Apologies for posting this later than usual, but here's a new chapter. ^^

Chapter 37

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully, and now, it was Saturday. As Alex wasn't scheduled to work for the day, that meant that Yugi didn't have to drop by Kaiba Corp. A couple of days earlier, Joey approached Alex, wondering if she was free to hang out with them today, and after Alex nodded in affirmation, Joey suggested that they all hang out together. Since it had been a while, Alex agreed to the idea and mentioned that she would bring Mokuba with her.

Thus, Alex and Mokuba were now walking towards the arcade to meet up with Joey, Yugi, and the others. As they did so, Mokuba turned to Alex and said,

"We haven't done this in a while."

Alex smiled and replied, "That's true. It's been quite busy lately, but it'll be nice just to hang out and have fun."

Mokuba grinned and replied, "Totally. I wish Seto would have come with us, too."

Alex replied, "Me, too, but you know how he is. It would be quite the adjustment for him to get used to being around Joey and the others."

Mokuba replied, "Apart from saving the world, yeah."

Although Alex knew what Mokuba meant, she had to pretend like she was ignorant, so she asked,

"Uh, what do you mean?"

Mokuba laughed awkwardly and replied, "It's a long story, and it's not really important."

Alex shrugged and replied, "If you say so. But I think we've made a bit of progress. Seto's used to Yugi being around."

Mokuba nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's true. I was surprised when I heard that Seto agreed to your idea to bring Yugi on board. But it's great having Yugi at Kaiba Corp."

Alex smiled and replied, "I agree. He's been a huge help."

Of course, Yugi was helping Alex with the duel disk project that she was in charge of, but at the same time, he would report on anything important going on with Max. However, ever since Alex and Kaiba confronted Max, Max had been strangely quiet, keeping his distance and only talking when necessary. Alex didn't know what to make of it, but she hoped that maybe Max took the hint.

Alex and Mokuba soon arrived at the arcade and entered, looking for Joey and the others. They soon spotted them, and Mokuba ran towards them, with Alex following him. There was the usual gang, and Max was with them. As soon as the two of them reached the others, Joey grinned and said,

"Hey, you two. The gang's all here now."

Alex nodded happily and replied, "Yup, we just got here."

Everyone greeted one another, and then Joey said, "Now that everyone's here, let's have some fun."

Tristan replied, "You said it."

Then everyone split up, resulting in a few groups doing their own activities. Joey, Alex, and Yugi headed towards the racing machines while Tea, Max, and Mokuba went towards the dancing ones.

At the racing machines, Joey wanted to race Alex first, so Yugi would race whoever won. As Joey and Alex got settled, Joey turned to her and said,

"I'm glad you didn't have to work today."

Alex replied, "I could have if I wanted, but it wasn't really necessary. We've made quite a lot of progress."

Yugi added, "That's right, and it's been fun getting to help."

Alex smiled and replied, "Your input has been really valuable."

Joey asked, "What are you two working on?"

Alex smiled apologetically and replied, "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to say, and Yugi isn't allowed to, either."

Yugi added, "We would tell you if we could, but I don't want to risk breaking my contract."

Joey was about to reply when the game started, and Alex said, "You're going to eat dirt, Joey."

Joey replied, "Oh, really now? We'll see about that."

The two of them raced and although it was a close one, Alex barely won, skillfully maneuvering and avoiding the bumps on the road.

After the race was over, Joey shook his head and said, "You are good, Alex."

Alex shrugged and replied, "Racing games aren't exactly my forte, but I can be ok at them."

Yugi commented, "You were more than ok, Alex. I think you might be a master at games like him."

Yugi was referring to Yami, but Alex simply laughed and replied, "I don't know about that. I'm good at acquiring knowledge and applying it, and I even do that for games."

Joey replied, "Totally makes sense."

He got up from his seat and said, "Yug, it's your turn."

Yugi nodded happily, and he and Alex soon raced against each other. Again, it was a close race, but Alex narrowly beat Yugi.

The next half hour passed by like so, and then the three of them decided to take a break and get some drinks. The others were still gaming, so Alex, Joey, and Yugi decided to sit at a table and chat while drinking soda.

As Joey remembered their earlier conversation, he looked at Alex and Yugi and asked, "I don't mean to bring this up again, but Yug, why can't you tell me what you two are working on?"

Yugi looked troubled, so Alex replied, "Joey, Yugi's under NDA, so he's not allowed to talk about it. It's to protect the company, but I can say that the work we're doing is important and it involves duel disks."

Joey replied, "Since it's you in charge of it, I'm sure there won't be any problems. I'm surprised that moneybags gave you such power."

Alex furrowed her eyebrows and replied, "You think I'm not trustworthy or something?"

