APRICOT SUNDAE


Anzu gaped in bewilderment, unintentionally satisfying the spirit with her horror-stricken expression as he eyed her from the doorway of her bedroom.

" You can't be serious; you must be joking?" Anzu looked his way cautiously, watching the spirit jerk his left brow up in mute query; she dare question his authority?

" Do I look like I am," The statement was undoubtedly rhetorical; he wasn't joking.

She absently fiddled her thumbs as her hands remained cupped near her collarbone.

There goes hoping… She thought, deflating with defeat.

" As long as I exist; hopes do not,"

Nervously she evaded his eyes focusing on the crook of her neck; his perverse cravings awakening to redeem itself as he gradually approached.

" I'm going to bed," She said rapidly, hastily backing up to retreat to the comforts of her bed and hide under the sheets to escape his lewd stare.

He chuckled wryly, his Millennium necklace thumping against his chest as the husky laugh vibrated in his throat.

The back of her thighs collided into the bed; she was trapped.

Aroused by her vulnerable position, he towered above her shorter height, shifting his eyes along her soft features of unique beauty.

With callous fingers, he adjusted her chin in his hands as he mutely commanded her to face him.

" How do you plan to retrieve the Pharaoh's puzzle for your master?" Tone uncharacteristically sly, he caressed the contours of her left cheek.

Master!? She breathed an incredulous protest. " I'm doing it for the sake of my friends,"

" Whose lives rest in my hands," Bakura reminded, releasing her face with a disgruntled expression.

Which is the only reason I'd ever help someone like you. She bitterly thought, discreetly eyeing him beneath thick rivets of brown bangs.

" Tomorrow you will get me that puzzle," Bakura announced in a hiss. " How you will do so, I shall decide,"

She feigned obedience. " As long as my friends are kept safe, I'll do it," She bit her lip; she'd almost said help you instead of 'do it'.

I'm not helping him, Anzu denied feebly. I'm doing it for my friends' sake.

She immediately looked up at him. " What about Ryou?"

" What about him?"

She angrily huffed. " Well…. I want to see him,"

" You will see him when I allow it," Bakura forcibly stated.

She swallowed. I wish Ryou were here. At least then it wouldn't feel so….so awkward

" I'm not a child; I don't need you keeping an eye on me all the time," Anzu replied suddenly.

The spirit reluctantly lounged himself against the wall beside the open window in her room, obscuring his lean physique in the shadows the draperies had created as they flapped about him in an almost mystical manner.

" You will remain under my watch until that puzzle is mine,"

" You don't need to be watching over me at night as well," She quietly mumbled.

He hoarsely muttered in Egyptian, before reverting back to English as he regarded her. " Your words of trust have no value to me; I will pursue 'watching you' whenever I wish,"

" What? You think I plan to run off and find Yuugi and tell him about all this?"

" Precisely,"

" Why would I do that?" She bit out.

" Your bond with the weakling Pharaoh is obvious; your affections toward him will endanger my plans,"

" How so?" She prodded, brows rising.

" You'd willingly disobey me and run off to him," Bakura spat. " I won't allow that to happen,"

" At least, not until the Millennium Puzzle is in my possession," Bakura continued with a smirk.

" That doesn't make any sense!" Anzu glared at him. " Yuugi is nothing but my friend. I love him and the other guys like family. I would never endanger their lives by running off to Yami!"

Bakura foully grimaced. " Do not raise your voice to me,"

" Well I wouldn't if you didn't come up with these ridiculous ideas!" She ranted, fuming.

" Ridiculous?" He breathed, chuckling lowly afterwards as he echoed the word to himself again. " I plan to obtain that Millennium puzzle. Nothing about that is 'ridiculous',"

He lifted his gaze till they leveled with hers. " I will send anyone who gets in my way to the shadow realm. I've waited for this moment to rule over the Pharaoh long since he banished me from Egypt,"

" Too long to endure defeat; that puzzle will be mine," Bakura turned away and glimpsed outside the window beside him.

" Why do you want it anyway?" Anzu asked, carefully watching him.

" Personal matters you would be too foolish to comprehend," The former thief proclaimed.

Well forget trying to be sympathetic. To think I actually felt sorry for him. Bakura, of all people!

" Get some rest," Bakura mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. " You'll need it,"

She swallowed. " Aren't you tired?"

He chuckled at her naivety. " Sleep has been no concern to me for millenniums, my dear,"

" What about Ryou?" She was still unfamiliar with the way the spirit and her good friend, Ryou, had maintained sharing one body.

" He is asleep in his soul room," Bakura explained quietly, shutting his eyes to allow the light breezes to soothe him as tree branches rustled outside.

" Soul room?" Anzu breathed out in curiosity.

" Enough questions," Bakura grunted.

Anzu shifted uneasily. " I need to change,"

" Your point?" Bakura bit out, annoyed.

