A/n: (A little white puppy bounds into the room with a back pack on and scampers over to the writing desk but promptly skids into the bookshelf behind it. :crash: books go flying and a one heavy one lands on her head.) I'm sorry! :smiles innocently: better late than never ne? owe that book hurt! I'm so confused about who should end up with whom I'm even trying to decide in my sleep! If you've read my other fics you know I'm a supporter of BOTH couples.
A BIG thank you to Rose-chan (lol, my living muse) for providing what the bet is for.
Shameless advertisement: Paweeeeeese visit my web page(s) and leave me a tag! No one visits anymore!
Where Am I Going?
Chapter four: The past is present.
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Seto opened his eyes and lay there for a moment, listening to the increasing volume of the alarm on his cell phone and sighed.
'Just get over the girl. And why the hell am I starting to like Mazaki?! Of all the friendship loving, conservative, beautiful, sweet…stop it!'
He grabbed his phone and turned off the alarm.
Five thirty five.
He closed his eyes for just a moment and when he opened them he found himself in an ancient busy street, a market it seemed.
As he looked around he spotted Anzu feeding some horses by a house.
He tried to move forward but his feet were like stone and his heart beat wildly for a reason unknown to him.
He was startled by a loud crack and yelling.
Coming straight for Anzu was a chariot with no driver.
The horses had been spooked.
They narrowly missed her but the carriage broke off with a sickening snap and he dashed forwards, grabbing her and pulling her to the ground just out of the way.
It came to a rest with a spray of sand and dust right at his heels.
He glanced back at it, then down at her.
She was staring up at him with shocked violet eyes.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side and ground his teeth together before sitting up.
She stood quickly and stared first at the object of her near death and then at her unknown rescuer.
She began to thank him but his eyes seemed dark and he reached up to her.
"Princess…"
His eyes closed and he fell back.
He sat up in a cold sweat as the alarm on his clock sounded.
Five thirty five.
He took in as deep a breath as he could, realizing that he still felt the pain.
Lifting his shirt he began to feel dizzy as he saw a good amount of blood coming from a gash.
He quickly grabbed his first aid kit and bandaged it before slowly standing.
He scanned over the entire tent but found nothing that could have caused the wound.
He waited until the pain had eased to dress.
'That necklace is mine!"
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Yami was woken the next morning by Anzu calling him.
"Yami. It's six o' clock."
He smiled as he opened his eyes to see her kneeling next to him, her hands resting gently on his shoulders.
He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and turned to her.
He was about to speak but her eyes caught him off guard and he smiled brighter.
"I think I'm going to have to get used to those eyes of yours."
He moved to kiss her but she stopped him.
"It isn't good to start something out here…I don't want our friends to know just yet okay?"
He closed his eyes and nodded.
Anzu's eyes flashed as she caught sight of the shadow beside them.
She and Yami stepped out to find Seto standing there, arms crossed and glaring.
"Why is it that you two are fifteen minutes late? This dig runs on a schedule. I let you sleep the day before because you collapsed but it wasn't an open invitation to be late every morning."
Yami glared back and Anzu was having trouble not screaming at him.
"You're the only one with an alarm clock prissy boy. The rest of us have to rely on the sun, excuse me if we don't get up so easily."
He took a step closer to her.
"Don't make me angry Mazaki…I can hurt you."
Yami stepped in front of her.
"You touch her and I will kill you."
Seto backed off slightly and walked away.
Anzu let out the breath she'd been holding and turned to Yami.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.
"Just stay away from him. We've only got two more days until we go back into town for the weekend."
He glanced around as she began to walk away, but no one was there so he swung her around and kissed her.
She gave a sigh and looked into his eyes.
"Friday, I promise we'll tell them."
He smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear.
" I just couldn't resist."
She smiled softly.
"Come on, let's get going before grumpmeister starts yelling again."
Yami laughed as they walked toward the tomb.
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Pegasus J. Crawford stepped out of the limo as it stopped in front of the game shop.
Suguroku stood behind the counter, watching him slowly approach the door.
