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Jan. 7th, 2006 12:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_goldenpathTitle: Decoration Duty
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Characters: Kaiba Seto, Mutou Yuugi, Yami no Yuugi
Summary: Kaiba Seto reluctantly has to decorate his living room with one of his biggest rivals... well.. big?
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Kaiba Seto was not very much amused. It was bad enough that his younger brother had all but dragged him out of bed –after an evening filled with coffee and boring sales figures- and tugged at his hand to one of the large living rooms in the Kaiba Estate, forcing him to sit down and to listen to his detailed plans for upcoming Christmas.
He should’ve known; his secretary had dutifully warned him about it, yet he still wasn’t prepared for the little typhoon known as his brother when talking about Christmas dinner, presents, decorations. Kaiba clearly didn’t see the joy or the importance of the holidays, but he knew how Mokuba felt about it, so it was a priority to him. Just like previous years, he would call that specific decorator to design not too obtrusive, tasteful and classy ornaments and adornments. He made a mental note as to contact the caterer for a fine Christmas dinner and some sugary treats- he wasn’t about to deny Mokuba anything on this particular holiday.
Kaiba had everything planned out in his head when he realized Mokuba was still talking, and talking about… quite different plans for this year. To his horror, Mokuba told him in one long run-on sentence who was coming to visit the party. It took him no longer than a few seconds to fully dawn the implications of Mokuba’s plans. Decorating the estate by themselves- all right, it would be a pain in the ass, but if Mokuba thought it was great, so be it. Making dinner, also by themselves- with a bit of luck, he could avoid that by calling for some takeout after all, but the rest…? Great, the whole friendship parade is going to swarm all over my estate, Kaiba sourly thought, almost whimpering mentally. Mokuba wanted to invite everyone for a get-together for Christmas, including presents, decorations, dinner… the whole clique hanging around Mutou Yuugi, the one who beat him several times with Duel Monsters, denying him his title of World Champion- he wasn’t so sure if he liked them all over his estate, but he knew that he already had lost this round. Mokuba was looking at him with hopeful eyes and that particular look on his face that made it difficult, if not impossible, to refuse him, so Kaiba gave his approval, even though it was while gritting his teeth.
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Christmas Eve had arrived and Kaiba had grumpily received the whole ‘clan’, as he was referring to them grudgingly, at his mansion. He wasn’t about to be all happy and friendly just because it was Christmas- the meaning of the holiday went past him anyway. If only Mokuba was satisfied and happy, then it would be perfect. He didn’t want to look at the boxes filled with decorations. Mokuba stepped on one of them, giving out orders as if he was a tiny general. He was quite excited about having so many people around him, giving Kaiba a small pain in the chest, reminding him that Mokuba, in fact, had been quite lonely with the past Christmas holidays. He ignored the rest standing around his little brother, listening to him. He’d already seen Yuugi, the boy was rather hard to miss with his extravagant hair. The King of Games was standing in-between his best friends, Jounouchi and Anzu, and wearing that hunk of gold around his neck. Kaiba snorted, not too loudly though, but he was easily drowned out as the others cheerfully agreed to Mokuba’s designation of teams to decorate the estate.
“Nii-sama, will you take this box for the living room, and take Yuugi-kun with you?”
He had only a brief moment to cast a begging glance at his little brother, before Yuugi all but latched on his arm, the box already in his hands. “Come on, Kaiba-kun! We’ll have the living room decorated in no time!”
Kaiba couldn’t care less about the Christmas spirit and he was probably the only one unaffected by Yuugi’s cheerfulness –what was it with Christmas that made people so... bubbly and happy?- while he was walking behind him towards the large living room. The box in Yuugi’s hands jingled and he couldn’t even wrap his mind around what kind of decorations would be in it, and how much time it would cost him to…
“It isn’t the time to be thinking about business now, Kaiba-kun,” Yuugi said suddenly, not admonishingly, but good-natured as usual.
“Spare me your advice, Yuugi,” he bit back, almost growling- even though it was Christmas, he wasn’t going to cut back on his usual snarky comments. Yuugi always managed to irritate him, even though he was nothing but polite and friendly –well, maybe that was why-, but especially when he started talking about magic and his Puzzle. Kaiba couldn’t believe that Yuugi could be so preachy when he wanted to, and go on and on about something so disinteresting, and something as unbelievable as magic and the mysterious, unknown past of the Pharaoh. Ah yes, the famed darker half that helped him in duelling, or rather, took over when duelling, and had the luck of the devil when it came to the Duel Monsters game.
Opening the doors to the living room, Yuugi sneaked under Kaiba’s arm and entered first, holding the box in front of him. Great, Kaiba mentally heaved a sigh. Decoration duty with a midget. Following Yuugi into the room, he kept to his own tactics: to get it over with as quickly as he could, to be over and done with it. The less attention he gave it and the faster he worked, the sooner it was over and out of his system.
Yuugi placed the box almost reverently on the coffee table and opened it, taking out a bunch of garlands and several other decorations. “We better get started, Kaiba-kun! We don’t want the others to wait for us if they’re already finished!”
He only received a disdainful snort- Kaiba couldn’t care less if others had to wait, and certainly if it were those others- that peace and friendship loving hippie clan.
Grabbing some of the decorations, he went to work, using his height to his advantage when it came to applying the garlands. He shook his head to get rid of the glitters that fell onto his hair and was slightly surprised that Yuugi hadn’t uttered another word after he’d opened the box. Kaiba glanced over at him, but he had his back turned to him, creating a decoration piece with candles. Shrugging, he continued with his own decoration work, wondering why the silence wasn’t as comfortable as he thought.
“What is this?”
Kaiba hadn’t noticed he was so caught up in his decoration duty –even if it was something as pitiful as decoration, he still wanted perfection-, that Yuugi had went over to the box to pick up the apparent last item- a bunch of soft, woody plants with dark green, oval foliage and white berries.
“That’s mistletoe,” Kaiba provided him the answer, mentally groaning. What was Mokuba thinking by having mistletoe in the living room? Did he want a kiss and make out party or something?
“What does one do with mistletoe?”
He arched his eyebrows, slightly taken aback by the question. “You hang it from the ceiling, of course,” he all but snarled, not understanding why Yuugi pretended not to know what to do with it. “It’s tradition to kiss under the mistletoe.”
“Really? Well, we better get it up, then,” he answered, amusement clear in his voice. Kaiba scowled, not in the mood for the other’s quip. However, the mistletoe was the last of the decorations, so the work was finished after this one, and that was a slightly better prospect. If only the ceiling wasn’t that high… even with his height, Kaiba couldn’t reach it. “We need some steps or a ladder to get it on the ceiling,” he stated the obvious.
“I will see if the others have a ladder,” the other offered, and turned towards the door. Kaiba estimated the difference in height and the distance between him and the ceiling. He doubted that there were ladders available, the only ones he could think of were in the large garden shed, and it would take at least an hour to get it… an hour he didn’t want to spend waiting, and worse, in Yuugi’s company.
“Wait,” he barked, taking slight satisfaction at seeing the other freezing at his command, only to turn around and send him a glare that was enough to chill one to the bone. Kaiba didn’t show that it affected him –only slightly, of course-, and pointed to the ceiling. “If I give you a boost, you can hang it up on there. You only have to hook it on the lamp, right there, and it’s done.”
He looked at Kaiba, then to the ceiling, and back to Kaiba again. “Are you sure? That would mean we would be very close, under the mistletoe.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Kaiba was quick to answer, using the same barking tone in his voice. “I don’t want to spend any more time at this stupid decoration thing then necessary. Come on, we’ll be finished in less than five minutes. You didn’t want to keep the others waiting, remember?”
“Fine,” was his only answer, and he shrugged slightly. He walked over to Kaiba, who was impatiently waiting for him to hurry up. Scowling at the impressive height difference, he took off his shoes and plucked the mistletoe out of Kaiba’s hands.
“All right, lift me up.”
Kaiba groaned, not really wanting to do this and hoping that no one would bust into the room. He laced his fingers together, watching how Yuugi stepped onto them, and he lifted him up, mentally amazed at the other’s slight weight. Yuugi leaned against him with his knee against his chest, and moved up his hands to attach the mistletoe to the lamp. Kaiba looked the other way, as the Sennen Puzzle the other was wearing poked him in the chin- he should’ve asked him to remove that stupid thing. Hmm, he’d never known that Yuugi smelled so... spicy, and that was a thought he immediately banned. Dear God, he really was taking his sweet time to hang up some stupid leaves at a stupid lamp.
“Are you ready yet?”
“Yes, I am ready,” was the answer, again with that amused tone. Kaiba growled, noticing that he subconsciously had lowered Yuugi despite his slight weight and when he turned his head again, he was almost face to face with him, Yuugi a little higher up than him.
Why wasn’t he lowering him more? Why didn’t Yuugi step out of his hands and… and what? Kaiba searched for something to say, but for one time in his life, he hadn’t a comment or reply ready. Even worse, every rational thought was cut off as his lips were touched, brushed, captured into a kiss. He was so baffled that he parted his lips in response, and Kaiba Seto was kissed by his arch enemy in Duel Monsters, someone he didn’t consider a friend or an ally, someone he differed so much from that he couldn’t wrap his mind around it that he enjoyed the kiss, more than he’d care to admit… but the touch and the pressure on his lips was gone, and so was the weight on his fingers. Gaping like a fish, Kaiba blinked a few times to get everything back into focus again. Yuugi was putting on his shoes, and talking about how well the decorations had turned out and see? Kaiba had enjoyed putting up the decorations, and how Christmas was going to be great and all, together with everyone and their best friend…
Looking up, Kaiba saw the mistletoe dangling from the lamp, neatly attached, and for no reason at all, he took a step back, almost hurriedly. Yuugi caught his movement, and started to laugh. “Kaiba-kun! It’s not like I’m going to kiss you! We’re finished here; let’s see how the others have done their decorations! It’s going to be so neat!”
He refrained from gawking at the other, smaller duellist, and managed to maintain his usual demeanour while he was leaving the living room with Yuugi, stealing glances at the other. It couldn’t be… I don’t believe… Kaiba was silent, and for once he was thankful that the other was filling up the gaps in the conversation with easy chatter and banter, until they found Mokuba again, with the list of chores in his hand.
“Nii-sama! How did the decoration go?” He beamed at his elder brother. “You’re early to finish! Did you use everything from the box?”
