A/N: Hi!! As always, big thanks to all the reviews!!! This should've come out last week when I had Spring Break, but for some reason I didn't have the motivation to write, so that's why it's been delayed until now. But it's a rather long chapter compared to others and a lot happened, so that should make up for it, no?

Enjoy!!

Chapter Thirteen

Delia walked along the stretch of beach, her feet sinking into the soft sand. The warm water washed over her feet, barely coming up to her ankle. It was her last day in LA before leaving for Egypt. She won't return to Domino City. Instead, she would take a plane from LA directly to Cairo, where Marik will pick her up afterwards.

The past few weeks had been wonderful. She still had nightmares occasionally, but with Seto beside her, she was slowly healing. Those scars of the past were slowly fading away while she stayed with Seto. Jyn and Kirk even visited her once, and all of them had gone to Disneyland together. She couldn't convince Seto to go with her, but she planned on convincing him sometime in the future.

She sat down on the beach and simply enjoyed watching and listening to the waves. A storm was coming. She could see the clouds gathering far away over the horizon. Yet, the wind felt great. With nothing to occupy her, her thoughts turned to her parents and Hara. What were they doing now? How were they? She hadn't heard from them ever since she moved out. They seemed to understand her need to stay away, but she missed them just a little.

"You're out early."

Delia looked up as Seto draped a jacket over her. "I couldn't sleep. Did I wake you?" she asked as he sat down beside her.

"No. I was awake before you got up."

Neither of them said anything for a moment. They had spent time like this in the past few weeks. Sometimes they would talk about pointless things, other times they would just sit here quietly and enjoy each other's company. She'd never thought she could be comfortable just sitting here with him, doing nothing, but she was. His presence soothed her. She enjoyed watching him and wondering about him. He never spoke about personal things. Even though she wished to know everything about him, she refrained from asking him, hoping that one day he would share them with her by himself, without any pressure from her.

"What do you want to do today?" Seto suddenly asked without looking at her.

"Why? Don't you have work?"

"I can reschedule things. It's your last day here, so I want to take you somewhere."

"You already took me to so many places, Seto. I don't want to impose on you anymore."

"Delia," he said her name softly, taking her hand in his. Their gazes met, and she was somewhat shocked by the sincerity she saw. "You're leaving tomorrow. I want to spend the day with you."

"Fine! How about Disneyland?" she suggested and smiled when Seto grimaced.

"Anywhere but there."

"Come on! What's so bad about Disneyland? Every kid likes Disney, didn't you?"

Seto snorted contemptuously. "What's so good about Disneyland? Besides, we're not kids anymore."

Not kids anymore, huh? she thought with annoyance, but suddenly a bright idea occurred to her. She suddenly stood up and ran into the water.

Confused, Seto stood up to and called, "Delia?"

Knee-deep in water, she whirled around. Without a playful smile, her hands hit the water, splashing it toward Seto. The stunned look on his face was priceless. Delia laughed so hard she thought she was going to fall in the water. She screeched when Seto, with a murderous look on his face, stormed into the water, clothes and all, and splashed water at her.

They had a water fight afterwards. Seto didn't let her off easy. In the end, she had to call it quits because she was giggling so hard. Seto, for his part, was also laughing like a little kid as they played. Somehow, they made it out of the waves in one piece and collapsed on the sand in fits of laughter.

"God, that was great!" Delia said between gasps of breath.

"I can't believe I did that. Now my clothes are all wet."

"Hmm." Her eyes glinted with pure female appreciation as she said with a grin, "You look good."

"And so do you."

Her smile disappeared at the intense look in his eyes. She couldn't move as he leaned over to kiss her. The world around her fell away when their lips touched. He tasted like the sea and pure masculinity. She groaned and went willingly when he pulled her closer. The heat of his body burned through their wet clothing and seemed to reach into the core of her, igniting the embers of passion into a burning inferno.

She didn't know how it happened, but one minute, the kiss was light and tentative, but the next, it was pure possession. His arms around her tightened to bands of steel as he ravished her. A flaming urgency seemed to have overcome him and then transferred to her, as she responded to him, her movements matching his fervor.

