Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 13: Help Me, Seto!

The day had turned sour.

Anzu sat on a dock over-looking the ocean. A dark sky rolled above her, and the smallest of drizzles danced around her.

But Anzu didn't care.

The sea waved back in a mild temper, yet Anzu still dangled her leg over the edge of the pier and let the water lap up her leg.

But Anzu didn't care.

In fact, she welcomed this weather. Not only did it reflect her mood, but in this weather, no one would come looking for her.

Her other leg was bent upwards so that her left arm rested upon it. Her right arm was in her lap. She stared moodily out over the murky and dark water.

She had seen Seto trying to catch up with her, but had purposely evaded him. She just couldn't bring herself up to face him.

But just how long could she keep away? He was her boss after all. And if he wanted to talk to her, as he seemed to have wanted to earlier, she couldn't stop him while at Kaiba Corp.

What was she to do?

As her thoughts mulled like the water swirling beneath her, they drifted over to something else. Noa kissing her….

She wasn't about to deny that it hadn't brought on a pleasant and airy feeling, but something about it bothered her.

Why was it that she had no problem really, kissing Noa or Mokuba Kaiba…but she had major issues kissing Seto Kaiba?

What was going on with her? Was she in denial? She didn't…like Seto, did she? Or maybe it was the other way around: she liked either Mokuba or Noa.

But which boy? Because there was one idea out of the question: she couldn't like all of them, right?

…Right? Could she lo-er-like all of them? No! It was impossible! She, Anzu Mazaki could NOT be in love with three people at the same time! No!

"God!" she cried out over the gales of wind, "How much worse can my life get!"

"Pretty bad if you keep out in this storm," a voice said behind her.

"That seems pretty minor at the moment," she answered, without looking back to see who the heck was out in this storm talking to her. Who the heck had the sense to come out in this weather? Well…she knew she had problems, but someone else? And this was her spot too!

"Why are you out here?"

"Is that really any of your business?" Anzu, beginning to get ticked off, looked around to her left with an angry expression. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "K-Kaiba!" she squeaked. Her leg gave an involuntary reaction and pushed down on the pier. She flailed slightly, being on the edge of the dock, and felt herself falling backwards. "Gah! Help-" she was silenced by her own scream as she fell backwards into the ocean.

By now, the storm had grown very bad, with the sea in a rage of torment.

"Anzu!" Seto cried out frantically, looking over the edge of the dock to see where she was. "ANZU!"

"SETO!" Anzu's head popped out a few yards away, "HELP ME!" a small wave washed over her barely visible head.

"Hold on," he said, more to himself than to the current, and he jumped in below the surface of the water. Painfully, he opened his eyes, looking for any sign of Anzu, though he had slim chances of seeing anything. He surfaced once more, and felt the waves push against him and pull him up and down through the water.

A great splash near him brought his attention to the right and he saw Anzu surfacing, and trying to keep up on the surface.

"Anzu, grab my hand!" he called out. She didn't need telling twice. She reached out for his outstretched hand. Their hands were a foot away from each other. Anzu grunted as she tried to swim nearer to him; but the current was pushing her away. She swam against it, trying with all her might to get to him, and she saw he was also struggling to stay on the surface and get nearer to her, without getting so far from the pier to hold onto later.

She grappled for his hand, hers usually slipping into the water. With a great burst of propulsion, she kicked through the water and grabbed onto his slippery and wet hand. He struggled slightly to pull her closer, and did so.

"Grab onto the pier," he said to her as they fought to waves to the deck so near to them. They both grabbed onto it. Anzu grabbed on with a second hand and started trying to pull herself up. She noticed to the side that it took Seto barely any effort to get up.

And here she was struggling like some weakling. Of course, all of her power went into her legs for dancing, not her arms. She felt his hands grab her upper arms and hoist her up. Anzu's feet scrambled to get onto the wood, and slipped. She fell forward into Seto's arms and in the impact, he fell onto his back on the pier.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much," she suddenly cried into his already wet jacket. "Thank you…."

