Guardians

Note: Okay, so… thank u very much for the fabulous reviews… and to those of you to who I should reply with specifics:

Kerochan606: I don't know if I'll be capable of a very long just Kaiba chapter… but I thought I'd give it a try anyhow! Excellent idea… and not, you're not over praising me! U could never do that! No stalking! (I'm already tailing someone… it could get messy if I had a stalker… who had a stalker… who… u get the idea! LOL!)

Phursule: Also short, also simple; THANKS!

Yugiohfreak: yeah… I hope that Kaiba trying to be nice wasn't too over the top… But hey, I said trying. Love that song, too!

…: Ah, the lovely anonymous reviewer… thanks so much for your reviews! Yes, I think that was a good part too. Go Sarah! Perhaps there is a friendship on the way… I'm not telling!

MaraJadeKaiba: Thanks for the review… I think that Wingweaver makes a perfect guardian… but what about Kaiba… again, I gave nothing away with that statement!

Thanks to any and all who post after this chapter. I may or may not reply with every chapter… it can get tiring… Review please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or Hear Me, by Kelly Clarkson.

Chapter Four: A Late Night in the Office

CEO of Kaiba Corp, Seto Kaiba, sat alone in his office once again, listening to the sound, though it was probably his imagination, of his coffee's steam condensing. Nights like these were typical, and very lonely, although he wasn't about to admit it. He had to pay his employees, fire his secretary, post an ad for a new secretary, look over a bunch of charts… the list never seemed to end. And his mind didn't seem to want to cooperate with him today. Her voice kept echoing in his mind, so haunting… so beautiful… so alone.

"I'm not afraid of anything… I just need to know that I can breathe-"

"Shut up!" he commanded his own thoughts. This was no time to lose his head… he was far too busy.

If only he hadn't decided to take the fastest route, the one that passed that stupid orphanage, that day. None of this would be happening if only he'd been in the mood for a nice walk. Only he was never in the mood for a walk, and even if he was, it didn't matter. There wasn't time.

"How does it feel… to be… different from me? Are we the same? How does it feel… to be…"

Yes, sometimes he did wonder how it would be if he was different. If somehow the past could be undone… if somehow he could be happy. But he had to run the company… had to make sure Mokuba's life was as good as possible. There wasn't time. That was always the excuse. There just wasn't time for excuses.

"I'm not afraid of anything… I just need to know that I can breathe… but suddenly, suddenly… I am small, and the world is big… All around me, is fast moving… surrounded by so many things… and suddenly, suddenly… How does it feel… to be… different from me?"

He slammed his fist on the table in frustration, spilling the coffee in the process. Muttering some words that I won't repeat here, he jumped to wipe away the hot liquid.

"Next time," he told himself. "I drink a soda instead."

For some reason, he could just see Karmina's eyebrows rise at the use of the word soda instead of the juvenile 'pop'. How would he even know what she thought? She never said anything. But somehow… she didn't have to. He knew that the girl would not approve.

"Why should I care if she would approve?" he asked himself.

"The answer to that question is not present in my database," his laptop said mechanically. Even the machine was mocking him these days.

He slumped back down in his seat for a moment and rested two fingers on his throbbing temple. Headaches were his natural state of being, really, but that made them no more pleasant (A/N: So that's why he's so grumpy!) He fished in a cabinet for some aspirin, but he was out. He uttered another curse word, and again could see an image of a very displeased Karmina. Now he was beginning to wonder if he wasn't ill.

"Maybe I really should get some more sleep."

Perhaps so. Or maybe I'm just showing you what you want to see.

Kaiba jumped. Now he was hearing voices. Perfect.

You're not hearing things. I'm really here. I've always been here, but it's ever difficult to get your thoughts to quiet enough for my intrusion. We haven't even been introduced yet. What a dreadful guardian I am… or maybe you're a dreadful person to have to protect.

Refusing to reply to a hallucination, he threw the empty pill box away and shut down his computer. The doctors were right… his stress was bringing on some unpleasant side effects.

I'm not a side effect. I'm real.

Ignoring this insanity yet again, he turned to the window and pulled up the shade. What he saw made his heart stop.

Down on the pavement, wet, cold, and likely tired, was Karmina herself. He could tell even from this height because her mouth was open and she was singing.

"You gotta be out there… You gotta be somewhere… Wherever you are… I'm waiting… 'Cause there are these nights when… I sing myself to sleep… and I'm hoping my dreams bring you close to me… Are you listening? Hear me, I'm crying out, I'm ready now. Turn my world upside down… find me… I'm lost inside the crowd… it's getting loud. I need you to see… I'm screaming for you… to please… Hear me."

He didn't know what to do. She was just sitting on the ground, with the rain pouring all around her, singing her heart out, with wild gestures and everything. He told himself that she looked silly, but in his heart, he just felt sorry for her.

"I used to be scared of… letting someone in… but it gets so lonely, being on my own. No one to talk to… no one to hold me… I'm not always strong… Oh I need you here. Are you listening?"

How could she let the rain and the mud just run over her body like that? Why did she sing so loudly… so painfully… if she was so shy? Did she know that yes, he was listening. Was the song meant for him?

"Don't be silly," he told himself. "She isn't singing for you. She isn't even singing about her own pain. It's just a song."

But he knew that she was singing with her whole heart. Her voice was strained, desperate, and choked with tears. She couldn't possibly want anyone to hear her, to see her like that.

She'd finished the song, and she was lying on the ground now, very still. Every now and then, she'd shiver, but then she'd hug herself and stay still.

"You… gotta… be… out… there," she began through obvious tears. "Somewhere," she choked. "Wherever you are… I'm waiting."

After that she didn't even try to start again. She just stood up, brushed at her clothes and then her shoulders heaved in a sigh. He realized that she had a bag with her and blushed when she pulled out a bra and underwear. As she put her hands on the filthy jeans, he turned away.

Time to get back to work. Time to stop drinking so much coffee. He was starting to lose his grip. Kaiba Corp couldn't afford for him to care about anything but the company and his brother, Mokuba. He shouldn't care, anyway. She was just a girl. Just a girl with no parents and a clearly sad life. Who cared?

He did.

End note: That's all for this chapter. Review and tell me what you think. The next chapter should be up in a few days, but I do have softball practice, so be patient!