Hey readers! Here it is, finally, chapter… counts four, of Like the Rain! I'm really pleased with how everything is turning out, thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I apologize that it's taken so long for this chapter to come out – it was coming to the final week of Physics and I had my test to study for, and things to get ready for and well, I had no time. Sorry! But now I finally get a summer break! This chapter is extra long, so read, review, and rave (to all of your friends…jk). Once again, please no flames.
I know I normally do my author blurbs at the end of the chapter, but this is important so:
For the next three weeks, I am going to be away from home, and for most of that time in places where internet access is going to be limited if not non existent. There will be some times where I can work on my lap top on the next few chapters, but even that will be limited to my location. I will try my hardest to get to next chapters written and out. Please be patient, I will have the next chapter out before the end of the month, and, if we're lucky, the next two or three. I really am sorry! U Have a great summer!
RR
Disclaimer: waves hand like a Jedi master I did not forget chapter three's disclaimer. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, I do not own the song "Like the Rain", and I am not a Star Wars nerd.
Like the Rain by Revolutionnaire Rouge
Chapter Four- Exhibit A
Dedicated to my brother, aherocansaveus. Thanks, I love you Anh.
Anzu sighed as she entered her apartment and came face to face with her roommate. Mai had a sly look on her face, which Anzu had come to know could only mean trouble.
"Don't say a word," she breathed as she passed the blonde and made her way to her room. Mai raised her hands defensively as she followed the younger girl.
"Look, I was just going to tell you that Yami called, to remind you about the coming to the museum tonight. Are you two finally going on a hot date?"
"Hardly," Anzu said," No, we're going to the museum for the opening of the new Ancient Egyptian exhibit. Isis Ishtar invited him."
"Ah, right – the infamous Isis Ishtar. The no good, conniving, rotten, crush stealing Isis Ishtar. At least she hasn't gotten to Kaiba yet." Mai raised a finger as if remembering something," And on that note, I also want to make the casual observation that you walked home with Kaiba. Again."
Anzu snorted as she threw open her closet and started to dig through it, looking for a dress," I didn't walk home with Kaiba, Kaiba walked home with me. There's no getting rid of that guy!"
She peered into the back of her closet," Mai, have you seen my black dress?"
"Yea," Mai said, sitting on the bed behind her," You had me take it and some other things to the dry cleaners a day or two ago. Anyway, back to Kaiba. I mean, come on girl! You should be glad that he's paying attention to you. I know a lot of girls who would die just to even have the guy look at him. And I'm not talking just the girls at Domino High School; I'm saying that Seto Kaiba is like, an international icon!"
"Ewww…" Anzu said," I'm sure the world would think differently if they knew the real Seto Kaiba. The cold, arrogant, rude, mean, stand-offish Seto Kaiba. And did you say my dress was at the cleaners?"
"Yea," Mai said offhandedly, waving her hand as if waving the thought away," Now, if you ask me, I think that his personality is part of what's attractive about him. He's such a mystery, you know?"
"No, I really don't think so," Anzu said, glaring at her roommate. Just like Mai to talk about boys when there was a real emergency at hand! "Mai, what am I going to do if my dress is at the cleaners?" she looked at the digital clock on her night stand," There's only an hour left before I need to be at the museum – there's no time to go to the cleaners and then come back and get ready!"
Mai's face lit up as she jumped off of the bed and grabbed Anzu by the hand," Anzu, I thought you'd never ask! The agency had some extra outfits left over from one of the last shoots, and I begged the director to let me have them! I went through them, and picked out some for both of us, because I knew that you only had ONE DRESS, and come on, a girl needs more than ONE DRESS!"
Anzu rolled her eyes as her friend with the fashion fetish continued to ramble. Mai pulled Anzu into her own room, and over to her walk-in closet. When the two had bought the apartment, Mai had had a custom construction company come in and alter her room. The result: one small bedroom, and one massive closet. Mai flipped a switch and the lights inside of the closet came on, revealing the model's racks on clothes, shoes, and other various accessories. In the middle, on hangers, were the newest editions to Mai's ever growing collection – six elegant, and extremely expensive looking party dresses. Anzu stared as Mai began going through them as though it was nothing new. Anzu's parents had money, that was for sure, but after Anzu had separated from them, they never shared the wealth. Anzu was forced to work to make her own money, and wasn't used to really nice things – almost the opposite of her friend Mai. Mai swept over and put a dress into Anzu's arms.
"Now, I know you said the part was formal, but I imagine it will be more like Business casual formal that New Years Eve party formal, so I think that this dress will work out just fine. It's not to precise, not overdone or flashy, but definitely sleek, simple, and sexy!"
Anzu blanched as her friend went on. Honestly, sometimes, fashion just goes over my head…
"This isn't the only dress I got for you, but I think that this is the one you should wear for tonight. It's much classier than you're old black dress anyway," Mai finished," So now, put it on!"
Mai left as Anzu changed out of her clothes and into the dress that she had selected for her. Anzu smiled unsurely as she evaluated herself in the mirror. The dress came to about her knees, and rather than having sleeves, had a halter that tied back around her neck. It was a creamy off white, much like the color of a pearl, with a large black stripe that came around the waist where the bottom flared out. There was black trim around the edge of the bottom, and black netting underneath that helped the skirt poof out some. She spun around in front of the mirror. It fit perfectly, and Anzu did have to appreciate her friend's good judgment of size. The dress was a little too flashy for Anzu's taste, but it would have to do. She came out of the closet and faced Mai's torrent of happy compliments. Anzu still had some time…
She didn't protest as Mai did her make-up, nor did she fight when Mai pulled her hair up into a bun and then ironed the hair framing her face into loose ringlets. Mai finally finished, and stood in front of Anzu, hand's clasped in pure joy.
"You're done, and if I do say so myself, you look gorgeous!" the blonde exclaimed," I'd like to see that Ishtar woman even try and match you! I'm sure Yami will be floored by your beauty."
Anzu looked up at her roommate questioningly," You think so?" she asked like a small child. Mai nodded and winked.
"Honey, I know so. Now, you'd better get going, or you're going to be unfashionably late."
Anzu shifted uncomfortably in her dress as she stood up. She grabbed her purse and put on her shoes before making her way towards the front door. She had thirty minutes left to get there, and she knew that Mai was right, if she didn't get a move on, she'd be late. Anzu said her good byes to her roommate and then opened the door. She stepped outside, and saw that the rain had stopped but felt the heavy mugginess that told her that the rain was subject to start up again at any moment. Anzu cast her eyes to the sky, and saw dark clouds streaked red and purple from the light of the setting sun. Anzu entered her apartment again.
"Mai," she called," Is the car in the lot?"
Mai, who was in her closet, yelled back," No Anzu. Jou took it to the shop to get it worked on. I was having some problems with the breaks."
Anzu cursed and frantically began looking for the umbrella that she was sure she had set down next to her bags. The baby blue umbrella was no where to be found.
"Mai," she called again," Have you seen my umbrella?"
"No Anzu," she called back," You weren't carrying it when you came in, so I don't know where it is."
"I didn't have it with me?" she questioned.
"No, you didn't! Now go!"
Anzu yelled her good byes again, and exited the apartment. She was positive that she had set her umbrella down right next to her bag. As Anzu walked down the stairs she went back through her walk home.
