Author's Note: Hi everyone! I am finally back with Ch. 5. Sorry for the very long wait. Like I said in the AN for Ch. 3, I'm very busy. So yeah.

This chapter has to do with work, work, work. Sorry... I want to change the atmosphere and have scenes elsewhere, but I can't really think of any actual scenes. -.- Feel free to drop in an idea.

Oh, and sorry(again!) to anyone(everyone) who was anticipating a huge morning scene when Kaiba wakes up. In my opinion, there's nothing of the such. Sorry for the disappointment.

Review replies will be featured at the end of the chapter this time, so check there. Thanx to all you wonderful reviewers out there! This story is dedicated to you guys!

Some of you may notice that the beginning of this chapter is a bit... I dunno... dazed. Hazy. It's supposed to be that way, ok? Just so you know.

Oh, and by the way, I updated my bio page, so you guys can check there if you haven't already. I'll be having a little "Sneak Peek" thing for the next chapter... Ooh, like a movie trailer! Hee hee...

I hope you all enjoy Chappie 5!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. But I do own this computer. Actually, no, I don't... Wait, yes I do!... Hm... Do I?... :sweatdrops:

Anywhere But Here

Chapter 5: Stuck

He knew there something wrong. The air, the light, the vibes that the atmosphere gave off.

Without opening his eyes, Kaiba stirred a bit, slightly moving his arms. He froze. The texture of blanket on him was... fluffy.

Fluffy.

Fluffy.

Kaiba shot up, and his eyes widened with horror. He was sitting on a fluffy bed. With fluffy pillows. And green, fluffy covers. A white desk with a green lamp. Pale green curtains draped by a huge window, which was letting in lots of sunlight.

Sunlight. Morning sunlight. It was morning? B-but he was just at the bar at "The Ice Crown." No... He couldn't have slept with some-...

Kaiba hastily looked beside him on the big bed. No one. The position of the blankets implied that he was the only one that had ruffled it. Kaiba let out a sigh of relief. Of course he hadn't actually slept with someone... There was no way he would have been crazy enough to do that, or be attracted to a girl- any girl. No one was worthy of him...

And like a stack of books, murky thoughts began to topple into his memory.

---Flashback---

"A-are you ok?" a blue-eyed brunette asked him

He automatically responded, "I'm fine." He got up...

A girl was dancing among the blur of the crowds in the club. Her body seemed fluid; it bent and curved into impossible positions. Her eyes were half closed, but he could see the vibrant blue beneath each eyelid. She danced in a half trance as if not only her body was dancing, but her soul...

He was leaning on someone... He would have fallen, but that someone supported him... They were walking... Kaiba felt his feet moving under him... "Only a bit farther," a tired voice whispered...

End Flashback+

But who was that mysterious someone? Who was that mysterious dancer? Were they the same person? Was it all a dream?

No... it was real. The thoughts were murky, but they were real. A dancer... he didn't know any dancers... Except for Mazaki, but-

Blue-eyed brunet. Nooo... it could not have been her. Kaiba refused to even think about that.

He looked around the room again. No signs of who his host(ess?) was. There were no pictures, but there was a note on the bedside table. A note? Hmm... Kaiba picked it up. It was green and white stationary. "God, even this note matches the room colors," he muttered. He read it.

Good morning, Kaiba!

Um, I know you are probably wondering why you're here, and where you are. I'll explain. Yesterday night, I found you in the "Ice Crown" club... You seemed to be drunk, and passed out in front of me. I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you to my home. You are now currently in the guest room of my residence.

Feel free to take a shower... or use any of my appliances; I don't mind. There's food in the fridge- help yourself.

I hope you feel better!

Now and Forever,

Anzu Mazaki

ANZU MAZAKI? No. There must be someone else in Domino with that name. Kaiba looked frantically around the note to find some clue, any clue to prove that this person was someone else. But there as nothing else on the letter except for a little chibi drawing of Mazaki. It was actually a tiny bit cute... (AN: Kaiba did not actually think this phrase in his thoughts; he unknowing felt this way.) The little sparkling blue eyes were definitely those of Mazaki... it was definitely her. Kaiba moaned.

He got out of the bed and took a good look of himself in the long mirror on the closet door. He was wearing the same clothing as yesterday, and his shoes were neatly put at the foot of the bed. Beside them was a pair of black house slippers. Kaiba stepped into them; even if he hated the owner of this house, he still had manners.

Kaiba gladly hurried out of the guest room and began to explore the house. This guest door led into a little hallway that had three other doors. After opening them, he discovered that the first was a bathroom and the second was a towel closet. The third door led into a study/computer room. Kaiba walked in here.

He had to admit that this room was quite decent. It was decorated with silver, blue and black, and the computers were all very high quality and new. Before he realized what he was doing, Kaiba turned one on. It took a few seconds to load; Kaiba sat down in the swivel chair.

You really shouldn't be doing this, the Conscience scolded him. "Mazaki told me to feel free to look around," he sneered. "Not that I need her permission. I don't care about what she says." Is this revenge for her bringing here? Conscience said in an annoying motherly and sympathized tone. "No."