Seto said softly, "Alright, alright, I get it." He stayed on the floor, breathing heavily. That had been work. And it had been no day in the park to dive into the freezing water. He barely felt the torrent of rain that had stated slapping onto his face, as he was already numb and wet.

Of course, the other reason for his obliviousness could have been the fact that Anzu was still hugging the life out of him.

They lay there for a few minutes, catching their breath.

"S…Kaiba? Why are you here?"

Seto answered, "Don't I usually come here? Or have you not noticed that this is my normal spot for cycling to?"

"So it is…" Anzu replied, "I suppose it was an unconscious act on my part to come here…." She said no more.

"Perhaps you could get off me now? It is raining if you haven't noticed…."

"Oh, yes, sorry," she replied, sitting up on her elbows first and looking back at him.

No, she hadn't noticed the rain much…but now she did. Lord…why do guys always look hotter when they're soaking wet…?

Seto was ready to get up when he noticed that Anzu had stopped getting up. He looked back at her and saw that she was looking at him rather…strangely. Her eyes were quivering slightly and had a certain shine in them.

He didn't like the way she was making him feel at the moment. He swore his face was growing warm, although he couldn't tell much because the rain –thankfully- was cooling him off.

She brought her hand up and brushed some wet hair out of his eyes, "How can you see like that?" she asked dazedly.

Oh, he could see. She had just made his vision a whole lot better.

It seemed that not only did men become hotter in rain, but women did too.

Seto's hand suddenly cradled the back of her neck and jaw and brought her lips down quickly to his.

Anzu –slightly surprised as she was- warmly returned the kiss.

And hadn't this been what she had been mulling over not ten minutes ago? Still, she kissed him. As long as he had started it…and as long as he kept kissing her, she really didn't have much of a problem.

Briefly breaking apart –both still with their eyes closed- Seto asked, "Why have you been avoiding me?" He softly kissed her again.

"I…I don't really know anymore…" she answered and returned the brushing of their lips. Seto was about to say what he had been meaning to say earlier –that nothing had been meant by their previous kiss- but he figured that now…that would be inappropriate: null and void: and whatever other excuse his mind could concoct.

Frankly: he was enjoying this to the utmost extent.

Anzu was surprised by how long their making-out session was lasting. She was surprised that…Seto Kaiba was actually taking the time to be with her like this. She just noticed the fact that they were still outside and it was still storming around them.

She raised her head and opened her eyes –Seto doing the same- and she began to run her fingers through his wet hair, "Maybe we should be going," she whispered, "After all…it is still storming."

"Is that really what you want to do?" Seto replied with a hint of selfishness in his tone.

Anzu slowly shook her head, "No, not really," and she was swept up into another whirl of kissing.

Eventually, even Seto had to admit that it was getting suspiciously late, "Perhaps we should take your words into consideration now…."

"Hmm? Oh, yes," she replied quietly, pushing herself up. How long had they been lying here like that?

She noticed Seto checking his watch, trying to be inconspicuous, but knew he was wondering the same thing.

She stood up (thank the Lord she wasn't wearing another white shirt) and walked a bit past Seto before remembering. "Oh yeah…."

"Yes?" he asked, turning around quickly.

"I er…had wanted to…talk to you about something…. I tried this afternoon-"

"But still ran away?" he quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Well…like I said, I tried, but…couldn't find the gut to…. I was just wondering-"

"Tomorrow, Mazaki," he replied, walking past her, "It is getting rather late."

Anzu narrowed her eyes slightly. Not so long ago; he hadn't seemed to care how late it had gotten.

"Yeah, whatever," she replied, walking over to her car. She opened the door and looked back over at Seto. He was taking the helmet, and flipping it up to put it over his head. He caught her eye at that moment. Anzu smiled briefly before looking away. She quickly crawled into her car, started it, and was off home.

