Disclaimer: Yes, I own it. Everything is mine, so screw lawsuits and such trivial things as 'rights to publisher.'

Ha! As if. Nope don't own it all.

Notes: I have no excuse or explanation, really. This is kind of sad and a different look on this particular relationship that is very popular.

…Sign on the Dotted Line…

By:

Louisiana- Southern- Belle

………………..

"Sign it."

An almost inch thick document set in the middle of a finely polished oak table. A threatening pen also awaited use next to the offending object.

Cool calculating blue eyes regarded her with amusement and border line anger management opportunities.

That was fine; she always thought he needed a vacation to white cells and tight jackets.

"Why."

His abnormally sexy mouth voiced silkily. No, this man did not question, he knew everything after all. He stated the obvious in an attempt to question her sanity, or possible use her body against her.

That jackass.

She could play this game, too.

"You know why, Kaiba."

She gave a sniff like noise of dismissal while raising her cute nose in the air.

He lowered his face so the angle made his bangs cover his eyes perfectly with an ease formed from years of practice. So she was being difficult today? That was fine.

He liked a challenge.

"I think you are once again overreacting to a situation that can easily reprimand."

She really, really wanted to take out her nail file and just scratch the ass' pretty face up for the smirk he was throwing at her right now. Or maybe a really big grater so not even plastic surgery would be able to help in the end.

"Reprimanded. Really? I had no clue this so called situation could be solved with such brilliance, Mr. CEO. But alas, there is a much simpler way to end this."

She glanced down at the object of authority pointedly.

This woman always was difficult. Yet, he always managed to triumph. Her attempts at beating him were cute, pointless, but cute none the less to watch.

"I believe that would be the harder way. But then again, you always did like it rough."

Go for a personal button, it always hits the expected target and wanted reaction.

Her poker face faltered for a second, and a light rush of blood to her cheeks allowed him the answer he expected.

He watched her closely. She made a noise to clear her throat and swallow deeply, calming her nerves most likely, she always did that.

Kaiba watched even more closely the muscles in her long graceful neck and allowed his gaze to settle upon more aspects of his lovely wife he knew all too well.

"Well Kaiba if you would stop staring down my shirt you'd realize that that was uncalled for!"

His icy stare snapped into her own set of blue.

Well now, that was unexpected.

"Uncalled for? I believe it was perfectly place in context, what others meanings were there for you, Anzu?"

"First of all, you are distracting the point of the argument. Secondly, you are being difficult and will not with your business like self not sign the damn piece of paper!"

"Really now."

She huffed and allowed her perfectly set shoulders to slump with obvious annoyance and disdain.

"Look, you never seemed to care about this before. So why now are you being difficult?"

Maybe she was right. But no, unfortunately she wasn't, Kaiba was assured.

He cared, cared as much as he could. Maybe he wasn't open about things like her, but his actions spoke louder than anything he could say in the human language, he was sure. He had researched that one, too.

"I care, Anzu. I think it is absurd of what that ridiculous paper says, so I won't subject myself to sign my approval."

Her face worked and settled upon a weak but still menacing stare.

He was shaking in his expensively polished boots, really.

"That is not what you said last night."

There were tears in her eyes now. Oh God, he made her cry.

Wonderful, an emotional woman in a room with no escape route for him at all, not good.

Houston we have a problem, kind of bad.

He knew this was coming pointedly, he just never thought she would actually go through with it. She was his first and would be the only. She just was being too difficult to notice that.

Kaiba loved the woman.

"Anzu, don't."

"Don't what Kaiba? You told me that what we had was unstable, wouldn't-"

"Yes, but not unworkable."

"This is not a business deal, or closure, or anything like that!"

Somehow they were both standing now.

Tears trailed down her angelic face, her lips trembled for the oncoming sobs ready to overflow, tailored suit a bit disheveled from her hasty movement.

She was so beautiful to him, for him.

He was breathing harshly all anger for his emotions.

"Why do you do this to me? Tell me this won't work, and then won't face facts when I offer the solution to this, us, this thing we somehow are? Tell me; please just tell me what you want to do!"

