Chapter warning: I don't want to catch anyone who might find it offensive or upsetting, so please be aware that there is mention of drug rape in this chapter.

Chapter 14.

Talk to Me.

Emerging from the bathroom, Anzu saw that Yugi was already in bed. He was curled on his side facing away from her and she wondered if he was feeling hurt and confused by her rejection of him.

But she had not rejected him, had she? Not outright. She had merely been afraid of intimacy and involuntarily tensed up. She had not intended for that to happen, it just had and she couldn't control it.

As she approached the bed, she saw that he had placed her neatly folded night dress on the pillow for her and her heart did a flip. She felt guilty; she was so lucky to have a man as kind and thoughtful as Yugi, who was willing to put himself out for her. It did not occur to her that it was actually the maid who had put it there this morning, and not Yugi.

Anzu sat down on the edge of the bed and started to undress.

Yugi opened his eyes and watched her. The way she nervously slid her dress down and unhooked her bra, all with her back to him, spoke of a woman who was terrified of men.

What had that bastard Tony done to her? If he were not already dead, Yugi was sure he could kill him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, gently.

Jaw tensing, she snapped, "Yes! I'm fine!" She knew it was a lie; why did she keep pretending nothing was wrong? She was lying to herself, lying to Yugi. She pulled her nightdress over her head.

Yugi watched it fall into place, covering her soft, creamy skin, concealing her beautiful body from his view. He pushed himself up to sitting so that he could reach over and place a hand on her back between her shoulder blades.

He felt her tense up, but she did not flinch away, so he got onto his knees behind her, and began massaging her tense shoulders. He felt her relax a little, but she was still tense.

"Are you sure you're fine?" He pressed.

This time she shook her head, and said emotionally, "I don't know. I hoped I was, but maybe I'm not. I thought I didn't care that Tony's dead. I thought it didn't upset me, but it does upset me and I don't know why it does, because I hate him. I hate him for being a bastard and using women like playthings." Her shoulders hitched as she suppressed a sob. But her tears were dry; there were none left to cry.

Yugi wrapped his arms around her. Holding her close, he kissed the top of her head. "Hey! You don't have to be afraid around me, I'm not like that bastard." Deep down, it hurt him to think that, even though they were long time friends, she was nervous of him.

She twisted round to press her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know you're not, and I do trust you, honestly I do. But when we came back here and I saw the look in your eyes and thought about what was about to happen between us, I just froze with fear."

He held her tightly, and said soothingly, "I understand." He did not really understand, but he was here for her no matter what.

"I don't think you do," she said bitterly. "He drugged and raped me Yugi." There, she had finally said it; she was not sure if that was how she intended for it to come out, but there was no nice way to tell him she had been sexually assaulted.

For a moment, a silence hung in the air, so thickly you could cut it with a knife. Anzu felt his heart beat harder as the muscles in his chest bunched against her face, and in his arms became taut around her shoulders.

The anger Yugi was feeling towards Tony was hard to suppress. His skin prickled like shards of ice piercing the skin and he was trying hard not to shake with rage. For Anzu's sake, he needed to remain calm and rational, just like he would if this was a duel of life and death.

Even though he had been expecting her to confess to something like that, he was still not prepared for the pain of hearing those words spoken. He swallowed thickly, and said shakily, "I.. I wondered if it was something like that, when you didn't want to talk about it to the police."

She let out a shuddering sigh. "I thought I could deal with it on my own. I was doing well too. But... I just feel so angry and stupid for letting it happen. And now I can't even let you near me. I'm so messed up." She laughed bitterly and eased herself out of his embrace so that she could slide into bed. He moved back a bit to allow her to do so. She pulled the covers over herself protectively, and leaned back against the headboard, clutching the covers over her chest, with her knees pulled up towards the ceiling, feet resting on the mattress.

"You're not messed up," he said reassuringly, clambering under the covers to sit next to her in a similar position, their shoulders touching. "You had a terrible experience and it's left you traumatised." He reached out and took one of her hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged, unsure if he could stand to hear her sordid tale. "Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice. Don't feel you have to talk if you're not ready."

