Toska

by MiBo

In the corporate world every executive needs a secretary but the one that Seto Kaiba has been forced to have turns out to be someone far more interesting than he had originally thought. Kaiba has found himself wondering how devoted she truly is to her employer, when he decides to test that adoration, he's going to find out just how far she'll go to see him relax.

6. Chapter 6: Business Proposition

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! it righfuly belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. I only claim ownership of Kiara Katsuhiko and Lily Katsuhiko. The idea of this fanfiction was inspired from the manga Midnight Secretary.

Chapter 6 - Business Proposition

The office was quiet, Kiara had been working on some paperwork when she stopped, her attention was diverted to the elevator room. She scrunched her brow together in concern, it was unusual for her to feel uneasy about something, and it only made her anxious. She took in a deep breath, held it for ten seconds, and then let it out slowly. It did nothing to abate that feeling in her stomach, she returned to her work at hand, but she had every intention of telling her employer about it. There was still news buzzing around the office about the success of the Tea Blossom Ceremony and how Kiara was so beautiful in her kimono, she only smiled at everyone when they asked why she didn't use make up like that at work, but she knew better. That style was reserved for special occasions and she had no intention of wearing such cosmetics to work. Kiara finished, placed everything in its appropriate place, reached into her bag, drank her supplement, and a ginseng bottle before grabbing her bag. The moment that her computer shut down, Kaiba appeared from his office, and looked at her.

She smiled at him while he stated, "Let's go." Kiara followed next to the chief through the hallway, however when they entered the elevator, he made sure no one else was in there, and he turned to Kiara. She looked at him over the rims of her glasses, "We're going to a conference right now." Kiara nodded while he continued, "It's a pitch to Kaiba Corps about a new game so we'll see who's behind it and what the company can gain from it." She nodded once more while he faced the elevator and added, "You're welcome to voice your opinion."

Kiara snapped her attention on him, once more Kaiba could feel those sapphires gleaming, "Why would I be allowed to have a say in this matter? I'm only a secretary." When he was silent, she continued to stare at him until he became increasingly uncomfortable although it wasn't revealed on the outside.

"Because I trust you." A smile lit her face and eyes, she returned to staring at the steel doors, the elevator came to a halt, and she followed behind her employer. The pair entered the room, Kiara took a seat next to Kaiba, produced her note pad and pen, and waited for the others to arrive. Once the others had arrived and sat, she noticed a pair at the front with a computer, and screen ready to start. "Go ahead."

She watched as they introduced themselves, first was a woman with blonde hair that flared away from her face, and bright blue eyes. The woman introduced herself as Mara Aegean while the male with long purplish hair and striking green eyes, introduced himself as Makao Aegean. Kiara couldn't help but think that she had seen them somewhere, their appearance was so familiar to her, but she put it out of her mind, although she did realize that the uneasy feeling in her stomach had never gone away. It must be due to mother, that's the only logical explanation. Once Kiara was finished taking notes on the idea of a Duel Monsters based role-playing game, with Kaiba Corps creating the game, she flipped a page to take notes one what others were going to say. As the opinions floated around the room, she noticed that no one really took this seriously, which she knew was a shame. Silence befell the room while Kaiba leaned over and whispered something in her ear, she nodded, and wrote some things down on her notepad.

Kiara stood up, "If I may interject..." The room stared at her and Kaiba nodded for her to go on and she smiled at him. Her attention was then drawn to Mara and Makao, "Mister and Misses Aegean have quite a remarkable idea." When someone was about to silence her, she put up her hand, "If I may." The man was silenced and she turned to look at everyone in the room although it was apparent that Mara and Makao were surprised that she was even allowed to speak. "The idea of having a role-playing game based on Duel Monsters is genius. Studies show that role-playing games have a high margin for success if they are done right, Dungeons and Dragons is just one such example of that genre which, may I add, has spawned variations in other genres such as films, books, and video games. But it all started with a simple role-playing game with a group of friends." As the others were considering her words, her sapphire irises focused on the Aegean couple, "I have played an unhealthy amount of games in my life, and I still do, but I have never seen a Duel Monsters role-playing game before and I have high hopes for it. You see, Duel Monsters as a role-playing game can have many variations with different enemies, creatures, clans, classes, and layouts. For one, there could be an Egyptian Duel Monsters or a Medieval Duel Monsters, even an Outer Space Duel Monsters theme, the idea is only as limitless as the imagination but discussed with the innovators first."

