So for those who might have missed my comment, I put this story on hiatus initially because of work. However, once that slowed down, then I found out about my grandmother passing away, so that took a toll on me as well. It took longer than I anticipated to get back to this, but for now, it should be back to weekly postings. ^^

Chapter 45

"Yuma!"

Astral looked horrified as he witnessed the scene before him. A hooded man with a beautiful white-haired woman beside him had taken out Shark and Kite, and now Yuma was barely hanging on. Despite Astral's help, the hooded man clearly had the upper hand in this duel.

The man smirked and said, "As I said, you're no match for me, little boy. For your sake, I'll make this quick."

After he drew his card, he made his move and attacked, reducing Yuma's life points to zero. As the man was about to use his powers to capture Yuma, he nodded to the woman. Understanding, the woman tried to move towards Astral.

Suddenly, though, a brown-haired woman in ancient Greek clothes, who took on a spiritual form, appeared at the scene. However, only Astral and Yuma could see her. They both looked surprised upon seeing the mysterious figure, but before either of them could react, the woman looked at Astral and said,

"You can't do anything now. But we can fix this. Come with me."

Astral replied, "But I can't leave Yuma."

Yuma replied, "Go, Astral. I'll be ok. Just come back for me."

Meanwhile, the hooded man and the white-haired woman realized that something was off, and the woman exclaimed,

"Oh no, you don't."

The brown-haired woman looked worriedly at Astral and said, "Hurry. I promise we'll go back for them. I have a plan."

The white-haired woman almost reached Astral when Astral, deciding to trust the brown-haired woman, quickly grabbed her hand, and the two of them vanished from the scene.

Realizing that Astral was gone, the white-haired woman screamed, "Damn it!"

Alex woke up, feeling startled. She'd had that dream or vision for quite a few days now although she didn't know what to make of it. A few days had passed since Alex confronted Max. Despite hoping that things would quiet down, instead, Alex started having those dreams/visions, which ended up with her stressed and worried.

Alex sat up in bed and turned towards where Kaiba was. Kaiba, already dressed even though it was for work, looked at her with concern and asked,

"Bad dream again?"

Alex nodded and replied, "Yeah. I keep having the same one, and I don't know what to make of it. It probably means something although I'm sure you'd just tell me not to put too much thought into such things."

Kaiba smiled a bit and replied, "You know me well. I don't know what to make of it, either, but even I can see how tired and stressed you've been. So we need a change of scene."

Alex tilted her head and replied, "What do you mean? Does this have to do with the reason you're not dressed for school?"

Kaiba smirked and replied, "Exactly. Just get ready and put on some casual clothes. Mokuba will explain. I have to go to work early, but I'll join you as soon as I can."

Even though Alex wondered what Kaiba was up to, she simply nodded and replied, "Ok. But be careful."

Kaiba replied, "Of course."

He gave Alex a quick kiss and after grabbing his briefcase, he left the room, soon leaving the mansion to head to Kaiba Corp.

Alex got out of bed, and after taking a quick shower and such, she got dressed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a lavender sweater. She then tied up her hair in a ponytail and once she looked presentable, she went downstairs to the dining room, where Mokuba was already seated. Alex smiled at him and said,

"Morning, Mokuba."

Mokuba smiled back and replied, "Morning, Alex."

Alex took a seat at the table, and then one of the maids brought out breakfast for both her and Mokuba. Once the two of them were alone, Alex said,

"I don't want to beat around the bush, so I'll just ask. What's going on with Seto? He said you would explain."

Mokuba replied, "Big bro said that he was worried about you, so he wants to do something special."

Alex replied, "Is that why neither of us are going to school today? I see that you're in more casual clothes, too."

Mokuba nodded and replied, "That's right. I won't keep you in the dark, so I'll just say it. Seto mentioned that you won tickets for that weekend ski getaway, so he thought now would be the perfect time to use them. He pulled some strings so that I'd be able to go, too."

Alex couldn't help smiling and commented, "He knew I'd feel bad if we left you behind."

Mokuba grinned and replied, "Big bro must know you well. But yeah, that's right. So after we finish breakfast, we need to pack our things. But make sure to bring a couple of really nice dresses."

Alex raised an eyebrow and asked, "Any particular reason?"

