Chapter 35

A few days had passed, and it was now Saturday. Kaiba was at work, and as Alex was deeply involved in the new project at Kaiba Corp, she was at work as well. The two of them were now having lunch in Kaiba's office, along with Yugi. Yugi called Alex yesterday, saying that he wanted to talk to the two of them, so Kaiba suggested that they all have lunch together the next day.

Once the three of them began to eat, Alex looked at Yugi and asked,

"So what did you want to talk to us about?"

Yugi replied, "I wanted to report on what's been going on with Max."

Alex smiled and replied, "I guess you sort of have become our spy."

Yugi smiled back a bit and replied, "I guess so."

Kaiba then asked, "So what did that womanizer want?"

Alex gave Kaiba a look and replied, "Womanizer?"

Kaiba replied, "That Max is obviously a womanizer. He has most of the female students flocking to him, but he only wants you."

Alex shook her head and replied, "And I keep telling you that he's just a friend and that I only like you. But I'll keep reassuring you lots, ok?"

Kaiba relaxed a bit, looking satisfied. Meanwhile, Yugi looked uncomfortable. Noticing this, Alex asked,

"What's wrong, Yugi?"

Yugi looked at Alex and wanted to reply although he couldn't find the right words to express his thoughts. He had his own personal worries about Max, which was part of the reason he wanted to meet up with Alex and Kaiba. Finding himself at a loss for words, it took a minute before Yugi decided that he wanted Yami to speak. Alex noticed the switch and wondered if this was something really serious, but she waited patiently.

Once Yami was in control, he looked at Alex and Kaiba and said, "Yugi doesn't know how to word this, so he asked me to speak for him."

Alex looked curiously and replied, "Is it a personal matter?"

Yami nodded and replied, "Yes, but it involves Max, so it's not entirely irrelevant."

Alex replied, "I see. Ok, tell us what's been going on."

Yami replied, "Max has been hanging out with Yugi and the others, so they've all gotten to know him. I haven't talked to him myself, but there's no reason for me to. Max keeps asking about the two of you."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow and replied, "Can you be more specific?"

Yami looked at Kaiba and replied, "He's been putting it in different words, but it comes down to this. He wants to know if you two are a couple."

Alex nodded and replied, "That kind of makes sense. Seto and I are around each other a lot."

Yami replied, "The others have told him that you two work together, so it's kind of natural for you both to be around each other, but I don't think Max is buying it."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "He's smarter than he looks. A step up from Wheeler, at least."

Yami glared at Kaiba, and Alex gave Kaiba a look and said, "Please, try to be nice."

She then turned to Yami and asked, "Do you have any guesses as to why he's asking?"

Yami replied, "Max claims that it's simply curiosity, but I have a feeling it's something else. I've been observing him and he seems to be the kind of person who gets as much information as possible."

Alex replied, "Yeah, that sounds like Max."

She thought of something and then said, "I wonder if he's trying to figure out the reason I abandoned my assignment."

Alex looked at Kaiba, feeling troubled by the thought. He looked seriously at her and said,

"You made the right decision, and I'm not just saying that because I'm alive. You know I will help you fix all this and get your brother back."

Alex smiled a bit and softly replied, "I know."

Yami then said, "Max was also asking about where you're living, and Joey told him that you were staying with Kaiba."

He looked at Alex, and Alex asked, "How did Max react?"

Yami replied, "It was only for a brief moment. You would have missed it if you didn't pay attention, but he looked like he was about to lose it."

Alex nodded slowly and replied, "Yeah, that also sounds like Max."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "It was wise of me to recommend that you move into the mansion with me."

Alex gave a look and replied, "Yes, but not for this reason."

Yami smiled apologetically and replied, "Yugi feels bad that he mentioned anything about it."

Alex shook her head and replied, "It's not his fault. Even if Yugi hadn't said anything, this probably would have come out eventually. I mean, someone would have dropped by my apartment and realized I was no longer there. I couldn't just make up a random place."

Yami nodded and replied, "I agree. I think Max was asking because he might have wanted a chance to talk to you alone."

Kaiba replied, "That's not happening ever."

Alex laughed awkwardly and replied, "I know you'd hate that, and I don't really want to talk to him alone, either. It would be difficult for me to pretend to have amnesia if it was just him and me."

Yami replied, "I can understand that. Max is probably trying to find opportunities to talk to you alone, but that seems very unlikely to happen. But you should be aware of this as well as the relationship issue."

Alex nodded, looking thoughtful. Kaiba thought of something and looking at Alex, he said,

"I wonder if we should just tell him about us."

Alex replied, "What? Like make a public announcement or something? Because you know how I feel about that."

Kaiba shook his head and replied, "Nothing like that. I don't want to put you in danger. I was thinking more along the lines of the two of us talking to him alone. We make it clear that we are a couple, but we're not making it public because I respect your wishes for privacy. But what do you think?"

