A/N: Hi!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year!!!! I've slacking off a bit, I agree, but hopefully it'll change in the near future. As always, thanks a bunch for the wonderful reviews!!! Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

Seto was gone when Delia woke up the next morning. Might as well, she thought with a sigh. After last night, it was reasonable if Seto didn't want anything to do with her anymore. It was just… he stayed there for her last night after everything. She had thought… she shook the thought away. No, he has his own life. I can't expect him to always be here.

Besides, she couldn't be the same girl after everything that she remembered. Even though it was so long ago, every detail was crystal clear.

Finally, she understood why her parents never loved her as much as Hara. It wasn't only due to the fact she had cost them their son, but how could they love a daughter who'd bring nothing but shame to the family?

Hara was perfect, pure, smart, obedient, and everything any parents could wish for in their child.

Delia never stood a chance.

Sighing, she trudged to the bathroom and showered. Standing under the spray of water, she wished that it could take away the filth she felt inside. Finally, after having another cry inside where no one could hear, not even herself, she stepped out.

Almost in a daze, she fumbled through the close for something she could actually wear. Just when she dropped the towel to get dressed, Seto walked in. They both stopped moving for the briefest second before she shrieked and picked up the dropped towel, clutching it in front of her.

"Why… why are you still here?" she stammered and pointed at him accusingly.

Though he was red in the face, Seto still managed speak smoothly, "It's my home."

She glanced at the clock. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Delia, it's Saturday." Sensing her protest, he continued quickly, "Besides, I don't plan on leaving you today, not after what happened last night."

She could feel her face getting redder by the second. In the end, she turned away because she couldn't face him anymore, but not before she wrapped the towel securely around herself. "You don't have to take care of me."

"If I don't, who will?"

She shivered when his hands touched her shoulders and caressed down her arms. He touched his lips to her collarbone in a soft kiss. When he gently turned her around, she had no desire to resist.

"You don't have to," she whispered, more stubborn than anything. Honestly, she wished he would, but she would not push this on him. He did nothing to deserve this.

"No, but I want to." His smile was all tenderness. As he kissed her forehead, her eyes, and slowly trailed kisses down to her lips, the tears came even as she sighed with pleasure.

"Seto…" his name escaped her lips in the barest of whispers. She turned to him, finding his soft lips with her own. Sliding a muscled arm around her waist, he held her to him as he coaxed her mouth open with a soft probe of his tongue. She obliged him. Giving in to her own urges, she ran her hands up his hard chest, letting the towel dropping on the floor.

At that moment, nothing mattered to Delia except for Seto and the way he held her. She felt safe and treasured in his arms. The kiss suddenly turned from one of leisurely perusal to aggression as passion bloomed. He angled the kiss as he ravished her mouth, his hand buried in her damp hair.

Delia sensed the change in his mood and went along into the fire willingly. She unbuttoned his shirt, running her hands over his muscled chest. She would have given him anything he asked at this moment, when the phone rang, snapping her out of the dreamlike trance, but Seto didn't seem to be affected.

"You really should get the phone," she pulled away and gasped.

"No, it can wait." Deprived of her mouth, he trailed kisses down her jaw to a spot on her collarbone that made her shudder.

Before she could give in to temptation, she stepped out of his arms, instantly aware of the loss of his warmth. She picked up the towel with almost reluctance and berated herself for giving in to his touch. No, she couldn't do this. No matter how much she wanted Seto Kaiba, she wasn't ready, not after everything she'd just found out about herself.

"Seto, you should definitely get the phone," she told him, giving him a hard look to make sure that this wasn't going any further.

Seto sighed and raked his hand through his hair in frustration. God, the last thing he wished to do was answering the damn phone when she stood in front of him in nothing but a towel, but what else could he do?

"Fine," he grumbled and dragged his eyes away from all that deliciousness.

Relieved that Seto didn't decide to try his luck, Delia picked up the clothes she had dropped earlier and went to the bathroom to change, locking the door after her just in case.

