I own only my OCs.

To be honest, I'm not happy with this chapter. I've rewritten it like five times and have just accepted it. The next chapter is done (minus final editing) and I'm so much happier with it that I think this one will just have to be a blah in-between chapter. So I apologize for this! But it will get better 3 (at least I think so lol)

Despite having been in the AmanoTech headquarters more times than she could count, the building always felt artificial and suffocating to Yuki. From the times when she was a kid being told to sit still and shut up in the corner of Osuma's office, to being a teenager stuffed in an empty boardroom to study company documents, the snowy haired girl felt uncomfortable and unwanted within the stark white walls. That feeling had dulled ever so slightly since she took on her new role as CEO, only to be replaced with feelings of nervousness and hesitation. The walls still seemed unwelcoming, the people still held an air of false pleasantry when speaking to her, but day by day she would become more accustom to it all. At least that's what she told her self.

It was shortly after lunch, that Yuki found herself nervously pacing her office. The young woman had begun to plan and prep her pitch for KaibaCorp, attempting to busy herself enough to put off her daunting task. She had arrive to a point where she couldn't push off bringing Tozen into her plan any longer. The blonde Vice President had a better chance of securing a meeting with the cold CEO than she did, and possibly was a better option to offer the deal. However Yuki knew this was something she had to do herself, and maybe her lack of experience in the field would appeal to Seto Kaiba as not being that big a threat to his own prospects. So Yuki had sucked up her trepidation and finally called Tozen to her office. As she waited, her nervousness grew. Should she be sitting when he came in? She wondered. Or would it be better to stand? Suddenly feeling awkward standing in the middle of her office, she returned to her leather office chair just as there was a knock on the door.

Yuki cleared her throat and offered a soft come in, in a tone that didn't hold as much confidence as she hoped.

Tozen's handsome face popped out from behind the wood as it peeled away from its frame. "You wanted to see me?".

The young woman nodded and gestured for him to enter. His bright smile was infectious and Yuki couldn't help but let her lips mimic his. The blonde man slid between the large wooden doors, closing them behind him, before making his way over to the desk. He sat down in one of the black leather chairs and crossed his legs, completely relaxed and at ease. Tozen was always meticulous, Yuki realized. From his perfectly pushed back hair and crisp pressed suit, to his purposeful movements. The Vice-President of AmanoTech did everything with purpose and poise, each movement and action was filled with intention. An aspect that was made all the worse by the fact that he was incredibly charismatic.

"What can I do for my oh-so-lovely boss today?" His eyes almost seemed to sparkle as he spoke. "Did you want to congratulate me on my killer panel?"

The young woman smiled. "That's not why I asked you here, no… but you did do a great job. I actually want to talk... about the future." Yuki could've sworn his eyes flashed with an unknown emotion for a moment, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "I wanted to run something by you."

Tozen nodded. "I'm all ears."

"Has KaibaCorp ever partnered with an external software company in the past?" Yuki leaned back in her chair, folding her nervous fingers on her lap. She knew the answer, but wanted to build up to her real question slowly.

"KaibaCorp?" The man was surprised by the question. "No, they haven't. Kaiba is a tech genius himself, so he's developed and produced all his own technology. This partnership with Industrial Illusions was the first time he's ever agreed to work with someone. Granted, it was really just to advance Pegasus' card game into the digital field, so it's not really the same as all the tech was KaibaCorps."

Yuki nodded as she braced herself for her next inquiry. Taking a deep breath, she made her request. "Do you think you could arrange a meeting with KaibaCorp? To position a potential partnership?"

Green eyes stared at her in confusion. "A potential partnership? What are you talking about Yuki?"

The snowy haired woman bit her lip. "I know it sounds crazy-"

"It sounds more than crazy, kid." Tozen leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his blue clad knees. "Look, no offense Yuki, but if we had something that could get us in the door with KaibaCorp I would have positioned it to them already. Whatever you think you've found, its not what you think. You're still new to this. I know this company, and as great as we are, we have nothing that Kaiba could use." He signed, and ran a hand through his blonde hair.. "I want to help you, kid, but I can't in good faith go to KaibaCorp for that. I can't run the risk of embarrassing Osuma's legacy by letting you do this. I'm sorry."

