Well, it's been...well I don't know how long it's been since the first chapter, but in my brain it's been a while. I do want to apologize if anyone felt the last chapter was kind of rushed, but it was with good reason. Anyway, here's a new chapter! Thanks again for the reviews and support guys!


While the moving company occupied themselves with moving the works of art, Anzu spent the same amount of time putting the finishing touches to her exhibition. Excitement and nerves coursed through her body. Her very first exhibition would feature most of her paintings, and a great amount of pressure was on her shoulders, hoping that all the guests would enjoy her art and have a good perception of it. Whether or not there would be critics arriving was unknown to her, but she remained positive and calm to the best of her ability.

Unbeknownst to her, Kiyoko arrived, carefully observing the rented space. The walls were covered in white, which would show of the variety of colors in the works provided. The architecture was abstract, yet comforting. Everything was in the best of shape. No dirt, no dust, nothing.

"I gotta say this space you rented is awesome." Anzu heard Kiyoko's voice, turning around to see her friend nonchalantly sipping her coffee.

"This is the place I used to work in college. I was the secretary. It just sucks that Kaiba Corp is like five minutes from here." Anzu pouted, fixing her beige and black colored blazer.

Kiyoko sighed with a bit of disappointment and sincerity, "I sadly remember. Why don't you both just sit down and discuss what went down. Even though you try to convince yourself that you hate him, I can see that you're still in love with Seto."

"Puh-lease, Ki. I'm not in the slightest attracted, or remotely even consider myself still in love with him." Anzu replied. Her tone was a clear sign that her stubbornness was taking control once again, "And besides, he has that blonde bimbo whore to keep him company."

"The both of you are so damn stubborn. Anyway, I've got the perfect outfit for tonight." Kiyoko decided it would be best to steer the subject onto something that didn't have to deal with Anzu's baby daddy.

"Eh, I just have a classic black dress and cheetah pumps." Anzu added, continuing to watch the moving company move in more paintings.

"I'm kind of proud that you've finally developed some fashion sense. I mean those thigh high socks and platform shoes you used to wear in high school...yuck." Kiyoko laughed, as Anzu glared her eyes at her.

"You know, it's been years since high school and I love my wardrobe now." Anzu said, looking down at her work attire.

Kiyoko stopped momentarily, taking a good look at her friend, "Yeah that is true. Anyway, you need to focus on tonight. Remember, this is your time and no one can take it from you."

"Thanks, Ki. It means a lot that all of you guys are going to be here." Anzu smiled, keeping positive thoughts coursing through her mind.

xxxx

Seto just returned from a lunch date with Charlotte. He didn't know how much longer he could bear to be around that woman. It was as if the brain cells in his mind were being sucked out of him like a vacuum. His thoughts immediately flickered to the familiar brunette he came to love. Though they technically weren't in an official relationship, he felt more at peace and less callous when he was around her. He always knew Anzu attracted people to her, whether or not they were good or bad, because of her compassionate personality. He actually considered that he may have very well let go one of the best things that ever came into his life. Though the press would have hounded the two of them, at least he would have lived knowing that he was happy, like he remembered being two years ago...

*Flashback... (Mid August)

Mokuba was on summer vacation at the time, but was hanging out with Yugi and the other dorks. His office was bare, which bothered him just as much as a cumbersome itch on his back. All those years of Mokuba being in his office were a normal part of his day. Be it him doing homework, watching TV, or talking about his latest fling, the young boy's presence was truly missed.

Nevertheless, to the CEO, it was just another day at work that would go by. Months prior, he'd been working long hours on the now third version of the duel disk. Currently, he was waiting for a status report from the techs at HQ. Knowing that he was growing extremely tired from typing, he got up, threw his tie and tux jacket on the couch, and locked his office upon exiting. Before he knew it, he was outside taking an afternoon stroll, observing other busy people, much like himself, moving from one place to another. After walking down a few blocks, he noticed an abstract looking building. It was white with glass windows that made the building look bright and open.

The Judo and Variation Studio of Fine Arts, said the marble sign out front. He knew the building existed, but people came in there very seldom, from what he could see when he walked by.

