A/N: Own nothing…not a darn thing…can't even see Yu-gi-oh until Saturday anymore…maybe I should sue…

Chapter 12

One Heart Bleeds--One Heart Bends

The lower grounds were decorated beautifully for the garden party and archery contest. Iolite slowly shook her head as she watched everyone bustling around, readying for all the 'blue bloods'. It was infuriating. She had warned that nothing big should be prepared and yet, against her wishes, it looked like a small wedding. Mokuba, quietly, joined her.

"You don't seem excited," he looked up at her and frowned. He missed the smiling happy Iolite he had gotten use to. This Iolite hardly smiled, only when she was alone with him and Seto. It was this awful place, well, maybe not the place-but certainly the people. Aunt Gertrude was a miserable pain and Tatiana trailed Seto around like a dog on a leash.

"I hate pretentious events like this," she bit her bottom lip. "I warned Father not to do this and yet, he here is-doing it." Tents were being erected as they watched, dumbfounded by the decadence. She should have known--Edward never did anything low-key. The archery field was set up; she wondered how many royals would be competing. She scoffed, what was the prize being offered? She was sure something was up for grabs, and that idea chilled her.

"I don't like her," Mokuba mumbled, mostly to himself.

Iolite looked down at the raven-haired boy. "Who?" She asked.

"Gertrude, she's really mean to you." He didn't care about how she treated him, he just ignored her, but her words seemed to sting Iolite-badly.

Iolite sighed heavily. "I guess I never really lived up to the expectations of the monarchy." She lowered her eyes. "Some princess I am, always running around in jeans and t-shirts. I guess I'm the black sheep of this family. Then there's Tatiana-she's everything I'm not. She'd make the perfect princess."

"She isn't nice either. She may wear fancy clothes, but I think her attitude is a lot like her Mom's." He looked up at Iolite's face. Seto called her his angel, maybe not to her face, but he had heard it. Iolite's features were ethereal and sweet, soft, gentle and so feminine. Tatiana had no softness; her features were hard and unforgiving. Iolite's eyes were unique too, balancing between blue and violet. Tatiana's were dull, so boring he couldn't even recall the color.

"Thank you Mokuba, but I know I'm not in her league." Iolite shrugged.

"No, you aren't," Seto's warm voice filled the room with his presence. "You're above them, I just wish you could see it."

Mokuba and Iolite turned to face him. Seto strode over to them and stopped just short. He quickly folded his arms across his chest and took on his dueling stance. She smiled, it was his habit, one of many she adored.

"I won't be joining the party today," she announced to Seto.

"I had that feeling," he responded, capturing her eyes with his. He noticed she looked a bit beaten, as if the strain from Gertrude's constant verbal attacks were taking their toll. He wished she would fight back, but for some unknown reason, she took it. He couldn't be there all the time, but when he was he used cutting words on the old bitch.

"I'm not going either," Mokuba offered, folding his arms across his chest.

"Maybe you could both go horse back riding." Seto offered. He preferred she stay away from those he knew would make her feel even more inferior, although in his eyes-she was beyond their league.

"You aren't angry?" Iolite looked confused.

"Because you would rather stay away from those who don't deserve your company?" Seto shook his head. "I'll go and put in an appearance for us all."

They all knew what that meant. He would be his arrogant self--putting down all those he felt were underlings. Then again, this was Seto Kaiba…whom did he not consider under him?

"I would hate to make you go this alone," she scooped up a lock of hair and began twirling it through her fingers.

Seto noticed the action and realized it was a nervous habit that hadn't been indulged in for quite some time. She was so on edge, almost as if she were a dry twig—perfect for snapping. She wasn't sleeping either, not more than 2 hours at a time. The sooner they left, the better off they all would be, especially her.

"I insist, I think it's about time I asserted myself as Prince Seto Kaiba." He smirked, it was the first time he had used the title. "I may even enter that stupid contest."

