***Disclaimer*** (Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!", and neither do you. lol, cute huh? n_n)

Chapter 14 – Pitch Black

The elevator's only source of illumination was that of a yellow backup light directly above the entrance. It gave off enough light that Kaiba could see Alice's angelic face and the dark, sticky liquid that streamed down from her hairline. Kaiba held his breath to listen for her heartbeat.

As gently as he could he moved her off of him and onto the floor. His thoughts were in a snarl as he bent over her, wondering how he could possibly help.

He took his hand, which was still shaking, and lightly probed her scalp in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He knew when he had found the source of it because she bolted upright and let out a shrill cry. His eyes widened at the sound of her tortured scream. He had been certain she was unconscious. Fumbling with his thoughts he forced her down so her shoulders were pressed firmly to the pitch black floor. Her back arched in a disturbing way, her screaming intensified. She had her petite hands clenched, attempting to grip the ground for support.

"Alice," Seto said hoarsely. He felt as if his ears were melting off his head and he wanted to rip his eyes out. No one should have to witness, let alone endure, that level of pain.

"Alice, Alice, Alice," he tried to soothe. The screams coming from her pierced right through him like a spear, and he was certain he was about to lose his mind.

"Alice, stop!" he shouted, keeping one hand firmly on her shoulder while the other steadied her thrashing head.

Her body continued to shake but her screams subsided into whimpers and eventually silence. He listened to her ragged breathing for a moment more before speaking again.

"Can you hear me?" he questioned in a sharp voice.

Her teeth chattered as she opened her mouth and hissed a soft, "Yesss." If it was possible her eyes closed even tighter as she took deep, shaky breaths.

She sounded furious, but she was alive so he chuckled in relief. I thought I had lost you, Seto mused, loosening his grip on her shoulder and stroking her cheek. Emerald orbs fluttered open in dazed bewilderment. Their eyes connected and as Alice stared into his sapphire irises her breathing became less urgent. She was relaxing under his hand and penetrating gaze. He watched as her chest slowed from its frantic pace.

Her eyes are a wild fire. It's like they're burning through me. Green flames flickering right before me… so warm. His thoughts trailed off as he unconsciously caressed her face. Her eyes smoldered in the dim light as she gazed at him. There was no telling how long they stayed like that until Alice reluctantly broke the connection.

"My head," she croaked, bringing Kaiba back to what was happening around them.

He chuckled darkly; did I really forget that easily? "I was letting you ogle me," he gave her a cocky smile, "it seemed to be helping."

He continued to stroke her cheek even as her eyes hardened and the flames in them moved dangerously. She narrowed them and responded in a firm but small voice, "Get on with it."

Smirking, he pulled his hand away from her completely flushed face. He moved it back up to the edge of her hairline where he had found the sore spot.

"I'm going to need you to be very still, this would have been easier if you had stayed unconscious," he confessed as he examined her head.

"I'll be fine, just get it done," she replied in a monotone voice as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Alright…" he muttered under his breath.

The cut on her forehead was fairly deep, with shards of broken glass protruding from it. Kaiba searched overhead for the source of the glass when he noticed the light above them had shattered. Of all the luck, he thought dryly.

He sat for a time contemplating what he should do. Obviously he wasn't the heroic prince type who rips their clothing off to bandage the damsel's wounds; he was wearing a very expensive dress shirt, tie, and slacks along with one of his dark blue trench coats. Ripping through those clothes would be impossible; even if he could the shirt was one of his favorites. So how to proceed, he wondered methodically as he loosened his tie around his neck… the tie! Kaiba was grateful he had worn it to work. As he began to take it off he noticed Alice was squirming around and he looked to her questioningly.

Her eyes were still closed and her fists still balled, she seemed to be in intense pain, more so then that of a simple cut. The screams she had uttered had also hinted at something more painful as well. "Are you alright," he questioned as he gazed down at her.

Her reply came in a voice he didn't recognize. It was much lower but still entirely feminine, as well as completely devoid of emotion."I'm bleeding you insignificant, little man. Either fix me or shut uhhh!" She gasped the last syllable and her eyes flew open. Kaiba stared down at her skeptically until she continued. "Sorry, this really hurts," she explained lamely in her usual tone before looking curiously at the tie in his hand and adding, "Why are you taking off your clothes?"