Mokuba gave Alex a look and replied, "Have you not realized what today is?"

Alex replied, "Uh, it's February 14th…"

Alex realized what was going on and blushing deeply, she said,

"Don't tell me that Seto has this huge romantic thing planned?"

Mokuba smiled knowingly and replied, "Maybe, but I'm not allowed to give away any details."

Alex shook her head and replied, "That's sweet, but you know, February 14th wasn't originally meant to be a romantic day. It was named because of that whole massacre-"

Mokuba interrupted, "Alex, stop. I know you're a genius, but let Seto spoil you. He wants to."

Alex smiled and replied, "Alright. Well, I guess this explains why we aren't going to school and why Seto left for work instead."

Mokuba replied, "That's right, and I'm looking forward to some skiing."

Alex replied, "That will be fun, and it has been a while since I last snowboarded."

Mokuba looked surprised and replied, "You know how to snowboard?"

Alex nodded and replied, "Yeah. As I said, it has been a while, but I still remember. I can even teach you, if you want."

Mokuba nodded happily, and then the two of them continued to talk, looking forward to the trip.

"Yugi, you know where Alex is?"

Joey looked at Yugi as he addressed his question, and the others were with him, including Max. Yugi nodded and replied,

"She's with Kaiba. From what I was told, they won't be in school today. Another work-related thing, but I won't need to drop by Kaiba Crop."

Joey looked disappointed and replied, "Awww man, again? And I wanted to give her this."

He had a small gift-wrapped package in his hands. Even though Valentine's Day meant that girls would give the guys gifts (mainly, in the form of chocolates), Joey wanted to give Alex something, in the hopes that maybe she would be open to starting things up again.

Tristan replied, "Just as well. I think it's too soon to pursue things with Alex again."

Joey nodded but kept quiet.

Meanwhile, Max leaned in so that Yugi would only hear, and he asked,

"Joey still doesn't know?"

Yugi shook his head and quietly replied, "That's right."

Max looked confused and replied, "But then why haven't they said anything to him?"

Yugi replied, "Joey's my friend, but he isn't the best at taking bad news well. I know they want to say things openly, but only when Alex is no longer in danger."

Max nodded and replied, "I can understand that. I don't like that Kaiba won Alex over, but it's not my place to interfere."

Yugi smiled and replied, "I'm sorry."

Max shook his head and replied, "It's ok. She's still my friend, so I'll help her out, even if that ends up benefiting Kaiba."

Yugi replied, "I know Kaiba rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but he can be a good person. I think Alex has brought that out of him."

Max smiled a bit and replied, "It doesn't surprise me. Alex is amazing like that."

Tea approached the two of them, not having heard their conversation, and she said,

"Hey, guys. We're all going to be hanging out after school and having dinner at the usual pizza place. How about it?"

Yugi nodded happily and replied, "Sure, I'm up for that."

Max grinned and replied, "Same here. I don't have any plans."

For the remaining few minutes before morning classes started, Yugi and the others were engaged in conversation. Max was doing his best to ignore the looks from the majority of female students who wanted to give him gifts, while there were some female students who lamented that they wanted to give their gifts to Kaiba but couldn't.

Alex and Mokuba arrived at the ski resort, Roland having driven them there. As they got out of the car, Alex looked amazed at how beautiful the place was and commented,

"This is wonderful. We're definitely going to have a fun weekend."

She then realized that there were only staff and some security from Kaiba Corp., so that meant that there weren't any other guests. She looked questioningly at Mokuba and asked,

"Mokuba, where are the other guests?"

Mokuba replied, "Do you really have to ask that? This is Seto we're talking about."

Alex sighed and replied, "Don't tell me he paid off the owner, so we'd have to place to ourselves?"

Mokuba replied, "I think that is too much, but you know how big bro can be."

Alex replied, "For better or worse. Oh well. At least, we won't get disturbed?"

Mokuba laughed and replied, "True. We should go inside and find our rooms, so we can settle in."

Alex nodded in agreement, and the two of them and Roland entered the lobby of the ski resort. Then after figuring out where their rooms were, they went upstairs to get settled.