Makao nodded, "Yes, variations of the idea should be discussed with us."

Kiara looked at Kaiba who nodded for her to continue, she turned her attention back to the presenters, "I don't see a problem with that and of course you would be named as innovator of the game. Perhaps there could be a special edition with characters modeled after the two of you." Kiara smiled at them when they agreed that it would be an excellent idea. "I've had my say for now, so please continue." She took her seat and jotted down everything that she had said. Kaiba watched, as she finished, he looked at the Aegean couple once more and decided that he needed to say something.

"We will discuss this further and let you know within a few days of our final decision." The Aegean couple left with their items and the moment that the door closed is when everyone erupted into loud voices. Kiara blinked several times in surprise at such an outburst but it was Kaiba who decided to silence them, "Shut up!" She turned to look at him, he wore a scowl on his face, and his brow dipped down in anger at those present but the argumentors would not be deterred.

"Why did you let your secretary speak? She knows nothing of business!" shouted one man.

"She's smarter than you," retorted another.

"How do you know that?!"

"Because I was there at the Tea Blossom Ceremony supporting the company I work for!"

"How dare you say that I don't support the company!"

"Well you don't! You weren't there! I even have a photo with her!"

Kaiba's left eye began twitch and Kiara brought her fingers in her mouth, and whistled loudly. The room fell silent as she stated, "Gentlemen please calm down, there is no need for accusations or insinuations. We are all here to discuss the proposed game and that is all. There should be no personal attacks involved in such a discussion." Kaiba watched as the men calmed down and each muttered a half apology, she smiled at them and nodded while flipping through her note pad, "Now I know that everyone says no to this idea but the facts are facts. Dungeons and Dragons is a very popular role-playing game and Duel Monsters is just as popular. So to combine the two is a great advantage as it caters to two markets." When the others looked at her she continued, "It caters to those who enjoy role-playing games and those that enjoy Duel Monsters. There is never a shortage of imaginations in the world and this will help to introduce role-players into the world of Duel Monsters and vice versa. It's actually quite brilliant if done properly and, as implied, quite lucrative."

The room was silent as everyone mulled over her words and Kaiba stated, "This discussion is over. Katsuhiko will distribute her notes and research to you in person. Read them over and then decide, we'll converge here again in three days." Everyone agreed, once the room emptied out, he sighed, and rubbed a hand on his face. "This is so annoying. They can't even have a proper discussion without yelling at one another. Idiots, all of them." There was a quiet chuckle, he parted his fingers to see that Kiara was still sitting there, "Why are you still here?"

"You never told me to leave."

The hand on his face slid down to cover his mouth just a smirk made its way there, he sighed again, and looked at her. "You're perceptive, do you really think that this can work?" Kiara nodded, "How can you know for sure?" Kiara only flashed him a secretive smile which he grumbled something unintelligible but she chuckled as she usually does when he mutters. "Alright, get on that research once you get home, I want some kind of report with market sales and interest by tomorrow morning, and I want those idiots to get a copy. We'll see if you can make them change their mind."

"I take it that they're the reason Kaiba Corps hasn't been introducing new games lately."

"You guess correct."

"That will all change."

"Why?"

She smiled at him and winked, "Because Kaiba Corps has never had an executive secretary like me." Kaiba covered his face once more and told her to leave. Kiara stood, bowed to him, and said with a grin, "Your wish is my command." Kiara left the CEO of the company in the conference room to mull over her character and how she was able to get under his skin so easily but he attributed it to the fact that she was reliable and a hard worker.

"Yes, that's it."

