Chapter 26

Flying High

"What beautiful flowers, Mrs. Wong." Anna commented about the floral arrangement on the Secretary's desk. "Who are they from?"

"They are from Mr. Kaiba."

"Oh, do you two have something going on I don't know about?" Anna said with a sly wink.

"Now Ms. Sung, you know me better than that!"

"I know you well enough that you should stop calling me Ms. Sung, and call me Anna."

"Old habits..."

Anna giggled a little. She was half-laughing at Mrs. Wong's statement, and half at herself. Thanks to Anzu's story she knew that Seto had bought those flowers, but she was trying to play ignorant of the situation. "Is he busy?"

Mrs. Wong gave her the okay and Anna gave a quick knock before entering Seto's office. She always made sure to give him a little warning before she entered, but not much time to react. She liked to keep him on his toes. He was seated at his desk like usual. Seto looked up from his laptop when she entered, and gave her a quick flash of a smile, but immediately went back to his work. She didn't think he looked like he was in the best of moods. Anna planted herself and her bag on the couch.

"Those are lovely flowers you gave Mrs. Wong. Any special occasion?" Anna asked coyly.

"She's a dedicated employee; I don't need a special occasion." She looked over at Anna and smirked. "Why? Are you jealous?"

Anna smiled back at him. "Not at all. Flowers aren't really my thing. I prefer chocolate." Seto liked that answer, now he knew what to get her. "Ya know, I have a hard time seeing you picking out flowers. I bet you send someone from your staff to do it for you."

She knew that comment offended him. "Contrary to popular belief, I can do things for myself. And those flowers were well earned; I had to go through torture to get them."

"Torture? Flower shops are torture?"

"The flower shop was the easy part; the torture involved dealing with one of Yugi Mouto's annoying little friends."

"I'm curious, what's your definition of torture?"

He stopped typing on his laptop so he could speak to her without distractions. "I ran into her at the shop and she wouldn't leave me alone. She just kept talking, nonstop, the entire time I was there. She followed me around until I left."

"She huh?" Anna raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes as if she were thinking.

"What does that look mean?"

"Did you ever think that the reason she was talking to you and following you around is because she likes you?" Anna thought she would test the waters.

Seto huffed, "I doubt it! She's been attached to Yugi at the hip for years. I don't have to be a relationship genius to know she wants him."

"What if Yugi doesn't want her? What if he has his sights on someone else?" Anna knew she was treading dangerous ground. "Then she might be interested in you. Sounds like she might have a thing for top duelists."

"When did you turn into Dr. Ruth?"

"When did you start acting so sour?" She scrunched her nose at him trying to make him laugh. "Just because a girl hits on you, that's no reason to be so moody."

"It's not that." Seto leaned back in his chair and rubbed his neck. "I've had this pinching in my neck for days. And it's getting worse."

"Why didn't you say so? Let me take a look." Anna got up and walking behind his chair.

"And what do you think you can do about it?"

"I don't remember you complaining about my nursing skills when you were sick." Anna gently rubbed his neck trying to find the spot in question. And she found it when Seto winced from the pain it caused. "Take off your jacket and tie; let me get a better look."

He did as ordered and he even undid the top two buttons of his shirt to give her better access. He wasn't going to tell her, but the thought of her putting her hands on his neck, shoulders, and chest was very appealing to him.

"Yeah, looks like you've got a pinched nerve." Anna said as she applied more pressure to the spot. "Let me see what I can do."

Seto felt some discomfort for a minute while she manipulated his neck, but it was quickly relieved along with his neck pain. "That did it. It feels better already."

But Anna didn't stop there; she massaged his back and shoulders. "Boy, you are tense. All the muscles in your back are tied into knots. Have you ever thought of seeing a massage therapist?"

"Why pay someone hideously overpriced fees when I have you?"

"Who says I'm always going to be here to give you massages?"

She meant it jokingly, but her comment made Seto think. He had gotten so used to her company, having her around everyday. What if one day she stopped coming by? What if she left him?

"This isn't working. Go lie face down on the couch. And while you're at it, take your shirt off."

Those words were music to Seto's ears. The less clothing that separated the two of them, the better. He wasn't sure what his feelings for her were, but physically he knew exactly what he wanted. He happily obeyed and lay down on the couch. He knelt beside the couch and placed her hands on his back.

He jumped at the touch of her hands. "What? Did that hurt?" Anna asked

"No. Cold hands."

"Sorry." Anna laughed as she rubbed her hands together to warm them. "You know what they say. Cold hands, warm heart."

