Target: You
Chapter Thirteen
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A/N: Argh... I've written this chapter like three times. My laptop died, so I was out a computer (lost the first draft of this chapter which was completed). Then I wrote the chapter again on my desktop computer and saved it on a floppy. The floppy disk broke. SO. Then I got a new laptop and re-wrote the damn chapter. Argh, die, die, die! -Bangs head on desk- Okay, on with the chapter.
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Bakura slowly stirred. He warred within himself, struggling to fall back asleep. He felt so tired, yet at the same time, he did not. Finally, he opened his eyes and attempted to sit up in the bed. His chest felt heavy, and he looked down. Anzu was laying across him, her hair splayed out like a velvetty cholocate curtain, if such a thing existed. She sighed softly and stretched her arm out over his throat. He withheld a derisive snort.
"I cannot believe you're the same girl who is trying to kill me," he murmured inaudibly. "Demon by day, angel by night." He glanced to the window where the curtains had already been drawn by the servants to let the morning sunlight filter into the bedroom. He instantly hated the thought that the servants could come and go as they pleased. Such liberties were never allowed in his own rooms back at the headquarters; if the servants wanted, they could kill him in his sleep! Malik always told him he slept like a rock.
Bakura gently extricated himself from Anzu. He hoped he wouldn't wake her, but it was an empty hope. She was on her guard too much. As expected, her eyes popped open moments later and instantly focused on Bakura.
Before a word could be said between them, the bell rang at the door. Bakura padded out of the bedroom and over to the door, nearly tripping over Chisara in the process. The large panther merely watched him struggle to stay on his feet, not moving the least bit herself. "Damn cat," he muttered.
He opened the door to find a short crocodile of a man waiting patiently. The servant cleared his throat. "His Excellency requests an audience with you at brunch as discussed yestereve. He also extends the request to your lady. I will wait here while you perform your morning toilette."
"I will not be escorting my lady," Bakura responded. The door was pulled away from him, and Anzu stuck her head around.
"I will be coming," she told the servant before smiling sweetly and closing the door.
"Don't come to the door half-naked!" Bakura scolded as he disapprovingly observed the bedsheet hiding her voluptuous body. Anzu glanced down at his trousers--the only article of clothing he wore--and arched her brows pointedly.
"And you're not coming," he added after a minute. Anzu rolled her eyes.
"You brought me here to throw myself at Seto, so let me do my job," she said sarcastically. Bakura gritted his teeth as she walked over to the closet. He didn't like his seduction idea anymore. That asshole Kaiba was too slick and sleezy for his own good, Bakura thought.
Swallowing any spiteful comments threatening to surface, the prince strode over to the tele-comm. Malik answered his call moments later.
"Just a minute," the blond said, preoccupied. He disappeared from view, but could be heard yelling in the background. "If you idiots don't stop that incessant noise immediately, I swear I will resequence your DNA and it will feel like you have swallowed a bucket of nails," he threatened, followed by a series of ranting in his native tongue.
"What was that?" Bakura asked when Malik appeared in front of the screen again.
"Never mind," Malik replied, waving him off. "Done with the contract already?"
Bakura shook his head. "I wish. Getting ready to discuss it over brunch. I need you to do something for me though." Malik listened intently. "I need you to research the name 'Anzu Mizaki,'" he requested, spelling it out for his cousin. Malik jotted down the name. He was curious, but he rarely asked questions if his cousin was serious, and he could tell he was about this.
Nodding, he queried the name in the search database. "I'll have something for you when you call after brunch."
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The Prime Minister and Seto stood in polite regard when Bakura and Anzu entered. "So good you could join us," Seto said in greeting although it was clear to Bakura he was only talking to Anzu. With his hand at the small of her back, Bakura escorted Anzu to the table and seated her. Stiffly, he lowered himself into the chair next to her and across from the Prime Minister.
"Yes, glad you could make it, my dear. But you'll have to forgive our boring business talk," the Prime Minister added with a wink. His tone was innocent enough, but Anzu didn't like the look he was giving her.