Hung up on Yami…realized I forgot my umbrella at school…got totally embarrassed by the most arrogant man on earth… fought for my umbrella…spilled my guts to friggin Seto Kaiba…threw the umbrella down and yelled at him… got home… go-
"Crap," she muttered. Never during that time had she remembered to pick her umbrella up off of the ground. Anzu released a whole string of curses as she made her way to the bus stop. The bus ran all throughout Domino, and one of its stops was the Domino Museum. There was no one else waiting at the stop. Her feet already ached from being cramped up in the black Stilettos Mai had forced her to wear, but she didn't want to sit down on the grimy bench nearby for fear of ruining her dress. Anzu looked up to the sky, and the clouds that were slowly moving in. From the balcony of one of the apartments behind her, Anzu could here a radio broadcast of the weather…
"Looks like it'll be another rainy night… this rainy season has been particularly intense… over 568 more rain than any other recorded season… possible flooding…expect weather to remain like this for the next few weeks…meteorologists around the world troubled by the amount of rain Japan has been receiving… like usual, another wet one tonight, along with some scattered thunderstorms… bad night to be out on the streets…"
Anzu sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course it's rainy she thought. The sun drew nearer to the horizon, and the clock ticked nearer and nearer to seven o'clock. She dug out her cell phone and observed the time in the dwindling light.
6:40
She had twenty minutes to get to the museum. The bus could get her there in about ten… if the bus would show up. Anzu tugged nervously on one of her ringlets as the street lights popped on, one by one. It was getting darker by the minute. No one else was around, and her feet were killing her…
6:45
The bus, which should have picked her up at 6:35, still hadn't shown up. Anzu weighed her options. She could wait a bit more for the bus, and risk it never showing up, or she could start walking and maybe make it only a few minutes late.
Or I could just go home, curl up on the couch, and eat sweets until I explode… she thought.
By now, Anzu decided that the bus wasn't going to come. She turned from the bus stop, and started to walk, at first unsteadily in her heels, but then with a little more confidence. One last stray look to the sky made her gut twist. Maybe, just maybe…
"Please, don't rain," she begged the sky, in a whisper," don't rain don't rain don't rain…"
A low, baritone roll of thunder echoed across the sky.
"D-ah…" she said, biting off her words in mid-curse. She was really going to have to work on that.
"Please, don't rain, just wait until I get to the museum, don't rain…" she prayed, her eyes uplifted to the sky. A single, large drop fell onto her face with a plop. The clouds, the sky, the world, and Anzu, all held their breath.
And the flood gates opened wide.
Earlier… 6:00 PM…
A small bell chimed from somewhere inside of the Museum as Kaiba entered in through the automatic sliding glass doors of the structure. Almost immediately, he was hit by a gust of chillingly cold air from the building's ac units that seemed to permeate his skin. Were he not Seto Kaiba, he would have shivered from the feeling, but instead, he calmly walked through the lobby. in the center of the lobby, a sign on a stand read:" New Egyptian Exhibit Early Viewing! All guests please follow signs." A picture of the Eye of Horus was printed next to the words, accompanied by a large arrow that pointed to the right.
He glanced at the guard, who in turn motioned with his thumb towards the back of the museum. Kaiba nodded and passed.
Quickly, he weaved his way through some of the main exhibits, not taking the time to admire them as so many had before. Nothing of the past interested him. He was all about the future. He passed through the old Egypt exhibit, where Isis had taken the care to make the mystery of the Millennium Items one of the main focuses. Kaiba walked by the large, stone carving that had been encased in glass and hung in the center of the room. He knew what the carving held without even having to look at it or the explanatory sign next to it. Isis had forced him to look at it many times before, and seemed to take almost any opportunity she could to remind him of his "ancient past" and "present obligations" to assist "the Pharaoh", also known as Yami, save the world from old and new evils. Seto Kaiba was just interested in running his company.
Kaiba finally left the room that contained the Egyptian exhibit, and came to a hallway. A plaque with directional arrows pointed out the way to go. The arrow to the right had words engraved underneath it: Museum Offices. The arrow to the left had a list of some of the other exhibits underneath it: Early-Domino, Pre-Historic, Latin American Cultures, and now Early Egyptian Life II. Kaiba snorted at the creativity of the new exhibit's name, then turned left. The only sound that filled the empty hall was the sound of his wet shoes making contact with the cold marble floor. At the end of the hallway was a plain door, with the words "Museum Offices" printed on it in black. Underneath it read "Curators Only." Kaiba opened the door and walked inside. He was met with surrounding that were rather drab compared to the grandeur of the rest of the museum. The halogen lights buzzed quietly, harshly lighting the hallway and the many doors on either side. Small plaques at eye level lined the center of the doors, catching the light and flaring brilliantly as Kaiba passed them.
Arthur Hopkins, Dr.
Regin Wello
Ainsi Hatori, Dr.
Sohma Yun, Dr.
Will Bryant
Isis Ishtar
The door to Isis' office was cracked open slightly, and the sound of a person typing rapidly on a keyboard could be heard. As custom, Kaiba didn't knock, but instead just walked right in. Isis was faced with her back to him, typing an e-mail on her laptop.
"Put that umbrella down in the hall," she said, still turned towards the glowing computer screen," I don't want the carpet getting any wetter than you've already made it."
Kaiba sighed and leaned the umbrella against the wall outside of the office. Isis had turned from the computer and was now standing.
"Much better," she said, flashing a white smile," And you came early, albeit soaked. Have you been playing in the rain again?" she asked in a low purr.
"Maybe," Kaiba replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the door slightly. Still open, the door swung back with Kaiba's weight, and snapped shut. Kaiba stumbled forward some, something he would never do in front of anyone else. Isis chuckled, and crossed the small office and wrapped her arms around his neck, ignorant of his still dripping wet clothes. She stared up at him with heavily lidded blue eyes, then stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him. Kaiba leaned down slightly to accommodate the height difference. While Isis was older, Kaiba was still taller than her by about a foot. Isis finished and drew away, Kaiba just stood there, casually leaning against the closed door.
"When's Mokuba coming?" Isis asked, sitting back down at her desk, legs crossed. Kaiba shrugged," At seven, like all of the other guests."
"Ah, I see. I suppose it's for the better, it gives us more time together…" she replied, more suggestive than Kaiba would have preferred. "Would you like a tour of the new exhibit before the crowd gets here?" she asked with a hopeful smile.
"Not particularly," Kaiba said honestly, trying hard not to let a scowl cross his face. Isis' face drew up into a pout.
"Why not?" she asked, her eyes flaring up in anger. Kaiba sighed, scolding himself. As Masaki might say," I'm not boyfriend material…" he thought. Suddenly, he realized what he had thought… or, whom he had though about. Kaiba shook his head, and returned to the present.
"Isis, it's not that I don't want to see your new work," he said, trying to appease the fiery woman," It's just that, well… "
"I know, I know. You don't believe in the truth, and you don't like being reminded of it either." Isis sighed, and glanced at the clock," You're forgiven. Now, I need to go over some final notes with Professor Hopkins, and then change."
Isis stood up and walked up to him. Kaiba moved away from the door, so that she could open it. She wrapped one arm around his waist and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
"I shouldn't be long," she whispered in his ear," Until then, behave yourself."
