Aliana looked at the plate of food on the table in front of her, she picked up her fork and poked through her food.

"You don't like it?" Lance asked, her date for that night.

"No, it's not like that, I'm just not that hungry" She replied softly.

"Oh well, how about we go somewhere else?" He asked, she shook her head.

"It's alright, I'm not really up to anything" Ali explained, lance nodded several times.

"Well how about we play a game?" Lance asked pushing his chair closer to the table.

Ali looked at him before asking, "A game? What kind of game?"

"A question game, to get to know each other" Lance suggested, smiling his teeth at Ali. She smiled and nodded.

"Ok, well first question" Lance took a minute to think of it, "You don't want to be here do you?" He asked.

Shock took over Ali as she looked into his hazel eyes, wishing that she could see Seto's eyes instead.

Her job pushed her back in reality when she knew she had to lie, She smiled and replied, "Well if I didn't want to be here I wouldn't be"

Lance smiled his teeth at her again, making butterflies appear in Ali's stomach. She shook the confusion from her mind and asked her question, "Why did you want to go out with me tonight?"

Lance was taken by surprise by Aliana's question, but thought for a moment before answering, " I really don't know, I think I just needed a girl who doesn't try to be something she's not"

Ali smiled.

' I guess that was the correct answer' She thought with a smile bearing her teeth.

"So do you have a boyfriend?" Lance asked her, her throat became clogged.

It was part of the job to be available, but she couldn't lie like that, could she? She never thought she had to tell them. She thought it was obvious. But he must be looking to be more than friends with her.

"Um, right now, no" She answered gulping.

"Really?" He sounded interested, he thought for a moment before leaning over the table to cup her chin, "Then you must be really popular with the men" he replied. Caressing her lips with his thumb.

She pulled her face away from his grasp, "No not really, most guys don't even notice me," She sighed out.

"No way, you're kidding, a cute little package like you" Lance laughed cockily.

"No I'm not kidding, I'm totally serious, and it's only recently when people started realizing I was alive" Ali replied grimly.

"That can't be true, why only recently?" Lance asked like he didn't know.

"Please don't act like your dumb, the only reason people notice me is because I went on a date with Seto Kaiba" Ali said coldly.

"No, I didn't know that, Aliana. You don't think I'm here because you went out with Seto Kaiba, I'm here because I want you," He answered.

"How could you possibly want me, you don't even know me" Ali replied with a frown.

"That's why we were playing that game, I wanted to get to know you," He explained.

"I'm sorry, it's just that, every since that day, I've been so popular, its only because people found out I survived a night with Seto Kaiba," She sighed out.

"Well how about we stop talking about Seto Kaiba, because that's not why I wanted to go out with you" Lance explained.

"You know lance, you're the first person I've gone out with who hasn't been a total dick" Ali told him, Lance smiled at her, his hazel eyes looking into her sky blue eyes.

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you" He replied in a sexy voice.

' I don't want to give up this, not this job. I have fun, and I get the right amount of money, $250 dollars a date, and when I don't have a date, I get that weekly, why should I give up that because Seto doesn't want me dating other men, it's not even officially a date. I think' Ali thought to herself walking into her apartment.

Lance had kissing her cheek good night and asked if he could see her again, have another date with her.

She couldn't quit now, she was happy. Once in her life, the job she had was making her happy, and she met Seto through the dating service, so it can't be that bad.

Ali pressed her messages.

" 2 messages received" The thing spoke.

"Wow fluffy, I'm soo popular, I haven't been home for what? 8 hours, and only 2 messages" Aliana sighed and opened her fridge.

"Message one"
"Hey Aliana, if you get this then I guess you're back from you're date, well how'd it go, give me details. And don't be a bitch and not call him back if you got his number, well ring me, Bella" Ali sighed and looked down on her arm, his number written on it.

"How does Bella always know?" She asked Fluffy, she meowed and jumped onto the counter.

"I guess your right, she's a physic" Ali nodded.

"Message 2"
"Hey, it's Edmund, I did come to the door, but I guess you're either not there, or not talking to me, and by the looks of you not answering. That's a sure thing, I hope you can forgive me; I don't want you to hate me. No matter what, we're still friends, well. I'll talk to you later-"

"Edmund" Ali sighed, sitting on the couch with bottled water, "I should talk to him shouldn't I, it has been a week since the incident" Ali said looking at Fluffy who hissed at her, "Hey, I'm not going soft, he's just been my friend for so long, who cares if he's in…. love with…me." Ali gulped, remembering when her friends confessed his feelings for her.

