Standing in the kitchen, Anzu waited for the popcorn to finish. She had some drinks on the table, the coke left untouched by her guest who was currently burning holes into the screen of her TV. He didn't talk at all since coming in outside of "yes please" and "no thanks." Maybe it was his effort at being polite, but fake modesty was irritating. His silence made Anzu anxious as her mind tried to find something to entertain him with. Maybe they could talk, but about what? The silence was eating at her.
"Are you sure you don't want water or something."
"Positive."
One word answers, Kaiba was the king of them. And sitting on the couch with his leg cross and arms folded, he looked just as out of place as he probably felt. His clothes were too nice, his suit still on from earlier that day. It was black and extensive looking. Anzu sometimes liked looking at Vogue magazines on occasion, and she could have sworn he was wearing Gucci, but she wasn't exactly positive and asking would be too embarrassing. It would admit that she had been staring at him.
Finally the microwave beeped and Anzu picked up the bag of popped corn, taking it out and dumping the contents into a huge plastic bowl. It smelled so damn buttery, and taking a handful for herself, Anzu hoped the treat would appease her guest. She didn't want him just sitting there hating himself for coming inside with her. Always the people pleaser, she sincerely wanted to make amends with the man.
"How's your brother doing?"
It was an attempt at starting conversation, and hopefully Kaiba wouldn't find the question invasive. She used to be good friends with the younger brother until life got hectic and she started getting too busy for friendships outside of school. The young preteen had to be a teenager by now, with a life of his own and maybe even a girlfriend. Hopefully his kind and easy going nature didn't disappear with maturity.
"He's fine."
Watching Anzu take a seat next to him, the male didn't elaborate. His steel blue eyes stared at her, although Anzu hardly noticed. She was too focused on her snack, taking another handful to her mouth before sitting into the cushions of the couch and crossing her legs up against the coffee table. Making herself comfortable, she sat the food between them, but the man didn't seem too interested in eating.
"Just fine? You could tell me a little bit more than that, you know."
"I know, but why do you need to know?"
Now he turned to look at her face, slightly crossed. Anzu just rolled her eyes at him, taking the TV remote to her hands. If he didn't want to talk to her, then fine. She could pretend he just wasn't there, since he wanted to be so difficult.
"… He's in high school now. Sophomore year and he plays soccer. Sometimes I go to the games, but not that often. There's never enough time, but I think he understands that. I think he also has a girlfriend, because I never see him around anymore."
"I'm not surprised. He was a cute kid before, and I'm sure maturity did him major favors. Not everyone gets so lucky with good genetics."
"Yeah well, I'd appreciate it if he wasn't so popular. Do you know how many times he's left his cell phone in my office, and some girl was calling him? Too many times to count. It makes me wonder about him."
"He's having fun."
"Too much fun, if you ask me. I didn't spend my high school years running after girls and not coming home until mid-night."
Anzu snorted, opening the can of pop for herself. Kaiba sounded like a worry wart and maybe he didn't know how to handle it. He was always in that fatherly position, and now that Mokuba was getting older, he wasn't as needed by him. Or maybe he was needed, but Mokuba wasn't asking for help any longer. Anzu could see that happening.
"I'm sure if you didn't have your company to worry about at his age, you would have been the same way. You could have been popular in high school if you wanted to. Girls liked you. But you decided to be anti-social," replied Anzu, taking another handful of popcorn to her mouth.
"I had better things to do with my time than hang out with you geeks."
"I'm not just talking about me and my friends, Kaiba. There were other people we went to high school with. You ignored everyone. If you didn't like me and my friends, fine, I can understand that. But why did you close everyone off? You couldn't have been happy with being so alone all the time."
"What are you trying to do, psychoanalyze me?" snapped Kaiba.
He looked aggravated, from the sour expression on his face. His eyes appeared darker, and Anzu felt a tug when his eyes flashed at her. She immediately regretted the comment. Really, it wasn't even any of her business, but she was curious. She had been curious for years, and despite everything that happened between Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, she still didn't know the man too well. For some reason, Kaiba was so good at staying an anomaly.