She rounded the table and was making the path to his side while he kept his face down, shadowing what he knew she wanted to see, his emotions.

He never had felt so raw, uncontrollable.

He didn't like it one bit.

"I don't know why Anzu! Okay? Every time we have an argument it always leads to something more complicated."

His voice had lowered to barely audible.

"No Kaiba, it's not complicated. It's called feelings! Emotions, things that normal people allow their loved ones to see!"

"Am I not normal?"

His eyes had narrowed and his knuckles were white from the pressure he was exerting on them.

"Not with the way you work your problems away Kaiba! We don't agree, you dive into it, your work! I never see what your feelings, ever! I want to know Kaiba! I love you, you bastard. And you turn away, like now!"

His back was turned, it was true.

"Did it ever occur to you I didn't want you to know. Maybe I can't allow you that part of me, because nothing is easy for me, don't you see? I can't please people with my emotions!"

"But with your work you can, right. Right? Is that it?"

His face had turned dark, his eyebrows furrowed deeply and mouth set straight, he was quite menacing.

She didn't care.

"Maybe that's so. But what about you? Are you perfect?"

"No! that's just it Kaiba, we're not perfect. We make mistakes, make wrong moves, and take chances sometimes. And sometimes there are consequences for it!"

"For taking a chance?"

"Yes."

"I can't make mistakes. It's a sign of weakness."

"Am I you weakness, Kaiba? Is that what I am?"

There was a silence then.

He tilted his head to the side, hiding his eyes once more. His body faced her, with fists clenched and held tightly at his sides.

"Stop it."

He still didn't look toward her.

"Stop that!"

He felt warm, trembling hands forcefully turn his face into the light.

"Stop hiding everything inside. I want to see you when you're angry, know you when you hurt, love you for your heart."

Her voice croaked with emotion.

"Then you stop, Anzu. You don't want my heart, I don't deserve yours."

That answer momentarily stunned her. He unclenched his hands and placed them on top of her smaller ones and gently removed them form his face.

His eyes clashed with hers again.

"But I do. That's what you don't understand, won't let me tell you. For being a genius you are being stupid."

She gave a short laugh, half choked in a sob as her small frame started shaking.

His strong arms encircled her on instinct, not really knowing what to do next. Though he would ignore the fact he was just called stupid, for now.

He felt lost for once. He always knew which way to go, all the shortcuts, all hard and right ways to get a business going. He knew how to fire an incompetent employee, rearrange his life for a woman. But, did he know how to love her?

"I can only do so much Anzu."

He whispered into her hair as he found himself rocking her gently back and forth too lost in thought to care.

"Do you not love me?"

She took a step back to break contact. Her eyes filled with tears again, he didn't know if this was a wanted sign from above.

He shook his head.

Her bottom lip began to tremble.

He reached out and brought her firmly to his chest. She screamed and tried to pound his chest in retaliation, but to no avail.

He brought his hands from her waist and stopped her delicate wrists with a firm hold with one hand, and used his free one to grasp her chin firmly to look her straight in the churning blue.

"No Anzu, I love you."

Her face broke out into a smile and sob at the same time, causing a gasping like reaction as she grabbed his handsome face she had so wanted to scratch off and kissed him right on.

For a hysteric woman, she sure had good aim, Kaiba mused to himself.

Maybe things wouldn't always be fixed this way, maybe it would turn out worse. He was never one for destiny speeches, and never relied on luck, but he thanked his lucky stars he had Anzu, for now at least.

And he enjoyed burning those damn divorce documents in the fireplace that night. Strangely enough watching the flames engulf the words of separation and sizzle the sign on the dotted line gave him pleasure. Something was symbolic about it; Kaiba didn't know for sure just what it was yet. The answer would come when the time was right he supposed.

But you couldn't sign your love on a dotted line, that was for sure.

………………………

I had always thought their love would be most difficult to mesh with each other. I also thought it would be a rocky road for them, not all smiles and such. Not that I don't like happy smiles, but I just got to thinking about it is all.

Um…please review?

Love,

l-s-b