Title: Mokuba's Promise

Author: Bradybuch4529

Disclaimers: I don't own them in any way shape or form. So don't sue.

Summary: Mokuba's trip to New York takes on a new meaning when the newspapers makes certain assumptions.

Pairings: Anzu/Seto Yugi/Rebecca Jonouchi/Mai Shizuka/Honda

Rating: PG-13; mostly for language and maybe a few sexual situations

A/N: This takes about 10 years after Battle city. The gang has graduated from College; Anzu became a world famous dancer and is currently living in America.

Reviewers:

Blue Rhapsody3: Neither did I. But it worked out great. Thanks!

Suzieq2005: It was funny! I laughed too! He's a man that doesn't date! Thanks.

Rain5101: Thanks! Good question. Wait and see.

Cerridwene: Cookie was good! Thanks. Owing Seto is going to kill him when he figures it out. Evil I am.

April ( ): Thanks! I know I am so evil. Don't you just feel for him.

Night-Owl1123: Isn't it? Thanks!

AkaiKura: It was terrible. Bad Bad Dartz. Then trying to blame the Pharaoh, nasty man. Thanks for the compliment. Seto's reasoning will be explained. I promise more fluff.

YamiofChaos: Thanks!

KiteLandord: Thanks! Aren't they though.

QueenofErpt001: Thanks so much. You had me worried for a minute there. I'll do my best.

Cutehelenjames: Thanks so much. Definitely poor Anzu. It was funny.

Sweet-Lia: Good to have you back. I'll look to see updates from you soon. Thanks for the compliment. Glad you enjoyed.

Mischiefmagnet: I'm honored that you enjoyed the story so much. I love the possibilities inherent in each of the characters personalities. Add in the interactions and the play off of each other and they are too fun.

Anzu Mazaki splashed her face with cool water. Kaiba's announcement kept replaying over and over in her head. Granger's mouth had dropped open in surprise and the conversations around them had died off. Silence seemed to permeate the entire room as everyone stared at Kaiba in shock.

Almost three hours later and Anzu was still in shock. She couldn't believe what Kaiba's plan was. And how announcing her engagement to him rather than Mokuba was going to help them any. A sigh eased its way free and Anzu's head hung down as water dripped from her cheeks to the counter.

From outside the bathroom she could hear Otogi, Mokuba and Kaiba talking in the living room. Or rather Otogi screaming and Kaiba telling him to shut up. Anzu moaned and began to take her hair down. She enjoyed the normalcy of that action, staring at herself in the mirror. Fingers worked carefully to remove the silver dragon pins, delicately working each loose before running her hands through her hair. Her brown hair fell down around her shoulders, bringing slight relief.

Anzu deliberately ignored her reflection while taking down her hair. Now she finally looked and was shocked at her appearance. Her blue eyes were slightly dazed and her face pale beneath her make up. There were lines of tension around her mouth and on her forehead. Her hands were trembling and her heart was pounding in her chest. She was now engaged to Seto Kaiba. Panic was beginning to flood her system. But Anzu forced it back and concentrated on putting her dragon pins up. Then she carefully removed her dress, hanging it up.

She mechanically stripped off her thigh highs, unhooking her garter belt and removing it. Her bikini underwear was removed and tossed into the clothesbasket. Her hands twisted the water on in the bathtub. She watched it fill absently, her mind still in a whirl over the events of this evening.

She added a small amount of her favorite bubble bath. Her blue eyes pensive as the bubbles began to form and swirl around in the tub. She turned away from the tub and got a towel from the drawer. Anzu automatically noted that she needed to get more towels from the linen closet and restock her towel drawer.

Then she slipped quietly into the bath. A tub pillow was strategically placed on the back rim of the tub. She relaxed back against it, enjoying the sensation of the hot water on her skin. Her toes played with the waterspout, dipping in and out of the stream of water. Her pale skin was becoming rosy from the heat and steam was rising steadily from the water.