"No. Just trying to understand you, if you'd let me try," she said while looking away, "but I guess it's really not my place to know."
"… If people kept disappearing out of your life, would you be so enthusiastic about making friends all the time?"
"Probably not, that would be difficult to deal with."
"Well, there's your answer."
At least that was something. She expected a little more than just that, but Anzu could tell that Kaiba just hated explaining himself. It would be easier to understand him if he did, but the man would oppose her if she kept getting into his business. Maybe if she said something about herself, he'd relax.
"I don't think I ever told anyone this, but I have two sisters. The older one is studying to become a doctor, and the youngest is Mokuba's age. Sometimes I worry about what my younger sister is doing, because she's wild and a little rebellious. In high school, I used to disappear from home all the time, to go on those duel tournaments… I wouldn't be surprised if she's doing the same thing, just without the card games. She's very pretty too, so it makes me worry."
"Why did you tell me that?" asked Kaiba.
"So you know that we share something in common."
Ending the conversation with that, Anzu turned on the TV and started going through the movies selection. Maybe there was something on they could both watch, although she knew it would be hard pleasing her guest. He was the sort who would find fault in every choice she made until they would both end up frustrated and sick of each other. Kaiba had a talent for that sort of thing.
"I don't care what you put on," he mumbled, "as long as it isn't a chick flick."
Settling on some costume drama, Anzu turned around to find him lying in the corner of her sofa. His long legs were up on top of the coffee table like hers, and he seemed to be ignoring the television in favor of sleep. She didn't see why he'd stay if he was so tired, but Anzu wouldn't bother him. If anything, it would be a funny thing to talk about later, how she got the CEO of Kaiba Corp to stay in her apartment overnight.
Snorting at the idea, Anzu got right back into her bowl of popcorn. The television wasn't as interesting as she first thought, and staring at the man next to her, she tried to keep the image of him sleeping engraved in her head. She had never seen him sleep before, let alone appear tired. Sure, most of her friends had snoozed in front of her from time to time, but never the paranoid CEO. Even during the hellish ride on the blimp during Battle City, he always seemed to be wide awake.
Now his eyes were closed. Long lashes against his fair skin, Anzu could clearly see his more delicate features without all the frowning he made while awake. With his eyes closed and face relaxed, he appeared far more attractive, like someone out of one of her Vogue magazines. Most girls would have killed to see this, and the young woman had this all to herself.
Moving a bit closer, Anzu could see tiny freckles on Kaiba's nose. Why she was so fixated on staring at him, she didn't know. It was interesting, seeing people who were usually so reserved asleep. Being completely at ease and somewhat vulnerable made the CEO much more human than before, like someone she would have known personally instead of some guy who always harassed her friends. He had interesting features too, like how distinctive the nostrils on his nose were, or how his bottom lip dropped slightly as he breathed out of his mouth.
"I can't believe you passed out so easily."
There was no response. Just more heavy breathing and a slight turn to the side, Kaiba had his back turned to the television. With his arms folded against his chest, Anzu felt bad that she hadn't taken his coat before. He was probably over heated in that sports coat of his, and would regret it in the morning. A part of her felt like waking him up, too. It would probably be the right thing to do, and she knew that the man would get all indignant the next morning about sleeping there if she didn't… But he looked so tired.
"You're lucky that I'm such a nice person."
Rolling her eyes, she continued to watch her movie, going through her bowl of popcorn alone. Smiling, Anzu was glad a little to be sharing it alone. If her roommate was around, the girl would have eaten all of it already. The blonde was so good at disposing of other people's groceries, but never her own. Hell, the college girl never bought her own.
"I can't believe how tired I am now myself."
Yawning, she didn't think she could keep herself awake for very long either. Too stubborn to take herself to bed though, she kept the TV on and placed the popcorn on the coffee table. Then, a bit chilled despite being in sweats, she grabbed the afghan off the couch and covered herself with it. Unable to fight herself, she soon closed her eyes and fell asleep against the sofa.
