Hey, y'all! Azarath101 is back with another fic! Since my last full YGO fic turned out pretty good, I'm doing another one. This one will be shorter (just 3 or 4 chapters). Not sure if I will update every day this time, but I'll try for every other day. I own nothing.

Chapter 1

Johnny Steps sat at the old and dingy bar nursing his umpteenth beer. Smoke hung thickly in the bar, making everything darker and muted. Behind him, two men were playing pool. The balls crashed against each other loudly, bring Johnny out of his drunken stupor. He flicked his hand, signaling to the man behind the counter he wanted another round.

With pursed lips and a skeptical look in his eye, the bartender placed another mug before Johnny. "This is it. I'm cutting you off."

Johnny frowned and brought the mug to his lips. "Yeah. You're not the only one," he muttered before taking a swallow.

The bartender moved away from Johnny and began to clean glasses at the other end of the bar. Johnny's frown grew as he thought of the dancer girl that had turned his life upside down. Her fiery azure eyes flashed at him. Her grin was full of confidence. Johnny's hand tightened on his mug. He wanted her. And bad.

Just because he had thrown the duel to that Yuugi twerp didn't mean he was ready to give up Anzu. There was something about her. She was passionate and determined, yet kind and gentle. The way her eyes twinkled and her laughter rang out when she was happy was enough to drive him mad.

Johnny slammed his nearly empty mug back down to the bar. The other patrons became silent and looked up at him.

"Did you hear about Johnny?" He heard someone whisper.

"Yeah. Beat by a girl." Another replied.

"He even tried to cheat and she still won."

"He must be loosing his touch."

Johnny's black eyes narrowed as he threw the money for his drinks on the bar. He stood quickly and his stool fell back behind him. His head swam from the alcohol.

He wasn't loosing anything. He was going reclaim his title. As soon as he claimed the girl.

Wobbling, he made his way across the bar to the front door, where a neon 'open' sign flickered on one of the windows beside the door while on the other another neon sign proclaiming the name of the bar flickered dully. His face was bathed in red and blue light.

He wasn't really sure which was to go. He had no idea where the Anzu girl lived or where she would be at this hour. However, as luck would have it, across the street he spotted a teenaged couple walking down the sidewalk towards Domino Station, close together. The boy was slightly shorter, but his wild, porcupine like hair made up for the difference. The girl with him sported an orange purse and a light pink jacket. Johnny grinned. It was Anzu and Yuugi. Without looking, he crossed the street, barely managing to make it to the other side without being run down. He allowed a large group of people to separate him from them to allow him to follow them without their noticing.

X

Anzu and the spirit –Yami, as they had just learned- were heading back towards Domino Station. Yami had been quiet ever since they had learned of the Battle City Tournament and she had allowed him to think over everything quietly. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes. His face was emotionless and one of his hands held the Millennium Puzzle. She wondered if he was talking with Yuugi. She glanced up when they reached the place they had met at that morning. She took a breath and turned to face Yami. He seemed to shake out of himself as she stood before him, stopping him.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later." She said.

Yami frowned lightly. "I'm sorry, Anzu. I have been rather rude these past few minutes, haven't I?"

Anzu smiled kindly. "No. You've just learned a lot about yourself today. I figured you were just taking it all in."

Yami's gaze flickered down to the puzzle. "We have," he looked back up at her. "Thank you, Anzu. Without you, we most likely would not have learned what we did today."

Anzu rolled her shoulder, trying to soothe the pain of her heavy purse. "You're welcome, I guess. But, I should really be thanking you for getting me out of that date with that Johnny guy."

Yami's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't have to thank me for that, Anzu."

She was a little confused by the look in his crimson eyes. "Uh…well, I'll be seeing you." She turned to leave. Yami's hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, turning her back to face him. She was puzzled again by the look of protectiveness in his eyes.

"Do you not want me to walk you home? It's almost midnight."

Anzu stared into his penetrating eyes. She slowly shook her head. "No, Yami. It's fine. I don't live too far away and you need to get back to Yuugi's house to start working on the Battle City Tournament."

Yami's hand slowly fell away. "If you are certain…"

Anzu leaned closer to the Puzzle. "See you later, Yuugi." She told it, feeling completely ridiculous. She straightened and flashed Yami a smile. "Bye, Yami." With a small wave, she turned and began the short walk home.