There was a difference in Pegasus these days, he still carried that important air about him but he was less sarcastic and more laid back.
The phone rang.
Yugi had just left for Egypt and Suguroku had just walked in the door from the airport.
"Hello"
The voice on the other end wasn't expected and far from welcomed.
"Mr. Muto, I have an offer to make you."
Suguroku paused before speaking.
"What kind of a offer would you make me? You have nothing I want."
Pegasus smirked despite the fact he was on the phone.
"How about a restored Blue Eyes White Dragon, just like the one Kaiba boy tore up?"
Suguroku blinked for a moment.
"Why would you do that for me?"
Pegasus out right laughed.
"Two reasons Mr. Muto, and one of them is rather selfish I'm afraid. I'd like to apologize and perhaps even be friends with you. However…it would just kill Kaiba to know that there is a fourth usable dragon still in the world and it's not in his deck. There is a catch though."
Suguroku narrowed his eyes and let out a short breath as he waited for the other man to continue.
" You're a gaming man Mr. Muto, something we have in common. I've sponsored the expedition your grandson and his friends are on. I knew he would take the bait and I truly want to know the power of the pharaoh. So here's the catch…I believe that the first tomb discovered will not only be that of a pharaoh, it will be our pharaoh."
Suguroku gave a sigh.
"I see, so I can either agree with you, or take the opposite end. Either way it's a fifty-fifty chance that I'll win."
Pegasus voice seemed taunting on the other end.
"Life is a fifty-fifty shot at happiness Mr. Muto. Will you accept my bet, or will I be forced to keep this beautiful special edition for my self?"
Suguroku growled.
"Fine, I'll wager that the first tomb discovered is not that of our pharaoh."
The two stood there staring at each other for a few moments until Pegasus pulled a card case from his breast pocket.
"So, did you win Mr. Muto?"
He nodded with a smile.
"You were half right though. The tomb discovered was that of a pharaoh, but it was not our pharaoh."
Pegasus sighed and gave the case to Suguroku.
"What a shame, I was so hoping to keep this for myself."
Suguroku's hand trembled as he opened the case but he couldn't contain the smile as he stared at the card within.
"Blue Eye White Dragon…restored. Thank you."
Pegasus smiled and closed his eye.
"You won it fairly."
Suguroku looked up at him.
"Why are you running this dig? What interest do you have in this?"
He sighed deeply.
"I want to know more about the sennen items."
He looked aside and Suguroku could sense a deep sorrow.
"I should go, I have some things to do in town. Good day."
Suguroku nodded silently and looked down at the card in his hand after he had left.
'Thank you.'
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Anzu stood in the tomb with a camera after everyone else had left.
It was about noon and hot, even inside this darkened room dug deep into the cliff face.
She had three rolls of film she had to use so she decided to get as much detail as she could.
She felt strange suddenly and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again she found herself on her knees in front of Seto who held the Sennen Rod.
Tears ran down his face and she jumped as he turned from her and slammed his fist into the wall.
"I love you too much. I could have everything I want if it wasn't you."
She trembled as he lifted her from the ground.
She was on the verge of tears as she looked into his eyes.
"Why can't you understand that I still love my husband? He may be dead Seth, but I can still feel him! He never left me and giving into you would hurt him!"
He took her face into his hand and kissed her softly.
"That won't stop me from loving you for the rest of my life. You pledged your undying love to him…but I chose to vow the same to you. That's why I'm going to let you go."
More tears spilled from his eyes as he placed her back in her bed.
"I'll explain it all in the morning and you'll never break my heart again."
And with that he was gone.
She lay there for a few minutes, willing away her own tears.
She closed her eyes as a gentle wind blew in from the balcony.
It wasn't long before she felt a soft hand come to her cheek.
"Atemu…"
She took in a deep breath, letting her tears come.
She felt an arm come around her, wrapping her in a worm embrace from behind.
"Anzu."
A voice whispered in her ear.
She shivered as she felt soft fingers trace her throat and a gentle kiss to her ear.