Seto slowly put his helmet on. What is wrong with me…?

"And just where have you been?" Mokuba asked, his arms crossed, as Seto walked wetly into the kitchen.

"Out," he answered simply.

"Where, pray tell? You're soaked," Noa suddenly came in.

"Places," Seto replied.

"That still doesn't explain the wetness," Mokuba eyed him, "What have you been up to?"

"I was at the pier," Seto answered truthfully, "And got caught up in the beginning of the storm. It was a ways off to my car," he ended with the fib. In truth, his brothers were unaware of his ownership of a motorcycle or his motorcycle escapades. For all they knew, he could just have been cooped up in his study for that time, or out with his car. He had a special place to store his cycle away from their eyes.

"Sure," Noa replied skeptically.

"How many times have we had this questionnaire?" Mokuba inquired, "It's happens a little too frequently for my liking."

"Well, not everybody can get everything they want, can they?" Seto replied smoothly, "I'm going to take a shower now, it you don't mind," he replied, "The ocean isn't as clean as some might think," he added more quietly.

"What?" Mokuba snapped to attention.

"The ocean?" Noa's head turned around, "What were you doing?"

Seto stopped and cursed himself. He had let part of the cat slip from the bag. "I…fell off the pier for a minute," he answered. It wasn't a complete lie…was it?

"You fell off?" Mokuba retorted, "Likely story."

"Either I fell off or I jumped in!" Seto retorted, which would you think I did?" Man, was he cutting it close….

"You weren't trying to…er…kill yourself…were you?" Noa interrogated hesitantly.

"Of course not!" Seto exclaimed, "What do you take me for?"

"Just asking," Noa waved his hands back and forth. Seto had been trying to save a life, not kill one.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going upstairs now," Seto stated a bit icily, and continued walking out of the kitchen.

"Well, as long as it had nothing to do with Anzu, I don't care anymore," Mokuba sighed. Noa scowled.

Seto stiffened a bit, and his walking slowed ever so slightly. Come on, cursed legs…MOVE! Stupid humane reactions…. I thought I could hide feelings better than that!

"Seto?" Noa asked, narrowing his eyes, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing!" Seto hastily replied, making for the exit quickly.

"Wait just a minute," Mokuba suddenly started getting the picture. "Seto…did this have anything to do with Anzu?"

"Of course not!" Seto retorted, "What do you take me for?"

"A single male growing older by the minute," Noa answered with slight humor.

"That's not funny," Seto pointed at Noa. He disappeared behind the doorway.

"This is beginning to worry me," Mokuba muttered to himself, more than anyone else.

"What? That we may have more competition?" Noa added.

"I think we do have more competition," he said stonily, "But he's not about to let us on about it, is he?"

Seto overhead the last few statements made by them as he walked up the stairs. What they said rang in his head. Anzu…competition…. Was he really starting to get serious feelings about Anzu Mazaki? Could he actually be following the path his brothers had taken? No…impossible! Then…what was with tonight? He distinctly remembered those certain…feelings he had gotten when with her this night.

She was a pretty prize, there was no doubt about that, but was he, Seto Kaiba, actually getting serious with these affairs of the heart?

Anzu lay on her bed, fully clothed, holding a stuffed animal bear close to her. As childish as that may have seemed to anyone else, this bear was Anzu's one, true confident. It had always been there for her…and it was the only memory she had of her young childhood. Everything that was preteen and below…. All of it was lost except for this little bear.

Except, Anzu hadn't the slightest clue of how it had come into her possession. All she knew was that she had had it for a very long time, and that she had named it at a very young age: Oha. Anzu had no idea where the name had come from, but she had kept it…just in case it brought back any memories she had lost (which were many in number).

She squeezed the bear closer to her chest and sighed. "What is going on with me, Oha? What is wrong with me…? What are these feelings in me? Who? What? Why me?

She fell asleep there, pondering over her unnatural life.

