A pretty fancy place. Well, that was clearly quite the understatement, Anzu noted to herself as she walked in, but she had expected nothing less from the Kaiba and this place was renowned to be quite posh, after all.

"Good evening, madame. Do you have a reservation?" A very well-groomed young man, dressed from tip to toe, greeted her.

"I'm joining a friend. Mokuba Kaiba?" The waiter's stern and serious expression quickly fading into a more amiable as soon as she uttered the name 'Kaiba'. Anzu would roll her eyes, if it weren't so improper to do so.

"Ah, yes. This way, please, madame." Anzu followed the man, trying ignore the burning sensation in her feet and not to stumble in her newly bought Zara heels, which may not have been the best choice after a rather hectic season at the Opera. But quite clearly the right one for this kind of place, she reflected, gazing at her surroundings, the old fancy fashion French furniture, the neatly dressed clientele, the patio window with full view on Paris. She had to admit it was quite lovely.

But her initial amazement was soon replaced with nervosity, as they approached a table where Kaiba Seto, and Kaiba Seto all alone, was seated; all dressed up, in a fine, likely expensive, bleu marine suit, with a glass of brandy in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The whole scene almost looked too cliché.

The hell he was doing here, she wondered, as the waiter helped her remove her coat.

Given how he'd ignored her the night before, he was the last person she'd expected to see sitting at this table, lest on his own. At the same time, this wasn't all that surprising, for Kaiba had always been a confusing man. Towards the end of high school the two of them had gotten on much friendlier term, sharing the same night classes to pass university tests, exchanging notes when the other couldn't attend because of other commitment elsewhere. At one point, Kaiba had even offered to help with maths where he was excelling and where she was direly lacking, and in exchange she'd helped with the intracises of literary work. Gradually, their relationship had started evolving into that of friends, although "friends" might have been taking too far, at least, it was something close to it. Occasionally, he'd given her ride home, offered to stay for dinner when she'd visit to see Mokuba...

Anzu had shared bits of herself with him, her dream to go to America, which, to her greatest surprise, hadn't found silly at "so long as she worked hard enough towards her ambitions". Kaiba, on the other hand, always seemed to keep her at distance, still addressing her last name, in spite of Anzu giving him permission to address her by her first, rarely sharing anything about himself. Then, one day that she still remembered very well, he'd asked her out. Without any warning or previous signs that he may be interested in her, that way. Needless to say, it had taken completely by surprised. A question to which she had not known what to say and felt a later bit bad for her reaction, but what did Kaiba have in mind? He knew she was to leave for America and that she only took the preparatory classes for university tests so her parents would leave her alone. And why would Kaiba want to go out with her, of all people? Wouldn't he rather date someone from his social class? It wasn't as if he'd ever been short of prospects. And it overall just seemed so out of character. No, she wasn't going back anytime soon.

Yes, Kaiba Seto was a very confusing man.

All of this was in the past, she knew, but as the memories unfolded in her mind, unable to shake the thoughts of that one awkward night, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about this impromptu reunion.

"Mokuba isn't here?" She attempted, taking a seat in front of Domino's infamous CEO.

"Punctuality isn't his forte." He replied, barely distracting his eyes from his newspaper.

"But he should be here in a moment. Hopefully."

How reassuring. But hopefully, he was right.

"To be frank, I'm surprised to see you here." She continued, in a poor attempt at conversation. It seemed Kaiba had not much improved and changed in the manner's department, judging by the way he looked far more interested in his newspaper than helping at not making this awkward.

"Mokuba insisted."

Was it really?

"Why? Does it bother you?" He asked, with that bluntness that was so characteristical of him, his question yet sounding disturbingly genuine.

"Not really, but…" The question took her by surprise, too. "You barely said a word to me the other day."

"Well, you didn't say much either." She rolled her eyes. It was not as if his attitude had been very inviting to conversation, why should she bear all the responsibility. Granted, the last they'd talked she'd been the one to leave him hanging, but that was ten years ago, he couldn't possibly still be upset about that. And they weren't teenagers anymore, for God's sake!

"Mokuba and you seemed to have a lot to catch upon. I simply didn't want to interfer." He paused, but his lips parted again before she could say anything.

