"Yer kiddin' me, right?"

"I'm not."

"No, seriously. Are ya for real?"

"Jonouchi," Anzu rolled her eyes and briefly turned away from her laptop to grab the hairbrush sitting on her dresser. "I told you - we're just going for a late lunch after I'm finished with rehearsal. It's not a big deal."

"Uh, like hell it isn't a big deal!" Jonouchi was confined to the tiny video chat window on Anzu's screen, but his voice was loud enough to be heard throughout her small apartment. "Have ya forgotten who this guy is - what he's done t'ya and yer friends?"

"I'm well aware of our history," Anzu concentrated on her reflection in the mirror as she combed her hair, "but you have to remember that the last time we've all seen Kaiba was nearly six years ago. A lot of things have happened since then. We're different people now."

"How are ya so sure?" The blond was scratching the side of his head with an index finger. "He's just as rotten as he was back then, trust me!"

"Have you talked to him lately?" When Jonouchi failed to answer Anzu sighed. "Six years is a long time...and, well..." Her voice lowered, and so did her gaze. "He was the first person I've seen from Domino in those six years. I guess I asked to see him today because nostalgia won me over. If I got to choose who I wanted to bump into after my performance last night I definitely wouldn't have chosen him, but life isn't that predictable."

Jonouchi hesitated for a beat. "Yeah, I guess I see yer point." He let out a puff of air and tapped on his computer camera. "Well, if he gives ya any trouble, don't hesitate to give me or Yugi a call okay? I'm willin' to fly all the way over there to give him a thing or two." He snickered and gave her a thumbs up. "And don't ya worry - Yugi, me, and the rest of the gang are gonna be in New York in time for your peanut dancer show next year!"

"...You mean The Nutcracker, Jonouchi?"

"Close enough." He gave her one last big grin. "Anyways, I'll let ya go. Yugi needs help closin' up the game shop. Don't work yerself too hard, Anzu. All of us back home are really proud of ya, y'know...chasin' yer dreams and all."

Her dear friend's words inflated a comforting warmth within her. "Thanks, that means a lot." Anzu set her brush back on the dresser and swivelled on her heel to face him. "I miss you guys so much. I'm excited to see you all again, even if it's still pretty far from now. A year's wait is better than nothing, I guess." She made her way over to her laptop and smiled. "I'll talk to you later, Jonouchi."

The call disconnected, and Anzu shut her laptop before grabbing her gym bag. Jonouchi and Yugi took over the game shop after high school, and they've been so busy with business that they haven't had the time to visit her in America. Everyone pursued their passions after graduating, which caused them to drift apart. Anzu missed her friends dearly, but here she was in America studying dance at one of the world's best ballet schools. It was a hard decision to make, but she had worked so hard to get to this point...

Adulthood was so confusing.

She checked her phone for the time and hurriedly made her way out of the apartment. She wasn't going to get that promotion to soloist if she was late.

Seto straightened his tie as he anxiously stepped into the elevator. It had been a slow but productive morning at the American KaibaCorp headquarters. His anticipated meeting with Anzu Mazaki didn't help accelerate the time, either; it was all he could think about during all of the meetings he was forced to sit through.

"Hey," Mokuba was waving a hand in front of his face, "are you alright? Everything okay in there?"

The elder Kaiba hastily shoved his brother's hand away. "Stop it."

Mokuba teasingly leaned in, grinning ear-to-ear. "You're nervous about your date, aren't you?"

"It's not a date." Seto hissed, though the exasperated expression on his face only tempted Mokuba to tease him further.

"Then what is it? You're meeting up with a girl and having lunch with her. How is that not a date?" The younger Kaiba laughed as he loosened his tie. The elevator doors slid open and the brothers stepped out together, making their way through the foyer and onto the busy streets of New York City. Their driver was already waiting outside with the car. "Have you ever gone on a date before? Come to think of it...I don't think so-"

"You're testing my patience, little brother." Seto crouched into the backseat of the car, and Mokuba followed.

"Why did you even ask her out in the first place if you don't see this as a date?" The younger of the two tossed his tie aside and fumbled with the top button of his dress shirt.

"It's not a date, I didn't ask her out, and..." Seto fumbled on his words, and the uncomfortable heat began to creep into his cheeks. He could hear Mokuba snickering, and it only made his embarrassment worse. "she was the one who asked."

Mokuba nearly doubled over from laughing so hard. "Really? Well, it's about time you've gone out with a girl. There's a first time for everything. It was smart of you to let her ask first, actually." He made a reeling motion with his hands, as if he was using a fishing rod. "That's how you get 'em: you play hard to get, and you get them to come to you."

The elder Kaiba kept his fists balled by his sides. If he relieved any ounce of restraint he was certain he would end up lunging over and strangling his brother to death. "I'm going to kill you."

Mokuba shrugged, completely immune to the threat. "What? I'm just sayin'."

The Lincoln Center seemed to loom over their car. Seto could feel a lump growing in his throat. Never in his twenty-two years has he been intimidated by anything...and suddenly he was anxious over a stupid lunch meeting with a friend of his biggest adversary. Mokuba probably had all the right in the universe to make fun of him for it.

The young CEO cleared his throat and adjusted his tie again when the car came to a full stop. He took a sharp intake of breath and sat perfectly still for a moment before finally opening the car door. When he stepped out, he glanced over his shoulder and saw with surprise that Mokuba stepped out as well.

"What? I didn't have the chance to really speak to her last night. I just wanted to say hi."

"...Whatever." Seto fished his phone out of his inside jacket pocket and glanced at the time. Two-thirty...her rehearsal must have just ended. He raised his head towards the David H. Koch Theater; his chest suddenly felt very tight.

Mokuba fell into step with him, and the both of them made their way towards the entrance. Anzu was already outside, and she wasn't dressed in anything spectacular this time: hoodie, jeans, and flats. A black gym bag was slung over her shoulder. Seto glanced at his black suit, blue shirt, and navy tie, feeling overdressed.

"Hey!" The younger Kaiba jogged towards her and wrapped her in another hug. Seto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Suck-up.

Anzu laughed and returned the hug. "Mokuba! Did you have fun last night?"

"Sure did. You've got a bunch of great dancers with you. You're not so bad yourself - it's great to see you all the way here pursuing your career! You must've worked real hard." How did he know she wanted to be a dancer? "Anyways, I gotta run. I just wanted to say hello." Mokuba gave his brother a wink and a cheerful pat on the shoulder; Seto responded with a stiff grunt. "Have fun, you two."

"Bye, Mokuba!" Anzu smiled, and Mokuba flashed her a grin before dashing back to the car. Once he was gone, she turned towards Seto and canted her head. "Looking at you makes me feel so underdressed. Do you ever have casual days?"

He gritted his teeth. "As much as I'd love to show up to work in pyjamas, I can't."

Her laughter rang in his eardrums. "It was a joke, Kaiba - and here I was, thinking six years was enough time for you to get a sense of humour." When she heard him growling, she only laughed louder. "Come on, I'm starving. The cafe's just a short walk from here."