Kaiba undid the top two buttons on his shirt and leaned over her. "I was getting something to stop you from bleeding out, but if you want me to I could always continue." He readied himself for the coming insult, but was astonished when she giggled instead. She must have lost more blood than I thought. Either that or she really has fallen for me, he thought smugly as he moved her hair out of the way.

"Hold still," he instructed. She nodded mutely then proceeded to close her eyes once more. As gently as humanly possible he began to remove the glass from her forehead, if she was lucky she wouldn't even have a scar. "You sure are bleeding a lot," Kaiba stated matter-of-factly.

"Head wounds do tend to bleed more," she whispered back.

Why is she whispering, he worried. Was she really in that much pain or was she just tired? He told her to sit up when he was finished so he could secure the tie around her head. As he knelt behind her to place the tie around her head, she moved her hair around so it was out of the way; apparently she wanted the tie less visible. He positioned it under her bangs and brought it to the base of her skull, his knuckles brushing her neck as he tied it. His eyes wandered over her slim neck and flawless figure.

She looked very elegant, though she was wearing blue jeans and a simple gray sweater. He wondered idly as he stared at her neck what she would look like in a dress, or a bikini, and had to suppress a groan. Redirecting his thoughts he moved out from behind her and sat against one of the elevator walls. He should be focusing on how to get them out of there, fantasy could wait.

"So how are we going to get out of here?" she questioned, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs. Kaiba leaned his head against the cool, metal wall and groaned.

"Honestly Porter, I have no idea and if that's not enough to worry you…" He trailed off as he closed his eyes.

There was a moment of utter silence and Alice wondered if he had fallen asleep. Her curiosity got the better of her. "Kaiba?"

His response came a moment later, gruff and low, "What, Porter?"

Alice rubbed her arms as chills formed down them, from the cold! she thought sternly. But her thoughts faltered and she became unconvinced, so she chickened out. "It's really dark," she offered lamely.

He chuckled, "What's wrong, Porter? Scared of the dark are we?"

The grip she held on her legs increased, nails digging into the soft flesh. "Of course not," she replied indignantly. Almost as if she couldn't control it she added, "Not the dark, never the dark. I'm scared of the things that hide in… in the Shadows." His breathing changed and she chanced a look at him but saw his eyes were still shut. She didn't know why she couldn't stop talking. "It's pitch black in here, like my soul." That ended up sounding more morbid than she intended so she giggled to make it seem like a joke. Mentally she facepalmed, she should have just asked her original question instead of making a fool of herself.

"Are you going to tell me what you really wanted to say?"

She glanced over at him, surprised he had noticed something so small. He appeared as if he was asleep, as if he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention; she knew from the way his jaw was set and the tension of his crossed arms that it wasn't the case.

"I was wondering…" She trailed off uncertainly as she absorbed his perfect face, so peaceful. When he didn't make a rude comment she continued, "I was wondering why you call me Porter."

"It is your name you know," Kaiba mused sarcastically, opening his eyes lazily to look her over.

"Well, yes, but you switch from calling me 'Alice' one minute to 'Porter' the next," she said as she leaned closer to hear his response.

"Is there a problem with me calling you Porter? As I recall that is your name." He sounded amused by the idea of repeating himself.

"My last name," she replied icily.
"It's a name nonetheless," he stated simply.
"It just seems rude–"
"You call me by my last name," Kaiba readily retorted.
"That's because you prefer it," Alice snapped.
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to say it, I just assumed–"
"Well you assumed wrong."
"So you're saying you want me to call you Seto?"

"Exactly."

Alice was growing colder by the minute as she sat on the frigid floor. She shuddered and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. A strange feeling prickled in her eyes, so she gingerly touched one of them. I'm crying? she thought in astonishment as she wiped the falling tears away quickly. It's only because I'm hurt and I have to fight her off at the same time. It has nothing to do with Seto… damn it! Kaiba, not wanting me to call him Seto, shefinished glumly. Then added bitterly, not that I care. It's just Kaiba, stupid egotistical Kaiba. I don't care what he thinks. Not even… a little bit.She sighed.

"Porter?" Kaiba asked quietly.

Sweet Slifer! Why does he have to do this to me? What does he… he saw me crying. Not good. Very, super, omega not good. Think of an excuse fast… come on brain work… ugh! How is it I can do integration by parts and binomial theorem and think it's simple then try to talk to a boy and I hit a brick wall? But he isn't just a boy is he, Alice? Shut up! Shut up, shut up! The entire time Alice was having her little break down her eyes remained closed and her face impassive.

