The next morning Anzu woke up to the sound of Kaiba's snoring. It wasn't loud, but just noticeable enough that the girl didn't think there would be much of a point in trying to sleep in now that she could hear him right behind her. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, Anzu knew it was mid-morning already and the both of them should have been up hours ago. They'd miss half of the day if they didn't rise soon, and she wanted to take Kaiba out for breakfast. For some reason, the idea appealed to her.
"Kaiba, are you awake?"
She jabbed him a little with her elbow, but the man only groaned and dug his head into the back of her head. He was pretty deep in sleep by the looks of things, and Anzu couldn't do too much about it. His grip around her was still there, and asleep, Kaiba's arms were like dead weight. Although she tried prying him off, it was unsuccessful and only made him grip around her tighter.
"When did you become so damn heavy?"
Changing her plan of attack, Anzu twisted around to face him. Eyes closed and mouth slightly ajar; Kaiba looked absolutely out of it. His hair was a mess and moving the bangs out of the way, Anzu noticed just how long his eye lashes were. He had noticeable freckles too, with the light shining against his face. They were scattered across his nose, but someone would have to be right up in his face to see them.
Then the desire to touch him came over her. If he was asleep, Kaiba wouldn't be able to react to her and Anzu could do just about whatever she wanted to him without repercussions. He seemed quite out of it, so using her index finger, she started tracing out the man's jaw line. It was so pronounced, going up to Kaiba's high cheek bones and onto his ears. His hair was in the way, soft and thick, and then she outlined his eye brows. For a man, they were quite slender in shape.
"I can't believe I didn't notice all of this in high school…"
Musing over it, Anzu traced another finger across his bottom lip before coming over the tip of Kaiba's nose. He had a very dignified nose that was slightly pointy for the man's face. Nothing that took away from his attractiveness, but Anzu did notice it and couldn't help but snicker a little. Sliding her finger up and down the ridge, she jumped in surprise when Kaiba's eyes suddenly fluttered open. Almost like an instant reflex, he grabbed the hand that was touching him, with an expression between irritation and confusion written clearly across his face.
"What are you doing?" he mumbled, blinking several times before releasing Anzu's hand.
"Touching you. I couldn't help it, don't judge me."
He gave her a look that said, "Too late, I am already" before letting go of her waist, moving onto his back. His eyes were on the ceiling and he looked lost in thought, like the night before but even more so now that he was awake and refreshed. Still lying next to him, chin sitting in the palms of her propped up arm, Anzu tried to study him.
"Kaiba, are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"… If you want to talk again, we can."
"I don't need another friendship speech, Anzu. Just let me clear my head."
Frowning, Anzu turned around and got out of the sheets, sitting on the edge of the bed. Grabbing a robe from off the ground, she draped it around her arms, no longer wanting to be exposed with the light touching her skin. Glancing at Kaiba, she could see his blue eyes on her, but he didn't say anything. Not until she tried leaving, did his voice fill the room and Anzu stopped to sit on the bed and listen to him.
"… Do you ever plan on coming back home after this?" he asked.
"Home?"
"Domino, Japan. You talked about staying here, and I wasn't sure if anything was final."
"Oh yes, I didn't make the company this year. They want me to try again next year though, to see if I mature more with my style before taking me on. It sounds promising, actually. I might have a chance at this. They just want a dancer with more experience than I have now, and I can't blame them."
Sitting back down, she tried the robe across her chest and turned so she was facing Kaiba. He was still looking at the ceiling, only glancing Anzu's way when he decided to speak. Other than that, he wasn't really moving much.
"Are you going to continue dancing at the University then?"
"Yes, until someone picks me up. I still have time, and I don't think I'm ready to leave home just yet anyways. My parents would flip out on me; I've been ignoring their calls for months."
"That isn't very respectful."
"I'm not a very good daughter… It's late and I'm sure you have places to be. Your conference and all-"
"-It doesn't start again until noon. I have a presentation at four, so I don't really need to be there until three o clock at the latest. They can wait until then."
"I say I take a shower and you get changed, and we meet at this Coney Island I know close to here."