'Letting' her do this?

She swore she could feel her eye twitch as his assumption. Yuki wasn't asking Tozen's permission to do this, nor did she need to. And the fact that he was worried she would embarrass the company and her father's legacy? He hadn't even heard her proposal yet! This whole time, Yuki had been debating on whether to tell Tozen about the program. The proposal she had laid out and her plan of attack required it's secrecy to be tightly kept until an agreement had been reached, but she was leaning towards letting Tozen in on it to get his opinion. Up until this moment, she honestly felt like the blonde man had faith in her to fulfill the role she was put in, but now she was starting to seriously doubt his trust in her. She didn't blame his trepidation, but to outright tell her that he thought she would fail was surprising.

When she spoke again, she tried to hide the irritation bubbling up in her chest but her tone came out icier than she intended. "It just so happens that I do have something that KaibaCorp can use."

That caught his attention. Tozen raised a thick eyebrow over an inquisitive green eye. "What? What is it? "

"I can't share that yet" she replied, in a nonchalant tone.

Tozen let out a soft humourless chuckle, giving off the air that he thought she was joking. He offered her a half smile and opened him palms upwards as if waiting to receive the program in his hands. "Very funny, kiddo." His voice suddenly became a little quieter, and held the oddest hint of dark suspicion. "Seriously though, did Osuma leave you something?"

A thin white eyebrow raised. What an odd assumption to make off the bat… Yuki attempted to brush it aside nonetheless. She swept a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, before clearing her throat to reply. "I can't disclose the program to you, Tozen. I'm sorry. But I can promise you that-"

The man cut her off with a tightness to his tone. "What do you mean you can't 'disclose' it? Is it something not on the files?" There was a small pause, the Vice-President clearly trying to compose himself. Yuki couldn't help but feel a small amount of joy in the man's annoyance. He leaned back in his chair, running his fingers over his lips in thought. His green eyes seemed hazy, like he was far off in his mind trying to understand the situation unfolding before him.

Yuki's voice was very matter-of-fact when she spoke again, which seemed to set off the older man before her. "Correct, the program isn't internally released. In order for this meeting to be successful, only I can know about the program."

"Are you kidding me?" Tozen's voice was almost a hiss, much harsher than she had every heard him speak. "This is unbelievable" he laughed dryly to no one. "I'm the Vice President of AmanoTech, I have a right to know what goes on in my own company and if you're withholding important information kid-"

"You're right" Yuki cut him off, her eyes fixing him with as hard a gaze as she could muster. "You are the Vice President… but I am the CEO." Azure eyes challenged pale green ones. "And as CEO, I am telling you to get a meeting with Seto Kaiba and his board of directors. A meeting which I will attend alone, to present him with a proposal."

Whatever was going on in Tozen's handsome blonde head was a mystery, but he had appeared to come to some sort of conclusion within his mind. His cold and irritable demeanor melted away into his usual pleasant self. "Of course, kiddo" he said with a smile, holding his hands up defensively. "I didn't mean to get you all riled up. You know I'd do anything for that pretty little face of yours."

As he stood, he missed the look of annoyance that twisted upon Yuki's face momentarily. "Give me until the end of the day, I'll get you that meeting." Despite the woman not having had dismissed the meeting they were currently having, Tozen headed for the door and offered a small wave over his shoulder before exiting. A heavy silence fell over the office as the young woman remained seated.

When Rin walked in moments later, she found Yuki staring out the window as she nervously chewed her lower lips. "How did it go?" the dark haired assistant asked, attempting to feign ignorance. Rin knew very well how Tozen would have taken the news.

"Poorly" the girl said without looking. "He agreed to get the meeting though."

"Well, I won't say I told you so" Rin mused.

The older woman saw the small smile that curled on the girl's lips, and knew that despite the meeting not going how she planned she was not deterred. The light haired CEO spoke again. "Nothing to do now but finish up the presentation and wait for Tozen to confirm the date and time of the meeting."

Azure eyes finally moved from the busy city to meet Rin's. "Exactly" the older woman smiled.

Well it's over with now. On to better chapters!

Thank you for your continued support 3 let me know how you're all feeling about the story so far... in some reviews ;)