As she dressed, she suddenly recalled her promise to her friends. Oh God, did any of them know about what had happened to her, especially Jyn and Kirk, since she had known them the longest? She couldn't imagine living in ignorance of those events all these years while her friends knew everything about her.

However, she knew she'd have to face them sooner or later. She stared at herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different, but she definitely felt different. Sighing, she trudged out of the room and stopped when seeing that Seto was still in the room.

"So what was the call about?" she asked before he could say a word.

"Just some glitch in a program. I'll go by and check it later," he answered blithely, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes. In fact, I'm going to Duke's. I told them I would go and pick up my things today."

"Them?"

"Some of my other friends are here and staying at his place. I'll be back right after."

She crossed to the door in quick strides, but surprisingly Seto didn't do anything to stop her. Feeling somewhat guilty, she whirled around and blurted out, "I'm sorry!" When Seto looked at her with puzzlement, she continued quickly, the words rushing out, "You're doing so much for me, but I… I don't even know anything about myself anymore…"

Surprisingly, Seto smiled charmingly. "Delia, what happened when you were young has nothing to do with the person you are now. You're still the same girl who broke my office windows while trying to escape"—Delia blushed at the mention of that incident—"Those things happened in the past. Let it go. You have to focus on the future."

"I don't know," she muttered doubtfully, unable to meet his eyes. "I really shouldn't stay with you with everything that's happening."

Hearing this, Seto came to her side and hugged her. She went into his arms willingly, all of a sudden feeling much better. "I want to be by your side, Delia, through everything."

He planted a soft kiss on her forehead, but the stark need in his eyes was clear for her to see. "Oh Seto, I wish…"

She shook her head, not knowing what to say. "I have to go now, or they'll kill me when I get there." Like a coward, she said a quick good-bye and rushed out. If only Seto wasn't so understanding. If he were colder, harsher, she would know how to deal with him, but this kind Seto tugged at her heartstrings and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Twenty minutes later, she arrived at Duke's shop. It was filled with people. All the platforms were occupied, and there was even a line for the game. She knew his game was famous, but just didn't know how much. Though still somewhat depressed, seeing all those people having fun cheered her up a little. She was so going to make him teach her the game as soon as possible.

She headed to the back where the stairs were. The workers all knew who she was, so they let her pass without giving her any trouble. She climbed the stairs to the third floor where Duke had his apartment.

Duke opened the door when she knocked. He still looked half-asleep, standing there bare-chested in a pair of khaki shorts, his hair rumpled from sleep.

"You're early," he grumbled as she came in, closing the door behind her.

"Oh really? I don't remember saying a specific time," she said with a sly smile. There was no one around, but the living room was trashed. There were beer bottles everywhere and leftover food like pizza and hotdogs. "You guys had a party without me?" she accused loudly on purpose.

She was glad to see Duke wince. Not only was he half-asleep, he was suffering from a hangover.

"They're still in bed, aren't they?" she asked and smirked with pleasure when he nodded. "You wait here, and don't you dare do anything to warn them."

Duke ignored her and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Oh, this is going to be so much fun. After the night she'd just had, Delia was ready to make some mischief.

She walked down the hall and slammed open the first door as loud as possible. She had the satisfaction to see Dean holding his head in pain. She entered and pulled open the curtain mercilessly. Sunlight flooded the room. Dean cursed and pulled the sheets over his head. She laughed softly to herself and bounded out of his room to the next.

She did the same in the next room, so one by one, she left the rooms with curses following her heels, but nothing they said could dampen her good humor. However, the last one didn't go as smoothly as the others. When she slammed open the door, Jyn was just getting out of his towel and getting dressed.

"Delia, what the fuck!" Jyn covered himself with the towel at the same time she screamed and slammed the door close.