The monitor suddenly changed and a photo of Anzu filled the screen. Automatically Kaiba flinched without knowing he had done so. The picture was not one of the countless photos of Anzu the Model with her shiny chocolate-brown hair in the wind. No, it was Anzu the High Schooler, squeezed between that mutt and some guy... Taylor, was it?... and with that Yugi right below her. Each of them had big, genuine grins plastered on their faces, and their fingers were splayed out in peace signs, Japanese-style. They seemed to have just gotten out of school, because they still wore their school uniforms. Kaiba scrutinized the picture, and noticed that Anzu's left hand(which was in the V-sign). Her long, slender ring finger had a little bandage around it...

---Flashback---

Finally. It was over. Kaiba's school career had ended... Kaiba's diploma was in his briefcase; he had just gone to the principal's office to personally receive it. At last, he could work at his job more, and school wouldn't get in the way as it had in the past.

Kaiba walked out of the school's front doors without a look back. Cutting through the huge front lawn/garden of the school, he noticed a girl sitting alone on a stone bench below a wisteria tree.

Kaiba scoffed. He hoped she wasn't one of the screaming fangirls who threw themselves on him. They were incredibly annoying, though Kaiba just dodged them(and to the floor they crashed).

As he neared her, he could see her talking on a pink flip-cellphone out of the corner of his eye. "Sure... I can't see you. You're walking this way? I'm at the bench by the wisteria tree. Where are you? By the bike stands? I still don't... Oh, I see you waving!" She hung up, and immediately stood up. Kaiba saw her face, and scowled. It was that annoying cheerleader. He walked faster.

She abruptly turned and took a step right into Kaiba, who happened to be crossing the bench at this split-moment. They crashed, and down they went.

Kaiba could feel every contour and curve of the dancer's body mold perfectly into his. He gasped a little when her weight hit his chest, and inhaled her fresh apple perfume. Her hands were on his arms; he could feel each slender finger grasping his uniform. And her chest was pressed on his. Enough said.

Mazaki let out a little moan of pain. She pushed herself up into sitting position, while still on Kaiba. Not even bothering to see who her chair was, she worriedly looked at her left ring finger. "Ow..." There was a small gash that had blood gushing freely from it. She picked a piece a glass out of the wound. Forgetting even who she was or what he was doing, Kaiba sat up a little(Mazaki was in his lap) and took her finger. He carefully wiped the blood away from the cut.

Realizing his position and what he had just done, his personality grew very, very icy. Without warning, he shoved the shocked girl off of him and got up with perfect elegance. "Never cross into the path of a billionaire," he simply growled. "It'll cause problems." He walked off, leaving behind a very confused and speechless Mazaki. "Kaiba..." she murmured disbelievingly, more to herself. "Th-thank you," she called out to him hesitantly. Kaiba kept on walking.

At this moment, Yugi, Joey and Tristan arrived at the scene. Apparently, they hadn't seen what had happened.

"Ey, Anzu," Joey happily greeted her. He seemed to notice something. "Why ya lickin yo finger?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Hm? Oh, um, no big reason. I got a paper cut earlier, that's all," she hastily replied. "Do any of you have a bandage? Or napkin?"

Kaiba heard this all but did not look back. As he stepped into his waiting limo, his words echoed back at him. "Never cross into the path of a billionaire." What had made him say something like that? ...Little did Kaiba know how much Anzu Mazaki would disobey this order.

---End Flashback---

So this picture had been taken on the last day of school. How very Mazaki-like.

A noise made Kaiba snap back to present day. He immediately turned off the computer and stepped out of the room. Silence reigned the penthouse again.

Slowly and deliberately, Kaiba quietly walked out of the hallway and into the living room. It was quite big and designed well. The dining room was auburn and black, and the window showed a wonderful view. The balcony that wound around the whole penthouse also had an outstanding view of Domino and the ocean. All the rooms, Kaiba had to grudgingly admit, were decorated quite well. But he gave the credit to the interior designers, not... her.

Another hallway led out of the living room. He cautiously entered it. This little quest he was on was like that computer game "Minesweeper". The more doors you open, the closer you get to finding the bomb. This bomb was Anzu Mazaki.

There were four doors. The first he opened was the master bathroom, with a marble jacuzzi and marble and glass everything. The second door was a bedroom. The bedroom. The bomb.

She was lying on a big, pink and blue bed, asleep. The sunlight splashed onto her face and body, which was covered with what seemed to be the same clothing she wore to the club; it was red and black, and revealed Mazaki's well toned stomach.

Kaiba automatically stepped out of the room and shut the door firmly. No thoughts processed through his brain, only a numb feeling. He did not run, but took big and brisk steps toward the front door. That was an amazing thing about Kaiba- even if he had only been in this penthouse once, he had already almost memorized its floor plan. He had amazing memory.

Right before he yanked the front door open, however, Kaiba saw a note on the door. Pink and blue. Like her bedroom.

Well, I guess you're leaving now! I know you are probably angry with me... But I will honestly tell you that I'm not sorry. I brought you here in hopes that you'd feel better and more comfortable, considering that you were DRUNK.

I hope you have a good day!

Now and Forever,

Anzu Mazaki

Kaiba read these words over and over again. Yes, this was definitely Anzu Mazaki. She had refused to say sorry, or say that she was wrong, or anything like that... just like the stubborn Mazaki he used to know. He was sure the last sentence before her closing was written sarcastically.

