Glycerine
-x-
Kaiba stared at the letter on the kitchen table, pushing it back and forth with the edge of a knife blade. He gave a deep sigh, there was no time for this.
Yet the memory of before cut him deeper than the simple butter knife ever could.
-x-
"Morning Mokuba." He said, with as big a smile as the ice cold head of Kaiba Corp could give. About as wide as 2 millimetres.
Mokuba recognized it for what it was though. He flipped through the morning mail, hoping for something besides credit card bills from university. It had been ten long years since his adventures in elementary school, and he was barely out of high school and into university.
Which was why he had the reaction that he did.
"Seto, your school's having a reunion!" he said with glee.
"And?" Kaiba sipped his hot coffee, careful not to let the scalding liquid burn his tongue.
Mokuba shook his head, giving the cook his order, then turning around to face his brother. "You're going."
"I most certainly am not."
"Then I'll go in your place and tell them Mr. Bigshot CEO wet the bed until he was 12."
"You wouldn't dare! That's a lie! It was only until I was eight!"
Mokuba snickered. "Oh, I do dare. So what's it gonna be?"
-x-
And he had made the decision, simple as that.
He sighed, rising to dump his stale cold coffee down the drain. He walked over to the coffee machine, opting to dump the whole thing and brew a fresh pot.
But he gave up, threw his cup at the wall, and went upstairs to work, yelling something at his driver that he would be working from home today. He left the sticky mess to trickle down the walls and rest on the fragments of the shape it once was.
-x-
Kaiba had always admired Anzu. When it came down to it, he thought she had quite the potential to run a big business someday. She had the spunk, the attitude, worked hard, determination, perseverance… and most importantly, she cared about people.
So, it was the only thing he had to look forward to that night, to see how she had turned out. She had wanted to be a dancer. Perhaps she was a famous Broadway star by now. He hoped she'd show up.
He wouldn't know of her fame, he only read up on current events and money matters. And Broadway and the like were in neither section.
-x-
When the day came, Kaiba readied himself.
But he wasn't ready enough.
As he walked through the doors of the gym, he was shocked to find Anzu putting on a provocative display. Her eyes strayed to the door, which had closed behind Kaiba as he walked into the room.
Their eyes met, and she mouthed, "Shit."
She stopped what she was doing, getting down off the table and walking over to say hello.
But before she could get past that, Kaiba had some words to say.
"What the FUCK was that?"
She had never heard him swear before.
-x-
The two walked outside to talk.
She explained that after high school, she'd had to get a job. And that had led to her becoming a stripper, and a prostitute, in order to make money to pay for her dancing school.
"I went all that way… and they told me… they told me I couldn't go, not if I was going to be a prostitute. Prostitutes don't dance, dancers don't get abortions. That's what they told me. I had to come home. I can't get away. And it's so ingrained… It was all I knew how to do… I'm sorry about back there; I just… didn't know what to do. So I did what I've been doing for the past decade, because I can't get away."
Her speech was made through tears. And when she was done, she full blown cried, shoulders shaking.
-x-
He never knew what to do in situations like this.
But he saw a movie like this before.
He put his hand on her back, rubbing it gently.
She looked up at him, tear tracks staining her cheeks.
She hugged him.
And he stiffly hugged back.
It was a start.
-x-
They dated for a few months after the reunion.
And Anzu tried to get away, but her pimp stopped her from doing it.
On a date, she told him.
-x-
"Hey, isn't that Seto Kaiba?" said one in a large group of pimps, as a tall figure strode towards him. It was the very same pimp who "owned" Anzu.
Kaiba's fingers encircled the man's collar, pulling him off the ground and half-choking him.
"You'll be letting Anzu Mazaki go right this minute."
"And if I don't?" The man briskly removed Kaiba's fingers from his collar, and dusted off his outfit.
Kaiba held up his phone. "I'm sure the Domino police force would love to know who's operating the underground ho show… Mac."
Mac swallowed, and pulled out his gun. Kaiba dodged, encircling an arm around Anzu, despite her muted protests throughout the whole thing.
She'd been ignored.
Kaiba took a bullet to the arm as he escaped.
She called 911, standing guard over him. First for the ambulance, then to the police .
Kaiba had given her the courage.
She would never whore herself out again.
-x-
To this day, he doesn't understand why the events have led up to their marriage.
She never regrets the decisions she's made.
Neither one cares, since the decision's they've made have brought them to this wedded happiness...
This bliss.
xEnd.