Several hours later, Alex and Mokuba had just finished exploring the ski resort. After they got settled into their rooms and had a quick lunch, Mokuba thought it would be a good idea to see what was available, and Alex agreed. Although they wanted to go skiing and such as well, they both thought it would be better to wait until Kaiba arrived so that they could all have fun together.

As Alex and Mokuba chatted happily, an employee of the ski resort approached Roland, whispering instructions to him. Roland nodded and after the employee left, he turned to Alex and said,

"Ms. Alex, I've just been told that Mr. Kaiba has arrived. He requests you to join him in the restaurant when you're ready. I'm to accompany you."

Alex nodded and replied, "Thanks, Mr. Roland."

She then turned to Mokuba and said, "Is this why you told me to pack a couple of dresses?"

Mokuba grinned and replied, "It is Valentine's Day, and it's supposed to be romantic."

Alex smiled and replied, "I guess, but I didn't think he'd do something like this. It seems unlike him."

Mokuba whispered, "We know how much Seto loves you, so he wants to make sure that you know."

Alex blushed deeply and replied, "I'm reminded every day."

She then continued, "Ok, I guess I should get ready, but what about you?"

Mokuba replied, "I'll return to my room and find something to do."

Roland added, "After I take you to Mr. Kaiba, I'll have dinner with Mr. Mokuba."

Alex nodded, glad that Mokuba wouldn't be left alone.

The group then went upstairs and separated into the rooms, which were right next to each other. After Alex entered her room, she noticed a couple of additional suitcases, quickly recognizing them as belonging to Kaiba. She couldn't help smiling and then after fetching a white dress, she went to get ready.

About 10 minutes later, Alex was ready, having put on her dress along with a touch of make up and her usual accessories. She wore a pair of low-heeled white shoes to complement the look and once she was done, she left the room. Alex noticed Roland waiting, and Roland commented,

"You look wonderful, Ms. Alex."

Alex smiled and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Roland. I hope that Seto will like it."

Roland commented, "Mr. Kaiba will like anything you wear, but I think he'll be especially pleased. If you're ready, I'll take you to him."

Alex nodded, and she followed Roland as they walked down the hallway and then went downstairs, heading towards the restaurant. Once they were at the entrance, Roland turned to Alex and said,

"You can go on in. I'll keep Mr. Mokuba company."

Alex smiled and replied, "Thanks, Mr. Roland."

After Roland left, Alex took a deep breath and then entered the restaurant. It was dimly lit although most of the tables and chairs had been put to the sides. She noticed a small circular table with a couple of candles lit in the center of the room, so Alex walked towards it. As she got closer, Alex wondered where Kaiba was when she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. There was a very familiar warmth and as a hot breath tickled her right ear, Alex could hear that person say,

"You look beautiful as always."

Alex couldn't help smiling shyly and she slowly turned around until she was looking directly into a pair of lovely blue eyes. She wrapped her arms around Kaiba's neck and replied,

"You look handsome, but I'm sure you're already aware."

Kaiba was dressed in a black tux, and chuckling, he replied, "I am, but I enjoy listening to your compliments."

He took out a single red rose and handing it to Alex, he said, "For you. I would have gotten you a huge bouquet of roses, but I figured you'd already be overwhelmed as it is."

Alex laughed and replied, "You're right. You really do know me well. Thank you."

She briefly smelled the rose and then added, "I'm surprised you had all this planned, but I'm happy."

Kaiba nodded and as he led her to the table, the two of them got seated. He then replied, "I had been planning this for a while now."

Alex replied, "How long?"

Kaiba smirked and replied, "The details aren't important, but I think we both needed this."

Alex nodded and replied, "True, but you know, you tend to use your authority quite a lot."

Kaiba replied, "What do you mean?"

Alex replied, "Getting us excused from school, reserving this place just for us for the weekend. I mean, I wouldn't have minded being around other people."

Kaiba shook his head and replied, "You only deserve the best, and I want to make this a romantic weekend and a fun one, too."

Alex smiled and replied, "I'm glad that Mokuba's with us, so we'll definitely have fun. But just so you know, Valentine's Day originally came from-"

Kaiba interrupted, "Yes, I'm aware, but I'll spoil you all I want and not just for today. But if it really gets to be too much, you can always tell me."