"No. I have to get this of my chest. I've kept that awful night to myself for so long and it's slowly killing my soul. If I don't deal with it, it will kill any chance our relationship has too."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Steeling herself, she began, "I might have told you some if this already, but, when I first met him he he was really nice. He would come into the cafe, order coffee and sit by the window, watching the shop opposite. Thinking back, I think he was actually watching someone. But that's another story. Anyway, when I served him he would chat and be friendly –I warmed to him quickly. He asked me about myself. I told him I had graduated from Juillliard, and complained that I couldn't get a job as a dancer –I even told him my stupid dreams of Broadway fame. He told me he owned a club that hosted shows and that he knew a lot of people in show business. He asked me out to dinner so that we could discuss him helping me find work. He took me to a nice restaurant and was a charming man. When he promised to get me into a show, I really did think he was genuine. But it was all a lie and the show he had in mind was the strip show his club hosted. Once he had what he wanted things changed. He would turn up at my flat when he wanted sex, and I wasn't in a position to say no. If he was drunk, or had been taking drugs, he was selfish and not very gentle. So I told him I would keep working at the club, as I needed the money, but I wanted to cool off our relationship. He just shrugged and didn't seem to care." She took another deep breath and exhaled with a shudder. The next part was hard to talk about.

Yugi seemed to sense this and put an arm around her, hugging her reassuringly. "It's okay. You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"No. I'm okay." She continued, "One night, after I finished my act, I went to the private lounge, where the staff can go to relax after shows and not be pestered by punters. He came over to me, all smiles and was really friendly. He asked me if I wanted a drink, and I said I would have a lager shandy, which is half lager, half lemonade. He went to the bar and got my drink, and then sat down in the chair opposite me with his glass of whisky. I thought nothing of it and drank my drink. I was thirsty after dancing and drank it fairly quickly. I started to feel a bit dizzy, but it wasn't until I tried to stand that my legs just buckled. After that, I don't remember much. I do remember him holding me up and pretending to be all concerned. I remember him carrying me from his car and coming into my flat with me. I vaguely remember trying to fight him off, but he slapped me hard enough to leave a bruise on my cheek. I was crying, I think. Then I woke up in the morning. My face hurt and I was sore," she coughed hesitantly, "from where I must have tried to resist and he.. forced me. I wanted to die. He was in the kitchen cooking breakfast like nothing had happened, which made me angry. I plucked up the courage to tell him to leave, and he did. I had no one I could call and I felt so awful that I sobbed in the shower for ages afterwards. He treated me like I was a common piece of trash, Yugi, and I just let him. I hate myself for it." She started to cry in Yugi's arms while he tried to soothe her. How could someone be so cruel as to hurt her like that?

He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back his own tears. "Hush... It's okay. I've got you."

"I thought you would hate me if you knew how stupid I've been," she mumbled croakily against his shoulder. He stroked her hair.

"You haven't been stupid. And," he said earnestly, "you know I could never hate you. But I do think you should tell the police; they have specialists there who understand what you're going through, and can help you with the anxiety you've been suffering. I'll come with you if you would like?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with a stubborn pout. "No!" She shook her head vehemently, "I don't need help; not now I have you. Tony's dead and I want to forget about what he did and finally be me old self again."

Although he would support her decision, he was a little concerned by her reluctance to seek professional help. "Are you sure? I'll do what I can to help, but they are trained to help people who have been victims of sexual assault." He was not sure he would be any good at offering the right sort of support if she needed it.

She waved him away, "Nah, I'll be fine." Eager to move on, she said, "I'm really tired. We should talk about Las Vegas now, before I fall asleep."

"Okay," he said, hesitantly. It was typical of her to shove a problem aside and pretend to be fine. He could understand why, because they were both the same in that respect. But there was no point in him challenging her over it; he would allow her space to deal with it in her own way and only intervene if he saw signs that she was struggling.

"What do you think you will do?" He asked.

"I dunno," she shrugged. "I'm really grateful to Pegasus for putting in a good word with his friend. But I'm not sure if it's what I really want to do. I might not go." Not sure? Frightened of the unknown? There were probably dozens of Tony's lurking in the shadows, waiting for vulnerable young people like her, desperate for stardom. What if she met another like him?