"Goodbye, Anzu."

She turned her head and Yami was gone. She shivered lightly before resuming her walk home.

There was something about Yami that Anzu liked. He was brave, full of pride, intelligent and clever. She could tell that he cared very deeply for Yuugi and the rest of her friends. She was glad that he was able to give good advice to Yuugi. Though, she was concerned about Yuugi and Yami's safety. So many people seemed to want their puzzle and would do anything to take it from Yuugi.

And if something happened to Yuugi…

Anzu stopped abruptly, and hand to her mouth. Her heart pounded in her chest. She could not image the pain if something happened to Yuugi. Or Yami, for that matter. She had always felt strongly towards Yuugi and after today, she was starting to feel something towards Yami.

She swallowed her fear and tried to focus on the happy times that she, Yuugi, and Yami had shared. She did not want to worry about loosing them now. Because if she lost faith, then the others would surely loose it too. She had to be strong for her friends.

She started walking again, her house getting ever closer. She was just two blocks away now and she could see that her parents had left the porch light on for her. She smiled at the promise of her warm, soft bed.

A gasp of shock escaped her lips when she felt something tug on her pink jacket. She yelped when she was then pulled roughly back. She stumbled backwards and slammed into someone's chest. She looked up and her fear and shock turned into anger and frustration.

"Johnny."

He smiled crookedly down at her. "Hey, Anzu." His words were slurred.

Anzu wrinkled her nose. She could smell the smoke and alcohol off of him. "Johnny, you should go home." She struggled against his hold on her jacket. She was surprised when his grip tightened.

"It's so lonely there, doll face. Why don't you come back with me and be my friend?" He grinned drunkenly.

"Look, Johnny. I beat you at DDR. And you forfeited to Ya-Yuugi at Duel Monsters. I thought we had settled this." She began to roll her shoulders, working her jacket and purse down.

He grabbed her jacket tighter. "I want you to be my friend, Anzu."

Anzu narrowed her azure eyes. Johnny was too drunk to notice that she had worked her jacket and purse down to the creases of her elbows. "Sorry, Johnny. I don't want to be friends." She slammed her sandal heel down hard on Johnny's moccasin boot covered foot. He cried out and pain as she launched out of her jacket, her purse falling to the sidewalk.

She dashed towards her house, praying her parents left the door unlocked because her key was in her purse. She cried out when her foot landed wrong and her heel was caught in a crevice of the sidewalk. She slammed down on the unforgiving cement. Her felt her thin socks tear at the knees as her knees and palms scrapped the rough ground. Tears burned in her eyes as she felt her ankle throb.

Those same tears of pain escaped her eyes when Johnny grabbed her hair and pulled her back up. His expression was an odd mixture of a sneer and drunken grin. "I like it when you cry out in pain."

Anzu sobbed out against her will, her chest heaving. "Johnny…let me go." She begged.

He slammed her against a brick wall lining one side of the sidewalk. Anzu's head cracked against it sickeningly and she slid down it, her vision going blurry. Blood began to appear on her hair line.

Johnny kneeled in front of her and grabbed her hair roughly again. The smell of alcohol making Anzu's head swim more as her eyes slowly closed. "Not so confident now with out porcupine boy, are you?"

Darkness overtook Anzu as she whispered one last word, "Yami…"

Johnny picked her up and threw her roughly over his shoulder. Glad that she lived in such a small neighborhood that no one was out or awake at this hour, he smugly walked down the street with his prize.

X

Yami was nearing the game shop. Today had been extremely taxing mentally. He already knew that his name was Yami and that his past was in Ancient Egypt, but the rest had been startling news to him. He had saved the world from a great darkness in his previous life? And now he and Yuugi were destined to do it again. Starting with this Battle City Tournament that Kaiba was holding.

'Well, we won Duelist Kingdom. With the support of our friends, we can win this one.' Yuugi whispered.

Yami frowned. 'True, but I'm not completely sure that it will be enough this time. We have to be at our strongest. More than just the Dark Magician is at stake.'

Yuugi nodded from his mind room. 'Yeah. Anyway, it was a good thing I set you up with Anzu today. Otherwise, we might not have learned any of this 'till later. By then, it might have been too late.'

