A/N: Exams are over -_- Well I have one on Monday but it's not gonna be that bad so hopefully I will find time to write more this weekend. Thanks again for all the support~


Kaiba took a deep breath. How long had it been that he had been coming home to an empty house? One week felt like an entire year, just dragging by. He ate alone, slept alone, woke up alone, and left an empty home to return to one after another monotonous day at work.

So on a Saturday, two hours later, he didn't even realize that he had driven for so long. But he was here. If Kisara said she was moving, then wouldn't she go back to her parent's first? Or something like that, Kaiba didn't even know what the hell he was doing showing up at the Ryusei family's front door. He raised his fist and knocked on the door, his mind numb. What was he supposed to say? Even after a whole month, the gossip about him and Kisara hadn't calmed one bit. He didn't doubt for one second that her parents hadn't heard about this from either the media or Kisara herself.

But he needed something – anything – from her. Hearing her voice, seeing her face, anything would be fine at this point. He was desperate.

Kumiko answered the door with a smile but that bright expression faded upon seeing Kaiba. Instead, her lips lifted up into a false one, just to be polite. "Kaiba-san," she greeted. She did not invite him in.

"I apologize for my unannounced visit, but I…" he trailed off. But what? But what? He had no reason for coming here besides hoping to see Kisara. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Do you…know where she is?"

Kumiko pressed her lips together. The man standing before her seemed like the shadow of the CEO of Kaiba Corporations, not Kaiba Seto himself. He still stood proudly but there was something about him that was off; like he had given up half of his weight – there was no spirit behind his stance. He didn't seem to have looked like he had much sleep either; there were signs of bags under his eyes. "I do," she said finally. "But I'm not going to tell you."

Kaiba's chest tightened. "I see."

Kumiko sighed, actually feeling a little bad for the guy, despite everything that she had heard. "I think it's best that you forget about my daughter, Kaiba-san. If you continue to pursue her, I think it will only make matters worse."

"But I need to talk to her," Kaiba said quietly. He needed to try again. "Please tell me where she is."

Kumiko pressed her lips together and for a moment, Kaiba thought that Kisara's mother would, indeed, divulge her location, but then she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I can't. Please go home and get some rest, Kaiba-san."

Kaiba stiffened and then nodded briefly. "I understand. I apologize once again for my intrusion." And with that he turned on his heels and Kumiko closed the door. The rumble of the CEO's engine grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.


Kaiba had thought a lot about what Mokuba had said. That he was immature, acting like a child. That if he had simply opened his mouth before any of this, or even during, then Kisara would still be standing here with him. He would be able to physically be near her – the scent of her vanilla shampoo, the sweet smile she always gave him, the gentleness of her touch when she rubbed his knuckles, her tinkling laugh – Kaiba found himself haunted by those things purely because he missed them so much that his chest ached and twisted. He lost track of days and nights; lost track of sleep. It seemed like he would just shut his eyes for two seconds, and then it was morning.

He never realized how much he hated waking up alone until he was actually forced to do it. It was perhaps, almost the most painful thing he had ever experienced. And he endured this eye-gauging torture every single fucking day. It was absolutely unbearable.

The young CEO flipped open his phone and clicked one for speed dial. Mokuba hadn't been answering his calls for a week now; Kaiba had no idea where the kid went. It was summer vacation and school was out. Kaiba still worked everyday and Mokuba never returned home. Kaiba suspected that his brother snuck in while he knew Kaiba was at work to grab some things and do his laundry, but Kaiba never did see his raven-haired little brother for some time.

He did not, in fact, have Mana's number, and would probably receive the same, if not a worse, response from the younger Ryusei. Calling Kisara was out of the question; several times, he had forced himself to press "TALK" on his phone one night to see if he would incite a response.

I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is not available…

She had changed her phone number. Kaiba did not have Jonouchi's phone number, though that was quite obvious, nor did he have Kujaku Mai's or Honda Hiroto's. Without Kisara, Kaiba had nothing. He couldn't find anyone.

Kaiba sat in the café on a random weekday night. He had been there on Wednesdays, wondering if she had still sang but it seemed like she had rescheduled her jazz singing for the afternoons during the summer, when Kaiba was at work. And now with things getting a bit busy for summer promotions within the company, Kaiba couldn't take random days off anymore to try and see her.

And to his complete amazement, he did see Kisara. He checked his watch. It was a Wednesday night. He had been here last week Wednesday night, and the week before that, too, but she didn't perform then. Perhaps she was covering a shift now?

She was just as beautiful as ever, her hair lightly curled over her shoulders, fingers gliding across the piano as that voice Kaiba missed so much drafted into his ears. Did she see him? How long had it been since they had last exchanged words? Did she still think about him? Did she still love him?

