Oh, sweet Bob!

I FINISHED THE STORY! I am so excited. I woke up at 9AM this morning and started writing the final chapter before I even got out of bed. It's now about 2:30PM. I just finished writing about 15 minutes ago.

This chapter is long. Probably the longest chapter in the story, if I'd have to guess. It was a little dicey at first, but quickly began to veer sharply in the direction of awesomeness, from my perspective. I guess I'll let you guys be the judge! I hope it will prove to have been worth the wait.

A final, heartfelt thanks to everyone that reviewed this story. Those reviews made my day quite a few times recently! I hope you'll all check out the new Seto x Anzu story I'm doing; I posted the prologue yesterday. It's called The Night Before. It's something a little different and a bit spicier. I have an Epilogue planned for Holiday Blues as well, so keep your eyes peeled for that to come out by the end of the week.

Note: This chapter contains some mildly adult content (yay!).

Holiday Blues

Chapter 9: Tumbling Down

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I pick this stupid movie!"

Anzu was sitting on her couch with a half gallon of double chocolate ice cream in her lap, repeatedly clubbing herself in the forehead with the TV remote. Her hair flew wildly around her face.

I should have picked a sports movie, or something with slimy aliens.

But no, I had to go and watch...this.

She'd learned about the therapeutic powers of 'Pride and Prejudice' from a fellow dance student in New York. The six part BBC miniseries version of Jane Austen's novel was widely appreciated as surefire blissful distraction from a broken or otherwise damaged heart. Anzu had utilized its mesmerizing powers a few times in the past, and thought it might be worth auditioning as an effective way to cure her Kaiba fixation.

But, apparently, the distractive powers of 'Pride and Prejudice' didn't work so well when the object of your affection had so many Mr. Darcy-esque qualities.

Anzu felt like a complete idiot. She was trying to put the infuriating Seto Kaiba out of her mind... so she had chosen to watch a movie where the romantic lead is filthy rich, handsome, lacking in the social niceties department, and prone to protective and affectionate behavior toward a younger sibling!

I must be on crack, she reasoned.

Turning off the TV and VCR, Anzu pushed the hair out of her eyes and headed to the kitchen to put the ice cream back in the freezer before it melted all over her favorite black satin pyjama pants. Closing the freezer door, she idly wondered what kind of ice cream Seto liked.

Shut up, mind! He... I bet Kaiba doesn't even like sweet stuff!

Anzu leaned against the counter, somewhat unsure of what she should do next. It was only around 6PM, so she couldn't exactly go to bed. Maybe she would read a book, or call Yugi to help her claw her way back to sanity. The light pressure of the countertop at the small of her back made her remember when she'd been in her kitchen, leaning against this same surface, with a certain someone stalking way too close for comfort...

Ring ring ring ring ring!

It figures, thought the blue-eyed dancer. Yet again I have to rely on the doorbell to snap me out of my trance.

The doorbell continued to ring unceasingly as Anzu made her way to the door. "God, someone certainly is impatient!"

Anzu was right. The person on her doorstep did not like to be kept waiting...

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Seto found himself out of breath as he bounded up the steps to Anzu's door. He had not been running for the last block and a half. He was completely unwilling to sacrifice his dignity for such stereotypical smitten-fool behavior. He had just been... walking really fast.

He stared at the door, imagining what was behind it, knowing that he was putting himself in a kind of danger he might not be ready for.

He managed a rather weak imperious scoff. It's not like this is the first time I've taken a risk.

The Voice, which had been idling in a state of satisfied silence for awhile, made a rather pointed observation. This is Anzu, not a soul-sucking three-headed monster. Then again, which are you more frightened of?

Seto steeled himself, resting one hand on the cold bricks of the structure as he began mashing Anzu's doorbell repeatedly. She better be in here...

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Anzu pushed her dark hair behind one ear absently and unlatched the door. Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw who was there.

Kaiba.

Seto Kaiba.

Braced against the door frame looking distinctly frazzled, with his hair falling across his eyes and the white shirt he wore under his coat apparently half untucked.

Anzu greeted her unexpected guest with practiced eloquence. "Urk! K--Kaiba!"

"Last I checked," he ground out.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Can we go inside, Mazaki? It's a little cold in case you hadn't noticed."

Anzu was trying her level best not to panic. This Kaiba was way sexier than the tuxedo-clad Adonis from her dream, and the scenario was so similar...

"Umm, come on in..."

He swept past wordlessly, smelling like frost and spicy aftershave. What is he doing here?