Kaiba grinned as the Egyptian woman walked out of the office. Isis was one of the few females he had met who wasn't willing to bow down to him and cater to his every whim. Most he'd met we're like that girl who had bothered him today at lunch… he got so sick of it. Kaiba thought of the first time he had met Isis Ishtar. They hadn't hit it off very well in the beginning… she was the unrelenting mystic and he was, well, Seto Kaiba. However, after Duelist City, they tried Domino's elite, and got along better. Everything else just seemed to fall into place, and now, they were an official couple. Well, official by their standards, not the media's – which was how Kaiba preferred to keep it. They stayed low key about their relationship, and so far, nothing had leaked, no one put himself, Isis, Mokuba, and Isis's brothers Rishid and Marik were aware of it. While Isis was more insistent that they publicly showed their affection, he had no desire to do so, which in turn annoyed the Egyptian woman. Besides that though, the only time that they had disagreements was when Isis brought up his ancient past… which she tended to do often.
Kaiba exited the office, and made his way back to the hallway. Just as he was about to open the door, it opened from the other side. He jumped back to avoid being hit, and scowled.
"Watch it," he snapped to the person who had opened the door.
"Sorry Kaiba," the opener said, and Kaiba recognized the voice as belonging to Isis' youngest brother, Marik. Behind him, another person stood. Kaiba stepped aside so that the two people could enter.
"Is my sister in?" Marik asked, tugging the other person on the hand slightly. Kaiba blinked at her, and Shizuka Katsuya blushed slightly. For the sake of Isis, Kaiba didn't make a comment on whom he presumed was Marik's date.
"Actually, she just left. Had some things to wrap up with Professor Hopkins, and then was going to change."
"Ah, sounds just like Isis. Thanks Kaiba. I just wanted to introduce Shizuka to her."
Kaiba nodded. He reminded himself that he had no vendetta against Shizuka, just her older brother. While he had only spoken to her once, on the blimp when she was begging for him to help Bakura. Unlike her brother, she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Marik ushered Shizuka to Isis' office, and Kaiba could hear the girl whispering softly to Marik. Marik whispered something in reply, and then glanced back to Kaiba. There was an immediate understanding – Shizuka would say nothing about Kaiba and Isis to the others, and Kaiba would make no mention of Shizuka and Marik to anyone outside of the family. Kaiba nodded, and made his way out into the museum hallway.
Again, he was met with a cold blast of air; he really needed to talk to Isis about the museum's temperature. He looked to his watch, it was about six forty-five. Slowly, he moved to the front of the museum again, where Isis was talking to Professor Hopkins and his granddaughter Rebecca. Rebecca nodded to him as he passed, her pigtails bobbing slightly as she did so. Kaiba exited the museum and stood under the overhang of the entrance. It was raining, and heavily. Cars were starting to pull up to the front of the museum. Slowly, people exited their vehicles and made a dash to the safety of the overhang. Kaiba recognized many of the guests from his previous business affairs, and many were la crème de la crème of Japan.
Kaiba hadn't guessed that the opening of a new exhibit would draw in such a crowd, but yet people began to poor in, all dressed in fancy evening attire. Many recognized the young C.E.O, and gave their business like greetings, to which Kaiba gave his business like reply. A few minutes before seven, a familiar limo pulled up in front of the museum, and from it sprung a boy with wild black hair and wilder eyes. Mokuba bounded up the front steps and tackled his older brother with a huge hug. Seto returned that hug, and ruffled the boy's hair fondly, ignoring the incoming guests who stared in surprise at the display of affection that came from the normally cold young man.
"Nii-sama!" the boy said," I waited for you to get home, but I figured that you had gone to the museum straight after school."
"Yea, sorry about that bud."
Mokuba pulled away a stood up straight. He shook a finger in stern reprimand.
"You should have called. Don't let it happen again," he said, mimicking his older brother," Or you're fired!"
Seto laughed heartily as the two went inside of the museum. He looked down to his little brother lovingly. He's not so little anymore… he thought wistfully. Mokuba had just turned thirteen, and it was obvious that he had inherited both the height and the looks that Seto had. Already, he was only a little shorter than Isis, and taller than most boys his age. As he'd gotten older, he'd abandoned the childish, mismatched clothing in place of a style that was faintly reminiscent of Seto's own, but without the trench coats. Despite his age, he would be entering high school next year, although he had had the opportunity to enter Duke Medical School last year, Mokuba had declined. While he had the brains that seemed to run in the family, he had something Seto didn't – the want to grow up slowly, and a strong sense of humor. Which reminded Seto…
" Speaking of calling Mokuba, my cell phone rang today at school."
Mokuba looked up at his older brother with unrealistically innocent eyes," Really brother? That's not much of a change from normal."
Seto smiled," Yes, except when my phone rings, it doesn't normally break out into 'Yeah'."
"The rap song?"
"Uh huh, the rap song. Mokuba, how many times have I told you not to play with my cell phone?"
Instead of denying it like he normally would, Mokuba just chuckled," About a katrillion times Nii-sama." Mokuba shot a quick glance to his older brother," You haven't turned on your PDA today, have you?"
Seto stopped," No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"
Mokuba smirked and began to walk away from his brother," Oh, no reason."
"Mokuba…" Seto started, but was interrupted by the feeling of a sudden weight on his shoulder. He turned, and found himself face to face with his girlfriend.
"Leave him be," she whispered, a smile on her face. Then, in a louder, professional voice, she announced," Mr. Kaiba, I'd just like to inform you that the viewing will begin in fifteen minutes. Until then, refreshments are being served in the Old Ancient Egyptian exhibit room."
"Thank you," he replied, in his normal gruff manner. Isis moved from him to one of the other guests, greeting those she knew and delivering the same message to others. Kaiba watched as she gracefully maneuvered through the crowd, laughing and smiling. As he watched, an image of someone else flashed through his mind… just a fleeting picture of another smile…
"Kaiba."
Kaiba turned at the sound of his name, a scowl fixed in place as recognized the voice and its owner. The crowd of people in the lobby fell silent as they witnessed the meeting of two of the greatest rivals of all time. Kaiba crossed his arms and spoke, his voice heavy with displeasure.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Yami didn't flinch as cold blue eyes, filled with hatred, dug into his own. His own displeasure was apparent as he stepped forward. Yugi and Sugoroku, the boy's grandfather, moved to step forward with Yami, as if preparing to hold him back, but dual glares from both duelists stopped them in their tracks.
"I want to know what you're doing here." Yami replied, his deep voice angry. Kaiba restrained himself from breaking eye contact to roll his eyes.
"The same thing you are Mutou."
Yami snorted," What Kaiba? To admire priceless Egyptian artifacts? If I'm correct in remembering, you want nothing to do with anything relating to the ancient past. Honestly, what are you doing here? Did you want this confrontation, did you want to duel me? I'm ready to take you down i-"
Kaiba interrupted him harshly," Weren't you the one always saying that life wasn't all about Duel Monsters and who's champion? Oh, no, that was you're little cheerleader girlfriend."
"She's not-"
"And speaking of Mazaki, where is she? Wasn't she the guest you invited?"
"Well-"
"You're all about morals and good manners, aren't you Mutou? Well, I certainly don't think it's polite to invite someone to an event and then not even know where she is."
Yami fumbled for a moment, before responding weakly," What do you know about manners Kaiba?"
"Enough." Kaiba shot back," And I know enough about proper dress attire to realize that when an invitation says "formal attire" that doesn't include leather belt buckles. So here's my question Mutou, what are you doing here?"
Kaiba smirked as Yami didn't reply, but instead walked past him, speechless and angry. Rather than join Yami, Yugi and Sugoroku instead melted into the crowd, which had begun talking again as soon as the confrontation ended. Kaiba couldn't help but feel victorious- he had hands down made Yami furious, speechless, and embarrassed, all in front of a crowd of Japan's high class. The only thing that bothered him was his mention of the witch Yami called a friend… why had she been on his mind? It's just because she always seems to be around he thought. Kaiba left it at that.
