Okay, so I'm a day late! But I did write it on the 18th, which was Anzu's birthday. I just did not have time to edit and post.

I hope you all enjoy this little love triangle I have concocted.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that I do not, and never will (sad face) own Yugioh.

Just the Three of Us: Happy Birthday Anzu

Blushing from her position on the doorstep, Anzu smiled tentatively, hugging the door as if her life depended on it.

Yugi, or rather, the other Yugi, was leaning on the porch frame, hands in pockets, gazing up at her with those deep, piercing, amethyst eyes.

When the corners of his mouth crinkled upwards into his trademark wry smile, Anzu could feel herself becoming slightly undone. Why did he have to look at her like that?

This situation felt awkward and she was unsure what she should do or say; it would be far easier if it was the normal Yugi, with his friendly, reassuring smile, standing before her.

Feeling unnerved by the awkward silence, he cleared his throat. "I suppose I should go." The slight hesitance in his voice, gave him away; he was well aware that he did not sound like the stoic Pharaoh he apparently was supposed to be.

Pushing himself away from the frame of the porch, he scratched the back of his neck and wondered if he should perhaps lean forward and kiss her goodbye. She was certainly standing there looking at him like something was supposed to happen!

Where was Yugi when he needed him? Without Yugi, he was all at sea, in a leaky boat without a paddle. But for some reason and without warning, Yugi had retreated into his soul room, leaving him to face this awkward moment alone. [ Yugi! A little help here please?] He pleaded irritably through their link, but was met with silence.

Anzu watched him fidget uneasily and felt a bit at odds with herself. This was her birthday weekend and she had wanted this to be a nice afternoon out; not just for her, but for for him as well.

Battle City had been tough on all of them, but even more so for Yugi and the Pharaoh. They had won, but their future was still far from certain. Tomorrow, after school, they would be going to the museum, where he was supposed to present the God cards to the stone tablet. What happened after that? No one seemed to know! Not even Ishizu, who had arranged for them to have a private viewing with the stone tablet after the museum closed for the day.

Like all of their adventures, Anzu doubted it would be as straight forward as some deity smiling down on Yugi and willingly rewarding him with his missing memories. There was bound to be yet another difficult and dangerous quest.

She just hoped and prayed that it would not put either Yugi in any danger.

"Erm... you don't have to go yet Yugi." The pleading tones in her voice snapped his attention back to her. "My parents won't be home for a while." Oh crap! Why did she have to say it like that? She sounded like a girl desperate to lose her virginity!

"Well..." Without Yugi helping him, he was useless at this social stuff. Dueling and defeating enemies, he could deal with. But he had no recollection of his prowess when it came to complicated things, like social niceties and romance.

He was certain, that as Pharaoh, he would have been experienced in the art of love. He would also have been a diplomat and would have possessed great communication skills. It was just a shame he could not remember any of it!

If only his romantic instincts could have remained with him as his gaming instincts had. "If you wish," he growled, immediately regretting how sulky he sounded. He really needed to work on his social skills.

Anzu almost flinched when he moved forward to close the gap between them. Suddenly, she felt frightened of him. She stumbled backwards into the house so hastily that she almost tripped over the door jam.

He instinctively caught her around the waist to prevent her from landing on her backside in an undignified heap. "Be careful!" His face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek.

Blushing, he released his grip on her and muttered an apology for grabbing her.

"It's okay," she smiled. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be nice, thank you." He kicked off his shoes and followed her into the kitchen.

"So!" She began, "Is Yugi still there?" She was hoping he was. During the afternoon, the boys had switched control several times, and each would relay what the the other was thinking. But Yugi had not been in control for a good while now.

"I am afraid he has shut himself away inside his soul room and is not responding when I call him." He sounded a little perturbed by Yugi's sudden absence on their three way date.

"Is he okay? He's not upset about something, is he?" She was worried that she might have accidentally alluded to her crush on the other Yugi. But she had been very careful to let both boys know that they were equally special to her.

"I do not know." The way he spoke, made it obvious that he was not very keen to discuss it with her.

"Oh, okay..." He was still a complete stranger to her at times. Yugi was far easier to talk to.

The only reason she had suggested this 'three way' birthday date in the first place was because she hoped it would help her understand her relationship with the two Yugi's.

But Anzu still worried that Yugi felt like he was the third wheel, and that she had only been attracted to him romantically since they had come to know the rather enigmatic spirit from the Millennium Puzzle.

Relieved for the distraction, she picked up the kettle, filled it with water and put it on to boil.

