FINALLY!!!!!! After THREE months I am finish one chapter. Ok, I am so sorry, I had a lot of trouble adjusting to Toronto and finding a job, also I could not figure out the ending for this story, now I have-sort of. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long and I hope that my other chapter is finished before the next three months. I can't say for sure because I am sharing the computer with my boyfriend and the next chapter will be harder to write. The next chapter should be the last in this story and after that I will write no more fan-fics. I am planning on creating my own story and the idea has been bothering me, maybe that's why I can't finish this story, but at the same time I must so my mind can start fresh. I do hope to my loyal readers who have been with me since the beginning that you find this story (I will be sending e-mails), and enjoy it. Plus don't get too lost in the ending. I have also realized that it has been one year since I started writing 'Can't Buy Me Love'.

Disclaimer: Nope after three months I still do not own it, although my friend Holly thinks I have started my own religion based on it (holds her Yu-Gi-Oh Manga-Bible).

Chapter IV: The Path of Most Winding

Walking down the hallway towards the lockers, her steps could be heard. Hollow the steps approached the locker, while she opened it up with a loose creaking strain from the door. Class ended over an hour ago, most students and teachers already left, except a few who remained behind for clubs. The day had been menacing and awkward, but the way the week already had been going that seemed very little to matter.

Putting her books back in the locker, Nikko stood gazing blankly at it and sighed tiredly, this week gave her mind no rest. One tear shed from her eye, representing the broken heart she had felt. Her hand lifted up to her eye to brush it away, she wondered why was she crying? Her emotions were wrecked, half of the time she could swore half of what she felt was not her own.

Piercing foot steps heard from a distance, but didn't reach the ears of Nikko. The sound inched closer to her until it wasn't heard as Nikko felt a shadow loom close to her. Closing the locker door she looked at the dark image beside her, a jolt of fear entered though her not knowing if she should look at the apparition of the image that cast the shadow. Feeling the eyes look upon her, staring at her as if they were burrowing into her soul, she fear to move for something might happen.

The image eyeing her in silence broke it with the sharpness of his voice, "Are you going to look at me, or are we going to stand here all evening looking like statues?"

Choking on her breath she dared to speck but not move, "Ka-Kaiba?"

His eyes rolled in his head not really wanting to deal with this pressure he responded, "Yeah, it's me. God you acted like I was some stalker. You seriously need to get a hold of yourself."

Turning her head at the last comment she spoke back harshly, "I need to get a hold of myself? At least I don't go picking fights with people, look what you did you Jounouchi!"

Looking away from her angry gaze, he shook his head and answered her with a disdainful sneer, "The jerk was asking for it, going around acting all dumb, I can't stand it." He turned his gaze back to her, "Look I am not here to discuss how badly the dog was beaten up, I wanted to ask you something about the day you came to visit me."

Eyes opened in shock as the mention of the time she had came to the Kaiba estate, to tell him of something which might of happened but obviously didn't. Now it didn't matter, it hadn't of come true; it was all just a horrible dream. She turned to listen to Kaiba, nodded telling him to continue.

Arching an eye brow, he smiled maliciously before continuing, "Hmmmm-I thought you might understand. Well after you had come, I went back into my office to look at reports. I wanted to check on one in particular, the one we had worked on about the duel disk. I went to look for it in one of my files and found it missing. It was the same report we both worked on six months ago."

Standing in shock she cries, "How? Who did it?"

Brushing his bangs as he inched a bit closer to Nikko his eyes now gazing firmly at her, he spoke coldly his voice sending chills on her skin, "I thought you might know, seeing that you were in my house before I found it missing."

Shock brimmed inside of her as her mind whirled in thought, was he convicting her? How could he? He should know better. With her mind in thought Kaiba jerked his head a bit not waiting until he had a response as he concluded quietly, "Just as I thought."

Hearing him already give her the final judgement how could he? Without any explanation she burst out, "How do you know I took it? It could have been anyone that accessed your house, what proof do you have? Why would I take it anyways?"