She woke up in the morning, still in yesterday's wet (now just damp) clothes and still holding Oha. She sighed and looked at the clock. She had about an hour before she was to be at work. At least now, she didn't feel much of the need to avoid Seto anymore. Not after what happened last night.

Of course: she life had taken a very screwed up course last night. Just who did she like the most? Did they even like her?

She sneezed suddenly, and noticed that her nose seemed all clogged up. "Oh, just great! A cold! Stupid ocean…" she cursed, going to get a Kleenex.

Well that's a stupid question, she said, thinking in the shower, They've all gone and kissed me! Then again…there are such things as spurs of the moment. Goodness….

She arrived at Kaiba Corp. not long after. Because the important people of the corporation knew her as Anzu, she had almost forgotten about her post as Tea Gardner. She had to keep up the act though.

She arrived at the top floor from the elevator, still coughing and/or sneezing. She began walking down the hall, and sneezed so loudly that it made a passerby jump in surprise.

"Sorry," she smiled meekly and headed off towards the end of the hall to her desk. She sat down and pulled out a box of tissues from her purse and placed it on the desk. She was going to need those today.

Surprisingly, she saw Seto walking down the hall with his briefcase. He was late? Anzu checked her watch. She was on time…but Seto was…late? Since when?

He didn't seem to pay much attention to her as he passed by and sneezed. Anzu raised an eyebrow in amusement. So she wasn't the only one who had caught sickness.

"Tissue?" she asked, holding up the box to him, while taking one herself.

"Hm?" he looked at her, "Oh, yeah, thanks," he mumbled, "You too? Should have known," he sighed, unlocking his office door.

"Any reason as to why you're late?"

"I'm not late."

"Later than normal."

"…The sickness…kept me down some…."

"You slept in."

"Remember: you said it," he replied, walking into his office. She heard a violent cough start just as he closed the door. Anzu shook her head. The way he denied simple facts of life…. It was almost likeable….

She began to get to work, despite the insane irritation the cold was causing her. She sorted papers and delivered them. She had to make one such delivery to Mokuba's office. His doors were closed, but his secretary was there.

"Hey," Anzu greeted, "I have some papers from Seto Kaiba for his brother," she said.

"He's not it. Place them here," the secretary replied icily. Anzu placed them down on the designated spot, wondering what the heck was making this girl so irritable. Anzu was about to leave when the secretary started again, "So, you think you can just waltz in here and take over their hearts with your flirty ways?"

"Excuse me?" Anzu turned around and asked.

"You got hired far too easily by Seto Kaiba. And my boss takes far too many breaks to go see his brother, which seems to refer to seeing you."

"What has this got to do with anything?" Anzu stated.

"And then Mr. Noa Kaiba's secretary caught you and him kissing in the hall yesterday! What is your problem? Other girls have dreams too, you know!"

"You caught her?" another woman suddenly came over, carrying a cup of coffee.

"And here is that secretary right now," the offender said to Anzu.

Anzu gaped at them, "You think I wanted to work here just to get close to them?"

"Who doesn't?" the secretary sat back down, "That's what all of the previous ones have done: myself included!"

"That is the stupidest reasoning I have ever heard," Anzu huffed, "I came here to actually work, because I was bored at home."

"Yeah: work on their hearts!" Noa's secretary stomped her foot.

"Why don't you shut the heck up!" Anzu retorted. "I can have you sued and booted out of this office in two seconds flat!"

"Oh? Says who? I do say I think I have more authority and class than you will ever have, girl. I happen to have some of the most money in Domino. Under the Kaibas and Anzu Mazaki that is," Mokuba's escritoire rested her chin on laced fingers.

"Do you even know whom you are talking to?" Anzu took off the glasses.

"That ditzy secretary Tea Gardner, that's who," Noa's secretary commented.

Anzu glared at them, and took her hair out of its bun and put it back into its regular ponytail.