Thinking about that last one was like a pang against a frying pan, terribly and awfully hollow and empty. She didn't even seem to notice him now, whereas before, she looked at Kaiba like he was the only person in the room. He hadn't even realized how much he had really taken advantage of her and those small little gestures until now.

Kaiba didn't really know what to think or what to do. But he needed to do something. Fourth chance. This was his fourth chance to say something to Kisara and Kaiba knew that if there was a God, He would not be so kind as to give Kaiba a fifth. After her performance, Kaiba stood up, determined. He needed five seconds. Five seconds to say those words that have been teetering on the tip of his tongue.

But he stopped short. That same man that he had seen at Kisara's old apartment with Jonouchi was sitting in one of the tables near the stage. Kaiba saw the bouquet of big, beautiful white roses perched on the table as well. He clapped when she finished and she went straight to his table from the stage. He presented her the flowers to which she flashed him a bright grin, expressing her thanks.

"That was fantastic, Kisa-chan," Kaiba heard him say. He ruffled her hair affectionately once again and she laughed, swatting him away. "I'm definitely glad I got to see you perform."

She smiled sweetly. "Thanks. Wanna go grab dinner now?"

Kaiba blocked the rest of it out. That was it, wasn't it? That older man really was Kisara's new boyfriend, wasn't he? Kaiba's chest tightened. He couldn't speak to her now. He had completely lost his shot at an explanation. He tossed his coffee in the trash and left without another word.

Chance meetings were never really something that Kaiba believed in, but upon returning home from work early one evening, he was surprised to see Mokuba at home. The younger Kaiba was just about to haul out another helping on laundry – he had probably spent the afternoon here – and leaving the house again.

"Sorry," Mokuba responded on reflex, as he almost bumped into Kaiba as he passed.

"Where are you going?" Kaiba asked. This was probably the first words he had spoken to anyone of any kind of importance lately. Even his rare limousine rides with Isono were with limited conversation, as Kaiba knew that his right hand man probably did not have the best opinion of him at the moment. Isono's son really did like Kisara.

"It's none of your business," Mokuba shot back.

Kaiba shook his head, expecting that responded. "Of course," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. He headed into the kitchen to grab a beer. "I also hope that suitcase is not filled with instant ramen."

Mokuba knew that his brother knew him all too well. One of Mokuba's suitcases was, indeed, stockpiled with the house's supply of instant ramen. He was more surprised that his brother seemed to care whether or not he was eating right. Mokuba swallowed a lump in his throat. Even upon seeing Kaiba for two seconds, he knew that his older brother did not seem to be doing all too well.

But Mokuba couldn't feel sorry for him now. There were just some things that people needed to experience in order to grow. This was one of them. "I've been eating alright," Mokuba said quietly. "Thanks, though. I'll see you."

And then Mokuba closed the door quietly. Kaiba popped open his beer and sat on the couch to drone out on the news. He would have thought that perhaps Mokuba would have stayed if he said something to his younger brother, but as quickly as Mokuba was here, he was gone again. Kaiba always thought that the one person who would stand by him unwaveringly would be his little brother and yet some how he had managed to push him away, too.

Was he just not good at relationships? Kaiba didn't even know who he was anymore. He knew that he was awkward and perhaps not always so kind but he did try hard to keep Kisara around. He went on dates with her and bought her gifts, he surprised her with trips to a hot spring and to Kaiba Land. And he knew that he had gotten better with dealing with people in general; it was why Yugi kept inviting him back every Sunday, right?

Yugi. Kaiba slammed his beer down on the table. If there was one person that would always find Kaiba it was Yugi, so Kaiba knew that he would have no trouble if he was the one that wanted to find Yugi. He threw on his jacket and briskly swept out of the apartment. If there was someone he could talk to, then that person was Mutou Yugi.

However, at the Mutou residence, the person that answered the door was not Yugi, but it was his grandfather, Solomon. "Kaiba," he said, sounding confused as to why the CEO suddenly showed up on his doorstep one afternoon. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Yugi?" Kaiba asked, trying to keep the desperation from his voice.

Solomon scratched his head, seeming to think. "Yugi and Anzu are out at the moment. They went to go and see Kisara off at the airport."

Kaiba felt his heart nearly stop. Airport? She was going overseas? Kaiba quickly shuffled facts together. There was no reason for her to stay in Japan anymore. She was a successful programmer, but she was out of work. Domino University was not the best university in the world for programming so she wouldn't continue her degree in Japan. She didn't have a job in Japan anymore; if she had found one with another company then Kaiba knew that he would have heard about it on the news.