Eyes stained with blue, look together in anger, as Kaiba's hands grabbed her shoulders and pushed her, pinning her to the lockers behind her. Nikko squirmed crying out at the force of his push; her back ached as she cried out in pain.

Fury still remained in his eyes, his voice booming at her, "Why? Why must you make my life Hell? Why? You were the last person at my house and the only one of that day. You, coming in with your stupid warning about an accident, it was just a cover, right? Just to steal the documents I had in my office, that's why you told me not to go there so you could have time and take them. Is this your plot of revenge?"

Voice failing her as it trembled, she sputtered out a few words in fear, "I- I didn't take them. I don't have a reason for revenge; I am not that devious-"

Shaking his head angrily he shot back at her again, cutting her off, "Yes, you did! You want Kaiba Corporation to plummet, and to ruin everything I have worked for, for your own means."

Trying to speck, but finding no words as she was still pinned by the shoulders to the lockers. Kaiba heard her pain, he let her go allowing her to fall to the ground. Again he looked at her with anger leaving her with one thing, "Don't think I won't find those documents and when I do, you'll be the first."

Turning around sharply he made his way the down the hall, the sound of his shoes piercing the hall with each pierce stabbing a bit into Nikko's soul. She didn't cry, why should she cry? Maybe it was in a way her fault. Picking her self up from the cold floor she stood there thinking deeply, what would she do?

Making his exit from the building, Kaiba Seto looked at the greying sky; he was late, very late, for work that is. He scanned around the school looking for something, it caught his eye in a moment, and his limo sat in the vacant lot across the street. He thought for a second how odd it was for the limo to be there, but realized that due to his lateness from staying after school his driver probably decided to wait across the school. Looking back at the door that he just came out of, he knew what he had done only moments before, was he too hard? Maybe he was wrong in his approach. With a firm grip on his metal briefcase he shook his head no and descended down the steps.

With his head looking down at his watch, he noticed how it was five in the afternoon; indeed he was late for work. Knowing that his board meeting would start in an hour and to make matters worse he didn't have the papers that he had searched for the night before. His mind protruding with thought of worry, how would he explain his irresponsibleness for the lost of important documents, the Board of Directors would see this as his fault and see it as an excuse to investigate him.

Lost in his turmoil world of thought he whispered in hate, "Bastards"-he was referring to the Big 5, the Board of Directors. A loud screech that sounded like a wounded owl falling though the winds, Kaiba stood out in the middle of the road with no recognize of where he was or what to do, his thoughts of before had consumed his senses. With very little reaction all he heard was a sound; a screech, a blaze of lights looking like wild fire. The sight made him dizzy to the mind and inert to the senses; he knew he should move every fibre of him inside, but without his mind intact he felt lost.

It happened fast; he felt a force push him across, it sent him flying to the side. The force was strong, pulling his muscles and his body to follow with the guidance. He felt the hit to the ground, it was hard like something that fell on top on him, but not as bad as what his senses had waited for. Laying sprawled face down on the ground he felt a gentle nudge at his shoulder and a voice, "Hey, are you ok?"

It couldn't be the voice, he knew, he dared not try to guess. Lifting himself up him again felt a tug on his arm as if helping him up, it lifted the shock and pain from him. Standing wobbled he heard muffled voices, he didn't really make sense out of it, his mind was fuzzed as his sight slowly cleared. Looking around him he saw a red Grand Prix speeding down the remainder the street, not stopping to find out whom the driver almost hit. What he really wondered what had pushed him out of the way, he knew he did not move himself, looking to the person in front of him his mouth dropped with a gasp knowing who stood in the path of his gaze.

Standing there wearing the Domino boys high school uniform; jacket unbuttoned, shirt un-tucked and ruffled, with finally an unflattering swollen black eye on the left. Again the one in front asked, "Are you ok, Kaiba?"