She tried again, this time with more favorable results. She spent a few minutes trying to feel for unseen problems, but was getting quickly frustrated. "I'm just not getting the right leverage. Please excuse me while I do this." And with that she got on the couch, strattling him with her legs.

'Is she doing what I think she's doing?' Seto thought as he experienced this new sensation.

Anna found this new position to be much better. She was easily able to manipulate his muscle and spine. "You are always so stressed out. You know what you need?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"A vacation."

"I don't have time for a vacation."

"Make time," Anna insisted. "If you don't relax you're going to have a nervous breakdown, and that will do more damage to your company than if you took a little time off. Besides, you've earned some time off."

"Earning and getting are two different things."

"Okay, then look at it this way. Mokuba is only going to be young for a very short time. Before you know it he will be grown and out on his own. And he won't need you like he does now. Do you want his memories of his childhood to revolve around orphanages and watching you risk your life in duels? Or do you want to give him something happy to remember? Something he can say that he did with his big brother?"

What she said made sense, even if he didn't like what she said. "Do you always have to be right?"

"Actually...yes."

"You're the world traveler. Where would you suggest?"

"Well, I haven't been everywhere. But my favorite place so far is Italy. It's lovely there this time of year. You could rent a little villa in the countryside away from all the noise. You can take in all the sights and cities. And you can go anywhere by train, so you won't need to rent a car. You'll just love it. There is so much to do, I'm sure you won't be bored."

Seto could hear the excitement in her voice. She always talked in a higher pitch when she felt passionate about something. He was amazed at how well he could read her now. The more she talked about the different locations and tourist areas they could visit, the more convinced he became. He wondered if that was because she was so persuasive or because he was so relaxed due to her back massage. But Seto was going to make sure he got something he wanted out of this deal.

"Okay, I'm willing to do this, but on one condition." He said.

"Why does there always have to be a condition?"

"Fine, I can forget we even had this conversation." He retaliated.

"All right! What's the condition?"

"You have to go with us."

"Me? Why would you want me around? I'll most likely get in the way."

"Three reasons. First, we are going to need a tour guide, and you sound like you know what you're talking about. Second, neither of us speaks Italian, so we'll need a translator. You do speak Italian don't you?" Seto was teasing because he knew she did. "And third, I don't think either of us could go a week without seeing you. We might go through withdraw."

Anna laughed quietly at him; "I'm a drug, am I?"

"The worst kind."

Anna hid her caution behind her smile. Seto had put her in a very awkward position. How could she justify going on vacation with them? Could she do that to Yugi? And what would she tell him if she did? But what about Seto and Mokuba? If she said no, would they go without her? Knowing Seto, probably not. So what it boiled down to was, does she go because Seto and Mokuba need this time? Or does she stay and doom their trip from starting because she is afraid of what Yugi might think? But then again, who says Yugi would find out? She's doing this for a friend; even he could understand that. She knew this decision was going to plague her.

"I don't know, let me think about it." Anna requested.

Seto wasn't worried, he knew she would say 'yes'. He understood her all too well. He had laid down the gauntlet and she had to accept his challenge.

Anna continued her assault on his back, much to Seto's pleasure. "You should see a chiropractor. You're back is badly misaligned. A chiropractor could fix you right up. You could really use one especially after what happened in the..." Anna paused, she realized what she was about to say. Seto could tell by her reaction that the attack was still in the forefront of her mind and although she had tried to hide it, the pain still went deep. "I'll give you the number to my chiropractor, he's great. You should see him." Anna bounced back trying to forget the thoughts that had just passed through her mind. "It's a lot of fun too; he turns me into a pretzel and pops all my joints back into place. Just like this..." Anna applied pressure to his spine. It was followed by a popping noise and a muffled sound from Seto.

Seto reached around to the spot on his back. "That actually felt good." He stated in surprise.

"Then let me finish." Anna said as she moved up his spine.

Meanwhile Mokuba had come up stairs. It was Anna's normal visiting time for Monday and since she didn't show up at the apartment he assumed she was in Seto's office. He waved at Mrs. Wong as he passed her desk and he gently pushed open the office door, which Anna had left ajar. He knew something was wrong as soon as he entered, so he stopped before he ventured too far into the room. Partially concealed behind the door he took in the scene. He could only see the couch from an askewed angle, but what he did see was shocking. There were articles of clothing stroon around the room, Seto was lying on the couch and Anna was on top of him, and Seto was making some very pleasurable noises. He realized that he had inadvertently walked into a scene he shouldn't be seeing, so he quickly and quietly backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Luckily Anna's back was to the door and she didn't see him. Mokuba tried to walk calmly down the hall, but the giant grin on his face gave him away.