Fluffy meowed as she saw Ali's eyes start to swell up with tears, "I rejected him, he should hate me, but he doesn't. He should be furious; it should be me ringing him. Not him ringing me, this isn't right. He's…I mean…. he deserves better, much better" Ali admitted letting tears stream down her face.

Fluffy meowed, pushing up against Ali's leg, "I'm sorry fluffy" Ali smiled faintly as she wiped her tears away.

Fluffy meowed once more jumping onto Ali's lap, "What? How can that cheer me up?" Ali asked, her cat nudged up against Ali's neck and Aliana sighed, "I guess you're right, I have to do it"

Fluffy jumped off Ali's lap and pressed on the remote, the television turned on and Ali sighed as she got up, "T.V hog" She said bluntly.

Ali brushed her hair down with her hands and wiped away the dry tears she had missed, " Ok, I'm ready" She opened her apartment door and turned back, "I'll be back soon, so don't get comfy on that couch, I will be stealing the remote back" Ali explained, her cat meowed annoyed and changed the channel.

"Yeah, well, Meow back to you" Ali teased closing the door.

She walked across the hall to Edmunds room and gulped.

'I can do this' She thought to herself. She calmed herself down and sighed deeply, 'But I have to'

She knocked on the door once when she felt like her heart had stopped beating, she heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and it slowly opened to see Edmund with his jet black hair wet and with dark jeans and a navy long sleeved shirt on, his facial expression turned shocked.

"Hey" She squeaked out, he looked at her for moment before pulling her into an embrace, her heart stopped beating for a moment as she felt his warm touch caress her cold body.

"I thought you hated me, please don't go away again," He pleaded holding her tight, silent tears streamed down her face, she tried her best not to let any go on his shirt.

She hiccupped before she spoke, "I never left"

His expression went blank for a moment before he left a tear shed. "I'm sorry I did that, I didn't mean to be that harsh, just watching you with another man, it hurts me, and to think. You're quitting you're job for him, and what is he doing for you?" He asked to himself.

Ali looked up at him shocked, "huh?"

"Well look how many things you've sacrificed, you're privacy, you're sacrificing you're job. How will you survive, no, how will fluffy and you survive without you're job? You won't be able to find another job instantly, these things take time, and you have to pay for rent, with what? You'll lose your apartment because he doesn't want you to have you're job, you're sacrificing so much to be with him, but he hasn't sacrificed anything for you" Edmund explained, reality kicked in with Ali and she was scared.

Where will she live without rent money, what will happen to fluffy, she can't possible live with Bella, because Bella is now with Brody, and she can't live with Seto because they can't exactly take that big of a step.

What had Seto sacrificed? Nothing.

Aliana had stopped hanging out with her friends because she was with Seto most of the time, and she couldn't quit her job, not now, she had to think of Fluffy, of her home. She couldn't quit, even if it meant not being with Seto.

"He…has sacrificed…nothing," She stuttered out, breathing heavily.

"Do you really think he would quit his job if you said you didn't like all the late hours?" He asked her, he could see that reality was hurting her. She was happy anymore, but confused and hurt.

"No" She sobbed out, tears swelling in her eyes, "His work is too important"

"Yes, so why should you quit?" He asked another question.

"I shouldn't," She whimpered.

"Ali, I'm not making you do anything, but-" Edmund couldn't say another word; Ali had pushed him off and was running downstairs.

She ignored Edmund when he was calling her name; she ran outside and got into the taxi parked on the other side of the road.

She wiped away the tears streaming down her face as she knocked on the door, sobbing.

The door opened to reveal a Butler.

"Oh, hi" She sobbed, "Is, Mr. Kaiba there?" She asked wiping away the tears that were escaping her eyes.

"Oh yes, in his study, up those stairs and second on the right" he said showing her with his hands movements. She nodded and walked slowly up the stairs, trying to stop the tears. She goes to the door and wiped away the dry tears.