Kaiba sighed and walked back into his guest room. He first put on his own shoes, and then searched the desk for a piece of paper and pen. All he could find was mostly decorated stationary. Finally, he walked back to the computer room and found a post-it and fountain pen. He wrote something on it.

Kaiba heard the noise of someone stirring. He hastily scribbled a couple more words, then took the post-it in his hand and walked into the hallway. He walked into the living room and paused. After a few seconds, he heard the rustling of blankets as Mazaki slowly got out of bed. He heard footsteps, and a yawn. The door to her room opened. Kaiba bolted, but quietly. He hurried toward the front door. More footsteps echoed. The note! Kaiba hastily stuck it onto a little table a few feet away. The footsteps sounded louder as they moved closer and closer to Kaiba. He quickly opened the door and slipped out. The door quietly clicked shut.

That was odd. Anzu was quite sure that someone-undoubtedly Kaiba- had still been in her house when she woke up. But the entrance "hall"/alcove was empty when she entered. Oh well.

She saw a little post-it stuck on the shoe shelf/closet-thing(AN: Gee, I'm so descriptive!). Picking it up, she read it:

You can leave me alone in the future.

S.K.

Thanks.

Anzu gawked in shock at the note. The first sentence seemed oblivious to her eyes as she read the last word. It was hastily written on like an afterthought, but the word was as clear as day.

Kaiba had thanked her. Kaiba had thanked her. Kaiba had thanked her.

Whoa. Wow. Anzu felt woozy.

A certain blue-eyed brunette hummed a soft, half-forgotten tune as she practically skipped through the lobby of KaibaCorp. To the people and attendants standing by the front counters, the beautiful woman seemed extra cheerful.

Which she was... for reasons Anzu did not know. She assumed that it was because she loved this new job so much... her fellow staff were very sweet to her. Unbeknown to her, however, was another reason for her happiness...

Anzu quickened her pace, eager to get on the elevator as fast as possible. She was especially determined to do this, because (1) the pictures from yesterday's photo shoot were developed, and her group(Anzu and her staff) would be able to look at them. The other reason was to beat Kaiba.

It was quite creepy. Every single day ever since that faithful Friday when a certain cat had been saved by a certain girl who had been saved by a certain guy, Anzu had been "stuck" for twenty,long, agonizing seconds with Kaiba in the elevator. It was as if God was punishing her by forcing her into an ice chamber with the Dark Lord of Doom. Seriously. What were the chances of her being stuck with Seto Kaiba every day in the elevator! Both of them had to pick just twenty consecutive seconds in 864,000, and their choices just had to be the same. It must be the work of some supreme being gout there.

So as you can see, Anzu as more than eager to get rid of this... curse. Plus it'd be just plain awkward to run into Kaiba after this morning. Uber comfortableness. However, Anzu promised herself that if she ever saw Kaiba today, she'd NEVER mention the incident; she'd DIE of embarrassment.

But when she hastily entered the elevator, and the elevator stopped at level four, guess who was there. Mm hmm.

Anzu bit her lip to restrain herself from belting out a stream of choice... um... bad words. Kaiba looked as bored as ever, but beneath this expressionless mask Anzu saw annoyance and frustration. "Only twenty seconds," Anzu told herself. "Only twenty seconds. 19. 18."

The elevator's temperature was wobbling dangerously between Kaiba's iciness and his smoldering glare. "15, 14..." Out of nowhere, Anzu remembered a random question from a high school survey: "Would you rather burn to death or freeze to death?" Anzu sniffed. She was going to die both ways, all under the eyes of Seto Kaiba. "8, 7, 6..."

Anzu counted down the last five seconds. "...3, 2, 1." The little elevator bell rang.

But the doors didn't open.

Anzu waited patiently for them to separate.

They didn't.

No. No. It couldn't be. Anzu knew that this elevator was evil, but not devilish enough to break down on her.

Anzu tentatively poked/pulled on the elevator doors. "Heh heh. Um," she giggled nervously, not looking at Kaiba. "The door kind of won't open." Lame lame lame.

"I can see that," Kaiba snapped coldly. He shoved Anzu to the side, and she fell onto the bench that ran along one of the elevator's sides(which has a view from a window of Domino) "Seriously, that beast has NO respect!" Anzu screamed in her head. Kaiba took no notice, and expertly put his fingers in the crack of the doors. As he pulled, Anzu saw his biceps tense through his clothing.(AN: FYI, he changed for work. Just in case you were wondering.) "Oh my," she thought blankly. Kaiba did not exactly strike her as a person to work out. Well, she always thought of him to be... built, but to see Kaiba with a sweatband covering his forehead... Anzu almost laughed out loud, but stopped herself just in time.

"Damn." Kaiba dropped his arms. He hadn't tried very hard to open the elevator(like some superhero), but only purposefully pulled slightly to see the "strength" of the doors being together. He acted like Anzu wasn't there, and took out his sleek, metallic cellphone, clicked something, and put it to his ear. "Get the repairmen to the East Entrance and fix the third elevator. Yes... Yes... I am. Try not to get the media on us; if you do, I'll personally make sure to remove you from our staff." He hung up. Once again, Kaiba ignored Anzu and sat on the opposite side of the bench that Anzu was on. He took out a laptop out of nowhere(AN?) and flipped up the screen. It automatically flicked on; he began typing.