-::::::-

Cobalt eyes stared at the report that Kiara had issued to him and the others who had considered the new game proposal. The conference room was silent as they all read the report that was issued to them, she was placing glasses of iced barley tea in front of everyone except one man, she placed a glass of cucumber water in front of him, and she took a seat. The man looked at her and asked, "Why did you give me cucumber water?"

She smiled warmly, "I do not want you to have an allergic reaction to barley Mister Seneca."

He stared at her, "How do you know I'm allergic?"

"I do research on everyone present, especially when drinks are in order."

The man smiled gratefully, "Thank you Miss Katsuhiko."

"No thanks is necessary, I am happy to do my job."

"Seneca," the man with the barley allergy looked at Kaiba, "read your report." The man nodded and he quickly began to read it while Kiara looked up at Kaiba who whispered, "Shiori Seneca, the man that bought Ito's shares."

"That's not why I looked at you." Kaiba ignored her statement and simply continued to read the report while she watched every thing with a keen eye, she could already see that some of them were changing their minds about the proposal, and she knew that it would be lucrative for the company. Silence engulfed the room, papers were ruffled, and shuffled around; and eventually every one turned to look at Kaiba. She looked up at him as well and stated quietly, "They're waiting for you, sir."

"Uh-huh. How long did it take you to compile this?"

"Does it matter?"

"No." He looked at the others in the room, "Any objections?" Silence and he nodded, "Good. Katsuhiko call the Aegeans and tell them that they will receive a contract soon." She nodded and he added, "Tell them that if they want to change anything before the contract to tell you and you'll relay it to me for review. Understood." She nodded once more and he looked at every one in the room, "Good. Now get back to work." Kiara grabbed her things and proceeded to leave but he snatched her wrist roughly, her sapphire eyes turned to stare at him while the others ignored him, "Not you. You're coming with me." She stared at him, perplexed by his ambiguous words, just as he stood, he released her wrist, and she followed him quickly.

The elevator was moving down instead of up and it perplexed her still but she decided against saying anything to her employer. Instead she stated, "I have an uneasy feeling." Kaiba looked at her as if to tell her to, either, keep talking or be quiet. As an adventurous move, she decided to keep talking, "I can't help but feel that it has something to do with my mother. I don't mean to burden you with my problems, sir. Forgive me for saying anything of the sort."

"It's fine." She looked at him, "You haven't been talking a lot lately any way."

"I don't think I ever spoke a lot sir." Kaiba gave a quiet chuckle which made her feel better, so she decided to be bold once more, "Where are we going?"

"An undisclosed location."

"I already figured that out since you haven't explained any thing to me but is it a secret undisclosed location or just a regular one?"

Once more there was that quiet chuckle, "We're going to discuss the contract that you're to write up over lunch." She nodded, the elevator opened up, and the pair exited; however instead of taking the limo to a restaurant, Kaiba guided her through the lobby, into the street, and crossed it. It was a small cafe but one that served all sorts of simple dishes along with tea or coffee. They took a seat and menus were handed to them as well as requests for drinks, Kiara opted for some oolong tea while Kaiba agreed with it. She looked at him, he stared at her, and she quirked an eyebrow at him to which his eyesight returned to the menu. Kiara chuckled while looking over the menu herself to see if she could find anything for herself to eat.

They ordered their food, Kiara decided to get the pumpkin and squash soup in a bread bowl while Kaiba ordered a fish salad. While they waited, she poured the tea into the two cups and retrieved her note pad, she clicked her pen, and waited for him to start. As the meal progressed so did the contract, she stood in place of the Aegeans and asked questions that she assumed they would ask, and so she was able to draft a contract that might appeal to them with little to no corrections. Kiara finished her food and her tea, she waited for Kaiba to finish his as well, once they were done, he paid, left another extravagant tip, and the pair crossed the street to the building once more. As they entered the elevator she said, "Thank you for lunch."

"It's the least I can do."