"Alice?" Kaiba asked again. She could almost hear the smirk in his voice as she twitched. Why does he have to go and start calling her Alice again? A minute ago she was angry with him for calling her Porter, now she wished he'd use it instead. She considered pretending to be asleep, but she knew her twitch must have given her away already.

Grudgingly she responded. "Yes?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just making sure you were still awake," he explained as he stood and began to pace.

Alice looked at him oddly. "I'm not allowed to sleep? I'm cold and tired, and I can't sleep?"

He stopped in front of her. "Quite simply, yes. Hold on a minute."

Pulling his trench coat off, Kaiba's infamous smirk returned to grace his pristine face as he turned the coat over. He located the object of his search, a silver devise in the shape of 'KC' on his coat's collar. As he pried it off he tossed the coat aside where it landed with a plop onto Alice's lap. Kaiba twirled the KC emblem between his forefingers, a smile playing on his lips.

"And what is that?" Alice inquired as she squinted at the devise.

"This, oh this is our ticket out of here," he said arrogantly as he pressed it.

"Yes, Mister Kaiba?" a male voice responded from the KC emblem. Alice raised her eyebrows in disbelief, impressed. She noted that Kaiba's smile grew more prominent, obviously loving her reaction.

"Roland, perhaps you haven't noticed but I'm currently stuck in the Kaiba Corp. elevator."

"Stuck? In the elevator? At Kaiba Corp?" Roland responded, sounding utterly baffled. Alice suppressed a fit of giggles as Kaiba's smile was wiped off his face. He turned away from her as he spoke again.

"Yes," he said sharply, losing his patience. "Fix it. Now."

"Right away, sir!"

"Problem solved. You can stop complaining now," he added as he stared down at her in satisfaction.

Alice rolled her eyes heavenward and said, "I was not complaining, simply pointing out the obvious. If I hadn't said anything about the cold you wouldn't have taken off your trench coat." She was testing her theory, almost sure she was right. He only realized the KC thing was on his jacket after he took it off, and the only reason he took it off was to give it to me. She smiled inwardly and added, for some reason he's unconsciously nice… makes up for his cold attitude.

"I didn't take my coat off because you commented on the temperature; I took it off to use my communicator." He looked down at her as if he thought she was an idiot and scoffed as dark humor colored his tone. "Did you honestly think I took off my coat to give it to you?"

She knotted her hands into fists around his coat, grinding her teeth together. I hate it when he talks to me like I'm a child, like I– She couldn't finish the thought but the words were there in a different tone –disgust him. That other voice, it sounded so unusual. Normally she could hear the arrogance in it, feel her power through it. But it didn't sound that way now, it sounded soft and sympathetic, almost caring. Alice didn't respond to Kaiba, not granting him the satisfaction of an answer. Instead she pulled the trench coat sitting in her lap up around her and refused to look at him.

So wrapped up in her anger she missed Seto's tender smile as he examined his work. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes had hardened, and she was looking away; got you. "Well?" he asked, voice still hard and demanding.

"Go find some place over there to sit down," she ordered as she pointed to the wall furthest away from her with a humph.

Kaiba chuckled as he slid down the wall next to her, sitting close enough that their arms brushed.

Staring at him in subtle alarm, her mouth slightly ajar, she managed a semi-coherent sentence. "I s..said go find a place to sit down, over there." For some reason she thought repeating her words in a different order would make them clearer.

"But that's why I had to sit here, because you don't want me to," he explained with a smirk.

"Kaiba–" she began.

"Call me Seto."

She shook her head slowly and said with a shaky voice, "I will, I will not. Go sit over there, please."

Grinning at her he closed the nonexistent space between them and whispered in her ear, "But it's sooo much warmer over here." She gave an involuntary shiver, her eyes widening as she gulped loudly. He continued because it didn't seem that she could manage a response. "Alice, such a beautiful name. It suits you wonderfully," he purred as he blew warm air along her neck. If possible her eyes grew even wider. "Lovely, so very lovely," he intoned, waiting for her to collect her thoughts.

"Kai… Kaiba, stop–" she tried again.

"My name is Seto, Alice," he reminded her suavely.

"Yess, but," she seemed to gain some confidence as she continued, "but you don't really want me to call you that… you're just, just teasing me."

"Am I?" he asked with a chuckle. "I don't think you quite unde–"

She cut him off, "Please, just stop. I can't do this right now." She was speaking in clipped sentences. "I'm tired. Really, really… real tired." The last two words were barely a whisper.