Alex nodded and replied, "I know. I'm happy you've done all this."

Kaiba smiled and replied, "Good, and before we continue, I just want to say that you are not to think about work or time agency things. That's an order from your boss."

Alex laughed and replied, "Ok. I'll put them aside for now."

Although Alex was inwardly worried about the info that she had received from Cas from that USB as well as figuring out the secret to her bracelet and such, she agreed with Kaiba. She would put those worries aside for now.

Kaiba then waved for a waiter and requested that dinner be brought. The waiter nodded and soon returned with hot steaming dishes for the couple along with a bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses. Alex raised an eyebrow and commented,

"You know that I'm technically only 16, right? I shouldn't be allowed to drink."

Kaiba replied, "This coming from the woman who's broken rules. But this is a special occasion, so you can make an exception."

Alex replied, "I suppose, and this wouldn't be my first time drinking wine."

Before Kaiba could comment, Alex added, "Let's just say that I was trained in a variety of skills back at the agency."

Kaiba shook his head and replied, "That is a surprise although I must admit that they couldn't teach you how to dance."

Alex pouted and replied, "Believe me, they tried. Cas was hell bent on having me dance, but like I told Mokuba that time, I kept stepping on my instructors' feet. It got bad to a point that some of them had to go to the hospital. But maybe you should be grateful that I couldn't dance before you taught me."

Kaiba replied, "Why's that?"

Alex replied, "Cas wanted to send me on particular kinds of missions, but they would have required certain social norms and whatnot. But I've never been one to fit into a mold."

Kaiba laughed and replied, "I can see that. Then I'm grateful that I got to be the one to teach you."

The two of them smiled, and as they ate and drank, they would make casual, light conversation.

After the two of them finished dinner and dessert, Alex could hear a romantic piano piece from nearby. Turning towards the direction of the sound, Alex noticed a large black piano that was now dimly lit, along with someone playing on it. She was about to comment on how she had missed seeing it on her way when Kaiba got up and walked towards Alex. He extended his right hand towards her and said,

"If I may have the honor of this dance?"

Alex smiled sweetly and nodding, she took Kaiba's hand and got up from her seat. She then followed him as he led the way towards the dance floor. Then they got into the usual dance position and began to dance to the music, taking their time to enjoy the piece and each other's company. As Alex gazed into Kaiba's eyes, she said,

"I never thought I'd ever spend any Valentine's Day like this."

Kaiba replied, "I'm surprised you weren't taken before we met, but I think it was meant to be."

Alex replied, "I thought you didn't believe in fate and all that."

Kaiba replied, "I don't, but it wasn't just fate for us. I wanted to get to know you and could only hope that you'd open your heart to me in time."

Alex smiled and replied, "I don't know how you did it. I just hope that I'm worth it."

Kaiba replied, "You are, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

He then leaned in to give Alex a passionate kiss, which she happily returned. The couple then continued to dance, spending quite a bit of the night enjoying each other's company.

As it was getting close to midnight, Kaiba noticed that Alex was starting to get sleepy, so he said, "We should go to our room. I'll make sure you sleep well tonight, so we can have a lot of fun tomorrow."

Alex nodded happily and replied, "I'd like that, and I want to spend some time outside tomorrow. I told Mokuba I'd teach him to snowboard, after all."

Kaiba replied, "Isn't that dangerous?"

Alex replied, "If you don't know what you're doing. But I'm not planning on teaching him any advanced moves. Just the basic stuff."

Kaiba nodded, and after holding onto Alex's arm, he escorted her out of the restaurant and then upstairs. The two of them walked down the hallway until they got right outside the door to their room. Kaiba then asked Alex to wait for a minute, and he knocked on the door to Mokuba's room. After the door opened and Kaiba was assured that Mokuba was fine, he returned to Alex's side and said,

"I just wanted to check on Mokuba."

Alex smiled and replied, "I understand. It's good that Mr. Roland looks after him."

The two of them then entered their room and got ready for bed.

After they both washed up and changed into comfortable sleepwear, Kaiba held Alex in his arms and said,

"I love you, Alex, and I'll remind you always."

Alex smiled and replied, "And I love you forever, Seto."

The two of them kissed, and then they cuddled, soon falling asleep.