WHY DOES LOVE HURT


" I'm here for Mokuba,"

Anzu stepped aside, her dry remark unnoticed by the CEO making his way inside. " Hello yourself, Kaiba,"

Shutting the door behind her, she guided him to the family room where she signaled him to take a seat on the couch.

" Have a seat," She offered. " Mokuba's still packing his stuff,"

" I can wait," He murmured, refusing to accept her polite hospitality as he stood by the entrance of the family room.

" Oh stop being such a jerk," She huffed bluntly, hands on hips. " The least you could do is say Hi like normal people,"

His eyes shifted to the side till they landed on her in a cynical manner. " Then I guess I'm not normal,"

She resisted rolling her eyes. " Whatever you say, Kaiba,"

" Whatever. You. Say," She drawled, before heading into the kitchen to brew some hot chocolate.

" Thirsty?" She asked, looking past the opened cabinet door as she blindly searched for some cups stacked above her head.

" No,"

" Alright," She sighed, twirling the cup in her hand. " But you're missing out,"

" I doubt that," He smirked despite himself, but hid it well with a stiff jut of his shoulders as he looked at the stairs to see Mokuba racing down them.

" Hah! Well I never!" Anzu strode into the hallway, smiling as she watched the two brothers hug and reunite from their minimal departure.

Kaiba stiffened visibly when he noted her presence, easing his arms off of Mokuba to stand from his knelt position.

" Mazaki," He addressed, eyeing her curtly.

She smiled. " Kaiba?" She silently praised herself; she'd be the first to get a " thank-you " from the Seto Kaiba.

" What did you do to him?"

Anzu blanched, the color draining from her face in a matter of milliseconds. " What do you mean ' what did I do to him' ?!"

" Exactly what it means, Mazaki," Kaiba replied, monotone,standing to his full-height of six-foot-three.

" I took care of him!" She countered, eyebrows colliding in the center in sheer frustration.

" He's lost weight. Did you not bother to feed him?" Kaiba muttered.

Anzu laughed, even when she pictured herself strangling the handsome CEO. " Yes I fed him! Very much in fact!"

Mokuba smiled widely. " She did, Seto! And she cooks great!"

Kaiba patted the mass of black hair toppled on Mokuba's head in a reserved, affectionate manner.

" Now he's delusional?"

Anzu glared at Kaiba, before looking down at the younger boy huffing in his own anger; whatever delusional was, he sure as heck wasn't!

" Well thank you, Mokuba!" Anzu gloated, purposely staring at Kaiba as she thanked the boy for his compliment.

" I think it's your brother whose 'delusional' though,"

Mokuba tugged on the sleeve of Kaiba's white trench coat. " Is that a good or bad thing, Seto?"

" Did you have fun?" Kaiba asked, boldly avoiding his brother's question.

But the boy failed to notice as he began ranting about the things he did and saw during his weekend at Anzu's, remembering to steer clear and pass parts with Bakura and Marik involved.

Anzu's eyes drifted from the two brothers, wandering to the stairs where she spotted Ryou exiting her bedroom.

Ryou's up!? So early!

The last thing she wanted was for Kaiba to find out she had two evil-spirits in her house the same time Mokuba had been.

He'll kill me if he finds out!

" Ready?" Kaiba asked, referring to his and Mokuba's departure.

Mokuba nodded. " Yeah. But I have to say bye to Ryo--oops," He paled, suddenly realizing he'd let a slip.

" Who?" A delicate, brown eyebrow rose in suspicion, before the eyes belonging to the CEO swept across the room till they landed on the brunette edging her way upstairs.

" Mazaki, what the hell is this about?" He demanded, halting the girl in her escape to the second floor.

Shoulders stiff, Anzu slowly turned. " What are you talking about?"

" Don't play games; I know what I heard," Kaiba spat, eyes narrowing.

" Eh--so what! Yeah Ryou's spending the night! Big deal!" She proceeded to throw her arms up in the air, before flushing in embarrassment and turning her back on the two brothers.

Kaiba snorted. " How could you let Mokuba go near him? Don't you know what dangers you put him in!"

" Ryou's harmless!" Anzu assured, tone airy, a flap of her hand following the motion to reassure the enraged boy.

" And so is Bakura; his Yami," She added, cracking open one bright blue left eye while holding up the index finger of her right hand.

" Are you crazy!" Kaiba roared, towering above the girl in a matter of seconds with heaving breaths.

" Hey now! Don't you trust me? I'd never let anyone hurt Mokuba!" She shot back, chin tilting back so their eyes could meet.

Ice blue clashed with sea blue. " That's not the point!" Kaiba spat, whirling on her, his back now turned to her as he cursed under his breath.