She thought she was in a world of bliss, with him surrounding her, when he pulled away. Her mouth opened in protest, but she stopped when she caught the look in his eyes. Passion had turned his blue eyes dark, like the stormy sea she'd seen a few days ago. He said nothing, but then he didn't have to. She knew why he'd stopped, because she knew that if he hadn't, they'd have gone a lot farther than just a kiss.

"Stay with me," he finally rasped.

How she wished she could! But if she didn't go to Egypt, she knew she would never escape her past. She had healed here with Seto beside her, in the city that had caused her most pain, but that process would never complete if she never stood up on her two feet, and forever depended on others. She would be crippled for life.

He saw the answer before she said anything. With a jerky movement, he turned away and stood up.

"Seto, wait!"

But he didn't. As if he didn't hear her, which she knew he did, he walked away, just like that. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest. What if he wouldn't come back? But a part of her knew he would. He had come back for her once, so he would at least see her off this time.

She just wished that he would understand.

He did understand. Damn it! As someone who had forged his own path in life, from that orphanage, to the CEO he had become now, he only understood her too well, understood her need to be independent, to have the ability to stand on her own two feet, before she could stay with him.

He just wished he didn't.

For, if he didn't understand, he could make some excuse to have her stay, to have her give up the trip to Egypt.

Seto sighed as he stared out the window of his office, at nothing in particular.

He had to let her go. It was probably one of the hardest decisions he'll ever have to make. Let her go to Egypt, and hopefully she'll return to him completely healed, and ready to begin another chapter of her life, with him in it.

It was almost time to go. While he had thought about spending the day with her, after what had happened on the beach, he thought it would be wise for him to leave, to cool his head with work. Now that he was calm, and had accepted her decision, it was time to go back.

"Where's Delia?" he asked the maid once he was home.

"Miss Yasune is still at the pool, Mr. Kaiba," the maid answered.

"Thank you. You can go now."

Seto went straight to the pool. There, he found her curled on one of the chairs, fast asleep. He crossed over to her and sat on the side of the chair and found himself smiling indulgently as he brushed back her hair. At his touch, she turned and almost tipped over the chair. He chuckled as she jumped up with a shriek, her eyes wide with shock.

"Seto, is that you?" she asked, looking sleepy again. Her voice was drowsy and husky, reminding him of long nights of love making. Before he let that thought grow, he lifted her up and headed back to their room. She was wearing nothing but her swimsuit, but despite the warm weather, he was afraid that she could catch a cold. She sighed softly, content as she settled in his arms without complaint, and slowly drifted back to sleep.

He laid her in bed and pulled the covers over her. She was already dry from lying outside for so long. He wanted to wake her up for a shower or tell her to change her clothes, but he didn't have the heart to do it. She looked so peaceful and content, just lying there in bed. She belonged there, he realized, she belonged in his bed, in his life.

"You should change your clothes if you want to sleep," he whispered, deciding that he wouldn't be able to sleep at all if she was just wearing her bikinis.

She moaned and turned her head away before answering, "In a second."

He planted a kiss to her temple gently and then took a quick shower, washing the day's work away while thoughts of her leaving tomorrow invaded his mind. If I wish to see her, I can just go visit her. It is just a plane ride away, he told himself, disgusted by how besotted he was.

When he came out again, Delia was still in bed, but he noticed that she had changed her clothes. He climbed in beside her, but before he could hold her, she sat up and slid out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Shower."

Seto stayed in bed, listening to the sound of the water coming from the other room. Usually, he would be up and about, doing as much work as possible in as little time as possible. However, today, he couldn't bring himself to move, instead enjoying the salty breeze that floated through the window and listening to the crashing of the waves against the cliff.

"What are you thinking about?" Delia's voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized that he was slowly falling asleep and that she had finished.

"Nothing particularly." He turned and propped his head up on his elbow as he studied her. She had put on a blue silk robe that did nothing to hide her body. Her face was flushed from the shower while her hair hung in wet tendrils down her face.

"Tell me about you."

Seto blinked, surprised by the question. "About what?"

Delia rolled onto her back and stretched before facing him. "Anything. I want to know more about you."