It was early morning when the alarm went off. Jumping out of bed, the brunette couldn't remember even getting under the covers. She was still wearing her sweats from the night before, but looking around; she was no longer in the living room. Inside her bedroom instead, she could make out the tiny red flakes of fish food on top of her betta's tank.
"He didn't…"
There was no other explanation for it. Getting out from under the covers, Anzu turned off the alarm and left the bedroom, going into the living room. There, she found the popcorn bowl gone and the afghan neatly folded and placed back onto its original spot. Kaiba had to have woken up, and why he'd carry her sorry ass back to bed, she didn't know. But then again, sometimes the male had his moments of decency. He did save her from being crushed by a crate that one time. Anzu would never forget that.
"And all I did was say thanks… To Mokuba, who didn't do anything."
Sighing, she combed a hand through her hair and shook her head. Whatever was going through Kaiba's mind the night before, she probably wouldn't ever know. He wasn't the sort to share anything with people, and knowing how he was, he probably wouldn't even mention it. Well, if they even saw each other again that night. The way Anzu's schedule looked for that night; she highly doubted that she'd have the time.
"He'll have to get dinner alone then."
Getting through class that day was hard enough. The professors kept dragging on and on over the same old topics from before, not remembering until the end to pick up their essay assignments from the weekend. Luckily for Anzu, she had managed to finish hers, expecting at least an A minus on it. She usually got outstanding grades in school, and having rushed the paper somewhat, she knew it wouldn't be as good as before.
Then there was work, which droned on forever. Teenagers from Domino High and the blue collar employees all over kept coming into Burger World, buying their favorite American fare for cheap. Ham burgers, hot dogs, cheese burgers, chili fries, curly fries, hot wings, popcorn shrimp, and just about anything else that could be cooked on a hot iron or deep fryer was there. Anzu hated it, the greasy food that everyone seemed to love, especially the smell. After five hours of it, she nearly ran out of the place, throwing her apron into her bag.
Lastly was dance. It wasn't so bad, until she ended up pulling her leg while on stage rehearsing. It was embarrassing too, having people gather around her as she sat stunned on the stage floor. Cursing to herself, Anzu bit her lip and watched as her dance coach checked her leg, shaking his head in disappointment. Immediately she knew it was a bad sign. Falling while en pointe was bad enough…
"You're fine, just take a break tonight. Go home, Anzu."
"Are you sure you don't need me-" she asked.
"Go home, Anzu."
It was such a downer. Getting her ass off the ground, all she could do was exit the stage while the other dancers made their comments behind her back. She knew that they were talking about her, about how she'd never amount to anything outside of Domino. Girls like Anzu didn't get past college dance. They just didn't have the body for it.
After packing up her things, the brunette really just wanted to sulk in her room. She didn't feel too hungry but her body needed nourishment. As much as she might have wanted to punish herself for fucking up in front of everyone, Anzu couldn't act out like some teenager by starving herself. It was stupid and didn't solve anything. Instead, she might as well go somewhere for dinner until the bus came.
Picking up her phone, she was surprised to find two missed calls and a text message. What was even more surprising was none of the calls came from her mother or father. Not even Ryou, who she still talked to on occasion. No, all the numbers were private, and smirking slightly at recognition, she eventually figured out who it was.
"Meet me at Il Pomodoro when you get done with practice. It's right across the street from your ballet studio, so no excuses. – Kaiba"
Snorting, Anzu shoved the phone into her pocket. She'd probably be a bit early, since she wasn't due to be out for another half an hour, but maybe that would save her waiting for a table. And who knew, the paranoid businessman might be there early… Or get there very late. Kaiba seemed like the sort to be extremely punctual, but shit happened. A late night in the office could do things, and there was always a chance of her being stood up.
"He didn't do that last time, so you shouldn't worry yourself over it, Anzu. Ugh, it's such a stupid thing to worry about anyways."