" Shimatta……" He ran a hand through his fine cropped brown bangs, pushing them back and letting them fall back down over his brows, disheveled.

" He's fine isn't he?" Anzu crossed her arms over her chest. " There's no reason for you to get hysterical,"

" No reason!?" Kaiba bellowed, turning back to face her with slanted eyes as he approached her with quick strides.

" You put him in danger; that's reason enough!"

" He's fine; look at him!"

" And what if that crazy spirit sent him to the shadow realm! What then!?" He demanded, eyes moving up and down her face rapidly.

" I told you I wouldn't have let him! You think I'd let Bakura get away with that!" She countered.

" Seto! She didn't mean to! Bakura was real nice to me," Mokuba assured, pulling his elder brother back and away from Anzu.

Grudgingly he looked away from her. " You can say your goodbyes now, Mokuba. We're leaving,"

His tone refused any ifs' ands' or buts'. That was that, end of discussion.

Anzu frowned. " God Kaiba, loosen up; you'll never get friends like that,"

" Who ever said I needed friends?" Kaiba snapped in a sneer, angered by her sheer audacity to think he could have silly little friends.

" I'm your friend!" She reprimanded, tone scolding; how dare he forget!

" Let's go Mokuba. Grab your things," Kaiba rushed, ignoring Anzu and stalking toward the door.

Anzu laughed inwardly, triumphant. Hah! He never denied it! That means he thinks I'm his friend!

" Anzu? That you?" Ryou had successfully made it to the top of the steps , rubbing out the sleep from his eyes after teetering slightly making his way down.

Anzu reluctantly tore her attention from the two brothers to stare at Ryou. " Morning, Ryou. Sleep well?"

He nodded, eyes bleary from sleep as he made it down the last step, barely noticing Kaiba.

" Oh, Kaiba, Evening," Ryou greeted, smiling weakly at the CEO standing at the front of the open door where he was leading Mokuba outside toward the parked limousine.

Kaiba graced him with a brief glance, before muttering something to Mokuba along the lines of getting inside the car.

Ryou blinked, too naïve to understand Kaiba's hostility toward others. He turned back to Anzu who was mouthing something venomous to Kaiba.

Something that oddly looked like. ' You're such a jerk!' But he wasn't quite sure.

The faintest smirk graced the CEO's face, as eerie as it was, it was still a surprise on Ryou's behalf. Kaiba never showed emotion, good or bad, it just didn't happen!

Kaiba returned back to Anzu's side, but his eyes kept a dangerously close watch on Ryou.

" Here," Kaiba shoved the thick envelope in Anzu's hand.

" What's this?" Anzu asked, perplexed as she opened the lid of the letter to stare inside, only to suck in a sharp breath of protest as she looked back at Kaiba.

" I can't take this!" She objected.

Kaiba sighed; he knew she was going to be troublesome. " Take it," He ordered.

" I'm not accepting your money, Kaiba! Really," She assured, forcing him to take the envelope back.

" Besides I enjoyed having Mokuba over; its nice having the little guy around,"

Kaiba grunted, looking to the side to stare at the boy climbing into the back of the limousine after the driver had obliged to his job and placed the bags neatly in the trunk.

" A friendly hug would be nice though," Her smile turned to a contagious grin.

Kaiba snorted. Him? Hug? Absurd! It was unheard of!

His left brow rose when a wicked smile, one he'd never seen, blossomed on the girl's face, before she pulled him to her in a fierce hug.

Kaiba tensed, not bothering to hug back, or rather move at all as the affectionate hug felt awkward and foreign to him.

Anzu smiled up at him from where her head barely reached his shoulder. " See. It's not so bad, is it?"

He replied with a grunt.

Ryou merely smiled, but inside he could feel Bakura raging in jealousy.

What the hell are you doing just standing there!? Get that damn bastards hands off her!

Now, Bakura. Ryou sent back through their link. It's nothing more than a friendly hug. I think it's quite sweet in fact.

Sweet!? Have you gone mad! Now do as I say and---

Ryou ignored the rest and simply watched Anzu part from Kaiba.

" Oh my god!" Anzu screeched, catching both boys off guard.

Kaiba stared down at her with knitted brows. " What is it now?" He demanded.

" You're still alive!"

Kaiba dared his eyes not to roll, it'd be unlike him anywho. He dealt with a stern glare in her direction; her sarcasm was unwanted.

" Not funny, Mazaki," He muttered.

" Oh admit it! You liked it!" She teased, smiling brightly to further anger him.

" I don't have time for this, Mazaki," He snapped, irritated as he made his way outside.

Anzu looked to Ryou, mouthing a quick ' I'll be back' before she fled after the CEO stalking stiffly down the path leading to the parked limousine.