“Yes, we did,” Yuugi answered before Kaiba could. “He even managed to hang up the mistletoe! …and took a large step backwards!” he continued giddily, lowering his voice as if telling a large secret, even though everyone, and certainly Kaiba, was close enough to hear.
Kaiba looked at his younger brother, whose mischievous look was more than obvious.
“Did you manage that all by yourself, nii-sama?”
“No,” Kaiba was quick to answer, but sounding less harsh than usual. Mokuba knew how high the ceiling was in the living room and he’d never lied to his younger brother before. “I had a little help.”
“Excellent,” Mokuba said and scratched “decoration duty” off the list. Kaiba glared at him, but Mokuba either didn’t notice or was brooding on new plans. Knowing him, it would be brooding on new plans and Kaiba Seto knew that there were more moments like these in store for him- and when he was looking over at Yuugi, who was standing next to him, a smile on his face and contentment radiating off of him, he admitted to himself that he wouldn’t mind. He wouldn’t mind at all.
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Title: As the moment nears
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Characters: Mazaki Anzu & Yami no Yuugi
Summary: Anzu and Yami no Yuugi have a personal, emotional talk before his impending leave to Egypt.
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If there was any other familiar sight than Mutou Solomon sweeping the pavement in front of his game shop, Mazaki Anzu wouldn’t know it. For as long as she could remember, for as long as she picked up Yuugi for walking together to school, she had seen the elderly man sweeping, keeping the environment impeccable clean for his customers. He would always greet her first, leer at her a little before laughing good-naturedly and yelling for Yuugi to come down.
Today wasn’t any different, even though it wasn’t a school day, but a Saturday. Anzu hurriedly crossed the street, making her way over to the store. Yuugi’s grandfather had his back turned to her, but for his old age the man had an excellent hearing- and indeed, when she approached him, he turned around, bright smile plastered on his face.
“Anzu-chan! Are you going on a date with Yuugi?”
She laughed, as that was exactly the same thing he would ask her on a Saturday, not on any other day- she didn’t know why. She hardly realized her laugh ended a little bitterly, as it wasn’t Yuugi she wanted to go out on a date with. It made her feel horribly guilty, and a bad friend to boot. Ever since she heard that voice... no, his voice, she knew her heart belonged to him, and that wasn’t Yuugi, but his other self.
Before she could answer the question, he beamed at her. “Go in, go in! Yuugi is waiting for you!”
“Thank you, jii-chan,” she mumbled before quickly entering the store, glad that at least now he didn’t leer at her. Even though he seemed very cheerful, there was something… an extra line in his face, a little bit of clouded trouble in his look. What could it be?
It was this sinking feeling in her gut, she knew it. Her purse felt heavy despite its light content, and her heart pounded in her chest- it wasn’t fluttering because of tender feelings, but beating with fear… dreading what was coming. Anzu climbed the stairs, calling out Yuugi’s name before she realized it, and hearing the familiar “I’m over here, Anzu-chan!” from his attic room in return. It brought a sad smile to her lips. So familiar and yet so... alienating. One day, this would be all different, and that day seemed to be arriving sooner than anyone of them thought.
“Yuugi?” She knocked politely, as the door was only half open. Not awaiting his answer, she pushed the door further open, and the first thing she saw was the suitcase on the bed. No… no, not yet, please…!
He turned around to face her, holding a small stack of shirts in his hands. He beamed at her in the same way his grandfather did; an open, friendly, trusting face, the face of a good, dear friend. “Anzu-chan, come on in!”
“You’re busy,” she simply said, not knowing for the first time how to exactly open the conversation. He halted mid-movement, the stack of shirts still in his arms. His smile was warm, but had a hint of sadness to it as well. Sad. I hate to see him sad, just as he hates seeing me sad. God, why are we hurting so much already?
“It’s inevitable,” he finally said, his voice low and not uplifting and cheerful as she was used from him. Anzu suppressed a sigh, knowing that he was right. It was inevitable. For everything they’d been through, they’d always known that there would come an end to their adventures: the search for the name of his other self, the other Yuugi, the millennia old spirit that dwelled in the Sennen Puzzle, an upside-down shaped golden pyramid dangling from her friend’s neck. Why was it that she had fallen in love with him, the second she had heard his confident, strong voice, and not with Yuugi himself? What did his other have that he didn’t, while they weren’t that different? She watched him putting the shirts into the suitcase, suddenly all silent. That wasn’t like Yuugi at all, and she mustered up a smile.
“It’s going to be exciting… the flight… the country, and who knows what and who we’ll encounter…”
Anzu saw him smiling as well, while he was still arranging the shirts in the fairly large suitcase. Egypt was the key in discovering the name of his other half, the nameless Pharaoh who once sacrificed his life for his people, his nation, and his country, to seal the darkness away. Was it his courage, his selflessness? If there was one person selfless, it was Yuugi. So why did she fall head over heels for the other one, and not for him?
“I…” don’t want you to go. “I hope you’ll find... whatever it is you need in Egypt.”
“I hope so too, Anzu-chan.” His hands were still on the shirts, rearranging them again in the suitcase. He wasn’t looking at her, which was more than enough for her to know that he really didn’t know what to say. He always looked at her when talking, always. She realized it was difficult for him too- he was about to face the trip to Egypt alone, as no one really had the money to go along with him. Anzu bit her lower lip- with a bit of luck, she could tap into her savings account and buy a ticket to accompany him… but would it do her any good? What if she saw him leave, instead of Yuugi?
“Yuugi-kun…” All those years, and still they hadn’t given each other the privilege of calling each other with only their first name. It was a distance, a very small distance, but still a distance. She bit her lower lip again, debating whether she would tell him about her savings or not. She didn’t want him to go, both of them… fearing what would happen to her when he would come back alone.
“Anzu,” he answered, and it was not the omission of the honorific that immediately caught her attention. His voice was lower, confident, bordering on arrogance, and held the commanding tone she was used of him… the same commanding tone that had captured her heart, ordering it to fall in love with him. She smiled, thanking whatever deity that she didn’t blush easily, so she could look him right in the eyes. Crimson red eyes, ancient eyes, eyes that always looked back unabashedly, and she still didn’t know if he felt the same for her or not.
She didn’t want to know. If he returned the feelings, it would be of no avail… his place was not in this time, not even in Yuugi’s body. He was a spirit, a floating soul without a name, and a Pharaoh of a long forgotten past, only to live again in history books. “You’re leaving, right?”
“Yes, Anzu, I am leaving.”
“When?”
He turned around, picking up a small white folder, and opened it, taking out a piece of paper and looked at it.
“Coming Wednesday,” he answered her, before putting it carefully away again. She refrained from letting out another sigh. This weekend… they could spend this weekend together. It was merely a delay, but at least it was some more time. No. She reminded herself that she didn’t want to know. It was inevitable. He had no place in this world; despite the good friend he was, despite what she wished, prayed for, longed for, that he could be more than just a friend. Inevitable.
Strange that Yuugi and his other self were so alike- well, it wasn’t that strange of course, if you were two halves of the same soul, she thought. Still, he didn’t look at her either, as if searching for words, and not knowing what to say. He had faced enemies, madmen, difficult duels… but he didn’t dare looking her straight in the eyes, because he knew what would come. Anzu kept smiling, not realizing that sadness and resignation started to shine through.
“Wait,” she suddenly said, slipping her purse from her shoulder and opening it. Wait… wait until forever, not to leave. Don’t leave me. She didn’t know why she had grabbed it with her this morning, and she had thought about it all the way to the Game Shop. It was something silly, something girlish, and he certainly would think she was ditzy. Anzu searched through the contents of her purse, suddenly pulling something out. Now he was looking at her, more at the purse and what she was taking out, and his eyes only widened slightly in surprise.
“I want you to have this,” she said, smiling and shrugging at the same time, as if it wasn’t important at all. He was mostly just as polite as Yuugi, and would accept the small gift, if it could be called a gift. She didn’t care at the moment if he’d throw it away the second after, as long as she wasn’t seeing it. She did want him to have this, this very small token.
“This is yours, Anzu,” he suddenly said, voice even lower than she was used from him. A little bit of surprise, a little bit of awe, and something she couldn’t recognize sounded through in his voice and she finally looked up as well.
“I want you to have this,” she repeated, not caring if he thought she was a love-struck girl. It was inevitable, and maybe… maybe what they had was so short, that he would forget anyway. But he had remembered, or did remember, that it was once hers.
“You wore this at the restaurant,” he finally commented. Anzu couldn’t help but snicker; only Yuugi’s other half would name a thirteen-in-a-dozen fast food joint as Burger World a ‘restaurant’.
“It’s just something silly,” she finally said, not knowing what else to say. If she was feeling this awkward already, how would things go when he wouldn’t return? When Yuugi was simply Yuugi again? Mustering up her courage, she looked him straight in the eyes. Her best friend wouldn’t suffer under her silly feelings, and she would rather do something drastic herself than hurting him. They’ve been through so much to let it all be destroyed by something… inevitable.
“It is not.” His voice jerked her out of her thoughts, and she gave him an almost startled look.
“What?”
“It is not,” he repeated, his eyes showing gratitude. “Thank you, Anzu.”
Her smile was weak, but it was there. She saw it with her own eyes how he put it in the suitcase as well, lying it on top of the stack of shirts as if he was cherishing something invaluable. It was just a simple thing, a simple nothing. She would never miss it, and he would always have it with him. It was the yellow ribbon she’d worn while working at the Burger World, and he had remembered it, the one and only day he had seen her wearing it.
Inevitable.
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Title: Through Virgin Eyes
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: Otogi Ryuuji & Yami no Yuugi
Summary: Otogi is quite surprised to learn that Yami no Yuugi has never seen snow before, and his eyes are opened to something else as well.
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Otogi turned around in his large bed and moaned loudly against his pillow; he was reminded rather harshly of his splitting headache and a vile taste in his mouth.
“Uhh… never again...” he mumbled, knowing very well that was a lie- he always told himself not to get drunk, or not to drink as much as he did, on a party, and he always ended up the same- naked in bed, his hair a total mess, his eyes bloodshot, and his breath something everybody would be running away from. Shower, mint breath, lots of strong coffee… now.