What if she was moving to California? That was the last thing Kaiba wanted. "Which airport?" Kaiba demanded. Solomon looked hesitant and Kaiba felt rage bubbling in his chest. "If you don't tell me right now—"

"Kaiba?" a voice asked, the CEO turned to see a spikey haired figure. Anzu was coming out from her car after Yugi, and upon seeing Kaiba, shot him a look. Yugi didn't look too happy himself. "What do you want?"

"Where is she?" Kaiba asked Yugi.

Yugi kept his gaze firm. "That's none of your business, Kaiba."

Kaiba clenched his jaw. "Tell me. Tell me right now what airport she's at or so help me I'm going to fucking murder you and your girlfriend right here."

"Your threats don't mean anything to us," Anzu said, backing up her boyfriend. "You don't deserve to see Kisara, not after what you did. I thought you changed, but really, you're just the same evil, evil man."

"I know that I look bad," Kaiba said, trying to remain calm. If they had returned then did that mean she was on the plane already? "But you must tell me where she is right now."

"Or what?" Anzu challenged, glaring at Kaiba and crossing her arms over her chest.

Kaiba clenched his fist. And then he exhaled, lifting a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. "Or nothing," he said quietly. "I don't…have anything. I just need to go and speak to her before I lose the opportunity. Please tell me where she is."

Yugi looked hesitant, but Anzu stayed strong. "I'm not falling for your pity party. You deserve every last shitty comment said about you and there's no way that we'd tell you where Kisara is. Right, Yugi?"

Yugi paused for what seemed like an eternity. Even Anzu was starting to look weary at her boyfriend's lack of response. After everything that happened, it had been over a month and Kaiba was still trying to contact Kisara? Yugi knew that Kaiba wasn't the kind of man to feel guilty; so it wasn't like he wanted to speak to her to clear his conscience. There had to be another reason, right? Otherwise Kaiba wouldn't have come all this way. "She changed you," he said, still seeming to think about his words. "Didn't she?"

Kaiba locked eyes with Yugi. "She did."

"And you …really loved her, didn't you? You still love her, right?"

Anzu blinked a few times, surprised by Yugi's response. She was even more surprised by Kaiba's. He spoke without hesitation. "You already know the answer to that. So, if you would tell me where she is then perhaps I can tell her myself."

Yugi nodded slowly, looking as though he was thinking. "Okay," he said, and Kaiba looked a bit surprised. Yugi nodded, stronger this time. "Okay. I'll tell you where she is."

"Yugi," Anzu said, shaking her head.

Yugi smiled at his girlfriend. "This is the right thing to do," he assured her. He turned back to Kaiba. "You're lucky we left the airport early, her flight didn't take off yet." And then back to Anzu. "Go inside and get ready, I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

Anzu opened her mouth to protest but Kaiba was already heading for his car, with Yugi following. She sighed a little as the two men sped off. When was she ever going to get to go on a normal date?

Yugi clung to the seat for dear life. Kaiba was speeding down the freeway like he was in some kind of high speed car chase; the only problem was that there was no one chasing him. "This exit," Yugi squeaked and Kaiba whipped the vehicle towards the exit, nearly taking off his rearview mirror as he sliced in front of a nother car. He glanced at the clock.

"What time was her flight?" he demanded as he turned his eyes up to read the signs for the airport gates. "What gate?"

"G-gate C," Yugi squeaked and Kaiba jammed on the gas, flying down the ramp towards the said gate. His Lexus came to a screeching halt in front of the gate and he shut off the car in the loading zone, sliding out of the car. A security guard tried to stop him.

"Sir, you can't park there," he informed Kaiba as a matter of fact.

Kaiba shot him the iciest glare he had ever thrown another man, and the security guard physically flinched. "I fucking dare you to tow my car," Kaiba challenged, and swept into the airport without another words.

His strides were much longer and quicker than Yugi's, and the shorter man had to practically jog to keep up with Kaiba. "Flight 2452," Yugi said, pointing the way. Kaiba didn't even bother to look at where that flight was headed because if all went well within the next ten minutes then she wouldn't be getting on that plane.

He spotted her almost instantly, as well as Jonouchi, Honda, Mai, and Bakura. Where the fuck was she going? Kisara ran a hand through her silver hair and lifted her suitcase; that was when Kaiba noticed that man she was always with – her new boyfriend – was standing with her, saying goodbye to her friends.

Fuck, no.

Kisara turned as he ticket seemed to be called and waved one last time to her friends before starting for the entrance. The time frame Kaiba had literally was two seconds.

"Kisara," he called, and she turned with the sound of her name to see him sweeping towards her, and to be honest, he wouldn't be surprised if he looked a little frazzled. He had risked his life – and Yugi's – coming here and nearly sprinted through the airport trying to catch her. And he still didn't know what the fuck to say.