Oh my god! Oh my god! The words repeated themselves in her head like a mantra. She leaned against the door, closed her eyes and saw Jyn standing there as naked as the day he was born, and wanted to scream again, but damn! He was so hot!

She had had a crush on him when she was younger, but he was another one of those that chose Hara. She still felt hurt over the fact he had asked Hara to his prom, and not her.

Maybe he knows, the thought popped out of nowhere. Delia tried to deny it. He was around 10 when it happened, so he must have some recollection of the event. Besides, his parents and hers were the closest out of all her other friends. But if Jyn knew, then Kirk must knew too. What about the others? She fought down the hysteria and panic that rose as she thought about how her friends must view her.

"Delia?" She jumped when Kirk tapped her on the shoulder. "Delia, is something wrong?"

"No, everything's great!" She stepped back and found herself against the wall.

"Delia, you still there?"

The door opened, showing Jyn dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug black shirt. His hair was still damp from the shower he just took, and his eyes, a shade darker than his brother's, were fixed on her.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

"What? I'm not crying." It was only then that she noticed tears were flowing down her face.

"Crying? Who's crying?" Dean popped up behind Kirk. "Ha! Who'd have thought you'd be crying after blowing our heads off?"

"Shut up, Dean!" Krik elbowed him in the ribs as her other friends all came up to see what was happening.

"Delia, what's wrong? Did that bastard do something?" Jyn furrowed his brow, concerned.

When he reached for her, she tried to jump back, but she was already in a corner. Oh, what am I doing? They're my friends. Taking a deep breath, she stopped the sob from coming out.

"Does nobody live here?" The loud shout came from the other end of the hallway. Delia froze in her spot.

"Dad?" Everyone turned to look. And indeed, Jyn's parents were at the other side.

"I… I should go."

Delia tried to push past her friends, not wanting to face Mr. and Mrs. Crestman.

"Delia? Is that you over there? What're you boys standing there for? Move aside." In a regal manner reminiscent of a queen, Mrs. Crestman shooed everyone aside and was beside Delia instantly. "Have you boys been bullying the poor girl again?" Mrs. Crestman asked the other sternly.

They all squirmed around uneasily, knowing perfectly well that whatever no said would not help the situation. Despite the fact she'd already caused enough trouble for everyone, she suddenly decided that she didn't want to be in the dark anymore.

"Mrs. Crestman, can I talk to you and Mr. Crestman for a second please?" she asked politely.

"Of course, sweetie. Come here." Mrs. Crestman led the way into Jyn's room. Delia followed with Mr. Crestman, who shut the door behind him.

"Honey, if you need something, just ask us. We heard about the fallout you had with your parents. It must be so hard for you." As Mrs. Crestman sat on the bed, she pulled Delia down beside her.

"It's not about that. Well, not entirely." Delia winced, wondering how to tell the older woman everything. Jyn's parents just waited patiently for her to speak her piece. Finally, after a minute or so, she whispered, "I remember what happened.

The two older adults stiffened just a little. "Oh, you remember?" Mrs. Crestman's voice was soft.

"You two know, don't you? About what happened back in Greece? In LA?"

"Of course we know, along with a few others," Mr. Crestman said with a sigh.

Delia paled visibly as she sat there, thinking about all her friends and their parents.

"Delia, please don't think so much of it. I agree that Irene and Drake didn't treat you right after they lost Tony. After all, he was the only son they had, and Irene couldn't have any more children. They were both devastated. They saw their son whenever they looked at you, so it was easier for them to dote on Hara," Mrs. Crestman explained with a regretful expression, as if she was the one who made the mistake.

"But even afterwards, in LA, they couldn't find a reason to love me even if they wanted to," Delia said bitterly.