"Tired?" Kaiba questioned in a different tone that Alice couldn't place. "Are you alright?" he demanded.

He's just worried I'll pass out on him, he doesn't actually care, she thought miserably. "It's not because of my head injury. Promise. It's only exhaustion," she yawned, emphasizing the point before a cold chill worked its way up her spine. Even with Kaiba's trench coat as a blanket she was still far from warm. With a humble smile she added, "So I'm letting you win."

"You're letting me win? I wasn't under the impression we were playing a game," he replied, bemused by her statement.

"For you everything seems to be a game. Honestly I don't know when you're being serious or when you're umm," she cleared her throat and blushed brightly, "teasing me."

"I don't think this is a game," Seto said so quietly she wasn't sure she heard him right, but he continued louder, "I really do want you to call me Seto. When it comes to you, Alice, I'm always serious." He spoke with such vigor and conviction that she found it hard to doubt his words.

For once Alice Porter was speechless. Surprising her more, he gave a small but very real smile. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, she wanted to place her hand on his cheek, as she had only done twice before. She wanted to make that heartbreakingly beautiful smile stay on his face, wanted him to be comfortable around her, wanted him to trust her. More than anything she wanted what he said to be true. Searching his eyes for some reassurance she gasped as she noticed how different they were. The glacier color and hardness had faded making his eyes like the warm and inviting. His defenses were down, all walls and masks he presented to the world were gone, and what was left made her smile. She found one thought in her head, one thought only; Seto

As she tried to assemble some response for him he continued, like the gates of a dam finally opening to a torrent of water. "There's something about you. You're so different from everyone I've met." He chuckled lightly, the sound making Alice melt next to him. "Granted; you whine more than I can stand, your friends are the bane of my existence, and you can't duel; you're so soft-spoken yet highly opinionated, you're insanely nice yet you have a temper that would put a demon to shame, but you refuse to fight back when it matters! You infuriate me!" he said sharply, but the warmth in his eyes was still there as he sighed in relief, because he'd wanted to say that for a long time. "You fascinate me."

Alice couldn't think of a reasonable thing to say, so she joked. "You're making me sound like a goddess, but at the same time you're calling me the devil." She giggled, it's so obvious he's delirious from the fall; he can't possibly mean what he's saying.

"Sometimes I think you're two people," he admitted as he raised an eyebrow, daring her to protest.

She shook her head very slowly, not in denial but amusement. The ruse that she had created had been discovered; he saw exactly what was going on. Opening her mouth to confirm his suspicions she was stunned when he cut her off before she uttered a single syllable.

"You don't have to say anything yet, just know that… know that I want to know." She could tell he had wanted to finish his sentence differently, but that ending sounded more Kaiba-ish to her.

She stared at him for a moment, contemplating the pros and cons of revealing everything… she had almost decided when her eyes began to droop closed. Blinking rapidly to dispel her exhaustion she saw Seto give her another real and rare smile.

"Go to sleep, you look like the living dead." His smile turned to a smirk, but not the trademark, arrogant one; no, it was kind but held an amused edge.

Knowing it was true she gave him a weak nod as her eyes closed and she lowered her head in defeat. To her surprise she felt his arm go around her shoulder, the surprise gave her enough energy to look up. Alice stared at Seto, questions written all over her face.

"Just get some sleep," he grumbled, and she could almost hear the discomfort in his voice.

He must think I'm a pretty weird girl, she yawned again. Ah well. He is amazingly warm. She hid a smile as she turned on her side and pressed into him, relishing in the shear heat he provided. Draping an arm across his chest she said a quiet, "Thank you," and after a moment's pause she added a sighed, "Seto."

He looked down at her with a startled but pleased expression. Her face was peaceful, she already appeared asleep but he would wait until he was sure before moving at all. There were a few strands of hair that were falling across her face, and he was itching to brush them away. Kaiba was slightly annoyed with her, but more so with himself. What had possessed him to say the things he had? Of course they had been true, but too much truth would send her running. Seto unconsciously held her tighter against him, he didn't want that but nor did he want her too close. There had to be some balance between the two; between truth and lies, and for some reason he thought after that, between light and shadows.

He had no idea how long they had been stuck in the Obliskforsaken elevator, but he did know it had been hours. He contemplated all the different people he could blame and fire, but he was broken from his thoughts by Alice.

