Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Melting the Ice
Chapter 12
This Cannot Be

The cloud of virtual dust began to disperse. Susumu had a grin on his face as he watched in cynical laughter, yet the grin fell when he saw Anzu's life points untouched and his monster trapped in a virtual hole. Someone had used the Trap Hole trap card to protect her. Anzu turned around gratefully to look at Yugi, but to her surprise, he just stood there as well looking dumbfounded. It was then that she realized who had actually used the card.

"Seto Kaiba? Protecting the nanny from harm, I see." Airi sneered. "Why don't you just let her fall to her death? She is the weakest link after all."

Anzu stared at him in disbelief. He had saved her from being killed. "Kaiba, thank you!" Anzu shouted.

Kaiba did not answer. Instead, he glared at his opponents and then waited for his teammate to make a move. Inwardly, Yami let out a sigh of relief. Yami looked at his hand and then noted he had to make sure Katsu did not attack Anzu. Kaiba had saved her once but he could not depend on him for the entire match. Right now, he had Celtic Guardian on the field with a magic card face down. He looked at the card he had picked up, believing it would help him. To his relief, it was Sword of Revealing Light a perfect card to protect Anzu until her next turn, if needed. He placed it face down on the field and than called forth another monster to attack. It was Dark Blade (1800/1500). Noticing that Katsu would be the next to go, he sent forth his monster to attack him.

Katsu gaped and watched Dark Blade slice his monster into pieces. However, it was not a big loss to him. His life points went down by two hundred. Katsu plummeted lower than his teammates, letting out a yawn as he did.

"I expected better from YOU, Yugi Mutou." Katsu smirked. He then drew a card and sighed with content. He placed a monster on the field, Cyber Falcon (1400/1200). "Just to increase its power, I'll add Reinforcements to add a 500 point boost to my monster to destroy your Celtic Guardian." Yugi watched as his life points went down by five hundred, and then smiled. Anzu was safe and now she could put up a good defense.

Anzu looked back at her cards and drew another one. She looked through her cards and noticed the Dark Zebra was an Earth monster as well as an effect card.

"HURRY UP!" Airi screeched. "You are such a loser. Play a stupid card already."

"Anzu," Yami warned. "Do not let them get to you. You must calm down." Anzu nodded and went to place her card on the field however, Airi laughed.

"You sure you should play that card? Last time you played a card you got a lot of you life points taken away. You sure you can handle getting your butt kicked again?"

Anzu felt a bead of sweat drop down the back of her neck. Her hands began to tremble. She was way out of Airi's league. As a duelist, she could never compete with them and they knew it. Self-doubt began to plague her mind. What could she do? What if she chose the wrong card and cost herself her own life, Seto, or Yugi's. She then saw Mokuba in his cage looking scared, his eyes brimming with tears. What if Mokuba got hurt because of her mistakes?

"What are you waiting for?" Airi pressured. "Just surrender then, if you don't want to play."

"Masaki, are you going to take that?" Kaiba asked without looking at her. Anzu turned her cerulean orbs to him in confusion. What in the world, was he talking about?

"I must agree. As a duelist, you are mediocre." Kaiba said, "But I have seen you overcome the odds before. Did you not beat that stupid puppy dog before all the time? I thought you were smarter than letting these amateurs get to you. "

Puppy dog? Oh, he had meant Jounouchi. Yeah I did beat him before when he first started playing. I also beat Mai to win back Yugi's star chips. I also beat that person in the virtual world when the odds were really against me. Kaiba is right. I will not let them get to me.

Her eyes narrowed and she glared at Airi. She then looked at her cards. Deciding on what to do, she pulled out the Dark Zebra.

"I play Dark Zebra in attack mode and I also place two cards face down on the field. Now, Dark Zebra attack Susumu's face down monster." The Zebra charged and attacked the card revealing a weak monster. However since his monster was in defense mode, no life points were lost. What it did do was leave his life points wide open for an attack. The only thing protecting him was a face down card.

After her turn ended, the life points stood: Airi 2000, Kaiba 2000, Susumu 2000, Yugi 1500, Katsu 1800, and Anzu at 1550.

Airi snorted eloquently and flipped her long locks. She then took her turn and noticed Anzu card went to defense mode. The Dark Zebra's effect is if it were the only card in her control, it would go to defense mode during the standby phase. Airi thought it was an easy opening since its defense was only 400. She placed a new monster in defense mode to protect her life points and sent her Fire Kraken to attack Anzu's Dark Zebra. However, before the attack could work, Anzu flipped a card over and grinned.