"Have you ever used a bow before?" She asked him, curious if this world-class duelist, and master of so many things, could simply pick up a bow and win. "They are a bit tricky."

"I'll manage, if I decide to try it."

"Come on," Mokuba grabbed Iolite's hand. "Let's get our horses before we get trapped into that stupid party."

Iolite's eyes locked with Seto's. An understanding passed between them.

Seto, Raine and Roland walked through the crowds of people. Kaiba's private guards had locked down the area to insure safety. People of all shapes, sizes and ages primped and paraded around. They all felt very self-important. What a joke. Their clothes were expensive, their English proper but their demeanors were lacking.

Edward, reluctantly, presented Kaiba to a few people, neither man enjoyed it. Then Kaiba, bored of it, made his way without the idiot. He knew his marriage to Iolite was an unwanted one and the disgust in Edward's voice was grating on him.

"Where is my darling cousin?" A sickly-sweet voice purred near Kaiba's back.

When he turned his eyes fell on Tatiana. "She decided to avoid the throngs of wanna-be's and never-will-be's." He smirked down at her, she wore a Donna Karen dress and Gucci shoes. She was the poster girl for snobbery.

"Are those her terms or yours?" Tatiana baited.

"Mine, naturally. Not one of these mongrels is worth a hair on Iolite's head." He continued looking down at her, with his air of superiority.

"I hope you don't lump me in with your disdain." She smiled, licking her lips.

"No, you're in a class all by yourself." He countered with disgust.

With that he turned and left her standing there. He could barely contain his disgust for that creature.

"I think I'll try my hand at this archery thing," Kaiba told Raine as he followed the young CEO to the field.

"It's a difficult sport to master." Raine smirked, knowing that nothing he said would deter the headstrong man.

"It can't be any harder than taking over a company, running it, making profits hand over fist, and dealing with a corporate raider of a wife." Seto shrugged in annoyance.

"If you want, I'm sure there are plenty of men here who would be willing to take that last item off your list." Raine offered sarcastically.

Cold blue eyes turned to study the profile of the man walking beside him. If Kaiba didn't know that this man was completely for this marriage, he would have been fired on the spot. He didn't know why, but when it came to Iolite he felt a fierce need to protect her.

"That, so called, last item on my list is not up for grabs. Anyone who even makes a false attempt won't live to regret it." The words were practically growled.

"So this is where you use to come when you were little?" Mokuba giggled as he attempted to skip a rock across the small lake. The soft whinnies of the horses were the only thing breaking the wonderful sounds of silence, that and the birds.

"Yep, and up until I left I usually lived here, not in the palace." Iolite offered. "It was always safer here than there." She picked up another stone and skipped it twice before it disappeared. Mokuba frowned at her success.

"Was any of your childhood happy?" He asked as he searched for a smoother rock.

"Bits and pieces. Raine made sure I had peace and Ryan provided laughter. Unfortunately, my brothers still managed to torture me on a regular basis." She sighed as she shoved her hands in her pockets. Mokuba's rock failed to skip, again, and plopped into the water.

"Seto and I had a bad childhood. Gozaburo made Seto miserable…I was ignored, but he was tortured." Mokuba picked up another rock and flipped it up and down in his small hand.

"Your childhood is still here Mokie," she smiled at him. "Seto guards it with his life."

"I know, but sometimes I wish he would smile like he did when we were kids." Mokuba shrugged and made another attempt. Iolite once again explained how to skip a rock and then showed him. He resigned the fact that it wasn't going to happen, then and there. So, they mounted their horses and cantered into the surrounding woods. When they came acrossher good climbing tree Iolite dismounted and tied their horses up. She grabbed her binoculars and up they scooted into the high branches.

"I never thought a girl could climb a tree so well," Mokuba beamed at her.

"I'm not your average 'girl'." Iolite giggled as she trained the binoculars onto the fields below. She could see Seto moving among the contestants, funny how her eyes were automatically drawn to his presence. Then again, no one could miss the tall and powerful presence that was Seto Kaiba.