"What do you doing here?" she asked, seeming just as surprised as everyone else. She paused for a moment, but that was all that Kaiba needed.

"I need to talk to you," he said. It seemed like the only thing he knew how to say around her. Kisara looked annoyed, shaking her head.

"You know, it's been over a month. You had all that time to come and talk to me and I'm over it," she said, looking upset. "You've taken everything away from me. Can't you just let me leave with my dignity and my self-respect? I don't need to hear any more bullshit."

Kaiba clenched his jaw. He was not used to being spoken to like that but this was his absolute last chance. There was no way in hell that he was going to screw it up. "I'm not going to let you leave."

"Why?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Need to quench the horrible demon inside you that feels so guilty for using me for a year? Here to give me a paycheck with a billion dollars to try and make it up to me because you have money and you can make the rules?" There was sarcasm dripping like venom from every word and Kaiba, while annoyed that he was being slammed like this, oddly found her new sense of confidence overwhelmingly cute and extremely attractive.

But he still needed to inhale a little before he lost his temper. "Give me five minutes to explain," he continued. "Don't get on that plane."

"I'm done listening to you and I am sure as hell done waiting for you to come and fight for me," she said, and Kaiba could see her hands shaking slightly. She was nervous. This act of defiance was completely unlike her and even she seemed to know it.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know that I haven't exactly given you a reason to listen to me and I know that this is long overdue, but—"

"It is," she said, interrupting him. She shook her head, looking defeated. "It is long overdue. I don't have the energy to listen to it anymore."

"Last call for rows 35-40," announced the speakers, and Kisara shook her head again. She tightened her grip on her suitcase as her new boyfriend placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling her to leave.

Kaiba resisted the urge to step in and punch that man in the face. "Kisara," he said firmly, hoping to change her mind.

"Save it," she said, turning. Kaiba caught her wrist, completely taing her off guard.

"Do not walk away from me," he said, his voice low. "Do not get on that plane with that man."

"Stop," Kisara said, taking her hand back. She looked like she was about to cry. "Just stop. Do you even understand how much I did for you and how much I trusted you only to have you crumple it up and throw it in my face? You don't deserve any of my time so please just stop."

"I know that I made a mistake," Kaiba continued. "But—"

"But what? Huh? You've been lying to me this whole time! Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth? Why should I trust you?"

"Because I love you."

Kisara completely froze. Even her breathing seemed to have stopped with those words. That hesitation was all Kaiba needed. "I know I should have told you sooner and I am sorry that it took so long for me to say it," he said, speaking slowly. "Pegasus made you believe him and I don't blame him for that; I do blame myself for not fighting back then but I understand now what it means to be in a relationship. And I'm finally ready."

Kisara still looked hesitant, and shook her head. "How can I even believe that after all of this?" she said, perhaps not speaking to Kaiba, but trying to remind herself of why she was standing here a the airport with another man. Her boyfriend had gone onto the plane already, sure that she would follow and Kaiba wanted to punch that douche in the face. However, he remained still, waiting for her reaction. She looked at him and looked completely full of doubt; like she wanted to believe him but couldn't. "I can't. All you care about is your company and I can't deal with that anymore."

"Speaking of that," Kaiba said, lifting his briefcase. He shifted it and then opened it to show her. Inside were slips and slips of thickly stacked papers. "To show you how serious I am, here is my 49% of Kaiba Corporations. You can have it," he said, and then snapped it shut, holding it to her. Kisara didn't take it, so he placed it on the ground by her feet. Kaiba continued speaking. "I always thought…that I was better off alone. I have always lived alone and I have become successful all on my own and…it wasn't until I met you that I'm now…terrified of being alone. I can't do it. I need you. And I know that these are just words and perhaps my actions do not reflect them very appropriately, but you must understand that I am very new at this," he said, swallowing a lump in his throat. He had never been so nervous in his life. "You…and I are…meant to be. I feel it in my bones. And I don't know how to do anything without you anymore. I don't want you to get on that plane because I don't want you to leave me ever again. I'm sorry that I let you walk out and I'm sorry that I didn't fight back right away but…I'm here now. And I will do everything within my power to make it up to you, if you will grant me the privilege." Kaiba paused for a bit as Kisara was completely silent and the brunette swallowed another lump in his throat. "But…if you really have no feelings for me anymore, then…I understand. I won't stand in the way of your happiness anymore. If you no longer love me, then I have no purpose being here. You can go."

The silence afterwards felt like the longest silence in Kaiba's life. It was the most painful wait, and it seemed like even her friends were listening intently, waiting on her response. Jonouchi had even shut his big trap to hear what she had to say. And then she seemed to snap out of her statue-like state, and shook her head, looking up at Kaiba with tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't," she said, and then turned on her heels, disappearing onto the plane.