A fruit dish smothered in a milky substance was served. Anzu was displeased, but not surprised to note that it was just as bland tasting as dinner the previous evening. As the quartet ate brunch, menial babble and chatter carried on.
"Where did you find your magnificent pet, Lady Angel?" Seto asked. Bakura nearly dropped his spoon. He looked sharply at Kaiba then back at Anzu. His eyes sparkled angrily. He had not even thought to ask Anzu that question which was apparently a mistake because Anzu was fair to beaming next to him.
"Oh, Chisara?" she asked in a delighted tone. "Well, you see, I was traveling with my father and one of the planets we stopped on was a bit... well, not nice. There was a horrid man who had Chisara and her mother. He had already killed Chisara's mother to sell her fur, and he was going to do the same to Chisara. I stole her from him. She was only a newborn, the poor little baby." Anzu smiled brightly.
"That is very admirable of you," Seto said sincerely. Bakura clenched his spoon tightly, feeling a vein pulsate in his forehead.
The discussion soon delved into matters of business. Anzu pretended to be uninterested, but she listened carefully to the details and stipulations. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Bakura was, indeed, arranging an entirely legal trading contract. All of the ships which would be involved were fully registered with the Universal Trading Alliance. The goods to be traded were not suspicious in the least; most were metallic parts for machinery. Profits to be made were fair to both sides.
"If you'll excuse us for a moment, we'd like to talk this over for a few minutes," the Prime Minister requested. Bakura nodded dutifully.
"Of course." He stood and pulled Anzu's chair out, guiding her to the other side of the room.
"You really are being legal," she observed. He regarded her silently for a moment.
"My father wasn't always illegal. He did what he had to when our planet was destroyed."
Anzu bit her lip. She had nothing to say to that. He was right. She knew her own father would have done whatever was necessary to keep food in her mouth if the same situation had befallen her. She followed him back to the table when the Prime Minister called them back.
"I see profit in it for us. Prince Bakura, you've got yourself a deal," he said, extending his arm towards Bakura. The prince shook his hand and nodded.
"Seto, we must have a party this evening to celebrate the new contract," the older man said suddenly, turning to his son. Seto was silent for a moment.
"I suppose it would give me more time to get to know Lady Angel better," he finally conceded with a smile at her. Bakura's lip curled up in a sneer.
"I don't think--" he started.
"That would be delightful!" Anzu exclaimed. Bakura dug his nails into his palms.
"Wonderful. We'll see you both tonight," the Prime Minister said and saw them to the door.
When Bakura and Anzu were back inside their room, he rounded on her furiously.
"Why did you do that?" he demanded, tossing his arms out to the sides in an angry gesture.
She tilted her head, confused. "Do what?"
He made a disgusted, frustrated noise. "Agree to their stupid little party!"
Anzu sighed patiently. "It was the polite thing to do."
"Who cares about polite? It's bad enough that we're going to be stuck on this backwater planet for another two fucking weeks since I have to call for Malik to send another ship. I don't want to spend anymore time with them than necessary!" he shouted.
"Stop yelling at me!" she shot back. He growled.
"I'll stop yelling when you stop acting like a wanton prostitute around that savage!"
"Savage!" she screamed incredulously. Then realization dawned on her. She smiled widely. "So, that's what this is about. You're jealous!" Something tickled inside of her belly. The thought of him being jealous was somewhat appealing.
He scoffed. "I certainly am not. I have no reason to be. I own you."
Anzu stiffened visibly. Without a word, she brushed past him and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
"Anzu!" he yelled. "I am not through yet!" Silence. "Damnit."
He took a few steps towards the bedroom door then stopped. Thinking better of it, he stomped over to the tele-comm and punched in the coordinate call numbers he knew like the back of his hand.
"Hey, Bakura. How'd it go?" Malik asked as his face showed up on the screen.
"It went just peachy," Bakura snarled. Malik raised a brow.
"Well, I can certainly see you're excited."
Bakura waved him off impatiently. "Never mind that. It went fine; we got the contract. Tell me what you found out about that name I gave you."