"That's not true. They tried, but you must remember that your kidnapping was a big public scandal for them. It broke their hearts again when they lost you. Even when they found you later, you didn't remember any of them. I still remember what Irene told me that night when you first woke up from the hospital. You wouldn't let her or Drake or anyone near you. You just curled yourself into a small ball and rocked back and forth while you cried. She said you looked at them with terror in your eyes, and didn't recognize any of them. The doctor had to drug you to calm you down. As parents, they couldn't stand it. I knew that if anything like that happened to either of my boys, I wouldn't be able to handle it quite as well as Irene."

Delia took some satisfaction to hear that she wasn't the only one who suffered. Her parents deserved it, after how they treated her. "Do… Jyn and Kirk know?" she asked tentatively.

At her question, Mrs. Crestman smiled with amusement. "Yes, Jyn knows. He was ten when it happened. He asked me everyday where you were. You know, you were like a sister to them. Jyn overheard us talking one night. He was really furious when you didn't remember him. He cursed at you, and we grounded him for months."

"As for Kirk, he hated you with a passion back then since you beat him at everything. He couldn't think of a better punishment for you, but now he just won't mention it."

Delia smiled as those words dragged out other memories she'd had buried inside of her. That day, Jyn had stormed into the hospital room with his parents and tried all kinds of things for her to remember him and his brother. Kirk had had a smug smile on his young chubby face, as if he'd won some kind of contest. She recalled being confused and thinking why they were both so mean to her. It took her some time to trust them again. That was after she became good friends with Duke.

"Thank you for telling me all this. I was so confused, and I didn't know how to act around them," she confessed.

"Sweetie, no matter how you act in front of those bunch of idiots, they'll still love you," Mrs. Crestman said with a chuckle. She hugged Delia, which Delia returned gladly. Then Delia stood up and hugged Mr. Crestman.

"Thank you," she repeated and kissed both of them on the cheeks before opening the door.

Jyn stood there, along with all the others, obviously waiting. Delia's eyes met Jyn's with understanding and she hugged him tightly. "You're the best, Jyn," she mumbled against his chest.

"Hey, I thought I'm your best friend!" Duke dragged her away from Jyn and pouted.

Delia laughed, feeling happier than she had for the last forty-eight hours. "Of course you are."

"Hey, we're here! You don't have to be so obvious about it."

The other guys started to complain like the bunch of immature boys they were. Laughing, she hugged every one of them until it turned into a group hug. Enveloped by her friends, Delia caught Mrs. Crestman's eyes and whispered another "thank you." The older woman just nodded before leaving discreetly with her husband.

A few hours later, after coming back from having lunch at a restaurant across the street, they had a party again, this time singing some karaoke.

Delia totally forgot about going back to Seto's mansion, so it was a surprise when he showed up at the door that night, looking as if he was going to thrash her. Luckily, she was half drunk, so she didn't truly comprehend his fury. Instead, she rather felt sorry for him, since he probably had never found himself facing a bunch of drunken idiots before.

Seto simply stood there for a second, absorbing everything. When he returned from work to find her still not there, he had been worried out of his mind. He wasn't used to worrying about anyone or anything other than his brother and the corporation, but she'd gotten to him. He still recalled easily how fragile and vulnerable she had been last night, but that person was gone. The Delia he'd known from the beginning was back, for surely this drunk girl who wobbled toward him with a wide smile couldn't be the same girl who cried in his arms.

"Hi, Seto, how are you?" she asked while leaning against the wall for her balance.

Without waiting for his answer, she had her arms around him. His system instantly went haywire. He wanted nothing but to kiss her, ravage her, or do whatever to get this need for her out of his system. He was used to being in control of everything, including his body, but whenever she got near, the control snapped little by little until he was reduced to nothing but feelings and sensations.

It scared the shit out of him.

"Seto, what's wrong?" she asked, her pretty brows furrowed in confusion.

"Nothing, let's go," his words came out with an edge to it that had Delia straighten up. She might be drunk, but she hadn't completely lost her wits.

"If something's wrong, you say it. I won't be ordered around."