Shaking his head, he could have thought that his saviour would have been the one he had punched the lunch hour of this day. Putting his hand on his head, he felt a headache come on as his voice hollowed, "No, no, Jounouchi? It can't be you!"

Looking in question, Jounouchi wondered why the shocked brunette in front of him was acting this way. He saw the tired expression the look as if Kaiba couldn't believe what he saw before him. Jounouchi thought of how strange Kaiba was, the way he acted, his actions they were not like normal people's, but whenever has Kaiba been normal? Certainly not while he's alive; carefully he held on to Kaiba's shoulders trying to get the distraught brunette to look at him.

The blond look into the blue eyes of Kaiba trying to get his attention as he talked slowly to him, "Kaiba, look at me. Repeat after me, 'Jounouchi Katsuya is the greatest duellist to have ever lived'. Ok now you say it."

Still the blue eyes on Kaiba's face were clouded as if thinking in deep thought, but at the same time trying to snap out. Looking at the brown eyes of the person in front of him he had missed what the blonde said to him, Kaiba stared at him strangely.

Again Jounouchi repeated himself, careful not to disturb the moment, "Ok can you say, 'Jounouchi Katsuya is the greatest duellist to have ever lived'?"

Snapping out of his trance at hearing of what Jounouchi had said to him, Kaiba pulled back the other duellist hands off his shoulders and replied disgusted, "Of course I can, see? 'Jounouchi Katsuya is the greatest duellist to ha-ha-ve'."

A smirk appears across Jounouchi's face as he heard the words coming out of the other's mouth. The look on the young brunette was priceless, but the moment didn't last long for him as he felt a strong tug on his uniform collar and the look of a very mad young man. Jounouchi stares at him grimly; he knew he had pushed it, of all the day for Kaiba to pick on him, after even he had saved his life.

Not wanting to know what Kaiba had planned for him next, the young blonde turned his head to the side and replied sarcastically, "I guess this is what you call a 'thank you', especially after I saved your life back there." He snickered as he spoke again, "I should have reconsidered."

Then it struck the head of Kaiba of what had happened; he was crossing the road, but not paying attention to where he was or who was coming. Then he had saw a flash of lights, it hit his mind as it was trying to stop time, but then he felt a force push him away from the bright light as if giving him new life and at the same time killing him inside. He looked deeply into the brown eyes that stood before him, he let go of the blue collar that was still being held up. The eyes of Kaiba looked confused as they brimmed at the lids with salt tears, he lift up his hand as he lightly bush the obstruction from his eyes.

Before turning away from Jounouchi he silently said, "Thank you." He said it as if the words tore his being inside.

The brown eyed blonde tried with all his heart to understand of what happened, of what he saw; tears. Blue stained tears, like marble, but he dismissed it as just a reaction in Kaiba's eyes. He didn't wait for another word to come from the mouth of Kaiba, which might be expecting too much. He walked down the street to his home; he turned his head to see if Kaiba had got to his limo without him dying again, all he saw was Kaiba yelling at his driver for falling asleep. The blonde snickered and left the scene of the accident, of what remained of this incident no one knew or didn't tell.

Gazing out of the tinted windows of the limo, Kaiba looked out on the streets. Thoughts of what happened trailed in his mind, but failed to reach a conclusion. Ignoring the event that happened recently, he decided to forget it he knew that Jounouchi would not say anything, how did he know? It was a feeling that Kaiba had; he knew that Jounouchi would not try to say that he was the one who saved the life of Kaiba Seto, he would know better-hopefully.

The scenery of different objects passed him by with a blur; the new thought in his head of how was he supposed to obtain new documents? As the limos continue to pass by blurred objects it went by one that did not resemble the ones of before. It was not object but a person, Kaiba looked at the blur of the person, who was wearing a Domino uniform, it was a girl, that's when Kaiba noticed it was Nikko.