"If everyone will excuse me," a harmonious voice came from the back of the lobby," The new Egyptian exhibit is officially open!"
Everyone turned to Isis, who was standing next to Professor Hopkins. He spoke next.
"Miss Ishtar and I will be conducting the first official tour through the new exhibit. If those of you interested would please follow us, we'll take you back to the new room and begin."
The crowd all slowly began to move towards the archway where the two curators were standing. Hushed voices all spoke excitedly, people were anxious to see. Kaiba watched as they all filtered out, following in a rough line behind the two. Kaiba himself stayed where he was. While Isis would be angry at him for it later, he had no intentions of joining the crowd and enduring more endless blather about the Ancients and the past and magic and everything else a new exhibit would seem to call for.
His Rolex read 7:15. Kaiba wondered how long he would have to stand out in the lobby. He was doing exactly what Isis had told him to do, smile and look pretty. Except he wasn't smiling, just looking pretty. While Kaiba had been outside, he hadn't helped but noticed the searching eyes of some of the younger, female guests, and the pathetic jealousy that seemed to radiate from their male counterparts. Kaiba was used to being flocked over, admired, and all of that. Around 7:20, Mokuba strolled in from the other side of the lobby.
"Hey Nii-sama. Aren't you supposed to be on that tour thingy?"
"Aren't you kiddo?"
Mokuba shook his head," Naw. You know that stuff like that bores me. I really can't stand standing in front of a piece of rock and hearing about how the ancients used a bigger piece of rock to grind flour into bread for twenty minutes."
"Mokuba, the tour has only been going for five minutes."
Mokuba shrugged and crossed the lobby to join his brother. "Same thing. Actually, they were talking about how much the contributions of so and so and such and such were so helpful, and that they couldn't have done it without the support of blah blah blah… not exactly flour grinding I guess, but I've been on enough museum tours to know that that was coming next."
"Now Mokuba," Seto said in a fatherly tone" You know it's important to learn about cultures other than your own, even if they're ancient ones. I'm sure that flour grinding technique was very important to many people back in ancient tribes."
Mokuba rolled his eyes, something he must have picked up from Seto," Now Nii-sama, you know that it's important to practice what you preach."
"Eh, you got a point kid," Seto said, smiling and placing a hand in his sibling's hair in a pointless attempt to try and smooth it some," And personally, I don't blame you. That kind of thing has never really interested me either."
The two fell silent for a few moments, enjoying the tranquility of the moment. Mokuba looked out of the glass front doors to the rainy streets outside.
"It's still raining outside," he observed. Seto nodded.
"Is that where you were this afternoon?" Mokuba asked, looking up at him with blue-gray eyes," Out in the rain."
"Yup," Seto replied, also looking out. Mokuba shook his head and smiled in a bewildered fashion.
"I don't think I'll ever understand you one-hundred percent Seto."
Seto smiled back, his eyes still focused on the streets, which were lit only by an occasional street lamp," That okay Mokuba. It might be better if it stayed that way."
Mokuba just laughed, then turned to his brother with a cheeky grin," You know big bro, I think I'm going to go check out the refreshments in the old exhibit…"
Seto sighed" Alright, but stay away from the soda. The last thing I need is you jumping on your bed and quoting Edger Allen Poe at three a.m. again."
Mokuba pouted and gave Seto the puppy look," But I like soda… and I promise I'll only have a little." His eyes got wide and glazed over.
"Fine, fine, you can have some, but not too much!" Seto said, relenting," Just don't come crying to me when you have to wake up early tomorrow exhausted because you were up all night!"
"Tomorrow's Saturday Nii-sama." Mokuba said.
"Oh, and by the way," Seto teased," I think you're getting a little too old for the puppy eyes!"
Mokuba was about to reply, when the glass doors of the museum slid open. Both boys turned, and Mokuba was the first one to speak.
"My God Anzu, you look like Hell."
…
Seto blinked, and realized that the dripping mess that stood before them was indeed Anzu Mazaki. The girl just stood there, mouth slightly open, staring at the two, before she slowly sunk to the ground. Even as her knees hit the cold marble floor, she stared up at them, but now, instead of mouth hanging wide, she was mumbling curses.
"Damn…you…last person…to see here…what…" she trailed off, her blue eyes wide. Seto stared back, unabashedly, and observed the state she was in. She was drenched, from her head to her bare feet. Seto could see that the dress she was wearing mad once been white, but was now gray from the rain and the puddles he presumed she must have charged through, and he could now see little lakes of dirty rain running off of her skirt and onto the floor. Anzu stopped mumbling and just sat there, breathing heavily and staring. She held a pair of high heels in her hands, and the two feet that stuck out from the hem of her dress were raw and red. Her eyes, normally a bright, crystal blue, were shaded – she seemed almost like another person. Seto couldn't tell in the streams of water that ran down her cheeks and dripped onto the floor were from the hair that was wildly plastered to her face of from tears, but either way it had caused her mascara to run, forming large, black streaks under her eyes. Two long strands of hair slipped into her eyes, but she made no motion to move them. The rest of her hair, which he could tell must have been up at one point, now drooped under the weight of the water, some strips already free and streaming with water. She finally broke eye contact with him, and stared at the ground, her wet hair obscuring her face, breathing in long, gasping sobs. Her clenched hands were shaking.
Mokuba raced to her side, and kneeled down, placing a hand on her arm.
"Anzu, are you alright?" he asked, his voice laced with concern," Do you need me to call the ambulance? Do you need us to drive you home? Can I get anything for you? Do you want me to get Yami and Yugi?"
"Mokuba," Kaiba commanded firmly. Mokuba looked up, questioningly.
"Don't overwhelm her with questions."
Anzu's head raised up slowly, and she gently pushed Mokuba's hand away. "Thank you" she muttered," But I'll be alright…"
She stood up shakily, still holding her high heels. Anzu swept the hair out of her path of vision and then stared at Kaiba.
"You…" she muttered.
"Forgot your umbrella again." Kaiba replied," Really Mazaki, you need to stop doing that. It's getting frustrating."
Suddenly, albeit unsteadily, Anzu lunged forward, giving Kaiba no time to react, and crashed up against him. Her face was buried in his shirt, and she pushed away a little. Weakly, she beat at his chest with balled fists.
"You…" she said, in a rasping tone. Her hands moved down to her side, and she just stood there for a moment, her head still being supported by his torso. She took a few deep breaths, and unclenched her fists. With a final long, deep, breath, she lifted her head up, leaving a large wet spot on his shirt where she had rested it. Behind the water and ruined make-up, Seto could see exhausted eyes.
"Could you please point me in the direction of the bathroom?" she asked.
Kaiba extended a hand and pointed to the right. Anzu nodded, and began staggering in the direction that he pointed. Mokuba caught up with her and took her arm in assistance. As the two walked, Mokuba threw a glare to his brother back over his shoulder. The two exited the lobby.
Seto sighed, and waited for Mokuba to return.
"You know, you really deserve to be slapped."
Seto looked up from his cell phone, which he had been changing the ring tone on. Mokuba was coming towards him from the direction he had left in, a scowl on his face.
"In fact," he added," I'm a little disappointed that she didn't."
Seto raised an eye brow. His little brother was furious, really, truly, furious, which was something Seto had rarely ever seen in him. Seto didn't say anything, but let his brother go on.