"There's really nothing to know about me." He shrugged, uncomfortable with the subject. He had no wish to visit the past because he didn't believe in reliving the past or regretting it. To him, that was a waste of time since he could not possibly change the past.

"Come on. Your life can't be that boring." She grinned with laughter in her eyes.

"Compared to yours, it is very much that boring." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them, for dark shadows crept into her eyes. In order to take her mind off of what had happened to her, he decided to tell her about himself.

"My parents died when I was still a young kid. Mokuba and I were sent to an orphanage. He was my only family left, so I took care of him the best I could, though no one can replace our parents," he said softly, recalling those days back at the orphanage, when he was so young. As he spoke about Mokuba, the love for his younger brother welled up inside him unexpectedly. "When adults came to see us, I refused to go with them without Mokuba—"

"That's sweet of you. Not every brother is willing to do that," Delia interrupted. Their gazes met. Seto felt the blush coming at her compliment, so he looked away.

"It was just something I felt like I had to do. He is my little brother, after all. I cannot just abandon him. Then one day, as I was watching TV, I saw Gosaoburo Kaiba playing chess. He claimed to be unbeatable, so one day, when he came to the orphanage, I challenged him to a match. If I win, then he had to adopt Mokuba and me."

"You won." This time, her eyes were full of suspicion. "Just how smart at you?"

His lips curved up slowly. How did she always come up with these strange questions? Yet, this was one of the things that made her so special. "Smarter than you, obviously," he replied with a smug grin. With her, he could tease and be playful, something he'd stopped doing long ago after his parents' death. She seemed to take off some of his burdens off of his shoulders, however temporary that might be. Just the thought of her going to Egypt tomorrow made his heart ache.

"Hah! I bet you'd like to think that," she pouted, but then asked him to go on.

"Well, afterwards, he adopted both Mokuba and me. We attended the best schools, had the best teachers, but he wasn't an easy man and we simply hated each other." He sneered whenever he thought of his foster father. "It was great when I got rid of him from the company. If he didn't underestimate me so much, maybe he'd had his company for a while longer."

"How did you…get rid of him?"

"Several years ago, he taught me how to run the company. I didn't like the way he worked, so I decided to buy the company from him."

"How old were you then?"

"Fourteen."

Surprisingly, Seto felt Delia's arms around him. She was comforting him, he realized, and was both touched and embarrassed by the gesture. He didn't really know what to do except to hold her as well.

"You are such a tough guy, Seto, running the company ever since you were fourteen and changing it completely from what it was," she whispered, her voice so soft that he had trouble hearing her.

He stiffened. "How do you know?"

"I found out online, when I was trying to find some way to kill you without anyone noticing."

He heard the smile in her voice as she mumbled those words. From her drowsy voice, she must be sleepy again, so he said nothing but stood up and turned off the lights. The room fell into a peaceful silence except for the sound of the crashing waves from below. When he returned to her, Delia was already asleep.

Feeling the peace and contentment as he always did whenever he was with her, Seto held her close, taking in her scent and the feel of her body against his. He closed his eyes with a contented sigh and soon fell asleep, dreaming of her.

As soon as Delia stepped out of the plane, a blast of hot air hit her. Marik had warned her about the heat in Egypt, but she didn't think it would be that bad. After she finished with custom and got her luggage, she waited for Marik near the gate. Although it was hotter near the pickup gate, at least there was a small wind to make it all better, unlike the stagnant air in the airport that was literally choking her.

As she waited, she regretted wearing the T-shirt and the khakis, she should've picked something much cooler, like maybe a sundress or a skirt and a small tank. Slowly, her thoughts drifted to Seto, as it always did these days. He wasn't able to see her off, which was a big disappointment, but she was calling him as soon as she arrives at the hotel. She missed him already, and it scared her how much she wished to be with him. She'd never felt this way about anyone before. She just hoped that no matter what the future holds, this thing between Seto and her won't end badly, like so many other relationships.

"Delia, there you are!"

Delia turned at the familiar voice and saw Marik crossing over to her with two other guys about the same age. "Sorry we're late. There was just too much traffic." He halted beside her and grinned sheepishly.

