a/n: So I know I said that I was going to have this out soon but so many things came up that I couldn't. I'm so sorry but here it is! I hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

Chapter 23: Anonymous Alternative

"I'm so happy for you." Everything to her was numb. "I always knew you were great! This is proof now!" Lorena's words were supposed to make her smile but all it could do was make her tear up even more.

"I'm proud of you." Was all Mars said. Anzu nodded like she just heard about the current weather and took her bags. Everything felt hot and irritable to her. She needed to get out. Go away from this auditorium. The judges were still looking at her with such benevolence. It made her stomach churn. Why was she feeling like this? Shouldn't she be feeling happy? She won. She proved to not only her friends, but her classmates and teachers that she is the best. Anzu Mazaki was born to be the best dancer in both Japan and America. Now she was going to prove herself in Europe.

"Are you okay?" Lorena asked after Anzu walked away from the approving crowd and out on the cold street. One of the prizes for winning the competition was a brand new car. The keys were forgotten in her bag along with the check and plane ticket. The prizes didn't matter to her. Something told Lorena that Kaiba had to do with her unhappiness. Any one in their right mind would be ecstatic if they won a chance to go to Europe and do something they always dreamt of doing. Right now, Anzu was far from ecstatic. She looked so numb, so dead. "Love is blind, ain't it? One minute you're thinking clearly and then the next you don't know which way is up." A murmur was heard beside her. Otogi was leaning against the wall looking up at the night sky. "Your dream is right in front of your face and you're thinking about walking away from that?"

Shocked that Otogi came out of no where, Anzu stood still and listened. When no response came out of Anzu, Otogi looked down and straight into Anzu's eyes. "Hi." She managed to softly say.

"Are you willing to walk out on everything you've worked so hard for? For a man who doesn't even know what to do or how react to your affections? For Kaiba?" He sympathetically smiled at her in pity. Or something close to pity.

"A lecture? That's why you came?" Her shock wore off and anger replaced the feeling. Turning around she reached into her bag for the car keys to drive in her new car. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I don't need my 'daddy' to lecture me." When she found her keys she looked back him who stood still without emotion. "Besides, it's my life isn't it? Last time I checked, I'm the one who makes the choices, not you."

"No, not me. But what I can do as a friend who is concerned and knows how hard you worked for your dancing career is to give you some kind of advice."

"I already know what your advice is going to be." she snapped.

"Then I don't need to say anymore, do I?" Anzu rolled her eyes and opened the car door. For a split second she glanced around the new car before getting in as if she's always driven the car. After she put on her seat belt she saw Otogi knelt down facing her beside the car. "I'll go ahead and give you some advice anyway; point blank do what feels right in your heart. Go to Europe if you love dancing. Stay with Kaiba if you love him more." Blue eyes widened in shock. "It doesn't mean that I approve because I don't. What I mean is know what you're doing. Will it be beneficial in the end for you to stay with Kaiba?" Both of them stayed silent for a minute as Anzu thought about his question.

"I don't know." she whispered.

"Does he even know about Europe?"

"No."

"Well sooner or later you'll have to know. You leave in two days for orientation, don't you?" Anzu knew before hand that whoever won the reward would have to leave in two days for an orientation. After the winner came back from orientation then they would have an extra week to pack up and leave to Europe. Anzu had very little time to tell Kaiba. "Are you going? To orientation at least?" Shaking her head yes she scolded herself for doing so. Her heart was always in dancing. Now that her heart shared two passions, then which would out weight the other? Kaiba? Or dancing?

"I have to go." she croaked out. "Nice seeing you again." The key was already in the ignition so all she did was press the pedal and she was off before Otogi could even say anything back.

For the first time in her life, she was thinking about leaving dancing for second place in her life.