Yugi was surprised at her decision. "But you don't know what the job is yet! They might offer you a really good part! I think you should at least go for the interview."

She shrugged again. "Maybe. But I doubt they will offer me more than a minor role, since I'm not well known. The pay might not be worth it." She sagged slightly and sighed. "I don't what to do. Perhaps I should sleep on it. What do you think?"

"What do I think?!" He raised a startled eyebrow. "It doesn't matter what I think! It's what you want to do that's important." He said firmly, "If you're worried you will be letting me down by not coming back to Japan, then please don't. The last thing I want is you to pass up a chance on account of me."

She gently slapped his thigh in annoyance. "What you want is important! If I get offered a job and decide to accept it, I will have to move to Las Vegas. I'm not sure I want to do that." She shivered at the thought – was she really that anxious about moving there?

Yugi felt her shiver. Narrowing his eyebrows, he looked at her with concern. She was trying to find reasons not to go and was using them as excuses. Tony's actions must have crushed her confidence more than she was willing to admit.

All he could do was be there for her, and hopefully he could help her to slowly rebuild her shattered self-esteem and help her get her confidence back. Maybe if he went with her she might change her mind. "Would you go to the interview if I came with you?"

She appeared to brighten at his suggestion and nodded enthusiastically. "Would you?! Oh! Thank you Yugi." She leaned over and hugged him.

But then she released him, and appeared to have second thoughts. "Is it convenient? I don't want to prevent you from working. I would feel awful if you got into trouble with Kaiba."

He laughed and nudged her. "It's no inconvenience. I'm here for another week anyway, so what else would I do? And don't you worry about Kaiba; I can handle him."

Anzu felt relief as she nudged him back. "Thank you," She said, sincerely. Without him she was lost.

::::::::::::

The flight to Las Vegas was enjoyable. Pegasus' private jet was plush and well equipped, and they arrived in Las Vegas feeling relaxed, despite Anzu's nerves.

"Calm down my dear." Pegasus teased. "Joshua won't bite you! He is a kind man and very understanding of your situation. He has a twelve year old daughter who is studying ballet, and who wishes to follow in similar footsteps to yourself."

If they knew the real truth about the footsteps Anzu had taken, he doubted Joshua's daughter would want to follow her path!

After the late winter chill of New York, the desert heat was quite noticeable when the disembarked the jet, and they quickly realised that they were probably overdressed in their jeans, shoes and winter coats.

Anzu quickly took off her jacket and was relieved for the light blouse she had on underneath. But Yugi was wearing a wool jumper underneath his puffer jacket and started sweating as they crossed the car park to the waiting chauffeur driven limousine. By the time they reached the car, he had stripped off to his shirt and was not only carrying his overnight bag, his coat and jumper, but also Anzu's bag, which he insisted on carrying, stating that she needed to stay cool, calm and collected, and preserve her energy for the interview.

They were driven to the hotel, where the theatre and Joshua's office was situated.

"My father owns this hotel and casino," Pegasus told them as they arrived. "So I have arranged for you both to stay the night, free of charge of course."

Anzu and Yugi looked at each other, neither knowing quite what to say in response. This was a luxury five star hotel and it probably cost a fortune to stay here.

It was Yugi who spoke; "It's fantastic. Thank you. But are you sure?"

Pegasus dismissed his question with a wave of the hand. "Never look a gift horse in the face," he laughed. "And besides," he teased, "how do you know I'm not putting you in the staff quarters, expecting you to earn your keep?"

Yugi grimaced. "Not funny Pegasus."

Anzu nudged him. "We're very grateful and happy to stay wherever, Aren't we Yugi?"

He grimaced stupidly. "Of course we are."

"Oh, Yugi. You are always so funny when you pull such ridiculous faces," Pegasus chided, "But fear not, you shall not be with the servants, nor will you be cleaning rooms. I actually have a pleasant surprise for you both." He told his chauffeur to park the car in his private parking bay, and to take the rest of the afternoon off. He then gestured for Yugi and Anzu to follow him inside the hotel.

