Guardians

Note: Oooh, this chapter's a good one, if I do say so myself. I had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you enjoy reading it! Review!

Chapter 46: Suits and the Paparazzi

Karmina was silent as the others shopped around for souvenirs of the trip. Since he hadn't even tried to follow her, she decided that he must still be angry. That or, of course, he didn't love her as she loved him. The possibility had never even entered her mind before, and yet… it was there now, clear as day. It had been, to her, simply a case of them forgiving one another. She'd never expected that he might not love her. She'd thought he did… but maybe all he'd ever wanted to be was friends.

"Drat it, Seto… every time I think I've got a simple solution, something new floats into the picture."

"Huh?" Tea said, apparently thinking Karmina had decided to join in the conversation.

"Nothing."

"Okay."

After that, she started analyzing the days she'd spent with Seto. The more she thought about them, the more she found that she should apologize to him for. No wonder he's angry with me… I was sort of an idiot. I guess that means I just have to apologize. And then, if he accepts my apology, then I guess I'll have to find out if he likes me or loves me.

She wasn't worried that she wouldn't be able to find him. Meetings always lasted a long time, and she could stop that huge limo anywhere. It was more a matter of getting him to listen.

All the same, she told the others that she wanted some time to herself and that she'd meet them at the hotel. She didn't know if he'd listen or not, but she was going to do her part by apologizing.

Joey, however, was not fooled by her excuse. He knew what she was going off to do, and although he let her go, he wasn't happy about it.

Money bags'll probably break her heart, so I shouldn't be worried. An' after he does, I'll kick his butt for it an' den maybe Karmina'll love me instead a him.

It wasn't long before Karmina found his limo, parked outside a corporate building that was not even half the size of Kaiba Corp. She took a deep breath and then walked in.

Luckily, or perhaps because fate would have it be so, he'd just stepped out of the elevator, on his way out of a meeting. When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks and several men in suits behind him collided with his back. She swallowed and kept walking until she was standing right in front of him. He was so close that she felt dizzy, a little afraid, and giddy all at the same time.

She looked up into the familiar icy blue eyes, which were currently unreadable, and took another deep breath. "Oh, Seto, I'm-"

He cut her off with a deep, passionate kiss that was full of love and longing, putting his arms around her tightly as if he planned never to let go.

So many things were running through Karmina's mind at that moment that, afterwards, she couldn't remember what any single one of them was. She closed her eyes and slid her arms around his neck, taking in his scent as never before. This was the closest she had ever been to him, and she didn't ever want to be away again.

…………………………………

If they could have chosen any way for such a first kiss to end, it wouldn't have been what really happened.

"Mr. Kaiba, what on earth is going on here?" one of the suits asked, appalled and astonished.

They broke apart as fast as the laws of physics allowed, snapping back into reality and realizing where they were. Seto Kaiba found himself speechless yet again, but surprisingly, Karmina was the first to speak.

"I'm-"

"My girlfriend," Seto finished for her, taking her hand in his.

"You never mentioned a girlfriend," one of the suits and a photographer said at the same time.

Where in the world did they come from? Karmina wondered, staring at all of the camera towing people in the room, seeing them for the first time.

"I prefer to keep my private life separate from business matters," Kaiba snapped, true to character.

"I, for one, am shocked," one of the suits said. "I thought you had more integrity than to show such a public display of affection in my building."

He didn't know what to say. Karmina, however, thought she owed it to him to attempt to save his reputation. "And I'd have thought that a charming man like yourself would understand what it feels like when you haven't seen the love of your life for a very long time," she said coldly, her tone hardly wavering despite her nervousness of crowds. "Especially since yours likely left you years ago, which is why you spend your time hounding respectable, decent people like Seto."

Seto stared at her, as did everyone else in the room except the reporters, who were jotting down her every word. Then, coming to his senses, he put his hands on her shoulders and led her out of the building and into his limo, where he gave Roland the order to drive, fast.

"What was that little speech about?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Only hopefully, now… it'll be me they bad mouth instead of you, and you can keep your image."

He snorted. "I doubt it. But, like I said before, some things are more important than my image."

Karmina beamed. "Oh, Seto," she whispered, throwing her arms around him. He held her close, kissing the top of her head tenderly.

End note: FINALLY! They kissed. I thought the suspense was going to kill me. Anyway, wasn't that the most romantic thing you ever heard? Don't forget to review, and I won't forget to post the next chapter!