A Lesson or Two to be Learned By: ~*Brittney a.k.a Hoshi Mizuriu*~

Disclaimer:. crap, forgot about the disclaimer stuffs.

Yuugi: *shakes his hands in front of him * don't look at me!

Hoshi: *rolls eyes* whatever.anyways, I won't say it. I'm tired of typing the crap over and over again. It's making my head spin!

Ryou: we can all see that.

Hoshi: *huffs* .GOMEN NASAI MINNA!!! Haha!!!! I have my A disk back!!! No more nightmares of blue floppy disks dancing around in my head!!! No sireeeee!!!! Nope, nope, nope!!!!!

Yuugi and Ryou: *sweat drops* '.I'm glad I'm not an author.'

Hoshi: *looks at them with a brow raised* said somethin'?

Both: *shakes their heads with a bigger sweat drop* nope.never said nothing! *squeaks*

Hoshi: uh huh.*giggles* I'm so happieeeeee!!!! *then looks around* that reminds me.I haven't seen Yami all day. Where is that baka? I thought he'd be irritating my head off by now.

Yuugi: good question.*darts his eyes around*

Ryou: we haven't seen him either.

Hoshi: *shrugs* oh well.onward with this crappy fic!!!!! Hope ya'll happy- smappy at me working my @$$ off!! Warning: this will be a longer chapter (I think)

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Chapter 7: Of Deep Thoughts and a Critical Loss



"..it's okay to be scared..but your not alone..Yuugi and I are here for you.no matter what..."

Yami Yuugi blinked at that, pondering on just what the light sleeping Anzu Mazaki had whispered to him, making his mind jumble with even more questions and increasing various new feelings that now began to start to scare him. And it showed in his now confused dark purple violet bliss as he stood, his lips hanging loosely at the girl that lay rested in his warmly secured arms. Why such care he used? Even he didn't know.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

His partner, Yuugi Mouto, had to let a smile come on his face, and then it slightly widened over his other's half confusion over the simple but signifigant words of wisdom played gracefully by his female companion. It was the truth, and it warmed inside of him a little, lifting the heavy feeling of concern a bit to know that she wasn't all delusion. And seeing her conscious for even this long gave him some ray of hope to follow by, but even so.her sudden pale skin has cause him to still worry.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned back lazily in the black void, letting it levitate him around to simply nothing, trying hard to relax his tense muscles for the time being that would be short as soon as his partner would let him know. But for now, he would just have to wait and watch, which really wasn't his very good strong point. Especially for in this time when someone else is in danger. And just watching everything without having to do something was hard, including the wait, which was slowly eating at him from the inside out. And it pained him from the starting point.which was his heart.

'...Anzu...be well...please...'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

With a nod, the older male teen had once again moved his feet onward with a strangely renewed will and mind, the cold feeling of doubt and anticipation building within.

Finally he emerged into a small clearing, the soft sound of a trickling slender waterfall running down over slick gray rocks and dark green moss into a small crystal clear pond with emerald reeds growing from the bottom of the waters; its silver surface glittered in the looming moonlight above. Old wisdom rocks lined the banks and bordered its gentle rippling shores, the smaller rubble crumpling beneath the larger and more dominant stones as the time went on by. The wind blew lightly with icy bitterness across and through the trees, creating a mild serene but at the same time, eerie melody within the darkened branches of this forest.

At this, Anzu quietly whimpered in her sleep as she unconsciously snuggled closer into Yami's warming and secure hold, receiving a slight coloring to the growing male's cheeks and a surprised looked as he gazed down at the resting young one in his arms,

'...she looks so much like a child...innocent and pure...like abiou...is this how being surprised feels like...? To be appended with a strange deep feeling of unsuspecting and adrenaline....?' He thought deeply, his purple amethyst eyes shifting over to a slightly darker shadow that reflected his intense thinking as he silently walked over to a tree that stood near the waters edge.

The heavenly stars above that dotted the shadowed sky in they're glorious light seemed to dance and giggle over and over with the crescent pale white moon standing by to watch like a guardian to children while illuminating all paths to anyone whom would roam around this earthen grounds for a stroll of any purpose. While the laughs of the stars could not be heard, the soothing mumbled secrets of the trees foretold age-old knowledge within their brown barks and branches of time, while the eternal cycle of the rebirthen leaves merrily told of the season's change.