Mokuba has been giving Kaiba the silent treatment ever since he came to visit. The whole one day visit Mokuba would just nod or shake his head at him. Glancing over at his couch on the other side of his office he saw that Anzu left her sweater. More frequently Anzu would forget her shoes, sweaters, purses, or even hairbrush at his house. When Mokuba found her lip gloss on top of his dresser, he just scoffed in disgusted and walked away, dropping the lip gloss on the carpet. Next thing he heard Mokuba left the house. An hour later Mokuba called him to tell him that he was going to stay at a hotel. Having enough with arguing with his younger brother, Seto took down a number to the hotel Mokuba was staying and called his best security guards to make sure that Mokuba was were he said he was.

"Ten thirty." Seto read his clock. It was late for Anzu to be out when she was not working. Earlier in the day she had called Seto and told him she was going with Lorena to a dance show. Anzu told him to not wait up but to leave his door open. He smirked just thinking about the lustiness in her voice when she told him to leave the door open.

They had a relationship. It was funny to him that he was actually in a relationship. They weren't boyfriend or girlfriend, but considering they became more intimate then he assumed they were in some sort of relationship. After last night, he knew things changed. When he awoke to the brunette in his arms and didn't scowl, he knew something happened. He was happy to have her in his arms. He felt.. complete. He felt like he never wanted to let go and for the first time he wasn't scared that he felt that way. He embraced that feeling along with Anzu.

The phone ringing snapped him from his thoughts of the blue eyed dancer. "Hello?"

"Hi." Mokuba's dead tone told him he was still mad at Seto but at the same time wanted to talk to him. "I need to talk to you."

"About?" A bitter toned Mokuba was better than a non speaking Mokuba. At least this way he could find out what was bothering Mokuba.

"Well, I think we had this conversation before."

"Well, refresh my memory." Seto used the same sarcastic attitude as Mokuba did.

"Anzu Mazaki."

"Where were you, Anzu?" Lorena asked worriedly. Anzu decided to stop by her job and tell them the good, well semi good news. She would have to tell them before hand that she was leaving for at least the orientation.

"I wanted to change and take a shower." When she was back home all she wanted to do was go to Seto's house, in his bed, under his covers, and just dream everything away with Seto holding her tightly assuring that he would never leave her side. "I came here to tell everyone that I'm going to go to the orientation. I leave in two days."

"Are you going to take the trip to Europe?" Lorena asked in a hush voiced. Anzu shrugged and sat down in one of the booths of the club.

"I might. I don't know. I have to see how I like it first. That's why I'm going to the orientation." Brandon came with drinks and sat in the booth with the two girls.

"So what's the good news?" Anzu glanced at Lorena with a forlorn face then wearily smiled at Brandon.

"I think I'm going to Europe."

Didn't they already talk about this? Even if they did, why would Mokuba want to talk about it again? Either way, it was his business and his business alone. Not even his baby brother had to know about his relationships.

"I can't believe how weak you have gotten." Mokuba barely muttered which made Seto barely drop his phone.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" He growled out. If there was anything he hated was to be called weak. Let alone be called weak from his little brother. "Mokuba you better explain yourself before I go down to your hotel and drag you out of there myself." Seto was about to go into lecture mode about talking down to an elder when Mokuba cut him off.

"Why Anzu Mazaki? How did she break down the invincible Seto Kaiba?"

"What?" Seto bellowed out and stood up from his chair. "What the hell is this, Mokuba?"

"Oh please! Don't act innocent! I know about your little sleepovers. Why the hell do you think I went to a hotel to give you some privacy!" This made Seto stop from yelling anything back. Of course Mokuba knew. It was always obvious.

"Nothing is going on, Mokuba. What goes on between Mazaki and I is none of--"

"Mazaki." Mokuba scoffed. "You guys have probably fucked already and you're still calling her Mazaki. Tell me, have you even been on a proper date with her or are you just using her?" His tone was cold, accusing. Much like Seto Kaiba's.

"Using her? For what? What does she have that I want, let alone need?" On the other line Mokuba laughed at Seto's question.

"Isn't it obvious? Why do you only see each other at night? After her job? In her house? I just can't believe Anzu has been with you this long." Another scoff came after that.

Mokuba did have a point as much as Seto didn't want to admit it. They never went out on a date. They always found themselves in her apartment. Were they in a relationship? A real relationship? No. They weren't. Was he using her then? For affection? For a need to know that he is loved? For a feeling lost because of his deceased parents? Because of his adoptive father? Does Anzu fill in that void? Is he using her? Everything he thought before the phone call was forgotten in his anger.