She had known Yugi for most of her life on and off. She remembered how she had been taken by his amazing skill at the game he was playing on the gameboy. When she had asked what he was playing, he had looked up at her with those beautiful amethyst eyes and offered to teach her.

She distinctly remembered his hair. The boys were all supposed to have their hair cut short and neat. But even though his hair was cut short, it still managed to stick up in little tufts and he had these cute little blond streaks in the tufts at the front.

Even though she managed to break his hand held game, they still became friends.

She smiled to herself as she remembered telling the other children during dress-up playtime, that she and Yugi were King and Queen of the English castle! The other kids had laughed and said it was not fair; they wanted to be King and Queen.

As always, Yugi smiled and played along with her fantasy.

Miho had teased them and said that the King and Queen were supposed to kiss. So, bold as brass, Anzu reached over and kissed his soft, chubby pink cheek. "We're getting married and having a baby when we grow up!" She proudly boasted. "Aren't we Yugi?" He had pulled a face at the word 'baby' but still nodded.

"You have to kiss me!" She ordered, now cringing at how bossy she must have sounded at the time.

Sitting next to her, Yugi scrunched his face up in a mixture of embarrassment and devilishness. "You're very pretty, Queen Anzu," he stated. Then, to her utter astonishment, leaned in and planted a big, sloppy kiss on her lips. Looking back, the kiss was really only a peck, but the pair both giggled, and immediately their hands flew to their faces to hide their embarrassment.

A horrified Miho went running to the teacher. "Sensie! Sensei!" She squealed. "Yugi kissed Anzu and now she's having a baby!"

Anzu's memory of the events that followed had long since grown sketchy, but she did recall how she had been too embarrassed to speak to Yugi for the next few years! And during that time, she and Miho had become best friends.

When she and Yugi had started to become friends again in their early teens, she had noticed how much quieter and withdrawn he had become. In elementary school, he had been full of energy and was always joining in with the other kids to play games. She wondered if it was because he was not maturing physically as quickly as the other kids, and was starting to get bullied as a result. The other kids had also grown out of playing the sort of games Yugi still liked to play.

They also started to tease him about his hair, which had been allowed to grow into the more familiar style he wore now. She hated those bullies for calling him star head, because she absolutely adored his hair.

Pouring the boiling water into the teapot, she glanced over at the brooding figure sitting at the dining table. He looked so young and vulnerable sitting there. She wondered if he was worrying about what might happen tomorrow afternoon. Poor guy. He would never admit it, but it must be so frightening for him. It would mean finding out how and why he died, and why he ended up being imprisoned inside an artefact instead of being rewarded with his place in the afterlife.

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

With her distracted by her pot of tea, he took the opportunity to try and reach inside his soul for Yugi.

Finding himself in the corridor that linked their souls, he hammered on the door to Yugi's room. "Answer the door Aibou, please?" He called.

The door opened and Yugi peered out at him. "Other Me! What are you doing here? I thought you would be enjoying some alone time with Anzu." He winked and tried to give his alter ego a cheeky grin, but the Pharaoh knew Yugi well enough to know that he was hurting emotionally.

The Pharaoh tried not to let his embarrassment at what Yugi was hinting he should be doing with Anzu, show. They could read each other so well, and to blush in front of his aibou would give away that he had even been considering kissing her. "Anzu is wondering where you were. I was worried too. The remainder of the afternoon will not be fun without you there."

"Really?!" Yugi seemed surprised. "I didn't think she would want me there."

The suggestion that Anzu preferred him over Yugi was hurtful to them both. "Why would you think that?" The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. "It believe it is me that is the problem. I unnerve her. She is much more at ease when you are there."

"She's unnerved because you don't return her feelings, Other Me."

"And what are those, exactly?" Even if he did have feelings for Anzu, he would not, could not, act on them because it would break Aibou's heart. And Aibou's feelings were more precious to him than his own desires.

Knowing he would lose this argument, Yugi just shrugged.

Keeping his stoic mask in place, the Pharaoh hummed and nodded almost smugly. "We both know my time in this world is limited. Therefore, I will not allow myself to become romantically attached to her." As hard as he tried to appear ambivalent, he knew his sadness at that statement was rolling off him in waves.

Yugi fixed him with a look of frustration and stepped out into the hallway. He did not need reminding that his other self might soon be gone. "What are we going to do then? We can't both hide in here! She'll think we're in a coma or something."

Both boys chuckled at the thought that their body was most likely slumped in an unresponsive heap on the dining table.

"I do not know Yugi," he said sternly, deliberately using his given name rather than his pet name. "But if you are trying to push me into the arms of the girl I know you like, then stop. It will not make things better. It is confusing her even more."