"Look. We don't have to speak, if you don't want to. Just pretend I'm not there." He added.

Yeah, good idea, Kaiba. Let's just make this more awkward than it already is and needs to be. Didn't he even get tired of always being on the defensive, though? Did he even have friends these days? A significant other? She wondered.

"I don't believe it should be too hard for you, hm?"

"Seriously, Kaiba?" She breathed a heavy sigh. Was he seriously intent on acting as if she'd been the one to ignore on purpose and started an argument out of it? This man could be impossible sometimes, she'd almost forgotten.

"Did you seriously think I ignore you on purpose the other night? Come on, we're adults now. We're above that kind of stuff."

"On the house." A waiter said, rather discreetly as though not interrupt the flow of their conversation, arriving with two most welcomed glasses of champagne. Though, she was probably going to need a lot more than that, if she was going to have to keep up with him for the rest of the evening.

"So how's life in Paris?" Kaiba threw in casually, taking a sip from his glass, adopting a less defensive tone and attitude to that of he had a few seconds. Maybe this could be a normal, non-awkward, catch up dinner between old friends.

"Different." It was the first word that came to her mind when people asked. Coming here had been quite the cultural shock, for certain. France was literally and figuratively miles away from Japan, but she was slowly starting to adjust. "But it's not too bad. Paris' the best place for ballet. So I guess I'm living the dream, huh?" She said, staring pensively at the large window behind Kaiba.

"Do you miss Domino?"

"Sometimes." She replied, after a brief pause. She'd lie to say she didn't often think of home or that she never humoured the thought of going back, but unfortunately Japan didn't have much to offer for professional dancer, which wasn't so much a career here. The rare opportunities one could get very paid very lowly, it was impossible to make a living out of it there. Anzu had never considered an option when she'd set a mind on pursuing dance as a career. Her dreams had always been overseas, for the best and the worst. Going back to Japan, at this point, would equate to admitting defeat and ruining all the hard work and hardships she had to go through to get where she was. She could already picture her mother rejoicing at the decision, hear her "I told you so", praising "it's not so bad here" with her father quietly approving in the background. Then, she'd have to deal with the stigma of being jobless, without a formal education, being nearly 30 and still unmarried... No, she wasn't going back to Japan anytime soon. Her next visit, as most did, would probably serve confirm Europe wasn't so bad, should any doubts lingered.

"Last I heard you were going to New York? What happened to that?" He remembered that far? She was surprised. So he did really listen, back then. That was unexpected, too.

"America wasn't for me." She shrugged passively, not particularly keen on expending on the New York disaster and being remembered of it. "I wanted to aim bigger, you know." She emptied her glass of champagne, trying to think of a quick way to escape a conversation she didn't want to have.

"But anyway, I wouldn't want to bore you with the boring story of my life." She spoke again, before Kaiba could get a chance to intervene with further questioning. "What brings you here?"

"Business. More specifically, Kaiba Land. As you may have heard, we're opening a park there. In fact I hope you did or my teams may have to re-think our entire communication strategy." He said deadpan. It was hard not to with all the ads all around the city and the metro. And she remembered mentioning their plan to eventually go bigger with Kaiba land and implemented the parks all over the world.

"Of course I have. I'm happy for you guys." She smiled as their gaze met for a brief, silent moment. Unlike hers, Kaiba's life seemed pretty full of successful projects and accomplishments. It was nice hear, though, that was still doing well for himself, in that particular aspect of his life. "When is the grand opening?"

"In one month, but there will be a private inauguration ceremony before that. Would you like to come? I can vouch in."

"Are you asking me out again, Kaiba?" She joked, seeing the mood had significantely soothed between the two of them, but judging by Kaiba's unamused expression, he didn't share in her sense of humour.

Idiot.

"I was gonna say it'd please Mokuba since he'd contributed to lot of on this project, but whatever."

Quick, think of something to say before it turns out more awkward.

"Messieurs, dames, are you ready to order?" Again, the waiter's intervention couldn't have been come in a timelier manner.

"Shouldn't we wait for your brother?" She asked tentatively, as the latter still had given no sign of life and Anzu was starting to get little concerned about whether he was very late or if he'd planned on not showing at all. It seemed unlike him, but unlike his brother, he could have changed a fair deal. Strange, still, given his enthusiasm the night before.

