Chapter 25

It had taken Yugi and his grandfather, who had come back from the convention, more than three hours to finally calm down Anzu to the point where she felt like drinking a cup of tea. She stared down at the green liquid in the earthenware cup and shivered—even though she really didn't feel cold at all. She wondered, briefly, why she kept doing that.

"Feel better, Anzu?" Yugi asked cautiously, slipping beside her on the couch. He took the remote and flicked on the television.

Anzu nodded.

There was a jingle at the door to the store and Yugi's grandfather heard it. "Duty calls," he said in his gruff voice. He smiled politely as he walked away. Maybe, if he left the two of them alone for awhile, Anzu would open up to Yugi and tell him everything.

"I'd like to know," Yugi began quietly, eyes still on the television so that he wouldn't make Anzu feel cornered in any way, "ummm…did she… hurt you?"

Anzu shook her head "no."

"But she threatened you, though…right?"

His answer was an awkward shrug with her head down.

"You know that you're safe now." He sat closer to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. Anzu looked into worried, violet eyes, but her own were expressionless. "I just felt so…lost…when I was with her."

Yugi said, "That's understandable."

In her lap, Anzu had the packet of photos. She looked down at them with concern. A part of her wanted to just throw them away, to forget everything that had happened. To forget the message that Kaiba was to get. Then, she gave a small glance to Yugi before taking the Duel Monsters card that Namiko had given her. She held it up to her face to see the details clearly.

"That's a fake too," Yugi said, staring at "Vampire's Curse." Though, at the moment, a part of him could identify with the figure on the card. The man was clearly transforming into something awful and he didn't like it. Yugi thought the situation that they were in now was transforming, too. He didn't like it.

"Yeah," Anzu said shakily. "Namiko gave it to me."

"What?" Yugi said, his violet eyes huge. He didn't want to push Anzu, but anything that Namiko parted with was important. "Why did she do that?"

"She wants me to hand it over to Kaiba-kun."

"Whatever for?"

"I got the feeling that he wasn't following up on the fake cards. Namiko wants to add to the trouble here. So, she's giving him a push."

Anzu rubbed the colorful ink with her fingers. "The ink's not all that good, either. It's rubbing off," she said. "See?"

With a little effort, the card's colors began to smudge and blend a bit—leaving a faint dusting of ink on her fingers.

"The question is, 'should I' and would this be the right thing to do?" Anzu's eyes filled with tears again.

"Well," Yugi said thoughtfully, "we did promise to keep each other informed. Remember?" Anzu nodded to this. He added, just to make sure she'd agree, "Friends do that. Ya know?" He got a more enthusiastic nod that time. It worked a like a charm.

"I also have a private message—at least, I think it's private—from Namiko to Kaiba-kun." She looked at the photos. Yugi could guess that there was a picture of something to deliver. "I don't want to, though."

"Well, I'll see what I can set up. I'll call Kaiba-kun to find out if we can meet him somewhere before school tomorrow." He tried to smile in a reassuring way. Yugi leaned in her direction, trying to catch her eye but her face had gone blank. Suddenly, Anzu put her hand to her head. The world seemed fuzzy and she felt kind of… strange…as though every sight and sound was intense, too sharp—too clear. Her heart rate suddenly went up and she was sweating. "Yugi? I feel…" She had to focus on breathing. Anzu never really had to do that before. She looked at her inked fingers and started to laugh a little. "How wonderful," she said in a far away voice, "I never knew that a color could have a sound." She flipped the card like a Frisbee onto the coffee table. "Whoa!" she said, leaning back and laughing at it when it spun off.

"Anzu?" Yugi mumbled, shocked.

Anzu giggled uncontrollably into his shoulder as he eyed the smudged Duel Monsters card on the floor.

"Namiko?" Yugi breathed, "What have you done?"

Dinner had taken awhile to cook, and Anzu picked at her food once she got it. Deep down, she was embarrassed and her head was hurting for some bizarre reason. What possessed her to giggle and act so strangely was beyond her. "Maybe, it was just stress," she said to Yugi while putting the plates in the sink. Yeah, right, she thought tartly, I'm just freaking out because I let Namiko get to me.

"Don't bother with the counter," Yugi said, watching her try to clean up. "Let's just go back to the television." She nodded and followed him into the other room.