Anzu could actually feel her muscles starting to relax, her system slowly beginning to calm. Her hands idly traced patterns through the bubbles, watching the water trail drip from her hand back into the tub. Anzu smiled. There was something to be said about simple pleasures she decided. She had found the old fashioned claw tub at an estate auction. It had been a bitch and half to get it into the house and in the bathroom but as far as Anzu was concerned every penny had been worth it. Many a nights she would sit in here, drinking a glass of wine and just let her tension flow away.

Now she just had to decide what to do. But to do that she really needed to go over everything that had been happening lately. She sighed and shook her head, allowing herself to fall into her memories from earlier this evening.

Silence had met Kaiba's announcement. Mokuba and Otogi were staring at him as if he had lost his mind, mouths hanging open slightly. Anzu could actually feel her legs starting to give way. She would have fallen if Kaiba hadn't tightened his arm around her, supporting her weight against him. She had been struck dumb when he had brushed a kiss across her shoulder, his hand caressing her stomach.

"Fiancée?" Gardner had repeated dumbly. His dark brown eyes shocked as he looked from Kaiba to Anzu. "But I thought that the news were reporting that she was engaged to Mokuba."

"A simple misunderstanding," Kaiba assured him. "Mokuba and Anzu have been friends for years. Mokuba considers her his mother. He was taking her out for Mother's Day."

"I see," Gardner offered dazedly. A beefy hand raising to rub across his forehead. "And you haven't announced it yet?"

"We had wanted to wait a little bit. We hadn't even had a chance to tell our friends. I got busy with a contract signing and Anzu has been finishing up her latest project."

"Of course," Gardner agreed, nodding as if it made perfect sense to him. "My congratulations."

Kaiba simply nodded and helped Anzu back into her seat. Anzu sat automatically, allowing Kaiba to adjust her skirt and push the chair in. He ran his hands over her shoulders, gently caressing her bare arms before sitting down beside her. Anzu stared at him in stunned fascination as he turned his chair towards her, taking her hand in his and playing with it absently.

"What are you doing?" Anzu finally managed to whisper, forcing the words out of a tight throat.

"Taking care of you," Kaiba told her warmly. He raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the palm.

"Quit that!" Anzu hissed and tried to pull away. But Kaiba wasn't allowing that, his clasp tightening as he held it on the table.

"Trust me," Kaiba told her with a small smile. His dark blue eyes warm on hers.

"Not as far as I can through you," Anzu tossed back. She leaned towards him, eyes narrowed and burning.

"Wine?" The waiter interrupted.

"Please," Mokuba answered for all of them. His blue eyes seemed slightly feverish and his mouth was twitching as if he was holding back a smile. "I think we could all you a drink."

"So we can do a toast to the happy couple," Otogi tossed in. His green eyes alight with laughter and mischief.

"Otogi!" Anzu whispered fiercly.

"What?" He responded with an innocent expression. "I'm just toasting to the happiness of one of my best friends."

"Somebody hates me," Anzu moaned under her breath. Her blue eyes panicked as she glanced at each of them.

Mokuba offered her an encouraging grin. Otogi shrugged slightly and smiled. Kaiba simply stared back at her calmly. His face revealing none of his emotions.

"This is your plan?" Anzu demanded dazedly.

"Of course," Kaiba responded casually.

"You've gone completely insane," she told him and reached for her menu.

"I could have told you that years ago," Otogi jumped in.

A knock on the bathroom door brought Anzu out of her memories. She jumped slightly, water trickling over the edge as she turned to stare at the door. Everything in her seemed to still for a second as she waited to see if the sound would be repeated.

"Mom?" Mokuba's voice drifted through the door as he tapped on the door again. "You okay?"

"Mokuba," Anzu sighed in relief. She relaxed back against the edge before calling out, "what do you need?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just taking a bath," Anzu told him.

"Can I come in?" Mokuba asked hesitantly.

"What?" Anzu asked in amazement. A glance down showed that she was covered in bubbles and that it was doubtful that Mokuba could see anything.

"Please Mom," Mokuba begged.

"Give me a minute," Anzu told him. She grabbed the towel that she had set out earlier and spread it across the tub. "Come on in."

Mokuba entered cautiously. His head just peeking through the door and making sure that she was covered before coming in the rest of the way. Anzu couldn't help but laugh at the image he made, blue eyes just barely visible, looking at her and then away quickly. A pink stain across his cheeks as he came the rest of the way into the room.