Hell, I don't have anything better to do, He thought, walking into the studio. It was really open with polished, hardwood floors and freshly white painted walls. He noticed after getting through the doors there was a front desk just a few feet from him, but he could barely see who was sitting there. He could guess that it was a female, but her face was looking down, hiding her identity. Curiously, he looked around a show room to the right. It was full of paintings that were themed around what seemed to be abstract art. It still amazed him at nineteen years old, there were people in the world who were talented, and could put the simple things into something more epic and worth appreciating.

"Ummm, excuse me, you can't be here." A voice told him, after opening the glass door. He recognized that same voice and that it belonged to someone he knew was worth tolerating.

"Hn, I didn't expect to see you here, Mazaki," Seto said, giving her his signature smirk, "If I had known this place wasn't a ghost town, I wouldn't have walked in here."

She rolled her eyes, due to how unbelievably typical the male was known to be, "Kaiba, it's like I said, you can't be in here. This exhibition is off limits until next week. So unless there's something I can help you with, you need to go."

"There are a few things I'm curious about. Why aren't you in New York? Did you not get into Julliard?" He wondered, suspiciously.

"Actually, I got offered a full scholarship, but I didn't want to pursue a career in dance anymore." Anzu explained, crossing her arms. He'd never seen her in this state. She was more reserved, and didn't seem as outspoken and fiery like three years ago in high school. He averted his gaze back to the paintings; he found one in particular that looked like an inverted waterfall. Every bit of color was fused and faded together to make the water, while the sky was a navy coat over the glowing silver moon.

"Hn, this is yours? Very nice, indeed." Seto muttered, breaking the silence.

She smiled, letting her soft features return, "Thank you. It's my first painting from my art society at school. My professor submitted it without my permission. I didn't find out until I landed this secretary job. Speaking of jobs, don't you have one you should be manning down?"

"Call it a well deserved break, if you will. I liked this, Mazaki. We should do this again." He told her, showing himself out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her trying to hide her blush and smile.

He then lingered on the last time he saw her, which was the last time they made love. That among other things was one of the worst times of his life. It took her leaving for him to realize that he was really in love with her. It was not by any means that he didn't want to be with her, but he was already in the middle of a war with the tabloids. He was "with" Charlotte at the same time he was truly with Anzu, and only God knows how that whole thing would have turned out. The paparazzi would have had a field day with that. The whole thing with Charlotte didn't smooth over really well with Anzu, which explained her departure from him.

I guess being with Charlotte, even if it was for the press, pissed her off. It's not like I needed the press, KaibaCorp gives me enough fame that I can't even deal with it. Plus, I told her the truth, and she was still pissed. And people wonder why I don't date. Women are confusing and over emotional, He thought, slowly undoing his tie. He changed into something more comfortable, just before getting back to working in his home office.


Tonight brought upon great opportunity for Anzu. There were less than ten minutes until her exhibition began, and Kiyoko and Anzu's other best friend, Cyrus, were directing catering to where things were going to be placed. Anzu, on the other hand, was busy pacing the floor. She thought about a lot of things that could happen that night, positive and negative. Would people like her art? Would they even consider buying it? She decided that a portion of the proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund, since Anzu loved giving back to the community and helping animals.

Oh God, please let this go well, Anzu thought, silently with her eyes closed.

"Hey, Anzu, someone's here to see you." Kiyoko told her, as Anzu snapped out of her thoughts.

Anzu turned to see someone she hardly expected to be there, "Oh hey, Mokuba!"

"Hey, Anzu." He greeted, giving her a hug.

"Wow, I can't believe you're here. How did you find out my exhibition was tonight?" She asked, still in complete shock that he was there.

"Well, I found out from Yugi before I got your invite." Mokuba admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Right. Anyway, I'm so happy you came. Well, since you're here, you're free to look around and everything." She told him, not able to take the smile off her face.

"I know you're a busy woman, but try to calm down. I could tell you were nervous when I walked in here." He smiled, just before giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

After walking away, Kiyoko finally joined her side, "He's kind of cute. That's Kaiba's brother, right?"

Anzu almost laughed at how absurd her friend was being, "Kiyoko, he's seventeen."

"Awww, that young? I thought he was older. Damnit." She growled, going back to helping Cyrus.