"Seto," she mumbled. He smirked when he saw her eyes were still closed; her tendency to sleeptalk was part of why he insisted she rest. It was just too tempting to resist.

"I'm here, Alice," he whispered into her ear. He was pleased when the hand that lay across his chest clutched, as if trying to hold him there.

"Don't… don't leave," she sighed, warm air passing over his face.

That puzzled him. Was she genuinely worried or was it a product of his taunting earlier? "Why would I leave?"

"The Shadows…"

The Shadows? he thought confused. Why that would have anything to do – Aeris is Alice, no Alice is Aeris. Of course, the warning! But wait – "Are you… involved with the Shadows?"

"Mhmm… but not… I'manot bad?"

Is she asking me if she's bad? What is going on? "I don't think you're bad," he decided as he stroked her hair.

"I will defeat them."

Seto froze, his body growing rigid. Alice had spoken with that different voice, a voice he'd heard her use only once earlier, when she was in pain. It was so sharp that he was convinced she had awoken.

"Alice?" he questioned softly, not sure he wanted her to respond. Holding his breath he waited.

"Gray… ice cream… hmm, polyester," she mumbled incoherently.

Seto let out the breath he had been holding in a sigh of relief, she's still asleep. He gave her another smile, she dreams of the strangest things. Fighting the urge to laugh he settled himself farther down the wall. All of Alice's sleeptalk, mumbling, and stupidly cute sighs had him feeling suddenly tired. He wrapped his arms around her slim figure and d –

"Mister Kaiba... Mister Kaiba… Mister Kaiba!"

Alice groaned and attempted to roll over but was stopped by a pair of strong arms wrapped gently around her. She could feel the warm breathing of someone on the top of her head, could feel the heat of their body. I'm practically on top of them!Then she inhaled and a sudden calm filled her, she knew that smell, it was so uniquely his; soap, expensive cologne, and roses? Huh, how odd. He doesn't seem like the flower type.She was pulled back to her senses by the voice that was almost screaming at her, well not her but Seto.

"Mister Kaiba, please respond!" The voice sounded very nearly frantic.

Trying to get a grip on reality, she pushed against Seto's chest and was relieved when his arms fell away. She rolled to the side, looking around in bewilderment. She searched for the source of the voice in the darkness and found it coming from that KC emblem thing. Bending down she attentively picked it up and bit her lower lip. Should I respond?She looked over at Seto, still asleep and slumped against the wall.

"Umm, Seto's sort of asleep I'm afraid," may I take a message? Alice mentally slapped herself, for calling him by his first name to a stranger that probably worked for him and almost making such a stupid offer.

"Oh. Well," he coughed pointedly, "by any chance could you wake Mister Kaiba?"

Yep, Mister Kaiba. What a disaster, she thought with an embarrassed sigh. Another quick glance at Seto told her what she already knew; he was too peaceful for her to want to disturb. "I'd rather not," she admitted, smiling as she knelt next to him.

To her surprise the man on the other end chuckled, "I understand completely, ma'am."

"Alice, call me Alice please," she corrected politely as she brushed some of Seto's hair out of his eyes with a timid hand.

"Yes ma… Alice. My name is Roland, and I'm Mister Kaiba's assistant of sorts."

She giggled, Assistant? He probably means body guard or chauffer; he might even do anything Seto requested. He seems nice, she thought kindly as she replied, "I understand."

"Good. Now Alice, the elevator will be powered up momentarily. It might start shaking but I wanted to warn you it was coming. You're going to be fine, be out of there in no time," he reassured her.

"Noted. Thank you, Roland."

"Ma'am." Alice rolled her eyes at the kneejerk response and placed the KC emblem down so she could wake Seto.

She debated all the different ways she could wake him and decided on the one she liked best. She stretched first, rolling her head around in slow circles to relieve the pains in her neck. Taking the trench coat that had fallen to the floor, she laid it carefully over Seto as she leaned over him, grinning mischievously.

"Seto," she whispered into his ear. "Oh Seto," she called again a little louder, loving the way his face moved as if he were going to smile.

"Hmm?" Was his only response.

"Finally," Alice said as she rolled to her feet to stand above him. "I thought you'd never wake up."

Seto took a hand and ran it through his tousled hair. "Finally? How long was I asleep?" His voice was gruff and gave Alice chills as she stared down into his astral blue eyes as they opened.

