Chapter 2

She didn't know what she was expecting, but for some reason she was thoroughly surprised by the man who stepped out from the driver's seat of the sleek black BMW that pulled up in front of the school.

He was dressed sharply in a black Armani suit that covered his lean and tall body, tailored to cling and hang in just the right areas. His body was no longer chubby from youth. His hair still had a bit of length, though not as long as she had remembered, and tied into a neat low ponytail at the back of his neck. His face had sharpened, no longer so round and boyish, his cheeks no longer red on their own accord.

"Ojisan!" little Seto ran to the man and was scooped up into his arms in a tight hug.

"Hey, you had fun today?" Mokuba asked.

"It was ok," the boy frowned. "Kind of boring. Can we go now?"

Mokuba laughed, a deep rich laugh. His voice not so gruff as say Kaiba's or even Yuugi's had become, but it was surely not the voice of a boy. Anzu felt foolish upon realization that she hadn't been expecting this. She wasn't expecting Mokuba Kaiba to grow up. She knew her thoughts were absurd.

Mokuba looked up from the boy and at the teacher who had waited patiently with him, in order to thank her, and instead was left with Anzu's wide stare. He smiled.

"Hey, Anzu!"

"M,mokuba!" Anzu gasped, as he approached. She didn't realize she was in a daze. It was just so unreal. "Wow. I feel so old now. Look at you!"

"Look at me?" Mokuba asked, looking down at his suit and back up at Anzu still smiling. "What's wrong with me?"

Anzu giggled, feeling all the anxiety she didn't know she was harboring flush out of her body.

"No. I mean you're so different."

"No, you just ran away and never came back. You can't expect to stop time, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Anzu said, a bit of a sigh in her voice. "Thanks for picking up Seto. I always feel like he's bored at my place."

"Oh, Seto you making trouble for Auntie Anzu huh?" Mokuba asked, looking down at the boy, never dropping his smile.

"No!" Seto replied, clinging to Mokuba and giving puppy dog eyes.

Mokuba snickered and turned back to Anzu, "He thinks these puppy dog eyes will work on me? They never work on me."

Anzu giggled, "Seto, you should know your Uncle Mokuba used to use puppy dog look so much I think he's immune to its powers."

Seto shrugged and ran to the car and opened the backdoor, hoping in.

"Well, he's ready to go," Mokuba laughed, turning back to Anzu. "I didn't know you were his teacher."

"Yeah, Shizuka enrolled him once I told her I'd be working here. It's quite the coincidence that I'm his teacher, really," Anzu smiled.

"That's great. You were always good with kids… well people really," Mokuba complimented, adding the last bit after a pause.

"What about you?" Anzu asked. "What are you doing now?"

"Well, as you know there's Kaiba corp," Mokuba shrugged with his hands in his pockets, form slumping a little as he kicked a pebble with his feet.

"Of course," Anzu beamed.

A small silence proceeded after the comment and then was interrupted by Seto's voice from the back of the car.

"Come on! I'm ready to go!"

Anzu and Mokuba both turned their attention the 6 year old, hanging on the car door, rather impatiently.

"I think he's really ready to go," Anzu giggled.

"You think?" Mokuba looked back up at her. "Anyway now that I know you're his teacher I'll know where I can find you."

"Yeah."

"Ok, I'll see ya."

Mokuba shrugged again, with seeming indifference, but a smile still on his lips. He turned and made his way to the vehicle.

"Close the door," she heard him say in a more scolding and authoritative manner that made the young Seto do so without argument.

Mokuba went to the driver's side and started the car, and Anzu turned away to walk back towards the building.

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Anzu's apartment was actually not far from the house she grew up in. Her parents had even offered for her to move back in when she decided to come back to Domino. They reasoned that she'd be fine to live with them until she was ready to be married. Anzu refused. She didn't want to depend on them anymore, She had already spent so much time on her own. Besides, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to get married anymore. Let alone who she'd get married to.

Anzu checked her mail and walked up the steps to her apartment, saying hello to an older woman sweeping the hall. She entered her apartment, slinging her bag off her shoulder and onto the floor by the door. The only thing on her mind was food. She entered the small kitchen area, putting the mail on the counter and opening the refrigerator.

With a sigh she stared at the emptiness that stared back at her. She really needed to do some shopping. She'd have to do that Sunday. Maybe Shizuka would be willing to tag along.

Closing the fridge door, she went to the cabinet and pulled some instant roman. It was then that her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Anzu answered.

"Anzu."

The voice on the other end made Anzu's heart both fall and flutter upwards, each within a fraction of a second.

"Yuugi," she replied. "Hi. It's been awhile."

She walked over to the couch and sat down, forgetting her rumbling tummy.

"Yeah. I've been so busy. You know how it is. Unfortunately I can't talk long. I just called to see how you were liking Domino."

"It's changed," Anzu replied.

"Well of course it did," Yuugi laughed lightly, breathing static into the phone.

"You're right. But I've seen Shizuka a lot."

"That's good. I wouldn't want to think you were lonely…"

"You're silly."

"I am aren't I?"

She could hear the smile in his voice, but she wasn't smiling back. She waited everyday for his calls but she could never find herself enjoying them.

"I heard Jonouchi-kun helped you move in," Yuugi said.

"Yeah, because someone had to go to Hong Kong last minute."

"Yeah… about that--"

"I even planned my move date around you."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize. We all knew you were busy."

"Then if there was no need to apologize why did you even bring it up?"

"I'm sorry," Anzu said, this time apologizing.

She felt like such a bitter person sometimes, always blaming Yuugi for things that were out of his control much of the time. His career was his life, not her. Even when they were together he couldn't help it. And she couldn't help it then either. She felt guilty. She felt like it was her nagging that broke them apart. She just wanted him to come home sometimes. Was that too much to ask?

"It's ok. I'll try to visit Domino some time then," Yuugi said.

"That'd be nice. It's been awhile since you've seen Grandpa."

"Have you seen Grandpa?"

Anzu answered sheepishly, "No. I didn't. I like him and all but… it's just weird being with him when I'm not with you."

Yuugi laughed at that too.

"Ok, well I think I better go now before Kaiba has a hissy fit. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!" Anzu stopped him. "Where are you now?"

"Sydney."

She imagined him standing with Sydney's Opera House and managed to smile.

"Ok. Have fun."

"Thanks."

"Bye."

-to be continued-

AN: thank you for reading. Please review. Constructive crit is much needed. I hope they're not OOC.