"A Coney what?"
"It's a diner, Kaiba. They are very popular and I like their food, so we are going to one. Usually they do Greek stuff like gyros and spinach pie with goat cheese, but the typical stuff is really good too.
"Actually Anzu, I think I had it before."
"Well great! Give me forty-five minutes and meet me at Hercules's Coney Island two blocks east from here. I'll get a booth and if there's time, I'll give you a quick tour around, okay?'
"All right."
Anzu smiled at him, before getting up and disappearing into the privacy of her bathroom. She didn't feel comfortable enough with Kaiba to just walk around naked in front of him, and he was waiting for her to leave the room anyways. It didn't look like he was planning to leave the safety of the bed covers until she was gone. Glancing back at him before closing the bathroom door, Anzu could see him looking under the sheets before pulling out his black boxer briefs from the night before. It made her snort in amusement.
Once inside the bathroom, Anzu slid off her robe and turned on the faucet in the shower. She set it on hot, grabbing her wash cloth and bar of dove soap before sitting against the back of the tub. It felt good, having the hot water drip off her sore body and the smells of the night before disappearing with the buds of soap as she worked on cleaning her limbs. Her inner thighs wouldn't stop aching, and laying the wash cloth there, she looked up at the shower head as water rushed to meet her face.
It was quiet, until the sound of Kaiba shutting the door of the apartment broke the silence. Anzu immediately shook her head, clearing her mind as thoughts finally flooded her over what she had done. The realization hadn't really hit her, but now alone, Anzu was feeling a wave of emotions hit. Looking away from the water, she tried to make sense of it all.
She had sex with Kaiba the night before. Anzu, the good girl who never did anything bad outside of arguing with her parents and the one time she ran off from home during break, allowed a man to stay in her bedroom and seduced him. Outside of the one isolated incident that led to her being at Duelist Kingdom with Yugi and her friends, she really followed a straight goodie two shoes path. For the longest time, it was her hope to save it for the one special man she'd meet in her life… someone who would treat her like a treasure and be romantic, like in the novels.
Kaiba was nothing like the men she dreamed about. In fact, he was the rival of the one who for the longest time haunted the darkest sexual fantasies Anzu thought about while asleep. She dreamed of being on the Nile next to him, wearing nothing but muslin while watching the boats go by. They were both tanned from the Egyptian heat, but in love, she didn't care. As he sat there next to her looking at the pyramids beyond the river, Anzu stared into his violet eyes, gazing with affection, although in real life it would never be returned.
It was a foolish dream. Her love, or what she had believed to be love at the time, didn't last when the man finally returned to the afterlife in which he belonged. Now nothing of him was left, although Yugi would always remain her friend regardless of the painful memories he sometimes brought back .Anzu would never tell him how she felt. Sharing those dark secrets would have broken his heart, because she knew that her best friend was harboring feelings for her…
The night he came to the ballet proved it. Yugi came with yellow roses, a symbol of friendship, but Anzu knew better. He was trying again, in his hopeful yet innocent way, to win her heart. There was a certain look in his eyes that gave it away, a look not meant between platonic friends. Although she didn't understand it in high school, spending time alone with Kaiba taught her many things about understanding the eyes and what they might be trying to show or hide. According to some, they are the windows to a person's soul, and Yugi's was all open for her to see.
She didn't feel anything for him though. He was her friend, and nothing more. There could never be anything else between them, because as far as Anzu was concerned, she didn't feel any sort of desire for him. Although she cared for him deeply and wanted him to be happy, that romantic passion Anzu dreamed out, the sort that overwhelmed the senses until her heart would burst from the intensity of her emotions- it wasn't there.
Yugi could only be a friend.
Her hair was soaked, and getting up off the floor of the tub, Anzu squeezed a generous amount of shampoo on her hands. Lathering it up, she applied it to the roots of her hair, covering her scalp, before rinsing it all off. It smelled like baby oil, which was a subtle scent she enjoyed. It didn't overwhelm people and usually made her pretty calm when she got a whiff of it.