"Still, thank you. As soon as I get in tomorrow morning, I'll draft the contract and give them a call." He nodded, "Is there any thing else that I should do for you?" Kaiba looked at her, "It's just you and I in the elevator, would you like a massage in your office?" He only glared at her while she chuckled, "You're so tense all the time!" The pair returned to work and they didn't speak or see one another until it was time to leave, in which case, she opened up his door, and asked if he needed her for anything else. When he responded with a 'no' she nodded and smiled at him, "Thank you for your hard work Mister Kaiba. I'll see you tomor-" Her phone rang, she quickly pulled it out, flipped it open, and immediately asked who the caller was. Kaiba saw her face visibly pale as she replied calmly but shakily, "Of course...I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up and immediately took off at a quick walk.

Kaiba decided that it would be good to follow her, so he grabbed his own stuff, left his office, and caught up with her at the elevator. He watched as she was pushing the button fervently for it to go faster. "It doesn't work like that."

"I know."

"Do you need a ride?"

She whipped around and nodded, "It would help greatly, please!" He nodded, opened up his phone and dialed Roland, the moment that the elevator doors opened, they stepped in, and Kaiba hung up the phone. He looked at her, he noticed that her hands were shaking, and she tried to control it but couldn't so she immediately had her hands grip the shoulder strap of her bag. It only served in her biting her lower lip, he leaned over, pulled her lip out of her teeth, and she looked at him.

"You'll only make yourself bleed that way. I won't have you with any blemishes on your face." Kiara nodded and turned to face the elevator once more, he noticed that started to fervently push the lobby button, and he quirked an eyebrow at her but realized she wouldn't make any remark about it. Instead she darted through the doors the moment they opened, he followed after her, able to keep up with her since he had longer strides. The limo door was opened up, Kaiba noticed that she waited for him to climb in and then she followed suit.

"Where to Miss Katsuhiko?"

"Domino Hospital, Mister Roland, please." He nodded as he recognized the worry in her voice, Roland immediately pulled out and went as fast as he could considering the traffic. While Kaiba watched her, she pulled down her braided bun, and began to run her fingers through the end of her braid.

-::::::-

Kiara immediately ran into the room that her mother was resting in, she sat down, and placed a hand on her mother's forehead. Eyes fluttered open, the twin blue spheres locked with her daughter's and she gave a weak smile. Kiara kissed her forehead and asked, "What happened?"

"Apparently someone at work thought it would be funny to put bacon bits in my pea soup." Immediately Kiara's brow dipped in anger but her mother consoled her, "It's alright. I should have been more careful."

"What is their name?"

"Don't worry about it Kiara, I'm alright. Luckily I had my antihistamine on me otherwise..."

"What is their name?"

Lily sighed, "Kiara..." She could see that her daughter was not going to be deterred in her anger so she whispered, "Ryuji Takenaka."

Kiara's eyes went wide, "The journalist that wrote the article on the Tea Blossom Ceremony?!"

"Yes. He's a regular at Maid Palace. I never thought that he would do something like this to me."

"Do you wait on him often?"

"Yes. He always asks for me, I was on break when he came in, and my other regulars too. So I took care of them but he said that he had to use the restroom, I knew that he was taking an unusually long time but when he returned, he said that he had to go. When I went to eat my soup, I noticed it tasted a little funny and two seconds later...well...you know what happens." Kiara nodded, kissed her mother's forehead once more and asked if she would need anything. Lily chuckled, "The only thing that I want right now is to get out of here and home so I can eat your squash pudding." Kiara laughed with her mother, "I should be out soon. A few more hours and we'll see."

"I was so worried when they called me, I couldn't think."

"Did your compulsiveness return?"

She laughed and nodded, "Only for a little bit and no one suffered but the elevator buttons."

"That's good. So tell me, why is your employer here?" Kiara was taken aback at her mother's statement but her mother was smiling and looking past her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kaiba standing there with his phone open and punching some keys. Kiara was going to say something and so was her mother but it was Kaiba who spoke before the two of them. Kaiba returned the phone to his pocket while looking at the Katushiko women.