She felt silly worrying over absolutely nothing. Hitting the showers first, this time the girl made sure she was clean before going out in public. Unlike last time, she didn't plan on pulling any stunts, and since she was far off from home, good behavior was a must. The buses would stop running soon, and Anzu would need a ride home from the restaurant.
Getting there early, Anzu got a table easily. There was a reservation under her name, and grinning like an idiot, she took her seat in the back of the room, staring out at the window next to her. Domino Pier was such a nice place. It was just too bad that the ocean made everything around it so damn cold and she couldn't go out in shorts like she had last summer. Sure, some girls wore leggings and stockings underneath, but to Anzu, it just looked so stupid.
It almost felt like a date. Almost. She'd have to remind herself that just because the man did one good deed the night before, didn't mean there would be repeats. Kaiba was still Kaiba. He'd show up, as irritable as ever, and as soon as he opens his mouth, Anzu would be reminded of what she was dealing with. And it was too bad. If someone duct tapped his mouth, Kaiba would make a great trophy husband.
Giggling at the thought, she didn't notice him taking the seat in front of her.
"What's so funny, Mazaki?"
"Whoa, I didn't think you'd be here so soon… Err, it's nothing," she lied, "just thinking about something from work."
"Why are you here so soon? I came on time, which is always at least ten minutes earlier than when I say I'll arrive."
He was rolling his eyes as the words dripped off his tongue in that obnoxious manner of his. All romantic thoughts were lost, Anzu's head coming back to reality with a crash.
"I fell during dance practice. The coach told me to go home early. Ended up twisting my leg and I might need to get it seen tomorrow. I don't know yet. Really don't want to make the trip over to the doctor, but I can't afford being injured…"
"I'm sure it's not even that serious. Trips and falls won't kill you."
"I didn't say it would kill me Kaiba, jeez…"
"Well you sure are whining about it. If it will put your little head at ease, I'll check it when I take you home. I'm sure it's nothing. It'll save you a trip to the doctor's."
"…I'm so relieved."
Overly sarcastic and wanting to avoid a confrontation, Anzu just shut her mouth with the wine that sat on the table in front of her. Drinking it slowly, she studied the man who sat near her, how he seemed so smug sitting there the way he did. One day she'd have to find a way to throw him off, anything to wipe that grin off his face. He got the best of her too much.
"Just so you know, Mazaki, I already ordered dinner for the both of us. I didn't want to hear you complain over eating Bugs Bunny, so I just had the cook do it already. It's Coniglio all'Onegliese, or stewed rabbit. I kept your diet in mind, so you can't get mad over the choice. There's no pasta or anything else carb laden in it."
Thank goodness for small favors. At least he cared enough to find something within her eating limitations, and a stew sounded pretty good to her. It was so cold outside, and even with a puffy winter jacket, having some hot liquids in her would definitely help raise the temperature some. She found it surprising that he had put that much thought into it, too. Maybe he was trying to make an effort at being sociable.
"… I made sure to keep the organs in it."
Or not.
"The organs? What are you talking about, like the heart and lungs?"
"Heart, kidneys, liver, that sort of thing. You can't just waste half the carcass because it isn't grade A, you know. After all that cooking, you won't even taste the difference. Hell, I can't believe you haven't had heart before. You're in Japan, after all."
"I don't usually eat Japanese food, Kaiba."
"That's so international of you, Mazaki."
Smirking, he moved closer, his eyes studying hers. He didn't seem at all uncomfortable leaning over the table as if he was alone with her. People were sitting all around them, but apparently they weren't that interested, because Anzu didn't think anyone was staring at her. Or if people did see them, they thought he was leaning in for some cliché kiss.
Bleh.
"From the color of your eyes, I can tell you aren't completely Japanese. Blue eyes and fair skin, as well as your body shape. There's something else in you, which might explain your distaste for sweet meats. Most people I know love that sort of thing…"
"Both my parents are mixed. And your eyes are blue just like mine Kaiba, so I don't see why you're picking at me like I'm the outcast."
"I'm not. My mother was an American, if you must know..."
"Oh… was Gozaburo American too?"