"Whacha need?" Anzu asked as she watched him settle on to the toilet and look around nervously.

"Just wanted to check on you," Mokuba said slowly. His blue eyes looking everywhere but at her. "You were awfully quiet at dinner."

"I wouldn't know why," Anzu drawled mockingly. Her expression wry as she looked at the boy.

"Seto can be pushy sometimes," Mokuba admitted.

"Sometimes?" Anzu burst out laughing. "He's always pushy Mokuba."

"I suppose," Mokuba agreed and then laughed with Anzu. "But he always does what he thinks is best."

"For him," Anzu broke in.

"I thought that maybe you would want to talk about it," Mokuba said softly. Finally looking at her.

"That's sweet," Anzu told him with a smile. Her blue eyes became thoughtful and pensive. Mokuba waited patiently for her to continue. "Would you go get my phone?" Anzu finally asked him.

"Phone?"

"Hmm," Anzu made a soft sound of agreement. "I want to talk to the most important man in my life."

"Yugi," Mokuba said.

"Yugi," Anzu agreed.

"I'll go get the phone," Mokuba assured her and hurried from the room.

Anzu watched him go with a smile on her face. She knew that he wanted her to confide in him but she really needed to talk to her best friend. Most girls had another girl they talked to about this but Anzu had Yugi. Perhaps after talking to him she would be able to put everything back into perspective.

Mokuba hurried from Anzu's room and almost ran into his brother. Kaiba was glaring down at him, blue eyes fierce as he demanded, "where have you been?"

"Talking to Anzu," Mokuba told him as he tried to dodge around him.

"Isn't she in the bath?" Kaiba demanded as he blocked his brothers escape.

"So?" Mokuba asked as he met his brother's eyes.

"So!" Kaiba's voice rose sharply.

"I didn't see anything," Mokuba defended. "It's not like I'm you are anything. Trying to sneak peeks!"

"I would never…" Kaiba gritted out and reached to grab Mokuba. Mokuba dodged out of the way easily and moved around Kaiba. Otogi laughed but swallowed it when Kaiba glared at him.

"I have to get the phone," Mokuba told them as he grabbed the portable off of its charger.

"Why?" Kaiba asked.

"To talk to Yugi," Otogi told him easily. His green eyes calm as he met the fierce blue of Kiaba's.

"While she's in the bath?"

"Yep." He collapsed into a chair, hooking his leg over the arm before continuing. "It's a habit they got into years ago. Whenever one of them is having a bad day or just need to talk, they'll call at bath time. Anzu is always telling us that she can think better in the bathtub." He shrugged slightly. "It may seem weird but it works for the two of them."

"I don't believe it," Kaiba muttered under his breath. "Mutou isn't even here and he's still managing to horn in."

Otogi pretended that he hadn't heard and flipped on the TV. As the picture came alive Otogi could almost feel sorry for Anzu. But at the same time the two of them had been dancing around each other for years. A glance at Mokuba as the boy escaped back into Anzu's bedroom had Otogi biting back a chuckle. There was a gleam of mischief in the boys' eyes that didn't bode well for his brother. Poor Kaiba wouldn't know what had hit him.

Otogi decided that Anzu would make a beautiful bride.

Anzu hit the speed dial button and waited anxiously for the phone to connect. Mokuba had brought her the telephone and then quickly disappeared. Anzu sank deeper into the water as the telephone rang over and over again. A glance at the clock showed that it was probably around 2 in the morning in Japan but Anzu didn't care. She had an emergency now!

Yugi Mutou was jerked out of a sound sleep. His violet eyes dazed as he tried to shut off the alarm only to have it keep ringing shrilly in his ear. It took a minute for him to figure out that it was the telephone. By this time Rebecca was shifting against him, her head rising off of his chest and blinking dazedly up at him. He lunged for the telephone breathing a sigh of relief when the noise stopped.

"Hello?" Yugi questioned cautiously. His voice husky from sleep as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Yugi!" Anzu screeched into his ear.

"OWWW!" Yugi yanked the telephone away from his ear and glared out it. "Anzu?"