After only letting it sit for a minute, she got back under the shower head. Hot water brought down white puffs of soap, running down in masses and pooling around the drain while Anzu worked on rinsing her hair. The good thing about baby shampoo was it didn't burn the eyes, and after combing all the knots out, she stood under the water and sighed.
Kaiba was trapped in her thoughts. He made her blood run hot, and Anzu couldn't fool herself into thinking that he was just a friend any longer. She could let the water of the shower run as long as she wanted, and her fair skin could burn red for hours, but it wouldn't change the fact that the man knew her body and had touched her like no one had before. Scrubbing the scent of him off wouldn't change the fact that a little bit of him was inside her now, and as soon as they had finished the night before together, Anzu wanted more.
He drove her crazy. His attitude, the way he acted nonchalant about everything and everyone, and just how damn spoiled the man was over having his way. How Kaiba thought it would be okay to just announce himself at her apartment like he owned the place, and somehow allow things to lead up to them having sex together after weeks apart. It didn't make any sense. Since when did he gain so much power over her? She couldn't figure it out, and it drove her nuts. Why did she care about him so much?
It couldn't have been just sexual. There was a level of intimacy there that she had never experienced before with anyone, and it did make her feel special. Kaiba told her things in confidence he'd never tell anyone else, and he wasn't the emotionless shell he tried to come as when they were alone. He was capable of feelings and being decent when he wanted to be, which was becoming increasingly more common in their relationship. The man wasn't like the duelist she had met six years ago. Her feelings about him were constantly changing because of it, and she really didn't know how to just accept that. Maybe she actually needed him.
Her friends would never understand though. Jonouchi especially wouldn't, and getting out of the shower, Anzu wasn't surprised to find herself alone in her studio once more. Sitting down on her bed, she began drying off her legs while thinking over it, how they'd react if they knew. She already felt like telling Ryou, just to tell someone, and he wasn't the sort to really care. He and Kaiba never talked.
But if Jonouchi ever found out, he'd flip. He would most certainly take it as a betrayal and would try to get Yugi to do something about it. Yugi would probably refuse, out of embarrassment, and being a big hot head, Jonouchi would try something stupid. Maybe even try threatening Kaiba, or something equally retarded. She didn't put it past him.
Thinking that and more, Anzu got herself dressed and rushed out the door. Kaiba would be expecting to see her soon, and she wouldn't be late. A t-shirt and shorts were enough for her, since the weather was beginning to become ungodly hot. Unless something changed fast, Anzu was pretty sure she would be sleeping naked again to save herself the cooling bill.
It was an hour later when the two finally met up at a Coney Island Anzu knew about. The restaurants were everywhere, and the Anzu had taken a quick liking to them. They reminded her partly of Burger World, but the food was better made and far more authentic than the wannabe American burger cafe ever was. It reminded her of home, but also of how lucky she was to not be there.
Since the morning rush had long left to work, Anzu was pleased to only having to wait ten minutes for a table. By the time her server sat her down at a booth, Kaiba showed up, dressed entirely in black. Apparently it didn't matter to him that it was summer, because he wore the same similar clothes as the Battle City outfit two years ago, minus the white jacket and turtle neck.
"Going to a funeral later today, Kaiba?"
"What are you talking about?"
He took a seat across the table, giving the girl a strange look before grabbing the menu. His hair looked slightly damp and he smelled surprisingly good. Whatever the man was wearing, Anzu couldn't exactly name it but the smell was very distracting with the clean yet masculine scent. It matched him perfectly.
"I'm talking about you," snickered Anzu. "You're dressed entirely in black and it's the middle of July. That's just so silly."
"I like wearing black. And I don't think I ever asked for your opinions over my style choices either."
"Don't be so sensitive, I was just joking with you. It would be nice to see you dress normal for once."
There was a scoff, but Kaiba didn't say anything else. When the server came, he ordered some tea and didn't look too pleased to be in such a casual place, but Anzu didn't care. She asked for a hot chocolate and could barely contain her excitement when it came with whipped cream, covered in chocolate syrup and sprinkles. It looked more dessert than drink.