"I'm sorry Anzu."
She suddenly froze as she opened her eyes and found herself back in the tomb.
What scared her however was that she still felt the person holding her, and it wasn't Yami.
She held her breath as she recognized the voice.
"I'm sorry I scared you this morning Anzu. I didn't mean it."
She tried to step out of his arms but he only held her closer.
"I don't take threats lightly. Let go of me."
He softly kissed her ear and then her neck.
"I told you, I didn't mean it. I was angry. If Yugi hadn't interrupted us last night you'd be fine with me holding you this way."
She stood still, trying to breath.
"You barely kissed me and walked away calling it baby hour. I don't take love lightly either."
He smirked.
"Is there anything you take lightly?"
She shivered as he kissed her ear again.
"Since when did you start falling for me anyway?"
He wrapped his arms farther around her.
"Honestly, not until yesterday. You've always been so strong, never needed anyone and then when I saw you faint, held your limp body in my arms, stared into your beautiful face I…I couldn't help but want you."
Her breath came in almost pants and she struggled to get free from him but he only held her more tightly.
"You're sick! Let go of me!"
He suddenly released her and she spun around to see the smirk on his lips.
"You…you didn't mean a word of it did you?!"
He shook his head.
"At least not the part about your limp body. Though I must admit seeing you like that was rather attractive."
She fell to her knees with a sob.
"I hate you!"
He was taken aback by her response.
"You don't hate me, you were ticked last night when I didn't kiss you hard enough."
She brushed away her tears and looked up at him.
"You hurt me! You scared the hell out of me! How much of that was true? Did you really want to kiss me last night or was it just another one of your damn games?!"
He knelt next to her.
"I really did want to kiss you and I called it baby hour because I was pissed that Yugi showed up. I wanted a chance with you and he took it away from me just like everything else. You want to know when I really started falling for you Anzu? Just last summer when I saved your life."
She looked up at him.
"You mean Malik…?"
He nodded and looked away.
"I knew those two would work things out on their own, it was you I was worried about."
She glared and shoved him back.
"You can be a real jerk you know that! What where you thinking just now?!"
He sighed and closed his eyes.
" I deserve that. I was trying to scare you."
She stood and stared down at him.
"I know that! Why?!"
He too stood and looked into her eyes.
" I don't know I just wanted to!"
She choked back more tears and shoved him again.
"You just decided to come scare me while we're on a schedule that's so important you threatened to hurt me this morning! Well congratulations you succeeded!"
He grabbed her shoulders tightly and she slapped him.
"Now I'm going to make a threat! If you…!"
He pulled her against him and kissed her roughly, silencing her.
She stood there staring at him for a moment when he let her go.
"You won't be making any threats. Now tell me you hate me and not to touch you."
She blinked at him, finding absolutely no words to say to him, angry or otherwise.
He smirked and stepped closer to her.
"I didn't think so."
He moved to kiss her but she stopped him.
"Can you say you love me?"
He nodded.
"I can say anything I want. I do have feelings for you Anzu, I just don't know if it's love yet. I'm not going to be the valiant prince and tell you I love you more than the sun…but I will tell you that I've thought about you more in the last three days than I have in the last six months."
He didn't give her a chance to speak again and kissed her.
He wrapped his arms around her softly and kissed her more gently.
She looked up into his eyes and her voice trembled as well as her body.
"Don't scare me like that again."
He nodded and bushed a stray tear from her cheek and whispered.
"Okay. I'm sorry."
She pulled away from him and refused to look him in the eyes.
"I've got to get back to work…and I need some time to think about this."
They were both startled as they heard a pained voice from behind.
"So this is how it is."
As soon as she saw Yami standing in the door, her heart sank.
Seto growled and stepped farther away from her.
"It wasn't her fault. I kissed her."
Yami narrowed his eyes at both of them.
"Why?"
Seto smirked until he glanced at Anzu and saw her, looking ready to cry.
"Because I still think there's a chance she'll change her mind. You may have her right now but by the time we go home, she will be mine."
Yami looked at her and sighed.