He rolled over in the bed, vaguely expecting someone to lie next to him in a similar state or worse- he was the one of the friend’s circle to hold his liquor the best. Yuugi had been out after one small glass of wine to everybody’s great amusement, and Bakura was the same, only he managed to finish a larger glass. Jounouchi, Honda and he himself were the ‘best’ drinkers, and Jounouchi came closer to out-drinking him each and every year.
There was no one lying beside him, and it surprised and annoyed him, someone. Otogi was used to having the girls, and sometimes guys, standing in line for him, and he could count the nights he’d spent alone on one hand. It wasn’t always about sex, and he wasn’t as stupid as to jump into the sack with everyone available. He valued his good name and reputation too much for that, and he knew that was an empty lifestyle anyway. Still, from everyone of the group he was the one to be in a relationship most of the time; deep in his heart, he just didn’t want to be alone. He went a 100% for his girlfriend, or occasionally boyfriend, but somehow he didn’t succeed in making it everlasting.
Fumbling around –where was the darn door?- Otogi finally found a couple of towels, pressing it against his body as if he found a goldmine. Shower, delicious shower… God, the taste in his mouth made him throw up. He had no idea what time it was and he carefully pulled at the curtain, lifting a piece of fabric up. It was very bright outside, and he squinted his eyes against the sun. Hmm, a cold but bright day… and it had snowed. Neat! He grinned. He loved these pre-Christmas parties; if there was snow, there’d be a snow fight later, especially with Jounouchi involved. Still grinning, he wanted to close the curtain, but his eye caught something… or rather, someone standing outside in the snow. He didn’t need a second look to identify the person; there was only one in Domino City, and probably in Japan and the whole wide world, with that kind of hair. “Sheesh Yuugi, you’re up early,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Owww…” Bad move. Softly cursing his bad headache, Otogi made his way over to the shower.
One shower and three breath mints later, he felt a little bit better again; the headache would go away eventually and he had nothing planned for today anyway. He knew by experience that after a party like this, it would be futile to plan something- he’d need the whole day to recover. It was turning into a tradition by now to hold a pre-Christmas party with the circle of friends, before they were going to visit their respective family on the holiday itself. Otogi dressed, complimenting himself for not forgetting a change of clothes this year, and pulled away the curtains completely now- the sun still too bright for his taste, and… Yuugi was still standing outside, ankle deep into the snow. What the hell is he doing? Even though the sun is shining, it’s pretty darn cold outside. He must be standing for over an hour now, and god knows how long he was standing there before I saw him. Boggled, Otogi went out of his room into the kitchen. Anzu was already up as well, pointing wordlessly at the pot of coffee. He helped himself to a mug, not paying too much attention to the girl- judging from her state; she wasn’t feeling all too fancy herself. She’d had probably too much of those mix drinks, not realizing the alcohol in those pretty much added up faster than she’d thought.
The hot liquid ran through his body, but he knew better than to expect it to miraculously cure his headache or his hung over, and Otogi went with the coffee mug in his hand to the living room, thoughts a little jumbled. Jounouchi was lying on the couch, completely in zombie state; whenever he’d wake up, he’d curse louder than anyone else. Honda was curled up in a sleeping bag on the floor, snoring. One dark blue sleeping bag and an extra blanket were neatly folded lying in the corner of the room, reminding Otogi of Yuugi. Trust him to be the only one to neatly fold his sleeping gear, he thought amusedly. Usually, Otogi would open the curtains in the living room and rile Honda and Jounouchi with the bright light and calling out to them to wake up, but he wasn’t feeling like it for some obscure reason. In stead, he put his empty mug down and went to the hallway, taking his coat, scarf and gloves.
After dressing up in warm winter gear, Otogi opened the door and peeked outside. Yuugi was still standing in the garden, his back turned towards him. Wondering, Otogi went outside himself, walking through the thick layer of snow. The only other trail in the snow was Yuugi’s footsteps; it was a virgin white landscape, and a beautiful sight to see. Approaching the smaller boy, Otogi called out to him.
“Something the matter, Yuugi-kun? You’re standing here as if you’ve never seen snow before!”
He turned his head into Otogi’s direction and the other opened his mouth to say something again, but shut it immediately. He’d been around Yuugi enough to know about his other, the one dwelling in that piece of gold, the Sennen Puzzle, dangling from his neck, the one who lived and died so many years… no, millennia ago… and this wasn’t Yuugi. Otogi didn’t understand why everyone had so much trouble distinguishing between those two. Everyone would complain that it was hard to see which one was which, but Otogi never had any problem with it. It was the eyes. If anything, Mutou Yuugi didn’t have slanted, crimson red eyes, that bore through your soul, right into your very core and giving you the feeling that you were being judged… in good ways or in bad ways.
“I have never seen snow before,” he simply answered. His voice was lower than Yuugi’s as well, but that was harder to distinguish, something Otogi was willing to admit. But the eyes… so much difference was to see in their eyes. How could anyone look at them and not see the difference in their eyes? The Pharaoh had a regal posture to the very last of his every pore, and his eyes held the same attitude, while Yuugi’s eyes were wide, open, trusting, a book for everyone to read. His other’s eyes were like a vault- locked, and tough to break open. Yet, at this moment, there was something of… awe in them. At this very moment, they were readable: awe for this weather condition that he, used to the sands of Egypt, had never seen before, a hint of uncertainty as he never had seen this before, and... fragility. Otogi realized that, because this was all new to him, he didn’t know how to handle it- he caught the Pharaoh in a very rare, self-doubting moment.
“Didn’t Yuugi tell you about this… phenomenon?” He asked, not knowing why he had lowered his voice to a whispering tone.
“But of course,” he answered, “aibou has told me about the cold and now, but seeing it for myself is just different.” The moment had passed already- his voice held the usual self-confidence, and his eyes were ‘locked’ again when he looked at Otogi, lips curved into a small smile. Otogi didn’t know why he suddenly lamented the passing of that moment, those few seconds the other almost seemed open to him. He returned the smile out of politeness and nodded.
“It must be really something to see this with… a fresh look,” he said, not knowing exactly what to say. “I’ve seen snow so often I just don’t give it a second thought.”
“It’s a marvellous sight,” the other acknowledged, “I want to see it as long as possible.”
“Don’t worry,” Otogi reassured him, “according to the weather forecasts, we’ll be seeing lots of it for the next few days.”
He simply nodded his head, accepting the news with his usual calm composure. “I will enjoy the sight, then.”
Otogi was once again at a loss for words; out of everyone he knew, the other Yuugi was the only one to talk in sentences that left very little to answer or to comment to.
“If you don’t mind… I will enjoy the sight with you.”
A slight surprise was visible for the briefest of seconds, before he nodded his head again, as if granting permission. “As you wish.”
He wasn’t sure why he said he wanted to enjoy the sight with the other. As he said before, he’d seen snow so often already, each and every year, and now he was standing outside in the cold, looking at all the whiteness around him- on trees, roads, rooftops, cars, mailboxes… looking at it in a whole new light, and it was as if his eyes were opened, just simply looking at something he really never had seen before. Beauty.
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Title: The perfect recipe
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Characters: Jounouchi Shizuka, Mazaki Anzu
Summary: For her date with Otogi, Shizuka tries to bake him the perfect cookies, but not with much success, until she gets help.
For as long as she could remember, she wanted to learn how to bake as perfect as her mother. She was the only one who could bake a cake, a pie, bread or cookies with nothing but a perfect result- tasty, crunchy, a golden glaze, excellent structure. Whenever her mother baked, the kitchen would be filled with a heavenly scent, and she could do nothing but to wait until her mother pulled her perfect baking out of the oven before a mouth-watering taste.
Jounouchi Shizuka wasn’t about to allow herself to get down by this. One day, she’d achieve the perfect baking herself, but as she was glaring at the ingredients, the large bowls, some spoons and the cookbook, she decided that today was not that day. She huffed, blowing some stray strands of hair out of her face. Why oh why couldn’t she succeed? She tried before, and she’d only managed to burn or to mutilate her baking beyond recognition. Frustrated, she picked up the bowl again, cradling it into her arms as if it was a wee baby, and started stirring the batter again, muttering under her breath.
The doorbell rang, but she wasn’t expecting any company and immediately assumed it was for her mother, who she heard walking to the door to answer it. Shizuka refused to ask for help, wanting to achieve maximum result on her own, and her mother had, after smiling at her daughter, retreated wisely to the living room to catch up on reading magazines this lazy Saturday afternoon. While she was stirring the batter, eyes fixed on the appropriate page in the cookbook, she suddenly heard her name being called out.
“Shizuka-chan?”
Looking up, a bright smile showed on her face. “Anzu-chan!”
The other girl ventured into the kitchen, smiling as well. She put her purse on the table, away from the display of ingredients and cookware. Curiously, Shizuka looked at her- Anzu was a good friend, and a veritable source of good advice. If anything, Shizuka longed to be as independent and determined as she was; it was no secret anymore that Anzu had high goals, to become a dancer and study for it in New York, saving every yen for it since she was a small kid.
“It’s your big night tonight,” Anzu said, winking at her and smiling. Shizuka blushed. It was just a simple date with Otogi Ryuuji, but her circle of friends found it very amusing somehow; she knew Otogi and Honda had been ‘chasing’ her ever since she was released from the hospital after her eye surgery, but she hadn’t given both of them any chance until… until everything was over, concerning Yuugi and his mysterious Sennen Puzzle. She still hardly understood the half from what was going on, but it had changed the circle of friends- to an even tighter unit, caring and looking after each other. Shizuka wasn’t sure if it was suffocating or comforting. In any case, her date with Otogi wasn’t a secret anymore either, and Anzu was probably here to give her advice or something.
“Do you know what you want to wear, or are you going to buy something new? We still have time to shop for something, and I’ll help you with your hair and make-up, so you’ll look extra pretty tonight.” Anzu smiled, opening her purse and taking out a make-up set, looking for a spot to lie it down. The table was covered with baking equipment and the large cookbook.
“What are you baking anyway?” she asked with curiosity in her voice.
Shizuka sighed and put the bowl down. “Gingerbread cookies,” she answered. “I want to surprise Otogi-san.”
Anzu moved her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, making it look like she was thinking. It was typically Shizuka to think that something self-made would be hopelessly romantic to give to her date- and of course, it was very endearing and Anzu was sure that Otogi would appreciate it… but gingerbread cookies?