"Anzu, what happened to you keeping your figure?"
"Kaiba, I don't have any performances until fall, so I'm going to enjoy my break while I can. This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen, and if I could eat this every day of my life, I would."
"You won't be so pretty on stage once all your teeth rot off..."
He added some sugar into his tea and stirred it, rolling his eyes. Now Kaiba was back to his old self, and it was slightly relieving for Anzu. She didn't want things being all awkward, especially after the talk they had. There was a lot of things said and agreed to, but she didn't want things to change too much. Even if that meant Kaiba being a little smart mouth instead of actually caring for once, she didn't mind. It was what she was comfortable with.
"My teeth aren't going to rot, I brush them every day. Besides, look at you putting all that sugar in your cup. You won't even taste the tea now."
"There was never that much to taste, this shit is cheap. And I only used half a spoonful, so you have no room to judge."
The waitress showed up soon after, taking their orders and refilling Anzu's glass with water. She didn't mind the interruption, rolling her eyes at her companion's spoiled attitude as he sneered at his cup of tea. Anzu honestly didn't think the diner was all that bad, but she never drank expensive tea even back in Japan. Being a working college student with dance lessons to pay for, it wasn't worth the expense.
She had some money saved up though, because she wanted to cover breakfast. Unlike the other times before, Anzu felt like buying and maybe taking a bus out so they could visit a museum or something else interesting. Her English was pretty good, and Kaiba's sounded almost completely Atlantic except for the flawless grammar that came off just a bit too artificial. He sounded proper to a fault, and hearing him order food in a foreign language made her smirk just a little.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The waitress had left the table, and setting the menu down, Kaiba caught Anzu's look. He made a strange face of mixed confusion, unsure of how to respond. Looking at him, Anzu knew he wasn't quite comfortable, because he wouldn't keep steady eye contact with her to save his life. It made her smirk, and she couldn't stop herself from picking at him while she had the chance.
"Your English sounds too perfect to be passing, Kaiba."
"There's nothing wrong with my English, Mazaki…"
He was stirring his cup absentmindedly, staring at the liquid as his spoon spun around in small circles. Despite the snarky attitude, Kaiba was acting strange. A strange Anzu had never dealt with, and it made her curious about what exactly was going through his head at the moment. His eyes were avoiding hers and he kept his voice low and nearly in auditable, even though none of the Americans near them would be able to make out their Japanese.
"Kaiba, you sound like one of our teachers back in high school. It's funny, don't such a grump. I kind of wish my English was more proper, because the girls in my dancing classes have been trying to help me improve, but now I've picked up a bunch of slang terms that make me sound stupid in front of the instructors."
"You don't sound stupid."
"Pretty sure I do. My accent is noticeable, too. People are always asking me to resay stuff, ugh. I wish I paid more attention in class, because I knew this would happen to me. How did you manage it at school? I mean, my parents never spoke it at home, so I had no way of picking it up beforehand."
"I already knew English before high school."
"What?"
"I was taught some by my mother, but later when I was adopted it was implemented as a part of my studies."
"No wonder your pronunciation is so perfect. I am so envious of you."
"It's nothing to be jealous over."
He went quiet again, staring at his tea before the waitress came back with their food. Anzu had a large pile of blueberry pancakes with butter and blueberry syrup. There was nothing stopping her from enjoying real food again, and dumping a pile of berries on top of her pancakes, she enthusiastically conquered her plate.
Kaiba stared at his for a while before trying it. He had eggs, toast, and oatmeal with a bowl of fruit. It hadn't occurred to Anzu that the man was so health conscious when it came to his meals, but it made sense. His body was in much better shape than most people she knew outside of dance, and he obviously took care of it. Maybe he worked out? That was a likely possibility.
Her thoughts were interrupted though when the male cleared his throat, his eyes looking back up at Anzu before wiping his hands on his napkin. He looked at her for a second, before tossing the napkin on his empty plate and turning his chair slightly so he could sit cross legged under the table.
"Do I have something on my face, because you won't stop staring at me?"