Anzu stared, confused. If he was working right now in an elevator, it could only because of one of two reasons: (1) He was very, very, very, very, very busy, or (2) they were stuck here for a long time. Anzu hoped it was the first idea. "Let him suffer from the work," she silently thought evilly. "Hmph."

As this train of thought pattered quietly away, Anzu settled into an awkward silence. She wanted to know what was going on, but didn't want to ask Kaiba. It'd make her seem... "inferior", Or dependent, or something.

But she wanted to know what was going on! Anzu fought this mental battle- pride or knowledge. Pride or knowledge. Pride or knowledge. Knowledge.

She tentatively asked Kaiba, "Um... what's going on?" She bit her lip, knowing very well that her question was the lamest of lame.

Kaiba stopped typing, but didn't look up. "The elevator will be fixed in half an hour," he finally said in a monotone voice. He resumed his work.

"Oh! Good!" Anzu exclaimed, delighted that she had got Kaiba to talk without (him) making a remark or something. Then it dawned on her. "Wait-urm- no, that's bad!"she voiced her thoughts out loud. Oh my gosh, I'm babbling like some bubble-headed idiot! What is wrong with me right now! Anzu thought. Seriously, what had happened to "protecting" her pride? Then it really really struck her.

She was stuck with Seto Kaiba. In an elevator. And her mind wasn't functioning properly. This was not a good way to start her day.

---5 minutes later---

Seriously, how much more AWKWARD could this get? Anzu had the sudden urge to crawl under the bench, curl up, and fall asleep. But no, the bench wasn't hollow- it was a full block of maple wood.

"My shadow's the only thing that walks beside me..." her loud, rumbling cellphone began its noisy recording of "boulevard of Broken Dreams". (AN: I don't own that song:sniff:)

"Oh!" Anzu hastily pulled her cell out; she flipped it open and put it to her ear. "Hi, this is Anzu," she said cheerfully. Kaiba continued typing, not bothering to look up.

"Hey, hun," a female voice responded. "Mai!" Anzu exclaimed nervously. Of all people, her annoying matchmaker/friend had to call. At the worst time. Anzu desperately wanted to be anywhere, anywhere but here.

"So, um, why call now?" she squeaked.

"That's a nice way to greet me," Mai scolded. "Are you busy now?"

"Yeah, I'm at work," Anzu replied. She bit her lip, realizing how dumb her responser was.

"Oh! At KaibaCorp?" Mai immediately perked up.

"Yeah..."

At this moment, there as a cellphone recording-thing of a song called "Wake Up"(AN: This is a real (awesome!) Chinese rock/pop song... I don't own it!). Kaiba pulled out his cell and opened it, putting it to his ear. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Anzu? Anzu!" Mai's voice interrupted(but didn't penetrate through) Anzu's shocked state. Seto Kaiba had a ringtone. With music. That cold jerk listened to music. Moreover, it was music that she listened to. They had similar tastes in music. Oh my. Anzu had just made a startling discovery: Seto Kaiba had the tiniest chance of actually being normal.

"Aaaaaanzuuuu..." Mai had resorted to singing her name. She automatically snapped back. "Mm?"

"So like I was saying, this would be the perfect time to call you." Mai kept on babbling on and on. Anzu was beginning to find it difficult to have both ears listening to two conversations.

"I don't care, those economists are wrong! The market sales have been predicted and graphed, and too many discs have been pre-ordered; I can prove them wrong... Yes... I know..."

"..So I was online earlier and looked at your popularity, hun, and do you now how hight it is with..."

"...They've been wrong for the past sales- those economists are incapable amateurs! They've only been hired for three months..."

"...So remember our agreement. You only have until tomorrow to set up a meeting for me. You know, with Kaiba."

"Um... ok," Anzu slowly replied. She'd been very busy all this time, and hadn't even remembered her agreement. And she only had until tomorrow.

"I'll try to soon," she said at last.

"Ok-"

"So fire them as soon as possible," Kaiba growled, emphasizing the last four words.

To Anzu's complete horror, Mai stopped in mid-sentence and said, puzzled, "Anzu, who's that in the background? A man? (sigh.) I told you not to get involved with any other men- that'd be totally cheating on Kaiba."

"KAIBA AND I-" Anzu screamed. The other occupant of the elevator looked up, straight at Anzu. Matrix- slow motion! Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just blurted out and what Kaiba was probably thinking.

"What?" Kaiba growled, irritated.

Ignoring the cell in her hand and the loud voice coming from it, Anzu tried to think up something -anything- to say. "Um... Nothing!... I'm...," she drawled. "Talking to a friend! No, media! I mean, my friend's a... reporter. For the media! Ans she's... asking me... questions..." she finished, wincing at her words.

Kaiba gave Anzu an icy stare that showed he completely didn't believe her. But he didn't respond and went right back to his work.

Anzu couldn't believe how easy she was let off. "ANZU?" a voice blared from her cell.

Right here," she said as casually as possible. Now convincing Mai about Kaiba was going to be harder.