"Sorry," Anzu told him sheepishly.

"Do you know what time it is?" Yugi demanded as he glanced at the glowing numbers on his alarm clock.

"Roughly," Anzu admitted. "But I need you."

"Who is it?" Rebecca questioned from beneath the pillow.

"Anzu," Yugi told her and patted her back. "You go back to sleep."

"She okay?"

"Tell her I'm fine physically but mentally I'm a wreck," Anzu told him.

"She's not bleeding," Yugi told Rebecca.

"That's nice," Rebecca told him as she started to drift back to sleep. "Night."

Yugi slid carefully out of bed, pulling the covers back over Rebecca and quietly leaving the room. "What's going on?" He asked Anzu as he padded down the hall into the kitchen. The early morning air was chilly on his exposed flesh, goose bumps rising on his arm.

"Kaiba's gone insane!" Anzu told him heatedly.

"And this is different from normal how?" Yugi asked her quietly. He grabbed the orange juice from the refrigerator and a glass from the cupboard, telephone balanced against his ear and shoulder.

"Because he announced our engagement," Anzu told him.

Yugi had just taken a drink of orange juice and began to choke. His eyes watered as he struggled to get his breath, coughing and dragging in deep breaths. "What?" He managed to gasp out.

"Uh-huh," Anzu told him smugly. "Now you see what I'm talking about. His plan is to announce our engagement."

"How does that help anything?" Yugi finally asked. His violet eyes dazed as he began to clean up the mess and put away the orange juice.

"I don't know!" Anzu told him huffily. "By this time tomorrow headlines will be reading 'KAIBA BROTHERS FIGHT OVER WOMAN!'" Anzu groaned and rubbed a wet hand over her face.

"It can't be that bad," Yugi tried to calm her.

"Yes it is!" Anzu hissed back. "He did it in the middle of a very very fancy restaurant. The newspapers are probably already running it. Add in the developing black eye that he's got and they are off and running."

"Wait. When did he get the black eye?"

"Mokuba punched him this morning," Anzu told him with a sigh.

"Okay maybe it is that bad," Yugi admitted. "Kaiba give you any type of inkling about why he's doing this?"

"You know Kaiba," Anzu told him wryly. "'You're not smart enough to understand. Just do as I tell you.'" Anzu groaned and closed her eyes. "I am currently feeling like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz."

"Not in Kansas anymore huh?"

"Nope," Anzu agreed.

"So what are you going to do?" Yugi asked after a minute of silence.

"I don't know," Anzu told him wearily. "I was hoping that you had an idea."

"Maybe you should just go with the flow," Yugi offered.

"You're not helping Yugi!"

"Sorry! But you've got to admit that Kaiba can usually handle the press."

"I know," Anzu groaned. "But I don't think he's ever handled anything like this before."

"Probably not but what's the worse that could happen?" Yugi asked.

"The way things are going I'm going to be celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary by the time Kaiba admits the truth."

"You're exaggerating," Yugi chided gently.

"So?"

"Nothing," Yugi sighed softly and rolled his eyes. "Just remember that he really can't force you to do anything you don't want to do."

"That's right!" Anzu sat straight up in the bathtub a grin spreading across her face. "Not only that but this is a perfect time to get back at him for everything he's ever done!"

"Anzu wait a minute…" Yugi tried to calm her down. "You really don't want to do anything rash."

Thanks for the advice Yugi!" Anzu told him. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Anzu wait!" Yugi tried to stop her but the dial tone buzzed in his ear. "Not good," he muttered quietly to himself. He wondered what she was going to do to Kaiba.

Anzu hang up the telephone and tossed it onto the floor next to the bathtub. Talking to Yugi had helped her immensely. Kaiba was going to regret doing this to her. A knock on the door surprised her.

"Come in," Anzu called out. She figured it was Mokuba again as she settled back into the tub. The door creaked open slowly and Anzu waited for Mokuba to show himself. Instead her breath caught in her throat as she finally saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Kaiba!"

A/N: There's another chapter. I know that it took a while but my old computer died a miserable death and my back up disk caught a virus. I hope that it was worth the wait! Enjoy and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by.