I know it's a short chapter, but I thought you all would appreciate a little something where I've not been able to write as much.

Chapter 13

That night was the New Years party. Usagi relaxed with all her friends, having locked herself out of the studio as a safety measure. She tried coaxing Seto out of his office too, citing how it was not her responsibility alone to host this particular party. The typical response of 'in a moment' was given, and she decided not to push it. He had had his limits tested for the day with Mamoru. Maybe adding a party on top of that was to be taken cautiously. The way the last one had gone probably didn't help matters.

As the party wound down, Seto still had not emerged from his office. Their friends began leaving early, not wanting to get stuck in the snow, splitting off suspiciously into pairs as they left the Kaiba mansion. Thinking that everyone had gone, she went to the room she shared with Seto. Noticing that the light was on, she thought nothing of it, thinking Seto was in there waiting for her. She was surprised to find Joey.

"Joey! What are you doing in here? This is our room!" Usagi asked, confused. There was something off about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it yet.

"I just...I need to know...why dat Moneybags Kaiba?" He asked, looking down as he sat on the bed.

"It's not something that is easily explained, Joey. I love him, not his money or his company or status. He helps me to grow just as I help him to grow. Isn't it the same with you and Makoto?" She asked. Something was off. Why were there red flags sounding off in her mind?

"Makoto and I broke up yesterday. I can't keep doin nis anymore." He stated, swaying back and forth a little.

"I'm so sor-" She was cut off.

"I still have feelings for you." He shocked her, as he looked up at her, his eyes holding a look she had never seen in them.

"I'm sorry, Joey, but I don't see you that way. You are my friend." Usagi insisted. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But I could be better dan dat jerk! Why don't you want better?" He asked, standing up, slightly angry.

"Joey, I will not ask you again. Please leave." Usagi stated, a bit louder this time. "You're drunk, and you might do something you will regret later."

"Maybe, you's just needn convinced yeah?" He smirked, trapping her against the wall, kissing her before she could react.

It was difficult for her to do, but she pushed him away. "Joey-"

Just a bit earlier

Seto is making his way back to their room, regretting that he had spent so many hours at the desk. With everything that had happened, he had let his work get behind, and even going in today had not taken care of all of it. The light is on in his room, and there are voices but he can't make them out yet. It instantly sends his paranoid mind into overdrive as he's able to make out one of the voices finally. It's Joey! Why would Usagi let him into their room?! What were they doing? The worst feeling of betrayal washed over him, unable to believe he had allowed someone to get so close to his heart to destroy it.

"Maybe, you's just needn convinced yeah?" He hears him say. He sees Joey kissing Usagi, and she does not push him away immediately. When she does, Seto can't take it anymore.

"Joey-" She begins.

"I should have known this is where I'd find you, Wheeler." He growled at Joey.

"Joey. Get out, now." Usagi said, softly. "Don't do anything else you will regret." Joey was out of the door before either could move.

"Don't act innocent in this, Usagi. After what you did today, I should have expected this." He spat, almost regretting his anger. He had never seen her look more injured.

"He forced himself on me, and you...you think I wanted it?!" Usagi shrieked. "I thought you trusted me!"

"Yeah, and look where that got me. How long would it have been before you two were having sex in here?" Seto asked, angrily. He would not be swayed now.

"Seto..." She looked positively dejected.

"Don't Seto me! Get out!" He was shouting now, unable to hold back the anger anymore.

She looked like a rabbit caught in a trap at that point, and bolted to her old room before he could say another word. After everything they went through within the last day alone, he did not trust her! How many more paranoid delusions was she going to have to suffer?! Hurriedly, she packed one of her large travel bags with as many clothes and hygiene things as she could fit in it. She wasn't going to stay here where she wasn't wanted. He could sort himself out, and come after her later if he wanted to apologize!

Quickly, she texted Kunzite to ask him if she could stay at the Generals apartment, her and Seto had had a fight. The four of them had found a large flat to rent together. He, of course, agreed. The generals would not see her run off alone again if they could help it. She texted Mokuba to watch Luna for a while, and she left a handwritten note for Seto in case he decided to come to her old room to apologize after she left. She teleported to the Generals apartment just before Mokuba ran into her room.

Seto was pacing around his library, when Mokuba bolted into the room. "Why did I just get a text from Joey saying he messed up and kissed Usagi against her will." He asked, warily.