“Anything I can do to help you before I start prettifying you?” She offered, noticing that Shizuka was a little heated by the whole baking thing. The large bowl she cradled almost protectively to her chest showed Anzu the rather thick batter. She wasn’t really sure how to give advice on that one- she could hardly bake herself and didn’t have much interest in it, but Shizuka probably didn’t add enough milk to it, as it was rather chunky looking.
“I don’t know what I did wrong, it always goes like this! I want to give Otogi-san his cookies tonight!”
Anzu laughed, delighted by Shizuka’s romantic-inclined determination, only slightly ruined by her frazzled look and the flour in her hair. “Shizuka-chan, don’t worry! I’m sure it’ll turn out all right.”
“Even if it does, I’m probably going to burn it in the oven anyway,” she muttered under her breath. Angrily pointing at the cookbook, she all but snarled: “And it’s supposed to be easy! Easy!”
“Tell me what you did and I’ll take a look at it,” Anzu said, using a reassuring tone in her voice. “You’re going to take a shower, and when you’re done, you’ll call me and I’ll do your hair and make-up.”
Shizuka’s cheeks coloured a little red, obviously embarrassed about it. “I followed the recipe to the letter and I didn’t want to ask my mother for advice. I’m supposed to be able to do it myself…”
Anzu walked around the table, putting her hand on the bowl and slowly taking it out of Shizuka’s arm, putting it on the table. “You. Are going to take a shower, now. You have flour in your hair, and you look all flustered. We want you prim and pristine tonight, remember? For your date. Let me take care of this while you go clean yourself up, all right?”
“B-but Anzu-chan…”
“Go,” the elder girl nudged Shizuka to the kitchen door, “warm water and soap awaits you. Don’t forget to put on a nice perfume. I’ll be with you when you’re ready.”
With one last, quizzically look, Shizuka finally left the kitchen, leaving a small trail of flour behind her. Anzu continued to smile- Shizuka just had that effect on her. Like a younger sister and a hopelessly romantic friend in one… if Otogi would break her heart, she would break his arms.
Heaving a sigh, Anzu turned toward the bowl and examined the chunky batter. Bah, why didn’t she know a thing about baking, and why did she promise Shizuka to take care of it? The only time there was anything remote to a pastry in the Mazaki household, it was bought at the bakery or supermarket. Hesitantly, she picked up the carton of milk- she knew enough to see that too little liquid was added to the mixture- and tilted it a little to add.
“Not too much,” a warm, female voice told her, and she gasped, startled. Anzu hadn’t heard Shizuka’s mother come into the kitchen, and now her cheeks tinted a little red.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the elder woman said, and took the milk from her gently, taking up the large spoon with her other hand. “Adding too much liquid in one time won’t do the batter any good… here, like this…” With a routine build up in the course of years of much baking, she added milk to the batter, stirring with the spoon, adding some again and stirring again, until the dough was taking a nice form.
Anzu watched Shizuka’s mother at work, taking out the dough from the bowl and rolling it out on a clean and lightly floured plate, every motion a sign of her experience, as she wasn’t looking at the cookbook. “Would you hand me the cookie cutters, Anzu-san, or do you want to cut them yourself?”
She picked up the cookie cutters from the kitchen table and smiled at the other woman. “I’d like to cut them myself.”
“I’ll pre-heat the oven.”
Anzu busied herself cutting out the cookies, listening once in a while if the shower had stopped running. Shizuka would be ready any moment now, and she had a lot of work to do- not that Shizuka wasn’t pretty of herself, or needed lots of make-up; it was her long hair, for which Anzu had one of the greatest ideas to make her look extra beautiful. The braiding and the style would take some time, but the result would be worth it.
Placing the cookies on the plate, Shizuka’s mother nodded, and shooed Anzu out of the kitchen. “They’ll be ready in ten minutes, but I know they’re not for you, but for a nice young man who’ll take my daughter out tonight. I’ll make sure they’re in a box when you’re ready to leave.”
Anzu thanked her and left the kitchen, purse and make-up set in hand. She met Shizuka in the hallway, wrapped in towels, with her hand on the doorknob for her bedroom door.
“Anzu-chan..? My cookies?”
“They’re in the best of hands,” Anzu answered her, nodding to the door, holding up the make-up set. Shizuka scowled a little, knowing that her mother had finished the baking. “I wish that I…”
“Get inside, Shizuka-chan,” the elder girl wasn’t about to let her finish, “you have plenty of time to reach perfection in your baking… and in applying your make-up and braiding your hair, but for now, let your friend and your mother give you a helping hand, all right?” She gave her a joyful wink, and Shizuka giggled. Sure, there would be a day that she would present Otogi or any other date her perfect baking, just like her mother, but today was not the day. She resigned, and took place on a stool while Anzu hovered over her to start combing her hair, and gave into the pampering. After all, pampering was good and she was in good hands… closing her eyes to fully enjoy the treatment, she already smelled the gingerbread cookies, the delicious scent reaching her nose. Just perfect.
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Title: A Golden View
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: (implied) Yami no Yuugi x Mutouh Yuugi
Summary: Yuugi reflects on his bond with the Spirit of the Sennen Puzzle.
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It lies right in front of me. It’s gold, it’s large, and it’s rather heavy, though I find the weight comforting. I can’t imagine a day without carrying it around, I can’t imagine a day without it dangling from my neck. It’s the Sennen Puzzle, a holy Item whose creation remains a mystery to me. My grandfather gave it to me, and it took me eight years to assemble it. When I put in the last piece, lying on the floor as I had been knocked down and beaten by the school bully, Ushio, I only wished for one thing. Friends.
You came with the Puzzle. How did you know how to emerge, when to rush to my side, and come to my aid? You were there, suddenly, and you overtook my soul, merging it, morphing into something other than me- an improved version of yourself, or did you pick out the character traits you want to see reflected in me? I’m not mad at you. On the contrary. No, not mad at you at all. You changed my life, you brought me friends, you are my friend. I can see you, I can see right through you, because you’re a spirit, a former Pharaoh, who gave his life for his nation and people to seal the darkness away. Maybe you’ll leave me one day, maybe you’ll stay. Whatever it is that you decide, I’ve learned a lot from you. I know I have a somewhat naïve look at things, and that I’m too trusting sometimes. It’s just that I can’t muster up the energy to look at things in a dark, pessimistic way. I don’t want to keep up an attitude that is distrusting, or a look that assumes the worst rather than the best. If there’s someone who needs my help, even though he turned his back on me a mere second before, I’ll extend my hand and give help. That’s who I am.
I think I’m still me, though. I know there are bad things and darkness and hatred in the world. I’m not stupid or dumb. I’m not blind to certain feelings, but I chose to deal with those feelings, instead of ignoring or harbouring them. Your crimson eyes are hard and tough to decipher, but I can read them. I see how you’re looking with them, and I know what you’re expressing with them. I know you, other me, mou hitori no boku. Losing your memories, not knowing your name, it must be hard for you. I’m here for you, just as you were there for me. Trust me, we’re partners, remember?
I need you. I need you to show me where my strength is. I need you to show me who I am- I know who I am, but I need you to show it to me. I think I’m rather lost without you, until I learned how to deal on my own. It feels like you’ve always been in my life, a warm presence inside my head, cradling my mind, whispering in my ear reassuringly. I know you want the best for me, I know you’re protective of me, not because of me being your vessel, your way of interaction with this world unknown to you, but for who I am. I know you like me, and I like you too. I don’t think you realize it, but you’re pretty easy to read when it’s about me.
Gold is a soft precious metal. It can be easily dented, and I wonder how it doesn’t show anything of all the times it has been yanked, dropped, tumbling down. Maybe something is protecting it, as there’s already so much magic that nothing really surprises me any more. It’s heavy, especially with the fairly large chain, but we both found out that a piece of rope wasn’t the right way to tie it around our… my neck. I’m still me, even though I’m wondering if I’m losing myself in you. How much are we alike, and how much are we different? You like gold, you like to wear the Puzzle, you walk with your back and shoulders straightened, the wind ruffling your hair. Alive, and yet not. It makes me feel sad for you- something I never show, because you don’t like being pitied. You’re dead… it’s simple as that and it makes me even more sad. You don’t have a body, you’re not really real.
I wish I could hold you in my arms. Solid, a warm, responding body. I wish you could wrap your arms around me too, and smile at me before kissing me. It’s not fair that this can’t be real, it’s like a curtain between us, that one of us carefully pulls out of the way before entering the real world. Which one is it today? A former Pharaoh, walking with the regal pace, posture composed, voice commanding and gaze stern, or a small high school kid, slouching, with the higher voice and drowned out by the masses? Whenever I voice this to you, you smile and shake your head, and start telling me about confidence, about self-esteem, about value and worth. I can easily mouth the words, but I don’t because I like to hear your voice. I like to see you, I like to hear you, I like you to be real and warm and… needing me.
We never talk about that. Need. Your eyes show me compassion and something akin to understanding, but it’s sometimes sadness and pity as well. Do you pity me, mou hitori no boku? You think you know everything about me, and sometimes you can be pretty harsh in your judgement. I’m not that naïve to know there’s a whole big, bad world outside. I know the difference between fake and real, and it’s just my nature to give anyone a second chance, and to trust and have faith in the goodness of mankind.
Reaching for the puzzle, my fingers curl around the thick chain. It symbolises our bond- we’re bound to each other, the second I put the last piece of the Puzzle in. If you think too much about it, it only boggles the mind- to be brought back to life again after three millennia, or at least conscious enough to be alive, getting thrown into an unknown world, thrown into my body. Yes, I’m your host, your vessel, but I’m also your friend, your partner. It’s not for nothing you refer to me as ‘aibou’. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you calling me by my name. Mutou Yuugi. I’m here for you, you know that. Always.
The chain goes around my neck, and I notice my other hand cups the Puzzle. It’s dear to me, and its value in pure gold would be astounding as its historic significance, but I don’t care about that. It’s your home, and I’ll carry it with me as long as it’s given to me. One day, our roads will part, and before that day comes, I want to talk to you, see you, and hear you often- if only to let you know that thanks to you, I’ve grown and seen where my strength lies, but I still need you. I know about the real world and that not everything is pure gold and beauty… there are lots of frills, tinsel, decorations that are used to mask, to cover real intentions. I just want you by my side. That is all.