'I can do this, its easy, he'll understand' She knocked on the do, 'and if he doesn't, well then, I'm doomed'

"Come in" She heard him yell through the door.

Ali walked in to see him sitting at his desk, it took him a moment before looking up and seeing Ali standing there with red eyes, "Hi" She said softly.

"Have you been crying?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as he starred at her.

She waited for a moment before nodding and replying, "Yeah, I have been"

Seto gave a soft sigh and stood up. "What's the matter?" he asked her, sounding only half concerned.

She stood there and look up at him with tearful eyes, "I'm going to lose my apartment, I won't be able to keep Fluffy, I'll have to go live with my parents again" She explained,

A shocked look crossed his face for a split second before it because focused and serious.

She hiccupped before continuing" And they'll make me get rid of Fluffy, and then, stop seeing Bella. And, I won't be able to do anything anymore, because I'll be their baby again. I don't- the reason why I got out of there, was so I didn't have to be there baby".

"Wait, who are 'they'?" He asked, she looked at him like it was obvious.

"My family, my father, mother, aunties. They dress me up and make me look like a fool, I can't do that. I can't go back. I won't go back, nothing in the world will make me go back, I won't be their puppet anymore; I won't get rid of Fluffy. I won't," She said shaking her head numerous times in the sentence

"Then don't. What's stopping you from taking your cat and telling them to shove their idea's and visualizations up their asses?" Seto asked, determined to know what's wrong with Ali.

She looked in his eyes and waited for a moment, not sure to say her answer, She finally got the confidence and gulped out, "You"

"How am I stopping you?" Seto asked.

Ali moved back an inch and her gaze shifted to the floor carpet, "You're not stopping me, you're making me" She explained, "I- I can't quit my job" She added softly

"WHAT" he yelled. "Why not?"

Ali cringed from his voice, but looked at him with frightened eyes, "Because I can't live without a job" She answered just above a whisper.

"Then find another job, it's not that hard to do," he said through gritted teeth.

"Would you quit you're job if I asked you to?" She asked bluntly.

"Please think about what your saying. It's taken me years to take it over, why would I just give it up?" Seto asked her.

"What if I said I hated the fact that you were always at work? You went there early and came back late, what if I said I hated that? And I wanted you to quit, because I wouldn't be with you if you didn't" She said in a loud voice.

"Then just say so. If I wanted to have a day off then I am entitled to it, I am the CEO. I can have a day off when ever I wanted to, I just choose to work" Seto explained.

"Because, then you would still be working, you wouldn't quit for me, and I'm not going to quit for you," She explained to him.

"I understand where your coming from but my job doesn't involved dating a whole bunch of women. If it did, would you like it if I kept that job?" Seto asked.

Ali ran her hands through her hair, "But that's not what's going on here, it's me. It's about me, I'm the one with the job, and I can't just quit because my boyfriend wants me to, I can't lose everything I ever worked for, because you can't bare seeing me with other guys!" She argued in an angry tone.

"AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? Are you saying that I shouldn't care what you do? That I should just sit back and say, 'Have a nice date?' What if one of the guys isn't what they seem to be? What if they rape you? You're going on those dates looking as though you're single, not as though you're already with someone" He yelled at Ali.

Ali blew a circuit, "FINE, you know what, FINE. I'll live on the streets, I'll get rid of Fluffy, I'll even stop being friends with Edmund, is that want you want. If that makes you happy, THEN I'LL DO IT" She screamed at him.

"QUITTING YOUR JOB DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING. IF LIVING YOUR LIFE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITHOUT HAVING A JOB FREAKS YOU OUT SO MUCH THEN I'LL GIVE YOU A JOB AT KAIBA CORP" He yelled back.

"WHAT ARE YOU SACRIFICING IN THIS RELATIONSHIP?" She screamed at him, her hands clenched.

"What?" He asked Ali.

She closed her eyes for a moment breathing until opening them and answering with a shaky voice, "What… are you sacrificing… in this relationship?"

"My reputation for starters" He explained.

Ali looked at him shocked, "Is that right? So if you were caught with me, it'll be bad publicity?" She asked coldly.

"Look, I have a big reputation to live up to. If people start thinking that I've gone soft then they won't take me seriously which could lead to some downfall in business deals" Seto explained.

