All You Wanted ~ Cats and Dogs
Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out but you see, I had it typed, then my computer wouldn't connect to the internet so I couldn't post it, then my harddrive was wiped out due to a virus, finally, I lost the original copy. So, as a result, I had to completely rewrite this chapter. Now you know why it hasn't been updated in so long. Thanks for your patience!
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"Good morning, Yuugi," Anzu said, sitting down across the table from him. She had decided she had to talk to Yuugi about the issue with Seto. After all, Yuugi was still one of her best friends and he would be willing to listen to her at the very least. Maybe he would even be able to help her; he could possibly have a talk with Seto. But why the hell did she have to come over when Jounouchi was already there? That made things just a little bit awkward. Especially considering the events of the previous night.
"Morning, Anzu. How have you been?"
"I'm fine," she replied, watching Jounouchi pace around the small kitchen. He was probably just dying for the chance to say something about Seto but only restrained himself for her sake. However, all he was succeeding at doing was making her very nervous and even a little dizzy.
"How's Kaiba?" Yuugi continued, obviously ignoring Jounouchi. She wished she could ignore him so easily. She wished she could ignore a lot of things in her life with such ease. Namely Seto's obvious distraction.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she admitted, looking down at her hands. See, she couldn't even forget for a few minutes. "He's been acting really strange recently and I don't know why."
"He's probably just being Kaiba," Yuugi said reassuringly. She wasn't so sure or else she wouldn't be here. This was somehow worse than his normal moody behavior. Something was really bothering him this time; something she couldn't reach inside him. Seto was generally moody; that she was used and could normally solve on her own. But not this time.
"Or he could have found someone else," Jounouchi suddenly decided to intervene. Damn him; she had been trying not to think of that possibility. Seto had been acting so secretively recently, almost as if he had been hiding something important from her.
"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi scolded. At least Yuugi had retained his good sense and courtesy. "Why don't you go get the paper for my grandfather?" Jounouchi complained loudly, but after a few seconds grudgingly went to do it anyway. "Sorry about that," Yuugi apologized, turning his attention back to Anzu. "He had a rough night last night."
"I know. I was there with Seto."
Yuugi cringed for a brief moment and Anzu wondered what Jounouchi had told him about the encounter last night. "So do you really think there's something to be concerned about?"
She sighed. "I don't know. It's just… I feel like he's hiding something from me. Something big." Yuugi nodded in understanding. It felt so much better to actually tell someone about it. It seemed so silly now that she as thinking about it. Of course there was no one else. Seto loved her only.
"Who called it?" Jounouchi asked, walking into the room with a newspaper in his hand. "Kaiba and his new pet made the front page this morning." Anzu froze, staring at Jounouchi in disbelief. Jounouchi was just trying to psych her out. "Apparently, it's a new kitten."
"Please tell me they're talking about an actual house pet," she pleaded. That had to be it. She looked over at Yuugi, expecting him to agree with her.
Yuugi snatched the paper out of Jounouchi's hands and, amidst the protests, quickly scanned the article. "I'm sorry, Anzu. Maybe there was a misunderstanding. You know how reporters can get sometimes. Anything for a good rating."
He put the paper down in front of her and her eyes quickly scanned through the article. Apparently, Seto had arrived late to his press conference yesterday with a beautiful foreign woman at his side. He hadn't protested any claims that she was his new lover and someone had overheard him referring to her as a kitten before he left with her. Unfortunately, in the view of the newspaper, no one had caught her name. So this was Seto's new pet. They had to have been highly mistaken and whoever had heard him refer to the woman as a kitten must have misheard something somewhere along the way. Stupid Jounouchi, making her worry for no good reason. There was no solid evidence and, besides, Seto loved her. She picked up the paper and threw it in the trashcan. "Hey, my grandpa still needs to read that," Yuugi yelled, going after it.
"Sorry, Yuugi," Anzu said apologetically before turning on Jounouchi. "Jounouchi, how could you do something like that?"
He laughed, backing away from her. "Because it was fun. Plus, I still think he found someone else."
'How dare he!' She growled. He was so close to getting the crap beat out of him it wasn't even funny. "No, he's not," she said firmly before storming out the door.
"Jounouchi-kun, don't you think you were a little," Yuugi paused, "hmm… rude to her?"
"Nah. Besides, I still think Kaiba has a new interest."
Yuugi sat down at the table with a small sigh. "Do you mind filling me in as to how you know this?"
Jounouchi winked at him. "Because I know who Kaiba's kitten is."