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Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Characters: Kaiba Seto, Mutou Yuugi, Yami no Yuugi
Summary: Kaiba Seto reluctantly has to decorate his living room with one of his biggest rivals... well.. big?
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Kaiba Seto was not very much amused. It was bad enough that his younger brother had all but dragged him out of bed –after an evening filled with coffee and boring sales figures- and tugged at his hand to one of the large living rooms in the Kaiba Estate, forcing him to sit down and to listen to his detailed plans for upcoming Christmas.
He should’ve known; his secretary had dutifully warned him about it, yet he still wasn’t prepared for the little typhoon known as his brother when talking about Christmas dinner, presents, decorations. Kaiba clearly didn’t see the joy or the importance of the holidays, but he knew how Mokuba felt about it, so it was a priority to him. Just like previous years, he would call that specific decorator to design not too obtrusive, tasteful and classy ornaments and adornments. He made a mental note as to contact the caterer for a fine Christmas dinner and some sugary treats- he wasn’t about to deny Mokuba anything on this particular holiday.
Kaiba had everything planned out in his head when he realized Mokuba was still talking, and talking about… quite different plans for this year. To his horror, Mokuba told him in one long run-on sentence who was coming to visit the party. It took him no longer than a few seconds to fully dawn the implications of Mokuba’s plans. Decorating the estate by themselves- all right, it would be a pain in the ass, but if Mokuba thought it was great, so be it. Making dinner, also by themselves- with a bit of luck, he could avoid that by calling for some takeout after all, but the rest…? Great, the whole friendship parade is going to swarm all over my estate, Kaiba sourly thought, almost whimpering mentally. Mokuba wanted to invite everyone for a get-together for Christmas, including presents, decorations, dinner… the whole clique hanging around Mutou Yuugi, the one who beat him several times with Duel Monsters, denying him his title of World Champion- he wasn’t so sure if he liked them all over his estate, but he knew that he already had lost this round. Mokuba was looking at him with hopeful eyes and that particular look on his face that made it difficult, if not impossible, to refuse him, so Kaiba gave his approval, even though it was while gritting his teeth.
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Christmas Eve had arrived and Kaiba had grumpily received the whole ‘clan’, as he was referring to them grudgingly, at his mansion. He wasn’t about to be all happy and friendly just because it was Christmas- the meaning of the holiday went past him anyway. If only Mokuba was satisfied and happy, then it would be perfect. He didn’t want to look at the boxes filled with decorations. Mokuba stepped on one of them, giving out orders as if he was a tiny general. He was quite excited about having so many people around him, giving Kaiba a small pain in the chest, reminding him that Mokuba, in fact, had been quite lonely with the past Christmas holidays. He ignored the rest standing around his little brother, listening to him. He’d already seen Yuugi, the boy was rather hard to miss with his extravagant hair. The King of Games was standing in-between his best friends, Jounouchi and Anzu, and wearing that hunk of gold around his neck. Kaiba snorted, not too loudly though, but he was easily drowned out as the others cheerfully agreed to Mokuba’s designation of teams to decorate the estate.
“Nii-sama, will you take this box for the living room, and take Yuugi-kun with you?”
He had only a brief moment to cast a begging glance at his little brother, before Yuugi all but latched on his arm, the box already in his hands. “Come on, Kaiba-kun! We’ll have the living room decorated in no time!”
Kaiba couldn’t care less about the Christmas spirit and he was probably the only one unaffected by Yuugi’s cheerfulness –what was it with Christmas that made people so... bubbly and happy?- while he was walking behind him towards the large living room. The box in Yuugi’s hands jingled and he couldn’t even wrap his mind around what kind of decorations would be in it, and how much time it would cost him to…
“It isn’t the time to be thinking about business now, Kaiba-kun,” Yuugi said suddenly, not admonishingly, but good-natured as usual.
“Spare me your advice, Yuugi,” he bit back, almost growling- even though it was Christmas, he wasn’t going to cut back on his usual snarky comments. Yuugi always managed to irritate him, even though he was nothing but polite and friendly –well, maybe that was why-, but especially when he started talking about magic and his Puzzle. Kaiba couldn’t believe that Yuugi could be so preachy when he wanted to, and go on and on about something so disinteresting, and something as unbelievable as magic and the mysterious, unknown past of the Pharaoh. Ah yes, the famed darker half that helped him in duelling, or rather, took over when duelling, and had the luck of the devil when it came to the Duel Monsters game.
Opening the doors to the living room, Yuugi sneaked under Kaiba’s arm and entered first, holding the box in front of him. Great, Kaiba mentally heaved a sigh. Decoration duty with a midget. Following Yuugi into the room, he kept to his own tactics: to get it over with as quickly as he could, to be over and done with it. The less attention he gave it and the faster he worked, the sooner it was over and out of his system.
Yuugi placed the box almost reverently on the coffee table and opened it, taking out a bunch of garlands and several other decorations. “We better get started, Kaiba-kun! We don’t want the others to wait for us if they’re already finished!”
He only received a disdainful snort- Kaiba couldn’t care less if others had to wait, and certainly if it were those others- that peace and friendship loving hippie clan.
Grabbing some of the decorations, he went to work, using his height to his advantage when it came to applying the garlands. He shook his head to get rid of the glitters that fell onto his hair and was slightly surprised that Yuugi hadn’t uttered another word after he’d opened the box. Kaiba glanced over at him, but he had his back turned to him, creating a decoration piece with candles. Shrugging, he continued with his own decoration work, wondering why the silence wasn’t as comfortable as he thought.
“What is this?”
Kaiba hadn’t noticed he was so caught up in his decoration duty –even if it was something as pitiful as decoration, he still wanted perfection-, that Yuugi had went over to the box to pick up the apparent last item- a bunch of soft, woody plants with dark green, oval foliage and white berries.
“That’s mistletoe,” Kaiba provided him the answer, mentally groaning. What was Mokuba thinking by having mistletoe in the living room? Did he want a kiss and make out party or something?
“What does one do with mistletoe?”
He arched his eyebrows, slightly taken aback by the question. “You hang it from the ceiling, of course,” he all but snarled, not understanding why Yuugi pretended not to know what to do with it. “It’s tradition to kiss under the mistletoe.”
“Really? Well, we better get it up, then,” he answered, amusement clear in his voice. Kaiba scowled, not in the mood for the other’s quip. However, the mistletoe was the last of the decorations, so the work was finished after this one, and that was a slightly better prospect. If only the ceiling wasn’t that high… even with his height, Kaiba couldn’t reach it. “We need some steps or a ladder to get it on the ceiling,” he stated the obvious.
“I will see if the others have a ladder,” the other offered, and turned towards the door. Kaiba estimated the difference in height and the distance between him and the ceiling. He doubted that there were ladders available, the only ones he could think of were in the large garden shed, and it would take at least an hour to get it… an hour he didn’t want to spend waiting, and worse, in Yuugi’s company.
“Wait,” he barked, taking slight satisfaction at seeing the other freezing at his command, only to turn around and send him a glare that was enough to chill one to the bone. Kaiba didn’t show that it affected him –only slightly, of course-, and pointed to the ceiling. “If I give you a boost, you can hang it up on there. You only have to hook it on the lamp, right there, and it’s done.”
He looked at Kaiba, then to the ceiling, and back to Kaiba again. “Are you sure? That would mean we would be very close, under the mistletoe.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Kaiba was quick to answer, using the same barking tone in his voice. “I don’t want to spend any more time at this stupid decoration thing then necessary. Come on, we’ll be finished in less than five minutes. You didn’t want to keep the others waiting, remember?”
“Fine,” was his only answer, and he shrugged slightly. He walked over to Kaiba, who was impatiently waiting for him to hurry up. Scowling at the impressive height difference, he took off his shoes and plucked the mistletoe out of Kaiba’s hands.
“All right, lift me up.”
Kaiba groaned, not really wanting to do this and hoping that no one would bust into the room. He laced his fingers together, watching how Yuugi stepped onto them, and he lifted him up, mentally amazed at the other’s slight weight. Yuugi leaned against him with his knee against his chest, and moved up his hands to attach the mistletoe to the lamp. Kaiba looked the other way, as the Sennen Puzzle the other was wearing poked him in the chin- he should’ve asked him to remove that stupid thing. Hmm, he’d never known that Yuugi smelled so... spicy, and that was a thought he immediately banned. Dear God, he really was taking his sweet time to hang up some stupid leaves at a stupid lamp.
“Are you ready yet?”
“Yes, I am ready,” was the answer, again with that amused tone. Kaiba growled, noticing that he subconsciously had lowered Yuugi despite his slight weight and when he turned his head again, he was almost face to face with him, Yuugi a little higher up than him.
Why wasn’t he lowering him more? Why didn’t Yuugi step out of his hands and… and what? Kaiba searched for something to say, but for one time in his life, he hadn’t a comment or reply ready. Even worse, every rational thought was cut off as his lips were touched, brushed, captured into a kiss. He was so baffled that he parted his lips in response, and Kaiba Seto was kissed by his arch enemy in Duel Monsters, someone he didn’t consider a friend or an ally, someone he differed so much from that he couldn’t wrap his mind around it that he enjoyed the kiss, more than he’d care to admit… but the touch and the pressure on his lips was gone, and so was the weight on his fingers. Gaping like a fish, Kaiba blinked a few times to get everything back into focus again. Yuugi was putting on his shoes, and talking about how well the decorations had turned out and see? Kaiba had enjoyed putting up the decorations, and how Christmas was going to be great and all, together with everyone and their best friend…
Looking up, Kaiba saw the mistletoe dangling from the lamp, neatly attached, and for no reason at all, he took a step back, almost hurriedly. Yuugi caught his movement, and started to laugh. “Kaiba-kun! It’s not like I’m going to kiss you! We’re finished here; let’s see how the others have done their decorations! It’s going to be so neat!”
He refrained from gawking at the other, smaller duellist, and managed to maintain his usual demeanour while he was leaving the living room with Yuugi, stealing glances at the other. It couldn’t be… I don’t believe… Kaiba was silent, and for once he was thankful that the other was filling up the gaps in the conversation with easy chatter and banter, until they found Mokuba again, with the list of chores in his hand.
“Nii-sama! How did the decoration go?” He beamed at his elder brother. “You’re early to finish! Did you use everything from the box?”