Sitting on the couch now, she sighed inwardly. Yes, her "squeaky clean" image was tarnished by acting like a fool. But that wasn't the worst of it. She supposed that what hurt the most was the way Yugi reacted to the situation once she was "herself again." Anzu remembered clearly the concerned looks that Yugi had given her. And, now, he was her shadow.

The pointy-haired duelist held back a yawn. He decided that he absolutely had to keep a closer eye on Anzu—even if it meant watching that boring "Celebrity News Today" show, just to make her feel more comfortable.

By the time Yugi realized that he hadn't called Seto, it was 10:08 PM. It was a little late, but he had to do it. He sighed openly. It was a necessary evil. He'd just have to call. Just pick up the phone and do it.

Here we go, Yugi thought as he put the phone to his ear.

Seto's cell phone was ringing in the darkness. Chestnut hair shifted against the pillow. He grumbled a cruse. Still half asleep, Seto realized, somewhat vaguely now, that he couldn't move because he had a warm sandalwood-scented body against him with an arm across his chest, legs tangled together because Jou was half on top of him.

How did we get in this position? Hm…? Oh, well…

Beep-beep-beep. Tiredly, Seto reached a hand out to get it but, missed and hit the snooze alarm on his clock instead. It didn't stop the ringing, and he suddenly came to the foggy conclusion that it was his phone.

The one time I go to bed early…

"Talk to me," Seto grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and wanting to have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon eat the inconsiderate asshole on the other end of the line.

"Uh…Kaiba-kun?"

"Yugi…" Seto said the name like it tasted bad in his mouth. Jounouchi's body shifted away.

Yes, it was Yugi. Suddenly, he envisioned Yugi being crunched like a french-fry with some HP Sauce on the side. Seto smirked.

"Whatever it is, it had better be good—OOF!" To Yugi's surprise, Seto made the strange "oof" sound again and griped into the background with teeth clenched. "Oi! Do you mind putting your hand somewhere else? And keep your legs to yourself, too. I'm on the phone. Can't you see that?" An awkward pause followed. "Why, the hell, are you down there?"

"Ummm," Yugi sweat dropped, "you know…I can call back… later. I just wanted to tell you that we need to meet right away. Something important has…come up. We wouldn't bother you, otherwise."

"Fine," Seto grumbled. "Let's meet in my office tomorrow at 7 AM before school. Jounouchi and I need to tell you some things as well."

"That's…good."

Mentally, Yugi was slapping himself. First, the kiss he saw in the hallway between Jou and Seto…and now…this. Yes, it was difficult.

"And, Yugi?" Seto grouched into the phone, "Do you know what a klutz Jounouchi can be in the dark when the fool's tangled up in the comforter?"

"Yes, actually," Yugi said. "He gets disoriented in the dark, takes all the covers, and falls out of bed." Jou did that at just about every sleepover.

Seto frowned. "Great... Then, what he just did is perfectly normal."

The Kaiba Corp building was the easiest to see in all Domino City on a clear day. It loomed over the cityscape—dominating all in sight with its modern steel and glass construction. Yugi and Anzu looked up in wonder as they entered.

"Yugi…ummm," Anzu said, suddenly feeling uncertain. He simply took her hand and smiled at her reassuringly. Yugi nodded in the direction to go—his pointy, tri-colored hair, shifting slightly. Wordlessly, she followed.

As it was almost 7 AM, only the ground floor receptionist was there—hiding his cup of steaming coffee on the desk behind his computer monitor because he was forbidden to eat or drink anything in front of the other employees or cliants. It wouldn't look professional.

With a bored expression, the receptionist watched Yugi and Anzu approach. He knew just about everyone who came into the Domino branch of Kaiba Corp. And these high schoolers were, obviously, not employees. He feigned interest when the two stopped before him.

"We're to meet Kaiba-san," Yugi said somewhat timidly--his voice faint, fading away because of the sheer size of the uncarpeted ground floor.

The receptionist, a man in his early 20's who took this job because he needed the college money, looked at the computer screen, tapped a few keys, and nodded with a little surprise. They were actually telling the truth. "You are expected. Please take the express elevator up." He gestured to the elevators. "The one on the far right is the elevator to take."