Taking a deep breath, Yugi huffed. Split seconds later, the Pharaoh found himself standing alone in the cold, stone hallway that divided their souls.

Blinking, Yugi felt disorientated for a second, before opening his eyes fully, only to see a very concerned Anzu bending in front of him, snapping her fingers.

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

Yugi seemed to have gone completely lifeless!

He had managed to remain sitting upright, but was slightly slumped with his head lolled to one side and his arms resting on the table. His eyes were glazed and staring into space.

For a split second, Anzu was terrified he might have suffered some sort of fit or blackout. The only explanation she could come up with, was that they might both have retreated inside the Puzzle in order to escape from her. How did they even do that? She had seen Yugi zone out for a few seconds while he spoke to the other Yugi, but she had never seen them both leave his body like this.

"Yugi?" She touched his face and was relieved to feel he was still breathing. "The tea is ready!"

There was no response so she snapped her fingers and clapped her hands a few times.

Just as she was on the verge of hysterics, he opened his eyes and blinked at her in surprise.

"Oh! Er... Hi Anzu!" He grinned at her apologetically. "We only usually do that when we're alone in my bedroom," he blushed, "That did not sound quite as weird in my head."

Anzu rolled her eyes. "What were you two talking about anyway?"

He looked down at his hands and picked at his cuticles. "He said you were asking where I was. I told him I thought you two might like some privacy," he muttered, nonchalantly.

He felt a gentle hand massage his shoulder. "Yugi! Why do you always think I prefer him over you? Because I don't!"

He fixed her with a cynical expression. "You sure about that? If I was you, I would prefer the other Me."

"Yes, well you're not me. You don't see yourself as I see you."

"What do you see me as?" He pushed, eager to find out just what she saw in him that she did not see in his other self.

"Well," she smiled, taking his hand and sitting down in the chair next to him. "I see a wonderful, kind, friendly, awesome, brave and determined guy, who will do anything to help his friends. Without you, life would be empty."

"Brave?! You think I'm brave?" He looked away. "I've always been a coward. I get myself into bad situations, then I'm too afraid to fight back and have to be saved. When I first met the other me, I was happy to let him fight for me."

"You are not a coward! You always stick up for other people! It's just yourself you didn't stick up for. But you are not like you were when we first started high school. I can see the difference in the way you hold yourself now. You've come a long way; we all have."

He looked at her. "I have the other me to thank. Without him, I don't know what I would be like," he snorted. "Weak and friendless, probably."

"Of course you wouldn't! You would have found your way in the end. And if it wasn't for you, he would still be trapped inside the Puzzle, angry and broken, with no identity. Thanks to you, he is human again and is about to get his memories back."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I guess. But I worry that he will leave me and I will go back to being like I was."

"No you won't!" She nudged him playfully. "I won't let you."

The Pharaoh was listening to their conversation. It touched his soul and filled him both with joy and with sadness. He wanted to know who he was so badly, but if it was at the cost of his bond with Yugi and their friends, then he wondered if it might be better to just rip up the God cards.

Would he be punished by whatever deity was scrutinising him if he did? Most likely. Knowing his luck he would be struck down and sent back to that dark and lonely place, to be tormented for all eternity. They might punish Yugi for helping him and he could not allow that.

Unable to remain inside the Puzzle and continue such morbid thoughts, he materialised beside Yugi. [Aibou! Anzu is right, without you, I would be nothing. Thanks to your determination and courage, I am on the verge of finding out who I really am. And if I do have to leave, I want you to know that in you I have found more than a brother. In another life, we could have been born together, from the same womb.]

Yugi looked to where he was hovering and smiled. "You mean twins? That's what we call babies born like that." The Pharaoh gave his trademark smirk and a brief nod to confirm that was what he meant.

Yugi nodded back. "Thanks Other Me – for having confidence in me. Meeting you has changed my life – all of our lives – for the better."

Anzu followed Yugi's line of vision but could see nothing. It was unnerving to think that he was actually an apparition hovering beside them, and that Yugi was chatting to him as though he were real. He is real, she reminded herself. She just wished she could see him.

Unsure of herself, she nodded and smiled in the direction Yugi was looking. He had been her first crush! To think, her first crush was a ghost, living inside her best friend!

But, her feelings were changing for them. She had grown up so much in the last year and a half, and now saw her early behaviour towards him as somewhat silly. She felt equal love for both boys, but in slightly different ways: Yugi filled her with warmth and happiness, and he made her laugh. Whereas the Pharaoh had this slightly exotic coolness about him that made her slightly nervous, but in a nice way!

