Chapter 35

Royal Oppression

Yugi grabbed his books off the table and bolted down the stairs. If he didn't hurry he would be late. When he opened the door he was confronted with something he didn't expect. Anna was there waiting for him.

She gave him a slight smile and "Good morning."

"Is something wrong?" Yugi asked with curiosity. They had had their argument only two days ago, and he thought she would take a lot longer to come around to see him.

"Nothing's wrong, I just thought I'd walk to school with you. We don't spend enough time together."

Yugi accepted her reason, but something didn't sit right about it. She didn't seem happy. She wasn't her normal self. He hoped that it was just a phase, that she would get over it. He had to wait and see.

The others were just as shocked to see Anna that morning. They threw some very wary looks at each other as they walked. And the conversation was little to none. They were dying to know what happened between them, but no one wanted to say anything in front of Anna. But the unsaid consensus was since Anna was acting so submissive that Yugi came out on top. Anzu on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with Anna. In the past they had always walked side by side and chatted non-stop the entire way. But today she kept her distance and if possible, placed someone between them. To all the others who were unaware of her dealings with Kaiba, Anzu appeared to be mad at her because of what she did to Yugi. They didn't know it went deeper than that. Anna left them at the school and promised to be waiting in the courtyard when classes ended. The group scattered and went their separate ways.

Lunch couldn't have come by fast enough. Joey and Honda arrived at their lunch table first and awaited the others.

"This morning was pretty...awkward." Honda commented.

"I don't know if awkward even describes that. It was almost creepy."

"Did you see the way she was acting? Yugi must have thrown fire and brimstone at her."

"Darn right!" Joey exclaimed. "If my girl were cheating on me I'd give her hell. And I would have given her twice as much if she were cheating with Kaiba."

"Well, we're about to find out." Honda said as he saw Yugi approach the table.

Yugi sat down with his lunch tray and books, "Where's Anzu?"

"Don't know, I haven't seen her since this morning." Joey explained and Honda shrugged his response.

Then came the onslaught of questions. They wanted to know what had transpired and how he got Anna to be so subservient. Yugi spilled the beans about everything. He found it easier to do since Anzu wasn't around. He was afraid she might have taken the events of that evening wrong and considered him the bad guy. After seeing Anna this morning even he had doubts on whether what he did was right. The guys listened intently and even cheered him on at points. They were clearly on his side.

"Good for you!" Honda encouraged his friend, who was looking more and more depressed as he told the story.

"Ha!" Joey was gleaming. "I would have loved to have seen Kaiba's face when she told him 'so long sucker!' I bet it was priceless."

Yugi had his head resting on his arms as he stared off into space. "She says he's funny." Some of her comments about him kept ringing in her ears.

"Kaiba funny?" Joey scoffed. "I've never seen that guy crack a smile let alone a joke."

"Well it makes sense." Honda got a very strange look from Joey. "I mean, think about it. You two are his Duel Monster rivals; he's not going to joke around with you. But a friend..."

"Are you saying you believe that he was actually her friend?" Joey scrunched up his face at the thought. "Nah! Yugi is right. He was using her. And it was a good thing you stopped it before it went to far." Joey directed his comments to the still spaced out Yugi. "You got nothing to be ashamed of. You did the right thing!"

"Did I Joey?"

The elevator ride to Seto's office was agonizingly long. Her dread grew as each floor passed. Finally the doors opened and she stepped out. Mrs. Wong greeted her and waved her into the office. She didn't knock; she just walked in, that caught Seto by surprise.

"We have a problem." Anna said in a low tone as she tossed the tabloid on his desk.

He picked it up and scanned the cover and related article. "I don't see a problem."

"What if my Uncle sees that? If he finds out that I'm hanging around the president of a rival company, he'll flip!"

"Kaiba Corp. is not his rival. He deals in personal computers; I'm in gaming systems."

"He doesn't look at it that way. Anyone who deals with any type of computer is a potential rival. He's paranoid like that."

"Then tell him you're trying to dig up information or get on the inside track of a merger. You said yourself he's an idiot, he'll fall for it."

"Nevertheless, it's not a good idea." Anna sat on the couch staring at the opposite wall. "We should cool things off. And I've gotten all these new responsibilities...I won't be able to come over here as often as I have." This was Anna's plan. She had to wean him of the drug. Just dropping him would be too dramatic and it would have tremendous consequences.

By the tone of her voice Seto knew something was wrong. Whatever it was it had nothing to do with that article or her Uncle. He had a thought, no more of a fear, of what it really was. "I was just going to stop for lunch. Are you hungry? We could eat downstairs and you could see Mokuba."

"That would be nice."