"I told you not to drive the car, but you wouldn't listen," one of the others grumbled. He was tall, probably as tall as Seto. He was very tanned, probably due to the long hours working under the blazing Egyptian sun. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown. His full lips were turned down in a frown. He was very handsome, in a rugged sort of way. She thought he would probably look good in a suit, in the I-want-to-take-them-off-him way good.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Marik merely waved off the comment before introducing him. "Delia, this is Zaid Kontar"—and then pointing to the other young man with them—"And that's Zahur. They're brothers."

"Nice to meet you." She shook hands with them. Zahur looked a lot like his brother, with the same eyes and tanned skin, but he was built smaller, in a pretty boy sort of way, rather than the masculine strength his brother emanated.

"Nice to meet you too. Your father is our savior. Without his funding, we wouldn't be able to start on the project."

"I'm glad to hear that." No matter how much her parents had hurt her, she still loved them, and was proud of them for what they do.

"What're you doing here? Keeping tabs on us?" Immediately, she knew Zaid wouldn't be as easy-going as his brother. When Marik and Zahur turned on him, his shackles rose higher. "What? You've got no business bringing a girl to the dig. She'll just hurt herself."

"My sister is a girl, and you don't see her get her," Marik's retort was laced with anger

"Ishizu's a different matter." Zaid dismissed the argument easily. "She's been brought up to do this, but look at her." His condescending tone instantly made her spine stiffen. "She's a city-bred rich girl. She probably can't lift a shovel, much less dig. She won't be able to stand the heat and work. Look at what she's wearing."

"There is nothing wrong with what I'm wearing," she hissed. She shot Marik a death glare when he moved to interfere and continued on, "So what if I'm a city-bred rich girl? I can lift a shovel just fine, I assure you. If I do hurt myself, that's because I'm new to all this, as I am sure you've forgotten how that feels since you've probably been doing this ever since you can crawl. And I'll get used to the heat, just as I'm sure you'll get used to my presence around the site."

Their angry glares locked and a clash of wills ensured. However, Delia suddenly realized with a jolt that this was exactly how it had been with Seto in the beginning, and she suddenly wanted to laugh. Her expression probably changed, for Zaid looked confused for a second.

"Do whatever you wish. If anything should happen to you, it is not my responsibility," Zaid spit out and sauntered away without taking any of her luggage. She wondered why Marik brought him in the first place.

"Sorry, Miss Yasune—"

"Call me Delia, please."

"Zahur, then." His smile was friendly and shy. Zahur seemed to be the opposite of his brother. "Zaid just wasn't happy that the government refuses to fund the project. He really believes all the things about duel monsters, but the government doesn't care about that. He's always done things his way, so I guess he must feel that you're here to instruct him on how to do things since your father is funding this"

Delia couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her. "That's ridiculous. I don't know a thing about archeology, but I'm hoping to learn. Your brother is an idiot." A lot like someone I know, she added inwardly.

"What?" she asked again when Marik and Zahur laughed at what she said.

"Oh, nothing really, it's just no one calls Zaid an idiot except for our parents," Zahur explained.

"Well, he definitely is. If not, then he's just sexist."

"That's true. Zaid doesn't believe that women should be at the dig, except for Ishizu, but you're lucky this time. The site is near the city, so you don't really have to stay out in the trailer with us if you don't want to, and we probably won't suffer from any sandstorms."

Her face paled a little when she heard that. "Sandstorms?"

Seeing her shocked face, Marik grinned, "Don't worry. It won't get bad near the city. If we were out in the middle of nowhere, then you should worry."

"I'm going to take your word on this. If I die because of a sandstorm, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life." For emphasis, she turned to Zahur and added, "You too."

They both laughed. "Then we'll just make sure that you don't die."

"Good"

Zaid was already waiting in the car for them. Just like he said, she didn't like the oppressive heat that much, but she'll deal with just, just like she told him she would.

Even though the airport was at the outskirt of the city, people were still everywhere, some dressed casually in Western clothes while others wore the traditional Muslim garb. Since the traffic was even worse than that of New York City, she really had an eyeful of Egypt as they moved to their destination at a snail's pace.