"I wouldn't worry about Takenaka any more." Kiara was going to question him but he silenced her by glaring at her, "I don't want the best secretary that Kaiba Corps has ever seen to be tainted with a police report." Kiara smiled at him, thanked him, and he grumbled something while stating, "Be more careful Miss Katushiko." With that he left and Kiara looked at her mother who was just as perplexed as her daughter.

"Kiara, don't look at me for answers, he's your employer." Kiara openly laughed with her mother, Kaiba had been leaning against the wall on the outside of the room, and nodded before he disappeared down one of the corridors.

-::::::-

Days passed and Mara and Makao were staring at the smiling face of Kiara, she handed them a contract, it was already signed by Kaiba, and she told them to look it over. "If you have any questions don't hesitate to call me. You can sit right here if you'd like." They took a seat in the waiting room, she left, and returned with iced barley tea for them while they read the contract. "Here you are, I'm just outside here so if you need anything, just call." They nodded while returning to look at the papers, once she left, they were able to speak to one another.

"What do you think about her, Makao?"

He smiled, "She's an excellent secretary, I don't think I've seen one like her."

"I know! She's amazing!"

"Yes but I do wonder about Mister Kaiba."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I can't say here but I'll be sure to tell you about it on the way home. In the mean time, read this with me." She nodded and they both began to look at the pages of the contract, while Kiara was on the phone making reservations with restaurants. She was busy typing up the itinerary for Kaiba when Makao appeared over the counter, Kiara looked up, and motioned for him to wait a minute. Once she was finished, she placed the phone in its cradle and turned her attention to Makao. "We've signed it and have no issues with it at all. I do hope to be informed of the development."

Kiara smiled, "Of course you'll be contacted. The moment it starts development, I will let you know on weekly follow-ups to keep you up to date as stated in the contract."

"It's almost as if we asked these things ourselves."

She winked at him, "Mister Kaiba had some help in creating the forms."

Makao laughed, "I see then. Well it is a pleasure to work with you Miss Katsuhiko."

"The feelings are mutual Mister Aegean. Is there any thing else that I can help you with?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I wrote in the comments section that the first rendition of the game should be done in an Egyptian setting so for the big celebration of its arrival, we would like the party to be Egyptian themed as well. If that's alright."

Kiara looked through the contract, saw the notes, and nodded with a smile, "I don't see how that would be a problem. Would you like it to be a masquerade since it would released around the time of Halloween?"

The male smiled warmly, "Yes, that would be excellent."

"Alright then, I'll be sure to attach an affidavit with your wishes to the back of the contract and inform Mister Kaiba as well. Kaiba Corps looks forward to working with you and Misses Aegean in the future. Should you have any more innovative ideas, please consider Kaiba Corps as your first option."

Makao nodded, "You can add into that affidavit that Kaiba Corps will be our only option for innovations as long as you're working here Miss Katsuhiko."

"You flatter me but I shall put it in for you. Have a nice day Mister Aegean."

"You do the same Miss Katsuhiko."

Before the pair were able to leave, Kiara gasped which drew their attention, she calmed down and smiled at them, "I knew I thought you were familiar to me. Mister Aegean," he motioned to call him by his first name and Mara did the same, "Makao, you look like the Dark Magician and Mara looks like Dark Magician Girl." The pair laughed while she looked at them curiously.

Mara said with a wink, "We get that a lot which is why we're always dressed as them on Halloween. But don't tell anyone!"

The secretary smiled and nodded, "My lips are sealed."

As Makao left the office with Mara in tow, the latter was enthusiastically waving good-bye to Kiara, and the secretary returned the enthusiasm with one of her own waves. The steel doors closed, separating the two Aegeans from Kiara, and she sat down once more to work. The itinerary was finished, she got up and headed to the copier to make the copies of the contract but not before informing Kaiba of her whereabouts. She was standing there, making copies, and putting the pages back together again when she stopped. Her hand held a stapler ready to strike the metal half square into the paper, she furtively looked over her shoulder but there was no one there, so she returned to her work at hand. Once the copy was stapled, she kept both hands clasped on the papers, and it was then that she heard the door shut.