"I mean, come on!" he said, throwing up his hands in exasperation," The girl stumbles in, soaking wet, half to tears, cursing herself and everything around her and obviously having a horrible time, and the only thing you can think to do is to make it worse by insulting her? Seto, I know you don't like Anzu or her friends, but please, have a little common decency. She was practically having a breakdown!"
"She insulted me first," Seto replied weakly. Mokuba rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, taking a stance Seto had only seen in one other person. Himself. He knew things were about to get messy.
"Somehow," Mokuba said, his voice icy cold," I doubt that."
"Well," Seto countered, slowly gearing himself back up against his own brother," The whole ordeal was her own fault, you can't deny that."
"I don't think so. She can't control the weather patterns." Mokuba said, glaring fiercely.
"For one thing Mokuba, I know for a fact that Mazaki didn't even want to come to this stupid event, and for another, it was her own fault for leaving her umbrella laying there on the sidewalk in the first place!"
Mokuba's right eyebrow shot up, and Seto couldn't help but be slightly disturbed by how much his brother resembled himself in an argument.
"And," Mokuba said, voice firm," How would you know that? You hate the girl."
Seto's eyes widened. His own brother had him cornered. Mokuba knew that he didn't particularly like Anzu, so there was no way he could think up a lie, and Seto knew that if he told Mokuba the truth, he'd have a whole of to explain. Mokuba smirked as Seto hesitated.
"Checkmate," he said, unfolding his arms.
There was no way he could get out of this one now.
"Alright, fine Mokuba. You win," Seto said, making his last attempt to save himself," You're really quite the contender. You'll do well in b-"
"Don't try to change the subject brother. I want to know."
Seto mentally cursed himself for teaching Mokuba his debating skills… it was now coming back to bite him.
"Fine then Mokuba. I was out walking yesterday when I saw Masaki walking home, in the rain. She had forgotten her umbrella in the computer room, so I went and gave it to her. She got angry, and flung the umbrella on the side walk, then stormed off. That's all."
A cold laugh came from the other end of the lobby," You forgot the part where you don't leave Kaiba."
Again, both boys turned to see Anzu Mazaki standing there in front of them. She had finally come from the bathroom. Anzu violently scrubbed off the make-up that had run, which was obvious by the red streaks crossing her skin. She had also taken her hair fully down and brushed it out until it looked at least part way decent, and had returned her feet to her high heels. No longer was she crying, although Kaiba could see that she was still on the edge of losing control again.
"Or," she said," The part where you hold my umbrella, insult me for forgetting it, make me spill my guts to you, and then insult me some more. And you also forgot to mention that it happened yesterday too."
Mokuba looked from his brother to Anzu, who both scowling defiantly.
"Is this true Nii-sama?" he asked, uncertain. Kaiba's gaze did not shift from Anzu's as she replied.
"Unfortunately, yes. But only to an extent."
Anzu rolled her eyes and scowled deeper, wrinkles forming across her forehead.
"Have you see Yami?" she asked slowly.
"Again, to which I reply, unfortunately, yes."
"Where is he now?"
"How should I know, and why should I care?"
Anzu shook her head, and stormed past him, following the arrows. As she passed, Kaiba said with a sneer," I'd have to say you look better all cleaned up."
Anzu turned on her heel to face him. She was about to say something, but instead bit her lip.
It wasn't until the stinging sensation in his cheek or the howls of laughter from Mokuba ceased that Kaiba realized Anzu had left the lobby.
L
Instead of following the arrows to the new exhibit, Anzu stopped when she reached the old one. A table decorated with many different drinks and snack type foods had caught her eye, and she made her way towards it. Anzu eyed all of the food greedily, but didn't take much. While her eyes begged for vast intakes of food, she just didn't think her stomach could take it.
She couldn't believe it. The worst day, the worst moment of her entire life so far, and both had to be shared in front of Seto Kaiba. Anzu would have rather died than allowed Kaiba to see her in that state, but yet he had, and as far as she was aware, she was still painfully alive.
I knew, from the very first moment I realized that the bus wasn't coming, that I should have turned around and gone home… forget Yami, forget Isis, forget Egypt. The only thing I want to do right now is curl up on the couch in some dry clothes with a mug of hot chocolate and a good movie… but no, here I am, stuck in this Heck-hole they call a museum eating finger food and getting ready to listen to Yami talk about how wonderful Isis Ishtar is all the while scolding me for being late. It's official. Life sucks.
Anzu could hear voices from one of the adjoining halls, and she realized that the tour of the new exhibit must be coming to an end, and while guests were welcome to stay and individually admire it, many were probably hungry.
"Anzu!" a voice called. Anzu groaned as a spiky head bobbed through the crowd and over to her. Yami's bright face suddenly appeared in front of hers.
"Hey Yami," she said weakly. He smiled, and she could tell that he was as excited as he had been at school.
"Anzu, I'm glad you're finally here! What took so long? Have you been here waiting?"
Anzu sighed," The rain, and no."
"Oh okay! Well, let me tell you, you need to see the new exhibit. Isis had a bigger hand in this one, and it's absolutely amazing! The archaeologists discovered so much more information about the Millennium Items, some things even Isis hadn't been aware of until she examined them, it's really incredible. And Isis was an amazing guide, she knew everything about each artifact, but I guess she would have to seeing as she's the head curator of the two Egyptian exhibits! Anyway, it's really great, you should go check it out!"
"Where are Yugi and Grandpa?" she asked, feeling monotone.
"Oh, they're both still in the exhibit, talking to Professor Hopkins and Rebecca."
Anzu nodded," Will you come to the exhibit with me?"
Yami shook his head, but his eyes were still filled with happy brightness," I'd love to Anzu, but there are still a few more questions I need to ask Isis about the Items." He made a gesture over to where Isis was standing, surrounded by a crowd of people.
"Oh, right," Anzu said.
"Why don't you come with me, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again."
Yami took her hand and dragged her over to Isis. Anzu turned to look behind her, for she swore like someone was watching her, but as she looked, she saw only people she didn't recognize.
"Oh, and by the way Anzu, be careful. Kaiba's here too, although I have no idea why. We already got into a fight."
"Not surprising…" Anzu muttered.
"Isis, Isis!" Yami called, waving a hand frantically. He caught the older woman's eye' she turned to them and smiled.
"Yami, just the person I was looking for!"
Yami's cheeks turned slightly pink," Really?" he asked.
Isis nodded, her golden jewelry shining in the light from the fixtures above. Anzu mentally rolled her eyes as Yami and the beautiful Egyptian conversed. Her eyes strayed across the exhibit room, only stopping until she met blue. There, from across the room, Kaiba was watching her. Anzu shivered visibly, and turned away from him, but out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw him smirk.
"So what do you say Anzu?" Yami asked. Anzu's attention snapped back to him.
"Huh?" she asked dumbly. Isis smiled slightly.
"Did you want to come to dinner with us or not? Professor Hopkins, Yami and I still have a few more things to talk about," Isis said.
Anzu blinked, and then made her recovery," Oh, I'm so sorry. I'd really love to, but I have to work tomorrow so I can't be out too late, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm no longer dressed to go out somewhere nice. I feel rather dirty even here."
Isis nodded sympathetically," Dear, I see. Did you get caught in the rain."
Anzu nodded. Curse her niceness, her beauty, her grace, her-
"Wow," Yami said, eyes going wide as he assessed Anzu's state," I guess so."
Anzu held back an obscenity. Instead, she dipped her head and replied as politely as she could," Thank you very much for the invite. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll go view the new exhibit. I apologize that I arrived late and missed the tour."