"Who is that! Are you alone with that man? Who could he be?" Mai began babbling to herself. "A deep, husky voice... hmm... and something about economics... Oh my god, he's one of those bald, nerdy guys with glasses! Wait, he seems to have power to be ordering people around like that... A manager? President? CEO?"

Silence. For a split second, Anzu thought that maybe, just maybe Mai had hit her her head and fallen unconsicous... And would wake up with no memory of the conversation.

"KAIBA?" Mai screamed. Anzu's heart sank. No, more like dropped and dissipated, along with her stomach and throat.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" she finally screamed back."I- he- no!" All of a sudden, Anzu did not care if she was blushing madly. Or that Kaiba was staring at her in alarm, not bothering to hide his emotions. And annoyance. Or that she was standing up and had collapsed onto her knees and finally completely down on the floor. All she cared about at the moment was to not let Mai know who was in the elevator with her. Because she would SO get the wrong idea.

"IT IS IT IS IT IS!" Mai practically hollered.

"NO NO NO!" Anzu practically hollered back. "Um, um, um, my boss Hiroko's calling me. Gotta go!" Anzu shoved her thumb onto the "End" button and stashed it into her bag. She huffed in relief, blowing the lonely strands of hair on her face that had fallen there in Anzu's frenzy.

Kaiba watched this all with an amused- amused- expression. "Someone's pissed," he said simply. Anzu opened her eyes and glared at him. So their silence war was over. Kaiba had changed the battlefield. Oh, and Anzu would fight. She was pissed.

"Just... shut up and go back to your work," Anzu shot back weakly. What was with her lameness with words today?

Kaiba smirked. It seemed as if he'd make some retort, but to Anzu's surprise, he ignored her once again and got back to working. Anzu knew that Kaiba wasn't actually obeying what she had said, because he probably really did have lots of work and was ignoring Anzu for that... But still, Anzu was a bit happy for getting the last word of the "conversation".

Anzu just glared up at him for a few long moments. Then she huffed again, got up, and sat down on the bench with as much dignity as she could muster. She shot Kaiba another stare(muttering the word, "jerk"), and took out her cell, pretending to do something on it. Of course, she was doing anything but.

Her thoughts drifted to what Mai had said. "KAIBA!" Mai screamed. Anzu cringed at the memory. Um... rewind. "...So remember our agreement. You only have until tomorrow to set up a meeting for me. You know, with Kaiba." Anzu sighed. How was she supposed to do that? She was currently on obviously bad terms with the guy. And she wouldn't see him today or tomorrow. Except for right now. Anzu almost gasped. What happened if this was one of those "Now or Never" things? She SO hoped not.

But was there any other possible time? Nope. ...But maybe she could convince Mai to extend her time. No, Mai was never a patient one.

Yup. It was now or never. Anzu groaned.

She really was annoying. Why couldn't she just mind her own little business in her own little world? That'd benefit Kaiba so much.

He wanted to leave this elevator as soon as possible, or else that girl would drive him crazy(AN: ooh...). It was good that yesterday night/this morning's incident hadn't been mentioned; it was as if they had silently made a mutual agreement to act as if it had never happened. And Kaiba would have ignored it anyway.

Now, back to work. Kaiba began typing up some information for a specific prototype for KaibaCorp's next piece of new technology.

Anzu huffed again. Kaiba watched her from the corner of his eye. She seemed to be battling some decision in her mind. He could tell that she was going to say something.

"Um... Mr. Kaiba," she finally said in a firm, professional voice(that was totally different from the one she had used earlier). That was expected.

Kaiba slowed down his typing speed, and contemplated how to respond, because his reply would definitely set the mood of the conversation. At last, he decided to ignore Mazaki to infuriate her.

Silence. "Mr. Kaiba," she said firmly again, louder this time.

Kaiba put on an irritated expression and said in an exasperated voice, "What do you want, girl?"

Mazaki seemed taken aback. Kaiba saw shock and annoyance on her face, but she skillfully masked it. She responded, "I'm honestly trying to treat you with respect, Mr. Kaiba, so please so in return for me."

"But you don't deserve any, Mazaki," Kaiba said lazily. He was beginning to enjoy this conversation.

Mazaki looked very offended, but controlled her anger coolly. Before she could reply, Kaiba said in a vexed manner, "Say what you want, but don't take too long wasting my time."

This time, Mazaki didn't hide her emotions on her face. She looked away, out the window, breathing slowly.

"Well?" Kaiba said.

Mazaki glared at him and looked out the window again. "...I'd like to set up a meeting between you and Mai Valentine for business purposes."

There. She had said it. Anzu relaxed a little, glad that she was relieved of her little errand. But she quickly tensed up again, knowing that her pride was possibly in Kaiba's hands to crush.

Kaiba gave Anzu a why-would-I-want-to-have-a-meeting-with-Valentine-since-she's-the-president-of-a-clothing-company-when-mine's-a-real-more-important-one-than-hers look.

"What make you think that I'd accept this invitation?", he finally growled.

How am I supposed to replay to that! Anzu thought. "Um..." she said aloud. "Because... she owns... a... successful company?"

Kaiba smirked. " Which happens to sell women's clothing. But her company's nothing compared to mine. Tell her no."