This time, Kiara whipped around, there was a man standing there, he was not someone she had seen before, which meant that he was from another floor or somewhere else entirely. Kiara released one hand on the contract in order to grab for the stapler, she undid the clasp, and held it as a weapon. The man chuckled, "You think that a simple stapler will stop me?"

"I'll have to see now won't I?" There was some silence, "Who are you? You don't work on this floor."

"Perceptive, well...let's just say that I'm here 'under cover' for someone."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, "So you must be from a rival company, here to steal the contract from the weak secretary."

"Something like that. Now hand it over."

"I don't think so." The man lunged at her, she whipped away from the machine, the male crashed into it, the noise drew the attention of the staff on the opposite side of the glass, and one woman picked up her phone to dial the security desk. Although Kiara decided that the contract would be better someplace safe, but she knew of no place so she did the only thing that she could do, and that was to slip it gently into the waistband of her skirt and cover it with her vest. The man lunged at her again, this time she threw the stapler at him, it smacked him in the face, she dodged under him, and ran for the door. She turned the knob, the door was pulled open, and Kiara dashed out of the room.

Her feet lead her straight to Kaiba's office, she didn't even knock as she barged into the room, she slammed the door shut, and locked the door. There was banging on the door, Kaiba looked up from his work to stare at his secretary who was breathing heavily, she took in a few breaths, pulled the contract free, tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, and approached him with a smile. She placed the original on his desk, "Here you are sir. The original contract signed and completed with an affidavit attached to the back with requests from Mister and Misses Aegean."

"Is it to change the contract?"

"No sir. Just how they would like the grand introduction of their game to be celebrated." He nodded and looked at the banging door, there were shouts from his security team, and the male on the other side. "That would be someone from another company wanting to steal the contract for the game. Apparently Kaiba Corps was not the only company they went to but they have since told me that they would bring all of their ideas to Kaiba Corps as long as I am employed here."

"I see."

Kiara simply tucked the loose strands into her bun and bowed, "Things should be under control now. I'll return to work." He nodded and watched her leave, she returned to her seat, happy that nothing was misplaced or touched, and she placed the copy of the contract in a safe place. It was a desk drawer that had a key hole in it but it was a special type of key, she pulled it out of her breast pocket on her shirt, turned it, placed the documents inside, then locked it once more. The key was replaced into her pocket once more away from prying eyes. Kiara returned to doing her work as the man was hauled away into the elevator, she put on a warm smile for everyone, and pressed on through the day.

It wasn't long before the day was finished and she was heading home, once more it was her and Kaiba in the elevator with no one else as they both had worked late. She didn't say anything to him but he asked, "What do you think about buying out a rival company?"

"Depends on what they have to offer."

"Technology that could advance the second Kaiba World."

"Hmm...if the price is right then I would say go for it but sometimes you might be able to get a better deal if you negotiate."

"Their price is firm, they've been getting significantly lower offers."

"So give them something better."

"Like what?"

"You could tell them that if they agree to your lower price then you will guarantee that the employees will still have a job. That's incentive enough and if you give him some shares or some kind of special privilege like the third Duel Monsters Role-Playing game to be produced."

"Why not the first or second?"

"The first one is claimed by you and the second is for Mister and Misses Aegean."

Kaiba only stared at her as she looked up at him with a friendly smile, but underneath that surface he could see a cunning fox. "You're a lot smarter than any one gives you credit for. I'll give them the proposition in the morning."

"No, I simply think in a manner that befits a businessman. This is a business, if nothing here is treated as business then it fails. Everything done in Kaiba Corps has a business ideal behind it, including the hiring and firing of employees." Kaiba stared at her, as if he wanted her to continue, so she did. "You hired me on a trial basis, free of charge for a day, and, in the end, you decided to keep me on because I was an asset. It was in the interest of the company, the game pitch from the Aegeans was considered with the same weight, that was the reason why you let me speak. I have an understanding of business that's just a little bit better than the average person but it will never be as good as yours."

He looked away, "You really are perfect."

