rockinghorse | » OPEN POST

( when things seemed to go well for nana, it seemed that everything else was falling apart. she wasn’t able to return to that apartment, 707, for a variety of reasons but at the same time she didn’t want to. there was too many painful reminders of what had happened and how she was no longer in control of things like she had been.

however as much as she wanted to linger on the pain of it all, it seemed life pushed her and her bandmates through a breeze of different people and situations. they had been forced to take residence at their recording company’s dormitories and while the boys of the band hit it off with some of the other guests there, nana was left to be alone.

that was until she happened to meet yuugi who seemed equally as interested in her as she was in him. it began when she tried finding a new game for the band to play, visiting his grandfather’s shop. there she just seemed drawn to talking to him and eventually they became good friends.

—

it was finally time for blast to begin touring and nana was clearly nervous. still, she was proud that she had finally accomplished her goals and was cheerfully inviting all her friends to come watch.

although she didn’t seem like it, she was secretly hoping for her new friend to come. she wasn’t sure why but he felt like a lifeline to her in the sea of chaos that had taken a hold of her in the last few months.

so when she got up on stage and began to perform, she looked out into the crowd to see if he was there. when she did, she couldn’t help but look away and smile. she gave it her all and the crowd to seemed to love it.

when they were finally finished, she headed off the stage and towards the back where yuugi had been waiting for her. with a surprised look on her face, she simply walked up to him and eventually smiled. )

Hey! Did you enjoy the show? Thank you for coming.

[It was said that friendship could come in the strangest places.

Yuugi knew this well; after all, it was through a magical puzzle that he met his Other Half, and through his adventures with that Other Half he grew close to his group of friends that stood by him even when things were at their roughest. Jonouchi, Bakura, Anzu, Honda...they were all his dearest friends, and for all intents and purposes, they shouldn't have gotten along as well as they did.

And yet.

Here he was, out of high school and working at his family game shop as he went to school part-time to figure out just what he wanted to do with his life.

It wasn't as though he had bad grades; he graduated top of his class -- even over Kaiba -- and made a speech in front of the entire school. He got into a good university, went through his classes, but...something was missing.

Perhaps it was his Other Self, who he still spoke to even if he knew he couldn't hear him anymore.

Or perhaps it was simply that the days dragged. His friends grew up, paired off. Jonouchi and Mai finally decided to get together after plenty of tug-of-war and back and forth; Anzu went to America to study dance and found herself a handsome American boyfriend; Bakura was single, but he seemed pretty satisfied with that.

It wasn't long after he heard the news of Anzu's new boyfriend that Nana Osaki went into the Kame Game shop, and the two hit it off quickly. How could they not? The two shared similar aesthetics and Yuugi loved hearing about her music and her passions.

When she asked him to go to her concert, of course he had to come.

He dressed to the Nines, too. No frumpy T-shirts and loose shorts; he was going to a rock show, so he had to look the part: A pendant with the Eye of Horus around his neck, studded leather cuffs and collar, eyeliner in a perfect wing around his eyes, black tank-top, and leather boots and pants.

And Nana was amazing. No, she was radiant. This was his friend, singing her heart out and wowing the crowd with her voice and infectious energy. Even if Yuugi didn't know the words, he sang as loud as everyone else, bouncing to the beat and even joining the Pit for dancing.

By the time her set was over, he had to see her. He bounced on his feet, practically vibrating with energy and excitement.]

Nana-chan, you were amazing! I couldn't keep my eyes off you!

[Yuugi's eyes sparkled, bright and purple and almost glowing in the backstage lights.]

( in between the bright lights of the stage and the noise, it took nana a moment to come down from the high that came with performing. when she did, she noticed what he had been wearing and it made her feel happy. she had been worried this wasn’t his kind of scene, but he had really seemed like he enjoyed himself.

it was nice for her to feel happy for once, it had been such a turbulent time.

so in this moment, she focused on him and this positivity that seemed to fill her up. )

Yeah? Was it the voice or the outfit?

( teasing him, she spun around a bit, balancing on the heels of her rocking horse shoes. nana herself had on a long white collared blouse, a black neck tie, a mini skirt and fish net leggings. on her neck was the usual westwood orb she always wore. )

Hey, the guys were thinking of going to a bar to celebrate and party it up. Wanna join?

[Yuugi chuckled. Her energy really was infectious; it made him glad that he decided to cut loose for once.

At her question, he winked.]

Why not both? Isn't wowing the crowd with both your passion and your fashion what rock stars do?