"Do you guys know when Jae will be here?" Anzu asked, looking through her phone contacts.

"He said probably fifteen minutes after it starts," Cyrus told her, grabbing her shoulders, "Mokuba's right. You'll be fine! Calm down!"

"Easy for you to say, Cy. You've already had like seven exhibitions already. This is her first. Newbies always get nervous." Kiyoko said, hugging Anzu.

"Oh geez, I feel so loved." Anzu grumbled, sarcastically. Just before she knew it, she was off to the races as the mob of people began to pour in.

xxxx

While awaiting his arrival to the Judo and Variation art studio, Seto silently took in the cool, autumn air. He would be encountering an old flame he hadn't seen in almost a year, technically speaking. He remembered her smiling face, bright blue eyes, and cheerful vibe, which was destroyed by his own hands. In no way had he intentionally wanted to hurt her, but knowing the life he lived was different from hers. It was a harsh reality, but he wanted Anzu to understand that things between him and Charlotte weren't real and that the whole publicity stunt is just something to help keep Charlotte's appearance up, not his.

She's the only woman I've held legit feelings for. I don't love Charlotte. Whether or not she loves me is irrelevant, simply because I don't reciprocate the same feelings. He sighed momentarily, before going back to staring blankly out the window. Hopefully he wouldn't catch too much attention. The last thing he wanted was the paparazzi right there when he got out of his limo. A long, most likely stress filled night awaited him.


"Anzu, everything's turning out great! I'm so proud of you." Kiyoko chirped, giving her a hug.

"She's right. This is really awesome for your first exhibition." Jae agreed, messing with Anzu's hair.

"Thanks guys. It's so great to have such great friends to support me." Anzu grinned, happily before noticing Kiyoko's shocked face. It was a mix of horror and sadness all wrapped in one, "What's wrong? Why do you look like you just got hit by a pickup truck?"

Before she could answer, Jae turned Anzu around to face the demon in the flesh. The source of all her unbearable, sob story pain was in the room. How she wished her eyes were deceiving her as she watched Seto Kaiba walk in the studio.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Anzu asked, exasperatedly. She couldn't believe that he had the audacity to make an unsought appearance at her exhibition. Wasn't it bad enough that she endured so much torment from him before?

"I'm sorry, kid." Cyrus told her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Never mind that. No matter what happens tonight, he cannot, and I mean cannot find out about Morgan." Anzu told all of them, hoping he didn't notice them.

Kiyoko's eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute, you haven't told him about Morgan?"

"It's a long, redundant story, but no I haven't and he can't know. She's my whole world and I can't explain to you how devastated I'd be if he took her away from me." Anzu said, still in disbelief that she was in such a tight situation. She had no idea what business Seto had at her exhibition, but she didn't want to find out.

"Well, just act natural. They say people like Seto can smell fear, so don't act like you're afraid of him." Jae mentioned, helping her calm down.

"He's right. We'll be looking around, but if you need us, don't be afraid to shoot an emergency text." Cyrus explained, rubbing her back gently.

"Good evening, Anzu." He finally greeted her, discontinuing the longing silence between the two former lovers.

Anzu was left aghast. There were no words left for her sensitive ears to absorb. "Good evening, Kaiba."

He slightly smirked; not at all astounded by her bizarre choice to pretend there was nothing that existed between them. "Why do you insist of being such a drag? I seemed to recall there being a considerable amount of familiarity between us, in fact, not too long ago."

"Yes, of course, but I seemed to remember you also having an abundance of familiarity with a blonde whore, am I right?" Anzu questioned. She showed no resistance throwing the dirt back in his face.

"I liked you better when you were charming and kind." He replied, gazing his harsh, cobalt eyes into her playful, and innocent ocean blue ones.

"Well, it's quite a shame, Kaiba, seeing as how you gave me a reason to be brash." Anzu told him, crossing her arms. She considered herself lucky that she was holding her own. It proved to be problematic to not give into his tall, dark, and handsome demeanor, like she grew accustomed to.

"Anzu, please, I didn't come here to argue with you." Seto admitted, calmly.

Anzu restrained herself from not letting out a sarcastic laugh, "Then...what did you come here for?"