Immediately, Joey shook his head and replied, "That's not what I meant. You are very trustworthy. But I mean, it's Kaiba we're talking about. Wouldn't he want to handle things himself?"

Alex replied, "When it comes to the final stages, I'm sure he'll do that. But for now, I can handle the details, and it's fun being in charge of such a project. I never thought I'd have the opportunity."

Joey replied, "Yeah, I get it, even if it's moneybags you're working for."

Alex and Yugi detected a bit of discontentment in Joey's voice, and Yugi couldn't help but to ask,

"Joey, why is this bothering you?"

Joey replied, "It's not."

Alex replied, "Come on. You can't fool us. You sound displeased that Yugi and I are working on this project."

Joey replied, "That's not it. It's that you're both working for Kaiba. How can that not bother me?"

Yugi sighed and replied, "It's not like that. I mean, technically, we are, but Kaiba leaves us alone."

Alex nodded and added, "That's right. We're given a lot of freedom, and Kaiba's not watching over us. He's busy running his company, you know. If you want to know a bit of the details, Yugi and I are working together, along with a few computer programmers. But that's it."

Joey replied, "I just wish I was working with you, Alex. I know you hang out with us when you can, but we don't get to see you nearly as much."

Alex smiled apologetically and replied, "I'm sorry about that, Joey. I'm just really busy nowadays, but I try to make time for you all when I can. Besides, would you really want to work under Kaiba?"

Joey laughed a bit and replied, "You make a good point. But the money must be nice."

Alex looked a little surprised and asked, "Joey, I don't want to pry, but is your financial situation not good or something?"

Joey shook his head and replied, "We do ok, but the money wouldn't hurt. I'm a little jealous of Yugi."

Yugi replied, "I'm sorry, Joey. Alex and I would help out if we could, but I doubt Kaiba would offer you a job. But we're going to finish school before you know it, and then you can become a pro duelist. Isn't that what you want?"

Joey nodded and replied, "Of course, but that might not happen for a while."

Alex replied, "If you want anything that badly, you have to work for it. But I know you can do it, Joey."

She smiled at him, knowing how Joey's future would turn out on the pro dueling circuit. Joey grinned and replied,

"Yeah, you're right. I just have to finish school and then I can become a pro duelist."

Alex nodded happily and replied, "That's the spirit, and I have a feeling you're going to be one of the best."

Joey felt cheered up, so the conversation turned to lighter topics. After a little time passed, the group finished their drinks and Joey said,

"I'm ready for another round of gaming. What about you two?"

Yugi nodded happily and replied, "Me, too."

Alex replied, "Same here, but why don't you two go on ahead? I want to use the restroom first and then I'll join you."

Joey replied, "Ok. Come find us after."

Joey and Yugi then got up, heading towards a gaming machine. Meanwhile, Alex went into the women's restroom to wash up. Once she was done, she headed out and was about to return to Yugi and Joey when she suddenly felt someone grab her left arm and a hand covering her mouth. She was then dragged towards a back door of the arcade and then outside to an abandoned alley. The person who had grabbed her then let go, and Alex turned around to see who it was. She was surprised by who had taken her and she yelled,

"What the hell? Max?"

Max couldn't help smiling a bit, seeing Alex's temper. At least, some things didn't change. Seeing Max's reaction, Alex continued,

"You think this is funny? You should be lucky I didn't punch you."

Max scratched the back of his head and replied, "Sorry. I just couldn't think of another way to be alone with you, and that other time doesn't count."

Alex replied, "Is it really that important?"

Max sadly replied, "Yes. I need to talk to you, but you're almost always around Kaiba. But since he isn't here, I figured this would be the perfect chance."

Alex rolled her eyes and replied, "Fine, but make this quick. Joey and Yugi are waiting for me."

Max nodded and after taking a deep breath, he gazed intensely into Alex's eyes and said,

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but do you not remember me at all?"

Alex knew what Max was trying to do since Cas most likely made it appear that Alex lost her memories, so she had to react appropriately. She looked confused and replied,

"Should I know you? Have we met before?"

Max sighed and replied, "This is worse than I thought. Listen, I know what I'm about to say sounds like madness, but we have met before. We were very good friends before you came here as an exchange student. Your memories have been erased, but I'll help you get them back."

Alex replied, "You're right. That does sound like madness. I'm sure you don't mean any harm, but even if what you say is true, I'm happy with my life. I don't need my memories restored."

Max frowned and replied, "But you won't be complete until you remember who you really are. You're not supposed to be with Kaiba. I-I know I should have been more brave. I should have told you before you left."

Alex felt troubled by this turn of events and replied, "Max, if you're saying what I think you're saying, please stop now. I don't feel that way about you. Besides, I really like Seto. He has this side that I can't help falling for, and I just want to be with him. Please understand."