“Yes, we did,” Yuugi answered before Kaiba could. “He even managed to hang up the mistletoe! …and took a large step backwards!” he continued giddily, lowering his voice as if telling a large secret, even though everyone, and certainly Kaiba, was close enough to hear.
Kaiba looked at his younger brother, whose mischievous look was more than obvious.
“Did you manage that all by yourself, nii-sama?”
“No,” Kaiba was quick to answer, but sounding less harsh than usual. Mokuba knew how high the ceiling was in the living room and he’d never lied to his younger brother before. “I had a little help.”
“Excellent,” Mokuba said and scratched “decoration duty” off the list. Kaiba glared at him, but Mokuba either didn’t notice or was brooding on new plans. Knowing him, it would be brooding on new plans and Kaiba Seto knew that there were more moments like these in store for him- and when he was looking over at Yuugi, who was standing next to him, a smile on his face and contentment radiating off of him, he admitted to himself that he wouldn’t mind. He wouldn’t mind at all.
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Title: As the moment nears
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Characters: Mazaki Anzu & Yami no Yuugi
Summary: Anzu and Yami no Yuugi have a personal, emotional talk before his impending leave to Egypt.
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If there was any other familiar sight than Mutou Solomon sweeping the pavement in front of his game shop, Mazaki Anzu wouldn’t know it. For as long as she could remember, for as long as she picked up Yuugi for walking together to school, she had seen the elderly man sweeping, keeping the environment impeccable clean for his customers. He would always greet her first, leer at her a little before laughing good-naturedly and yelling for Yuugi to come down.
Today wasn’t any different, even though it wasn’t a school day, but a Saturday. Anzu hurriedly crossed the street, making her way over to the store. Yuugi’s grandfather had his back turned to her, but for his old age the man had an excellent hearing- and indeed, when she approached him, he turned around, bright smile plastered on his face.
“Anzu-chan! Are you going on a date with Yuugi?”
She laughed, as that was exactly the same thing he would ask her on a Saturday, not on any other day- she didn’t know why. She hardly realized her laugh ended a little bitterly, as it wasn’t Yuugi she wanted to go out on a date with. It made her feel horribly guilty, and a bad friend to boot. Ever since she heard that voice... no, his voice, she knew her heart belonged to him, and that wasn’t Yuugi, but his other self.
Before she could answer the question, he beamed at her. “Go in, go in! Yuugi is waiting for you!”
“Thank you, jii-chan,” she mumbled before quickly entering the store, glad that at least now he didn’t leer at her. Even though he seemed very cheerful, there was something… an extra line in his face, a little bit of clouded trouble in his look. What could it be?
It was this sinking feeling in her gut, she knew it. Her purse felt heavy despite its light content, and her heart pounded in her chest- it wasn’t fluttering because of tender feelings, but beating with fear… dreading what was coming. Anzu climbed the stairs, calling out Yuugi’s name before she realized it, and hearing the familiar “I’m over here, Anzu-chan!” from his attic room in return. It brought a sad smile to her lips. So familiar and yet so... alienating. One day, this would be all different, and that day seemed to be arriving sooner than anyone of them thought.
“Yuugi?” She knocked politely, as the door was only half open. Not awaiting his answer, she pushed the door further open, and the first thing she saw was the suitcase on the bed. No… no, not yet, please…!
He turned around to face her, holding a small stack of shirts in his hands. He beamed at her in the same way his grandfather did; an open, friendly, trusting face, the face of a good, dear friend. “Anzu-chan, come on in!”
“You’re busy,” she simply said, not knowing for the first time how to exactly open the conversation. He halted mid-movement, the stack of shirts still in his arms. His smile was warm, but had a hint of sadness to it as well. Sad. I hate to see him sad, just as he hates seeing me sad. God, why are we hurting so much already?
“It’s inevitable,” he finally said, his voice low and not uplifting and cheerful as she was used from him. Anzu suppressed a sigh, knowing that he was right. It was inevitable. For everything they’d been through, they’d always known that there would come an end to their adventures: the search for the name of his other self, the other Yuugi, the millennia old spirit that dwelled in the Sennen Puzzle, an upside-down shaped golden pyramid dangling from her friend’s neck. Why was it that she had fallen in love with him, the second she had heard his confident, strong voice, and not with Yuugi himself? What did his other have that he didn’t, while they weren’t that different? She watched him putting the shirts into the suitcase, suddenly all silent. That wasn’t like Yuugi at all, and she mustered up a smile.
“It’s going to be exciting… the flight… the country, and who knows what and who we’ll encounter…”
Anzu saw him smiling as well, while he was still arranging the shirts in the fairly large suitcase. Egypt was the key in discovering the name of his other half, the nameless Pharaoh who once sacrificed his life for his people, his nation, and his country, to seal the darkness away. Was it his courage, his selflessness? If there was one person selfless, it was Yuugi. So why did she fall head over heels for the other one, and not for him?
“I…” don’t want you to go. “I hope you’ll find... whatever it is you need in Egypt.”
“I hope so too, Anzu-chan.” His hands were still on the shirts, rearranging them again in the suitcase. He wasn’t looking at her, which was more than enough for her to know that he really didn’t know what to say. He always looked at her when talking, always. She realized it was difficult for him too- he was about to face the trip to Egypt alone, as no one really had the money to go along with him. Anzu bit her lower lip- with a bit of luck, she could tap into her savings account and buy a ticket to accompany him… but would it do her any good? What if she saw him leave, instead of Yuugi?
“Yuugi-kun…” All those years, and still they hadn’t given each other the privilege of calling each other with only their first name. It was a distance, a very small distance, but still a distance. She bit her lower lip again, debating whether she would tell him about her savings or not. She didn’t want him to go, both of them… fearing what would happen to her when he would come back alone.
“Anzu,” he answered, and it was not the omission of the honorific that immediately caught her attention. His voice was lower, confident, bordering on arrogance, and held the commanding tone she was used of him… the same commanding tone that had captured her heart, ordering it to fall in love with him. She smiled, thanking whatever deity that she didn’t blush easily, so she could look him right in the eyes. Crimson red eyes, ancient eyes, eyes that always looked back unabashedly, and she still didn’t know if he felt the same for her or not.
She didn’t want to know. If he returned the feelings, it would be of no avail… his place was not in this time, not even in Yuugi’s body. He was a spirit, a floating soul without a name, and a Pharaoh of a long forgotten past, only to live again in history books. “You’re leaving, right?”
“Yes, Anzu, I am leaving.”
“When?”
He turned around, picking up a small white folder, and opened it, taking out a piece of paper and looked at it.
“Coming Wednesday,” he answered her, before putting it carefully away again. She refrained from letting out another sigh. This weekend… they could spend this weekend together. It was merely a delay, but at least it was some more time. No. She reminded herself that she didn’t want to know. It was inevitable. He had no place in this world; despite the good friend he was, despite what she wished, prayed for, longed for, that he could be more than just a friend. Inevitable.
Strange that Yuugi and his other self were so alike- well, it wasn’t that strange of course, if you were two halves of the same soul, she thought. Still, he didn’t look at her either, as if searching for words, and not knowing what to say. He had faced enemies, madmen, difficult duels… but he didn’t dare looking her straight in the eyes, because he knew what would come. Anzu kept smiling, not realizing that sadness and resignation started to shine through.
“Wait,” she suddenly said, slipping her purse from her shoulder and opening it. Wait… wait until forever, not to leave. Don’t leave me. She didn’t know why she had grabbed it with her this morning, and she had thought about it all the way to the Game Shop. It was something silly, something girlish, and he certainly would think she was ditzy. Anzu searched through the contents of her purse, suddenly pulling something out. Now he was looking at her, more at the purse and what she was taking out, and his eyes only widened slightly in surprise.
“I want you to have this,” she said, smiling and shrugging at the same time, as if it wasn’t important at all. He was mostly just as polite as Yuugi, and would accept the small gift, if it could be called a gift. She didn’t care at the moment if he’d throw it away the second after, as long as she wasn’t seeing it. She did want him to have this, this very small token.
“This is yours, Anzu,” he suddenly said, voice even lower than she was used from him. A little bit of surprise, a little bit of awe, and something she couldn’t recognize sounded through in his voice and she finally looked up as well.
“I want you to have this,” she repeated, not caring if he thought she was a love-struck girl. It was inevitable, and maybe… maybe what they had was so short, that he would forget anyway. But he had remembered, or did remember, that it was once hers.
“You wore this at the restaurant,” he finally commented. Anzu couldn’t help but snicker; only Yuugi’s other half would name a thirteen-in-a-dozen fast food joint as Burger World a ‘restaurant’.
“It’s just something silly,” she finally said, not knowing what else to say. If she was feeling this awkward already, how would things go when he wouldn’t return? When Yuugi was simply Yuugi again? Mustering up her courage, she looked him straight in the eyes. Her best friend wouldn’t suffer under her silly feelings, and she would rather do something drastic herself than hurting him. They’ve been through so much to let it all be destroyed by something… inevitable.
“It is not.” His voice jerked her out of her thoughts, and she gave him an almost startled look.
“What?”
“It is not,” he repeated, his eyes showing gratitude. “Thank you, Anzu.”
Her smile was weak, but it was there. She saw it with her own eyes how he put it in the suitcase as well, lying it on top of the stack of shirts as if he was cherishing something invaluable. It was just a simple thing, a simple nothing. She would never miss it, and he would always have it with him. It was the yellow ribbon she’d worn while working at the Burger World, and he had remembered it, the one and only day he had seen her wearing it.
Inevitable.
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Title: Through Virgin Eyes
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: Otogi Ryuuji & Yami no Yuugi
Summary: Otogi is quite surprised to learn that Yami no Yuugi has never seen snow before, and his eyes are opened to something else as well.
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Otogi turned around in his large bed and moaned loudly against his pillow; he was reminded rather harshly of his splitting headache and a vile taste in his mouth.
“Uhh… never again...” he mumbled, knowing very well that was a lie- he always told himself not to get drunk, or not to drink as much as he did, on a party, and he always ended up the same- naked in bed, his hair a total mess, his eyes bloodshot, and his breath something everybody would be running away from. Shower, mint breath, lots of strong coffee… now.