That answer Seto didn't even know himself. He tried to convince himself that he only made an appearance just to pique his curiosity of her skills as an artist. The new question at hand was if that's why he truly came?

"I just came with Mokuba. I was running late with work so I didn't arrive until just recently." He explained, plainly.

"Well, I would love to tell you how ironic that statement truly is, but as you can see, I'm busy, as you so eloquently put it from time to time, so I think you'd understand my departure from this conversation." Anzu said, turning her back to him and leaving. She couldn't stand to deal with him and their problems.

I'm in my prime, and I'll be damned if I let him knock me down, She thought, continuing to mingle with other guests.

xxxx

Casting her cheetah print heels aside, Anzu locked her front door behind her. With the exception of running into her baby daddy, Anzu had an amazing time at her exhibition. Though Kiyoko and her other friends invited her out for drinks, she respectfully declined since she had to take Morgan off her babysitter's hands, who spent the last four hours watching the baby.

"Oh, hi, Anzu, you're back. I just put Morgan to sleep." Her babysitter, Rinata chirped, noticing Anzu appearing in the living room.

"Thanks so much, Rinata. You wouldn't believe the night I had to endure." Anzu told her, taking out her wallet.

Rinata looked down at her, but stopped Anzu in her tracks. "That's fine, Anzu. You already paid me before you left."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to walk with you to your car?" She asked, setting her wallet back down.

"No, I'm okay. I'll call you tomorrow." Rinata replied, walking to her car.

"Take care." Anzu waved her goodbye. Once she locked her door again, she walked through the living room and picked up the baby monitor on the coffee table. As she ascended the stairs, Anzu thought more about her run in with Seto. The fact that he even had the nerve to show his face in front of her was beyond words. She thought she was very clear about not wanting to see him again, so what was it that he couldn't comprehend?

After everything he and that tramp have put me through, more so through my pregnancy than anything, he has the audacity to show his face. That sorry ass wipe, She thought, slipping into her nightgown. She walked across the hall into the nursery, taking a peek into Morgan's crib by the wall closest to the bedroom window. It still shocked Anzu that she could be with someone like Seto and bring such an innocent, beautiful thing into the world. If she wanted to, Anzu knew that she could look at Morgan for hours and not become bored. She was so grateful that at least one good thing came out of her relationship with Seto, but she still wished that things would have ended in her favor instead.

Mommy loves you so much. If your Daddy was in our lives, and not with some sorry excuse of a woman, I know for a fact he'd love you as much as I do. With the hopeful thought in mind, Anzu walked across the hall once more and shut her door for the night.


While walking to his second class, Mokuba still had the thought of his eight month old niece on his brain. He remained mind boggled by the fact that Anzu kept Morgan's existence away from Seto and himself for so long. There had to have been a logical reason that she's kept her from Seto for so long in the first place. Was it because she was afraid? Maybe because she couldn't trust Seto after their emotional break-up? Who would ever know? He thought of asking Yugi and the others, but knowing them, they'd respect Anzu's privacy more than anything because they were such tightly knit friends.

I'm pretty sure if she just sat down and explained everything to Seto, he'd understand a little more...eh, knowing Seto, he wouldn't take the situation very well. He took his seat at his desk, taking out his copy of War and Peace.

It had only been a couple weeks since he found out that Anzu gave birth to baby Morgan. It hurt him badly that Anzu couldn't manage to trust Seto with their daughter, and didn't agree with her continuing to keep Morgan from him. He believed that Seto should've been given a chance before Anzu decided to go through with Morgan's birth, but as her friend he left things be. It would be ultimately up to Anzu to confess that she had a baby and that it was indeed Seto's.

He knew there was something Anzu wasn't telling him about...and that something had to be the reason why Seto still doesn't know about Morgan.

It has to be their break-up. I do know that Anzu broke up with Seto, but I don't know exactly why she broke up with him. Something really bad must've happened that would cause such chaos in the first place.

He thought back to about two years ago, when Anzu and Seto first started dating. The first eight to nine months were great; they spent time together, went on dates, let her stay at the mansion when she wanted to get some drawing or painting done for class, helped him re-paint his bedroom, and the list kept going.