"There's only one way to settle this Anzu, you have to decide."
She looked up at him, bright purple eyes filling with tears and she couldn't manage more than a whisper.
"I can't right now. Please I just want both of you to leave me alone."
Yami took a step forward but she stopped him.
"Please Yami…just go."
He paused for a moment before turning on his heel and leaving.
Seto silently and slowly walked after him.
Brushing away the new set of tears she picked up the camera from where she had dropped it, and began her work again.
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Friday came without incident and neither Yami, nor Seto spoke to Anzu.
They arrived back at the hotel in Cairo and as soon as they were alone, Yami confronted Anzu.
She had left the door to her room open momentarily since she had her hands full.
She jumped as she heard the door shut and turned to see him standing against it, a look between hurt and anger across his face.
"Do you really think you care for Kaiba Anzu?"
She looked away.
"Yes."
He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"So you don't care for me?"
She looked up at him and set her bag down.
"But that's just it, I do."
He walked up to her and stared into her eyes, taking her hands in his.
"Why do you like him Anzu? Do you know? Do you know why you like me?"
She nodded.
"I like you because you've always been there. You've saved me from countless things and the other night you didn't hesitate to kiss me. But I also like Seto because…no, I don't want to start this fight."
He looked down into her eyes.
"I need to know Anzu. If you don't want to be involved with me than tell me so now, before I really fall for you. Do I even have a chance?"
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, shaking her head.
"I don't know Yami. I like you both for totally different reasons."
Yami sighed and looked away, loosening his grip on her hands.
"Tell me why you like him Anzu…I won't get angry."
She pulled away from him and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Seto is…rough. He doesn't leave me room to back out when he kisses me and the darker side of me likes that. He just takes me by surprise and kisses me with this fire like I've never felt before."
She stared at him in concern as he slowly nodded and turned.
"Yami…"
He put his hand up.
"I need to be alone."
He started to open the door but she took his hand as she ran to him.
"Please don't leave Yami…I'm confused. I…I think I'm in love with both of you."
He sighed as he looked down at her.
Without warning he grabbed her tightly and kissed her roughly.
She closed her eyes and slowly let out her breath, wrapping her arms around his neck.
She felt light headed suddenly.
He broke away and looked into her eyes.
"Anzu…I want to take you out. I want you to come to dinner with me tonight, just the two of us. Spend the whole evening with me."
She started to speak but he put a finger to her lips and kissed her again.
"I can be as rough as I am soft. I can be anything you want me to be if you'll only love me."
She nodded and he let her go.
"I'll be ready in a minute."
He smiled and took her hand, kissing it before leaving.
She closed the door behind him and leaned on it with a heavy sigh.
' I've got a very difficult choice to make and I have to make it soon. It's not right to leave them hanging like this. But no matter which I choose, I will be breaking someone's heart.'
'----------------------------------------------------------------------
Seto stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and was afraid to remove his shirt.
Two days now his side had been sore and Anzu shoving him like that had hurt more than he'd have liked to admitted to himself.
Still, he removed the shirt and slowly peeled away the bandage that was still stained with blood.
How it hadn't gotten on his clothes he still did not know.
He sighed as he ran his finger over the now small cut.
He looked it over carefully and jumped as he found a small hard object in the wound.
Fishing around in his duffle bag/medical kit, he came across a pair of tweezers and flinched when the cold metal touched his sore skin.
He pulled out the object and stared at it.
"How the hell did a shard of wood get embedded in my side in the middle of the desert?"
He set them down and sighed as he dug for the aspirin.
He re-bandaged his side and looked into the mirror with a groan.
"This is going to be a long weekend."
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Okay all for this chapter but next chapter will be longer. Got stuck on paragraph three for over a week until rose-chan helped me. Pegasus will make a few appearances, he is paying for the dig after all. Hopefully my updates will be faster now. Between bad weather, no power, and writers-block this chapter just killed me! Well I beg your forgiveness and for you still to review. (covers ears with paws and whimpers) it wasn't my fault! Ja!