Seto escorted her downstairs. He opened the door to the apartment and held it open so she could enter. In the new lighting he saw something he didn't upstairs. He grabbed her arm and stopped her just as she crossed the door jam. With his free hand he brushed away her hair and gently touched her cheek. Anna winced from pain.

She realized that her make-up must have worn off enough for him to see the bruise that Pharaoh left. "Oh that! I'm so silly. I tripped over my own feet."

"He hit you." Seto stared at the place on her face.

"It was the coffee table. Well, I hit it, it didn't hit me."

"I'll kill him." Anger started to boil in him now.

"Who? The guy who made the coffee table?"

She wouldn't look at him, that's how he knew she was lying. He couldn't understand why she allowed him to do that to her. She had always been so strong. What was she afraid of? Is this why she couldn't leave him?

"I would never hurt you."

"I know." She dared to look at him. She had to see his eyes one more time before the end.

And what he saw in hers was pure defeat. She had given up, her spirit broken. Why didn't she fight? How could she just give in? He wanted to hold her, to give her his strength, but instead he let go of her arm and she walked on.

That afternoon Anna was exactly where she said she would be. She was in the school courtyard waiting for them. The walk home was just as dreary as the walk to school. It disturbed Yugi to see Anna so depressed. For her to act this way meant that she did what he asked, she broke it off with Kaiba. He was happy about that, but he was also sad that he had to do it. It was for her own good.

Anzu had avoided the boys all day and she continued to keep her distance from Anna. The air between them was thick; everyone sensed that, and no one want to get between them on whatever they were arguing about. When the crossroads came and each went down their separate streets Anna asked Yugi to wait a moment while she talked to Anzu. She chased Anzu down the street. Anzu knew Anna was behind her, but she didn't stop or slow down.

"Anzu, please wait." Anna cried as she got close to her.

"We have nothing to talk about."

Anna came up beside her. "I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Well, that's not what it looks like from where I'm standing."

"I couldn't tell you that I knew him, but I wanted to warn you."

"Warn me about what, that he already had a girlfriend?"

"There is nothing going on between us. Why won't anyone believe me?"

"Maybe because you lied."

"I'm sorry about that, I knew Yugi would freak if he found out. But I didn't lie to you. You asked me for my help and I gave it."

"Yeah, you were a lot of help."

"I've been attempting to get him to go out on dates for a while; I even tried to convince him to call you. But he just isn't ready."

"Why? Because he's hung up on you?"

"Maybe he is, but that's all over now. Please Anzu, even if you're mad at me, go see him, call him, do something. He's going to need a friend."

"Why is that?"

"Because I can't see him anymore, Yugi won't let me."

Anzu stopped walking and finally looked at Anna. "That doesn't sound like Yugi."

"It sounds like Pharaoh."

Anzu wasn't sure what she meant by that, but she was intrigued that she tried to get Kaiba to call her. "You really talked to him about me?"

"He doesn't have anything bad to say about you, unlike Yugi or Joey. I think he respects you, he just doesn't want to deal with your friends."

"But you're my friend. He likes you."

"Leave me out of it. I want him to date you for who you are, not so he can get to me."

"You really broke up with him?" The reality of Anna's situation was finally sinking in. That is why she looked so depressed.

"Please don't let me lose both my friends in one day." The worry in Anna's eyes struck Anzu hard. She meant what she said about Kaiba and the friendship they had. But Anzu's heart was still heavy and she was still angry. Anna had been taking away everything Anzu wanted. First it was Yugi and Pharaoh, and now Kaiba. She had to draw the line somewhere. Anzu wanted to be so tough, but she knew in reality that she wasn't. She valued her friendship with Anna and she didn't want to lose it either.

Anzu left Anna without any assurances; she wanted to think things through. Anna quickly returned to Yugi who was waiting for her.

"Did you get everything straightened out?" He asked as they walked together.

"I hope so."

The next morning Anna was exactly where she was supposed to be, right next to Yugi as they walked to school. Honda and Joey talked to each other about a school project; they had planned that so they wouldn't have to deal with Anna. They weren't so much mad at her, as they were unsure of what they could possibly say to her. Anna was in the same mood she was the day before, and Yugi didn't find that encouraging. But there was a change that Anna was thankful for. Anzu no longer kept her distance; in fact she came up right along side of her and smiled. Anna was so relieved to see that, she feared that Anzu would hate her. She had always feared Anzu's powers over Yugi, but she grew to really like her, and she couldn't have handled it if Anzu gave up on her. At least something was going her way.

It went on like this for a week. Anna showing up every morning and waiting for them after school. The boys eventually became more relaxed about the situation, but Anna's mood didn't change. She was still depressed. Yugi wondered if this was all due to her break up with Kaiba. Pharaoh knew the real problem.