Noa's secretary dropped her cup of coffee. "That is Anzu Mazaki!"

"Don't be stupid," the other secretary replied, though somewhat shakily, "she's a phony! Any girl can look like Anzu Mazaki if they try hard enough!"

Anzu sighed and pulled out countless ID cards, "Does that prove it?"

The other two gaped.

"Then what are you doing, working here?" Mokuba's escritoire asked.

"Unless we were right and she is working here like the other singles," Noa's secretary added.

"Like I said: I. Was. Bored."

"How can you get bored, being rich!" the two exploded.

"It's not all fun and games, you know," Anzu glared. She then went into a coughing fit.

"A-er-Tea, what are you doing here?" Anzu's head spun around and she saw Mokuba standing there quizzically. "And you two: get back to work," he demanded.

"Yes sir," the two other women replied.

"Oh, I had to deliver some papers to you," Anzu picked up the papers she had put down and handed them to Mokuba. She began coughing again.

"You too?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she looked up.

"Seto has a cold as well," he narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Must be going around," she replied. "I'd best get back to work," she stated, "Bye," she gave a small wink to him. He smiled as he watched her walk off. His secretary ground her teeth.

The end of the workday couldn't come soon enough. Anzu, as she got back to her desk, was reminded of the fact that she still had to talk with Seto about her…"ego" problem. It was becoming more of a problem lately. Look what she had just said to those two other secretaries!

She mulled over ways to talk to him and ask what would be the best thing to do.

Near the end of the day, Anzu put up her things. It was time to talk. Now.

She walked up to the doors and knocked. He answered, "Come in." She opened the door and entered. Seto sat at his desk, as usual. He looked up to regard the guest.

"Anzu?" he lapsed for a second, and then stood up. "What do you want?"

"Remember I told you I wanted to talk with you yesterday? But you…er…told me to talk to you tomorrow…which would be today?"

"I seem to recall something, yes," he replied, looking her over. "What did you want to…talk about?"

What she said next, he wasn't expecting at all.

"How did you do it?"

"Excuse me?" his eyebrows shot up, "Do what, exactly?"

"You know," she rolled her hand around in the air to signify that she was trying to find the right words, "Not be…your old self…. You changed, is what I'm trying to say. You're not…per say, a jerk anymore. You've…changed," she nodded off lamely, "How did you change like that?"

"Why does that concern you?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Because…I…I think I'm…falling into the same cycle. I think…I'm beginning to be a bit too…too…."

"Egotistical?" Seto supplied.

"That's it," she pointed at him, and then lowered her hand quickly. "I don't want to be…like that. And I'm asking you because…you would know how to fix it. You really…have changed. And…it was a good change," she found herself saying what she felt. "I really…like…that conversion."

Seto was stunned. Had he really changed that much? It didn't seem like it…. Maybe she saw something in him that he didn't? He walked forward a little bit. "Have I really altered my personality that much."

"You modified it well enough," she shrugged. "That's why I'm coming to you, and not anyone else." She looked down at the ground, "I hate the amount of guilt I get for feeling superior to others. It's not just affecting…people I don't really know, but those closer to me too. I've put down my own parents! Next thing I know, I'll lose all of my friends because of it," she gritted her teeth and stared at the floor –her vision become blurred by tears. Boy, was she sentimental….

"Anzu," he said softly, walking nearer to her, "I don't think you-"

"I don't want to become like that!" she suddenly erupted and flung herself into his chest, and cried, "The guilt…it piles up! I just don't want to be known for a cold heart! Please, help me! I t would mean so much!" she cried. In a much softer tone, she added, "Please, Seto…help me…."

"Alright…alright, I'll help you," he tried hushing her up. For some reason, deep inside his mind, he hated to see her cry.

I hope you SetoxAnzu fans enjoyed that! I'm getting to some good stuff starting next chapter (I hope). Soon enough, a…plot twist, will be appearing. Just you wait…. PLEASE REVIEW!