He saw Malik expel a long breath. "Oh. That. Bakura, I've got to have more information to go by. It would seem that 'Anzu Mizaki' is a rather popular name though there was a trend I noticed in most of the results... females from Earth?" Malik hinted suspiciously. "Come on, Bakura, spill."
"Okay, fine, yeah. That's her name," Bakura replied in irritation at having been found out. His cousin chuckled and a sly smile spread across his face.
"I see. She finally told you her name. Well, it should be considerably easier for me to research her since I even know what she looks like. I'll have something for you soon," Malik said, flipping off the tele-comm.
Bakura took a moment to compose himself before entering the adjoining bedroom. He heaved in a breath and released it slowly. Straightening his back, he strode confidently into the room where Anzu had stomped to only minutes prior. Throwing open the door, his eyes searched the room.
"Anzu, I--" he faltered as he spotted her sitting cross-legged on the floor in only her undergarments. "Ah, what are you doing?" he blurted out in surprise. Her back was to him, so he couldn't see her, but he was sure she was rolling her eyes at that moment. "Meditating?" he wondered aloud.
She looked down at her cross-legged pose and her hands positioned on her knees typically. "'Duh' seems appropriate right now," she responded sarcastically. He didn't appreciate it. He debated whether to simply leave or continue their little verbal battle. His lips pursed together in a tight line.
"Don't turn into a bitch again," he warned. She tossed him a menacing look over her shoulder before proceeding to ignore him. "Look, I just came to say that what happened earlier was uncalled for and unnecessary." He waited for her to make a comment. After a moment, she nodded.
"I agree," she replied. "And I accept your apology."
He lifted a hand and looked to the side for a moment. "Woah. Wait a minute," he shook his head and paused, "who said anything about apologizing?"
She stood from her meditation stance and turned with her hands on her hips to look at him. With eyebrows arched, she commented, "If I was as rude as you, I would certainly apologize."
"If you were as rude as I supposedly was, it would be a welcome change from your usual horrid demeanor," he shot back coolly. She gasped and narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, go drown somewhere," she snapped flippantly as she brushed past him. Bakura's hand on her upper arm stopped her.
"That," he bit out, "was not nice."
Anzu narrowed her eyes and fought back the shudder that threatened to rise. His gentle, yet firm grip on her arm was burning hot on her skin. She focused on his deep, brown eyes. "Don't even think about raising a hand to me." Chisara let out a soft growl from behind her owner. He spared the cat a brief glance.
"I wouldn't dare," he ground out slowly, equally angered. Finally, he released her arm and stepped away slightly, brushing his ivory locks over his shoulder. She raised her chin a notch and shed the remainder of her clothes. Bakura's eyes widened in surprise, and he tried to look away. The last thing he needed right now was to become aroused by the sight of her naked splendor.
Feeling accomplished, Anzu stalked over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Bakura gritted his teeth. He didn't like her having any type of hold on him. He watched her nude bottom sway enticingly as she set a towel aside and stepped into the shower. Bewitching little minx.
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Anzu rested easy on Bakura's arm as they entered the large ballroom adjoining the main dining hall. Her light turquoise ball gown floated around her, making her appear like a serene being. When she had browsed through the closet in their room, she noticed that all three of the ball gowns hanging were cut of the same design, only in different colors. She was a bit confused, but entering the ballroom, she understood that every lady's ball gown was cut in that style. Only small differences were noticable, such as a shawl or wrap, and, of course, every variety of jewelry. She had chosen two gold bicep bands to adorn her bare arms and a simple gold necklace with a sapphire dangling from it. Her hair, which now fell a few inches below her shoulders, was piled atop her head and held secure by a few gold pins. She had also placed a few blue butterfly clips in her curly tresses.
Next to her, Bakura was dressed in a simple black tuxedo with a light turquoise undershirt to match her. He had complained for five minutes that it was stupid how each of his outfits matched hers. Finally, she had punched him in the shoulder to quiet his whining. Anzu had offered to straighten his hair for him, but he had threatened murder if she even touched it. She smiled at the memory.