Walking alone one the barren road, Nikko contemplated what had happened to her today. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a limo, polished in black with tinted windows. She sighed remembering the times when Kaiba before gave her a ride. As her mind still wandered on things past, the limo she saw before was now close driving at her walking pace. Noticing the limo follow her, her eyes gazed at the black tinted window which pulled it self down. With the window now gone she could see the person who resided in the limo, the face of Kaiba staring back at her.

Shock crept its way on her face, as she wondered why he was staring back at her with a black expression upon his features. Stopping abruptly in her tracks deciding to end the long lost gaze on Kaiba's face, she questioned him, "Why are you looking at me like that, come back to harass me more?"

The door of the limo opened up as Kaiba stepped it of it silently averting Nikko's gaze, and calmly answered her question while crossing his arms together, "No, I don't intend to do that."

Taking her bag off her back Nikko kneeled down and reached into it without a word, Kaiba looked down at her his eyes trailing her movement carefully wondering what she was doing. Still looking down at her growing impatient with her search for an unknown object in her bag, he calmly lifted his hand up to his mouth and gently coughed into it, as if signalling Nikko it end her futile search.

Hearing the impatient sound of Kaiba she ignored it and continued her search; when then she found what she was looking for. After pulling the object out of her bag Kaiba noticed what the thing was, it was black, squared, and thin; it was a floppy disk. Averting his gaze from the disk back to Nikko, the voice that eluted out of Kaiba questioned Nikko, "What is that disk for?"

Without a word she walked over and placed it into his hands and turned away from him after. Looking at the disk he was just given Kaiba still questioned her, "What is this for? Why give it to me?"

Turning around as she flung the bag around her shoulders, Nikko answered back with no flutter in her voice, "It's the file that has the programs of the documents you lost. Just take it as my answer and proof to you."

Walking away from Kaiba silently, she cared not what he would say to her, or thought. She was tired, tired of him, tired of her being, and tired of the cycle which she has endured everyday. Lost in a rhythm of time, with the clock forever at one never reaching its end to twelve, but as if it felt like at the same time twelve has passed a long time since. Time for her had long since pass, she felt it now more than before; 12 o'clock is nigh.

Watching her slowly make her way down the walk Kaiba glared at the disk, then and there he knew he was wrong. Sadly time would not correct its mistake, once its pass it will never repeat and never be forgotten. Deeply inside he still wanted to say something to Nikko, to make at least a step forward. He felt his feet move quickly to catch up with hers till he was right behind Nikko, grabbing her hand forcefully turning her around to look at him.

Staring at her face he asked the question he felt inside his heart for a long time and what he wanted to ask of her. With his eyes firm on hers with a voice soft but firm replied, "I apologize."

Eyes glairing at his, Nikko wrenched her arm from his. Still looking with anger she replied back hastily without thinking, "For what? Hurting me? You are the cause of my pain; I would be fine without you. I would be still living if not for you, but now I can't."

Hearing what she was saying, he didn't understand a word of what she is saying. Questioning her words he asked her, "What are you talking about?"

Knowing what she had just said, fear spread throughout her. Her mouth quivered as she replied back, "Yo-u nee-d not know anything. I will be gone soon, you will be dead and I will live in peace forever."

Not waiting for a response from the shock brunette man before her, Nikko turned away and bolted into the direction she was heading to before. With Kaiba still staring in shock at what the young girl that was once in front of him had said before she took off, he contemplated her words. What had she meant? Still be living if not for him? He will be dead soon? What did this all mean? What was she talking about, nothing made sense.

Not waiting for the answer from himself, he walked back to the limo when he felt the urge to go after her. Telling his driver to go home without him he turned away from the limo and dashed into the direction Nikko was going. He needed some answers, now. Not knowing what lies in the future he created his own path stretching so far, so thin, and with one false move could lead him tumbling down.

To be continued...

So how was it? Confusing? Don't worry I am a bit myself, to tell the truth. I hope you do like it and have enjoyed it.