Author Note: Sorry about the late update. I had to stay later at work today. On the bright side I have a special update of two chapters for you. Enjoy!

Chapter 34:

Party

Seto walked up to the entrance of Ana's house and knocked. Hikari answered the door. Seto raised an eyebrow at the haggard-looking college student. Before he could say anything, Hikari grabbed his collar and glared at him with eyes sunken from lack of sleep.

"If you do anything in appropriate to Ana tonight, I will hunt you down and make you regret you were ever born."

What the—someone wants to be punched. Seto resisted the urge and instead yanked Hikari's hands off his collar and straightened it.

"Onii-san," Ana appeared behind him and gently pushed him back into the house. "Go finish your proposal."

Hikari started mumbling about currents and circuits as he walked away. Ana shut the door and sighed before looking up at Seto. Years of practice kept his face neutral, but he stopped breathing as he got a better look at Ana. The long midnight dress hugged her curves and accentuated her shoulders. She'd curled her hair to frame her face. Her smokey makeup made her look more mature and seductive than usual.

"How do I look?" She asked, giving him a proud smile.

"Fine."

He regretted his answer because she looked disappointed by his response.

"Oh," was all she said as she looked away.

What? No! Damn it! She needs to stop dressing up. I've never had so many brain farts in my life. Seto held back a groan and led the way to a sleek black car and opened the passenger door for her.

"Are you driving?" Ana looked at the car, worried.

"If I can fly a jet, then I can easily drive a car… I have my license," Seto answered.

"But you can't get a license until you're 18." Ana frowned at him.

Seto looked at her like she was kidding. "You really think I can't get the rules bent in my favor?"

She stopped questioning it and got in. Seto got in and drove them to the location, she told him. As he drove, he glanced over at her a couple times. She looked depressed for some reason. The drive didn't take more than thirty minutes. The party was being held in an older mansion right outside of town. Damn it. I don't want to go in. This is going to be a pain in the ass.

After he drove up to the front of the mansion, a valet helped Ana out of the car and he handed over the keys. I wonder who this guy is that she doesn't want to meet alone? They walked up to the door and Ana handed over the invitation to the guard acting as security. He let them in. The decoration on the inside was blinding. The glow of the golden chandeliers lit up the historic white and red marble colored building. It's alright. A bit old-fashioned for my taste. A servant led them to a ballroom that was filled with guests already.

"Sakurai-san, welcome!"

Seto turned to the voice. Ah! My eyes! A man in an extremely bright yellow suit with extremely bright green hair strolled up to them. What the heck! Did this guy take a bath in highlighter? Seto glanced down at Ana, who'd turned her head away for a second. She looked like she wanted to barf. Her reaction was only momentary before she turned back to the man with a polite smile.

"Thank you for the invitation, Hoyhi-san." Ana bowed to the host.

Once the man got close and Seto's eyes adjusted, he noticed the guy was young, maybe Hikari's age. His face and hair were expertly groomed. Too groomed. His skin was practically radiating light from the ceiling.

"How have you been? I heard about your unfortunate situation. If there's anything I can do to help?" Without asking, he took Ana's hand and kissed it lightly.

Seto's vision blurred on the edges as he resisted the urge to break his hand. Don't kill him. Don't do it. Resist. Resist. Ana chuckled uncomfortably and quickly retracted her hand. She took a step closer to Seto.

"I thank you for your kindness, but I'm quite alright." Ana's voice was strained, but Hoyhi didn't seem to notice.

Instead, he turned to Seto, who very much wasn't smiling politely. He glared openly at the man. Hoyhi gave him an awkward smile.

"I don't think we've met before?" He greeted him.

Ana introduced him. "This is Kaiba Seto."

Hoyhi looked back and forth between them. He seemed disappointed. "Did you two come together?"

"Yes," Ana said quickly. "If you'll excuse us, we seem to be blocking the door."

She grabbed Seto's arm and propelled them away from Hoyhi. Seto looked over his shoulder and saw the man looking after Ana sadly. When they made eye contact, Seto scowled at him and Hoyhi flinched. I think I see what she meant now. He is a flirt, but I don't get the feeling he'll do anything with me here. Ana took them to a corner of the room that was out of the way. When they made it there, she released him and seemed to relax.

"Wow, Amin-chan. You're a more effective shield than I thought. Normally, he doesn't let me go for a good solid thirty minutes."

Seto looked down at where she'd been holding his arm and felt disappointed. Ana seemed to notice.

She smirked. "What's with that look?"

"I was enjoying you holding my arm." He flat out admitted.

His bluntness was effective because she blushed and looked away, pouting. Seto scanned the room. He hated these kinds of parties. It was a place where people sucked up to one another. Surprisingly, no one approached them.

"What do you normally do at these events?" Seto asked as he watched the fancy rich people flitting about. Many of them were throwing glances their way.

"I stick around until after the first dance then I go find a secluded room and take a nap." Ana chuckled then frowned. "I don't think that would be a good idea this time…"

"I don't mind sneaking out. Actually, that would be preferable." Seto glanced at a woman in a very fluffy dress who was eyeing him. He knew that look. He leaned down and whispered in Ana's ear. "I'm not surprised that you'd nap through a party."

Ana tensed up at his close proximity until her gaze fell on the woman who was staring at him. She tilted her head and let out a fake giggle. The woman seemed to take the hint and rejoined her group.

"Funny, Amin-chan. I thought I was using you as a shield, not the other way around." Ana pinched his arm as he straightened back up.

"Give and take," he responded.

It didn't take long for most of the guests to arrive. After, Hoyhi gave a quick welcome speech, and they cleared the dance floor for people to dance. Seto glanced down at Ana, his heart beating a little faster.

"Do you—"

As if reading his mind, she interrupted him. "I don't want to dance."

He felt a sting from her rejection. The first time I ever ask someone to dance, I get shot down. Is that karma kicking in? Hoyhi seemed to look their way and Ana tensed up.

"But I'll make an exception today. Care to dance, Amin-chan?" Ana grinned up at him, but her smile was strained.

I want to make a snarky comment, but frick' it. He didn't give her time to change her mind and took her hand, leading her out to the dance floor. Ana seemed surprised. The dance was a traditional waltz. She curtsied to him and he bowed in response before taking her hand and placing his other on her waist. When she put his hand on her shoulder, he felt his muscles tense.

"Can you dance, Amin-chan?" Ana asked in a whisper. She seemed doubtful.

"Gozaburo's tutors were very strict. I learned a lot of useless skills meant to flatter people," Seto replied. "So yes. I can dance."

The music queued up, and the song started. The waltz wasn't complicated. It seemed Ana had truly doubted his claim until they started dancing and Seto took the lead. The look of surprise on her face was annoying but entertaining. She laughed as they danced.

"I guess you can dance," she said before laughing again.

I hate this. As they kept step, he became increasingly aware of how close they were, of her breathing, and how the light from the chandelier seemed to light up her face. It made him feel very uncomfortable, and at the same time he didn't want the song to end. Ana's complexion was rosy as they turned and stepped about. He couldn't tell if she was acting or not, but she seemed to enjoy herself. Then the music ended all too suddenly. Reluctantly, he let her go and bowed to her once more.

"Well, that was surprising," she said slightly out of breath as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

Seto paused at her statement, then smiled softly. Maybe events like these aren't as bad as I thought.