"Is everything all right?" Mrs. Wong asked as he passed her desk.

"Oh, fine. Everything is great actually!"

"I thought you were going to see your brother?"

"Oh, um...they're busy...so I thought I'd come back later."

Mokuba hurried down the hall. Once the elevator doors closed he let out a huge, "Yes!" And danced around with joy.

Seto and Anna were completely unaware of their brief visitor. They were to wrapped up in what they were doing to notice. As the minutes passed Anna continued to think about Seto's proposal. And what she concluded was that she really wanted to go, even if it wasn't the proper thing to do. She just had to make sure Yugi didn't find out. When she finally made her decision she looked down and suddenly realized how bad this all looked. She was literally on top of him, and feeling him up for that matter. She quickly stopped and got off the couch, making sure not to touch him too much when she did.

"I think that's about all I can do, you really should see a chiropractor."

Seto sat up and grabbed his shirt. Anna tried not to look while he put it back on. She had previously seen how tone his chest was, and she didn't want to expose herself to more temptations than she already had today. So she tried to think of something else.

"You know, I really love Italy..." As soon as she said that Seto knew he had her. "If I were to go with you I would have to rearrange my schedule and change a lot of appointments. And then there's my uncle to deal with. Not to mention we'd have to find someone to fish-sit. Oh, and I guess we would have to fly there, it would take too long otherwise."

That caught his attention. "What's wrong with flying?"

"Nothing's wrong with flying, I'm just not a big fan of it."

"You're afraid of flying?" That amused Seto greatly.

"No, not really fear of the flying itself. I can handle the take-offs and landings, and even the turbulence, but I think it's the whole idea of being in the plane that freaks me out. I mean if you think about it, a plane is something you have absolutely no control over. You're putting your life in the hands of a pilot who you've never met before and who may have had too many drinks from the hotel mini-bar. You can't say that that kind of thing it's scary."

"Certainly you don't dislike all kinds of planes?" The wheels in Seto's mind were turning.

Anna thought about it for a second, "Pretty much."

"If I can change your mind, will you promise to go to Italy with us?"

Anna knew she was walking into a trap, but she had to see what he was going to do. "Okay, then. It's a deal."

An hour later Anna found herself strapped into the co-pilot's seat of Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet. Seto was in the front seat checking his instruments and preparing for take-off.

"You do have a license to pilot this thing right?" Anna was very nervous..

"Is that what the Federal Aviation Board has been complaining to me about?" Seto said in his normal deadpan voice.

"You're joking about that, right? Right?"

Seto didn't answer, he thought she should sweat it out for a few minutes.

"Don't we have to file a flight plan or something first?"

"We're just going out for a spin; we'll be back before they know it."

"It's a very pretty plane. Can I get out now?"

"It's too late." Seto pulled back the throttle and the plane shot off down the runway.

The force of the take-off sent Anna back in her seat. And she cursed herself for making her deal with Seto. The jet cleared the tower and Seto climbed into the sky. When he leveled the plane out he announced, "You can open your eyes now." He didn't have to see her to know.

Anna peered through the slits in her eyes and eventually opened them all the way. Looking to the sides she could see white clouds whisk by. "Did I ever mention that I don't like window seats?"

Seto loved every minute; this was payback for her stunt in the Lamborghini. "Just sit back and relax. I swear I didn't have anything from the hotel mini-bar before we left."

"Where are we going, anyways?"

"I want to show you something."

Anna sat silently for a long time as she took in her surroundings. By the instrument panels in front of her and the position of the sun, she guessed they were heading southwest. She was surprised at how smooth the ride was. She was used to big hunky commuter jets that bounced around whenever the flight attendant walked by. But Seto was right; this jet was relaxing and downright comfortable.

"Look to your right." Seto said as he lowered the plane out of the cloud cover.

Anna had now gotten up the courage to fully move her body around and she pulled herself forward and looked out the glass. "Wow! Is that Fuji?" Anna was amazed, she had been in Japan for months but she had never seen Mt. Fuji, especially not like this.

The setting sun cast an orange-reddish tint on the mountainside and the clouds played hide and seek with the cliffs and peaks. The snowcaps glistened with the reflection of the light, and the trees at its base looked like a bed of moss for the mountain to sleep on.

"It's beautiful." Anna remarked.