"I try my hardest." Kaiba could tell that she was beaming to herself, it shone in her eyes, but his thoughts wandered to Kisara, he knew they were different, they weren't the same, and he knew that they never would be the same; and that was fine with him. He never liked Kisara to begin with, she was too weak, but Kiara, he silenced his thoughts. Cobalt eyes furtively looked at Kiara who was staring at the steel doors, once more his mind looped the previous train, and he crashed that as well while grumbling. She looked up at him, "Did you say something?"

"No."

The elevator doors opened and she replied with that same warm smile, "Have a nice evening Mister Kaiba."

-::::::-

Kiara was writing up another contract for Kaiba Corps, it was for the company that Kaiba has spoken to her about before. She was smiling to herself and yet that unease crept into her veins again, she looked towards her bag where her phone was, it was silent. "I don't know..." Although she was uneasy again, she felt that everything would be fine so she finished up her work. It was printed out, a copy made, and she placed the copy in its safe place. The original was handed to Kaiba, before she left, he stopped her. "Sir?"

"Take this list and do everything on it. We need to go to Germany for a little while."

She took the list, "How long?"

He looked up at her, "Two weeks."

Kiara nodded, "Of course, sir. I'll get right on it."

"What about your mother?"

She smiled, "My mother will be fine, if anything she'll be happy to have me away for two weeks."

Kaiba nodded, "Make sure everything is in order tonight and tomorrow because we leave the day after on a red eye." Kiara nodded and left the room, she closed the door behind her, and began her work for the coming two weeks.

Once everything was in order, Kiara made a note to leave all the recipes with her mother and her mother's employer so that everything would be alright for her. She wondered why they were going to Germany but she had a hunch it had to with Schroeder Corps. Kiara finished what was asked of her and she shut down her computer just as Kaiba exited the office. She grabbed her things and walked beside him to the elevator as they had done multiple times before.

The doors closed and she asked, "Are we to meet with Schroeder Corps?"

"Yes," he replied with vehement disdain tainting his voice. But it was her laugh that brought him out his hateful silence, he turned to stare at her.

"I had heard the rumors of Mister Kaiba hating Mister Schroeder but I never believed that it would amount to this much hatred. Is he more flamboyant than Mister Pegasus?"

"Of course he is!"

Kiara eyed him comically, "Ah, so you do have some emotion in your voice other than laughter." Seto stared in shock at her audacity, "And there's some shock too."

He glared, "You would do well not to do these things in front of him."

"I understand full well the gravity of the situation. I will hold my tongue and antics while in Germany because I have no intention of sharing your emotions with any one else but myself and you. It's our secret and, as I said before, they're all mine." She winked at him which made him smirk as he looked away from her.

"Try to wear something other than skirts."

"Sorry but that's all I have for professional wear. It's tradition."

"You're ground in your ways aren't you?"

"More like I'm rooted in them."

"Is it compulsiveness? Like with the buttons?"

This time it was her turn to stare at him, she blinked a few times to gather her thoughts as she stared into those cobalt depths. "Something like that. But my compulsiveness only comes out when I'm extremely worried about something and I try to keep to buttons." He would have asked more but he could clearly see that she was getting uncomfortable about it so he refrained from anything and stayed silent the rest of the ride down. As the elevator opened up she grinned, "I look forward to our two weeks together."

He glared at her as she left, he exited as well, but rubbed a hand across his face, and met up with Roland. The latter asked him if anything was the matter inside the limo but he only leaned his head against the seat and said, "Katsuhiko is getting under my skin."

"Could be a good thing, sir."

"How is that good?"

"She'll stay at Kaiba Corps and at your side."

"How is that good again?"

Roland smirked in the rear view mirror, "I like Miss Katsuhiko, she's able to make you relax."

"Have I relaxed?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you two hanging out again?"

"Of course sir."

Kaiba only sighed and shook his head with a small smile on his face, "What am I going to do with the two of you."

"Keep us on your payroll, sir." Kaiba could not help but laugh at the remark, Roland put up the divider, and grinned to himself as he drove to Kaiba's mansion.