[Though... getting drinks. It's been a while since he went to a bar, hasn't it?]

Sounds great. And hey, since I'm dressed like this, it'll be like I'm one of the crew, yeah?

I guess you’re right.

( to his wink, all she could really do was chuckle.

in the backstage, employees of the venue walked past them along with her bandmates who waved at them. nana looked at them before turning back to yuugi. )

I guess you could say that, though Shin is already the shortest member.

( she laughed a bit before walking forward, waving at him to follow.

although the others seemed nice enough to yuugi, the one who seemed to be the most pleased with their friendship was yasu. maybe one day she’ll tell him what the ‘mother’ of the group had said. )

You can stay out late right? No homework or exams, or work?

I'm not the shortest one for once. I'll count that as a win.

[Everyone was so nice; it was nice to talk to people who didn't have a connection with the...stuff that Yuugi got involved with when he was in high school.

He could just be Yuugi.

Not the King of Games, not the Pharaoh's Vessel.

Just Yuugi.

He nodded.]

All schoolwork is accounted for. Gramps gave me the next couple days off, too.

( with the backstage slowly becoming a distant place behind them, nana continued walking forward, picking up her guitar and a purse. once she was ready, she held the exit door open for the other. )

Perfect, we have tomorrow off so we’re going hard at it! Don’t be shy, the label is treating us so go hard.

( once they were outside, she followed behind the others, staying by yuugi’s side as she stretched her arms out. )

I like your fit by the way, think I can borrow your necklace sometime?

[Ahaha, he was definitely going to not go too ham on the alcohol, then. Someone had to be the sober one, right?

Bar snacks, on the other hand... Those would be devoured with gusto.

He walked outside with her, keeping in-step as the cool night air tousled his hair.]

Oh...my necklace?

[He smiled, soft and wistful.]

Sure, if you want. An old friend of mine really liked ancient Egyptian stuff, so I uh... you know. Kinda inherited the look.

[To put it mildly.]

I think it'd suit you.

Oh, someone I haven’t met?

( she won’t judge him too harshly for it-

after all, he had yet to meet one of the most important people to her. she wasn’t sure if it would happen truthfully. ever since her pregnancy reveal, it seemed that her once loyal dog was now far off in a golden cage somewhere.

however nana didn’t want to think on that for now, so she simply nodded and continued walking forward until they reached a bar down the street. )

Only if you don’t mind, if it’s precious to you, I wouldn’t want to borrow it.

( the guilt of something happening to it would surely eat her alive. )

Ah... yeah.

[Yuugi stared up, and for a moment, it almost looked like he was going to cry.

Still, he was smiling.]

He passed away when I was in high school. I like to wear stuff like this as a way to remember him.

( being highly emotional and sensitive, it didn’t take nana long to notice the change in mood.

when he mentioned that his friend passed away, her eyes widened a bit before she forced herself to continue looking forward.

this was a pain she knew too well but she didn’t really talk about it to anyone. truthfully, she hadn’t mentioned much about herself to yuugi, unless he had asked about it.

still, she wanted to remain strong for him in this moment. )

I see, I’m sorry for your loss.

( is all she could say, before the others seemed to turn around and nod in sympathy.

before long though, they were at the door of the bar, heading in. with a softer smile, nana looked down at her friend and spoke again. )

Well, let’s drink to their memory. I’m sure they would want to see you being happy and living a good life.

[Honestly, he appreciated it. It was nice to simply get an "I'm sorry" over the sad looks and the attempts to change topics whenever he came up.

Atem was a critical part of his life. In his culture, being remembered was part of being able to go to the afterlife. He wouldn't be able to thrive with his friends who already passed on if he wasn't spoken of...

And yet.

And yet with some of his friends, it was almost verboten.

Yuugi wiped his eyes and smiled; a genuine one.]

In his culture, it's believed that remembering the dead helps them in the afterlife. So I think...Atem would like that a lot.

[He chuckled.]

I'll get a really fruity wine tonight in his honor. He loved that stuff.

[Pomegranate wine was a common offering to the dead and was popular among the upper classes. Not that he could really say it like that, but...

It was nice.

Freeing.]

And we'll help you drink it!

( she said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder to reassure him. it felt nice hearing more about him. in fact it warmed her heart just a bit-

but then she thought about if she really should get close to him. would he run from her like hachi did a few months ago?

she didn't want to think on it further though, even if her mind went back and forth through those emotions. so once they were inside and seated at the bar, she began to order some stuff while the rest of the group worked on what they wanted. naturally she sat next to yuugi. )

Ugh my throat kinda hurts. I think I hit that last note a little too hard. I'll have some of that fruity wine though, just order what you think would work.