Yugi and Anzu nodded and left with their footsteps echoing. Once in front of the elevator, Yugi pushed the black button on the wall and the silver tinted doors opened immediately.

"This place…" Yugi mumbled while scanning the interior as they stepped inside. The doors closed again.

"It feels more like a huge bank building in Tokyo," Anzu said, forcing herself to sound bright. "I guess…Kaiba-kun's adoptive father wanted it to look this way…fit his personality." Her cheerfulness was slipping. She added a shrug and her eyes looked far away for a second. "Kind of a mausoleum, though."

"What did you say?" Yugi asked. "I'm sorry. I just spaced out there for a second," he said while watching the lights above the door light up---3, 4, 5, 6… "We just went past the tenth floor and I don't even feel anything."

The elevator doors opened again.

Jounouchi was waiting for them in the hallway. The blond gave a friendly wave to the two of them. "I thought you might get lost or somethin'. I'm glad you made it."

"Quite a trip," Anzu said with a sigh. Yugi stepped out, too.

Immediately, Jou noticed the pained look on her face and decided he'd ask her what else was wrong a little later on. Maybe, Anzu had a spat with Yugi—though, that didn't seem likely. She appeared to be the type who'd go along with whatever he wanted as long as it made him happy.

Yugi saw the, now, shocked look. He followed her unblinking stare.

"Jounouchi!" Yugi said, approaching the blond and placing a hand on his shoulder. He came close to touching the bruises on his friend's face, but couldn't make himself do it—to cause more pain.

"Please tell me Kaiba-kun didn't do this to you," Anzu said, almost pleading.

"Whoa… Hold on there," Jou said, putting a hand behind his head, "because this is nothin'." He could see that Yugi looked miserable and Anzu couldn't tear her eyes away.

"Jounouchi-kun, if you should need us," Yugi began while rubbing the shoulder sympathetically.

"You can stay with me or something," Anzu said, feeling her voice tighten.

"You guys are the best friends I could ever hope for," Jou said, staring at the floor, "but Seto's not like that. And he didn't do this to me." On some level, Jou thought he should have been angry that his friends would jump to that conclusion. But, they didn't know Seto the way he did. And it would take Yugi and Anzu a little more time to truly accept their relationship. He'd give them that. If necessary, he would teach them that Seto wasn't the cruel bastard that they thought he was. But, it would also be quite a feat because that was exactly the image Seto wanted to project most.

Pointing to his face, Jou said, "This is part of the reason we need to talk to you. We said we'd share everything that we know." The blond shrugged but could still feel Yugi's sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Okay?" Jou sighed while covering Yugi's hand with his own reassuringly and Yugi nodded.

They followed Jou down the corridor and took a left.

"This way." Jou opened the door for them. There was another hallway, but with plush carpeting, a few pieces of antique furniture, and abstract artwork. Then, they entered another office that had Seto's name plate on the outside of it.

Inside, Kaiba Seto, wearing his school uniform, glanced up from his typing. He'd been at it for awhile now and the rhythm was soft. Seto sensed more movement behind his laptop screen. He stopped and looked up. Seto's mouth was a thin line.

"Made it here, I see…" he mumbled, and went back to finish the last of the long e-mail that he really wanted to get out before leaving for school. "Sit," he ordered.

Anzu frowned at him, but took a seat and placed her school things on the floor. Looking closely this time, she noticed scrapes and bruises on Seto's chin, cheek, and neck—bruises, not love bites. Something was definitely wrong. Yugi was too busy peering through the wall of glass windows beind Kaiba. His eyes took in the couch, coffee table, and carpeting in the office. Yes, the room reflected Seto's personality, Yugi guessed, which was typically clean, neat, and cold. Yugi also noted nothing personal in the office except a framed photo on the desk. Since the photo was turned toward Seto, Yugi couldn't see who it was. He guessed it was probably Mokuba.

Yugi turned his head to see Jounouchi lounging on the other end of the couch. The blond put his feet up in a casual way and caught the sight of Seto frowning at him.