Inside, it was like something out of a James Bond film, and they both gasped in amazement when Pegasus told them that three Bond movies had actually been filmed here.

From reception, they followed Pegasus to the elevators and he showed them to their room.

"I will leave you to become acquainted with your room while I visit my lovely sister, who manages this wonderful establishment. My dear Anzu, I will see you in reception at two thirty. I will then take you to meet Joshua for your interview."

As soon as he left, Anzu and Yugi closed the door and looked around their room.

Yugi was relieved to drop the bags and his coat onto the floor. "This is nice," he said awkwardly, gazing around. It was nowhere near as big as the Kaiba suite in the New York hotel, but it was very nicely decorated, and had a four-poster bed!

Anzu blushed. "I think Pegasus has put us in the honeymoon suite."

"Really?" Yugi gasped, blushing. "Is that why there's a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket?"

He went over to the silver bucket and picked it out of the ice. It was all frosted with condensation.

He read out the note with a slight sneer in his voice, "To Anzu and Yugi. Good luck with your interview Anzu. I have left you a little something to celebrate with. Here's to romance and success! Love Max. xxx." He pulled a vomit face.

"Yugi!" Anzu scolded, "Don't be so cynical. I think it's a lovely gesture."

"Would you like a glass?" He asked, looking round for the champagne flutes and picking them up.

Anzu looked at him incredulously. "Before my interview?! You've gotta be kidding. Can you picture it? Me all giggly and falling about while I try to impress with my dancing?"

He chuckled and scratched his head. "Yeah.. I guess we should save it for later then." He put it back in the ice bucket. "I hope it doesn't get too warm when the ice melts."

Anzu shrugged. "We can get some more ice." She took off her shoes. "We have a couple of hours to kill, so I think I will freshen up and then relax for a bit."

He nodded, picked up the TV remote and sat down to flick through the channels.

Anzu came back from the bathroom smelling of fresh roses and wearing pale pink Lycra tights and a short, loose over-skirt, a loose, pale pink tee-shirt that was tied at the waist. Her hair was in a neat bun and she had applied some light make-up. He smiled appreciatively. "You look nice."

"Thanks," she grinned nervously. "It's what I wear usually when I audition, and for practice. It's cool, comfortable and easy to move in." She plonked herself on the sofa, next to him.

He reached across and took her hand. "You nervous?"

She nodded. "Only a bit. I'm so used to rejection I'm kind of resigned to failure and don't really care if they offer me anything."

"You will accept if they offer you a job though, won't you?"

She took a deep breath. "I really don't know. Depends what it is I guess. I'm still not sure I want to be away from you for too long."

He squeezed her hand. "We'll worry about that later, when we know what the job is. In the meantime, you just concentrate on smashing it at the interview."

"Depends what I'm smashing," she grimaced. Careful not to smudge her blusher, he leaned over and placed a careful kiss on her cheek.

::::::::::::

Pegasus was already waiting for them in reception when they arrived. He stood from his chair and admired Anzu with a cheesy grin. "You look as pretty as a picture my dear. Joshua cannot fail to be as impressed as I am."

Anzu rubbed her hands together nervously and smiled back. "You haven't seen me dance yet." If they wanted her to do ballet, she was probably a bit rusty after the sort of dancing she had been doing.

"You'll be fine," Yugi comforted.

"Well! Ready my dear?" Pegasus offered her his arm. Anzu accepted but seemed reluctant to leave Yugi and kept hold of his hand.

Pegasus was sympathetic, as he said, "Yugi, I'm afraid it is a closed audition, so you will have to wait in the bar. I will join you once I have made introductions."

Yugi was worried about leaving her. He was her comfort blanket and they had both hoped he would be able to sit and watch her dancing. It was all very well Pegasus going with her, but he did not know how fragile and anxious she was about meeting this man.

But she let go of his hand and smiled at him broadly. "I will be fine Yugi. I will see you after, okay?"

Although he was still concerned, Yugi smiled back at her. "Good luck," he said. "You've got this!" He clenched his fist and she held up her own fist to bump fists with him.

It was only after she had gone that he shook his hand out and winced – he had forgotten that the knuckles on his right hand were still tender, and she had bumped his fist pretty hard.