A Winter Ruse
Getting snowed in at Domino High could be worse.
When Mokuba gives an unexpectedly generous present to an organization Anzu volunteers for, she feels compelled to give him -and Seto Kaiba- a Christmas present. The next day, she wants to find out if Kaiba got his present from her, but he says he didn't-- which leaves Anzu to come up with an appropriate present and fast, especially considering they're snowed in at Domino High.
A Winter Ruse
A Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfiction
By: Azurite
Characters/Pairings: Seto x Anzu, with special guest appearances by Mokuba, Isono and Various Classmates from Domino High
Rating: PG-13/T, just to be safe?
Disclaimer: I'm thinking of making some Christmas-themed Yu-Gi-Oh cards (or should it be Yu-Gi-Oh themed Christmas cards). In that case, do I own Yu-Gi-Oh? Probably not, but I had to try.
Notes: This was a "secret santa" fic for the yuugiouxmasfic community on LiveJournal, from me to "Shoelace-tan" a few years ago. So the fact that I went by the alias "Socks" is no secret anymore.
I tend to write multi-chapter fics more than oneshots, but when I get into challenges, I can really churn them out! Seto x Anzu are my favorite pairing in the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom, so you'll notice a lot of my stuff features them. This is one of the few fics that I originally wrote on LiveJournal instead of in HTML, and since FanLib doesn't currently accept HTML, it was one of the easiest ones to "import." My other stuff should be coming soon... eventually.
Oh, and spoilers for the end of the series. :P
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Whoever said that dressing up in a skimpy red velvet outfit trimmed with fake white fur and standing in the middle of a sleet-and-snow covered street in the middle of a bustling holiday shopping day was fun had obviously never done it while standing in place for more than three hours wearing a pair of tightly-laced knee-high black boots.
Just the thought was enough to cause Anzu Mazaki to be short of breath, and she breathed in several times in quick succession, hoping to warm up. She continued to smile and jingle the little bell beside her collection tin though, hoping that at least a few people who were busy running around like chickens with their heads cut off would find it in their hearts to donate some of their spare shopping change for the Domino Orphanage.
This was just something Anzu did every year, because she was that kind of a person-- nice, caring, and with a severe lack of anything better to do. The truth was, she'd been working on the side for so long and saved up so much that she'd done her Christmas shopping *ages* ago... and so with nothing better to do while everyone else shopped, she decided to volunteer for those organizations that were less fortunate.
Alas, the crowds were constantly thick and bustling, while the air outside remained at a frigid below-freezing temperature. Still, Anzu stood, Anzu smiled, and Anzu rang her little bell, hoping that someone would come by and drop some money in the tin-- and maybe, if she got lucky, they'd talk to her to.
Whether it was the work of coincidence or some greater holiday powers at work, Anzu's wish was granted when a small voice among the crowd of bigger, taller, and more bundled-up called out her name.
"Anzu? What are you doing here?" Anzu turned to face the source of the voice, and was surprised to see none other than Mokuba Kaiba standing before her, his cheeks red from the cold and his hair thoroughly mussed from the wind. It had been a while since Anzu had last seen Mokuba; after they all returned from Egypt, actually. After that, they'd all gone back to school and tried to pretend that everything was the same.
The truth was, everything had changed, and would keep on changing-- and none of them had the power to stop it. They really were powerless teenagers in a vast, wide world, and it was a sad fact that they all had to accept, far too soon. Of course, Seto Kaiba didn't seem the least bit fazed by the Pharaoh's return to his "proper" place. He didn't even appear the least bit disoriented by the whole affair -the loss of the Millennium Items, and the disappearance of Ryou Bakura's decidedly darker side- and in fact, kept on living life as he had all the years previous: managing Kaiba Corporation, taking care of his brother, and gliding through his final year of classes as if it were nothing.
Anzu, though she'd long resigned herself to the fate of *not* being with the enigmatic Pharaoh's spirit that had once resided in her best friend's body, still smarted from the whole thing, and tried her best not to think about it by distracting herself with things like volunteering.
"I could ask you the same question," Anzu smiled widely, trying not to look like she was about to turn blue from frostbite. Unfortunately, her attempt was in vain, as she immediately began chattering the moment she closed her mouth.
Mokuba laughed cheerily and waved a variety of colorful bags at her. "I'm doing my Christmas shopping, of course!"
Anzu looked around to see if she could spot the awkwardly tall frame that was Seto Kaiba. After all, Mokuba was only 12, and in a busy holiday time, even the constantly-working Kaiba wouldn't leave his precious younger brother all alone, would he? Anzu answered the question in her own mind before she said a word aloud; Seto Kaiba wasn't like that at all. For all his attempts at appearing callous and uncaring, Anzu knew -perhaps better than anyone else- that Mokuba was the most precious person in his life, and that there was no way that work would ever come before the welfare of his only living relative.
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