Ok, Anzu was desperate now. She must get this meeting. It seemed quite important to Mai. "But you have to!" she pleaded. Wait- now she sounded like she was begging Kaiba. Ooh, wrong way to go.

Anzu straightened her back and awkwardly changed her expression. She gave the oblivious Kaiba a stern eye and said, almost nonchalantly, "Oh well. I guess I'll just ask Mokie. He'll easily set up a meeting for me." Which was a totally on-the-spot, big, fat lie. She hadn't even contacted Kaiba's little brother since she got back(AN: Oh, shoot! I forgot to invite him to the party in Ch. 3! Sorry Mokie. -.-)

"After all," she went on, "ignoring" Kaiba(who had given her his full attention), "we are best of friends." At least that part was true. Mokuba was almost Anzu's little brother.

Kaiba stared at Anzu, then shook his head, hiding a smile. "I know you're bluffing," he said. "I have to admit, you're good at it. But I'm not that easily fooled. If you're so desperate for a meeting, I'll just give your little friend one. Out of pity." Before Anzu could protest, he clicked something on his laptop(probably a calender-schedule or something) and said offhandedly, "I'll book Wednesday the 20th from 3:00 to 3:15PM."

"That's only fifteen minutes!" Anzu exclaimed.

"I'm a very busy man. Take it or leave it," Kaiba smirked.

Anzu glared at Kaiba(for like, the tenth time). She mumbled, "Whatever."

He typed something onto his laptop, not responding.

Kaiba had no idea why he had agreed to Mazaki's proposal. Mai Valentine was that shallow-minded ditz who only cared about money and clothing. Moreover, she was a horrible duelist, which was probably the reason she had stopped playing six years ago. He had given away fifteen minutes of his life to spend on a meeting with the bubbly idiot. Yet here he was, typing away on his computer planner that those precious fifteen minutes were booked. Which brought up the question again: Why had he agreed?

Truthfully, it was because he was in a good mood. He didn't know why- he had a bad morning(cough) and a bad mood entering the elevator. Yet now he was fine.

Kaiba assumed this was because of that Mazaki girl. Not that he was happy she was there, Kaiba assured himself, but because she was making a fool of herself. Yet Kaiba had this... "complete" feeling rarely... Only with one person: Mokuba.

What was up with that?

Mazaki giggled; she also seemed to be in a better mood. Kaiba looked up questioningly. She pointed out the window. "Look at those two pigeons. They're fighting like an old married couple."

Kaiba didn't bother to look, but only said, "If they're fighting, they're probably both males arguing over property and mates."

"I know, but still," Mazaki replied. "It's cute to imagine them as a girl-boy couple."

"Then you've got your facts wrong and you're being ignorant and stupid," Kaiba said, rolling his eyes. He had the urge to add "As usual", but decided against it.

"No, I just have an imagination, unlike you," Mazaki retorted. She prodded at the glass window. "See. Look." Kaiba ignored her. She prodded harder and said, "Come on, it's not that hard." Kaiba rolled his eyes again and looked out the window.

"You can't see from there," Mazaki said, and pulled his arm. Kaiba jolted a little when her fingers contacted his arm, but she didn't seem to notice. Kaiba reluctantly leaned over(not noticing that he was half-hovering over Mazaki) to look out the window. Sure enough, two pigeons were having a not-so-little disagreement. Kaiba let out a little laugh, and was about to lean back to sit back down, but th elevator suddenly jolted upwards and he fell on top of Mazaki.

It didn't end there- Mazaki lost balance with the weight on top of her and they tumbled to the ground.

Thankfully, the two bodies weren't pressed together when this happened. But Mazaki was warm... Kaiba was hugging a bundle of warmth...

"Shit." The elevator doors would open any second. He couldn't let anyone see him in a position like this- they'd get the wrong idea. Now that the elevator was suddenly fixed, he had about ten seconds until the doors parted...

Ten.

Kaiba and Anzu struggled to untangle their limbs.

Nine.

Kaiba managed to get onto his elbows, then hands, while still over Anzu.

Eight.

Anzu attempted to get up, knocking Kaiba over.

Seven.

Kaiba sat up, cursing, and the two tried to get up at the same time; no avail.

Six.

It's hard to do it at the same time in such a small space.

Five.

Come on, teamwork!

Four.

Kaiba managed to stand up; his arm was being used by Anzu as a support to get up.

Three.

As Kaiba got yanked down, Anzu got up quickly, and they bumped heads.

Two.

Ouch.

One.

Suck that pain in!

Zero.

George, the repairman, was standing in front of the level nine elevator opening, unbelievably bored. He knew he should be grateful that he could actually do something today, since nothing in the KaibaCorp Building ever really broke, being hi-tech and all. But honestly, he was bored.

Ding! "Level... Nine." The elevator doors slowly opened. There stood a very pissed-looking, stiff Mr. Kaiba and a Miss Mazaki who was clutching her head and crying, "My head, my head..."

George's jaw dropped. Standing in front of him were two of the world's most famous people! "G-good morning," he stuttered, bowing deeply.

Miss Mazaki seemed to just notice the doors were open. She paused her ranting and looked at George, who felt his face warm up. She instantly smile, and said cheerfully, "Oh, Good Morning to you too!" in a polite voice, dipping her head. Kaiba didn't even acknowledge George's presence, and stormed out the elevator, muttering something about bad service.