Isis waved a hand," Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you were able to show up," she said, kindly. Anzu nodded again, and then turned away from Yami and Isis. Her face, which had been taut with a fake smile, sunk into a scowl again as she made her way to the emptying exhibit.
Gah…frigging witch, go tempt Satan in the underworld and leave me alone! Would I like to go to dinner? Of course not! I loathe you you little-
Anzu fumed silently while inside her mind was screaming curses. She made her way through the crowd of people that seemed to be getting larger each moment. The people all flowed in the opposite direction of her, making her wonder if the whole world was trying to work against her. As mumbled apologies as she made contact with moving bodies. She didn't notice the particularly steady object she bumped into as she moved through the archway, nor did she notice the fierce glare the object sent in her direction as she passed.
Anzu entered the vast room that contained the new exhibit, and couldn't help but gape. It was huge, and packed to the brim with ancient artifacts, color pictures, shining trinkets, and more. The room was at the moment, devoid of all life, for everyone had gone back to the old exhibit to eat, drink, and be merry. It was rather quiet, the only sounds she could hear were her own careful footsteps and a dim murmur of voices that came from the other room. She moved from glass case to open display, reading each information card and admiring each piece. Anzu stopped at one of the glass cases and peered at the small, golf ball sized pebble that rested inside. She read the description.
This stone was found in the temple of King Anefere II. It's make up and location in the tomb leads archeologists to believe that the stone was part of a larger that was used for the grinding of grain and nuts into a type of flat bread. Hieroglyphs found in various tombs depict the act of bread making in day to day life. Women would often sit for hours using a set of stones to grind the materials into a mixture fine enough for bread making. Th-
"My God, Mokuba was right."
Anzu spun around in fright, and slammed right into a very solid object. She gazed up at the expected blue eyes.
"Meaning?" she asked Kaiba. He just shrugged, and pointed to the pebble under the glass.
"He skipped out on the tour so that he wouldn't have to endure listening to the curators talk for hours on end about making bread using stone tools. He was right. Even the description is long winded."
"Just like you," she murmured. Anzu ducked away from Kaiba and strolled through the exhibit aisle. Kaiba frowned, and started to follow her.
"Me? Long winded?" he asked, sounding serious," Look who's talking!"
Anzu spun around on her heel, almost fell over, and then straightened herself and placed her fists on her hips.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, acid in her voice.
"What do you think Mazaki," he drawled," I mean, come on, if those "friendship speeches" aren't long winded, I don't know what is. How long has that been going for now, years?"
Anzu rolled her eyes and took a few steps in his direction, her anger mounting every second.
"Ha ha," she hissed," You think you're so funny. Well, let me tell you something Seto Kaiba!" she had come close enough now that she could jab a finger at his chest," You are nothing but a –"
"A cold, arrogant, selfish, rude, shallow, narrow minded, jerk," Kaiba finished, a sneer in his voice," Did I forget any?"
Anzu put a finger to her chin and struck a contemplative pose," Ah, no, don't think so. Oh, except maybe bad in English."
This time, Kaiba's temper flared. However, instead of expressing it as… violently as Anzu chose to, he just raised a single eye brow.
"My English is flawless," he replied, switching over to the topic language. Anzu sighed. Two can play at this game…
"Well," she shot back, in English that had a tinge of a New York accent," You may think you can speak English perfectly, but I know I can. Now, remember that little argument we had in English?" Anzu asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Not exactly what I'd call little Mazaki," Kaiba muttered. Anzu paid no attention to him, but continued on. As she spoke, she walked slowly, moving away from him and towards some of the items of the exhibit.
"Yes, well. I'm sure you remember how you corrected me on my grammar during our…disagreement. I imagine you keep your so called victories locked in memory for as long as you can-"
"So then Mazaki, you're saying I won," Kaiba responded, in an attempt to fluster the girl.
"Just let me finish," she snapped," Anyway, where was I? Oh, yea. Well, during that conversation, you made it a point to embarrass me in front of the entire class by grammatically correcting me on one of my statements. I believe the phrase was "me and the rest of the class."
Kaiba rolled his eyes, getting annoyed at Anzu's indifference as she spoke and wandered around the exhibit," We had this conversation already Mazaki, the proper way to say it is "the class and I."
"Aha!" Anzu yelled, and she spun around again to face him. This time, she did fall, her heel slipping out from underneath her. Kaiba reacted fast enough to prevent her from painfully crashing down onto the marble floor. He was half bent over; holding her a few inched above the ground by the arms. Her legs were splayed out beneath her.
"You were saying?" he said with a sneer. Anzu's blue eyes snapped furiously to his face, and she wiggled slightly, despite her awkward position.
"Let me go!" she said with a growl. Kaiba shrugged.
"Gladly."
With a thud she crashed hard onto the floor, not as hard however, as she would have had he not caught her first. Anzu sat, surrounded by the poofy pile that was her dress, and stared up at Kaiba with a look of hatred.
"You didn't have to do that," she mumbled, much like a reprimanded child.
"Well you told me to let you go. Now, will you please get to your point. You're wasting my time."
"Fine," Anzu said, standing up carefully," When you corrected me, you were actually the incorrect one."
Kaiba gazed at her; she was a mess still, even after she had cleaned up.
"I'm never wrong," he stated simply.
"You know what they say Kaiba," Anzu replied cheekily," Never say never! So, you were wrong. Deal with it. After English class, I went to some of the teachers. They all told me I was the one who said it correctly. You were wrong."
"No, that's impossible," he said, his voice betraying no emotion that might have existed under the ice mask.
"Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong!" she said in a sing song voice," And I was right right right right right!"
Kaiba folded his arms across his chest and glared at the girl," Whatever. I know that I was right, and that you're just going out of your way to make a fool of yourself."
Anzu's song died out. She returned his glare with equal ferocity, annoyed at the fact that she hadn't been able to mess with his psyche. Just as she was thinking of some way to come back at the boy, Yami and Isis strolled into the exhibit.
"Anzu," Isis said, coming to a stop in between Anzu and Kaiba," What do you think of the exhibit?"
The brunette's hands curled into fists at her side, but the only one who seemed to notice was Kaiba. However, her voice revealed nothing about her true feelings.
"It's wonderful," she gushed, putting a blindingly false smile that, once again, only Kaiba seemed to notice as so," What you all have found and researched is absolutely amazing."
Isis nodded and smiled," Thank you, it's wonderful to hear that. It just amazing that we're able to know so much about our pasts."
"See Anzu," Yami said, his eyes sparkling," I knew you would like it! And Isis has said we can come back any time we please, without charge!"
Anzu smiled," That's great! Thank you so much Miss Ishtar."
Isis laughed in a soft, bell like tone," Please Anzu, call me Isis."
I'll call you more than that you man stealing, witchy...
Yami glanced to his watch," Isis, it's already 10. What time did you say the reservations were for?"
"10:30," Isis replied, herself looking at the small clock that was hanging on one of the walls of the room," I was just coming in to get Kaiba."
Yami visibly stiffened, and Kaiba just scowled, not having said a word this entire time.
"Kaiba is coming also?" Yami asked apprehensively. Kaiba nodded, then finally spoke," I've got to take Mokuba home though. You two go on ahead without me, and I'll meet you and the Professor at the restaurant."
"Alright," Isis said," Just make sure you remember to come to the restaurant. You're not getting out of this one."
"Fine." he replied," I'll see you at the restaurant." Without another word, he stalked out of the room in search for his younger sibling. Isis turned back to Anzu.
"Are you positive you can't come?"
