Her mind played the thought over and over again. He knew. Why hadn't she noticed the little slip at the table? Did her mother know too? No she can't have, she looked just as wiped by the conversation as Anzu had. But that little slip, why hadn't she picked it up there and then. Oh that's right, Seto had distracted her by asking for the coffee pot. So both were a part of this lie together. The question was when had the charade begun.

"Anzu, honey where are you?"

Placing the final plate in the cupboard, Anzu left the kitchen to join her mother in the entrance hall.

"I'm so sorry honey. That must have been very difficult for you." Arlie whispered in Anzu's ear as she brought her daughter in for a hug.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologise for the insensitivity of the male population, it comes naturally to them. Mokuba excluded of course." Anzu gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"That's my girl. We've just got to go to the house for the handover with the new owners and then head to the airport. Will we see you there?"

"Though the mouse king should try, he could not keep me from you."

Her mother laughed and then with solemn gaze she lifted Anzu's chin and held it in the palm of her hand. "Promise me, that no matter what, you will always be you. Don't let anyone or anything change that essence that makes you what you are."

Anzu wrapped her fingers about her mothers hand, and pulling it from her chin held it firmly within both her own. There were words within words there, but the possible meanings were too many to tell what the true point was.

Anzu smiled and performing a perfect pirouette laughed. "I shall be rich, successful and totally unaffected."

Arlie nodded with a smile. "That I don't doubt." Voicing the thought only within her own mind. Distracted she looked to the source of the noise.

"You know Arlie, I could get used to a place like this." Laughed her husband as he jogged down to meet them. With a head count on their bags he pulled Anzu in for a bear hug.

"Dad, air, you know that stuff vital for living." Anzu's voice was muffled against her fathers chest.

"Sorry, didn't understand a word of that." He said releasing his hold.

'Never mind." She answered. Looking every bit the landed codfish, forcing air back into her starved lungs.

With briefcase in hand, Seto entered the front of his building, unaware of people and things about him.

"This game has become complicated, how could I have been so stupid to have allowed that slip up."

The lift door slid close.

"I'm the one meant to be controlling this, not them, how did they get the upper hand?"

His eyes watched without truly seeing the arrow continuing it's upward climb to his office.

"Still it can be salvaged. Now that there will be some distance between them, it just means I need to…."

The doors slid open. Striding purposefully towards his office, he stopped abruptly as Tanaka stepped into his path. He quirked an eyebrow at her, Tanaka bit lightly on her bottom lip.

"I take it Tanaka that there is a perfectly excellent explanation for what you just did."

"Get a grip Tanaka, you've done worse and still kept your job."

"Ah there's someone waiting in the office for you."

"And?"

"Well, actually there are two people waiting in your office for you. I'm sorry I let one in, since you said you were on your way in, and then the other one came, and I tried to say that there was already someone in there, and that they would have to come back, but they wouldn't listen and walked straight in…"

"Tanaka, you're babbling. Who is in there? Never mind I'll find out for my…."

Opening the door he was greeted by the stares of two women.

"Like you said," his conscience quipped. "Complication is now the name of the game, and the distance you just counted on has closed in considerably."

"Mokuba, can you stop fidgeting for five minutes." Anzu's exasperation was reaching beyond proportionate levels.

"Sorry Anzu, I just like watching the planes, and every time I try and see one, someone steps in front of me."

She ruffled the boys hair.

"Tell you what, when my parents board I'll take you round the other side and we'll push through to the window, that way we'll both see them take off and we can stay a while after to watch some more. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Good, now sit still."

Mokuba gave a sheepish look through his bangs. With him firmly glued to the one spot, Anzu took up the cause. Jumping up from her seat each time she thought she saw her parents, only to flop back down when she realised that it wasn't them.

"Where on earth are they?" She muttered. Peering at her watch she found that she and Mokuba had been waiting for forty minutes.

"Sorry…we're …late." Her mother panted as she ran through the departure lounge to greet the two.

With hands resting on her mothers shoulders Anzu glimpsed behind to try and spy her father, but couldn't see him.

"He's checking the bags," her mother gasped trying to regain her breath. "Handover took longer than expected, the woman wasn't there when we got there, something to do with being caught up elsewhere. Not sure what, but I think your father knows, the estate agent is going to handle it from here. Can't help thinking how odd it is."

"What's odd?" Replied Anzu.

"Well, how something you have no real contact with before suddenly appears everywhere."

"Speak slowly and speak in a language I can understand, you've lost me at present."

"Angela."

"What about her?" Tone clipped

"No, not her, the name. It's not one I've had a lot of contact with and now twice in one day I've heard it."

"Oh?"

"Yes, the person who bought our house, bought it for someone by that name. Bizarre isn't it."

Anzu's face went stony and reply quiet. "Very."

Any further conversation was cut off by the boarding announcement.

"Well, that's us." Boomed Anu, coming through the lounge to meet them.

Grabbing Anzu tightly he whispered. "I know that you are going to be the best, no matter what you choose. Take every opportunity that is given, and know that whatever choices you make, your mother and I will be proud. Good luck Anzu."

The tears were streaming and her voice too choked to speak, all she could do was nod and cling to them both.

Pulling Mokuba into her warm and scented body, Arlie kissed his forehead and whispered. "I trust you to take care of her now, you hear?"

The moment was all too much for the small boy and he nodded and wept not wanting to let go. Anzu gently pried him away and held him close, watching the backs of her parents slowly disappear down the walkway to the doors of the plane.

"Let's go round now."

A gentle movement of his head the only indication he heard her.

As the plane disappeared into the distance, Mokuba shone sad eyes at Anzu.

"I don't want to stay now," he said quietly. "Can we go?"

Anzu forced a smile for him. "Absolutely. How about you head home in the car, and then I'll come and join you. I just need to go and see someone. Is that okay with you?"

"Will it take long?" He asked forlornly.

"Hopefully not. Something's not making sense to me, and I want a clear answer."

With Mokuba on his way home in the car, Anzu flagged a cab.

"Please let me be wrong," she pleaded with her mind.

"Where to Miss?" asked the driver.

a/n - sorry for the delay, my grandmother had a stroke and things have been a bit hectic. Hope you all enjoy this latest edition.