"Introducing Prince Bakura and Lady Angel," the footman announced.
Anzu felt slightly apprehensive at the immediate stares directed their way. Just like the previous evening's dinner, she felt the sting from the hateful glares shot her way by the ladies, as well as the lusty gazes following her movements by the men. She leaned into Bakura. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye; her discomfort was obvious to him.
"Just stay near me," he said quietly. He itched to point out that they wouldn't even be here if she wouldn't have opened her big mouth at brunch that morning. Standing just inside the room, he observed the lusty stares directed at both him and his assassin. He growled low in his throat. "Kiss me," he said through clenched teeth.
"What?" Anzu hissed back. He tilted her head back and quickly lowered his lips to hers. Her stomach jumped in surprise. As his lips crushed down onto her softer ones, Anzu felt herself melt into his embrace. Finally, he parted from her, leaving her feeling light-headed. She breathed raggedly and patted her hair down. She half-heartedly noted that he always had the ability to make her lose her cool demeanor.
"There," he said, and she looked around. Everyone had gone back to their frivolous discussions and gossip. Anzu was ashamed to admit that she was slightly annoyed that he had only kissed her to prove she was his 'lady' and not to be stared at as if she were a street urchin. She brushed the thought aside.
"Do you want to dance?" she asked, her eyes following the other dancers in admirement.
"Dancing is for pansies," he scoffed. She shrugged.
"Okay. I'll dance with Seto," she told him in a careless tone, beginning to walk away. He held tighter onto her arm and glared across the room at the Prime Minister's son who was, indeed, looking their way.
"I would love to dance."
She bit back a smile and regarded Bakura calmly. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm sure," he forced out, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. He practically dragged her out onto the dance floor and pulled her to him. The music was high-pitched and haunting in melody, reminding Anzu of the quiet music which steadily grows louder just before someone dies in a horror movie.
"She's probably just a slave he dressed in a nice gown to look like a lady," someone whispered from behind Anzu and Bakura. Anzu swallowed hard and focused on her feet. Bakura glowered angrily at the bitch behind them. The lady flushed and quickly looked away.
"Don't pay any attention to such an uncivilized harlot," Bakura told Anzu, just loud enough for the lady to hear. He was satisfied when he heard her gasp. Anzu smiled.
"Aw, how sweet of you to come to my defense. I think you like me," she teased. He scowled and dipped her.
"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped, lifting her back up. She laughed and laid her head on his chest. He found he rather liked her warmth upon him.
Seto seethed in anger as he eyed the couple dancing blissfully across the room. "Father," he interrupted the diplomats discussing nonsense, "I think now would be the perfect time for the announcement." His father arched his brows.
"Now? All right then." He stood and raised his hands. The music stopped and everyone quieted, waiting to hear what he had to say. "My people, we gather here tonight to celebrate a new contract, alliance, and friendship with our Bakurian brothers. We'll enter into a new age of prosperity. So drink and eat your fill and be merry, for tomorrow brings a new day and age!"
Cheering sounded in the large ballroom and the music began again. Bakura tossed polite, yet forced smiles about. Anzu rested a hand on his arm. "I'm going to the ladies' room." He nodded.
As Anzu rounded the corner, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned around calmly. "Hello, Mr. Kaiba," she greeted kindly. He held a hand up.
"Please. Seto," he corrected.
"Seto," she repeated.
He circled her quietly and reached out for her hand. Although she was a bit disturbed by his actions, she let him grasp her hand. He turned it over and traced circles on her palm. "You are a beautiful woman," he said, focusing his vision on the imaginary designs he was making on her palm. She wanted to pull her hand away, but she remained polite. "But your beauty is tainted when you are with certain people."
She made an indignant sound. "Surely you aren't referring to Bakura."
"He is a worthless little maggot. You can do much better." He trailed his hand from her palm up to her shoulder. She batted his hand away.
"Stop that. Quit being silly," she scolded, intending to continue on her way to the restroom. He stopped her by grabbing the back of her neck and trying to kiss her.