Yami then slowly and gently set the young woman down on the downy cool grass beneath the weeping willow's shadow, its vines and leaves falling around and moving with the wind like a velvet curtain as he carefully pushed her shoulders back towards the trunk of the wood with his hands so she sat propped against the tree. He then just knelt there in front of her for a few moments, studying her slightly peaceful pale look with a crucial eye, this all seemingly new and strange to his site.

The young man then absently reached out a hand and brushed the wavering brown strands away from her face, idly combing them back into place as he gazed at her features that were sculpted seemingly in all the right ways. Softly, he then traced his fingers over her high cheekbones and then traveled then down to her jaw line before letting them rest on her left cheek, his palm fitting warmly against the smooth heating flesh as he tenderly stroked her skin with his thumb,

'...what...what is this...this feeling now...?'

Suddenly, as if in a trance, he then subconsciously found himself venturing closer, feeling a bit drawn to her by a strange illumination that seemed to surround her feminine figure, his head drawing closer and closer...

But as Yami was about to touch Anzu any further, he stopped, blinking a few times and then some before reeling back his face from hers, feeling more startled than ever before as he felt his cheeks flare with heat, but more hot than ever.

'. . .what. . .what. . .?'

He then slowly drew back his hand, looking at it for a long while, trying to understand just what he was about to attempt without knowing it while at the same time, trying to determine what that brief temporary feeling of bliss that suddenly washed over him was.

'...just what in the God's name of Ra is happening to me? Just what was I about to do?'

The questioning Pharaoh then shook his head so he could get back to the task at hand and to not think any further on these emotions that bombarded and barricaded his senses and instincts from functioning properly before he slipped off the dark blue jacket from his shoulders and draped them cautiously over the still sleeping female, very wary of her wounds that have yet been attended to.

Taking one last tug here and a glance, Yami called forth the younger, original host of the body and retreated back to his soul room within the puzzle, his mind never before as thinking so much, but continued to keep his connection through Yuugi's eyes open so he can watch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yuugi stayed on his knees, looking over at Anzu, but his mind seemed in a different place, his eyes in a puzzling daze. He blinked his purple eyes slowly for a few times before he slightly smiled for the first time this night. He was a little glad that his Yami was beginning to shed some sentimental feelings for another, but, then he frowned at this other feeling that stirred within. He was still hurting, but in a different way with a slightly burning emotion somewhere deep inside.

He was...jealous.

It was strange. He never felt this intense of jealousy before, nor did it even occur to him that this would happen when it came to his best friend Anzu. Yuugi did feel a connection with her that ran a little ways deeper than what you would have with a normal friend, but he never thought that it went through him this far than it should have. And he never even dreamed that he would be jealous towards his other half. They are one and the same, weren't they? And if they were, wouldn't they be feeling the same emotions? The same intentions? The same desires...?

For the moment, Yuugi turned away and shut his eyes, which began to tremble. He never considered it to be this hurtful, '...but I can't think about that now...' Then he opened his newly determined eyes back at the resting girl,

"Right now, Anzu needs me and Yami."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Honda slept soundly, smiling in his dreams before something suddenly hit him in the face, giving him a rude awakening, making his eyes shoot open wide. Something was weighing down on his nose, suffocating him a little. He just laid there, stunned for a minute, trying to see what this large shadowed thing was before he blinked, realizing what it was, he felt himself boil,

"...get your foot outta my face, Jou!!!" He said as he slapped the covered feet away so he can breath again.

"...haaaaaaaaah...? Naaaaaaaaani...?" Jounichi slurred with a yawn as he stretched, accidentally hitting the other boy in the face in the process.

"Itai o!! Jou!! Would you stop hitting me?! It's bad enough you woke me up with your foot just about ready to go up my nose!!" Honda exclaimed a little loudly, which stirred the other sleeping being in the camp.

The blonde male blinked tiredly at the other boy,

"Ara...yoroshii." Then he laid back down, already asleep.

