La la la...

Here is chapter 6. It's a pretty short one, but I wanted to get another update out now since I may not have time to work on anything for a few days (things are getting busier around here). It made sense to do it this way anyhow, as this is a bit of a pivot point in the story. There were a lot of things I kept wanting to add to it, but I decided to just leave it simple. Plenty of time for the rest later.

Not a tremendous amount of plot development here, but some important revelations. And some moderately spicy content, as well. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh, Anzu, Seto, or any of that stuff. I do own a delicious recipe I devised for shrimp risotto, but that's neither here nor there.

The Night Before

Chapter 6: Expression

Back at the Lookout...

"I was there, you know."

"Where?"

Seto crossed his arms, cool summer breeze blowing his hair about his face and across his eyes. He was looking out at the nighttime view of Domino, pointedly not looking at Anzu.

"At the airport. Just because you didn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't there."

Anzu stared at him, dumbstruck. How had he known she was thinking about that? She hadn't really expected him to come see her off even back then, but it had always bothered her anyway. Many dreams she'd had over the years had centered on that morning at the airport, and what might have happened if he had appeared there. His gruff admission made her mind reel and her insides do cartwheels.

"Why didn't you--"

He turned to her then, eyes flashing with a combination of bitterness and sarcastic mirth. "What? Come and give you a farewell hug and some flowers? I'm sure your little buddies would have loved that."

Her mouth opened and closed silently. He...he had...

"I was down on the tarmac. I do own some jets, you know."

"Oh..."

The two were silent for several minutes. Anzu tried to imagine him standing on the runway, disheveled by the wind, following the trajectory of her airplane with those depthless blue eyes-- probably hidden behind his favorite sunglasses-- as it climbed into the sky...what would he have felt? Would he have felt anything? The simple knowledge that he had bothered to be there at all was making her feel an uncomfortable sense of revelation. Why had he never told her this before? She'd spent all this time thinking he hadn't cared enough...

"You really hurt me back then, you know?"

Seto glared, stepping closer to her. His form towered over hers, indignant wrath evident in his stance. He frowned. "That's not fair and you know it." The voice he was using was one of the more dangerous ones he possessed. Anzu cringed, unable to meet his eyes.

"If I had told you what you wanted to hear, if I had asked you to stay, what would you have done?"

She felt a cool wetness on her cheeks. The air was nowhere near frigid, but there was an icy feeling in the pit of her stomach, like ice cubes were being slowly melted by her insides. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "I..."

"You would have stayed. I could see it in your eyes. And then it would have been my fault that you didn't go follow your dream. I'm pretty sure I had enough dark spots on my conscience at that point without having to agonize about holding you back."

Anzu turned away from him then, hand covering the bottom half of her face as the tears flowed freely. This...this was just too much. Her emotional state was already volatile to say the least, and now here he was, saying he'd torn her heart out and stomped on it for her own good.

And he was right. That was the worst part. He was so right...

She felt the warmth of his presence behind her. His proximity made her breath hitch. As familiar as they were with each other, the closeness of his body never ceased to excite her. Even when half of her felt like running away as fast as she could...

Ever so gently, he grasped the bare skin of her upper arm and turned her body to face his. Anzu's lips trembled, salty from crying as he tilted her face up to meet his eyes. He was wearing a somewhat forlorn expression.

"Did you really think I was that heartless?"

Anzu wrenched her arm out of his grasp, the rage of past injury welling up inside of her. Her blue eyes pulsed with repressed pain and anger. He was making it sound like he was the one who'd been wronged...

"How should I know? You wouldn't even let me say-- wouldn't let me tell you--"

Pulling her into a rough embrace, Seto growled with frustration. "Look! If you had said those words to me, do you think I would have been able to let you go?" Anzu was shocked into silence.

He shook her, forcing her to meet his unfocused gaze. "I couldn't let you say it, Anzu. Dammit, why can't you just understand?"

His lips were on hers then, intense and bruising, demanding entry as though he could make her see this way...