"Unfortunately," Anzu half-lied," I have work tomorrow, and need to be up early. I'm very sorry."
Isis nodded, and Yami looked rather disappointed.
"Good evening," Isis said," And thank you for coming."
Isis and Yami both turned to leave, but then Yami turned back around, as if remembering something.
"Yugi and Grandpa already left with the car. You'll be able to make it home, right?" he asked.
Anzu glanced out one of the large windows, which showed a view of the streets. It was still raining heavily.
"Oh yes," she said with more than a tinge of sarcasm in her voice," I'll be able to make it through the driving rain and lightning just fine."
Yami smiled brightly," Alright, just wondering. Good night Anzu!"
He then turned to catch up with Isis, who was already at the entrance to the exhibit. Anzu stood there, speechless, unable to believe what had just happened. Was he really that oblivious? Or was he love-struck? It didn't matter to her, either way. Anzu silently made her way to the lobby, almost failing to hold back the tears that had been trying to break free again since she had gotten herself cleaned up. She looked despairingly at her dress, which had once been white but was now a muddy sort of gray. Her feet ached horribly in her shoes, so she took them off, trying not to notice the blisters that were coming in. She was the only one in the lobby, and she imagined she was one of the few that were still at the museum. The rain was even worse than it had been when she had arrived in her distressed state. Anzu pulled out her cell phone from her purse, and dialed a number. The person on the other end picked up.
"Hello, this is Ryou speaking," a warm voice on the other end of the phone said.
"Ryou," she croaked, having an even harder time fighting the tears. He recognized her voice immediately.
"Anzu, oh God. What happened? Are you alright?" she heard him fret on the other line," Did something happen? You know what, hold that. I'm coming to get you right now and take you home. Are you at the museum?"
Anzu nodded, and then remembered that he couldn't see her," Yes," she said.
"Alright, good. Just stay there, I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't go out in the rain!"
"Thank you Ryou," she whispered. He hung up, and she slid her cell-phone back in her purse. She stared out at the dark, rainy streets, and failed to notice the other presence in the lobby until it spoke up.
"I hope you're not walking home Mazaki," Kaiba sneered. Anzu turned to him wearily, and she guessed she must have looked tired for the way that Kaiba's expression changed. At his side was a barely conscious Mokuba, who looked ready to fall asleep right there.
"No," she replied bitterly," I'm getting a ride."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow," With who, Yami?"
Anzu glared at him, cursing him for knowing her secrets and now successfully turning them against her. It felt like a punch in the stomach. Kaiba just nodded," As I thought. He left you to fend for yourself in the rain so he could go off with Isis."
Anzu knew it was the truth, she knew it was, she knew Yami was oblivious to her feelings, but still, she wished that she could drown out Kaiba words before she drowned in them.
"Shut up…" she muttered," I don't want to hear it…"
"But it's true, isn't it? I can't imagine how that must feel," he said coldly," To have the one person you love turn from you and leave you to the wolves."
"Yami would never do that!" she yelled, although she knew that Kaiba was somewhat right.
"But he already has, hasn't he?"
"Stop it nii-sama," Mokuba muttered tiredly. Kaiba paid no attention.
"I offered you a ride to the museum," he said. Anzu blinked at him… Surely he didn't… had he?
"No you didn't," she said, not too sure of herself.
"Yes I did. When we got to your complex, I asked if you needed a ride. You just ignored me and kept going. I imagine you wish that you had accepted now."
Anzu tried to think back to that afternoon, and cursed silently. He had offered it, although she hadn't understood him when he asked, and she had ignored him. Kaiba smiled as he saw the look of realization cross her face.
"Hm, as I thought. What is it Mazaki, too af-"
"Leave her alone."
Mokuba, Anzu, and Kaiba all looked to the entrance. Ryou stood there, soaking wet, but he seemed not to mind. Over one arm, he carried a long jacket, and he held an umbrella in the other hand. He glared at Kaiba with open loathing.
"Anzu," he said, his voice acidic but not in her direction," You should have called me earlier. Let's go, before it gets too late."
Anzu nodded dumbly, and walked towards him. Kaiba scowled.
"So it comes to this, huh Mazaki? Relying on your little boy friend to defend you?"
"We're not dating!" they said at the same time, as if used to the comment. Kaiba snorted," Whatever. Mokuba and I will be going. Any more time in you're presence and I think my IQ will suffer."
Ryou grabbed Anzu's hand, and tugged it slightly, jolting her out of her dumbfounded state. Kaiba watched as the two exited out the doors. Under the overhang, Ryou handed Anzu the jacket, which she put on over her ruined party dress. He then opened the umbrella and held it over her, allowing himself to get wet instead. The two walked from the museum while the rain pelted them. They disappeared into Ryou's waiting vehicle, and drove off into the rain.
Kaiba turned away from the doors as Mokuba wearily called a limo.
"Are you alright?" Ryou asked after minutes of silence. Anzu shifted in the comfortable passenger seat, and turned slightly to face him. The passing street lights and rain on the window caused strange patches of light to distort the worried look on his face.
"I don't know," she whispered," I think so."
Ryou nodded, his eyes on the road but his focus far from it. Even in the dim lighting, Anzu could see the silent storm that brewed in his chocolate brown eyes.
"Thanks," Anzu breathed, tugging Ryou's jacket even tighter around her.
"It's what friends do," he responded. Anzu sighed, and reclined in her seat. The wind shield wipers mechanically swept away the water drops flecked the windows. As the water was brushed so callously away, they formed small streams on the edges, where the wipers couldn't reach, and caused tear like shadows to streak Anzu's face. The wipers moved back and forth, the swishing sound mixed with the methodical pounding of the rain slowly lulling her to sleep. Anzu felt her eyes droop slightly; she wanted nothing more than to…
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Ryou asked suddenly, furrowing his brow and frowning, eyes still on the road.
"Who?" Anzu asked groggily, her eyes closed now so that she couldn't see the face of her worried friend.
"Kaiba, Yami. I don't know," he said with a sigh.
"No," she said," They didn't hurt me. Not really."
"Not really?" he asked, speculation in his voice.
"Yea, not really. Kaiba insulted me in every way possible, and Yami didn't really do anything all night but hang around Isis. Nothing really out of the usual. Not really."
"You looked like you were about to cry Anzu. You really should have called me before. Did you have to walk in the rain to get to the museum?"
"Mm-Hmm," she sighed, too exhausted to really think about what she was saying," And right when I got there, Kaiba was there. He started antagonizing me about forgetting my umbrella again, and all this other crap. Yea, I guess Mokuba was right, I do look like Hell, but at least Mokuba was nice. So different from his evil brother… jerk…" she drifted off. Ryou realized her eyes were closed, and she was breathing evenly in a way that indicated she had settled into sleep. Yami questioning will have to wait… he thought, trying to keep his concentration on the rainy road ahead and not on the sleeping brunette in the passenger seat. Ryou knew there was so much she hid from him, and would continue to hide from him, even though he was her best friend. It had always been like that, and not just with him. So many people, Yami especially, saw Anzu as a happy-go-lucky, positive little school girl who would do whatever her friends asked with no questions. They saw her as someone who would always follow behind with a kind word and a calm smile. Ryou knew differently. Anzu had her own dreams, thoughts, and goals. She cried and screamed, but she kept it private. Anzu wanted everyone to see what she wanted them to see. Especially Yami. That's what he couldn't stand – Yami wasn't a bad guy, he just… believed that he was in control of his friends, that they would follow him to the end of the earth just if he asked them to. He got upset when Anzu, who had been there since the beginning, made her own plans, plans that conflicted with his own. Yami wasn't happy with her, and it was killing her. Ryou took his eyes off of the road for a moment and looked over to the girl, who was sleeping restlessly. She was muttering something under her breath, but Ryou couldn't make out the words. He moved his eyes back to the road.