"Does it look like fun?" Mokuba asked. "The food looked yucky and the people all looked as sour as your Aunt."

"Nah, much more fun up here." She looked at the boy and smiled.

"Can I see?" Mokuba asked. She pulled the strap off her neck and handed them over.

He began looking and commenting when movement from not too far away caught her attention. She looked at Mokuba, then back to the field, figuring it to be a deer or stray dog from the kennels. Then she saw it again.

"Mokuba, can I have those back for a second?" She asked, trying to stay calm. She didn't want to scare Mokuba with unfounded suspicions.

She slowly scanned the area and discovered a man, who was quite well concealed in the brush. Her heart stopped…he was carrying a high powered cross bow. What the hell was he up to? Quickly, realizing that her and Mokuba were alone, she formed a plan.

"Stay here, don't leave the protection of this tree for anyone you don't know. Stay perfectly still and quiet," she said in a hushed whisper. "Do you understand?" She held his shoulders firmly and squeezed them, gaining eye contact. He nodded.

She climbed down from the tree, silently, and swiftly made her way to her horse. She mounted quickly, slapping Mokuba's horse to have him gallop away. If this 'intruder' happened upon the horse he could find Mokuba, she couldn't have that, not if she was the target. However, she had a feeling the object of his attention was Seto. In her heart, she simply knew it.

She never rode faster in her life, flattening herself to her horse and edging him on, causing him to go faster through the thick underbrush. Where had she seen Seto? Where? Her mind raced as her heart pounded in her skull. Was he in the field by the contestants? Was he by the tent? Damn it! She should have paid more attention, besides he had to have moved by now.

She finally came upon an opening and burst out onto the middle of the field. Frantically she pulled back on her horse's reins, trying to cease his gallop.

"Seto!" She screamed, quickly followed by screaming to Raine. She was causing quite a scene.

Seto heard her instantly, as did Raine. Both men came running towards the now irate horse. She tried to gain control, but wasn't succeeding. She dismounted, nearly fell, but quickly gained her feet. The horse took off, across the center of the archery field, in a mad gallop—towards the stables. She pushed past people as she felt hot tears stream down her face. Where the hell was he?

"Seto! Raine!" She cried out again. People stared at her, puzzled at her actions. Finally, she spotted him. She ran towards him, knowing he was in perfect view of the sniper—he could be close by now. Quickly, without thought, she threw herself into Seto's arms, shielding him with her slim form. She was just in time—taking the arrow that was intended for him.

The force of the arrow propelled her into him, he grabbed her quickly, then tried to get down low as his guards gathered around them to protect the couple. It was then Seto realized the arrow had gone through her right shoulder, and now was caught in his shirt. She was pinned to him, which made them vulnerable—he couldn't move.

Kaiba let out a deep guttural cry. Iolite's long hair covered her injury, and even though Raine hadn't witnessed the attack he knew Seto's cry signaled something was terribly wrong. He rushed to Kaiba's side.

Seto was sure Iolite had fainted, which would be a blessing when the arrow was pulled from her.

"Mokuba…he's in my climbing tree," she managed before going limp in his arms.

Roland and two other guards were dispensed to find him immediately.

Seto couldn't seem to function at the moment. He had questions that she couldn't answer at that moment, questions that he couldn't even form. His rage at what had just happened to her held his full attention.

Raine attempted to help alleviate her weight from Seto's arms, the position was so awkward, but Kaiba held her tighter. "She's pinned to me," he whispered harshly in a voice filled with anguish.

Raine grabbed a tablecloth and ripped it free. Plates, food and glasses scattered as he laid the cloth on the ground. Kaiba worked to free himself from the arrow, gently he placed her on the ground, careful not to jar her ormove the arrow. He managed to snap off the arrowhead and pull the shaft free.