Seto's sharp eyes saw the ratty, black sneakers and his face hardened. Fine, more pajamas and new shoes for Jou. I'll have the old ones buried in the garden—but, not with the compost. Those shoes probably smell worse than the compost. Why is it that some men grow an unnatural attachment to old shoes? I can see what color socks he has on. Oh, hell… He's wearing Sponge Bob socks today. Add new socks to that list…

Jou frowned back. Okay! Okay! Sheesh…slave driver… This isn't exactly a formal business meeting, ya know, he thought with annoyance. He swung his legs over and sat upright like a solder. Jou gave Seto the old "Is this good enough?" vibe with his eyes. Seto gave his puppy another grumpy stare. Sitting up stiffly, like having a stick up your ass, was only a feeble attempt to piss him off. But, at 7 AM, Seto found himself easily pissed.

Anzu felt the beginning of a battle arua and decided to play peacemaker. "Umm…where are your…people?" Anzu asked, intentionally changing the subject. "You know…in the suits, I mean?"

Seto answered by pointing up to the silver matchbox-sized video camera hanging from the ceiling in the far corner of the office. It had a steady, red light. "I had it installed after Namiko's…last…visit. There's also a camera in my laptop. But I seriously doubt that watching close-ups of my face all day is interesting in any way."

"Speak for yourself," Jou said with a small smile.

Seto rolled his eyes. He'd have to speak to Jounouchi about using appropriate language at his workplace and, come to think of it, at school. Still, his puppy looked cute with a pinkish blush. He shifted with slight embarrassment on the couch when he got the "ah-ha!" looks from Yugi and Anzu. The blond twiddled his thumbs a little

Okay…Cute. Maybe, he wouldn't bother after all.

"Um…we'd like to go first, if that's okay with you," Yugi said to Kaiba. He got a short nod in response.

Yugi and Anzu glanced at each other for a second, wondering what the right words would be.

"Guys?" Jounouchi said to them curiously. But there was a thread of worry there as well. Yugi heard it and hated it. But, there was no good way to begin this conversation.

"We saw Namiko." Yugi's violet eyes locked with blue ones. The stare was serious.

"Oh, hell," Jounouchi said, resting his head in his hands.

"Was she following someone?" Seto asked, but his tone was demanding.

"In a way," Anzu said, wincing at the thought. "She's been following me…watching me."

Seto had a sudden flash of memory back to Yuna in her hospital room. "The dark one is watching someone else. You are both safe…for now." Seto shook his head. No, the tarot girl was just guessing. That was all. Maybe, Mokuba shouldn't spend so much time with her. He bit his lower lip in thought.

"So, you saw Namiko watching you," Jou said, lifting his head.

Anzu crossed her arms. "She…actually…cornered me in the bathroom at Burger World yesterday."

Jounouchi scooted closer to Anzu and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? She didn't do anything to you, right?"

Anzu laughed back a little. "Wasn't that what I asked you this morning when I got out of the elevator?" She smiled with her head tilted to one side. It was the first real smile that she'd had in awhile. Yugi was glad. However, Seto wasn't quite so thrilled to see his puppy moving over to "dare-to-be-bland" Anzu—even if it was out of concern. And there's no way that Jou could see her as anything other than a friend…. But, still… He still felt pissed all over again. Seto leaned his elbow on the desk and brushed the feelings away.

"And then what?" Seto said coldly. He got a disapproving look from his puppy.

"Issue?" Seto almost hissed, some part of him wanting to argue with Jou now.

Hazel eyes held a dull anger. "I'll get you a coffee as soon as we're done here," Jou said, frowning. "Okay?" You're being a total and complete ass right now. Stop embarrassing me. His frown continued.

Yugi and Anzu were worried for a second that they'd start to argue, but, to their surprise, Seto only huffed back and leaned harder on his elbow.

"And then?" he repeated himself but in a softer tone.

Anzu looked at Seto. "She still wants Jounouchi-kun. You know…"

Seto leaned back in his chair with arms folded. "Tell me something I don't know." Seto's eyes flicked to Jounouchi for a second. The blond was looking out the window at the storm front that was moving in. It wasn't possible to read his face.

"Let's see," Anzu said, her eyes cast up towards the ceiling and counting on her fingers, "insult, insult, insult…threat, threat…Oh yeah…" She opened her purse and pulled out a Duel Monsters card in a ziplock bag. She placed it on Seto's desk.

