Chapter Twelve

Delia woke up with little jackhammers swinging in her head. It only got worst as she tried to sit up, so with a painful groan, she slumped back in bed, deciding that it was probably a good idea to get more sleep. The sound of the door opening, which usually would've been unnoticeable, seemed to be a loud boom to her sensitive ears. Cursing whoever dared to enter her sanctuary, she pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep.

Whoever it was obviously didn't get the message and pulled off the covers. "This is why I never get drunk," Seto's amused voice penetrated the fogs in her brain.

"Go away," she grumbled, not even bothering to look at him.

"Really? And I was so nice here to bring you a gift."

"What?"

"I thought you might need some aspirin."

Delia's spirits instantly lifted and she rolled over to face him. Luckily, Seto hadn't been so cruel as to pull back the drapes, so all was well. She pulled herself up in a sitting position carefully before taking the pills and the glass of water Seto offered.

"You're the best." She gave him her best smile after taking her medicine.

"And here you were calling me a monster yesterday." He did his best to look offended, but couldn't hold back the amused smile.

"I did?"

Delia racked her memory, but was met with a solid wall, so she only shrugged. "How did you get me back here? Wasn't I at Duke's?" Her words trailed off as things returned in bits and pieces. "Why! Those no good…" She shot up from the bed like a bullet in her fury, only to tumble down against just as fast.

Seto caught her before she hit the floor and smirked, "You really should be more careful."

"Ow! Ow!" At the moment, she was in too much pain to care about anything else. If only the aspirin would work faster… However, obviously Seto had a better idea. When he kissed her, her brain completely blanked, including the pain. Instead, she was instantly flooded with pleasure.

"Did that help?" Seto asked huskily.

"Yes." She sighed happily and just stayed in his arms for a few more minutes. "Don't you have something better to do?" Even as she asked, she didn't want him to leave, but realistically she knew he had other things to keep him busy.

"Yes, I have to go to LA tomorrow. Something's come up."

Disappointment stabbed her like a knife. She knew it. "For how long?"

"I don't know. A month, at the shortest."

"Can I go with you? I want to spend time with you before I go to Egypt."

"You can't. I won't have any spare time. I just need to take care of things over there and come back as quickly as possible."

The headache from the hangover was almost gone now, but Delia could feel another one coming. She'd never experienced rejection except from your parents. While she was sure Seto didn't mean any harm by it, she felt it nonetheless. It only made her realize further how different she and Seto were. Before, she was too wrapped up in her own problems to notice or care about anything. She had needed someone to pull her through and Seto was there, but now, she needed some time to think through everything, about the two of them. She was no good for him and neither was he for her. Seto was a man who lived by his own rules, his business meant everything for him. He wasn't the kind of man who suited her, who'd take care of her needs, and she pretty sure of what she needed or wanted in a man. Seto didn't fit any of the description, except the handsome part.

"So you won't see me off?" Delia sat straighter and stared at him coolly.

"I can't."

His agitation was palpable as he stood and paced. He didn't seem to like the idea any better than she did. He was doing his best, and she just had to accept that.

"I understand. You have to do what you have to do." But can't you just spare me some time? Delia stopped herself before she uttered those words. She knew she would regret it if she begged him just so he allowed her to go with him. He had done enough for her already.

"You should go if you're busy. I'm going to take a shower."

When he said nothing, Delia climbed out of bed with as much dignity as she could muster.

Why does everything always have to go wrong?

Seto stopped himself from slamming down the receiver at the last moment. Where on earth was she? Ever since he left Domino City a week ago, he hadn't been able to get in touch with Delia. Part of it was due to the time difference, but another part was that she never answered any of his calls, even when he called her cellphone. He always received a recorded message. Why would a person want a cellphone if she wasn't going to turn it on? Why didn't he drag her with him? Why didn't he…?

Stop! Just stop! Seto snarled to himself. This wasn't like him at all. Ever since he met Delia, things hadn't been the same, especially after she came to live with him. He should've just stayed as far from her as possible, but he couldn't even do that.

Now that he was in Los Angeles, all he could do was think about her all the time. It was driving him nuts to not know where she was or what she was doing.

Where is she?

Picking up the receiver, he called her again and got the same message. Finally, he decided enough was enough. He called his office back in Japan and got hold of his secretary.

"Mr. Kaiba, is there something you need?" Saki, his secretary, asked.

"Yes, get hold of Delia Yasune for me and tell her to answer her goddamned phone!" he roared the last two words and could almost see Saki flinch at his tone, but he didn't care at the moment.