It wasn't until they were approaching their one year anniversary that things started to become...well, strained between the two of them. After a while of hearing Seto tell her that he had to work late, he noticed Anzu stopped coming to stay the night, or even visit the mansion. He remembered also that Seto had been inconspicuously talking with another woman and ex-girlfriend, Charlotte. Then there was a period of time that Mokuba noticed Seto trying to juggle seeing both women, which led him to believe that he, was being unfaithful to Anzu. Within a few weeks, he could hear Anzu arguing with him in his bedroom after only staying for about two hours and watched her storm out of the mansion with tears trickling down her face.

Something had to have happened either within those few weeks before they broke up, or when she was pregnant. Well, those couple weeks before they broke up, I remember there being something in the news about Charlotte and Seto getting back together...which was some made up garbage. Like Seto would get back with that whore...yuck. So what happened that made Anzu keep Seto out of the pregnancy loop?

Mokuba knew there was only way he'd be able to get some answers, and that was to talk to Anzu face to face. He needed to get to the bottom of things, or else he'd never get his piece of mind back.

xxxx

"Wait a minute...he showed up at your exhibition last night?" Yugi asked, almost choking on his hot chocolate.

"Yeah...and to my dismay we exchanged words. He claims that he was there with Mokuba, but I think that's a load of bull. It's obvious that the news about my exhibition was in one of those magazines...I forgot which one, but Kiyoko was telling me that I was in a few of them. Point being, it was so infuriating." Anzu explained, rolling her eyes.

"I find that odd, especially considering you guys haven't talked for what...a year?" Yugi questioned, taking another sip.

"That sounds about right. Maybe two...I mean, I really don't care. I don't get that man. After everything he's put me through...I just...," Anzu stammered, sighing. She stared blankly into the fireplace in her living room while continuing to sip her hot chocolate.

Yugi just chuckled at the little bit of whipped cream on her nose. "I understand, Anzu. I'm just glad that you didn't let him ruin your night. The only Kaiba brother that I would consider your friend is Mokuba. Speaking of him, he knows about Morgan right?"

"Yes. I didn't even mean for him to find out. We happened to run into each other getting Chinese takeout and I had Morgan with me. He promised me that he wouldn't tell Seto about Morgan, which was a relief. I just can't deal with him and all the drama. I don't want him to hurt Morgan, because I don't want her to suffer." Anzu replied, hearing whimpering from the baby monitor, "Oh, she's getting fussy. Do you mind waiting a minute?"

"Of course I don't mind. Go on, I'll find a movie for us to watch." Yugi smiled, looking through her DVD collection.

Anzu couldn't help but smile. She loved how to this day she could still count on Yugi with anything. "Thanks, you're a doll."

Once Anzu reached Morgan's room, she gently picked up her daughter, "Oh, there there. Don't cry baby."

Automatically like clockwork, Anzu checked her diaper to see if there were any fumes. Nothing. She looked around her crib and noticed that her blankie was nowhere in sight.

"Okay. That's going to be a problem...what the crap did I do with your blankie? Oh, I have an idea of where it could be. Let's go see!" She cooed, gently rubbing Morgan's back.

After descending the stairs again, she met Yugi in the living room watching the first five minutes of Mean Girls, "Hey have you seen...since when did you watch Mean Girls?"

"Since I love ridiculing this movie." Yugi told her, sipping his hot chocolate.

"Have you seen Morgan's blankie? She's getting fussy because she doesn't have it with her." Anzu explained, as she left a soft kiss on Morgan's forehead.

"Oh, I was sitting on it...sorry." Yugi replied, handing Anzu the pink fleece blanket.

"Thanks." She said, sitting back on the couch with him. As she wrapped Morgan in her blankie, she took in the good moment that she was having with Yugi and knew that this was how things in her life should be.


Well, it's been a while since I've updated. Been super busy, but hopefully I'll get some more done once I've finished finals. Until then, happy reading and don't forget to review!

XO

Cherriez

P.S. I keep forgetting to do this, but here's a brief summary of the next chapter: Mokuba meets with Anzu to figure out the real reason why she didn't tell Seto of her pregnancy. Will she confess or will it remain a mystery? While Kaiba is visiting a local daycare center for charity, he comes across something he never thought he'd see in his entire life. Is there a specific child that has touched him?