"It's a fake," Seto grumbled. The thought of a fake card on his desk was an insult—to himself and Kaiba Corp. And the plastic baggy was just plain cartoonish. What is it going to do? Spoil?

"Namiko wants you to have it."

The CEO arched his brow. "Why?" Seto said, reaching out a hand and taking it now.

"I got the feeling that you're supposed to figure out the meaning of it all. It's 'Vampire's Curse' and I'm not sure what she's trying to tell you." Anzu frowned a little. "Kaiba-kun, there something really wrong going on here."

Kaiba opened the plastic bag with his brow wrinkling.

"Don't! I wouldn't do that!" Yugi warned, suddenly approaching Seto's desk and leaning on it with both hands. "I don't think you should touch the card."

"Why?" Seto's eyes looked snake-like. He didn't appreciate being told what to do in his own office. And, even more, he didn't like to be threatened by anyone or anything—Namiko included.

"When Anzu held the card last night, she started acting kind of…I dunno…It was strange."

Seto cast hard eyes at Anzu. "And strange for her would be…?"

Yugi shrugged it off. He didn't want to embarrass her in front of the others. "Just not herself. But only after she touched it."

Anzu crossed her legs and folded her arms defensively. She looked down at the carpet. Inside, she was deeply relieved that Yugi cared enough to save her ego. "Could the card be poisoned?" Anzu asked the room but didn't look at anyone. Poisoned…Yes, poisoned would do nicely, if it were true. And I pray that it is something like that because Yugi saw a stupid side to me that I don't like.

"Unlikely," Seto returned. "The last card she showed me was held in her hand. No gloves. So, it seems unlikely that she'd poison herself." He took a closer look at the card. It was smudged in the middle a little. "I can give this to our Research and Development Office…see what they can come up with."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Anzu took a breath before she continuted, "Namiko also wanted me to deliver another message to you. But, I think, this one is private. Just you and me."

It has something to do with that packet of photos, Yugi reflected. This can't be good.

"So," she said, "why don't you tell us your news?" Her voice was tired but she managed a note of hope. Seto guessed that she didn't want to hear anything more. Too bad.

"No way!" Jounouchi said to the room. His blond, shaggy hair was shaking "no." "We all agreed that we'd be in this together. We'd all share what we know. I'm not going to be in the dark—especially since I'm the one she wants."

"The one she wants…to kill!" Seto corrected but at a much louder volume than what he'd intended. "Get that part right!"

Anzu shrunk back from the shouting. Yugi wanted to be sympathetic again, but found Jounouchi's shouting more than a little unnerving. Jou and Seto had no idea how miserable Anzu really was, or that he, himself, had to go into the women's restroom at Burger World to fetch her back. Yugi walked over to Anzu to stand near her for support.

"Honda's been kidnapped," Seto said flatly.

"What?!" Yugi and Anzu exclaimed together.

Seto ran his fingers through his hair, showing only minor annoyance. "We tried to intervene but to no avail."

"But, you have your own people!" Yugi said, feeling totally shocked and bewildered.

"The yakuza took him off the streets. And my people had express orders to protect me and Jounouchi. They had no idea that we even wanted Honda protected." Seto watched Jou's face again. He could see the guilt there. The marks on the blond's face shaded Jou's youthful features, making him seem old and alone. Seto leaned on his elbow again. "And, we did try to get him back. We both tried."

"But you got the worst of it, though," Jou complained, resting his hands on his knees. He was going to explain further when he saw an almost imperceptible shake of "no" coming from Seto. Reluctantly, Jou dropped the subject.

"It doesn't look that way to me," Yugi said, turning his head back and forth between Jou's and Seto's bruises. "You have to admit, that's a nasty mark just under Jou's left eye. And there are other…"

"We tried," Seto interrupted with a note of finality.

Yugi put his hands in his pockets and stretched a little in place, rocking back and forth on his heels. Maybe, I was too harsh. "Thanks for trying, even if he is someone you don't…care for at all."

Seto gave him a curious look.

"Honda confessed to me what happed between you guys at school. He felt bad about it. He never wanted to hurt Jounouchi, really. I think Honda just couldn't handle," Yugi thought for a second, "the changes. And some part of him felt alone."