"There are a few crumbs on the corners of your mouth, but that's about it."
Grumbling, Kaiba used the back of his hand to brush them off. Then, looking rather indignant, he glanced out towards the window before drumming his fingers on the table. Anzu just continued to watch him with a slight grin on her face. She was only half way done with her food, and she didn't care if he was feeling slightly impatient. He'd wait on her regardless.
"And I'm not trying to stare at you, Kaiba. You just can be entertaining to watch sometimes, and you are sitting right in front of me. Would you rather have me stare at some other guy?"
"No."
"… Are you sure you're okay? Because you've been acting weird all this morning and if you want to talk…"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not fine. I can tell. You're more moody than usual."
"Only because you won't stop pestering me."
"Would you rather me not care about your feelings?"
"Mazaki, you care too much about everything."
"And you don't care enough. Just because you're a guy doesn't mean things don't get to you. You're not fooling anyone. And I don't see why we can't talk about it, since it's not like anyone around us is going to know anyways."
"There's nothing to talk about," said Kaiba dryly.
"That's a lie. You can't even look me in the eyes right now. What's your problem? I haven't been anything but nice to you, and you're treating me like a stranger. What did I do to piss you off like this?"
"Nothing. It doesn't have anything to do with something you've done."
"Then what?"
"I don't want to talk about it, so just do me a favor and leave it."
His blue eyes went back to the window and feeling quite peeved, Anzu dumped her utensils on her plate and threw her napkin on top for dramatic effect. She couldn't believe him. Why did she get involved with someone who insisted on acting so emotionally detached? Kaiba made no sense to her, especially when he always tried making things harder for himself. If he'd only just talk to her-
"Fine Kaiba, be a jerk then. After I pay for this, I'm just going to go back to my apartment, because I can tell already that you really don't want to be around me right now. I don't know what I did to you to cause this, but since you won't tell me, I guess I'll just go home and save myself the trouble."
"No."
"No, what?"
Before Kaiba could answer, the waitress returned and he hijacked the bill before sending it back with his own credit card, folding his arms when the woman walked away with it. Anzu couldn't stop herself from sneering at him. He did that deliberately, and it was her plan to pay for the meal. She wanted to do her part for once, and he needed to be the asshole and make sure she didn't get a chance to.
"Why did you pay for it when I just said I was going to?"
"It's not your job to."
"Job to? Excuse me asshole, I have money too and if I feel like covering for our "dates", then I should get to. I don't remember agreeing to you paying for everything."
"Mazaki, I make far more money than you, so just stop complaining about it."
"Maybe I don't want to owe you anything, Kaiba. Did you ever think of that?"
"Owe me? You don't owe me anything. Do you honestly think I expect anything in return?"
"Then why do you do it? Since when do you do anything for anyone without some sort of compensation, Kaiba?"
"How about I care about you for one-"
"-You sure have a funny way of showing it."
The waitress came back, handing Kaiba his check and card with a confused look on her face. Coming back to an arguing couple speaking rapidly in Japanese was a bit intimidating, although she looked happy when the man dumped a ten dollar tip on the table. Anzu sighed with annoyance when she saw it. Was he over tipping out of generosity or to make some stupid point? She wasn't quite sure.
Getting up from the table, Anzu grabbed her purse and prepared to leave. She couldn't believe Kaiba and just how ridiculous he was. It almost felt like he was doing it as punishment, but she knew that really wasn't the case. He did care about her, or else Kaiba would have never gone and seen her. But Anzu just couldn't understand why he insisted on acting so pissy when she thought they had come to some understanding.
"Anzu, I do want to see you today, until I have to go. I might not be acting like it to you, but I do. My hotel room's close by, and I want you to come to the conference."
"If you want me to go, I guess I will… only if you'll tell me what's going on."
Kaiba sighed heavily, before rolling his eyes and heading towards the door. Although his expression was sour, he did stay right next to Anzu as he left the restaurant, not straying from her side. He even opened the door for her, never uttering a word until they reached the hotel some six blocks away.