The three of them kept a light conversation, but Zaid stayed quiet, except for the occasional rude comment that had her blood boiling with anger, but she decided to ignore him. As they entered the city proper, the streets became even more crowded if that was possible.

"We're here already?" Delia asked when the car stopped in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

"Move it!" Zaid snapped from outside

"Shut up." She shot him a glare and got out. Zaid had already taken her luggage from the trunk and was heading inside already.

"Wow, you guys booked an awesome hotel."

Marik looked at her questioningly. "This is one of your father's hotels, didn't you know that?" Delia shrugged, she truly didn't. It wasn't like she kept a track of her dad's hotels around the world. Marik continued, "The entire team is staying here for free, well, only for the rooms, but we get fifty percent discount on everything else."

"Oh really? I had no idea."

Her room was on the 6th floor, where the suites were. Marik and someone else lived in the room next to hers while his sister lived in the room at one end of the hallway. Others from the team were on the 3rd floor, as Marik told her.

"Zahur, where's your room?" she asked him as they dropped her things off. She planned to unpack as soon as she get some rest.

"Oh, we have our own place a few miles from here. We have a great view of the Mediterranean. You should come visit us sometimes if you get a break," Zahur told her.

"You have a home here?"

"Yeah, we stay here most of the time, but if there is another job that Zaid is interested in, we'd pack up and leave, even then, we come back here."

"Oh yeah, before we go, you should know that there is a charity ball at the Atkins' mansion on Sunday. We are all invited, including you, since John Atkins is a good friend of Zaid's and has funded several of our projects. He heard about you and wanted to meet you," Marik said.

"Me? Why?"

"Dunno." Marik shrugged. "I suspect it's because he actually wanted to fund the project, since his son just finished his Masters in archeology and wanted a real project, but he contacted us after sis made the agreement with Mr. Yasune, so we couldn't do anything."

"Do I have to go?" Delia asked in disgust. "I hate charity balls. They're nothing but a bunch of extremely rich people exchanging gossip using charity as an excuse."

"Unless you want to be rude, you don't have to," Zaid said, leaning against the door.

"Maybe I'll do just that," she snapped for the sake of pissing him off. She really could care less about what others thought of her, but she didn't want them to think badly of her family, so in the end, she gave up and sighed, "But I don't have anything to wear."

Zaid snorted in contempt. "Someone like you don't have anything to wear? Right."

"Excuse me, but I didn't come here to attend balls," she snapped.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Ishizu have something for you to wear. If not, you always have time to shop before the party." Zahur stepped in as the peacemaker. "Anyway, I'm sure you're tired, so we'll just leave now."

"Bye, and thanks." She walked them to the door and closed it behind them, but not before shooting Zaid a glare.

Once she was alone, she opened one of her suitcases and took out some clean clothes. After a refreshing shower, she glanced at the clock. It was just the right time to call to Japan, so she picked up the phone and dialed Seto's number.

"Hello, Seto Kaiba speaking." Seto's voice was still husky, probably because he was still half-asleep.

"Hi Seto! Aren't you going to be late for work today?" Her spirit soared just at hearting his voice, so she plopped down on bed happily and even bounced a little.

"Delia?" Sleep cleared from his voice. She imagined him sitting up and running a hand through his hair, tousling it even more, while he looked for the clock to see what time it was.

"The one and only!" she chirped. "I did promise to call."

"Yeah, so how's Egypt?"

"Haven't you been here before?"

"No. There's not really much business over there, so I've never really traveled to anywhere in Africa."

"Oh." That was just like him. Business all the time. "I haven't really seen much, except for the ride from the airport. It doesn't feel much different from other cities, but it's really hot. Oh, guess what?"

"What?" She had to give it to him, he sounded genuinely interested.

"I found your replica," she said with a grin, thinking of Zaid.

"My what?" he asked with exasperation.

She laughed. "He's exactly like you. I mean, not look alike, though he is quite handsome." You could almost hear Seto snapping his teeth on the other end and felt even happier. "Don't worry. You're my favorite, Mr. Kaiba. Anyway, his name is Zaid Kontar—"

"Kontar?"

"What? You already know him?" I should've known. How could he not?