"Unless you plain on starving the whole night, I suggest we order now." And what surprised her most was that Kaiba, on the other hand, looked completely disinterested as to where his brother might be. In fact, he looked aggravated, more than anything.

Hesitantly, she reached for the menu on her plate and nearly had a stroke as her eyes ran over the prices.

Well, okay… this place was expensive, as she had imagined it would be, but what she was reading was another whole level of expensive. So much for catching up with an old friend. She had much rather stayed home and called it a night, as she had originally planned. This season had wore her out after all. But Mokuba was someone who made it very hard to say 'no' to him and it wasn't every day that an old friend dropped by and surprised her at one of her performances. In fact, it was the first time and it meant more to her than she wanted to admit.

Anzu decided to have the Boeuf Wagyu, if she was going to get bankrupted over a dinner, she might as well make it worthwhile, she decided. After all, she'd had been saving herself the whole day for this dinner and she was starting to feel quite starved.

And Kaiba, being his usual snob self, opted for a Homard dish. That much at least was in-character.

"Well." Kaiba said with a sigh of exasperation, gazing at his phone. "Apparently, Mokuba is not feeling well. He says he won't be coming."

"Really? Is he going to be alright?" Anzu asked tentatively, disappointed and slightly annoyed that Mokuba wouldn't give her a head ups a little earlier. Even if Mokuba was her friend that was still kind of rude.

"He should be." Kaiba responded with a roll of eyes. And she could detect hints of tension in his tone. Had something happened between the two them? She knew asking Kaiba about anything that dwell into personal territories could be double-edge. Given her previous slip, it was probably best not to risk it.

"I guess it's just you and I, then." Yep. And now they'd just ordered she was completely stuck with Kaiba and Kaiba alone for the rest of the night, with no way out of this. At one of Paris' most expensive places. From the outside, dinning at la Tour d'Argent with a well-respected and dreamy CEO of a renowned multinational as her 'date' could look like an exciting night, she mused with a certain irony. That was one thing her mother would certainly approved of.

"Quite the deductive mind you have there."

"I know. I could probably teach you a thing or two." She responded with a smug expression on her face.

"That's quite the stance to make. How are your maths skills, Mazaki?" He replied with an equal smug expression. He sure did remember a damn lot about their high school days for someone with such a full life, she noted. It was almost weird.

"Why, aren't you just so funny." Actually, he could be at his own expenses, which made it all the more funny.

"Monsieur Kaiba, would you like to try the wine? This is a very special selection from our wine cellar. A vintage Margaux. The chef thought you might like it." Yet another interruption of the waiter, returning with a bottle of red wine. The staff sure was quick and attentive here, for a place that was actually quite busy.

"I think my friend here would be more suited than I am." He said in what Anzu could objectively deem as rather good French. And if it weren't for Kaiba being Kaiba, maybe she could have found that sexy. Just maybe.

Come to think of it, if he were to down tone the aggressive and stern behaviour a little, he could be a charming man. After all, he was a pretty handsome man. Anzu wondered if he was even aware himself of his attributes. The man was quite popular in high school yet he'd always seemed to be completely indifferent, always keeping to himself, keeping his interactions with his peers to a bare minimum. She also had wondered how he managed to cope with being alone all the time. It was strange how he always kept everyone at a distance while adopting an entire different attitude towards his brother, warm and caring. So clearly, he was capable of nice and friendly with others, if only he would give himself a chance. He'd pretty decent to her on occasion, too, although there was still room for improvement. Funny, how in spite of everything they'd been through during Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, the man was still somewhat of a mystery to her.

"Excuse me." He continued, as Anzu approved of the wine, feeling a bit shameful that she couldn't fully appreciate what was so special about this wine as she didn't really indulge very often, aside from an occasional glass of champagne or crémant. "Do you think it would be possible to have our dishes served soon? My friend's feeling quite tired tonight and she'd like to retire not too late. She's had a rather hectic season at the Opera." Anzu frowned. Was she such poor company he had to come up with a ridiculous excuse to shorten their dinner? At least, he was being subtle about it and not bluntly rude like he could be. Maybe, he did change.