Seto turned several shades of white. "You mean...she was telling the truth?" He asked, suddenly feeling very faint.

"Of course she was, it's Usagi! When have you ever known her to lie? Her poker face is terrible." Mokuba exclaimed. "Seto...what did you do?!"

"I yelled at her for betraying me with that mutt! It looked like they...like they..." He tried, but he was unable to say it. "Mokuba, I've messed up. Where is she right now? Is she in her old room? The studio maybe?"

"Seto...she texted me just a few minutes ago, asking if I would watch Luna for a while. She teleported out of her room before I could run in there and ask her why." Mokuba stated. Seto looked like his legs had give out from under him, as he leaned back against the desk. "There's a note in there, but I didn't think it was meant for me, so I left it."

Seto bolted from the room before his younger brother had even finished the sentence. He found the note sitting on the nightstand by the bed, with her engagement ring resting on top of it. He dropped to his knees, head in his hands, unable to bring himself to pick up the ring he had given her not so long ago. Had he scared her away that much? Was there no hope of getting her back now? Mokuba found him that way when he got there.

He had known what had happened the moment he saw his brother that way. Seto had lashed out at Usagi without even considering that he wasn't seeing everything, so used to betrayal that he put up the walls as if they had never been gone. Unable to break through to him, Usagi had ran. Mokuba had not been able to prepare her for this type of scenario. He hadn't expected Joey to pull something like this, though he suspected one too many drinks were involved.

"Seto, you have to read it to know. You can't just sit there and wonder. Don't you want her back?" Mokuba pleaded.

"I don't need to read it, She's made her choice, she's gone now." Seto said, trying to return to his cold demeanor, not quite able to pull it off though.

"Made her choice? You only left her with the one!" Mokuba shot back. "Seto, she makes you happier. Don't you want that?"

Seto looked away, before softly replying. "I don't deserve her."

"It's not about what you deserve! It's about what you want, and doesn't Seto Kaiba always get what he wants?" Mokuba demanded.

Seto could only look at his brother, and wonder when he got so smart about all this relationship stuff. He hesitantly picked up the engagement ring, and held it in his hands for a moment. He had been so foolish to shove her away. It would be a miracle if she forgave him now. Even the most generous soul had to have a limit. With a deep sigh, he picked up the note and began to read it.

Dear Seto,

You didn't give me a chance to explain, and I'm not sure it will make much difference now. Joey confessed his feelings to me, drunk off his ass, and tried to kiss me without my permission. He's stronger than he looks, so it took me longer to push him away. I had already told him several times to leave peacefully, trying to avoid a conflict with my friend. This would not be the first time someone has tried to drunken kiss me before. I'm sure he'll feel foolish about the whole thing later.

I shouldn't have to explain this to you at all. You should have trusted me, but I suppose I haven't taken down as many of those defensive walls as I thought. Some of them are just buried deeper than I can get to right now. I've never given you any reason to think that I would betray your trust, a trust that I worked so hard to earn. Maybe it was seeing Princess Serenity in that place, or Mamoru at the restaurant, or all of it.

You pushing me away isn't just about Joey. We both know that. I'm staying at some friends until you calm down. If you still want us to be together when you calm down, you can come and find me on your own. I've left the ring so you can give it back to me when you mean it again. For all I know, you may not even love me anymore. If you do, follow your heart and find me here.

Wondering if I should sign this Tsukino or Usako

"I have to find her." Seto said finally.

"It doesn't say where she is, does it? So dramatic, that girl." Luna sighed.

"Do you have any ideas where she would go?" He asked. Not waiting, he sent out a mass text to their friends.

(Conversation group started by Seto Kaiba)

Seto – Guys, I messed up, and I need your help.

Yugi – How bad is it?

Seto – Pretty bad. I managed to chase off Usagi.

Anzu – How did you manage that?

MP – Kaiba-boy, don't worry so much. Surely it's not that bad?

Mina – She didn't run off into the snow again, did she?

Seto – I caught Wheeler kissing her and freaked out. I didn't give her a chance to tell me that she hadn't wanted him to do that, and I said things I would rather not repeat. Let's just say it wasn't my finest moment.

MP – Okay, maybe it is that bad.

Joey – Kaiba, I can't begin to say how sorry I am.

Seto – I don't want to think about it. Can you all help me find Usagi or not?

Ami – This explains why Makoto is at my place crying her eyes out.