"Sorry but your monster is not going to attack my monster. I play Block Attack!" Airi growled and watched her monster shift into defense mode. She ended her turn in a huff. Anzu let out a small sigh of relief. At least she did not lose any life points again. Not to mention she proved she could hold her own. The game continued to progress back and forth until it seemed like Team Kaiba seemed to be winning. Seto had his La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp and Hyozanryu on the field along with a single card face down. Yugi had his Dark Magician Girl in attack position with a magic card also. Anzu looked down at her single card on the field Spirit of the Harp in defense mode. Yet, something began to trouble Anzu. She noticed how her opponents did not seem too bothered by the fact that they were losing, not to mention that several cards on the field were not being played for a while.

They are up to something, Anzu thought. She noticed Seto ready to take his turn.

"Be careful guys," Anzu called out. "They are up to something."

"Suspicious, are we?" Katsu called out with a yawn.

"I do not like how calm you are when this game is supposed to be a between-life-and-death situation." Anzu spat.

"Don't worry Anzu," Yami said calmly.

"But they could be hiding something!" She protested.

"Shut up already, you idiot." Seto said, annoyed with her arguing. Anzu closed her mouth. She wanted to yell at him but now was not the time to fight. After Kaiba took his turn and eliminated another card from the opponents' side it was Susumu's turn again.
He let out a yawn- yet again- and then picked up a card. He looked at it and then placed it on the field.

"I end my turn." He announced. It was odd for him to just place a card on the field and not attack. Yugi took his turn and eliminated another card but no life points were lost this time.

"Can this game be any more boring?" Katsu drawled. He drew his card and suddenly his bored face went into a chilling smile. Anzu looked apprehensive but her teammates were calm. She looked at them and then blinked.

It is as if they were expecting this. God, how can they keep their cool? I am so nervous and my heart is pounding a mile a minute. I feel so overwhelmed.

"I play X-head Cannon," he said with a grin. "And one card face down. With that, I end my turn."

Anzu picked up a card and looked at it briefly. She placed it face down, placed another monster in defense mode, and ended her turn. Airi then called out, "I play Y-Dragon Head and end my turn."

Kaiba took his turn but he just placed on card face down and ended his turn as well. Susumu smiled and then said, "I play Z-metal tank. And now, it's time to end this game."

"What are you talking about?" Yami demanded ready and waiting to take his turn.

"Don't you see the last three monsters we played?" Airi said.

"Union monsters. So?" Yami said annoyed.

"Union…?" Anzu whispered to herself. I have never even heard of them.

"Oh, did we forget to tell you another rule?" Katsu asks.

"Why am I not surprised?" Seto said bitterly.

Susumu let out a soft chuckle, catching the attention of his three opponents. Then all of a sudden, the three monsters began to merge into one.

"Another rule we 'forgot' to mention is you can merge monsters together and yes, we created this fascinating creature XYZ-Dragon Cannon! To the person with the strongest monster goes the victory and here it is. Discarding one card from my hand I can destroy any of your monsters and I choose Seto Kaiba's monster, La Jinn!" In a second, an energy ray came out and destroyed Seto's monster. Then the monster attacked his Hyozanryu and sending his life points and his podium down. Yami took his turn and placed his Mystical Elf in defense mode. Next, it was Katsu's turn once again.

"I will discard my one card and destroy Yugi's Mystical Elf!" Suddenly the monster was blasted and exploded into virtual dust.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Anzu, Seto, and Yami yelled at the exact same time.

"Looks like they left out another rule," Anzu gaped.

"Since, XYZ is all three of our monsters combined. We can all control him. Even though I got rid of one of Yami's monsters, I think I will blast Seto Kaiba's life points directly. It will wipe him out and than Kaiba, you will die!"

Mokuba's eyes widened and he began to pound on the glass screaming for his big brother. Anzu saw the tears pouring out of his eyes. Just as the attack was about to hit Seto, Yami flipped over his magic card Swords of Reveling Light. The monster froze in place to the shock of the three opponents. Seto did not look over at Yami at all. Yugi did not even bother to say a thing to him either. Anzu swallowed hard, her nerves still rattled. How could they win in just three turns? The odds were surely against them.

"Oh so you protected him. Who cares? In three turns, your time is up!" Airi sneered.
Anzu felt a lump in the back of her throat. What could they do now? They had three turns to try to defeat a monster that all three of them controlled and could easily wipe out their life points. She looked over at Yami, who gave her, a confident smile.

What is he smiling about? She wondered in wild astonishment.

Then she noticed Seto, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

Do they know something I do not? What if they have lost it and have gone completely insane. No, no Anzu just remember these two are the top two duelists. They will not lose and neither will you. Concentrate.

She drew her card and then placed one card face down and ended her turn. Airi, confidently passed her turn allowing Kaiba to take his.

"Can you seriously win?" Airi smirked.