" Tell Mokuba I'll miss him!" She called, waving her arm up in the air at Kaiba.

" Give him lots of hugs and kisses for me!" She added, watching him disappear in the back of the vehicle with a hard slam of the slick white door.

" Take care!" She hollered, waving as she followed the car, watching it shift into the street before vanishing in seconds.

" Well that was fun," Anzu murmured to herself, shutting the door with a " Hooo," followed after.

" Kaiba thinks of me as his friend!" She cheered, gloating over the fact. " He never denied it once. And he even let me hug him! This'll go in history!"

Anzu walked up to Ryou with a wan grin.

" Sorry about that. So, how'd you sleep? Did you sleep fine? Did Marik bother you? If he did--"

Ryou smiled, laughing lightly at the flood of questions Anzu poured out in a rapid mesh of words. " I slept well, thank you,"

He flushed, oddly bashful toward her worries of how he'd managed through the night.

" I'm glad," She murmured, almost absently as she studied his handsome face that held a unique beauty both sexes would envy.

She could see Bakura in him, the smallest of details, but she could still notice the way their eyes had a way to express everything.

Marik on the other hand…..

Heh, he just about tells everyone what he's thinking! She couldn't help but laugh at that.

" What the hell are you two doing laughing like a bunch of fools?"

Anzu knew that voice anywhere. " Marik's up it seems!" She smiled at Ryou.

In all his glory, mind the fact he had no shirt on and was wearing only a pair of tight khaki pants, he strode down the stairs, fair hair tousled about in a disheveled fashion.

His eyes, a sharp violet, were dull and hazy from sleep, making him look mysterious. His gold earrings dangled, accompanied by the thick choker clinking around his slim neck held high in superiority.

" Morning Marik," Anzu greeted, waving meekly at him.

He took no shame in walking behind her and wrapping his arms around her tightly, pulling her roughly to his bare chest where he could lower his head and nip at her neck.

Well that was unexpected! Just the other day he didn't even want to hug me in front of Ryou!

This guy was just too confusing.

Ryou flushed, politely looking away and finding himself indulged in the couch situated in the family room.

Marik flicked his tongue up and down her neck, his arms fastened tight around her waist to restrain her from moving or escaping.

Anzu squirmed. " Marik!" She scolded; Ryou was right there for God's sake! Could he be more rude!

" Tell him to leave," Marik muttered against her throat, grinding his hips into her buttocks to distract her from objecting.

She flushed. " Marik sto--"

" Mind if I use your bathroom, Anzu-chan?" Ryou asked, smiling brightly at her with crescent eyes.

" O-Of course, Ryou," Anzu replied.

Once the white haired boy had entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him, Marik roughly turned her, grasping her rear and pulling her up to grind against him while his lips captured hers.

Anzu choked on a protest, vanishing into his mouth only to be forgotten and lost in the peaks of pleasure soon to come.

She gasped when his right hand left her rear to latch onto her left breast, squeezing the mound almost painfully.

His tongue worked into her mouth, sweeping across her own shyly staying still. He pulled back slightly, a smirk evident on his lips.

" W-what are you smiling about?" She huffed, flustered.

" The power I have over you," He replied solemnly, his hand still firm on her breast while the other absently stroked the back of her right thigh.

" What's that suppose to mean?" She snapped, eyeing him suspiciously.

He bypassed her question, lowering his head to suck and lick at her neck.

She struggled to push him back. " Marik, stop; Ryou's here,"

" And?" He spat, pulling away to glare at her. " Don't tell me you like that damn pathetic excuse of a mortal?"

" Yes! He's my friend!" She returned the glare. " And don't forget that Bakura can see us to!"

Marik held in a growl. " Fine. But you owe me. Don't forget," He purred in her ear, releasing her and removing his hands.

Anzu sighed, both relieved and exasperated by his actions. " I hope Ryou's not mad,"

" Why should he be? He has no hold on you," Marik sneered, a deathly look settling on his face.

" I know that but still….." She hesitated to finish. " Bakura saw and he wouldn't be too happy,"

" Damn it!" Marik bellowed. " I'm tired of this foolish idea to share you! If I can not enjoy you for myself then why bother at all!"

" That's not true! You know I love you both equally!" She crossed her arms with a firm nod and shut of her eyes for emphasis.

" Then what do you care if he sees us or not? I have permitted him to touch you have I not?" He demanded, tone clipped.

" It's not that. I just want you both to be fine with the idea of---well---"

" Say it," He hissed. " Share you. Is that it?"

" That and I--I just don't want you two to hate one another! I hate seeing you two mad at one another!"

Marik crossed his arms. " We're not exactly on the best of terms. Do not forget what the past has held,"

" Your past with Bakura you mean?"