"Yes, sir! I'll do my best!" Saki squeaked.

"Good." He hang up the phone and hoped Saki will do it soon, or maybe he should just make this trip shorter than planned.

Glancing around to make sure that no one was around, Delia left her hiding spot and tiptoed to the door. After making sure that the hallway was also empty, she left the room and headed for the stairs.

"Gotcha!" Mokuba jumped out of nowhere.

She stifled the scream as her heart seemed to leap out of her chest. "Where were you hiding?" she asked accusingly.

"Guess," he said with a mysterious smile.

As they rounded to the stairs, Delia saw that everyone was waiting for them downstairs in the entrance hall.

"Wow, I can't believe you got everyone."

"The brat's pretty good," Jyn said with a grin.

"It's my house, so of course I know every hiding place," Mokuba boasted.

"Great, maybe you can tell me some next time," Deal said and shot Mokuba a mischievous wink.

"No one's telling anybody anything!" Delia stepped in the middle and took control. "So who's next?"

"I am. It's not fair! How am I supposed to find everyone in this huge place?" Michael whined.

"Your home's the same size, so stop whining and start counting." Delia commanded and pointed to the door.

In a few seconds, everyone disappeared. Delia tiptoed to the kitchen and hide in the pantry, all the while praying that Michael wouldn't check it first. When she heard Michael yell that he was finished counting, she peeked out and caught sight of him climbing the stairs. Relieved, she quietly made her way toward the front door.

She made a dash for the door while Duke came from the other side. She ran faster even as they grinned one another. However, she had never been able to outrun Duke, and this was the case now. However, when Duke almost reached the door, in swung open and hit him right in the face, and some very colorful cursing that could be heard all through the mansion ensued.

However, Delia was rooted to the spot. Seto stood at the doorway. What is he doing here? However, she didn't have time to ask her question as Duke shot up, blood streaming down from his nose.

Delia stifled a laugh and ran to his side. "Are you OK?"

"Do I look OK? I think he broke my nose." Duke's sleeves were already bloody from trying to stop the flow of blood.

"Oh, you poor baby. Let me see."

Delia didn't spare Seto another glance as she led Duke to the kitchen, where the first aid box was. Seto shut the door behind him and followed.

Gradually, the others came out one by one. Mokuba was of course the happiest to see his brother.

"What happened?" Dean asked as they surrounded Duke.

"He rammed the door into me," Duke muttered and pointed at Seto resentfully.

"We need to get you to a hospital," Delia said, suddenly worried since the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"There's no need. I've already called my doctor. He'll be here in a few minutes," Seto put away his cellphone as he spoke.

"Thanks. Now you just stay here and don't move a muscle," Delia ordered Duke, who mumbled his assent. She then left her circle of friends and shot Seto a look that said "come with me."

They went to the living room. Once again, Seto closed the door behind him.

Sitting down on the sofa, Delia crossed her legs and tried her best to look relaxed and nonchalant before asking, "Why are you back so early?"

Seto didn't bother with hiding his feeling. He crossed his arms, tension vibrating visibly off of him. "If you'd only pick up your phone once in a while, then maybe I didn't have to come back."

"Oh?" She lifted an elegant brow.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. How hard is it to answer the phone? And what are all of you doing here in my home?"

Delis simply gave a dainty shrug. "I don't think I ever received a phone call from you," she lied prettily through her teeth. "As for my friends, if I'm living here, I would think I can invite my friends over whenever."

"What game are you playing, Delia?" This time, Seto wasn't so much angry as wary.

"Nothing." When the doorbell rang, she stood up and dusted off her pants. "Now if you'll excuse me, my friend has a broken nose that you're responsible for. Don't worry. I'll ask them to leave right after I know Duke'll be fine."

Without waiting for his answer, she walked past him proudly, leaving him fuming in the living room.

About an hour later, everyone left. It was the longest she could manage, since she didn't want to face Seto again. She'd expected him to be furious about her not answering the phone. After all, if he had no time to spare for him, then he had no business calling her. Yet, she'd never expected him to come back.

"Mokuba, go to Kaiba Corp and files on my desk for me," Seto said to his brother, sending him on a fool's errand.

"Sure." Mokuba happily bounced out of the room, too happy to notice the tension between his brother and Delia.

"So you never answered my question. Why are you back early?"

"You know why." He scowled at her. Under normal circumstances, Delia would be intimated, but today she was feeling brave, not to mention just a tidbit annoyed.