"So my question is; are you with her because you have finally broken down? Or are you with her because you are using her for sex?" Seto sat back down on the chair running a shaky hand through his hair. What could he say? Should his listen to his pride and say that no one would ever break through to him and make him weak or should he listen to his heart and prove his brother wrong? That he could love. He was capable of learning to love.

"What do you want me to say?" He dangerously asked. "That I'm using Anzu?"

"What is she to you?"

"A toy damn it! She is just a piece of nothing that satisfies me every once and a while! Soon she'll be out of here and another whore will replace her." He shouted out in anger. "Is that what you want to hear? That she's a fucking toy for me? That I have no feelings for her?"

"That's exactly what I thought I'd hear. There was no way that Seto Kaiba could fall in love with her." The room turned cold. The door squeaked.

"Is it?" All he wanted to do was hang up on his own brother and bury himself in work to keep his mind away from everything.

"Anzu deserves better, brother." The phone clicked. Mokuba hung up on him.

"Fuck." He muttered and got up from his chair to go to his room. When he reached the door he noticed it was slightly opened. Pushing the door opened he saw Anzu sitting on his bed looking down on the ground. Because of the fact that her head was down, her hair shielded most of her face. "What are you doing here?" He asked tiredly.

"Cassandra let me in." She muttered. What was she upset about, he thought. Walking over to her, he saw she lifted her head and had a smile on her face. Maybe she wasn't upset. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"I see. Are you staying over, then?" There were a lot of questions running through his mind as he sat next to her on the bed. Questions like, how did she get here? Why was she late? Why did she sound sad before? Why she looked like tears were in her eyes? The questions stopped when Anzu took one side of his face into her hands and kissed him on the lips.

"Is it okay if I said I missed you?" Her eyes were closed, shielding her emotions but her voice said it all. She was afraid of his answer. Shaking his head, he laid back so that he could bring her petite body on top of his. "Good." She mumbled against his lips. "Because I did." Now this all felt wrong to Seto. Didn't he just say to his little brother that he was using Anzu?

"I have to go take a shower." He lowly spoke and slid form under Anzu. She just stayed on the bed where Seto left her.

"Alright. I'm tired so I'm going to bed already." Anzu stood up from the bed and took off her jacket which revealed a white tank top. Her bottoms were gym shorts. Black sandals laid on the carpet beside the bed.

"Does that mean that you're staying?" As she got into his bed and under his covers, she nodded her head. Taking that as a yes, he left the room and went into his bathroom.

Anzu laid her head on the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. Seto was nice enough to turn off the lights before he went to the bathroom. So this was it? Her ultimate decision? Love or dream? Which one could she choose? Was there a way for her to pick both? Couldn't she have her cake and eat it too? In this case, she found that she couldn't. Twenty minutes later she felt the other side of the bed get heavier. She was now laying on her side, back facing the door. Seto was back. How long would she have him, she thought. How much longer?

Thinking that Anzu was already asleep, Seto leaned over her to see that she had her eyes closed. Did he mean what he said? Was he using her? Was she breaking him down? Were they going to work? Right now at this moment, all he could feel was a elated feeling. The feeling he only got when he was with Anzu. Knowing that she was in his bed made him feel like he was capable of love. She could show him, couldn't she? Or was he damned to be like his adoptive father? Had he learned so much to be like him that he could never change. Arms wrapping around her waist, he kissed her shoulder and laid his head on the pillow. "She deserved better, brother."

The feel of his arms around her made her open her eyes in shock. It always took her off balance when Seto showed affection. He, of course, showed it when no one was looking, not even her. But it was something wasn't it? So then.. Once again the question was; what was her decision?

Her love? Or her dream?

ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!

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K - Mokuba got his opinions too. I don't want him to just be sitting around sucking his thumb. He needs to be the one being dramatic..

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Thank you all for such great reviews! Like I said there is one more chapter left. I really appreciate your support!