Anzu looked at him(or his back) with an annoyed expression. She smiled an dthanked the bewildered repairman again, and then walked down one of the hallways.

Right when she turned the corner, Anzu dropped her cheerful face expression and moped. It was good that no one was there on the ninth level to watch what had happened, but it was still embarrassing. Anzu rubbed her head- it still hurt as if a brick had been dropped on her skull. Why the heck were all these things happening to her and Kaiba! Fate was EVIL. E-V-I-L. Anzu sniffed and sulked some more.

"Good morning, Anzu!" a cheerful voice sang out. Anzu looked up and immediately smiled, her thoughts melting away. Itoe, her staff/friend was running towards her. "Good morning, Itoe!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"

"Wonderful as always," Itoe giggled. "And you?"

"Fine," Anzu lied. "Am I late today?" She worriedly looked at her watch.

"Nah, it's only ten o'clock. Come on, Hiroko said that she wanted to go over the photos immediately!"

"Ok!" Anzu replied, and the two practically danced into the lounge.

"Koniichiwa!" Anzu greeted Hiroko and Luke. (AN: That is what they say, right? I dunno.)

"And to you," they chorused. "Come sit down," Hiroko told Anzu and Itoe. They did so.

Anzu saw that the table they were sitting around as scattered with photos of her. The backgrounds were mostly different colors and designs- some were dark red, and some were honey with faint, yellow strips. Anzu's hair was blown with the fan on all the pics- they had decided not to put it up in styles for this photo shoot. She was dressed in a casual, summery clothing. In each photo, she was holding a Duel Monsters card.

"I like these four best best," Luke said, picking them out, "but I like these eleven best." He took out seven more.

"You can't choose so many, Luke," Hiroko scolded. She picked two out- one with an olive green background, and the honey-colored one with stripes.

Itoe pouted. "This is hard," she complained. "Anzu looks so beautiful in all of them."

"That's not true," Anzu argued. "I look so dorky." She pulled out a photo of her in mid-twirl, holding the "Mystical Goddess" (ABN: I think that's what it's called. Can't remember.) card which had an azure and sky/cerulean blue background. "See?"

"That's my favorite," Itoe automatically said. She grabbed it out of Anzu's hand and scrutinized it. Itoe grinned and said, "It's perfect!" Luke and Hiroko quickly leaned in.

"It is," Luke murmured.

"I seem not to have noticed that one," Hiroko said. "But it's beautiful."

"Guys! I don't believe you! That is the ugliest, most cheesy photo of me ever in my twenty-one years!" She held up another random photo frantically. "See? This one's so much better. How about this one?" They gave her no attention.

"I will not, not, NOT let you use that photo!" she exclaimed.

"I can't believe they're using that photo," Anzu moaned as she slowly twirled on her office swivel chair. She gloomily threw a crumpled piece of blank paper into the trash can. "It's unbelievable." They had chosen the weirdest picture for Anzu's first advertisement, which would be plastered all over posters and buildings in Domino, and everywhere else in the world.

She looked so... absurd in that pic! Anzu was kind of twirling, and the photo was shot when her back was facing the camera and her upper body was turned to also face it, along with her right arm and hand, which was holding the card between the index and middle finger. She was wearing a fashionable white, open-collar over-thing where the left "strip"/piece/side of the fabric crossed over the right one, which was crossed to the left. Kind of like a jacket. Or bathrobe. And the two parts tied in the back. (AN: Ah, I dunno how to explain!) She wore a brown tank top underneath and a classy black skirt that flared out a little at the bottom.

Two words: COMPLETE DORK.

"Uhhhh..." Anzu moaned. She didn't want to think about it. She had to focus on something else.

Her eyes landed on a little, green gift-wrapped box with a small, pink bow. Anzu smiled and grabbed it. She carefully pulled off the ribbon and gently lifted the tape from the wrapping. After opening th e box, she found a little note from Luke's little sister, Mei, saying that she was a HUGE fan of Anzu and welcoming her to KaibaCorp. There was also a small piece of blank but decorated paper. Anzu immediately understood; she took out a sparkly pen and signed it, and wrote a little note to Mei.

Then, Anzu looked inside the box. Nestled in some cushion was a little chibi figure charm of Anzu as a ballerina. IT seemed custom made- the cellphone charm looked exactly like Anzu. She giggled and took out her cell, and hooked the charm onto it. Then she began to write a personal thank you note.

There was a soft knock on the door. Anzu put her phone away, and said, "Come in." Itoe walked in. "Hi, Itoe," Anzu greeted her.

"Hi," Itoe said. "Um, Mr. Kaiba told me to deliver this to you." She handed Anzu a little envelope. "Actually," she went on. "He phoned the secretary and the secretary phoned me to send this by hand, but whatever." Itoe laughed. "Mr. Kaiba rarely associates with us lowly co-workers," she half joked.

Anzu accepted the envelope with thanks. She curiously opened the expensive thing, and took out a card. It must have been very expensive; there were blue engravings of dragons along the edge/border, and the words were scripted in gold:

"Anzu Mazaki

is invited to the dinner party

in Celebration of the release of the latest Duel Disc: Unleashed"

on Monday, July 18th

from 8:00 PM to midnight

at "The Ice Crown"

Directions are attached

Invitation must be presented for admission"

"The Ice Crown!" Anzu exclaimed, nearly dropping the card. "A dinner party in a club?"