"No!" She took a step closer to him "You look here, I lost the privacy of my home because of you, I neglected my friends feelings because I liked you instead, and now, I have to quit the job that took so long to look for, the job that made me and you meet each other, the job that made me find Bella, my best friend, and the job that I can easily get money from doing nothing." She told him with a bit of force behind her voice, "So please don't make me quit my job" She added in a soft voice.

"You don't want to get rid of your job because it's easy and you don't have to do anything?" Seto asked, raising his eyebrow at her.

Shock overcame her and she freaked, "No! I mean. Yes. But-" She took a deep breath and looked at him, "I can't do it, I can't quit the job I've been doing for so long" She replied.

"So your afraid of change then?" He asked.

Ali took a moment before closing her eyes; "I don't want to quit my job when you've done nothing for this relationship. I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO RUIN YOUR REPUTATION FOR ME" Aliana raised her voice at Seto.

"YOU STILL DON'T GET IT. HOW IS IT FAIR THAT YOU WANT TO OUT WITH ME BUT YOUR STILL HAPPY TO PRANCE AROUND WITH OTHER GUYS" He yelled at her.

"I DO NOT PRNACE AROUND WITH OTHER GUYS, ALL I DO IS MEET WITH EAT, EAT WITH THEM, AND LEAVE. It's not officially a date if you think about it" Ali screamed at him, but lowered her voice for the last sentence.

"BUT YOUR STILL WORKING FOR A DATING SERVICE" Seto yelled. Obviosly angry at Ali having a second thought about this.

"SO WHAT?" She screamed at him, anger rose in her system, she couldn't take this, "IF I HAVE TO QUIT MY JOB, THEN I THINK YOU SHOULD QUIT YOURS"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE DONE TO GET THIS FAR? I'VE WORKED TOO HARD AND TOO LONG TO JUST THROW IT AWAY FOR SOME GIRL"

A circuit blew in Ali's mind, "SOME GIRL, AM I JUST SOME GIRL TO YOU?" She moved closer to him so they were about a meter away from each other, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I'VE SACRIFICED JUST TO BE WITH YOU, AND NOW. ALL YOU CAN ADDRESS ME BY IS 'SOME GIRL'. YO- YOU'RE OVERPROTECTIVE, SPOILT, AND YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF. SO DON'T THINK FOR A SECOND I'M THINKING ABOUT QUITING MY JOB FOR YOU" She screamed her lungs out at him,

"AND DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I'VE SACRAFICED JUST TO GET WHERE I AM? ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT I'VE DONE TOO MUCH TO GIVE IT UP BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU'VE GIVEN UP SOOO MUCH TO BE HERE" Seto yelled, not even caring as he saw tears stream down her cheeks.

Ali cringed at his voice, hurting inside. She wiping away the tears escaping from her eyes, "Why are you being like this? Why do you care so much about making me quit my job, it's my choice, not yours" She whispered out.

"Because" Seto mumbled out, Ali moved closer so that they were about foot apart.

"Because is not an answer" She murmured.

Seto clenched his fists. He knew exactly why he wanted her to quit but he was determined not to admit it.

Ali grabbed onto his arm softly and rested her head on his chest, "Please Seto, I can't understand why you're getting so upset if you won't tell me"

She waited patiently for her to tell her what's wrong. Ali was about to give up when Seto finally managed to say something.

"If you keep going out on this dates with other men, then what's the proof that you're mine?" He asked, looking back at her.

"I…don't know," She answered.

Silence took over for a while, before Ali broke it.

"Seto?" She looked up at him, "If I was a bird, would you let me free? Or would you keep me in that cage, because you wanted me?" She asked him.

"What?" he asked her in shock.

"You liked this bird, and… you knew if you opened the cage, it would fly away. Would you let it? Or would you keep it crammed in that cage? Because you wouldn't bare if it didn't come back," She explained.

Seto stared at her for a while before pushing her away from him and turning around.

"Seto! Please don't turn your back on me," She pleaded walking closer to him, ignoring that fact that he pushed her away.

"Don't you get it? I'm letting you go" Seto said with gritted teeth.

Ali looked at him shocked.

'It can't be true? Is he really letting me go? This is what I wanted right? So why am I hurting so much?' Ali asked in her mind, tears building up behind her eyes.