"You have Italy, and I have this."

"You own Mt. Fuji?" Anna joked.

"I love to fly." Seto said.

Anna realized that was the first time she had ever heard him say the word 'love.' And she hoped it wouldn't be the last.

"It's so peaceful up here. And you get to see things like that. Or the sun setting on the ocean. This is my kind of vacation, a couple of hours at a time." She thought he seemed a bit melancholy when he said that.

Seto made a pass around Mt. Fuji and headed back. Anna watched out the window until it faded from her sight.

"If I ever need a spaceship pilot, I know whom to call." Anna smiled although she knew he couldn't see her.

Seto leveled the plane out again in the cloud cover and said, "Okay, now it's your turn."

"My turn for what? Spotting tourist attractions?" Anna laughed. "Look a cloud! Look another cloud!"

"Your turn to fly the jet." Seto corrected her.

Anna gave him a nervous laugh, "Have you forgotten? I don't know how to fly a plane."

"I'm going to teach you."

"I'd rather not, but thank you for the offer."

"It's not an offer. I'm switching the controls to your seat."

"Switch them right back, because I won't do it."

"Either you take the controls or we'll crash."

Anna thought he was bluffing until she saw him place both his hands on the headrest of his seat, indicating that he didn't have them on the controls. She grabbed the controls, but didn't have a clue what to do with them.

"Hello! A little instruction here!" Anna panicked a little.

"Oh, now you want to learn."

"Very funny! Ha Ha! Now can you help me out here?"

"You're doing fine, just keep the stick level."

Seto went step by step explaining what all the instruments on the panel meant and how she could control the motion of the plane. Anna didn't want to admit that it was a lot for her to take in. She did have photographic memory, but her fear of doing something wrong and crashing the plane made her miss a lot of information. The sun had completely set before they reached Domino City. Anna, with Seto's guidance, had flown most of the way home.

Seto took back the controls as they neared the city. "Now that wasn't so bad."

"Give me a friggin heart attack, why don't ya!" Anna was joking, but just then her cell phone rang. The noise startled her and she screamed and jumped in her seat. Once she realized it was her phone and not some alarm on the jet she relaxed and dug into her bag to get it.

Seto was really glad that he had taken the controls before that call. The surprise may have forced her to jar the controls and send them into a nose-dive. "You brought your cell phone?" He said in a huff.

"I brought my entire bag. If we crashed landed on a deserted island in the middle of now where I was determined I was going to have my phone and insulin!" She found her phone and checked the number.

"Turn it off. It might interfere with the instruments and I don't need any distractions while I'm trying to land."

Anna hit the power button and let out a joyous squeal, "I can't believe I just did that!"

"Did what?"

"I just hung up on my uncle. And it felt good!" She laughed and giggled in the back seat.

Seto was glad she couldn't see him from where she sat. He was glad she couldn't see him smiling. He found it amusing how she was always so levelheaded, but every once in a while she could just break down and be a kid. It was one of her endearing qualities, and sometimes he envied her for it.

Seto landed the plane without any trouble and Anna let out a sigh of relief. She trusted Seto, but there are some things that could go wrong that he might not have control over. Seto opened the cockpit cover and got up to inspect his passenger.

"Are you in one piece?"

"Barely. I'll be better when I can get out of this thing."

One of the tech crew wheeled over a ladder and Seto helped Anna out. He noticed her hand was shaking slightly. He escorted her out of the hanger bay and down stairs to the apartment. Anna took that long to regain her strength.

"So when do you want to go to Italy?" She asked.

"I haven't put much thought to when, but it will have to be after the Duel Monster tournament next month."

"Tell me when you decide on an exact date, I'll clear my schedule."

"You should play."

"Huh?"

"The tournament. You should play in the tournament. You would certainly win."

"Oh, no. I'm not interested in being a Duel Monster Champion. I play for fun, not trophies."

Seto was satisfied with that answer. Besides, he wasn't looking forward to facing her and losing in front of a crowd. And he knew he would lose. But he would have so loved to see Yugi fall to her.

"Then you'll have to come and cheer for me."

"I'd love to. It's the least I can do for my best friend."

Seto was glad she said 'yes'. With her there he knew he would have the strength he needed to crush Yugi.

"Hey, I'm going to get changed and call my uncle back." Anna added. "I bet he's fuming right now. I can see him with smoke coming out of his ears." She giggled and headed down the hallway to her room.

Seto plopped down on the couch. He was feeling better than he had in a long time. And it was all thanks to Anna.