Anzu pushed the door shut behind her and spun around, half expecting Kaiba to descend upon her. Here, however, reality diverged from what had happened in her dreamland. Seto had made his way across the living room and was now staring at her large black and white photo print of the Manhattan skyline.

Was he expecting her to do or say something? No. He had been the one to unexpectedly show up at her door. He must have a reason, right? She would just have to wait.

xxxxxx

So he was in the apartment. Great. Now what? He felt distinctly foolish, which was not something he was used to. Of course, this whole situation was completely abnormal.

He'd realized he was in even worse trouble than he'd anticipated as soon as she'd opened the door wearing those clingy black pyjamas from the other day. The sight of her slim bare arms and sparklingly confused blue eyes had sent his overtaxed hormones spinning into orbit. Now he was staring at a photograph, because he was afraid of what he might do if he looked at her again.

...He looked at her again.

Seto could feel his pulse racing beneath his expensive platinum watch. She was staring at him patiently, obviously waiting.

All the things he'd been planning to say to her about how she was driving him up the wall and making his life impossible flew out the proverbial window as he registered the shy, curious expression in her eyes. She dropped her gaze to the floor and blushed, which only made her seem more enticing. His attention drifted down to her lips, slightly parted, just begging to be--

Blood pounded inside his ears. He really wanted to kiss her.

His fists clenched and unclenched. He would kiss her, he decided. And Damn the consequences.

xxxxxx

Anzu's feet were glued to the spot where she stood once Kaiba turned to look at her. He was sending off waves of burning intensity that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. Armored butterflies, with jet engines and heavy artillery. She could feel the blush spreading across her face.

He didn't look mad; she knew him well enough to recognize that. Having all his attention focused on her was an intoxicating sensation, but it didn't make her feel half as drunk and giddy as what happened next.

She only realized that he had approached her when his leather shoes appeared in the square of floor she had been staring at. She raised her eyes upward with painful slowness, following the line of buttons on his shirt past a tantalizing flash of bare collarbone, finally meeting his eyes and gasping at the hardened determination she saw there.

Before Anzu had a chance to wonder what she had done to induce such intensity on his part, Seto closed the gap between them. Sliding both his hands along the sides of her face and into her hair, Seto Kaiba leaned in and kissed her.

At first it was just a soft brush of lips, with him gently holding her head in place. Anzu felt light-headed, unconsciously swooning toward Seto and bracing her hands against his firm chest. He seemed to interpret this gesture as permission to continue, releasing a muffled groan of satisfaction as he slid his lips against hers more insistently.

Her arms travelled upward to snake around his neck, steadying herself. Anzu felt like the two of them were floating inside a highly charged thundercloud as one of his arms slid around her torso, a large hand splaying firmly at the small of her back. The pressure he applied there caused her to arch even further into him. She gasped into his mouth as he felt his tongue slide firmly against hers.

Time wheeled by in a blur as Anzu felt herself sliding deeper and deeper into a haze of passion. She whimpered as Seto broke the kiss, looking into her eyes with a searching expression. Fearing he was about to retreat, Anzu brought a shaking hand to his face to caress down his cheek and across his lips. She whispered the first thing that came into her mind.

"Don't stop now..."

xxxxxx

This was... way better than he ever could have imagined. He couldn't believe how soft, pliant, and responsive she had gone at the first touch of his lips. Seto hadn't felt this weak in the knees since the last time his soul had been ripped from his body.

She tasted dizzyingly sweet. Like chocolate. Most people thought Mokuba was the only Kaiba brother who liked sweet things, but they didn't know about the dark chocolate Swiss truffles Seto kept hidden in his desk. He might have to throw them out now, though, because they could never compare to this...

He broke reluctantly from the fevered kiss, needing to breathe and to make sure her reaction to him was genuine, not just a result of shock.

Anzu's blue eyes met his, glazed with obvious lust.

Wow.

She smelled sunny and clean, like fresh laundry, and Seto knew he had been inextricably hung out to dry as her soft little fingers feathered across his lips.

"Don't stop now..."

Seto folded up at the knees, pulling Anzu down toward the carpeted floor with him as he slammed his lips back onto hers. He almost panicked as he felt her draw back slightly, relaxing with a ragged sigh as he realized she was only attempting to push his coat off of his shoulders. Freed of the offending garment, Seto slid one hand up the back of Anzu's shirt. He traced his fingers up her spine, entranced by the soft skin there. She was leaning further and further into him, trembling hands tugging the tucked-in half of his white shirt out of his pants.