"No, I don't. Tell me."

"Don't push it, Delia."

She flipped her hair back, but she returned his glare. "I'm always pushing it. Now tell me. Why are you calling me all the time?"

"I wouldn't call all the time if you'd only pick up once."

"OK. Why did you call in the first place? You're the one who said you didn't have any spare time for me."

"I don't, but that doesn't mean I don't miss you."

Hearing those words, Delia was stumped. It was what she wanted to hear, but why wasn't she happy? Instead, was she feeling ashamed?

"I'm sorry," she whispered. The guilt was overwhelming. What was she thinking? "I shouldn't have been so self-centered."

As he watched her blame herself, Seto sighed. He crossed over to her and lifted her chin to look at him. He gave her a wry smile and said, "Actually, I like it when you're self-centered. It brought me back, didn't it? Besides, I also bought this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two plane tickets.

"Two?" she asked, puzzled.

"Yes, two." Seto smirked when he saw that she still hadn't grasped his meaning. Yet, moments later, her entire face lit up with surprise and happiness. It made everything worth it.

"Really? Really?" Delia grabbed the tickets and read it seriously again and again, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yes, really." Seto couldn't help but grin. Her happiness was contagious.

Suddenly, Delia stopped moving and studied him warily. Something wasn't right. Seto was smiling. His blue eyes were alive with laughter and he looked years older. He took her breath away. This wasn't the cold and aloof Seto she had come to know, but she liked him nonetheless.

She was sure she had another question to ask him, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. She was going to Los Angeles with him! Unexpectedly, she hugged him and pressed her lips against his in a brief but sweet kiss. "Thank you."

Los Angeles was a bustling city filled with skyscrapers and highways crisscrossing everywhere. It simply amazed her. There were very few people on the streets compared to Domino City. It didn't have the elegance of the European cities, where buildings hundreds of years old mixed with modern buildings. However, it had a life of its own. It was a purity of the modern world, a symbol of the twenty-first century.

She had few positive memories of the place, only those of the dark and musty room where her kidnapper had kept her. After what happened twelve years ago, she had never returned to this city. Before, she never understood why her parents didn't allow her to visit LA, but now she understood. They were afraid that she would remember if she ever saw this city again.

Seto's home stood over a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. With miles and miles of endless blue ocean, it was a beautiful sight. The Pacific projected a calmness that instantly seeped into her, unlike the raging Atlantic that had always made her restless with its waves crashing against the shore.

"Do you like it?" Seto asked behind her.

She smiled without turning back. He had bought the house for her, because if it was only for himself, he would have stayed at the hotel.

"Yes, it's beautiful, but you didn't have to buy it. I could've stayed at the hotel with you."

"Why? This is much better than the view any hotel can provide."

"Yes, but it's so much money. Besides, you had it decorated it in one day."

He only smirked. "Money's not a problem, you know that. As for the decoration, the old owner left everything here, so I didn't have to do anything."

"Really? That's good."

Seto led her to one of the bedrooms. Her eyes widened as she rushed to the floor to ceiling glass window that overlooked the Pacific.

"Wow, it's amazing!" She touched the window softly, awed by the view.

"I'm glad you like it. This is our room."

It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. When it did, she whirled around to face him. "Our? But… you don't mean that, do you?" Panic and exhilaration swamped her at the same time. Seto crossed over to her in a few confident strides.

"Of course I mean it. I don't want you to have your own room."

"But we can't! There must be other rooms in this place."

Seto laughed at her panic stricken voice. "Of course there are other rooms." His arms locked around her and pulled her against his hard frame. "I just want you next to me every night." Amusement lit his face as her face turned tomato red. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to you." He paused and looked thoughtful for a second. "Well, unless you want me to."

Her laugh was muffled against his shirt. This was definitely a side of him she hadn't seen before. It was a lot more fun than the stuffy Seto she was used to, but somehow he was still the same. "Don't even think about it. You're lucky I'm not killing you at the moment."

"I take that as a yes."

Her arms came around him as she replied, "Yes, but no groping, although there can be cuddling and snuggling."

He faked a sigh as if in disappointment. "Agreed."

A/N: OK. Nothing much to say. Somewhat of a short chapter. Sorry if there're mistakes, but I didn't really have time to read over it, but I hope this chapter made your day better lol. God knew I had a hard week and only more midterms to come.

Please REVIEW as always.

Your favorite author,

Yohina