Would his personality change once he regained his memories? How different would he be if he was given his own body and allowed to stay? Would a man who had once ruled a kingdom, be happy to live an ordinary life, with his new friends in Japan? Or would he feel misplaced and want to leave them and go back to the country of his origin?

He might not even find her attractive! And if he did, what then? How on earth could she possibly choose between him and Yugi?! She could not have them both; she would have to date each of them to see who worked out best. What if neither of them worked out? They were the King of Games and could have any girl they wanted. They might grow tired of her indecision and decide to date other girls. For all she knew, they might even have more feelings for each other than they did her! After all, they were so closely bonded and would do anything for each other. It might be impossible to separate them from each other.

Maybe they could have a threesome. Ack! Did she really just think that?! The mere thought made her want to curl up and die from embarrassment. God! If she were to mention that to them, they would be horrified.

"Are you alright Anzu?" Yugi was suddenly looking at her with concern. "Only your face..."

"Oh!" She grabbed a magazine from the table and started fanning herself. "I think I drank my tea too hot!"

He chuckled. "You don't want to do that!" He then looked at the other Yugi, before snapping his attention back to her. "Other Me says "would you like a glass of cold water?" I can get you one if you like?"

"No! I'm fine. But thank you." She composed herself. "What would you like to do now, Yugi? We could play some games or something?"

Yugi looked mischievous, but also a little bashful. "Well, I was wondering if you could teach the other me how to dance?"

Next to him, the Pharaoh was cursing and shaking his head with embarrassment. He should never have told Yugi his wish to learn ballroom dancing.

Anzu's eyes lit up. "Yes! Of course! What sort of dancing?"

"Ballroom," said Yugi, so quickly, that Anzu knew they must have already discussed it.

She got up and lead him into the sitting room. He followed her and waited awkwardly while she put some music on.

When she stood up and turned around, she was met with the rather perplexed expression on the face of the other Yugi. She had not even noticed them switch places.

"We don't have to do this," he grumbled. Did she detect trepidation in him?

"Don't look so worried," she giggled. "It's easy, and I don't bite."

The music started, so she stepped towards him and tried to hide her own fears by putting on her professional dance instructor head. "Okay, you place one hand on my waist, here, and I place my hand on your shoulder. We hold hands with our other hand." He nodded and stood stiffly and awkwardly. "You have to relax and let the music into your soul, and then you can become one with your partner."

Since he and Yugi regularly merged together in order to defeat enemies, 'Becoming one with your partner' was something he understood. But merging souls together and engaging physically by touching someone, held a very different level of interaction. Touching someone affectionately was so far out of his comfort zone, that he wondered whether he was more demon than human.

A gentle nudge from Yugi, told him he was not a demon, he was just out of practice because he did not have his own body.

Feeling Yugi there with him was a big help. Anzu was also looking at him like she expected him to do something, so he smiled at her and nodded. "Begin," he ordered, simply.

Anzu laughed. He may not have his memories, but he still knew how to give orders like a Pharaoh. "Okay! Usually, the man leads, but since you can't dance, I will be the man and you can be the woman." The pout on his face made her laugh.

She waited for the right cue from the music and then stepped back with one foot. "Okay, you follow me." Not understanding what she meant, he stepped back with the foot facing hers. She rolled her eyes. This was not going to be as easy as she thought.

However, after explaining that he follow her rather than mirror her, things improved. He was a fast learner and pretty soon they were gliding around the room.

"Anyone would think you have done this before!" She told him.

"Maybe I have! I just don't remember."

[Did they even have ballroom dancing in your time, Other Me?]

[That I do not know Aibou. But I am sure people must have danced – even the Pharaoh.]

Talking to Yugi made him lose concentration and he accidentally trod on her foot, making her yelp.

He was absolutely mortified with himself and was worried he had hurt her. "I'm sorry!" He knelt down to inspect her foot.

She looked down at him on his knees, gently caressing her foot with his fingertips. It made her shiver. "My foot is fine Yugi." She knelt down to join him on the floor. His hair was hanging over his face and she could not resist running her fingers through his golden locks, pushing them back so that he would be encouraged to look up at her.

Their eyes met and he smirked lightly at her. "It is good that I did not damage your foot."

"I don't think you weigh enough to do any damage," she teased.

Taking her by surprise, he rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Thank you for the lesson Anzu. I will understand if you do not wish to continue."

She smiled at him. He always sounded so formal when he spoke. Many people, would probably interpret it as self importance. But knowing him like she did, she knew it was just a cover for his lack of confidence; which was ironic given that he oozed confidence when he was challenging someone to a game.