"Actually," Itoe said sheepishly. "It's anything but formal. The 'dinner party' thing is just an excuse to have a... celebration. Mr. Kaiba doesn't set these things up- though he attends them(because he has to); it's one of the managers. The guy just loves parties."

"...I see," Anzu smiled.

"So? Can you come?" Itoe replied, anxious. "I know this was a late invitation, but the managers really want you to come. There aren't that many people invited, so it's an honor. By the way, I'll be going."

"Tell him, or whoever's in charge, that I can attend. Thank you!" Anzu replied.

"No problem!" Itoe exclaimed happily and skipped out of the room.

Anzu looked fondly at Itoe as she left. Then she looked back at the card. "This will be interesting," she thought.

Ok, I lied. Long chapter. Sue me.

Mystical Aquafina: Yeah, I was laughing so much when I wrote that scene! I am so mean to Anzu... Yet I don't feel bad. Lol Gauri92: I agree! It is definitely awkward to have your enemy in your house... kagome1316: Gah, you flatter me! Seriously, my story's not that good! I'm not a great writer. Mischiefmagnet:sniff: Sorry... I've never been to a bar or club, considering that I'm 13, but still, that scene wasn't written that well. I feel bad. But thank you! Gee, your reviews always make me so happy! You're like a big sister I never had. Or brother. Wait, you're a girl, right? Of course you are. A Devil in Heaven: Yeah, I also really liked the chibi thoughts. I'm glad you did, too! Firevixen73: Sorry... I failed you! I didn't update soon enough. I'm terribly sorry! Seguha: Once again, I feel bad about not updating soon like you all told me to. :sniff: Sorry! Gekkou Hana: WAHH I feel even worse! I didn't update this chapter very soon... But I'll try to put up chapter six faster! Amberblood: lol I loved these two scenes, too! Slytherinsess: Ha ha! I'm sorry for being in control of your sanity! lol Tyronica: yeah, I tried to slow it down. It also seemed a bit fast for me. Hopefully I can add a couple more bumps on the long road to Kaiba and Anzu's final relationship! KaibaYamiLover: There are still a lot of chapters coming up:throws confetti: Crystallyne: DKRaven: OMG. I'm OBSESSED with cute stuff. But that doesn't have to do with anything, does it? Yeah, I loved that scene, too! Hedwig-the-MilleniumOwl: It's funny? Yayy... I tried to make it so, but I was a bit worried that my humor might be cheesy or something. NarakuChic001: Aw, thanks! I'm not that good a writer... It's only my hobby. KeikoGurl: lol I made it mysterious so that the reader could :ahem: "pick" where the hand went! I was also pretty mortified at the idea! Thank you! Can't-Think-Of-A-Good-Name-So-This-Will-Do: lol, ok, thanks! MorningRUM: Hm? Ch. 3 didn't update? Try to click the "Refresh" button. I dunno... I'm not an expert at computers! Living Arrow: lol In the TV show, one of Kaiba's helper-people is called "Roland". So I tried to pick out a kind of word like that. "Schultz" is actually a real last name! Oh, and sorry about the misunderstanding about the Mai/Kaiba/Anzu meeting. I'll explain that four paragraphs down. I know, I was unclear in my writing. My fault. Sorry!

Yay! This story has been accepted into the "The Heart of A Dragon" c2! Thank you!

I'm so sorry to Mokie! He SO should have been in the get-together in chapter two... but I totally forgot. Wahh...

Gee... :rubs head worriedly: I need some major help for Mai's meeting with Kaiba. I dunno what she should do! I originally had a plan, but then realized it wouldn't work.

I think we need some clarification here due to my horrible and unclear writing. In chapter 2, Mai and Anzu had a bet that the Gang would/wouldn't talk about the cat incident. If Anzu won, Mai would promise not to talk about matching up Kaiba and Anzu anymore. If Mai won, she could make Anzu do one deed for her. And obviously Mai won. So she's making Anzu set up a meeting between Mai and Kaiba for "business purposes". Ok? Ok. Sorry if that was unclear.

Oh! I'm now "hiring" a helper-person! I dunno, I just need someone to help edit my chapters in advance and/or give me advice and suggestions. So if you'd like to help, please mention so in your review! Hopefully I'll have access to your email so that if I pick you, I can tell you that I picked you. Thank you!

By the way, I 'm thinking about writing another series that is setoxanzu. It'll be called "Full House," named after the Korean TV show. Awesome, awesome show. If any of you readers have watched this show and/or are a fan of it(so few of you...), PLEAZ, PLEAZ tell me! It's supposed to be a parody to the TV show, but I don't know the plot that well! Awesome, awesome TV show. If any of you live in the Bay Area in CA, it's on KTSF at 8:00 PM, dubbed from Korean into Mandarin. WATCH IT!

Also, even if you haven't heard of the show but would like to help me write it, please also contact me!

Please drop by a review. Compliments will be treasured, constructive comments considered, and flames cried over. Thank you again to all you reviewers and readers!

Love,

Ambiance-Dream