The brown haired teen stood, his trench coat falling to the grass as he clenched his fists, "And he just goes back to sleep!! The nerve! I'll show him to not sleep while I'm talking!!" Then he kicked Jou on his arse, receiving a loud yelp.

"What was that for?! Can't a guy get some rest?!?!" Jou cried, now wide- awake.

"I'm supposed to say that, baka!! And if you hadn't rolled over to me while you were sleeping, and then stuck your foot in my face to kill me, I wouldn't have been in such a cranky mood!"

"Your in a cranky mood?! Hah!!"

"Yes, I'm cranky! And far beyond that!!"

"OH yeah?!"

"Come on, guys. Calm down, It's the middle of the night." The last person of the group quietly said as he sat up, fixing his pale white hair.

"Yeah, Honda. You might wake up Yuugi! And we both know he needs rest after what he's been through today!" Jou blamed the other.

"Look who's talking! I'm not the one with the big mouth here!!" Honda countered, getting angry again.

"Hah! Go look in the mirror!!"

"I would, if I wasn't stuck with a blonde block head here!!"

"You two can argue all you want, but there really is no point." Ryou stated.

The conflicting teenaged boys stopped and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Anzu and Yuugi are not here."

"Nani?!" Both cried in disbelief with wide eyes.

Jou turned to Honda, "Then what are we just standing here for?! We have to look for them!!"

"Hai! Something might have happened!!" Honda agreed.

But Ryou shook his head as slight cold night breeze fell from the heavens, blanketing the group in a creeping grip, "Leave those two alone."

"Doshta no?!" Both asked.

The Millennium carrier looked up at both of them, seriousness embedded deep within his dark brown eyes as his features melted away to passive and almost unreadable look, but an air plagued around him that clearly stated to cease all further questions. He had seen this coming for the three absentees, and just how much it matt???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????? there, stunned for a minute, trying to see what this large shadowed thing was before he blinked, realizing what it was, he felt???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????zu tiredly watched the young little boy short hurriedly head to the waters banks as she snuggled deeper into the blue jacket, trying very hard to keep awake. Something was very wrong. Her vision was swimming with pain, making her only see shapes and colors sometimes while her head felt oddly lighter than it should, aside from the heavy poundings in her temples. She also felt very, very cold, almost numb, which also wasn't good. Then Anzu suddenly gave a fit of coughing that spiked her abdomen hard with agony, but she covered her mouth with a hand tightly, so Yuugi wouldn't hear.

'...he's been through enough already ...he's too sweet and caring...' Anzu thought as she opened one eye to see if Yuugi had seen her sudden lurch of breath before she drew back her hand, but then she blinked down at it, seeing something. Then she clenched it tightly until her knuckles turned a pale white, hiding the red splatters from her fading site.

'...blood. How can it be this serious?! I just have a few scratches...'

Then her vision whirled in a spin, making her dizzy and feel weaker than ever, suddenly starting to loose her hold on consciousness. And then, that impending emotion of fear and terror grew and grew more than ever as she could almost feel her soul start to slip away, beckoning Anzu to close her eyes and sleep for eternity, but then, a warm and affectionate hand came to rest on the side of her heating but paling face.

"...Anzu...?" Yuugi whispered, his voice wavering more than it should, "...daijobu...?"

She whimpered slightly in reply at the agony, having a hard time getting the words out while she tried her very best to smile through it all, but just barely, "...h...hai...Yuugi...I am..."

Another lie, but he let it slide as he knelt down in front of Anzu, helping her sit up before tilting her head towards the small portion of water, patiently waiting for her to drink. But he couldn't evade the trembles of his hold on the dark green leaf, a wave of terror and fright coursing through his whole body at the thought of...

\\...you must not think that way, abiou...\\ Yami quietly defied the boy's thinking with the shake of his head.

At that, Yuugi nodded. There really was no point in pondering that now.

Then he looked down; having something caught his eye on Anzu's hand. Then he stared up back at his female friend, the cold icy grip tightened more on his heart, receiving a slight wince,

". . .Anzu. . .y-you didn't cough up blood. . .did you?"

Anzu looked down slightly, away from his gaze, feeling guilty more than she should, but then she shivered from another passing bitter wind, whimpering quietly.