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Seto slouched in his chair behind his desk, reading a magazine he had picked up earlier in the day. All of his associates thought he was busy working and he was quite content to let them continue thinking along those lines. The busier they thought he was, the less likely they were to bother him and the article he was reading was simply fascinating. It was the latest edition of "How to Keep You Cat Happy." He smirked as he turned the page; it was amazing as to what kept cats entertained and close to you. He would have to try some of the techniques out on the kitten. After all, she would have to be happy or she might start being disobedient like the mongrel. That was something he would have to prevent.
The kitten was too rare and valuable to let her go that easily. Damn, did he just think that? He threw the magazine in a drawer and placed his elbows on the desk, resting his forehead in his hands. He had been just fine when he hadn't seen her in a while. In fact, he had barely thought about her ever since he had started dating Anzu. Or course, just when things were starting to go really good with her, Isis had to come walking back into his life, dragging her brother along by the ear. Gods, she had been so beautiful; she still was. Plus the dreams about the woman of his past did not help his sanity much.
He had almost lost Anzu a few days ago, a devastating event to him. All because of that damn article that had come out about him and his kitten. What did reporters know about his pets anyway? Absolutely nothing. However, Anzu had not taken the article gently. It had taken a great deal of groveling on his part (as well as a large chunk of his wallet) to get on her good side again. He just didn't understand; she didn't have a problem with Jounouchi being his dog. He really didn't see much of a difference. 'Except Isis is a beautiful goddess,' his brain so kindly decided to remind him.
After much cursing towards himself for coming up with such a blasphemous (yet true) statement, he decided he was going to go home early and he was going to walk. Maybe the fresh air outside would have the magic effect of purifying his thoughts.
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Isis was fuming. She hated it when Malik sent her out to get something and then she couldn't find it. From now on, he was in charge of his own shopping. The day was overcast and she hurried along her way, hoping to get home before it started raining. It had been raining so much lately she was largely surprised that it had stopped at all.
Across the road, she caught sight of Seto Kaiba, probably on his way home from work. She turned away; after all, they hadn't spoken since the incident at the restaurant and she was still a little irked at him. However, she couldn't help it if her heart fluttered when she caught sight of him. With a quick curse to her traitorous heart, she kept focused on the sidewalk in front of her, hoping that last motion of her heart would be the last of the interaction between them. However, it seemed like fate and a certain Seto Kaiba had other plans set for her. The weather also seemed to be against her decision as it chose that exact moment to start raining again.
She ducked underneath an overhang, cursing the gods under her breath as she pressed her back against the wall. Having grown up in the desert, she despised getting wet for no reason. As her ill luck would have it, the nearest place for Seto to get out of the rain was her own safe little haven. Well, it wasn't necessarily nice or safe anymore considering she had to share it with an oversized jerk. "Excuse me, but did I say you could join me?" Isis said as he squeezed in next to her.
"No, but I said I could," he replied, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. He smirked down at her and she scowled, eyes narrowing dangerously as she watched the rain coming down. "Though I see the little kitten is still fidgety about the rain."
"You're a good one to talk," she snapped back. All she had wanted to do was to get home before it started raining and now she was caught outside with Seto with her only chance of leaving him was to go out into the rain. In her mind it was a no-win situation. "Don't you have somewhere you have to be?" she asked sullenly, glancing up in his direction.
Seto shifted his position and Isis got the vague impression that he had moved closer to her. She would have moved farther away from him but that would have required her moving out into the rain. As a result, all she could do was sulk while she waited for his response, hoping it would be positive. "I can't think of a place I would rather be."
She blinked, looking up at him wide-eyed. "What did you say?" she asked, noticing how he stared straight ahead with a slight frown.
"I said not really," he responded, looking down at her. "It would be such a shame if you were losing your hearing. Perhaps that's why you're so stubborn." She didn't rise to the bait, looking back out across the street. Somewhere out there she knew Anzu was loving Seto, despite his obvious flaws. Oddly enough, thinking about that hurt her. "You probably should be getting home. Your brother might be worrying about you and he might retaliate against me."
She rolled her eyes, wondering why people thought he was such a genius. "In case you haven't noticed, it's pouring down rain," she said, gesturing around them with her hand. "I don't like rain," she told him, glaring in his direction, "as you so subtly like to remind me."
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he said as innocently as he could, Isis supposed, even though it wasn't very convincing. He started moving around beside her and she frowned, staring at the ground.
Why did the fates have to force her through this horrifying experience? If he kept it up he was going to be pushing her into the rain. "What the hell are you doing?"
Her breath caught in her throat as he put his coat over her head. "We should be getting you home."
~Remember to review people and once again I apologize for the long wait. Blame whoever put that virus in my computer.
Trevona: What? You're ending this chapter there? You can't do that!
Me: Watch me. I believe I just did.