It was late but Anna didn't notice. She was just happy to be back in her apartment and alone. She yearned for the nighttime. That's when she could get away from all her worries and sometimes the pain. She could drown it out on her computer. Typing and writing complex computer programs dulled her senses and she couldn't think of much else. She liked that.

She didn't have to get up off the couch to know who was knocking at her door, but she did anyways. As she suspected, it was Pharaoh. She didn't open the door, nor did she address him.

"I know you're in there." Pharaoh asked in a soft voice. "Please let me in."

Anna didn't respond.

"I need to talk to you."

Still there was silence.

"I'm going to talk to you even if I have to stand out her in the hall and do it. I'm sure your neighbors will find this interesting."

He waited and finally he heard the click of the door as she undid the lock. She half hid behind the door as he entered. He knew she was afraid of him, of what he would do. And he didn't blame her. He didn't realize until that night what he was truly capable of. All week he had avoided confronting her because it also meant confronting himself and facing his darker half. But he had to if he was ever to heal the wounds between them. She locked the door again and went a few steps into the room. The bruise Pharaoh had left was mostly gone now, but he could still sense where it had been. He gently reached over to touch it, to heal it, but she shrinked away from him. He felt his heart sink. In that one blow he had beaten her into the ground and he was afraid she wouldn't get back up again.

"I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have done what I did. I let my anger rule my senses. I didn't want to hurt you, I still don't. I love you."

They were sweet words, but Anna wasn't convinced. She made a wide turn around him and went into the living room to sit down. She made sure to keep the couch between them.

"You have every right to be mad at me. You might even hate me. I wouldn't blame you if you did. I hate myself. But if you give us another chance, I promise I will never lay a hand on you again."

Anna knew promises were cheap, and she wasn't willing to risk another blow from his fist.

"If I break my promise, then I swear I will leave Yugi and never come back." Pharaoh saw the look of confusion on her face, he knew her question. "I'll ask Yugi to take apart the puzzle. Without it I can't share his body, I'll be trapped like I was before. I'll be gone, out of your lives, for good."

He could see her mind thinking, working out all the details. Wondering if she could trust him. But her silence was deafening. He walked over to where she sat and knelt before her. "I'm begging you Anna. Please believe me when I say that I love you. You are what makes me whole."

"How can I believe you when you wouldn't believe me?" She spoke almost in a frightened whisper.

Yugi knew what she was referring to. "About Kaiba?"

"There was nothing going on, but you wouldn't believe me. You don't trust me."

"I trust you, but I don't trust Kaiba."

"How can I put my faith in you if you can't put your faith in me? I can't hand you my heart without knowing that you'll cherish it above any doubt."

Yugi finally understood. It wasn't the blow to her face that hurt her; it was the blow he inflicted to her soul. He dared doubt her sincerity, he and Yugi both did. She had told the truth and it killed her that they thought she was a liar. That is why she was so unhappy.

"I am the greatest of fools." Pharaoh laid his head on her lap. She jumped a little at this motion. "Forgive me. For I cannot forgive myself."

Anna softly put her hands on his head, stroking his hair. "I'm going to need some time. And I can't promise everything will be better. Scars run deep."

"Take as long as you need. I'll wait."

Two weeks passed and things didn't get better. Anna forced herself to stay away from Seto, like Yugi asked. She visited him only once in those two weeks and that was a quick visit to check on Mokuba, whom she was glad to see bouncing off the walls again. Seto called her several times but she kept the conversations short and always found some excuse to hang up. She could tell he was concerned about her, he even said as much the last time he called. But Anna tried to reassure him that it had nothing to do with him and that she had some things to work out alone.

The afternoon was fading away fast as Anna sat on the bed reading. Yugi was at his desk toiling at homework.

Anna put down the book, "I liked this book. I'm glad they're making you read it for school."

Yugi glanced over at her. He was hoping to see a smile, but he didn't. She hadn't smiled in a long time.

"I like it too, but there are some things I don't get."

"Like what?"

Yugi put down his pencil and turned toward her. "Like there's that part where Rat and Mole go on a search to find the lost baby." Anna nodded. "And they find it being protected by Pan." Anna nodded again. "Now Pan wasn't doing anything wrong so why did he make them forget they saw him?"

"Because you can't look into the eyes of God without going blind." Anna smirked a little at the thought. She instantly remembered when she had said that same thing to Seto after one of their matches.

Yugi saw the smirk on her face, it wasn't a smile, but it was some kind of expression. She had been so emotionless these past few weeks, he was happy to see anything. But the way she looked off in thought, it made him wonder what she was thinking about.

