Guardians

Note: Sorry this took so long... I couldn't log in for the longest time. Thanks go out to all of the reviewers! You guys rock! Make sure to review this chapter, everyone!

Chapter Eight: Uncomfortable Silence

Karmina woke early the next morning with a pain deep in her chest. It felt like someone had jammed a hammer up there, and was now trying to pull it out. And it was so quiet in the building; too quiet.

She turned on her CD player and took a deep breath, pulling out the clothes she wanted to wear.

"I cannot find a way to describe it. It's there, inside, all I do is hide. I wish, that it, would just go away. What would, you do, you do if you knew? What would you do? All the pain, I thought I knew. All the thoughts, lead back to you, Back to what, was never said, back and forth, inside my head. I can't handle this confusion, I'm unable, come and take me away. I feel, like I, am all alone. All by, myself, I need to get around this. My words, are cold, I don't want them to hurt you. If I, show you, I don't think you'd understand, 'cause no one understands. All the pain I thought I knew ,all the thoughts lead back to you. Back to what, was never said, back and forth, inside my head. I can't handle this confusion, I'm unable, come and take me away!"

Sighing, she stopped singing and turned to her face in the mirror. It looked different today. Stranger, somehow, and less friendly. Her cheeks were sharper, her eyes keener. Why would that be? Unless… there was a presence that usually hid behind them that wasn't there.

"Wingweaver? Where are you?"

There was no response. What was going on? Where was she? How could Karmina go on without her? Without someone to talk to, someone to help her through her days of loneliness. She'd go insane. She'd… she'd… She'd be living a life like Seto Kaiba's. And as soon as the thought came, she knew it was true. This was what it was like for him, alone in his stiff little office, working late into the night, all by himself. No wonder he was always so bitter.

Resolve fell into place somewhere in her heart and she made up her mind. So, with a background song somewhat fitting, she rushed out the door.

"Something just isn't right, I can feel it inside, the truth isn't far behind me, you can't deny. When I turn the lights out, when I close my eyes, reality overcomes me. I'm living, a lie."

Back in his stiff little office, Seto Kaiba was trying once again to get some work done, once again to no avail. No matter what he tried, he couldn't keep his mind off of her, and off of her voice. It was always there, ringing in his head, trying to tell him something he'd missed.

"Wake me up inside, wake me up inside. Call my name and save me from the dark. Make my thoughts arise, before I come undone. Call my name and save me from the nothing I've become."

The only difference today was that the other voice, the one that he tried to ignore, the one that had told him to write his thoughts down, was gone. Now that it was, he wanted it back. Anything was better than hearing her pleading voice all the time.

"Mr. Kaiba, there's someone here to see you."

"Tell them to go away."

"It's a girl, Mr. Kaiba. A girl who was singing under her breath when she got here."

It was her. She was at his door, waiting for him. But why?

"I'm coming in a minute. She can wait."

Roland nodded and disappeared, leaving Seto Kaiba to make the second entry of his 'diary'.

I don't believe it, but she's downstairs waiting for me. I wonder what she wants. This is got to be some kind of sick joke. It might not even be her. A lot of people sing under their breath… but no one does it the way she does. It breaks into your mind and refuses to go away. I don't know what to do. Everything seems so different now… I don't know which way to turn. Oh well… time to chase off another person who might want to get to know me…

"What is it?" he snapped as soon as the girl came into view.

Feeling really stupid, she stumbled over her words ever worse than usual (A/N yugiohfreak this sentence is going to bug you!) "I-I t-though y-you n-needed s-som t-time o-out o-of the o-office… y-you n-never s-seem t-to have any f-fun… I-I d-didn't t-think… I'm leaving."

She turned around to go and then felt someone grab her arm. Two shocked pairs of eyes stared down at the hand clamped on her arm and for a few seconds, there they stood, neither one of them knowing what to say.

"It's raining," he muttered. "Roland, drive her home."

"N-no… I c-can walk."

"If I can say so, Mr. Kaiba, I would suggest that you accompany the young lady, whether she chooses to walk or to ride in the limo."

Seto Kaiba looked at the girl and then his employee, and lastly his hand, which still had not moved from its uncomfortable location.

"Well I…"

"R-really, I can j-just w-walk… it's n-not raining t-that hard."

"No… Roland, get the limo ready."

Roland rushed off to obey his orders, leaving Seto Kaiba and Karmina alone to stare at her arm.

Coming to his senses, he released her arm and concentrated on not letting his embarrassment show on his face.

Karmina had no idea what to do or say. He'd just touched her. Someone had touched her, and not just to shove her out of their way, but to ask her to stay.

"I… I d-don't know why I th-thought it was okay to come here… I just… you're always so… I don't know… unhappy… I th-think I wondered… I…"

She fell silent and Seto Kaiba had no idea what to say. Someone was worried about him? Someone besides Mokuba cared about his happiness? How could that be?

Nervously, Karmina hummed the tune to Who Knows. Avril's lyrics made her feel strong enough to try to start a conversation.

"So… your little brother… likes music?"

"Mmm-hmm," he muttered, still trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"W-who did he th-think should have w-won last night?"

He took so long to answer that Karmina thought he wouldn't. At last, he said quietly. "You were the best."

"Y-you th-think so?"

"Mokuba thinks so."

"Oh."

"The limo is ready, sir."

Finally, both teens thought as they climbed into the very long car.

Karmina couldn't stand sitting in a silent car. She needed the radio or some type of noise other than the whirring of the wheels and the drizzle of the rain.

"So… um… how are things with the c-company?"

"Good."

He wasn't very talkative. And here she thought that she was bad at keeping a conversation going, having had little experience in such a matter.

"Um… so… it's raining," she observed needlessly.

Kaiba nodded.

"The street's wet."

He nodded again.

"Uh… um… it's too quiet."

The only response was a nod, yet again.

Karmina sighed.

Kaiba shifted nervously in his seat.

Karmina shifted nervously in her seat.

Roland sneezed.

Karmina yawned.

Kaiba yawned.

Roland yawned.

The limo yawned. (A/N Just kidding… makin sure you were paying attention)

The rain continued to fall. Karmina and Kaiba continued to shift in their seats. Roland sneezed again. The limo's wheels whirred. Karmina sighed again.

"Approaching the orphanage," Roland announced.

Kaiba nodded. Karmina sighed. Roland sneezed.

The limo stopped and Karmina tried to get out without taking off her seatbelt. "Um… oops…" She got out, tripped, and fell.

"Are… are you okay?" Kaiba asked.

A very nervous Karmina nodded. "I… I'm f-fine."

She watched the limo as it turned the corner and left her standing alone in the rain.

End note: Ain't it sweet how nervous they are? Review ASAP! The sooner you review, the sooner you get chapter 9!