The sound of his grunt and the following thud was loud in the otherwise silent corridor. "Oh, damnit. Bakura is going to kill me," Anzu whined, slapping herself on the forehead. She bent down to help Seto up, feeling rather ashamed that she didn't restrain herself better; after all, she knew Bakura wouldn't appreciate his new client being flipped over her shoulder to fall rather roughly on his behind.
Seto slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me," he hissed. She stood back up, frustrated.
"Come on now. You can't blame me. I am here with Bakura," she told him matter-of-factly. He eyed her momentarily with wariness and anger, and she noted his eyes were different. No longer were they a clear blue, but instead a golden green. His skin also seemed scalier somehow, and she was reminded of his crocodile father.
"You love him, don't you?" he inquired distastefully. Anzu shook her head frantically.
"Of course not! No way, I couldn't possibly. I mean, how could I...?" she trailed off, feeling very confused all of a sudden. She tucked her hair behind her ears, a habit she had retained from childhood due to nervousness.
"Feh, if you love him so much, go be with him and die with him for all I care," Seto told her, giving her his back. She stared at him oddly. It certainly was a strange thing to say.
She began to turn away, but paused and called over her shoulder, "Listen, I'm sorry I kicked your butt earlier." She heard a string of angry words in his native tongue fly from his mouth before she rounded the corner. She slammed her back against the wall and sighed. "Guess I won't tell Bakura what happened."
"What happened?" a voice asked from behind her. She cringed.
"Nothing!"
"Anzu," Bakura growled, "don't play games with me."
"Okay," she said, throwing her hands out in front of her in a gesture of surrender. In one quick breath, she told him, "I went to the bathroom, but before I got there, Seto stopped me. He said you were dirt, he hit on me, and I kicked his butt. I'm so sorry! Really, I don't think he's that injured. Well, maybe just his ego." She braced herself for his anger.
"He hit on you?!" he yelled. Anzu face-faulted.
"Aren't you mad I hurt him?" she asked cautiously. He didn't spare her a glance.
"I'll kill him," he vowed and stalked off.
"Woah!" she cried in disbelief, latching onto his tuxedo jacket. "Don't kill him over that!"
He allowed her to stop him, but she could tell he was dying to find Seto Kaiba. He was tapping his foot while he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. She couldn't stop the smile that spread over her face. She didn't try to wonder where it came from. Seto's words kept replaying themselves in her head. Did she love Bakura? She found that hard to believe. After all, she was trying to kill him. She shook her head.
"It's not a big deal, really," she assured him.
"We're getting out of here," he said, grabbing her hand and storming back into the ballroom. He went straight to the Prime Minister.
"Prime Minister, an emergency has come up back at my headquarters," Bakura lied. "Since my own ship was unfortunately destroyed when I arrived here, I regret that I must ask to borrow one of your ships. You can rest assured it will be returned to you in good faith."
The Prime Minister shook his hideous head. "Dear boy, I am well aware of what happened to your ship, and I was already prepared for your request. I was going to wait until tomorrow morning, but since you have an emergency and the party is ending, I can send you two and your cat home now."
Bakura's eyes widened. "We would be grateful," he responded sincerely. Anzu saw a familiar face in the corner of the room. Seto was staring menacingly at her and Bakura. Something about him didn't feel right to her.
Before they could fathom what was going on, Bakura and Anzu found themselves standing in front of Malik. The blond fell over off his chair in surprise, spewing wine all over the place.
"Shi... Bakura, how the hell did you get here?!" he asked in an accusing and disbelieving tone.
"I don't have a clue," Bakura muttered, looking around in equal astonishment. "Weird magicians." Chisara must have been asleep in their room because she was still asleep on the steel floor where she had been transported instantaneously.
"I need a drink," Bakura mumbled, signaling a servant.
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"Sir, we are twelve hours away from our destination," a humanoid man reported.
His superior nodded in approval. "Good. Wake me when we are one hour away."
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There you have it. Finally. I'm so sick of this chapter after writing it three times. XD Anyway, review please and I'll see you next time!