He rolled over in the bed, vaguely expecting someone to lie next to him in a similar state or worse- he was the one of the friend’s circle to hold his liquor the best. Yuugi had been out after one small glass of wine to everybody’s great amusement, and Bakura was the same, only he managed to finish a larger glass. Jounouchi, Honda and he himself were the ‘best’ drinkers, and Jounouchi came closer to out-drinking him each and every year.
There was no one lying beside him, and it surprised and annoyed him, someone. Otogi was used to having the girls, and sometimes guys, standing in line for him, and he could count the nights he’d spent alone on one hand. It wasn’t always about sex, and he wasn’t as stupid as to jump into the sack with everyone available. He valued his good name and reputation too much for that, and he knew that was an empty lifestyle anyway. Still, from everyone of the group he was the one to be in a relationship most of the time; deep in his heart, he just didn’t want to be alone. He went a 100% for his girlfriend, or occasionally boyfriend, but somehow he didn’t succeed in making it everlasting.
Fumbling around –where was the darn door?- Otogi finally found a couple of towels, pressing it against his body as if he found a goldmine. Shower, delicious shower… God, the taste in his mouth made him throw up. He had no idea what time it was and he carefully pulled at the curtain, lifting a piece of fabric up. It was very bright outside, and he squinted his eyes against the sun. Hmm, a cold but bright day… and it had snowed. Neat! He grinned. He loved these pre-Christmas parties; if there was snow, there’d be a snow fight later, especially with Jounouchi involved. Still grinning, he wanted to close the curtain, but his eye caught something… or rather, someone standing outside in the snow. He didn’t need a second look to identify the person; there was only one in Domino City, and probably in Japan and the whole wide world, with that kind of hair. “Sheesh Yuugi, you’re up early,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Owww…” Bad move. Softly cursing his bad headache, Otogi made his way over to the shower.
One shower and three breath mints later, he felt a little bit better again; the headache would go away eventually and he had nothing planned for today anyway. He knew by experience that after a party like this, it would be futile to plan something- he’d need the whole day to recover. It was turning into a tradition by now to hold a pre-Christmas party with the circle of friends, before they were going to visit their respective family on the holiday itself. Otogi dressed, complimenting himself for not forgetting a change of clothes this year, and pulled away the curtains completely now- the sun still too bright for his taste, and… Yuugi was still standing outside, ankle deep into the snow. What the hell is he doing? Even though the sun is shining, it’s pretty darn cold outside. He must be standing for over an hour now, and god knows how long he was standing there before I saw him. Boggled, Otogi went out of his room into the kitchen. Anzu was already up as well, pointing wordlessly at the pot of coffee. He helped himself to a mug, not paying too much attention to the girl- judging from her state; she wasn’t feeling all too fancy herself. She’d had probably too much of those mix drinks, not realizing the alcohol in those pretty much added up faster than she’d thought.
The hot liquid ran through his body, but he knew better than to expect it to miraculously cure his headache or his hung over, and Otogi went with the coffee mug in his hand to the living room, thoughts a little jumbled. Jounouchi was lying on the couch, completely in zombie state; whenever he’d wake up, he’d curse louder than anyone else. Honda was curled up in a sleeping bag on the floor, snoring. One dark blue sleeping bag and an extra blanket were neatly folded lying in the corner of the room, reminding Otogi of Yuugi. Trust him to be the only one to neatly fold his sleeping gear, he thought amusedly. Usually, Otogi would open the curtains in the living room and rile Honda and Jounouchi with the bright light and calling out to them to wake up, but he wasn’t feeling like it for some obscure reason. In stead, he put his empty mug down and went to the hallway, taking his coat, scarf and gloves.
After dressing up in warm winter gear, Otogi opened the door and peeked outside. Yuugi was still standing in the garden, his back turned towards him. Wondering, Otogi went outside himself, walking through the thick layer of snow. The only other trail in the snow was Yuugi’s footsteps; it was a virgin white landscape, and a beautiful sight to see. Approaching the smaller boy, Otogi called out to him.
“Something the matter, Yuugi-kun? You’re standing here as if you’ve never seen snow before!”
He turned his head into Otogi’s direction and the other opened his mouth to say something again, but shut it immediately. He’d been around Yuugi enough to know about his other, the one dwelling in that piece of gold, the Sennen Puzzle, dangling from his neck, the one who lived and died so many years… no, millennia ago… and this wasn’t Yuugi. Otogi didn’t understand why everyone had so much trouble distinguishing between those two. Everyone would complain that it was hard to see which one was which, but Otogi never had any problem with it. It was the eyes. If anything, Mutou Yuugi didn’t have slanted, crimson red eyes, that bore through your soul, right into your very core and giving you the feeling that you were being judged… in good ways or in bad ways.
“I have never seen snow before,” he simply answered. His voice was lower than Yuugi’s as well, but that was harder to distinguish, something Otogi was willing to admit. But the eyes… so much difference was to see in their eyes. How could anyone look at them and not see the difference in their eyes? The Pharaoh had a regal posture to the very last of his every pore, and his eyes held the same attitude, while Yuugi’s eyes were wide, open, trusting, a book for everyone to read. His other’s eyes were like a vault- locked, and tough to break open. Yet, at this moment, there was something of… awe in them. At this very moment, they were readable: awe for this weather condition that he, used to the sands of Egypt, had never seen before, a hint of uncertainty as he never had seen this before, and... fragility. Otogi realized that, because this was all new to him, he didn’t know how to handle it- he caught the Pharaoh in a very rare, self-doubting moment.
“Didn’t Yuugi tell you about this… phenomenon?” He asked, not knowing why he had lowered his voice to a whispering tone.
“But of course,” he answered, “aibou has told me about the cold and now, but seeing it for myself is just different.” The moment had passed already- his voice held the usual self-confidence, and his eyes were ‘locked’ again when he looked at Otogi, lips curved into a small smile. Otogi didn’t know why he suddenly lamented the passing of that moment, those few seconds the other almost seemed open to him. He returned the smile out of politeness and nodded.
“It must be really something to see this with… a fresh look,” he said, not knowing exactly what to say. “I’ve seen snow so often I just don’t give it a second thought.”
“It’s a marvellous sight,” the other acknowledged, “I want to see it as long as possible.”
“Don’t worry,” Otogi reassured him, “according to the weather forecasts, we’ll be seeing lots of it for the next few days.”
He simply nodded his head, accepting the news with his usual calm composure. “I will enjoy the sight, then.”
Otogi was once again at a loss for words; out of everyone he knew, the other Yuugi was the only one to talk in sentences that left very little to answer or to comment to.
“If you don’t mind… I will enjoy the sight with you.”
A slight surprise was visible for the briefest of seconds, before he nodded his head again, as if granting permission. “As you wish.”
He wasn’t sure why he said he wanted to enjoy the sight with the other. As he said before, he’d seen snow so often already, each and every year, and now he was standing outside in the cold, looking at all the whiteness around him- on trees, roads, rooftops, cars, mailboxes… looking at it in a whole new light, and it was as if his eyes were opened, just simply looking at something he really never had seen before. Beauty.
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Title: The perfect recipe
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Characters: Jounouchi Shizuka, Mazaki Anzu
Summary: For her date with Otogi, Shizuka tries to bake him the perfect cookies, but not with much success, until she gets help.
For as long as she could remember, she wanted to learn how to bake as perfect as her mother. She was the only one who could bake a cake, a pie, bread or cookies with nothing but a perfect result- tasty, crunchy, a golden glaze, excellent structure. Whenever her mother baked, the kitchen would be filled with a heavenly scent, and she could do nothing but to wait until her mother pulled her perfect baking out of the oven before a mouth-watering taste.
Jounouchi Shizuka wasn’t about to allow herself to get down by this. One day, she’d achieve the perfect baking herself, but as she was glaring at the ingredients, the large bowls, some spoons and the cookbook, she decided that today was not that day. She huffed, blowing some stray strands of hair out of her face. Why oh why couldn’t she succeed? She tried before, and she’d only managed to burn or to mutilate her baking beyond recognition. Frustrated, she picked up the bowl again, cradling it into her arms as if it was a wee baby, and started stirring the batter again, muttering under her breath.
The doorbell rang, but she wasn’t expecting any company and immediately assumed it was for her mother, who she heard walking to the door to answer it. Shizuka refused to ask for help, wanting to achieve maximum result on her own, and her mother had, after smiling at her daughter, retreated wisely to the living room to catch up on reading magazines this lazy Saturday afternoon. While she was stirring the batter, eyes fixed on the appropriate page in the cookbook, she suddenly heard her name being called out.
“Shizuka-chan?”
Looking up, a bright smile showed on her face. “Anzu-chan!”
The other girl ventured into the kitchen, smiling as well. She put her purse on the table, away from the display of ingredients and cookware. Curiously, Shizuka looked at her- Anzu was a good friend, and a veritable source of good advice. If anything, Shizuka longed to be as independent and determined as she was; it was no secret anymore that Anzu had high goals, to become a dancer and study for it in New York, saving every yen for it since she was a small kid.
“It’s your big night tonight,” Anzu said, winking at her and smiling. Shizuka blushed. It was just a simple date with Otogi Ryuuji, but her circle of friends found it very amusing somehow; she knew Otogi and Honda had been ‘chasing’ her ever since she was released from the hospital after her eye surgery, but she hadn’t given both of them any chance until… until everything was over, concerning Yuugi and his mysterious Sennen Puzzle. She still hardly understood the half from what was going on, but it had changed the circle of friends- to an even tighter unit, caring and looking after each other. Shizuka wasn’t sure if it was suffocating or comforting. In any case, her date with Otogi wasn’t a secret anymore either, and Anzu was probably here to give her advice or something.
“Do you know what you want to wear, or are you going to buy something new? We still have time to shop for something, and I’ll help you with your hair and make-up, so you’ll look extra pretty tonight.” Anzu smiled, opening her purse and taking out a make-up set, looking for a spot to lie it down. The table was covered with baking equipment and the large cookbook.
“What are you baking anyway?” she asked with curiosity in her voice.
Shizuka sighed and put the bowl down. “Gingerbread cookies,” she answered. “I want to surprise Otogi-san.”
Anzu moved her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, making it look like she was thinking. It was typically Shizuka to think that something self-made would be hopelessly romantic to give to her date- and of course, it was very endearing and Anzu was sure that Otogi would appreciate it… but gingerbread cookies?