Anzu's knees buckled and she fell against him, clinging to the front of his shirt as though her life depended upon it. She whimpered as his tongue slid along her bottom lip, arms grasping her tightly to keep her upright. She was sure he must taste her tears. He smelled so spicy and cool and perfect that she couldn't think straight.

Before Anzu knew what was happening, he was pinning her body between himself and one of the higher stone walls along the perimeter of the lookout. She felt her feet leave the ground as he hitched her up, overwhelming her with strength and desire.

She couldn't help but respond to his assault, running her hands through his hair and arching into him as he pressed against her with longing. Seto's kisses were ravenous and urgent, tongue rough and wanting against hers as his hands roamed all over her body. He stroked her skin, caressed her through the smooth fabric of her dress, bunched the dark blue material greedily as he slid his hand up her thigh...

Why was he doing this to her? It was torture. Every feeling of love, lust, pure need that she had ever felt for him was boiling to the surface as he attacked her with his passion. She didn't understand. Seeing him the night before her wedding was already hard enough, with him saying such cryptic things...things that made her heart pound inexplicably...and now he was forcing her body to remember how it craved his touch. Oh how she had tried to forget...

Anzu gasped when Seto's teeth clamped onto her neck, one curious hand brushing her in the most intimate way. She mewled helplessly and squirmed in his arms as his fingers slid past her underwear, questing...

"Don't...we can't..." She was practically begging him to stop. Or else she might not be able to go back...

"Why not?" His lips trailed down to the curve of her left breast, hot breath gusting over her skin where the neckline of her dress betrayed her by revealing more than it ought. Anzu's control was slipping rapidly away. He felt so good...she wanted more of him.

"It--" she stuttered, digging her nails into his shoulder as his lips travelled over her pulse point and nuzzled behind her ear. "Lots of reasons...this...this is a public place. Somebody might come--"

Her whole body thrilled as he brought his eyes to hers, obviously affected by her unintended double meaning. Breathing deeply, apparently trying to calm himself, he stilled his more lascivious movements and pressed his forehead to hers.

"This isn't a public place."

She looked at him, her lust calmed by the tonic of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Seto released her, letting her sandals meet the ground once more. He kept her trapped against the wall, leaning his head against the stone with one arm propped on either side of her head. He was still so close...

He chuckled. "I bought it, of course. The morning after we first came here. Didn't you ever wonder why it was always deserted? A beautiful spot like this?"

Her eyes widened. "You...own this place?"

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before pushing himself away from the wall. "No, actually. You do."

She shivered at the loss of his warmth, not understanding the words that had just come out of his mouth. "I had the city put the deed in your name. Don't ask me why."

Anzu would have smiled if she weren't so completely astonished. He looked somewhat embarrassed, as though she had just discovered a secret he'd been keeping. Which she supposed was true. He'd said not to ask why...but she really wondered. Every thing he did and said was only making her more confused.

Slouching down, Seto sprawled his lean form on a nearby patch of grass. Anzu followed suit, folding her legs beneath her. "I suppose next you'll tell me I own the New York Yankees."

"Hn...No. But I do seem to remember I owe you a dress."

"Hmm?"

"From that time in New York. The first time. I owe you a ball gown, remember?"

"Oh...of course..."

Anzu frowned slightly, remembering the promise she'd made to herself on the plane to New York. She had tried her best to go on with her life, and she had almost succeeded. Putting him out of her mind hadn't been easy, and just as she thought she had accomplished it, well, that was the moment he chose to show up and spoil it all. She must have been stupid to think she could liberate herself that simply. With Seto Kaiba, things were never simple. He made it clear to her then that he hadn't any intention of letting her forget him so easily. She had the memory of that warm June night to prove it; the night in New York CIty when he'd waltzed back into her life-- literally.

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There. I told you it was pretty short. It leads into the middle section of the story, the part where Anzu is in New York. What is Seto going to do? What is Anzu going to do? What am I, the evil fan fic author, going to do? Ha! You'll have to keep reading if you want to know.

I wish to thank all of you lovely people who have reviewed so far:

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I hope I didn't miss anyone! If I missed you, review and yell at me!