"It's only going to take three turns." Seto chastised. He picked up a card, played Lord of D, and than placed two cards face down. Susumu passed up his turn saying he had nothing to play and that it did not matter. Yami looked over at Seto and smirked again. He placed another card on the field and ended his turn. The turns went around until it came to Anzu again. She kept glancing over at her teammates utterly confused. As Anzu began to draw a card, she heard a voice interrupt them.

"Masaki, do you trust me?" It was Seto.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you willing to put your life in my hands to win?"

"What… are you saying? I don't understand!"

"Anzu, if you want to win please trust us." Yami spoke up. "If you do not we cannot possibly win."

For a moment, Anzu felt nervous. Her head began to fill with questions. Could she really rely on Seto Kaiba to win this duel? What if he messed up and in the process, they all died? Maybe it would be better if she worked alone. These thoughts plagued her mind. Her life was on the line. No, this was a team duel and she knew she would have to work with them. All three of them would have to survive and not just one.

"Yes, I trust you." She replied firmly. After a quick glance, she placed on card down and watched Airi use a magic card called Just Desserts to lower Anzu's life points. Airi watched Anzu and laughed as she fell flat on her bottom from the sudden fall. Now it was back to Seto. He drew his card and smiled once again.

"I am going to sacrifice my teammate's two monsters so I can begin the White Dragon Ritual. With that, I can summon Paladin of White Dragon (1900/1200)."

"So what? It's still weaker than our monster." Katsu remarked.

"I'm surprised you did not take notice to my Lord of D's special ability. No Dragon card can be harmed by magic and spell cards as long as he is on the field."

"Your point is?" Susumu pressed on.

"Who says the Paladin of White Dragon is the card I want. I am using him to summon my most powerful monster. By sacrificing it, I will summon one of my Blue Eyes White Dragon! That is not all though, I also play Flute of Summoning Dragon to bring out my other two Blue Eyes White Dragons."

Suddenly the three monsters appeared on the field snarling and screeching. They were magnificent. The opponents were surprised at first but laughed.

"You cannot attack this turn anyway." Susumu grinned. He then played a magic card called Scapegoat. "This will protect our monster well, especially since none of you will be able to defeat us. Since I believe Katsu has a magic card called, Dispel that will eliminate your swords of revealing light!"

"Then he will be the first to be destroyed." Yugi said. "I play Polymerization to fuse all three of the Blue Eyes White Dragons and since one of my monsters was sacrificed to bring one of them I can also control him. Blue Eyes ULTIMATE Dragon destroy Z-metal tank!"

The enormous dragon blasted away a piece of the monster. Susumu's life points dropped to zero.

"Now it's my turn!" Anzu said confidently. "I am going to power up the Blue Eyes with Rush Recklessly giving it 700 more attack points so it will wipe out all of your life points Airi, ATTACK!"

Then Kaiba took a hold and used the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to wipe out all of Katsu's life points. When all three of their life points dropped to zero the virtual monsters vanished. Mokuba who had been watching cheered happily, as his prison lowered to the center of the dueling field and opened.

"Mokuba, are you all right?" Kaiba called out to his little brother.

"I'm fine!" he called back happily. Seto sighed with relief. However, their victory was short lived as Airi began to laugh insanely. The three looked up and saw her face twisted.

"We may have lost but listen to me Kaiba… you all die too!"

"GET OFF THE PODIUMS!" Yami shouted spinning around on his heels. Kaiba did the same, snatching his deck and jumped for the open door. Anzu grabbed Mokuba's deck just as the podium suddenly dropped. With a mad jump, she grabbed the ledge, desperately holding herself up. At the same time, all three podiums went crashing to the floor, killing the three opponents. Luckily the arena was so big that Mokuba was not harmed, however the electricity from the technology sparked up fire. Flames began shooting up from the destroyed equipment.

"ANZU," Mokuba screamed, watching the girl dangle.

"Mokuba get out of here now!" Anzu's voice echoed. "NOW! GO!"

However, Anzu arms began to shake and she began to lose her grip. She could feel the heat from the flames at her feet. She tried to pull herself up but it was no use. There was nothing to help her.

I cannot hold on anymore… I am going to die.

Suddenly her hands slipped away. "NO!" she screamed but before she got far she felt a hand clamp her forearm. Looking up she expected it to be Yugi, only to find it was Seto Kaiba holding her from instant death! Fear absorbed her cerulean eyes. Seto's cobalt blue eyes stared at her with determination to pull her back up. On sheer will alone, Seto managed to pull her to safety. Coughing from all the smoke, Anzu looked up at the CEO with gratitude.