Max felt a surge of jealousy swell up inside him, and as though he couldn't control himself, he suddenly pushed Alex's right shoulder so that her back hit the wall of the arcade building. Angrily, he replied,

"I won't accept that. I'm going to help you, Alex, and you'll thank me for this. When you remember who you are, we can go home and have the life you should have had."

Max kept a grip on Alex's shoulder, and Alex felt a bit of pain. She winced and replied,

"Please, let go of me. I-I don't want anything to do with you. Why can't you understand? I'm happy."

Max replied, "You just think you are, but I'll get you to come to your senses and you'll know who you really should be with. I-"

"Alex!"

Alex and Max heard a voice and as they turned towards the source, they saw Yugi, looking both worried and angry. As though suddenly coming to his senses, Max let go of Alex and replied,

"I-I'm sorry."

Before Yugi could move towards Max, Max ran down the alley, soon disappearing from view. Yugi immediately approached Alex and asked,

"Are you ok?"

Looking a bit teary-eyed, Alex nodded and replied, "I'm ok. My shoulder hurts a bit, though."

Yugi replied, "I'm sorry. I should have gotten here sooner."

Alex shook her head and replied, "It's not your fault. I should have immediately gotten away once I realized what Max's intentions were, but part of me wanted to give him a chance to talk. It's hard for me to believe that it's him. He was just so intense and I…"

She trailed off, feeling the pain in her shoulder intensify. Yugi looked worried and asked,

"I'm really sorry. Maybe I should take you to a hospital. Your shoulder looks like it's really hurting."

Alex replied, "No, it's ok. I can move it although it hurts. It's probably just bruised, but it'll heal in a day or two. I'm an idiot for not being more on my guard."

Yugi shook his head and replied, "You wanted to give him a chance, and I understand."

He looked towards where Max had run towards, and then he added,

"He'll probably make an excuse not to return for the rest of the day. Do you want to return to the others or would you rather go back to the mansion?"

Alex replied, "I want to say that we should return to the others, but I should be sensible and get some rest. I'd hate to ruin Mokuba's fun, though."

Yugi smiled a bit and replied, "Mokuba will understand, and he'll be more concerned about you. Besides, we can always hang out again."

Alex nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's true."

Yugi gently held Alex's left hand, leading the way back inside the arcade. The two of them talked for a bit while doing so, and soon, they made their way back to the others. Mokuba was preoccupied with a shooting game, so Alex and Yugi waited until he was done. Once he was, Mokuba turned to them and said,

"Hey, you guys. You were gone for a while."

Alex smiled a bit and replied, "Yeah, something happened."

Yugi added, "Alex got hurt, so she should probably go back to the mansion, even though I think she should go to the hospital."

Alex turned to Yugi and said, "It's just a bruise. It's not broken or anything."

Mokuba looked worried and replied, "Wait, what happened?"

Alex replied, "I-I don't really want to go into it. I'm sorry if I'm ruining the fun. I can just head back to the mansion by myself-"

Mokuba immediately shook his head and replied, "No, I'm not going to stay here, knowing that you got hurt. I'll call Roland and ask him to pick us up."

Alex sighed but nodded. While Mokuba made the call and then afterwards, he and Alex made their rounds to the others, briefly explaining that they had to go. Joey especially was disappointed, but Yugi gave him a look that meant that he shouldn't bother Alex about it.

As Alex, Mokuba, and Yugi waited outside for Roland, Alex turned to Yugi and said,

"Thanks for your help back there."

Yugi smiled a bit and replied, "I should have gotten to you sooner. When I realized how long you were gone, I was worried that something had happened. If I had just left-"

Alex interrupted, "Yugi, don't blame yourself. It's my fault more than anything. I-I wanted to trust, but yeah."

Mokuba observed the conversation between Alex and Yugi although he chose not to comment. Soon after, Roland arrived in the limo and opened the door for Alex and Mokuba. As they turned to say goodbye to Yugi, Yugi said,

"Get some rest, Alex, and if your shoulder gets worse, go to the hospital, ok?"

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok. But I'm sure it's only a bruise and it won't get worse."

She and Mokuba then said bye to Yugi and as they were in the limo, heading back to the mansion, Mokuba looked worried and asked,

"Alex, what happened?"

Alex smiled a bit and replied, "Don't worry about it. I was just careless. It rarely happens, but I promise it's nothing serious. I'll get some rest and put an ice pack for my shoulder. It'll heal before you know it."

Mokuba frowned and replied, "I'm not a kid. If someone hurt you that badly, I should know."

Alex sighed and replied, "It's really nothing. Please, I don't want to talk about it."

