Perks of the job.

By Mushka-kun

Chapter 4 – the fire

Summary: Scared by an unknown appointment with people from the fire department, is her only comfort at the hands of Seto Kaiba.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

I had almost no fails in the last one, one tiny little one escaped me and the beta reader, I wrote 'Chapter 2' instead of 3. Oppsy x)

'Thoughts/Quoting'
"Speech"

The ride was like a blur. Nothing was processing in her mind. And, no matter how stupid he thought she was at times, Seto didn't want her to face what news he thinks is coming.

When they arrived at the scene Anzu could not believe what she was seeing. The outside of her house was burnt and crumbling. There was tape over the gate saying no one was allowed in. "MUM! DAD!" she called out in the chaos. Everyone turned to look at the frightened girl; all the firemen looked at each other and one of them decided he should go speak to her.
"Are you Mazaki Anzu?" he said to her looking rather worried. She nodded in response. "We have not worked out how yet but a fire started in your house. The damage was already quite bad when we arrived on the scene. Both your parents were inside. They have been taken to the hospital. Would Mr. Kaiba be able to take you there or do you need someone to escort you?"
Anzu was almost in a trance, wide eyed and silent.
"I'll take her, you guys need to keep working here. Thank you for all you've done so far" He put a hand on Anzu's shoulder and went to lead her back into the car but instead was met with the face of an egger reporter.
"Mr. Kaiba, are you a close friend to the Mazaki family? Do you know much of the situation at hand?"

"My parents are in hospital" said Anzu's small, weakening voice. "Can't you see there are more important things that need to happen, not just you getting your stupid questions answered!" She was practically in tears when she jumped in the back of Seto's car. He just gave the crew one of his signature glares and got in the front. Unknown to Anzu this was all shown live on T.V. All of her friends were watching and saw the whole thing. Playing special attention to the fact that Kaiba put his arm round her and was the one driving her around…

The two teens arrived at the hospital; there was a doctor there waiting for Anzu's arrival. He tried to talk to Anzu on her own but she was in such a state she needed someone else there to try and keep her calm.
"It would be best to talk to you by yourself, seeing as Mr. Kaiba is not part of your family but given the circumstances I'll tell you with him here. There is no easy way to say this so I will come straight out with it. Your fathers condition was bad when he came here, we tried all we could but it wasn't enough…your father is no longer with us. Your mother on the other hand was in a more stable condition and she is alive and recovering. I am very sorry, if you wish I can leave the two of you alone for a moment."

Seto gave him a nod and the doctor left. All he could do was watch the young girl break apart from the inside out. "Anzu…"
She turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes clouded by unshed tears. "Daddy's gone…mums badly hurt…I have no place to live…" Tears instantly started to run down her cheeks and fall onto her top, she didn't bother rubbing them away with her sleeve. He had no idea what to do, what to say, whether it's alright to touch her… In the end the best he could come up with was "We should go find your mother…"
She looked up at him and saw that he had stretched his hand out to her but wasn't facing her. She used his arm to help get her up properly and then hugged herself as they walked. He talked to the lady at the desk and then went to the room they said she was in. "I'll go get something hot to drink…" he still wouldn't look at her.
Anzu entered the room to find her mother asleep in the bed. All of her arm was bandaged up and there was a small bandage on her cheek. She went over to her sleeping mother and brushed her fringe out of her eyes. Mrs. Mazaki's hair was similar to Anzu's, it was longer though and was darker than Anzu's. She knelt next to the bed clutching her mummy's hand and sobbing into the sheets. She sat there like that until she had cried herself to sleep.

Seto sat outside the room until he was sure the wailing had stopped, he didn't think he could cope watching her cry like that again. He carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside. He could see that she'd fallen asleep. He went and sat in the chair and just watched the scene. He reached out to brush the bangs out of Anzu's face when he heard a voice.
"Weren't you ever told not to touch what wasn't yours?" He looked up and saw Mrs. Mazaki now awake and giving him a weak smile. She started stroking the hair of her only daughter. "So, Kaiba Seto, be honest, my husband's gone isn't he?" she said it in such a knowing tone, it really confused him (which didn't happen often).
"Yes, they said his condition was more complicated than yours…"
"Not a surprise to me, he was trying to protect me when the house was falling apart…" She didn't seem fazed; she was such a strong person, never to be seen as upset when her little girl was there.
"Well Seto-kun, as an ill women, I'd like to ask a favor of you" the informality and the confidence made him cringe.
"I know you're my baby's employer, she, thank god, was working with you when this happened, she's your brother's nanny correct?"
"Yes, Mrs. Mazaki, I do not see were this is going"
"Normally, you have live-in nannies in big houses like yours. Now, I'll be staying in hospital for the next couple months by the looks of things."
"Are you suggesting that your 17 year old daughter moves in with me, an 18 year old boy?"
"Well if you deem it inappropriate then you may have to go looking for a new nanny because Anzu will be shipped out to live with her granddad out of town"
"Hmmmm…you should have gone into business Mrs. Mazaki, I would love it if the idiots I have on my board could talk like that."
"So you will house my daughter then, good. I'm trusting you Seto-kun" she gave him the most devious yet heartwarming grin with that.

Anzu eventually woke up and was prized from her mother's side; she went into the waiting room to find a rather worn looking Kaiba sat in a chair with a coffee in his hand.
"Did you wait all this time for me, Kaiba-san?" She said tilting her head.
"Well obviously, otherwise you wouldn't know where you're going." The tired Kaiba was even more short and annoying that he was when he was wide awake.
"I don't see what you mean."
"Well you can't stay at home can you Mazaki, and honestly your mother doesn't want you to be alone. For the time being you can be a live-in nanny, that is, unless you wish to go stay with your granddad."

Anzu was stunned. Was he really inviting her to stay in his big mansion with him! She could tell her mother had something to do with this. She didn't really want to go spend months out of town and she couldn't exactly impose on one of her friends.
"Well if you're offering…at least I'll be close to school and I can keep a proper watch on Mokuba… Alright. I'll stay. But I will not take it as charity! I'm going to do my part around the house okay."
"Whatever floats your boat Mazaki, just don't expect me to let you bring that mutt over. Maybe Yugi and the over idiot, my brother likes them and Yugi owes me a duel, but that mutt is NOT to step foot on my ground."
"I understand."
"Good. Now come on. I want to cheek Mokuba and get some work done tonight, its late enough as it is.

Anzu looked at her watch to realize it was 1:30am. No wonder the nurse wanted her out. Kaiba had already set off down the corridor, she ran to catch up with him and they walked back to the car and got in. Once again, they had a silent trip, when they got inside Seto rushed off to see his brother, leaving Anzu with a maid. She once the situation was explained she was given one of Seto's old t-shirts (along with a lot of apologies for not being prepared) and sent into a spare bedroom. 'Everything happened so fast…and now I'm staying at the Kaiba residents…daddies gone…mum will be in hospital…' She rolled over and bought the covers to her face.
"Look after me daddy, I miss you already… I love you" she whispered as she started to fall asleep. The world started to fade into a strange daze, a figure walked into the room and placed a hand on her shoulder and they kissed her on the forehead then walked out. Was it her imagination? Was she seeing what she wanted her father to do? Could it have been Seto?