Alex thought over the idea for a minute and then nodding, she replied, "We can try that. Since Max values me as a friend, I'm pretty sure he won't blab to the others about it. Then we can see how he reacts. But I worry that this might put you as a target. Max might come to the conclusion that I abandoned my mission because I fell for you."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at Alex and replied, "Isn't that why you abandoned it?"

Alex laughed and replied, "It was a big reason, but it wasn't the only one. There are those time anomalies that I mentioned as well. I hope Cas has been looking into them. I should as well, but now this Max issue is taking up time."

Kaiba replied, "He is a problem. But if you're ok with this, then we'll talk to him on Monday and based on his reaction, we'll see what to do next."

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok. He might react badly, but that only means that we have to stay together as much as possible."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "You won't hear any complaints from me. I can never get enough of you."

Alex blushed and smiled sweetly at Kaiba. Remembering that Yami and Yugi were with them, she turned back to them and said,

"Is that all? We appreciate that you took the time to tell us in person, but Yugi could have told us himself."

Yami replied, "And this is where I bring up the personal issue."

Alex looked questioningly at Yami, and Yami continued, "Yugi's worried because of Tea."

Alex replied, "Oh, you mean how she's taken an interest in him?"

Yami nodded and replied, "That's right. I told him he has nothing to be worried about, but he's concerned that Max could be dangerous, and Tea's not aware of it."

Alex replied, "I understand, and it's not like Yugi can just tell her the truth about him without disclosing that he found out from me, and then that would bring up a whole other issue."

She shook her head and added, "That is a mess."

Yami replied, "There is another problem as well."

Kaiba replied, "This Max is so much trouble." He looked at Alex and asked, "And you call him a friend?"

Alex laughed awkwardly and replied, "He's a good guy overall, but he comes with his own set of problems."

She looked at Yami and asked, "What's the other problem?"

Yami replied, "Yugi had trouble coming up with an excuse not to meet up with Joey and the others today. You know they usually hang out on the weekends."

Alex nodded and replied, "I know. Joey keeps calling me to ask, but I told him that I couldn't today because I had work."

Yami replied, "Just as well. I think Max is with them."

Alex replied, "Looks like I dodged a bullet there."

Kaiba looked at Alex and replied, "If you want to see them, you should take Mokuba with you."

Alex replied, "I really doubt Max is going to try anything with a group of friends, but I'll do that, if it puts you at ease."

Kaiba nodded, looking satisfied. He looked at Yami and asked, "So what's the problem exactly?"

Yami replied, "Yugi's going to have trouble continuing to make up excuses not to meet up with Joey and everyone else. I mean, they understand about Alex's circumstances, but…"

Alex nodded and replied, "I see where you're going with this."

She looked at Kaiba and replied, "Maybe we can change our meeting times to Sundays instead? Have Yugi drop by the mansion?"

Kaiba replied, "That might look even more suspicious and I want to keep Sundays free."

Alex looked curiously at Kaiba and asked, "Oh, is it because you want to rest on Sundays?"

Kaiba replied, "Not really."

He blushed a bit before continuing, "I want Sundays to be when we have our dates."

It was Alex's turn to blush, and she replied, "Oh, I didn't think you were thinking about that. I mean, I totally understand it's a lot of trouble to plan dates and you run a big company and all."

Kaiba smiled a bit and replied, "But I can make time for you, too, and we should go on lots of dates. I know you like things simple, so our dates will be like that. But I may occasionally want to spoil you with a bit of extravagance."

Alex blushed more and replied, "That sounds wonderful."

She and Kaiba gazed fondly at each other, temporarily forgetting about everything else. It was when Yami coughed that the two of them finally snapped out of it. Alex turned to Yami and said,

"I got distracted but only in a good way. Ahh, we need to address Yugi's personal problems. So Sundays are out."

She looked to be deep in thought for a couple of minutes before coming up with an idea. She looked brightly at Kaiba and Yami and said,

"I got it, but I'll need to consult with Seto privately first to make sure it's ok."

Alex then gestured to Kaiba towards a corner of the office so that they could talk without being overheard. Once it was just the two of them, Kaiba quietly asked,

"So what's your idea?"

Alex replied, "You know that new project we've been working on? You mentioned that you'd like a consultant on board as well as someone to publicize it, so why not?"

She pointed towards Yami, and understanding, Kaiba replied, "You want them to help out?"

Alex nodded and replied, "This would pretty much solve our immediate problems. We can talk about the most pressing issues, and at the same time, Yugi and Yami can help out with this project. It's a win-win situation."

Kaiba looked thoughtful, as though he was considering the idea. Alex continued,

"You can even have Yugi sign a NDA, so if Joey or the others get too curious, Yugi can always say that he's not legally allowed to talk about it. You can even make the NDA a real thing although I really hope you wouldn't consider suing."