Joey – I really messed up, Ami. I don't think Makoto will ever forgive me for this. She's never gonna want to see me again.

Seto – Can we worry about your relationship problems after we fix mine?

Rei – You still haven't said how bad it is.

Seto – She left the engagement ring here, left a note saying to give it back to her when I could mean it again, and she didn't say where she went. Bad enough for everyone? I'm going to lose her to my own stupidity if I can't find her and fix this!

Yugi – Wow, that is bad.

MP – If she's anything like me, she's gone to where she feels she is the most protected. Stronghold, safe house, bodyguards maybe. Where is that?

Makoto – She normally hangs out with me and we eat comfort food when she's upset, but she hasn't tried to get in touch with me.

Joey – Makoto...

Makoto – Seto is right. We help him fix this first. We worry if there is an Us after.

Kunzite – You aren't going to like this.

Seto – What is it? Tell me you know where she is, please Kunzite?! I messed up!

Kunzite – She's at our place, the other generals are trying to comfort her, but she is currently crying her eyes out and drowning her sorrows in a tub of rocky road ice cream. She doesn't want me to tell you she's here, doesn't want anyone to know she's here. She's afraid that you've finally snapped, and the destiny dream stuff is too much, so you used everything that's happened in the last day or so as an excuse to chase her off so you can be free of her.

MP – I guess she is more like me than I thought. Stop her before she eats the whole thing.

Seto – Please tell me you can help me fix this! I can't lose her!

Kunzite – Hurry up and get here. I can't promise how calmed down she'll be, but I'll try. You have a lot of work to do, Kaiba. I told you she wasn't use to the ups and downs of a healthy relationship. You just had to throw a wrench in the healthy bit, didn't you?

End of conversation

Seto dropped his younger brother and Luna off at Yugi's place, before heading over to the generals apartment. He didn't know what he was going to do when he got there. He wasn't sure what to even say, but if he had any chance at all he had to try. If someone tried to talk to him or take his picture, Seto did not notice them. The sight of three of the generals waiting outside for him caught him off guard though.

"She is rather upset you know." Malachite stated, a bit cross.

"Kunzite is in there trying to calm her down now." Nephrite included.

"Will you think that she wants to sleep with him as well if we leave them alone for too long?" Zoisite asked. It was obvious they were even more protective of her than they were loyal to him.

"I deserve that and more, I know." Seto admitted with a sigh. "Please let me see her, let me explain."

"You did not let her explain." Nephrite said, interrupting him.

"I know, and I should have! I was blinded by my own stupidity." Seto said, frustrated. "She's forgiven me for so much, I've lost track of it all. I couldn't look past my own paranoid delusions on this one thing."

"How many more paranoid delusions will she have to suffer?" Malachite asked, simply.

Seto tried to answer, but he had none. Finally, he just lowered his head, and said softly. "She deserves someone better than me, someone who isn't afraid of their own feelings. I can't promise I won't be paranoid again."

Just then, Kunzite steps out. "I've finally got her to agree to talk to you. She'll only talk through the door though."

"It's more than I deserve right now." Seto replied. "Thank you. The four of you protect her above all else, don't you?" They simply nod, and begin walking off a bit to give him the space he'll need.

Seto walks up to the door, and starts talking without reserve. "I'm not sure if I even have the right to call you Usako anymore. I should have trusted you. I let my fears get the better of me, and pushed you away like I said I would at the beginning. You were right, there are just so many walls and the ones that are left are buried deep. If you never forgive me, know that you have helped me to grow beyond what I thought possible. You have given me back parts of myself that I had locked away forever. I do not deserve your forgiveness, and you deserve someone better than me. I just...I'm sorry I let you down again."

He was about to turn away and leave, when a paper was shoved underneath the door. Was she refusing to speak to him? No, that wasn't it, he noticed as he leaned down to pick it up. It wasn't just a piece of paper, he saw as he stood back up, it was a sketch. He slid down the wall, and sat down in the floor in front of the door, and stared at the drawing in his hands.

It was what he had asked for when they first began dating, an updated picture of them. She had managed to draw the moment he had first told her he loved her. He couldn't look away, there were so many little things he wanted to memorize in case this was her goodbye. Tears had begun falling, and he had lost the ability to stop them. This is what he had so willingly thrown away to bring up the walls again.

With his left hand covering his eyes, he choked out. "I'm so sorry, Usako."

A/N: I've tried to separate it when it mattered. Hope it helps ^_^