Yuugi sighed sadly, placing his warm hands on her shaking pale ones, holding them gently as he sat down beside her, locking her eyes with his own, speaking to her in a soft voice, ". . .I'm not a medical doctor, or a physician. . .but I'll be here for you, Anzu. . ."

"Demo, Yuugi. . ." She started, but he shook his head and gave her fingers a little squeeze, making Anzu's heart jump.

"Iie, Anzu. I'm not leaving you. I can't, and won't. . .not without you. But you're not able to move right now, so I'm staying right here." He hushed her quietly as he leaned his head on her shoulder, sliding his hands along her arms to try and warm her from the cold night air, trying everything that he could to comfort her and help her through this.

The brown haired young woman stared at him through her blurred vision, watching all his childish attempts with a quickening heart. For a long while back then before, she had wanted Yuugi this close to her, but now that it's happening, she began to feel like running again as she felt her face flush a little with heat just a bit. But then, only moments passed by, did she slowly start to drift off to a calm dream, knowing that Yuugi was with her by her side.

Yuugi blinked up at Anzu at the sound of her sudden deep breathing and exhaling, but then his purple gaze softened at the peaceful look he met of his friend's face. A very small smile made its way up on the little one's lips as some of his fears slipped away with the passing winds of the night before he once again laid his head on her shoulder and snuggled closer to Anzu, falling asleep himself.

~*~

\\Abiou!!!\\

Yuugi jolted awake at the sudden shock of his other half's voice. Then he blinked at the abruptness of bombarding and conflicting thoughts and emotions that drew around both their minds, \. . .Yami, what's wrong? You sound frantic. . .\

\\I've been trying to awake you for quite some time, abiou. Something does not feel right. It sounds. . .too quite. Nothing stirs. . .\\

The current occupier blinked again a few times before taking a look around the still dark forest, listening in on what he could, but finding that there wasn't even a single quiet chirp of a cricket within the shadow fallen grass. The only sound was the trickling flow of the water near by. Not even the winds that blew up occasionally to pass through the leaves of the trees.

He then shivered. This was a little too eerie and peculiar.

\. . .i-it's strange. . .I don't hear anything. . .\

Suddenly he found himself set his eyes on the person sitting propped up against the tree beside him, looking her over. Something didn't feel right, but she looked normal, aside from her still pale skin. . .

He then peered closer, before his breath froze in mid inhalation and his eyes slowly widened, his fears and terror returning a blow to his heart seemingly one hundred times over, and Yami could see and feel it also, a cold icy grip tightening deathly on both their hearts and mind,

". . .A. . .Anzu-chan. . .?"

But Anzu never answered. . .for she had stopped breathing.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hoshi: Dun, dun, dun!!! He he he. . .CLIFFY!!!

Yuugi: oh dear. . .

Ryou: You do realize that the readers might kill you now, right Hoshi-san?

Hoshi: Keh! I'd like to see them try! No one knows where I am, so I'd like to see them try!

Yuugi: Don't underestimate the readers, Hoshi-san. . .

Hoshi: Yeah, yeah. . .

Yami: *suddenly shoves a present in front of Hoshi while mumbling* . . .here. Happy Birthday. . .

Hoshi: *blinks a few times and so over before sweat dropping* uh. . .Yami? My Birthday was, um. . .on the 4th of July? Does that ring a bell?

Yami: *sweat drops as he slowly looks over to Ryou and Yuugi, a vein starting to pop out* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yuugi and Ryou: *begins to sweat as they grin nervously* um, um, um. . . . . . . . . .BYE!!! *they run away*

Yami: *runs after them, fists in the air* COME BACK HERE, YOU LIARS!!!!!

Hoshi: *watches them go* o.o. . . . . . . . o-kaaaaaaaay.well, at least I got a very late present from a jerk. And at least I got more conversation in this chapter. And at least I got to finish this chapter. And at least my stupid sis finally found my A disk!!!! Okay! Time for me to go! I was suppose to be long gone in "La la Land", but I needed to finish this first. Right now it's.....2:57 a.m. And I better g?????????????ý?ý?ý?ý?ý?ý????????????????ý?ý?ý?ý?ý?ý????????????????ý?ý?ý?ý? ý?ý????????????????ý?ý?ý?ý?ý?ý?????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????