Yami's frown grew. "We're just friends," Anzu had told Mai. He didn't know why that disheartened him so much. He barely knew Anzu beside what Yuugi had told him about her and what he had learned today.

'Anzu was probably just embarrassed, Spirit.' Yuugi encouraged.

Yami rolled his eyes. 'It doesn't matter, Yuugi. I have to focus on the tournament. We both do.'

Yami knew that Yuugi had feelings for Anzu. That was another reason that he didn't need to even try getting close to Anzu. He was there to help Yuugi and if later Yuugi wanted help winning Anzu's heart, he would help him.

Yami and Yuugi both raised a brow at seeing the lights on downstairs in the game shop. It was after midnight and the shop had closed hours ago.

'Something's wrong.'

The spirit nodded. He could sense that something was wrong. He rushed to the door and pushed it open, the bell announcing his arrival. Grandpa was behind the counter in his pajamas, the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear. He glanced up when he heard Yami.

"Oh! He just got back. I'll ask him and call you back. If you find out anything before my call please call…Okay. Goodnight, Mazaki-san."

Yuugi's heart began to pound and Yami placed his hand over his chest, feeling the pain of it. Yuugi's nervousness was his as well. As Grandpa hung up the phone, Yami went to the counter, his shoulders tense.

"Is something wrong?"

Grandpa frowned. "Anzu's not with you, is she?"

'Anzu!' Yuugi's anxiety almost forced him into control of the body. Yami fought him back.

'Calm down, Yuugi.' Yami whispered to him before focusing on Grandpa. "No. We parted ways at Domino Station. She was headed home. Why?"

Grandpa grimaced; worry seeping into his aged eyes. "Well, I just got off the phone with the Mazakis. Anzu hasn't come home yet and she's not answering her cellphone. They were wondering if she was with you still."

Yuugi chewed his lip. 'We have to go find her.'

"What about Jonouchi or Honda?" Yami asked.

Grandpa shrugged. "She was calling them next."

As Yami opened his mouth, the phone rang again. Grandpa held up a hand to silence him as he picked it up. "Yes?...No. He said that she was heading home from Domino Station. What about the other two?...Really? Have you called the police yet?..."

While Grandpa was talking, Yami centered into himself to speak with Yuugi. They stood in the hallway between their mind rooms.

'I should have walked her home.' Guilt flooded through Yami like a tidal wave.

Yuugi nodded sadly. 'We should have. If anything happens to her, it's my fault. I was the one that talked her into coming.'

Yami placed a hand on Yuugi's shoulder. 'Yuugi…do not blame yourself.'

Yuugi shrugged his hand away. 'But it is my fault Anzu is missing! I should have taken over and walked her home even though she said she wanted to go home alone! She was trying to be helpful to us! And…and…' Yuugi trailed off as thick tears dripped from his eyes and fell to the ground.

Yami placed a hand under their body's eye and felt wetness. He pulled his hand away and tears moistened his fingers. He rubbed his fingers together, feeling the unfamiliar salty water. It was the first time he had cried in over three thousand years…and they weren't even his own tears.

A startled gasp from Grandpa pulled Yami and Yuugi from their thoughts and caused them to zero in on him. Grandpa clutched the phone tighter. "He what?" There was a pause and Yami could hear Anzu's mother's sobs from the other side of the line. "We're coming over." Grandpa said and hanging up quickly.

Yami moved closer to the counter, mentally preparing both he and Yuugi for bad news. Grandpa looked up at them with panic filled eyes. "Before Mazaki-san called me back, Mazaki-sama went out and began looking down the streets…" He trailed off and looked down.

Yami gripped the edge of the counter. "What? Tell me!" He demanded harshly.

He looked back up slowly, clearly dreading having to tell his grandson the next part. "A few minutes ago, he found her purse and jacket on the sidewalk about two blocks from their house. Her jacket was wrinkled and had a grimy hand print on the back of it. Not too far away from the jacket and purse, he found a small blood smear on one of the neighbor's brick fences."

Yami turned on his heel and ran from the counter, ignoring Grandpa's shouts to wait. Once he pushed the door out of his way, he took of sprinting towards Anzu's house.

Review please!

~Azarath101