(I really do hate myself for another long wait. I had a really hard time with this chapter, ending up having to rewrite it five times and it still is not exactly what I wanted. However, I am satisfied enough to post it here and hope for the best. I can only wish that it is good enough for all of you, my readers, as I write to please you. And on the side note, I won an award for my writing at my school graduation, was very happy about that and thought to drag. On with the chapter now, and again there are apologizes for the time it took me to write and also that it turned out rather short. Also, this chapter takes place three years from the previous one, just in case anyone gets confused)
Chapter Ten
"Because I don't love you."
The words still echoed through her mind. And they would, for many years to come, long after everyone else had forgotten them. In a way, she had been glad that she had said them. Without it, matters might not have unfolded to come the way they had and were now. A moment after she had said this, Seto had let her go. During the time she took to gaze up at him she saw true emotion in him. Never before had anyone looked so hurt, so distraught.
He hated her... How long had it been since that afternoon? Three years... give or take. She couldn't remember exactly. What happened afterward was only a blur in her memory. She'd fled, unable to take the way he had been looking at her. Anzu had run until her legs gave out under her halfway through a park and sank to her knees, crying quietly to herself. She clenched onto her chest as though to hold together the broken pieces of her heart and bent over. His eyes had been so... blank. Everything else about him had shown the sadness but his eyes. They were completely void of emotion, like those of a china doll. It was as if he stopped caring altogether.
Hours passed before she could soothe herself enough to make it over to where Yugi lived. She desperately needed his comfort. Anyone with sympathy would have been suitable but he was the first to come to her mind. Praying that he was home she'd knocked on his door and waited. She'd collapsed into his arms when she saw him, still crying. Nothing was held back from him after that. She'd told Yugi everything. From the day she had first watched Kaiba to what had just happened. And when she was finished, he was not at all mad. Yes, he was upset, but understanding at the same time.
"But you lied to him, didn't you Anzu?" he'd asked, holding her close to him while they sat on a couch, Anzu's face buried in the collar of his shirt. "You do love him..."
Whimpering, she nodded and apologized over and over to him. "I can't help it... I'm sorry. I don't want to love him anymore, b-but... I can't help it. I'm sorry Yugi... I couldn't lie to you."
She was glad that she had told Yugi everything. The day after, they had begun to put the broken pieces of the puzzle back together. Their wedding was postponed. There was already too much to deal with and Yugi had said that he did not want to push her into it. In all honesty, he was not as distressed as she would have thought him to be. She had been thankful for his understanding. It had helped her by far.
"Hey, Anzu! Earth to Anzu. Don't go spacing out on me, honey. Does it fit right?" Anzu snapped out of her thoughts as a hand smacked her playfully across the face a few times. It wasn't enough to hurt, but enough to get her attention.
"Oh... yeah, I think it fits. You've put it on me at least fifty times before now." She laughed and glanced in the full-size mirror, unable to help but smile at her reflection.
"Forty-two times! I did not have enough time for fifty," Kikuyu protested, placing her hands on her hips in her best scowling look.
Anzu tugged on the long white skirt, straightening out the folds. "I don't see why you're obsessing so much. It isn't like this is your wedding, it's mine."
"And about time. I thought it was never going to happen. I want my best friend to look gorgeous on the most important day of her life."
Laughing, Anzu shook his head and took another gaze in the mirror. "Well you did a good job." A fitting white corset bodess without sleeves held to her slender upper body, ending in a large full skirt. White roses and pearls were embroidered in a lovely design all around the dress, and also in her hair. She couldn't do very much with her hair since she liked to keep it short, just a little above her shoulders like she had always worn it.
"And how is the little one doing?" Kikuyu cooed and reached over to playfully rub Anzu's stomach.
"The little one is doing fine," Anzu smiled, looking down at herself. She was three months pregnant, just starting to show it but she looked as beautiful as ever. "I just hope he is as excited about it as I am. He had not seemed very pleased about it when I first told him."
"Get over yourself. He's completely in love with you, why shouldn't he be happy? It was probably just a surprise. It is not as if he was marrying you only because of the baby. That might be different. Did he not propose to you long before this little thing here happened, hmm?"
She nodded, hoping that it had been a surprise for him. Being about to answer she was quickly cut off by Kikuyu who had squeaked loudly. "Ohhh... It's almost time! I'm so excited. I mean, I know I'm just a bridesmaid and all but still. I think he'll be a great husband."
Next thing, Anzu was dragged off and literally thrust into the main room of the church. If she did not know better she would have thought Kikuyu was more excited about the wedding than she was. Walking down the aisles in her white gown she kept her gaze up in front, focused on the man that was very soon to be her husband. The hours and several days of rehearsal for this day now seemed pointless. They had just been practices, absolutely meaningless. This... this was the real thing. No turning back and no mistakes. Everything had to be perfect.
All the events of the past now seemed a blur, racing through her head. It had happened too fast, she should have slowed down earlier. Looking back she found that where she was now could only be the result of the work of a million angels who were kind enough to devote their time to straighten out her ruined life. There was no one to give her away to her groom as her father had passed on several years ago. Her mother was not here as well, but for a different reason. The cause was a fight and argument between the two of them that had never been settled. Again, this had been a while before. Although, at this moment, it was as if eternity had passed, beginning yesterday.
Taking the two steps up to the alter she smiled lightly as she slipped her hands into his. God, he looked so handsome. No way did she deserve him. Throughout the whole ceremony she held her breath. The speech, the vows, the exchanging of rings and then finally the "I Do's." Hard to believe that this was not just a dream, it sure seemed like one. That perfect dream that you want to stay in forever, but get awoken from by an alarm clock or family member or something at the worse moment possible. And look here, there came that moment.
The binding kiss, the point in time every girl imagined at least once in her life before it actually came. One of his hands slipped up her back, fingertips gently tracing a line upwards to caress the back of her neck as he leaned in. As always he had no hesitation, their eyes meeting and she could see the ever present pride and determination in the depths of his gaze. Damn him to hell, with his skill to be able to make her melt into his arms with a single look and the simplest touch.
"I love you, angel." She heard him whisper as his lips met hers firmly. Their audience broke into the well-expected applause and she was oblivious to it. He was the only one who could chase every concern, thought, or idea in her mind like this. She had married the perfect man who she had shared everything with. From start to finish, she had hated him and loved him, lost him and found him again, been torn apart and also done the tearing. If they had gotten through all that had crossed in their paths and knocked them off the course and were still willing to love the other with pure dedication then there would be nothing more that they did not already know.
When he broke off their kiss at last and again she could look into those ice blue optics it was easy to see that the ice had melted in her own warmth. She was in love with his eyes as she was with the rest of him. In love with Seto Kaiba. Once upon a time that would have been ridiculous.
(Might not be what some expected and then again it might be. I was aiming for misleading and making it seem like she was going to marry Yugi, not so sure how that worked out. I believe that the next chapter will be the last of this and what it will be mostly is tying up the loose ends left in this story, answering any questions that you would have on how and why my mind thinks in its ways during writing.
However, I am going on vacation for three weeks so don't be expecting anything updated during that time. But I plan to use the time wisely in getting a lot written and am very much considering writing a prequel to this story, of Anzu and Seto's relationship from the very beginning. If this idea is cleared by all my readers then you will all have something else to be looking forward to. Must go for now, it's late here for me and I'm about to drop dead sleep on my keyboard. Love you all, and thank you so much for being supportive in my work. Now wait for me!)