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"Huh?" Anna snapped out of her trance.

"You were thinking about something."

"Oh," a small smile cracked across her face. "I said that to Seto once. He looked at me like I was nuts. I guess he's never read 'The Wind in the Willows.'"

Yugi was glad to see her face light up, but at the same time he was sadden that only the thought of Kaiba made it happen.

"So what does it mean?"

"It's all a big metaphor. Pan represents God. And these two poor mortals happened upon him. Well, you can't stand in the presence of God and not have your life changed. Once you've experienced such perfect bliss the rest of your life seems meaningless. You can't go on living without it." Anna trailed off a little but eventually came back. "So he made them forget so they could live normal lives. If he hadn't, they would have been miserable."

"That makes a lot of sense." Yugi went back to his work, but something in the back of his head kept bugging him. Something she said, or more over, how she said it made him regret his decisions. The doubt was back again.

"Anna, are you happy?" He turned back toward her again.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you happy with me?"

"It's not you, Yugi, it's me. I'm down right now and I just can't seem to get back up."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I wish I knew."

"I bet he knows what to do."

"Who?"

"Kaiba."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because just a few minutes ago he made you smile, and he wasn't even in the room."

"I have some good memories of him."

Yugi's eyes wandered around the room, he couldn't believe he was about to do this. "Is it too late for you to call him?"

Anna finally looked at him; she hadn't done that in three weeks. "But you said..."

"I know what I said, and I was wrong."

Anna was shocked, "What about Pharaoh?"

"I'll deal with Pharaoh; you go talk to him."

Anna's eyes shined as tears welled in them. "I'm not ungrateful...but why?"

"I had no right to make you do something I wasn't willing to do myself. Especially giving up your best friend." Yugi smiled at her. "Now go on before I change my mind."

Anna jumped off the bed, grabbed him and kissed him. "You're the best! I can't believe how lucky I am." She snatched her bag and ran out.

A goofy grin formed on his face. Pharaoh's image appeared beside him, and he didn't look pleased.

"You know you sent her from your bed to his arms." Pharaoh said plainly.

"Maybe, but it was the right thing to do."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he makes her happy."

"You would rather she be happy with him instead of us?"

"You don't understand. She can't forget. And because she can't forget she's going to be miserable for the rest of her life."

"So she's running back to him?"

"Look at it this way, she may be running to him, but she kissed me." A wide smile broke out across his face.

Just one look at him and Pharaoh couldn't help but also smile. He realized that that must have been Yugi's first kiss. "So how was it?"

"Quick." Yugi laughed. "But I liked it."

"Just wait, they get better."

While Yugi was laughing and joyful, the exact opposite was in store for Seto. He hadn't been able to concentrate on work or find any relaxation in weeks, ever since he saw Anna with that bruise on her face. He had never pictured her as the kind that would be a 'battered woman', she was too strong for that. Even in the face of death, she still fought against her parking garage attacker. Yet, there she was, bruise and all. And she dared try making an excuse about hitting the coffee table. She knew he wouldn't fall for it, so why did she even try? And why didn't she fight back? Who was this guy? Seto was infuriated by the mere thought. He was determined now more than ever he was going to find out who he was.

Seto sat at his desk, his worries still plaguing him. No matter what he did something reminded him of her. He looked over at the phone; he wanted to call her, to see if she was okay. But he talked himself out of it. It had been obvious over the last few weeks that she didn't want to speak to him. And at her one visit she had more to say to Mokuba than to him. Frustration, anger, and sadness had all become his enemies and they were attacking him full force. He wanted nothing more than to destroy something. So he took it out a stapler. He picked it up and hurled it across the room. It slammed into the far wall with a 'thud' and then another 'thud' as it landed on the ground popping open and spilling its components onto the floor. He buried his face in his hands.

"What did that stapler ever do to you?"

Seto quickly removed his hands and witnessed Anna standing in the doorway. She flashed a smile at him and he thought his brain would burst.

"You're back."

"But not in time to save that poor stapler from a horrible death."

He leaned back in his chair. He felt like a great weight had been lifted off his chest. "Now you know what to get me for Christmas." Just like that they clicked back into their former selves.

"So what's for dinner, I'm starving."

"How did you become such an expert freeloader?"

"Years of practice, hard work, dedication, and a railroad car full of styling mouse."

"We can't let years of training go to waste, now can we?" Seto turned off his computer and stood up.

"Should we give the stapler a decent burial before we leave?" Anna teased.

"I like to leave the rotting carcasses for the maid to clean up."

"I certainly hope that was the first time you've ever said that."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Seto said as he followed her out of the office.