He realized, laying on Anzu's living room floor with her sprawled above him sliding her tongue against his and exploring up and down his torso and chest with searching fingers, that this was by far the most erotic thing that had ever happened to him. Ever. His hips ground up into hers, and she released a breathy moan.

And this was only the beginning...

xxxxxx

Oh. My. God.

Anzu could hardly form a coherent thought as her lips and limbs tangled sensuously with Seto's on the floor. The floor. Things were rapidly approaching the point where clothes were likely to become a severe inconvenience. It took every shred of will power in her body to break her lips away from his. Her hips twitched involuntarily as she took in his blazing eyes, lust-flushed cheeks, and thoroughly kissed lips. He was absently tracing circular patterns on the sensitive skin of her back with his long fingers.

"This is the living room floor."

"Yes."

"Do you think we should move someplace more comfortable?"

"Yes."

The two dark-haired figures scrambled to their feet, and Seto followed Anzu's slim form with interest, gliding toward the bedroom. As she grabbed his hand to pull him inside, he paused.

"Anzu..."

She couldn't remember him ever using her given name before. It made her head spin pleasantly. He was looking at her with a dash of uncertainty.

"W--what is it?"

He brushed a few stray hairs away from her face. "Should we worry... about where this is leading?"

She thought for a few seconds, and then beamed up at him. "Not now. Tonight we just... enjoy the moment."

He nodded slowly and smiled -- actually smiled-- as he slipped his arms around her, pulling her to him as she shut the bedroom door with a firm click.

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Mmm, warm...

Seto couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so warm and cozy as he slowly rose up out of the haze of sleep. His whole body felt pleasantly languorous and relaxed, and he sensed a comfortable weight pressed against his side. He remembered, as his eyes blinked open, where he was and what he'd been doing.

What they'd been doing...

He reached a lazy limb across his bare chest to stroke Anzu's hair. She sighed contentedly in her sleep. It was no wonder she was so exhausted; they had been very busy all night...

Anzu's eyes fluttered open slowly, and she greeted him with a sleepy smile.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Good morning." Seto shifted, coaxing Anzu's face to loom above his. He kissed her slowly, tangling a hand in her impossibly soft hair...

At the junction of his hand and his arm was a watch. He froze, eyes darting to the timepiece.

It read 8:45.

"Dammit!"

Seto shot up into a sitting position, narrowly avoiding a painful collision with Anzu's forehead. He jumped up out of bed and began a frantic scramble for his clothes.

Anzu watched him in bewilderment. "Seto, is something wrong?"

He looked at her with frantic apology as he pulled on his pants.

"I'm supposed to pick up Mokuba and his girlfriend at the airport in 15 minutes!"

"Oh... OH!" Anzu shot up, hastily throwing on a bathrobe and attempting to help Seto gather his scattered belongings. Picking up Mokuba and his girlfriend? Did this mean--

"Here's your other sock!"

The two hurried into the front room, where Seto slid into his shoes and Anzu helped him hurriedly into his coat. Upon reaching the door, Seto turned quickly, kissing Anzu briefly but firmly on the lips. His eyes held an unreadable expression.

"Thank you."

She smiled at the obvious emotion in his voice. "You'd better hurry!"

Opening the door, he kissed her one last time. "I'll call you later."

This time, Seto Kaiba did run.

Anzu collapsed onto her couch, heart pounding inside of her chest.

Unbelievable, she thought.

I cannot WAIT for that phone call!

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XXXXXX

Forty minutes later, a highly confused Mokuba Kaiba was joined by an out of breath Seto at the airport terminal.

What the hell happened to big brother?

Seto's hair was sticking out in 5 directions, his shirt was buttoned completely wrong, and his face was all red.

I guess work's really taking a toll these days... he should really try to take it easy.

Rebecca smiled knowingly. She was much more observant than Mokuba about these things; she recognized the elder Kaiba's dazed expression, and hadn't failed to notice the sizable love bite peeking out from his shirt collar.

I wonder who the lucky girl is?

She giggled to herself as the three proceeded toward the baggage claim. This was certainly shaping up to be an interesting Christmas!

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Wow. I'm DONE! DONE DONE DONE! (Maniacal laughter) My hands are so sore right now, but it was totally worth it!

Like I said, there will be a fun Epilogue coming out, probably later in the week. I hope you all like how it ended! I think I managed to keep it from being too fluffy or sappy. I really like the way this turned out!

Let me know how you liked it. It's no fun for me unless I get to see your opinions!