"Hurry up," he said. Anzu looked at him weakly. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? It was as if her body had lost all its energy. Maybe it was from all the smoke or maybe from the near death experience. Whatever it was, she could no longer keep consciousness.

"Masaki, wake up Masaki!"

Masaki… Masaki… Anzu…

X, X, X,

I heard someone calling my name. I am sure it was a man. I could not see his face though. It seemed so long ago when he was calling my name. Who was it though? Was it Yugi, Mokuba… or could it have been Set… Kaiba?

Anzu's eyes fluttered open. She was in an unfamiliar room, furnished with expensive items. The windows and the French doors leading out to the balcony had dark blue curtains drawn over them to prevent light from entering. The carpeting was white and the walls were the same as the curtains. The bed was soft yet firm at the same time. The covers were warm and soft too. Anzu pushed them off her and noticed she was not in her normal clothing. She was in pajamas. Pajamas she had once before worn. Her body was bandaged up from all the wounds she received. It reminded her how sore she was.

Just then, the door opened and Anzu gasped. She could not make out who was entering the room until she saw the light turn on. It was Mokuba. He was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, his feet bare. A smile crept on his face as he saw her awake. Instantly he let out a cheer and ran over to the bed, jumping on it. He instantly hugged the girl, his tiny arms holding her closely.

"I am so glad you are awake." He cried. "Seto said you would be okay but you were asleep for two whole days!"

TWO DAYS, Anzu thought bewildered. Mokuba began to explain things that have been going on but Anzu was more concerned on how she got here. Everything was a blur to her.

"You fainted and Seto had to carry you out of the building before it burned down. We brought you here and had a doctor and the maids clean you up and check you over. Are you hungry? I can get you some food."

"No, I'm fine." She insisted. "I'm still a bit weak though."

"Well okay but just call, there is an intercom next to your bed if you need ANYTHING!"

Anzu ruffled his hair and smiled. Mokuba looked at her and then hugged her again.

"You didn't have to save my cards. I could have bought new ones." He let her go and hurried out of the room.

Anzu watched him go and smiled. She leaned back in the bed. It was all so much to absorb. She wanted to leave. Staying here was foreign to her. Not to mention what her friends and family were thinking. Did they know she was here even? She got out of the bed but her legs ached greatly. She carefully walked, using the bed to support her. Her clothes were lying clean and pressed on chair. She picked them up and was about ready to change when she saw a shadow next to her.

"Leaving so soon?" She turned around to see Seto, something she regretted. Anzu felt her legs give away, causing her to fall. He grabbed her by the arms and supported her. She looked up at him almost embarrassed. What Mokuba had told her rang through her head. He carried her out of the building. Then she remembered he was the one who pulled her up before she nearly fell to her death. Her heart began to beat frantically.

"You are not well, get back into bed you fool."

"I am going home!" she squeaked. "My family and friends are worried."

"Don't worry, I told your parents where you are and as for your friends, Yugi is handling that. Stay here and rest up. I'll have the chef make you something light to eat."

He pushed her toward the bed. Anzu sat on the bed and looked up at him. He was dressed in a black shirt, the button around the collar undone, showing off some of his chest. He wore dark blue jeans and black shoes. His hair was astray as if he had not combed it yet.

"Thank you for protecting Mokuba," He said suddenly. "Stay as long as you like until you are better."

Anzu felt her heart do flips. Why was it doing that? No, it could not be.

"I saved Mokuba and you saved me. I guess we're even."

"I was not going to let you die there. Do you actually think I am that heartless?"

He looked so exhausted, she noted and frowned.

"I'm sorry… You... look tired. I think you should get some sleep."

"I was busy… err doing work."

Why is my heart pounding? I feel so flustered. It cannot be. No way, I cannot believe this.

"Did you watch me?"

"I made sure you got the best medical attention… Anyway, get to sleep you idiot. What were you thinking going after Mokuba's deck? Are you stupid? You could have died! You would have to be a complete idiot to do that. I could buy Mokuba as many cards as he wants."

I do not care that he is making fun of me.

"If it weren't for him we would have lost. I had no deck. I felt like I should have returned them to him."

"You really are stupid. I have work to do. Soup will be up in an hour." With that the CEO began to exit the room.

"Kaiba!" She called out stopping the CEO. "Thank you for saving me." Her heart began to beat faster, her face becoming red.

Do I… no, it cannot be!

"Whatever," And he left.

I cannot like Seto Kaiba!

X, X, X,

Author's note- Hi everyone, sorry this one took so long to update. It is hard writing a Yu-Gi-Oh story when you have dueling in it. Especially, when you do not know many cards other than the ones I currently have and from the show (Which is not much). However, I hope you people enjoyed it and PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I love hearing from you. The next chapter will be up when I can get it up. Thanks and have a nice day.