"Certainly. I'll ask for you, Monsieur Kaiba." The young man answered deferentially.

Oh the rich priviledge, Anzu mused amusingly. She often wondered what it felt like to leave in this rich bubble where 'no' didn't seem to be part of the vocabulary. It certainly must have its perks, Anzu certainly wouldn't mind having house personnel to save a tremendous of time and energy in her crazy routine, not having to worry about money, but didn't it get boring after a while? Maybe that was why Kaiba took games so seriously and often went to his way to challenge Yuugi, the one person who could stand up to him and was better at it than him.

"Madame, please." It sure didn't take long until Kaiba's request had been complied with, she noted, humming a plate with delight. It'd been a while since she'd ate red meat and something that didn't include quinoa, a copious amount of vegetables, avocado... Although healthy cuisine had significantely improved in terms of creativity and options, with an increased demand for it, she sometimes missed the time where she didn't have to care about what she'd put in her mouth and what impact it'd have on her body.

As soon as Kaiba's dish was served, the rest of the meal went in an almost religious silent.

By the end of her plate and her fourth or fifth glass of wine - she wasn't too sure - Anzu could feel her head spinning a little. It'd been a while since she'd allowed herself to indulge. Alcohol was strictly prohibited from her diet, far too sugary and high in calories, and with a rather terrible impact on one's performances.

Yet, it felt good to get that little buzz of relaxed euphoria, for the first time in a very long time, to let go of the pressure accumulated over the last few months. It reminded her of the nights at spent Yuugi's with her friends, having grilled meat, with cheap beers bought from the convenient store, laughing, playing cards, speaking of the future until early morning. Man, these days seemed like such a long time ago. When life was easy, when they had a lifetime in front of them, full of dreams. Those were the days, weren't they? Funny, how one can so easily take small moments for granted, she reflected, as cliché as the thought may be.

"Do you want anything else or are we go?" Anzu raised her head, snatched back from her thoughts.

"I'm good." She said, eyeing Kaiba's plate, just finished. He sure wasn't losing any time. Time is money, huh?

"I'll get our coats." He simply said, raising from his chair rather abruptly. Was he that hurry to get away from her? Or maybe, he was just tired from his day. Taking a closer look, he did look a bit exhausted, in a restless manner.

Anzu tried to follow his lead, but with certain difficulties.

Ouch.

She might have indulged a little too much, she realised, as her head started spinning, this time twice as hard as before, managing to stand on her both feet, but rather precariously. She grabbed the top of her chair with both hands, in an attempt to stabilise and compose herself. This was the last place where she wanted to make a fool of herself by stumbling, or worse.

"Are you ready to leave or what?" She looked above her shoulder, almost starling as Kaiba seemed to have reappeared out of nowhere. "God, don't scare me like that. But yeah, let's get bill and leave."

"It's already been taken care of. Let's leave."

"What do you mean it's been taken care of? I can't accept, Kaiba. I'm not okay with this." She argued, knowing well she was in for a battle she likely wouldn't win, especially in her state.

"And why not?"

"Well... It just does not seem fair." Being treated had always made her feel a bit weird, as though she couldn't handle herself or that her appearance screamed 'no money'.

"Pour le dérangement." Okay, he really needed to stop doing this.

The constant roll of the eyes, of course.

"Do you really want to argue about this or…?" He had a point and she was feeling quite tired of being odds with him so she might as well surrender with grace.

She couldn't say she didn't feel the slightest sense of relief in the fact that Kaiba had taken care of the bill, though she could pay for her stuff, this was an expense she had been too keen on sparing.

"So, how are you getting back home?" He asked, as the two of them made their way out.

"I'll take the metro."

"Are you sure? My chauffeur can give you a ride. And given your... over-enthusiasm about the wine tonight, I think it'd be best you accept my offer."

"Yeah, I'm sure and I'm fine. I don't need you to baby sit me." She retorted, feeling Kaiba's eyes judgmental on her as she dropped her phone to the floor.

"Okay. Fine. I think I'll take you on that offer." She resigned, helpless in the face of her own misery, knowing she was probably going to regret her decision as her stomach started feeling quiet upset over her drinking.

What's one more bad decisions in her long record of poor judgment.