"No, but if I'm not wrong, his father is probably the CEO of Kontar Enterprises, in real estate. I met the father and the heir last year, but there wasn't anyone named Zaid."

"Oh, too bad. You should've seen the guy. He treated me just like you—"

"What?" Seto barked, furious. "Did he kiss you? Touch you?"

At his question, Delia roared with laughter and choked on the coke she was drinking. "Stop interrupting me!" she shouted when she could speak again. "I meant he treated me like you treated me when we first met."

"Is there any difference?" he asked wryly.

"Haha, very funny. Anyway, I'm out to prove that he's wrong about me. There's nothing wrong about me being a girl, about my clothes, and I can lift and use a shovel just fine."

"Great, just make sure he doesn't end up where I am."

"What's wrong with where you are? Hmm… maybe I should try that, don't you think? It'd be so nice to have such a handsome guy—"

"Delia…" Seto warned, his voice laced with menace.

She pouted, even though he couldn't see it. "I was just joking, geez. As if I can like anyone but you." She rolled her eyes. "Well, I've taken enough of your time now. You're probably going to be late for work, not that it matters."

"Yeah, whatever. What's your number?"

"My number?"

"Yeah, so I can call you instead of you calling me all the time."

A warm glow spread through her at his thoughtfulness. She told him her hotel number quickly. "But I'm not sure I'll be here most of the time. I'm going to get a cellphone and I'll tell you the number later."

"Sure."

"Seto, I miss you," she said, the words coming out of her before she could stop them.

"I miss you too. I hope you come back soon." There was a note in his voice that made her heart ache.

"Yeah, I hope so too. Well, bye." The last word came out on a sigh.

"Good night."

After hanging up, she lied back in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the conversation. She really wished that Seto was here with her. Oh well, it can't be helped. Might as well finish unpacking instead of brooding. And getting up, she did just that.

Delia looked into the mirror again, for like the hundredth time. It just wasn't like her, to be this self-conscious, but she had to look good, if only to be a good image for her family.

"You look great. Do not be so worried. The Atkins are very nice people," Ishizu reassured her.

"I hope so."

Delia sighed as she straightened out the dress. In the end, she didn't have time to go shopping, so she borrowed a forest green dress from Ishizu. She and Ishizu had about the same build, so it fit, although a little snug since she was more built than Ishizu. Ishizu also had a matching pair of heels to go with it. At first, she hadn't liked the dress due to the thin straps and the low back, but she fell in love with it after trying it on.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Marik stood at the door, looking handsome as ever in his black Armani suit.

"Yeah."

Delia took a deep breath to calm herself and took Marik's arm as she walked carefully in the heels, praying that she wouldn't trip herself. Every time this happened she always decided to walk more often in heels to get used to them, but after the event, she never did.

"You look great," Marik said with a genuine smile.

"Thanks. It took quite a while to get ready."

The drive to the Atkins' mansion was smooth. The city was still bustling with people. While it was all business and work during the day, the night was for the tourists as they roamed the streets, the stores, and ate outside under the bright stars and moon.

The Atkins had an estate outside of the city, much like Seto's back in Domino City. They pulled into the circular driveway and waited until it was their turn. Everywhere she looked she saw the glamorous and the rich, as she'd done her whole life, and like always, she felt a heavy weight in her heart, as if she couldn't wait to get away from this moneyed world.

"Shall we go in, my lady?" Marik's teasing question brought her attention back to the party at hand. Their limo had finally arrived at the front gate. She gave him a regal nod as she took his offered arm and stepped out of the car.

As soon as she stepped out of the car, before she could do anything, she heard an audible gasp beside her. Her head turned and blood drained from her face, leaving her pale as a ghost under the lights.

She was staring at a face that was almost identical to hers.

Hara?

A/N: Hahaha, the fun is finally starting. Now that Delia is in Egypt, I have plenty of stuff planned for her, some good, and some bad (isn't that always the case?). Also, it's almost to where I stopped writing years ago on this story, so now I'd have to do more planning. To be honest, I haven't thought of an ending for this yet, so we shall see...

Please REVIEW!!!

Best,

Yohina