --one that she'd thought was so pretty-- adorned her waist, its edges ridgely cut. Most of her clothing, she realized, had been bought out of Yugi and Sugoroku's money. She thought about paying them back, but that would leave her penniless. And leaving the clothing behind was rather silly, as well. What were two men going to do with clothing sizes too large for them, and for the opposite gender, at that? Reluctantly, she decided she'd take them, then figure out some way to pay Yugi and Sugoroku back later.

Steadying her erratic breathing, Anzu pulled on her last possession; her cloak. She'd just clasped it shut, when her door opened, Yugi walking in.

"Dinner's almost done. I figured you'd be hungry, since we missed... " He blinked at her, confused. "Anzu, where are you... ?" His voice trailed again, as his eyes finally caught sight of the satchel that held her belongings. "Oh."

His sorrowful expression crushed her with guilt. "I... I'm sorry, Yugi," Anzu nearly whispered, unable to look at him anymore. "I've troubled you and your grandfather enough. I've outstayed my welcome."

"That's not true!" Yugi shook his head. "You can stay as long as you want. Really. There's no problem."

"Yes, there is," she countered, softly. "You know that. I just can't stay," Anzu sighed, her cold hands reaching for her satchel.

"Of course, you can," Yugi insisted. With surprisingly fast movements, he walked over, placing his hands on the satchel before she did, effectively stalling her. "Did Kaiba say something to you? If he did, you should just ignore him. He-"

"It's not that," she denied. Then, she quickly amended herself, her thoughts becoming confused with her sadness. The poster on the tree, Kaiba's words, the visitor... They all swam in her brain, screaming at her. "It's not just that. There are things you don't understand, Yugi. Things I... I really shouldn't tell you."

"Then don't," was his quick response, his grip on her satchel tightening.

"But that's just it!" Anzu declared, pulling anxiously on her cloak. "I shouldn't be keeping secrets, but I have to, and... And it's not fair to you," she ended, trying desperately to get her mind straightened out.

"We all have our secrets," Yugi shrugged, turning away. "Some are a bit deeper than others. But that's okay. Usually secrets are told when the time is right." His eyes darkened, as he began to untie the satchel. "So, it's not time for you to tell your secret. That doesn't mean you can't stay."

"It does if it can hurt you," she whispered, bottom lip trembling. Did he have to make this so hard? "Yugi, it's better that I leave now than later. You saw the notice that was put up. They-"

"It's not you."

She blinked, too muddled to follow. "Huh?"

"It's not you, remember?" Yugi recalled, his back still to her, now carefully unpacking her clothing. "It's someone else."

Anzu sighed, her head hanging down for a moment. "Yugi... "

"So, if someone mistakes that girl for you, we'll just explain their error, and that will be that. Anyway," he continued, his voice softening, "I feel rather bad for the Anzu that the notice was about."

She lifted her head to that, but stayed silent for him to go on.

"The castle is so well guarded, it's hard to imagine anyone successfully kidnapping someone," he got to the beige dress she'd been wearing when they first met, and let his fingers trail on it, thoughtfully. "She must've run away. I can't figure just why she'd do so, but to run from a castle where she'd be waited on hand and foot... It must've been something pretty awful to make her leave there.
"If I were ever to meet this Anzu --who isn't you-- I'd probably offer her help. And I'd hope that she'd take it. It'd be wrong if she had no place to feel safe. Don't you think?"

Silence was his answer. Still, he kept his ground, waiting for her to make the next move. Be it to stay or go, he couldn't say or do anything more than he had. The rest was up for her to decide. Though, he wished he could hear something else besides his own heart pounding in his ears.

Suddenly, the mood in the room seemed to shift. Kuri, who'd been quiet the whole conversation, gave a small, startled mew, as Anzu fell to her knees. With a sob, she leaned forward, wrapped her arms Yugi, and buried her tearstained face in the crook between the back of his neck and his shoulder blades. Yugi was justifiably shocked at first, a blush creeping to his cheeks. But it faded quickly at her crying, and he found himself rubbing her arms in comfort.

They seemed to stay like that forever; Anzu crying into Yugi's shirt, while he tried to reassure her silently. But, like anything that seems eternal, the moment was glass-like fragile, and shattered when there was a knock at the door. Gasping, Anzu pulled away, wiping her face haphazardly with her cloak and bare hands, while Yugi nervously straightened the collar of his shirt.

"Yugi? Anzu? Dinner's ready!" Sugoroku called. "We, uh... We also have a bit of a problem."

The strange tone in the old man's voice caused both teenagers to look uncertainly at the door. Hesitantly, Yugi walked over and opened it. He nearly fell over when a Petite Dragon stuck its face right in front of his.

"Gr-Grandpa?!" Yugi stuttered, bewildered.

Sugoroku laughed sheepishly, pulling the small monster back into his arms. "It was injured while you and Anzu were out today. I was bandaging its wing when Bakura came over, and it seems that I, well... Forgot about it."

"Oh, Grandpa... " Yugi sighed, exasperated.

"Besides which," Sugoroku continued, trying to gather up the remains of his dignity, "I need you two to go out quickly and get some more medicinal herbs. It seems that I, well... Ran out."

This time, both Yugi and Anzu looked exasperated.

Yugi turned to Anzu, trying to look like he wasn't asking a potentially breaking question. "Well, shall we go?" He held his hand out to her.

She looked at his hand, then at his face and back again. Finally, she reached up, clasping his hand and allowing him to help her to her feet. "Let's go," she said, smiling.

The short walk into the woods was silent, but not unpleasant. Whatever had been bothering Anzu before seemed to have been lifted from her shoulders for the time being. She even had Kuri in the crook of one arm, twittering her fingers above him as he playfully swiped at them. Yugi found himself breathing much easier than before.

"You go take the path to the left," he said. "Some of what Grandpa's looking for is over there. The rest is off the paths, so it's better that I go get them."

"Okay," she nodded.

With a small wave, Anzu walked down the dirt road, Kuri jumping onto her shoulder. Unable to help himself, Yugi watched her go, until she turned a corner. A small part of him wondered if she was coming back, but he pushed the panicky thought aside. He no longer doubted that she wouldn't leave without telling him.

Nodding to himself, Yugi turned to walk to his own destination, when a short scream made him freeze. It didn't sound like a terror filled scream, not one of pure, unbridled fright. But a scream in the woods, any scream at all, was rarely a good thing. Particularly when he knew the voice.

"Anzu!" He spun around, running down the path after her, his heart jumping painfully in his throat. He tried to think of the least frightening things that would make scream. Maybe she'd slipped and fell. Or maybe a monster had jumped out at her. No monster at this part of the forest was too dangerous. He refused the think anything worse than that.

But if it was worse... If it was...

When he turned a corner in the path, he skidded to a halt in order not to fall right on top of the person he'd come to make sure was safe. Anzu lay on the ground, unhurt but surprised. Standing in front of her were two knights sans armor, a brunette and a blonde, the blonde holding a basket. They were both wearing the colors the the Duel Kingdom, and Yugi felt sick as well as protective. He couldn't fight at all, but maybe he could distract them long enough for Anzu to get away.

However, Anzu didn't appear to be frightened at all. Her eyes were locked on the person she'd run into, which is why she was on the ground in the first place. The person she'd bumped into was also sitting in the dirt, her pretty blue dress becoming smudged. Idly, the girl brushed long, light brown hair away from her face.

"Shizuka?" Anzu said, too shocked to say more.

The girl in front of her jolted, unseeing eyes widening. "Anzu?"

Next Chapter: Mind Games