The hotel was right next to the large convention center, one of many large chains that clustered right next to the business hub. Kaiba's was a presidential suite at the Hyatt, and Anzu found the place very interesting. Its foyer was full of Japanese people, probably from Kaiba Corp by the looks of things. They all glanced at Kaiba as he strolled by, and Anzu thought she saw Ms. Sasaki there, but she wasn't quite sure. No one tried talking to them as they headed towards the elevators anyways.
When they finally reached the top floor and Kaiba found his room, Anzu was pleasantly surprised by the furnishings. Everything was new and modern, with large living room windows for a view of the city. There was a full kitchen and several televisions all over, as well as other neat features she had never seen before in a single hotel room. Venturing inside the bathroom, she found a shower and four jet bath tub, along with a sauna and hot tub in the room.
"Why did you get a room like this when you knew you wouldn't be using all of these things?"
"I didn't book it, my secretary did. And who knows why she does the things she does."
"Have you used the sauna yet?'
"No."
"You should, Kaiba. It would be good for you."
Smirking, Anzu continued to look around until she reached the master bedroom. It had the best view, and she pulled back the curtains to look at the city scape, wishing her room had something similar to offer. The bridge and the ocean was all there, and it made her envious. Looking back at Kaiba, who stood by the door frame watch her, she shrugged and sat on the king sized bed behind her. The mattress was a temurpedic and it felt amazing compared to the one at her own apartment.
"Kaiba," Anzu started, trying to be very delicate with her approach, "are you acting out because we had sex last night?"
He just stared at her blankly for the longest time. There was no expression on his face, and she almost thought for a second that he hadn't heard her. But Anzu knew that he had, because after a good minute the man sighed and looked out towards the window before slumping his shoulders and leaning against the door frame like he didn't intend on entering the room completely.
"I said already I didn't want to talk about it."
"I don't care, Kaiba, if you don't want to talk about it. We are going to, because something's eating at you and it won't go away until we do. If you want me to have anything to do with you, you'll learn how to communicate with me, because that's the only way this thing we have here will work out. You can't pretend like you don't have feelings, and I can't pretend like I know what all of them are. It's not fair."
"Yeah well, it's not fair that I have to put myself out there for you all the time either, Anzu."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're always asking me about my feelings, but what about yours?"
"What about mine? You never really asked. If you had, I would have been honest with you Kaiba, I have nothing to hide."
"Then tell me Anzu, do you love me?"
That question came completely out of nowhere. It stunned her that he'd be asking her something like that, and she couldn't think of anything for a while to say because she honestly didn't know the answer to that. Love was a strong word. At one point in her life, she thought she knew what it entailed, but not anymore. Anzu knew better, and looking at Kaiba, she tried to give him the most honest reply.
"Love you? Kaiba, no… At least, I don't think so. I don't know, why would you ask me something like that?"
Then it quickly occurred to her.
"Kaiba…"
"Don't. Like I said before, I really don't want to talk about it. I wish you would have just let it go instead of pestering me with this feelings crap you know I hate. Why can't you leave things alone?"
"… Was this before or after?"
"Before."
"Dammit, why didn't you tell me?"
"Why should I have to?"
This made things more complicated than Anzu originally expected them to be... Far more complicated. She didn't know, it never occurred to her, because of everything that was going on. Kaiba never came off like that to her, and she couldn't even understand why he did. Anzu didn't think she was even all that likable, especially when she thought about how many times she got on his case and harassed him over things. How could he…
Kaiba broke her thoughts with one loud aspirated sigh, leaving his post near the door for a seat on the bed, although he wasn't anywhere close to Anzu. He sat at the very head of the mattress, his back against the head board and refused to look at the girl in front of him. She was staring out the window now, since she was at the foot of the bed and the view was right in front of her. Her mind was trying to process what he told her… Or more, what he didn't tell her and it just made things harder for them both.
"Do you still feel the same way, even after last night?" asked Anzu, fidgeting as she felt eyes on her.
"Yes."
"So nothing changed then?"
"In all for all intents and purposes, no. Nothing has changed."