Ryou pulled into the apartment complex, and up to Anzu's building. He leaned over and gently prodded her shoulder.
"Anzu, we're here," he whispered. Anzu muttered something incomprehensible, and opened her eyes to narrow slits. With a sleepy numbness, she undid her seat belt and stumbled out of the car, ignorant of the rain. She had removed her shoes at the museum, and held them beside her. Ryou got out, locked the car, and guided Anzu up the stairs to her apartment. As Anzu leaned up against the outside wall, Ryou stood on his tip toes and reached the spare key that rested on top of the door frame. He unlocked to apartment, and ushered the tired girl in. She made her way to her room to change, while he quietly went into the kitchen and started fixing hot chocolate. Mai slept like a log at night; even if he had banged around the kitchen, she wouldn't have woken. The milk had just come to the right temperature when Anzu stumbled out again, in a pair of fuzzy long pajamas. She flopped down on the couch and turned on the t.v. Anzu flipped through talk shows and infomercials before settling on a late night showing of Casablanca. Ryou came holding two mugs filled with hot chocolate and sat down on the couch besides her. She gratefully took a mug, and sipped greedily.
"Ryou," she teased," You made it too hot again…" she stuck out her tongue to show him the little white bumps that used to be taste buds but were not just burnt pieces of flesh. Ryou stuck his own tongue out to show his burn free buds, and then laughed.
"It's called hot chocolate Anzu, it's supposed to be hot."
"But it burned my tongue," she whined, sounding like a small child. Ryou just chuckled. They continued to drink hot chocolate and watched the movie. Anzu finally set her empty mug down on the coffee table next to the couch.
"Have you ever seen this movie before?" Ryou asked. Anzu nodded," Like eight times. It's always on late at night."
Ryou looked to the girl seriously. She was watching the movie with slightly glazed, and very tired, eyes.
"What have you been doing up so late?" he asked.
Anzu shrugged," Can't sleep." she answered simply. Much to his surprise, she laid her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks," she whispered," For being a great friend. For listening to me be dumb and laughing with me, and rescuing me from the evil clutches of the Kaiba dragon." she laughed slightly, and settled some more into the couch and his shoulder.
"Yami went to dinner with Isis tonight. I bet they're still there, talking away. Lord, I hate that woman."
"Was it just the two of them?"
Anzu shook her head slightly on his shoulder," No, Professor Hopkins and Kaiba were going too, but I bet Kaiba skipped out. Seems like something he'd do."
Ryou nodded, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. Ryou leaned back slightly in the couch, and allowed Anzu to move some to make herself more comfortable. It wasn't until the credits of the movie started rolling that he realized she had fallen asleep, her head still on his shoulder. Ryou sighed, and rest his head on top of hers. He was asleep before the credits ended.
"Nii-sama…"
Seto looked up from the book that he was desperately flipping through. A pair of thin reading glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose, and he stared at his younger brother through them. The two were seated on the floor in his library, surrounded by stacks of books that had been pulled down from the shelves.
"Why do we have to do this?" Mokuba whined, his eyes bleary from tired searching. Kaiba sighed," It doesn't matter, just keep looking a little more."
"But why," he asked," Do we have to look in grammar books? Why in English? I mean come on, what's so important about knowing if "me and the rest" or "the rest and I" is the correct way?"
Mokuba stood up, spilling books all over," We've looked through like, fifty different textbooks. I don't even want to know where you got them all from. And weren't you supposed to go to that restaurant with Isis?"
"Please Mokuba, this is important to me."
"Why?" Mokuba challenged. Seto remained silent, flicking through pages. Mokuba raised an eyebrow, a look of understanding crossing his face.
"Oh, I think I get it. This involves Anzu, doesn't it?"
Seto's head shot up, looking startled. Mokuba smiled as Seto said," No, of course not. What makes you think so?"
Mokuba laughed," Actually, it was just a guess, but your reaction tells me everything I need to know. Let me guess, Anzu said something to challenge you, and now it's got you bothered because she might actually be right, so you're trying to find something that will prove you wrong. Right?"
Seto blinked, and cursed inwardly.
"No way Mokuba," Seto said, a little too defensively," You know I don't care what Mazaki says or does. Why would you think that?"
Mokuba laughed," Whatever Nii-sama. I'm going to bed." He crossed over the piles of books to reach his older brother and give him a hug.
"Good night Seto," he said," And don't work too hard."
"Good night Mokuba," Seto wished, and he watched as Mokuba made his way back across the piles of books to the door of the library. With a sigh, Seto turned back to the book in front of him. He had to prove her wrong. Even if he was up all night trying to do so.
Well, that's all for chapter four! I could have gotten it to you earlier, but it would have been shorter, and with the length of time I'm going to be gone, that wouldn't have been good! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the next one. I have some good ideas for what's to come. I really hope I'm keeping things relatively original – with 30,000 + Yu-Gi-Oh fanfictions, it gets really hard to stray from cliché! Aw… If I wasn't such a Kaiba junkie, I'd pair Anzu with Ryou… oh well! Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers, you are what keeps me going! Please review, give me your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and such. Once again, have a good summer, and stay safe!
Anh- If you got something dirty from this chapter, I'm going to be… weirded out… Love ya!
Review Replies:
aherocansaveus- Eh. I'm going to let you off this time. This time. Sorry I didn't let you beta this one, I'm already out of town, and internet connection is a limited thing. I needed to get it up fast. I'll let you read the next one, I swear.
mischiefmagnet- I'm glad you enjoyed it, hope you liked this one too! Don't worry about being constructive if your tired, lol, just reviewing and saying nice things is good.
suzieq2005- Thanks! Glad I can make you happy! Yes, Kaiba is...a character...
mookey216- Arigato! I'll try.
Monkeyluv4646- Nice name! I'm glad you think so, it makes me happy to get such...happy reviews!
Dreamer of Dragons- Yes, Isis and Kaiba... not at all. Mokie really is the greatest, quite a trouble maker. I was the same way when LuvinAnime got kicked off. I stopped reading fanfiction for a while and pouted I was so mad! But now she's back so we can be happy .
LuvinAniManga- Thanks for the English tip! I don't know, it still doesn't sound completely right to me, but the way I had Anzu say it, weather 100 percent gramatically correct or not I how I would say it in a conversation. I made an attempt to redeem myself (English is my favorite subject, so it bothered me with my wrongness), hope it turned out alright! Funny Kaiba...I speak very little German (shame on me because I'm as much german as I am French), but I'm going to try and take it soon. I'm really glad that you liked the chapter, hope you liked this one. And it's frenzy.
The Cougar- Wow. Variety is the spice of life! Thanks. Oh, and update soon!
apsychicswordsman- Thanks for reviewing, hope you keep reading!
Gardevoir-Mages- Thanks for reviewing all three times. Sorry about Yami and Isis, I love them both as characters, but I felt for this story they needed to be the antagonists (which doesn't always mean the bad guys). Yes, I realize Yami doesn't normally gush, but I wanted it to be kind of the "away from the battle Yami". I asked myself- what do I think Yami would be like after all was said and done and life returned back to normal? So yes, he's oblivious, kind of silly, love struck, but also serious and determined. I don't know. Thanks all five... or six... of you for your input!
RR