"I am happy to keep going, if you are." She knew she was blushing but could not stop herself.

When he gently ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek, she nearly gasped. When he tilted her chin up and their eyes locked, she did gasp.

In his head, the Pharaoh could hear Yugi egging him on to kiss her. [Not helping Yugi] he hissed, using their mind link.

But he could kiss her, couldn't he? She was looking at him like a rabbit in headlights, but she was not pulling away, and the look in her eyes was giving away her desire. Just a gentle peck on the lips would not do any harm. Without further hesitation, he leaned forward and kissed her beautiful lips, ever so very gently.

Time seemed to freeze for a few moments, and then his lips were gone. It was only then that Anzu was able to let out the breath she was holding."Y.. Yugi?"

"I am sorry. I did not mean to. It's just..." His words were cut of when he felt her lips touch his. He froze. This time, she was kissing him.

You are supposed to put your hands on my waist," she teased, "gently resting her own hands on his shoulders." He nodded and placed his hands on her waist.

They stood like this for what seemed like forever and Anzu was unsure what to do. The track had changed and the song playing had a nice slow beat. Maybe she should start swaying softly to the music and see if he caught on.

Looping her arms over his shoulders so that they were much closer, she started moving gently to the music.

Thanks to Yugi's ongoing instructions in the back of his mind, he knew what he should be doing. Sliding his arms around her, so that his hands rested on the small of her back, he moved with her. His own instincts started to take over and he pressed his body into hers, holding her close as they moved. This sort of dancing was easy, he decided.

When the song ended and a much more up-tempo song started playing, he was unsure what to do next. He wanted to slow-dance again, not dance around quickly.

Anzu did not seem to want to leave their embrace, so he figured it was probably okay to stay like this.

Her head moved and her face touched his cheek. If he moved his head slightly, he could kiss her again, maybe for longer this time.

In a bold move, he met her lips with his, making sure that the kiss was not chaste, but deep and passionate. When she started to move her lips against his, he felt a wave of relief that she was responding.

Their mouths were now open and their kiss was becoming more needy and desperate. It was what they had been craving for so long and neither wanted it to stop.

But the need for air was becoming desperate and soon they were forced to break away.

Panting, Anzu let out a little laugh of pleasure as she kept her eyes shut and let her forehead rest against his.

She heard him hum his satisfaction, but could not discern which Yugi it was who made the noise.

Calming her racing heart, she stepped back slightly. But she could not meet his gaze, and instead, focused on the the small bit if his chest she could see, just above his shirt button. "Shall we continue our dance lesson?" She was trying her hardest not to let her voice tremble, but failed miserably.

"If you wish," he whispered. He kept his voice low, and there really was no difference between their voices.

So, when she suddenly looked up at his face and saw that it was her Yugi gazing back at her and not the other Yugi, she was taken by surprise. His cheeks were dusted with pink and he was looking at her with uncertainty, while he awaited her reaction.

"W... when did you and he switch?" The moment she said it she knew it sounded wrong. "I didn't mean..."

He sighed and his hands slipped from her waist. "I know what you meant," he frowned. "Are you disappointed it's me?" He sounded slightly broken and her heart lurched. She had enjoyed the kiss, regardless of which Yugi she had been kissing.

Her eyes widened slightly, and Yugi could see the love in her slightly dilated pupils. Or was it pity? He could not decide.

"No! I'm just surprised, that's all. It's... it's.." If she was not careful, she was in danger of making a complete mess of this. "I find it so hard to tell where you end and he begins. It's kind of confusing to start kissing one of you and then find I'm kissing the other. It was a shock to see you, but it was a nice shock."

He cleared his throat. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No! Why would I do that? You both mean so much to me, but you are the one who has always been there for me. You have always meant so much to me Yugi."

"Do you still want to dance if it's just me? Only he's hiding inside the Puzzle. He says it's to give us some moments alone." He laughed but it sounded forced.

"Well then, since it's just you and me, maybe we should make the most of it before my mum gets home." She draped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him again.

This time, it was just the two of them involved in the kiss, and Anzu found herself feeling glad.

She finally knew that Yugi was the boy she had wanted all along.

Yugi sensed his other self was watching them and opened a sneaky eye to glance over Anzu's shoulder. The Pharaoh smirked and gave him an appreciative nod and a thumbs up.

Without Anzu knowing what he was up to, Yugi lifted his own hand from where it was resting on her lower back, and gave the Pharaoh a thumbs up sign of his own.

I hope you enjoyed that little one shot.

Please let me know in a wonderful review, so that I may be encouraged to write more of this sort of thing.