Kaiba smirked, like he was considering the thought, but Alex simply shook her head and added,

"Also, think of the publicity this would generate. I can totally see it. Two rivals working together to promote duel monsters and advanced technology. Not to mention that the value of Kaiba Corp stocks would skyrocket."

Kaiba nodded and replied, "Ok, I'm sold on this. But do you think Yugi will go along with it?"

Alex nodded happily and replied, "I think he will, and I have just the perfect persuasive argument."

Kaiba replied, "Let's tell him."

The two of them walked back to where Yami was waiting quietly. Alex looked at him and said,

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I wanted to make sure that Seto would be ok with it first before proposing this idea."

She looked at Kaiba, and Kaiba added, "It's a good idea."

Yami looked curious and asked, "What is it?"

Alex replied, "Seto brought me on in charge of a new project involving the improvement of duel disks. Don't worry. I'm not doing anything crazy like bringing future knowledge and all that."

Kaiba replied, "I would welcome it, though."

Alex shook her head and said, "Anyway, it would really help if we had a consultant to suggest ideas for the project as well as someone to help promote the improved duel disks once they're ready. So I was thinking of bringing you and Yugi on board. What do you think?"

Yami looked thoughtful and was quiet. Alex observed him, and she guessed that Yami was probably consulting with Yugi on the idea. After a couple of minutes passed, Yami said,

"How would this help us?"

Alex replied, "If you think about it, if you two agree to get on board with this project, you'll have a perfectly valid reason to come here. Also, Yugi won't have to worry about not being able to say anything. With these kinds of projects by big corporations, everyone involved has to be under NDA."

Yami replied, "NDA?"

Alex replied, "Non Disclosure Agreement. Basically, it means that if you spill the beans about a secret project, the company has the right to sue that person."

Kaiba added, "I'll make it a real thing, but I won't really sue you since I know how much that would displease Alex. But I would ask that you take it very seriously."

Yami nodded and replied, "Of course."

Alex added, "In addition, this would bring Tea's attention back to Yugi, especially once we get to the publicity part of it. She'll forget all about Max. Besides, Max isn't really supposed to be here, but this is my fault, so I want to help you both fix this."

Yami replied, "We don't blame you, but we appreciate you wanting to help."

He was then quiet, which Alex assumed that Yami was talking to Yugi about the idea. After a couple more minutes passed, Yami said,

"Ok, Yugi agrees as well."

Alex smiled and replied, "Great. This will help all of us, and then it'll be easier to tackle the issue with Max."

Kaiba nodded and replied, "I'll have a contract drawn up. Return here on Monday afternoon to sign the papers."

Yami nodded, and Alex added, "Yugi should probably tell gramps as well, and he will get paid for this."

Kaiba added, "Of course."

Yami smiled, and he and Yugi switched places again. Yugi then looked at Alex and Kaiba and said,

"Thanks, you two."

Alex grinned and replied, "No problem. I want to help out, and as I said, this will help all of us. Now, why don't we finish up lunch?"

Yugi nodded, and he, Alex, and Kaiba finished up lunch soon afterwards. As they were cleaning up, Kaiba looked at Alex and asked,

"Can you stay for a couple of minutes?"

Alex looked curiously at Kaiba, but nodding, she replied, "Sure." She looked at Yugi and said,

"We'll see you on Monday."

Yugi nodded and getting up, he said, "Ok. Thanks again, and see you both on Monday."

After Yugi left, Alex happily approached Kaiba and asked, "So why did you ask me to stay?"

Kaiba smiled lovingly at Alex and wrapping his arms around her waist, he leaned in to give her a sweet kiss, which Alex happily returned. After the kiss ended, he said,

"I wanted to do that. You're quite something, you know?"

Alex looked curiously at Kaiba and asked, "What do you mean?"

Kaiba smirked and replied, "I probably don't say this enough, but I am the luckiest man to have you as my girlfriend. And you are worthy of being called the ultimate genius. But that doesn't mean I won't keep working to be smarter than you."

Alex laughed and replied, "I love a man who doesn't give up. You probably figured out that was one of the many reasons I fell for you."

Kaiba replied, "Of course, and I'm glad you realized that you should only be with the best."

Alex replied, "You are too adorable, you know."

Kaiba let go of Alex and said, "I should let you return to work."

Alex nodded and replied, "Yeah, I don't want to keep Mr. Williamson waiting. Oh, but one thing. Since tomorrow is Sunday, I'm wondering where you're going to take me for our date."

Kaiba replied, "You'll be pleasantly surprised."

Alex pouted cutely and replied, "You do love to keep a girl in suspense, don't you? But I know it'll be worth it."

She gave Kaiba one last quick kiss and then left his office, heading to the elevator to return to the programming department.