Marik nodded stiffly. " He and I were once partners. But things have changed."

" Can't you get over it?" She asked, flabbergasted. " It has been over five thousand years,"

" The things that happened between him and I can not be easily forgotten,"

Anzu sighed. " This is too much on me."

" Then why not leave him and remain with me?" He cooed, pulling her back to him.

Anzu sighed, unaffected by his seductive charm. " But I love Bakura too. I can't just leave him. I care too much about him,"

She looked up at him. " Like I care about you,"

He looked to the side. " I know,"

Anzu smiled. " So then……you're not mad?"

" Of course I am," He grounded out through grit teeth.

" Oh I give up!" She moved back but he held her firm.

" However," He began, his eyes returning to her. " I am willing to compromise with the sniveling bastard and 'share' you,"

She threw her arms around his neck. " Oh thank you Marik!"

She kissed him lightly on the lips. " I knew you'd understand!"

He muttered something in Egyptian, so she wasn't sure what he'd said, but whether good or bad it couldn't ruin her happy mood at this point.


Ryou walked out of the bathroom after hearing the two end their discussion. Well I'm glad they've come to terms.

He smiled, despite Bakura unpleasant choice of words crossing their mind-link.

How dare he tell her to leave me! She is mine as well!

Ryou sighed, sitting up from the bath tub. Shall we head out now?

What the hell do you think I've been telling you for the past five minutes!

Ryou laughed nervously, recognizing the sneering growl Bakura gave off only when he was enraged. Well here goes.

He walked out, closing the door silently behind him. Strange. Anzu and Marik seem to have vanished!

Idiot! Look around! Bakura ordered.

" Right!" He quickly padded into the family room to spot Anzu in the kitchen while Marik was laid out on his back on the sofa with his legs propped up on the arm rest and his arms tucked beneath his head.

" Ryou! There you are!" Anzu smiled at him from within the kitchen. " I thought you'd hurt yourself or something. Is everything okay?"

He nodded. " Everything is quite alright,"

He strode to where she was, sliding into the knee-high stool angled beside the oval counter. After slipping in, he rested his arms on the cool surface and looked at her from where she stood only two feet away.

" Uhm Ryou..?"

" Hmm?" He looked up.

" I'm sorry about earlier. You know with---"

He smiled, the motion stopping her from continuing. " It's alright. I didn't mind."

" I know but still--" She turned to face him, an shamed look settling in her expression.

" It was rude of him to do that. And if was rude of me to let him. Especially with you right there,"

He chuckled giddily, reaching out to pat her hand. " It's fine. Honest,"

She let out a loud breath. " I'm glad you're not mad."

" Really?" He flushed, finding it to be both his own and Bakura's.

She nodded, looking back to the pasta she was brewing in the bubbling pot filled with water over the stove. " I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, but I also didn't want to tell you to leave,"

She looked at him. " Make sense?"

He nodded, smiling widely.

" Trust me, I won't let it happen again," She added, waddling the spoon in her hand. " I gave him a good old' bonk on the head for doing that in front of you,"

" I'm sure he didn't mean to,"

Anzu laughed. " Oh he did. He did it on purpose to spite Bakura,"

Ryou laughed. " That does make sense….."

" Is he mad?" She asked suddenly, not bothering to look at him as she concentrated on the pasta.

He pursed his lips in thought. " Well he didn't seem too mad,"

" Uh-oh," Anzu groaned. " Tell him I'm sorry and I'll be sure to give him his own special treat tonight,"

Ryou flushed, swallowing the lump in his throat. " I-I will,"

Bakura groaned in his mind. Damn it! Tell her I can't wait!

" Or better yet," Anzu said, leaning over the counter. " Give him this for me," And with that she pushed her lips against his, kissing him softly.

Ryou felt the heat rush to his face--or was it Bakura's--before he felt himself fall back and on the floor, fainting.

" Oh my god! Ryou!" Anzu cried, running to his side as she watched the boy pass out.

Before he'd fell unconscious completely he could see the distorted figure of Anzu by his side, nursing him up, and the distant, but familiar, voice behind him.

" Told you he was a pathetic mortal,"


A/N: Muwahahaha! Yes there was some fluff, but not much. I was trying to concentrate on getting Mokuba the heck out of there! Then the action can start once the kids gone!

Bakura/Marik: THANK RA!!

Anzu: Oh geez….

Ryou: unconscious on the ground with a nosebleed, sleep-talking My….first…kiss….

Anzu: I swear I didn't know! .

Marik: Oh so you kiss him but not me!?

Anzu: It was for Bakura! Honest!

Bakura: I felt it……trust me. eerie smirk

Oh and incase you all didn't figure it out, the last remark was said by Marik after Ryou fainted. -

READ AND REVIEW!!