[Yuugi's eyes softened just a little.]

You got it.

[He stretched out his neck a little to call to the bartender:]

Can I have a hot toddy and a glass of Red Zinfandel?

[The man grunted and started working on the drinks; Yuugi chuckled sheepishly as both were pushed over.

He gently pushed the toddy towards Nana and kept the wine between them for easy access.]

For your throat. The honey and lemon should help. The bourbon should add some vanilla notes, too.

( there was a moment of shock on her face when he placed the order-

truthfully, she hadn't been expecting him to be such an expert on drinks. especially when she only stuck to beer. for a moment she was almost blushing-

he was far too kind to her. )

Thanks.

( she took it, opting to focus on it instead. she took a sip and made a loud noise of pleasure. )

Hey this is really good! When did you become such an expert on drinks?

[Oh. Oh dear...

Yuugi's face bloomed into a deep blush; he hadn't expected such a reaction, especially from someone as worldly as Nana-chan.]

Ummm...well, when we have game nights, Bakura really likes to experiment with cocktails.

[To put it mildly. One time he made three variants of mudslides in one night. How that guy could hold the dice and his minis while that drunk was anyone's guess.]

I've had to get pretty good at hangover cures, too.

( it didn't take nana long to notice how flush his face became, but she didn't quite perceive it as anything more than him being happy with her compliment.

so like a cat playing with a mouse, she decided to push him further for fun. )

Ah I should have expected as much. You're pretty talented when it comes to dueling too.

( she drank more of her drink, nearly inhaling it all with how wonderful it tasted. whatever else was going on in the bar, and whatever the rest of the band was doing fell into the background. her attention was fully on him. )

Perfect, you'll need to take care of me tomorrow then! I plan on drinking a lot.

[Nnnnhhhhggggghhhh, hearing that just made him blush harder. He wasn't a pro like Jonouchi --

(Though everyone knew Yuugi was good enough to go pro. He just didn't feel like that competitive world was for him)

-- but hearing the compliment made him feel warm all the same.]

I, ah...I guess. I just really like to play games...

[And at her last comment, he couldn't help but laugh, warm and open and fond.]

Just try to drink some water, too, okay? I'll be making sure you're fed and hydrated in the morning either way, though.

You got it boss.

( it was sound advice, but for someone like her, she usually just forgot about taking care of herself. still, she'll tease him about it regardless.

soon a pitcher of beer was brought out and she was drinking away without concern. it wasn't long before she began to feel light and the sound of a phone going off in her pocket filled the bar. )

Huh? I wonder who that could be.

( she didn't answer in time, but her delay was long enough to get a text message. she opened up her phone and stared at it with wide eyes.

clearly the mood was shifting and she seemed stunned before she snapped her flip phone close and put it away. )

[Yuugi blinked; that... was not a look he's really seen on her before. Not that kind of stunned surprise, anyway.

Worry bubbled up, but he took a sip out of his drink. Just hovering would do nothing, after all...]

Nacchan?

[He hadn't realized he'd slurred his usual nickname until it was already out of his mouth. Still, he watched her with gentle concern.]

Everything okay?

( it took her a moment to respond but his words seemed to draw her out of whatever lull she had been in. she turned to the side to see nobuo had been talking on the phone with his new girlfriend, so nana turned her body completely towards yuugi and leaned in a bit, getting closer to his ear. )

It's nothing bad...just found out my old roommate is having her baby within the next two weeks.

( she was visibly stressed, but she didn't seem too out of it now. )

Let's keep this between us, okay?

[An old roommate... the language was distant, but that reaction implied far more than she was letting on.

Was she an old friend? An old girlfriend?

Either way, it was stressing her out, and...well.

It worried him.]

Of course, Nacchan.

[And, still leaning close, he whispered:]

And... if you need anything, even just to talk, I'm here.

( although his kindness was appreciated, nana opted to hide her true feelings for now. she was in a delicate predicament-

if nobuo found out what happened, he would spiral and their band could be in danger. at the same time, she wanted to still be supportive of her friend but she had to admit this was painful for her too. that child was a reminder of what had happened and of him, the man who took her from nana.

with a soft smile, she pulled away from him and began to drink. she drank so much, she finished her cup in one swoop and immediately went to pour herself another. it was time to change the topic. )

Hey Yuugi, did you run into any of my groupies? They all dress like me now haha!

( thankfully, she didn't really deal with them at all now. )

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