Anzu nodded and decided to change the subject. She suddenly realized that she was getting good at it, too. "So, what did the police say?" Anzu demanded. "Do they need you to make a statement?"

Jounouchi shook his head sadly and put a comforting hand on Anzu—a hand that Seto wanted to push off with more than a little force. It looked so…weak.

Jou broke it to her gently. "They said that if we called the police, they'd kill Honda. So, you see…"

"Wait! No one knows? But…well….," Anzu said with wide eyes turning to Yugi, "I'm sure that his family will notice him not coming home."

"They would if they were here," Jou answered. "When I was moving out of my father's place, Honda mentioned that his folks were visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. Honda's father was in the Japanese Army for awhile and some of his old army buddies were planning to be there, too. Kind of a reunion…" Jou sighed openly. "Honda thought he'd be bored. So, he decided to stay at home." Jounouchi flashed a worried look over to Seto. "He won't be missed for at least a week."

Seto laced his fingers together against his chest and leaned back against his chair. The bright day glimmered through the windows behind him but the storm was moving closer, too. "Then, we've got a week to get him back and end all of this."

"Can we?" Yugi asked.

"Seto's a pretty determined kind of guy. So, I'd say 'yes.'" Jou smiled a little.

Seto smirked his trademark smirk. He knew that it would make the room feel better. He glanced at Jounouchi again. I've really gotten soft. Making someone other than Mokuba feel better was never a goal of mine. But, I've got to keep my puppy happy and if this is the way… Still, he's not going to like what comes next.

"Then, everyone needs to leave while I talk to Anzu alone."

"Wha-?" Jounouchi said. He'd suddenly jumped from the couch, leaning forward with hands balled up into fists. "There's no way! You are not leaving me out of this."

"Do it," Seto said dangerously. "I believe that Namiko wanted me to hear something. I need to know what it is."

"No," Jou said back defiantly. "You'll have to make me move."

It was Anzu's turn to roll her eyes. "You may be a couple," she said, thinking that it was the most awkward thing she ever had to say out loud in her life, "but he still has the right to privacy."

Yugi had to agree. Even though Jou was mad at him now, it was the truth. "I'm sorry Jou," he said seeing angry hazel eyes in his direction, "I know you see this as a betrayal—me not siding with you. But, if things were reversed, wouldn't you like to hear something private on your own?"

"Maybe," he grumbled.

"Still friends?" Yugi asked, offering a hand.

"Yeah," Jou said defeated. They shook.

"Hey, let's get that coffee that Kaiba-kun wants."

"I think 'needs' would be a better word," Jou returned with a small chuckle. Reluctantly, he left the room with his friend without giving Seto a parting glance.

The dragon blinked back slowly—watching them leave. Some part of Seto felt relieved because he definitely didn't want an audience if he could help it. He needed time to observe, reflect, and plan. The only part that really irked him was that Anzu was the one Namiko had picked as a messenger. She did that for a reason, too. She probably hoped that Anzu would tell Yugi and word would spread.

"Close the door," Seto said to Anzu. He powered down and closed his laptop when she did it. "So, what else does the bitch have to say to me?"

Anzu opened her purse again. She put the packet of photos on the desk. "You're not going to like what I have to say."

"Do I ever?" His tone was ice.

"I suppose not."

"Will you be spouting more 'friendship' and togetherness crap to make me feel better?"

Anzu laughed at herself a little. "Not this time," she said quietly. She took a deep breath. "Namiko wanted me to tell you to hand over Jounouchi-kun…or the person in these photos will learn the truth."

Blackmail. Okay, he could handle that. What kind of business deal did he make that Namiko could twist on him to make him look bad?

"The truth about what?" Seto murmured while opening the envelope.

Anzu hedged. She pursed her lips for a second.

"You know that I haven't told Yugi a thing about this…at all."

Like I care… He narrowed his eyes. "The truth about what?" Seto said, his voice frigid.

"The truth about how your adoptive father…Kaiba Gozaburo…really died."

Seto suddenly shot Anzu a blank look mixed with an emotion that she couldn't read. He tightened his slim fingers around the envelope and the paper crunched beneath the stress. Anzu took a sharp breath when he did it. For the first time, she didn't feel safe around Seto and didn't know what he'd do next.