“Anything I can do to help you before I start prettifying you?” She offered, noticing that Shizuka was a little heated by the whole baking thing. The large bowl she cradled almost protectively to her chest showed Anzu the rather thick batter. She wasn’t really sure how to give advice on that one- she could hardly bake herself and didn’t have much interest in it, but Shizuka probably didn’t add enough milk to it, as it was rather chunky looking.
“I don’t know what I did wrong, it always goes like this! I want to give Otogi-san his cookies tonight!”
Anzu laughed, delighted by Shizuka’s romantic-inclined determination, only slightly ruined by her frazzled look and the flour in her hair. “Shizuka-chan, don’t worry! I’m sure it’ll turn out all right.”
“Even if it does, I’m probably going to burn it in the oven anyway,” she muttered under her breath. Angrily pointing at the cookbook, she all but snarled: “And it’s supposed to be easy! Easy!”
“Tell me what you did and I’ll take a look at it,” Anzu said, using a reassuring tone in her voice. “You’re going to take a shower, and when you’re done, you’ll call me and I’ll do your hair and make-up.”
Shizuka’s cheeks coloured a little red, obviously embarrassed about it. “I followed the recipe to the letter and I didn’t want to ask my mother for advice. I’m supposed to be able to do it myself…”
Anzu walked around the table, putting her hand on the bowl and slowly taking it out of Shizuka’s arm, putting it on the table. “You. Are going to take a shower, now. You have flour in your hair, and you look all flustered. We want you prim and pristine tonight, remember? For your date. Let me take care of this while you go clean yourself up, all right?”
“B-but Anzu-chan…”
“Go,” the elder girl nudged Shizuka to the kitchen door, “warm water and soap awaits you. Don’t forget to put on a nice perfume. I’ll be with you when you’re ready.”
With one last, quizzically look, Shizuka finally left the kitchen, leaving a small trail of flour behind her. Anzu continued to smile- Shizuka just had that effect on her. Like a younger sister and a hopelessly romantic friend in one… if Otogi would break her heart, she would break his arms.
Heaving a sigh, Anzu turned toward the bowl and examined the chunky batter. Bah, why didn’t she know a thing about baking, and why did she promise Shizuka to take care of it? The only time there was anything remote to a pastry in the Mazaki household, it was bought at the bakery or supermarket. Hesitantly, she picked up the carton of milk- she knew enough to see that too little liquid was added to the mixture- and tilted it a little to add.
“Not too much,” a warm, female voice told her, and she gasped, startled. Anzu hadn’t heard Shizuka’s mother come into the kitchen, and now her cheeks tinted a little red.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the elder woman said, and took the milk from her gently, taking up the large spoon with her other hand. “Adding too much liquid in one time won’t do the batter any good… here, like this…” With a routine build up in the course of years of much baking, she added milk to the batter, stirring with the spoon, adding some again and stirring again, until the dough was taking a nice form.
Anzu watched Shizuka’s mother at work, taking out the dough from the bowl and rolling it out on a clean and lightly floured plate, every motion a sign of her experience, as she wasn’t looking at the cookbook. “Would you hand me the cookie cutters, Anzu-san, or do you want to cut them yourself?”
She picked up the cookie cutters from the kitchen table and smiled at the other woman. “I’d like to cut them myself.”
“I’ll pre-heat the oven.”
Anzu busied herself cutting out the cookies, listening once in a while if the shower had stopped running. Shizuka would be ready any moment now, and she had a lot of work to do- not that Shizuka wasn’t pretty of herself, or needed lots of make-up; it was her long hair, for which Anzu had one of the greatest ideas to make her look extra beautiful. The braiding and the style would take some time, but the result would be worth it.
Placing the cookies on the plate, Shizuka’s mother nodded, and shooed Anzu out of the kitchen. “They’ll be ready in ten minutes, but I know they’re not for you, but for a nice young man who’ll take my daughter out tonight. I’ll make sure they’re in a box when you’re ready to leave.”
Anzu thanked her and left the kitchen, purse and make-up set in hand. She met Shizuka in the hallway, wrapped in towels, with her hand on the doorknob for her bedroom door.
“Anzu-chan..? My cookies?”
“They’re in the best of hands,” Anzu answered her, nodding to the door, holding up the make-up set. Shizuka scowled a little, knowing that her mother had finished the baking. “I wish that I…”
“Get inside, Shizuka-chan,” the elder girl wasn’t about to let her finish, “you have plenty of time to reach perfection in your baking… and in applying your make-up and braiding your hair, but for now, let your friend and your mother give you a helping hand, all right?” She gave her a joyful wink, and Shizuka giggled. Sure, there would be a day that she would present Otogi or any other date her perfect baking, just like her mother, but today was not the day. She resigned, and took place on a stool while Anzu hovered over her to start combing her hair, and gave into the pampering. After all, pampering was good and she was in good hands… closing her eyes to fully enjoy the treatment, she already smelled the gingerbread cookies, the delicious scent reaching her nose. Just perfect.
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Title: A Golden View
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: (implied) Yami no Yuugi x Mutouh Yuugi
Summary: Yuugi reflects on his bond with the Spirit of the Sennen Puzzle.
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It lies right in front of me. It’s gold, it’s large, and it’s rather heavy, though I find the weight comforting. I can’t imagine a day without carrying it around, I can’t imagine a day without it dangling from my neck. It’s the Sennen Puzzle, a holy Item whose creation remains a mystery to me. My grandfather gave it to me, and it took me eight years to assemble it. When I put in the last piece, lying on the floor as I had been knocked down and beaten by the school bully, Ushio, I only wished for one thing. Friends.
You came with the Puzzle. How did you know how to emerge, when to rush to my side, and come to my aid? You were there, suddenly, and you overtook my soul, merging it, morphing into something other than me- an improved version of yourself, or did you pick out the character traits you want to see reflected in me? I’m not mad at you. On the contrary. No, not mad at you at all. You changed my life, you brought me friends, you are my friend. I can see you, I can see right through you, because you’re a spirit, a former Pharaoh, who gave his life for his nation and people to seal the darkness away. Maybe you’ll leave me one day, maybe you’ll stay. Whatever it is that you decide, I’ve learned a lot from you. I know I have a somewhat naïve look at things, and that I’m too trusting sometimes. It’s just that I can’t muster up the energy to look at things in a dark, pessimistic way. I don’t want to keep up an attitude that is distrusting, or a look that assumes the worst rather than the best. If there’s someone who needs my help, even though he turned his back on me a mere second before, I’ll extend my hand and give help. That’s who I am.
I think I’m still me, though. I know there are bad things and darkness and hatred in the world. I’m not stupid or dumb. I’m not blind to certain feelings, but I chose to deal with those feelings, instead of ignoring or harbouring them. Your crimson eyes are hard and tough to decipher, but I can read them. I see how you’re looking with them, and I know what you’re expressing with them. I know you, other me, mou hitori no boku. Losing your memories, not knowing your name, it must be hard for you. I’m here for you, just as you were there for me. Trust me, we’re partners, remember?
I need you. I need you to show me where my strength is. I need you to show me who I am- I know who I am, but I need you to show it to me. I think I’m rather lost without you, until I learned how to deal on my own. It feels like you’ve always been in my life, a warm presence inside my head, cradling my mind, whispering in my ear reassuringly. I know you want the best for me, I know you’re protective of me, not because of me being your vessel, your way of interaction with this world unknown to you, but for who I am. I know you like me, and I like you too. I don’t think you realize it, but you’re pretty easy to read when it’s about me.
Gold is a soft precious metal. It can be easily dented, and I wonder how it doesn’t show anything of all the times it has been yanked, dropped, tumbling down. Maybe something is protecting it, as there’s already so much magic that nothing really surprises me any more. It’s heavy, especially with the fairly large chain, but we both found out that a piece of rope wasn’t the right way to tie it around our… my neck. I’m still me, even though I’m wondering if I’m losing myself in you. How much are we alike, and how much are we different? You like gold, you like to wear the Puzzle, you walk with your back and shoulders straightened, the wind ruffling your hair. Alive, and yet not. It makes me feel sad for you- something I never show, because you don’t like being pitied. You’re dead… it’s simple as that and it makes me even more sad. You don’t have a body, you’re not really real.
I wish I could hold you in my arms. Solid, a warm, responding body. I wish you could wrap your arms around me too, and smile at me before kissing me. It’s not fair that this can’t be real, it’s like a curtain between us, that one of us carefully pulls out of the way before entering the real world. Which one is it today? A former Pharaoh, walking with the regal pace, posture composed, voice commanding and gaze stern, or a small high school kid, slouching, with the higher voice and drowned out by the masses? Whenever I voice this to you, you smile and shake your head, and start telling me about confidence, about self-esteem, about value and worth. I can easily mouth the words, but I don’t because I like to hear your voice. I like to see you, I like to hear you, I like you to be real and warm and… needing me.
We never talk about that. Need. Your eyes show me compassion and something akin to understanding, but it’s sometimes sadness and pity as well. Do you pity me, mou hitori no boku? You think you know everything about me, and sometimes you can be pretty harsh in your judgement. I’m not that naïve to know there’s a whole big, bad world outside. I know the difference between fake and real, and it’s just my nature to give anyone a second chance, and to trust and have faith in the goodness of mankind.
Reaching for the puzzle, my fingers curl around the thick chain. It symbolises our bond- we’re bound to each other, the second I put the last piece of the Puzzle in. If you think too much about it, it only boggles the mind- to be brought back to life again after three millennia, or at least conscious enough to be alive, getting thrown into an unknown world, thrown into my body. Yes, I’m your host, your vessel, but I’m also your friend, your partner. It’s not for nothing you refer to me as ‘aibou’. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you calling me by my name. Mutou Yuugi. I’m here for you, you know that. Always.
The chain goes around my neck, and I notice my other hand cups the Puzzle. It’s dear to me, and its value in pure gold would be astounding as its historic significance, but I don’t care about that. It’s your home, and I’ll carry it with me as long as it’s given to me. One day, our roads will part, and before that day comes, I want to talk to you, see you, and hear you often- if only to let you know that thanks to you, I’ve grown and seen where my strength lies, but I still need you. I know about the real world and that not everything is pure gold and beauty… there are lots of frills, tinsel, decorations that are used to mask, to cover real intentions. I just want you by my side. That is all.
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-11 02:35 am (UTC)I like the other one's too ^_^
no subject
Date: 2006-02-11 07:41 pm (UTC)