"Gozaburo wasn't my father, stupid, and he certainly was not American. And neither was my father, for that matter."
If it wasn't for the wine, Anzu would have felt really self-conscious, sitting there as Kaiba slipped a bit of him right there in front of her. Sure, it wasn't that major, but the man almost never shared anything personal with anyone unless he had to. Having an explanation for those eyes was something, and she did used to wonder about that. Now she knew.
"If you don't mind me asking… what happened to him?"
"He died in an accident. It happened so long ago, I can't even remember the details. Let's just say my Japanese relatives didn't want to take in a bunch of half-breeds. If my mother had any family back in the states, they didn't know about us."
"I'm sorry, Kaiba, I didn't know…"
"What's there to be sorry about? It happened a long time ago and it's not my problem now."
He seemed content to blow it off and move on. Anzu wasn't the sort to be able to handle something like that alone, but her companion was made out of slightly more stronger stuff than her. Unlike her, he seemed to enjoy keeping things to himself and not sharing anything to anyone unless absolutely necessary.
"If you ever needed to talk about it, you know I'd listen."
"I don't need your pity, Mazaki. Nor do I desire it."
Maybe she shouldn't have said that. Shaking her head in frustration, Anzu just sipped more of her wine, thinking about what was just she wished she didn't care about those sorts of things so much. For the longest time, her friends came to her over problems, and for the most part, she did all she could to help them. Even if that meant sitting and listening to them, Anzu did her part and just sat silently as they poured their hearts out.
Kaiba, however, wasn't going to. She could tell by the way he looked at her that he wasn't going to tell her a single thing again if he could help it. Even when they were stuck in Noah's virtual world, the man kept his secrets so well, not revealing much of anything and leaving nearly everyone in the dark as to what the whole deal was. They only knew that Noah was some step brother who wanted Kaiba Corp and they needed to get Mokuba back.
He always kept everyone in the dark.
"Sometimes Kaiba, I think you enjoy being difficult."
And before the man could respond, dinner appeared on the table. Instead of words, Anzu got a puzzled expression, with a single raised eyebrow Kaiba managed to give before putting his spoon into the stew to stir it. He didn't reply to the comment, but seemed to be musing over it, giving it some thought. Or maybe he was thinking about something else entirely. Who knew?
Two hours of too much wine later, the dinner was finished. Always the gentleman, Kaiba paid for it, signing off on the check before helping his "date" from her chair. Anzu, a light weight, had far too much for one night and stumbling a little, she instinctively held onto the man's arm as he led her to his car. It was parked outside, loud and red, the Ferrari from two years before she remembered seeing. He must have not taken it out often, because it still appeared brand new.
"This is such a nice car," she cooed, staring out the window. Everything looked so pretty at night, especially the city lights. Maybe if she was lucky, Kaiba would drive down the beach way, which would give them a good look at the Domino skyline. It was Anzu's favorite, one she rarely ever got to see because none of her friends had cars.
"I'd hope so, it cost me half a million," remarked Kaiba.
"Wow, I can't believe you have so much money. Sometimes I forget that, because you don't seem like some businessman when you're dueling. How do you even have time for all of that…"
She was babbling through her obvious buzzed state. Her companion, however, seemed slightly amused by this, not at all put off by her questions for once.
"It's a part of my business. I wouldn't be good at my job if I didn't know what duelists wanted. And being the best, I can only make the best, right?"
"I thought Yugi was the best…"
Frowning some, Kaiba snapped on his seat belt and turned on the car. It hummed slightly, like a purring cat, and was so smooth. It had to be the most luxurious vehicle Anzu had ever stepped into, and grinning like a Cheshire cat, a part of her knew it. She might not have been completely sober at that point, but she definitely knew how good she had it at that moment.
"Yugi retired."
Snorting, Anzu just let the comment go. If Kaiba wanted to be the best, then he could believe that. She needed her ride home, and if he got mad at her, who knew what he'd do to get even. Probably not throw her onto the streets because he wasn't that ruthless anymore, but he was vindictive. Tonight she didn't need any problems from him.