" Could you leave the room a mo--"

" No," He firmly replied.

" What? Why not!? I need to change!" Anzu cried in anger.

" Then do so,"

" Not in front of you!" Anzu blurted quickly.

" Afraid for me to see you?" Bakura purred, suddenly standing beside her with his lips brushing against her left earlobe.

She shuddered unwillingly. " No. I'd just appreciate it if---"

" I have no plans of leaving this room," He hissed; the moment he left her unattended she'd make a run for it and his plans would be ruined.

Risks like that are un-allowed. Bakura thought. She will deal with my presence, whether she likes it or not.

" Fine! Then I'm going to change in the bathroom!" Angrily she shoveled up her pajamas and stomped into the bathroom.

Bakura smirked. She will do lovely on my plans behalf. I may get that puzzle sooner than I anticipated.


Kaiba tapped his fingers agitatedly against the firm surface of his cheery-wood desk, briskly uncrossing his legs and leaning back to glare tersely at his laptop.

Of course. The damn thing had to go and break on him.

Just my luck. Shifting forward, he crossly studied the mechanical device. What had caused its shortage, he guessed, was due to the light downpour outside as lightning rumbled and created distorted, jagged bolts of light to embark across the sky.

But a small storm never stopped Seto Kaiba; a small misfortune such as 'bad weather' could be handled. That was, until his day had gone from good to bad, and the output his laptop was connected to fried to a steam of burnt wires.

Damn it. Angrily he stood up. He hadn't spent millions of dollars on his enterprise to have a little thunderstorm turn it into a black-out of hazard.

This had never happened to him. Of all the buildings, his was required to fend off stupid weather mishaps as these.

He glared out the window. If weather was a woman, he'd slap it. As for a man, well, we'll leave that to your imagination.

He searched his dark office, before sighing with defeat. It had been a long time since he'd used one, but it seemed he had no choice if he didn't plan to break his neck tripping over his own feet.

Fumbling through one of the upper drawers of his desk, he quickly pulled out the flashlight and flicked it on.

The second he'd turned it on, Mokuba had decided to enter with a flashlight gripped in his own hand.

" Seto?" Mokuba called, eyeing the tall silhouette standing idly at the corner of the desk in Kaiba's office.

" Are you alright, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, looking over his brother as the boy approached.

" Yeah, just stumbled a bit down the hall. What's with the black-out, Seto?" He asked, bringing the flashlight up to brighten his face.

" You're telling me the entire building blacked-out?" Kaiba breathed in incredulousness.

Mokuba nodded. " Well, yeah. Normally when there is a black-out the whole---"

" Yes, I know, Mokuba," Kaiba quickly interrupted.

Even better. Kaiba thought dismally. He'd thought his office had only been affected, but it seemed the whole damn building had!

" Where's the secretary?" Kaiba demanded.

" She left an hour ago…." Mokuba replied.

" What!?" Angrily he fisted a chunk of his bangs in his right hand. " What am I paying these damn gold diggers for?" He spat.

" How long will it last?" Mokuba asked suddenly, slouching over Kaiba's desk and tucking his arms under his chin.

" Possibly till tomorrow," Kaiba responded, squinting his eyes as he stared back outside.

" What do we do till then?" Mokuba insisted, nudging his flashlight back and forth along the table as he fumbled with it in sheer boredom.

Kaiba sagged into his leather chair. What would they do? Or more or less what would he do? He had important documents to send, an enterprise to uphold, and here he was, being held back by some stupid storm.

His day couldn't get any better.


A loud crash emanated down the halls, immediately piercing the spirit's sensitive hearing as he registered the sound coming from Anzu's bedroom.

She wouldn't dare try and escape. Cautiously he approached the room he'd momentarily retreated from to wander her home, standing quietly affront the door before glimpsing within the dark room.

Frantically he scanned the isolated bedroom. Where the hell did she go!?

Cursing he wandered further inside, before his right foot nudged into a plush object sprawled on the floor. Glaring irritably down to investigate the blocking device, he supplied a grin when he realized the 'object' was in fact Anzu, toppled over a chair.

" What are you doing?" He demanded, hissing the words as he eyed the brunette deliriously murmuring incoherent rambles.

What in Ra's name is wrong with her? Leaning down, he scuffed a chunk of her tank top in his hand, hauling her up and roughly forcing her to face him.

" Answer me!" He growled.

Anzu groaned, unconsciously slapping at the invading hand wrinkling the front of her shirt. " I tripped! What else!"

" Tripped?" He echoed.

" Yes 'tripped'! Over that dumb chair!" She cried in frustration. Bakura chuckled lowly; she was highly amusing when angered or annoyed.

Stupid girl. He released her, letting her fall to the ground in a heap of spiraling limbs, smirking discreetly when she released a groan and rubbed her lower back to soothe the pain inflicted from her fall.

