Guardians

Note: Well, here's chapter forty-three! I'm so far ahead of you guys in writing it that I sometimes have no idea what you're talking about in reviews, but now I get it... here's a finally Seto-including chappie for ya'll! Enjoy! Don't forget your reviews! (I don't update until I have quite a few of them from this chapter)

Chapter Forty-Three: Pick up the Phone

Karmina sighed and stared down at the hotel phone. It was 2:00 AM, and she hadn't slept a wink. She wondered what would happen if she asked the operator to connect her to Kaiba Corp. Most likely, she'd never even get to talk to Seto, but a long line of recordings, secretaries, and voice messages. She sighed again and shifted a little. After all, the cold concrete of the balcony wasn't all that comfortable a place to decide your future.

She hit the talk button, then hit end. She just couldn't decide what to do. She needed to talk to him, and it couldn't wait. If it did, she'd probably lose the nerve. She hit the talk button again.

"Op-perator… c-can you put me through t-to Kaiba Corp, please? It's k-kind of urgent."

"One moment please."

She tapped her fingers on the rail, waiting.

"Your call will be put through in approximately five seconds."

There was a pause, and then she heard the tones of seven different numbers being dialed. She held her breath and then-

"Hello, you've reached Kaiba Corp, how may I help you?"

That was most certainly a secretary. "Um… I know you m-might not be able to connect me with him right away, but… I n-need to t-talk to Seto… even if I h-have to leave a message or… or… something."

"May I inquire as to the reason of your call?"

"I j-just told you, I NEED TO TALK TO SETO RIGHT NOW! And don't tell me he's sleeping, because I know for a fact that he's awake right now in his office working, with caffeine and aspirin as his only company."

"Ma'am, I need to know why you need to speak with Mr. Kaiba."

"Could you just tell him that Karmina called, and says she's sorry?"

"Sorry? I mean, of course I can do that, Miss Karmina. Should I leave him a number?"

"Tell him to call…" she glanced at the phone she was holding, and then read the number on it to the secretary. "And please… tell him now. It's… important, to the both of us, that we talk this out."

"Certainly, I'll tell him in the morning."

"No you won't, you'll tell him now!"

"Yes, ma'am."

It would seem that both of them were shocked at her outburst. "I'm sorry… it's just that I r-really need to talk to Seto."

The secretary, who'd never had a call quite like this one before, sighed and then smiled to herself. "Hold on for a minute, miss, I'll see if he's willing to take this call."

Although she knew he wasn't going to be happy about this, something in the tone of that girl's voice told her that she should at least try to get him to talk with her. Holding her breath, she rapped gently on the door. "Mr. Kaiba sir, you have a phone call on line one."

"Tell them I'm busy."

"But Mr. Kaiba, she says it's urgent. Surely you can spare a moment."

"She who? If it's another magazine, tell them I don't do inter-"

"It's a girl by the name of Karmina, sir."

Even through the door, she could hear him stop typing and sit absolutely still. Then, to her delight, she heard him pick up the phone.

"And they said it was a good idea for me to stop playing the matchmaker," she said with a grin. And then she heard the thud of the phone being slammed back into the receiver. He'd just hung up.

"Mr. Kaiba… you could've just told me you didn't want to take that call."

"You're fired."

"But I-"

"Leave now, you're fired."

"Yes, sir. Just don't forget, your flight leaves at dawn tomorrow." She walked slowly out of the building, but she wasn't really sad. It had been too stressful working for him anyway. The only thing that was on her mind was who that girl Karmina was, and what she must be feeling at the time.

Karmina stared down at the phone, tears in her eyes. He'd hung up on her. She knew it was him, because she'd heard a loud slam that could only be an angry Seto Kaiba throwing a phone back onto the receiver.

"He won't even talk to me," she said sadly. "Won't even give me five seconds of his time, just enough for me to say that I'm sorry. Well… he never liked it when I said that, but what else is he expecting? After all… how else do you end a fight except with 'I'm sorry'?"

That night, she fell asleep with the phone in her hand, curled in a ball, with the puddle of her tears beside her.

End note: So sad… he won't even talk to her… What's going to happen next? Review and the next chappie'll be here before you know it!