"Kaiba, do you plan on ever retiring? Or will you play card games forever? I'd like to think that I'll never retire from dancing, but all good things eventually come to an end. Besides, it would be weird for you to still be playing once you have kids."
The word "kids" rewarded her a snort, but the man's eyes remained focused on the road. Apparently he didn't feel like answering that question, because his face got serious and he had stopped talking. Anzu couldn't tell after all the wine she had if she had offended him, but Kaiba was quiet. Not an angry quiet like many times before, but the kind that told her it was time to shut her mouth and just stop messing with him.
Leaning against the window, she was rewarded with the view of Domino bay. There was plenty of activity to watch outside, especially the American naval vessels that had their red lights shining through the darkness of night. The presence of the United States was still strong in Japan, not just in the genetics of the people like Anzu, but also in the giant carriers with their battle convoys that just sat in the water, watching for trouble. Amongst them also were the fishing ships, tug boats, and other water craft that inhabited the harbor.
It didn't take long to get home. Settled comfortably into her leather seat, the girl woke up from the trip when the sports car parked in front of her apartment. Opening her eyes, she could see the lights on, reflecting shadows off her apricot tree onto the ground. If the light didn't bother her eyes so much, Anzu probably would have stared at it for some time. But tired and groggy, she unbuckled her seat belt and quickly climbed out of the chair.
That was a mistake. Blood rushing to her head, she stumbled onto her porch while digging the keys out of her purse. If it hadn't been for the watchful male behind her, she would have made great bait for any thug. Slipping into her house haphazardly, Kaiba closed the door behind her, locking it to be safe. He turned on the lights as Anzu laid out on the couch, laying her injured leg out for display.
"It's broken, look."
"Don't be such a drama queen."
Walking over, Kaiba rolled his eyes and took a knee. He moved the coffee table out of the way, and carefully without moving the girl's limb too much, pulled the fabric up her leg to reveal a huge bruise on her lower inner thigh. It was purple and yellow, as if some kindergartener had done a finger painting job against the girl's sensitive skin. Ugly to look at, it still wasn't broken. Kaiba made sure of it, checking the muscles and bone underneath thoroughly before shaking his head.
"I'm gonna die, aren't I?"
"Shut up Mazaki, you'll be fine. You just bruised it badly, and if it weren't for all the wine you had, you'd probably be feeling it right now."
She just sulked, crossing her arms against her chest. Her eyes stared at the wannabe doctor, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. Maybe Kaiba had some hidden secret bedside manner he didn't let anyone else know about. If he did, that would be impressive. Anzu would have liked him more as a doctor than a duelist if that were so.
"It's ugly. My legs used to be so pretty, and now look. I'm damaged. No one's gonna pay to see my legs all fugly like that. Look, you don't even want to look at them. They used to be perfect!"
"Your legs aren't that bad. If you put some make-up on them, no one will notice."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better, aren't you Kaiba?"
"I'm not. It's the truth. Besides, I could care less about your feelings."
"I don't believe you."
Snorting indifferently, the tired business man got back onto his feet and took a seat on the couch. Moving the girl's feet onto his lap, he grabbed the remote control off the coffee table and flipped on the TV, neglecting himself to channel surfing. Anzu figured he would have liked a book better, so slurring everything with a smile on her face, she pointed to the bookshelf.
"I have a ton of books if you'd prefer reading, "she asked.
"Tons? I bet there all picture books…"
But he did get to check them out. Looking over her collection with a serious glint in his eyes, Kaiba made his selection, carrying two under his arm before taking his seat again. Then comfortably back in his seat, he turned off the television and dimmed the lights. The lack of illumination felt so comfortable to Anzu who grabbed the afghan again for warmth. Sleeping on the couch wouldn't be so bad.
"You don't have to stay, Kaiba," she remarked, "I'm perfectly fine."
"I don't want you puking up food all over yourself while you sleep. Besides, you're better company when you're drunk."
"I'm not drunk…"
A loud burp came out after that.
"Go to sleep, Mazaki."