" Didn't you see the damn thing?" He hoisted the chair back up, kicking it ruthlessly toward the dresser where it belonged.

" Hey!" She glared, watching the cushioned seat tumble and collide into her dresser, causing several of picture albums to shake and fall with a loud clatter.

Dismissively he stared down at her. " I thought you were going to bed?"

She dusted her pajama shorts with an annoyed huff. " I was till I fell!"

" Pitiful; choosing you as part of my plan may have been a mistake," He murmured.

Anzu collected herself, standing and glaring at the former thief. " Good! Then I won't have to do your dirty work!"

" Do not forget the consequences of disobeying me," Bakura snarled, edging above her; accustomed to defying the shorter girl with his advanced height.

" Trust me, I know," Anzu muttered. And I'm beginning not to care!

Bakura scoffed. " Those thoughts won't help your situation any better," He motioned to grab her, but she quickly eased backward and fell on her bed.

Oh, of course… Anzu thought with a faint roll of her eyes.

Bakura smirked. " The last thing I plan to do is touch a filthy friend of the Pharaoh's in such a manner,"

Anzu snorted. So he says! Suddenly he forgets about attacking my neck! Absentmindedly she rubbed the sore area of her neck.

Bakura chuckled. " A small part of my plan to ensure your end of the bargain,"

" Bargain?!" Anzu breathed in doubt. " We never bargained anything! I just said I'd help you so you wouldn't hurt my friends!"

" Same thing," Bakura muttered, arms crossing.

" It's not the 'same thing'!" Anzu disagreed with an infuriated expression.

" Stop your complaining and go to bed!" He bellowed.

She quieted immediately, recognizing the maniacal flicker that briefly possessed his red eyes hidden beneath choppy white bangs.

" Fine," She murmured, tentatively climbing into bed, all the while watching him stand in place in eerie silence.

Why's he so quiet? He'd better not be up to anything…

With a fleeting glance in her direction, he headed to the chair he'd carelessly thrown minutes prior, seating himself and positioning the seat till it faced her bed.

Anzu sunk under the comforters. Why's he staring at me like that? It's…..scary.

Involuntarily she shuddered, creeping further beneath the blue comforter to seek protection from the flimsy blanket.

Bakura chuckled inwardly. She found him scary did she now? Good. The girl is smart to fear me as well as my intentions…

With a flick of his tongue across his lips, he could almost taste her fear inflicted by his mere presence, and he was filled with a perverse thrill.

" You plan on staying up all night?" Anzu asked.

He smirked, two rows of straight white teeth glimmering through the dark. " I have no intention of letting you escape,"

She frowned. Like I'd be able to. Although I haven't given it much thought… She secretively eyed the window adjacent to her bed.

" You wouldn't unless you wish to visit Marik that badly," The spirit crudely grinned, acknowledging her cryptic thoughts lingering through his mind.

Anzu huffed, sinking further under the blanket. Why did that stupid black-out have to happen now? Of all times!

Bakura smirked, the disorderly twist of lips freaking the brunette out, till she couldn't stand it.

" Would you please look somewhere else!?" Anzu pleaded, voice meek.

" Like?" The former thief murmured in query.

She bit her lip. " I don't know. As long as it isn't at me!"

His eyes slanted, fixating on her more intently. Anzu angrily rolled on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.

Jerk! Now he's just doing it purposely!


A/N: I know! This chapter was pretty much 'pointless' but oh well. If you barely figured it out, when Anzu tripped, that was when the black-out happened. Course it wasn't verified till the end. Heh, sorry -- . Also, the next chapter will be taking place at school. With Anzu and the gang. ( weird huh? Seeing as its normally 'Yuugi' and the gang. But hey! Anzu's the main character in my fanfic!) And maybe even some bump-ins with a certain CEO and dancer? Like…..Anzu and Kaiba! Well tell me what you think. Also Bakura will be watching Anzu very closely next chapter. And that's when the whole 'Bakura's evil plans' will come into play.

The poll as of far:

Seto/ Anzu/ Ryou: 4

Bakura/ Anzu/ Ryou: 7

Anzu/ Seto: 16

Anzu/ Ryou: 14

Anzu/ Bakura: 7

Seto/ Anzu/ Ryou ( Bakura): 4

And HOLY! Seto/ Anzu once again jumped up and is now IN THE LEAD!! Ryou/ Anzu isn't too far behind! As for the others, their chances are --sadly--deteriorating. But you never know! One more thing, I had gotten a vote for the pairing Seto/ Anzu/ Bakura, when I realized: " This pairing doesn't exist!" Should I, or should I not add this pairing? Tell me what you guys think. Just say 'Yes' or 'No' in your reviews, it'll be much appreciated!

Poll for Seto/ Anzu/ Bakura:

Yes:

No:

So Remember:

Read, Review and VOTE!! XD