"Oh a couple of hours, the snoring was almost too much for me to handle." She smirked as he sat up and openly glared at her.

"I do not snore," he responded curtly.

"Sure you don't, Mister C-E-O~," she sang each syllable playfully.

The trench coat fell to the ground as he stood; towering over her he replied with a cocky grin, "You on the other hand, well let's say I'm astonished I was able to fall asleep." He pulled the trench coat off the floor and tugged it on, readying himself for her retort.

Alice was about to snap at him when the elevator began to shake. The power came back on and the number '16' was dimly illuminated. So we fell fifty-two floors. That's a scary thought.

"I'm shocked you didn't throw yourself at me when the elevator moved," Kaiba remarked slyly.

"I don't throw myself at you! Why must you be so pompous and arrogant?" she yelled as she stomped her foot.

"Why must you constantly ask questions?" he snarled back.
"Don't you answer my question with a question, have you no manners."
"Maybe I don't," Kaiba replied icily as he took a step toward her.
"Obviously not," Alice agreed as she stepped toward him.
"I might lack manners but at least I can keep my balance."
"I have no problem keeping my balance around normal people."
"I somehow doubt that."
"I could care less what you doubt! It's this elevator that's messing with me."
"Sure, blame it on the elevator."
"It is! If it hadn't been for the elevator I wouldn't have gotten hurt!"
"That had nothing to do with it, you–"
"'Nothing to do with it?' If these elevators had emergency kits–"
"Would you stop being so annoying–"
"Annoying!?" she yelled in outrage, "hardly. I think you've got something stuck in your ears–"
"If I had something stuck in my ears I wouldn't have to listen to you!"

Alice opened her mouth to retaliate but no words came to her. Instead she glared up at him furiously.

Their bodies were very close, having approached each other in the heat of the moment. Both brunettes were panting heavily from the shouting, each with a different fire burning in their eyes as they looked at the other. The elevator gave a final lurch, sending Alice toppling into Seto, and then it began its slow descent. She pushed off of him, trying to right herself, but instead of letting go he wrapped his arms around her waist. I don't need this! I really don't need him messing with my thought process like this. There was still no light in the elevator, but both were shocked when music began to fill the small space.

"L, is for the way you look, at me.
O, is for the only one, I see~"

Nat King Cole's song filled the elevator as Alice gazed at Seto with wide and horrified eyes. He looked down at her with a similar expression. As if they were hurting each other physically they jumped apart, both nearly falling over. Alice put her hands over her face and turned away from him to hide her blush. Kaiba stared pointedly at the elevator doors, willing them to open faster. For the two of them the ride seemed to last an agenizing eternity, for those waiting outside for them it took mere moments.

When the doors opened Kaiba bolted, leaving a flustered Alice behind. Stumbling a little she left the elevator to find Sofia, Kaiba, and who she assumed to be Roland waiting. As she approached she heard the end of Roland's explanation.

"…could to get it running and apologize it took awhile."

Kaiba glared murderously at the man and Alice's heart went out to him. "Awhile would have been a few hours, Roland. Awhile is not seven hours."

"Yes, sir. You're limousine is waiting out front," Roland replied before glancing at Sofia and Alice.

"Finally something done right," he grouched before abruptly walking away and out the doors without so much as a goodbye. Alice had a look of twisted hurt and anger plastered on her face as she watched him storm off.

"He doesn't mean any of it," Roland said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "He's having–"

"A bad day?" Sofia finished with a smile.

He nodded and Alice piqued in, "Aren't we all?"

They stood together for a moment, each thinking of their own problems and trials until Roland broke the silence. "Well I best be off. Ladies," he said with a nod before following Kaiba out the doors.

"Shall we go as well, bambino?" Sofia asked as she rumpled Alice's hair in a motherly way.

"Yes, I could use some rest," Alice admitted as she hugged Sofia and they walked toward the door together.

"I don't doubt that at all my dear." Sofia opened the door to her car and Alice climbed in, ready to be home.

But she couldn't help but feel like she had forgotten something, something rather important, something very unpleasant. And as Sofia started the car and began driving away from the sleeping city she remembered her duty. Two words, leaking through her thoughts and possessing her mind; the Shadows.

[A/N: Like it? Love it? Wanna kill me? Let me know! I have to thank my friend Lizzie for helping with this one, without her I would have never known what Seto should use to bandage Alice's wound. Who knew elevators didn't have emergency kits, they really should. Evil, evil elevators. Please review children 3]