He admired her even as he cursed her inside his head. She held herself regally, even in her disheveled state. "Nothing's wrong," he said again, smoothing out his voice. "But you should've called me if you wanted to stay here."

"I don't have to report to you about anything I do. I'm not a helpless girl anymore."

The fact she had to say that last sentence only proved that she was still hurting, despite the tough front she put on. He didn't blame her. His demeanor softened, but he refused to let her see it, or her friends, who he noticed had stopped fooling around and all stood behind her protectively. Yet, he wished to explain to her that dreadfully feeling he had upon returning home to find her still not back, but he couldn't find the words.

Well, if she was going to act tough, then why should he act any different? Donning his usual mask, he said impatiently, "I got it. You're not helpless, but you're still a girl. Now that we've that out of the way, let's go."

"I don't want to." Delia crossed her arms and stuck out her chin stubbornly.

He almost snapped at her before he caught the look from the man behind her. He looked older than the rest, but fit in well with the group. Delia squealed when the guy swept her off her feet in a swift move and lifted her.

"Jyn! Put me down! You traitor!" Delia hit her friend even as a laugh bubbled out of her throat. Duke opened the door for them while the rest of them stayed behind, seemingly enjoying themselves. However, Seto had the feeling that they simply didn't want to be in the path of Delia's fury once she returns for them.

He followed Jyn and Delia down the steps while tamping down the jealousy. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with. To him, it had seemed pointless and waste of time. Nothing was achieved from it, but as he watched the way Jyn held Delia, the feeling that hit hard and fast. He caught himself before he did anything rash. Where had the practical and logical Seto Kaiba gone, he wondered.

"Where is your limo?" Jyn asked Seto as they came down to the first floor.

"Out the front," Seto replied curtly. Jyn only looked more amused.

Since the store was closed, Delia shouted at her so-called friends. "What kind of friends are you? You are handing me to a monster!"

Seto lifted a brow at the description. It was rather amusing despite everything, but did she still see him that way after everything? Well, he'd have to work harder to change her opinion of him in the future.

"Delia, you can either stay with us, meaning sleeping in the living room, or sharing a room with one of us and smell like beer for the next few days, or go with Mr. Bad Attitude here and sleep peacefully and hopefully not get a killer hangover," Jyn said with exasperation.

Delia thought about it for a second. "I don't want to smell like beer, or share a room with any of you."

"Then Mr. Bad Attitude it is," Jyn said and watched as Delia climbed into the limo relunctantly.

"Take care of her," Jyn said to Seto when passing him on the way back. Seto said nothing and kept going, but he could tell that the feelings ran deep between Delia and her friends.

It reminded him that he had no friends of his own. Well, who needed them anyway? They were nothing but trouble.

Delia glared at him angrily when he climbed in and shut the door behind him. The chauffeur started the car and soon they were on their way to his home. Even though he sat on the opposite end, Delia ignored his good intentions and came to sit next to him. "What's with you anyway? You've got all my friends against me."

Seto's lips curved at her thoughtful question. He leaned toward her with a wicked gleam in his eyes and whispered, "Because I'm good for you."

"You wish," she scoffed but a blush crept up nonetheless.

"Want me to prove it?"

He brushed his lips against hers. When she opened her mouth to protest, he closed his mouth over hers. The kiss of gentle and sweet, different from all the ones before, and surprised both of them. Seto felt himself being drawn toward her as her arms came reluctantly around his neck and his hands tangled in her hair. Something inside him shifted even as the familiar need spread through his body. He thought of making love to her, of rose petals spread on the bed, of candlelight, everything she deserved.

She sighed quietly with pleasure when he pulled away. That single sound had his heart turning over. The kiss had taken away all the anger and tension from earlier, but he didn't know what to say. Delia, however, was satisfied because she had a content little smile on her face. Using his legs as a pillow, she stretched out on the long seat of the limo and soon dozed off with her hand in his, leaving him to his thoughts.

A/N: Please review!!!!!

Till next time!