As Alex was looking upset, Mokuba nodded, heeding to Alex's wish. Soon, they arrived back at the mansion, and after Alex and Mokuba got out of the limo and entered the mansion, Mokuba instructed one of the maids to bring an ice pack for Alex. He then turned to Alex and said,

"You should rest, and one of the maids will get an ice pack for your shoulder. Seto will want you to take it easy."

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok. Thanks, Mokuba."

She smiled and then headed upstairs towards her and Kaiba's room, intending to rest in bed and try to forget about what happened.

A little later, one of the maids brought an ice pack for Alex and gently placed it on Alex's injured shoulder. She took a look and commented,

"It looks pretty bad, miss. Are you sure you would rather not go to the hospital?"

Alex smiled and replied, "I'm tougher than I look. I'll be fine, but if it really get worse, I'll say something."

The maid nodded and left the room shortly after. As she walked downstairs, Mokuba confronted her to ask how Alex was. She told him what happened and what she had observed in regards to Alex's shoulder. Mokuba couldn't help frowning but thanked the maid. He then took out his phone and after making a call, he waited for the receiver to pick up. Mokuba then said,

"Hey, Seto? If you're almost done with work, you should come to the mansion. Something happened to Alex, but she's being stubborn. She won't talk to me."

Alex closed her eyes, letting herself relax and trying to forget about what happened even though the pain in her shoulder reminded her otherwise. With her left hand, she reached out to touch the pets, hoping that their presence would comfort her. Although she tried to push what happened with Max out of her head, it bothered her more than she wanted to admit, and a tear trailed down her right cheek. It was then that she heard someone call out to her,

"What happened?"

Immediately, Alex opened her eyes and saw Kaiba standing in the doorway. Surprised, she replied, "You're back early."

Kaiba replied, "Mokuba called me. He was worried about you."

Alex smiled a bit and replied, "I'm fine. It's nothing. You didn't have to leave work early for me."

Kaiba frowned and approached Alex until he was sitting beside her. He looked at her injured shoulder and commented,

"That doesn't look like nothing. Now tell me what happened."

Alex sighed, knowing that there was no point in refusing to mention the incident with Max. She knew that Kaiba would eventually find out, so she went on to explain how Max had grabbed her and then the conversation they had, which resulted in Max shoving her shoulder onto a wall. She then concluded,

"But it's my fault for not being more on guard, so-"

Angrily, Kaiba replied, "What are you saying? He had no right. I don't care if he's your friend. I'll kill him."

Alex replied, "Please, Seto. It looks worse than it really is, and Max snapped out of it once he realized what happened. I don't think he meant to hurt me, and Yugi came to my rescue before it got any worse."

Kaiba replied, "It never should have gone that far. What if it had been something worse? Do you understand how I would have felt?"

Alex sadly replied, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I wanted to give Max the benefit of the doubt, and I had to keep up with the amnesia act."

Kaiba replied, "I should have him eliminated. Then he'll no longer be a threat."

Alex looked a bit alarmed and replied, "Please, don't do that. Seriously, if you go down that route, the higher ups at the agency will know, and they'll immediately peg you as a high level threat. I'll just have to take more measures to protect myself from now on."

Kaiba looked like he wanted to protest more, but for Alex's sake, he backed down and replied,

"Ok. But do not let your guard down, and try not to be in a situation like that again."

Alex nodded and tearing up a bit, she replied, "I'm sorry. I know it's my fault that I made myself vulnerable and-"

She stopped speaking, as Kaiba suddenly hugged her around her waist. He was careful to avoid touching her right shoulder, though. He gently replied,

"That isn't what I meant. I'm not blaming you. It's entirely his fault for taking advantage of the situation. I know you'll be more careful from now on."

He kissed her cheek and then added, "I should have been with you. This wouldn't have happened if we'd been together."

Alex shook her head and replied, "You have a company to run. I get it. I think we should all stop placing blame on ourselves. What's done is done, and all we can do is move forward."

Kaiba nodded and then he took a careful look at Alex's injury. He asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? It looks bad."

Alex smiled and replied, "It looks worse than it really is, and I can move it. I'm a tough girl, and I've gotten much worse injuries on other missions."

Kaiba smiled a bit and replied, "You are strong. I have no doubts about that, but if it gets worse, tell me immediately. I'll spare no expense and get you the best care."

Alex gave Kaiba a soft, gentle look and replied, "I know."

Kaiba then said, "I'll have dinner brought up here for us, and we can have Mokuba join us. Also, we will have our date tomorrow, so look forward to it."

Alex blushed, smiled, and replied, "I will."

Kaiba held Alex in his arms, and the two of them enjoyed some moments of peace and quiet. Alex felt herself relax and be comforted, letting Kaiba's presence warm and soothe her mind and body.