The scream that ripped from Iolite's throat tore at his heart. He whispered broken words of comfort as blood poured from her injury down her arm.

Raine quickly moved in behind her and poured water over the wound and tried to pack it. Iolite scream again and let out a few choice words. When she noticed the stares she quieted. Seto was kneeling on the ground beside her, his hand on her other shoulder. She took one look at the chilling expression on his face and almost fainted again. He looked furious. He seemed to want to kill someone, she thought, and since he was staring down at her so intently, she could only surmise she was the victim he had in mind. How dare he scowl at her? She had just saved his life, hadn't she? It hit her right shoulder, which meant it was aimed at his heart. He would have been dead if the aim was true and she hadn't blocked.

Iolite knew it wasn't a fatal injury, the cut was deep but already the blood had slowed to a trickle. Was he mad that she left Mokuba alone? Oh damn…she took the coward's way out. She attempted to sit up, but then slumped against Seto, as if she was woozy. She asked him to put his arm around her waist to steady her, and closed her eyes.

A wave of nausea took her by surprise. Perhaps she had lost more blood than she thought. Raine cut open the shoulder of her shirt and began bandaging her wound gently, using the contents of a first aid kit. Her mind didn't remember him leaving, things were blurring. Her shoulder was throbbing.

"I can't decide if I'm going to toss my cookies or pass out," she murmured to Seto, whose hold on her was gentle, but firm. Seto hoped for the latter and received it.

"She's out again," he whispered to Raine. The strain in his voice was evident to the guard. Quickly the bandages turned red, if an artery was nicked she could very well bleed to death before the ambulance got there. "She's lost so much blood," Seto said hoarsely.

"No," Raine tried to fake a smile for Kaiba's sake. "She'll be fine within a week's time. She's stubborn." Thefear in Seto Kaiba's voice wasn't lost on Raine, he had to keep Kaiba calm.

After Raine had finished he took Iolite in his arms while Kaiba stood. Gently Kaiba took her into his arms and began carrying her as the crowd parted. Where the hell was her father? Kaiba didn't want him there, could handle this on his own, but still shouldn't the man be here right now?

"I don't understand your reaction," Raine smirked. "It isn't a life-threatening injury."

"I don't wish to discuss my reactions." Kaiba growled as he swiftly made his way to the main house.

"Why did she interfere?" One of the guards asked, "Surely she knew the Kevlar would protect you?"

A shudder ran down Kaiba's spine, if he had told her she might not have gotten injured. She was trying to save his life.

"She just wasn't thinking," Kaiba offered, but felt the guilt course through his veins just the same.

On the long walk Seto kept trying to separate his mind from his emotions—something that usually was so easy to do. This time, his heart was getting in the way. Why were his hands shaking? Why was the fury over her injury so consuming that he could barely think? Damn it all, a wife could be so inconvenient, she was easing herself into his every thought and decision.

As they made their way to the couch in the main room he realized the horror of the situation. He didn't just care about her, or feel responsible for her, he was falling in love with her. The truth of that admission so stunned him that he almost dropped her. He quickly continued on to the couch. His mind raced with all the reasons he shouldn't love such a stubborn, illogical woman—besides, love was dangerous. Hell, sometimes she tried him so much he didn't even like her.

Logic came to his rescue in the next moment. It wasn't possible to love her, he didn't know how to love. Therefore, he reasoned quite logically, he couldn't possibly love Iolite.

He contradicted his logic when he growled at the servants who tried to take over her care. Bessy and several of the women stood around weeping. Raine watched with astonishment as Kaiba tried to put her on the couch. He couldn't seem to get the job done. He leaned over it twice, but each time he straightened she was still in his arms. He couldn't seem to let her go.

A/N: Please don't ask if he loves her…I think we all know the answer to that question by now…Please read and review—let me know how I'm doing with this story. Give me a shout out 'cause I would appreciate it…thank you! Thank you for all my reviews and to all my reviewers!