Hey, looks like I'm updating this story again! How about that. Ha.

I felt like writing more of this and actually wrote one big long chapter, then split it up into two. This one and the next. So, enjoy, I suppose! And there's more to come this time, actually. :)


I took a seat of course, because Kaiba had told me to. He was sitting back in his chair, a relaxed position, but his eyes were dark and brooding. You could almost see his mind racing out of control behind those eyes, focused but restless. However a few seconds later, he sat up straight. Something more than a change of posture had just occurred. It was like...like he had settled the storm inside his head and decided it was once again time for business.

Then he spoke, "We've only met briefly in the past. Unfortunately, I'm just going to have to assume that you'll have the sense to cooperate with my plans for this company. I don't know exactly how intelligent you are, though at this point I'm just shooting for little more than brainless. What we're going to be doing here is really rather important..."

Oh... Fuck you, Seto Kaiba. I had forgotten how goddamn insulting you are. I thought I had already proven my intellect to him. But yeah, not at all.

I said that to him. "I would have thought you'd have some measure of my intelligence by now. I mean, why promote me otherwise?"

"Your promotion is a matter of circumstance and nothing more. You were the best option open to me." That smirk was coming back. But I was having none of it.

"You said earlier that 'age is no bar to professional success.' When you were defending me in front of Rathbone," I semi-sternly reminded him.

He chuckled darkly, which I realize seems like an oxymoron, but there really isn't any other way to describe it. "I was referring to my own achievements, Miss Minor." He then sighed. "But yes, Rathbone did not want you to have control of the department. Surely you noticed that?" He raised his eyebrows, though his long bangs obscured most of the movement.

I shuffled nervously in my chair. I saw him take notice of that, too. "Yes, that's the impression that I got."

"So, uh... What exactly is going on here?"

He looked down his nose at me. "That's not really for you to know yet." Then he stood up and walked over to the windows that lined his office walls.

"I have ideas that can change the face of this company. Ideas that can change the world." He paused. "But it's been difficult, to say the least. I need people in my company who understand why this needs to be done. People who can see…why I do what I do."

His voice was full of passion, and though I could only see the back of his head, I had a picture of his face in my mind: eyes clear and hard, looking directly into the sun as it rose.

He sat back down and hunched over. "I can only hope that you'll be one of those people." He paused again and took a deep breath.

"Come back later, I guess. Right now, I have work to do." He waved me out of his office, rather rudely.

I walked over to the door and opened it, then turned around. "Thanks again for the promotion, Mr. Kaiba. Even if it was your only option."

Kaiba looked up at me for a second, then shifted his focus back to the stacks of paper on his desk. I thought for a second I had glimpsed some hope in those deep blue eyes.

"You really need to leave now."

Oh. Yeah, just kidding.


He went back to work as soon as he heard the latch of his office door click shut. But his thoughts kept getting interrupted by quick flashes of her, among other things.

She was an odd little thing, that Natalie Minor. Clearly terrified of him at times, but not afraid to tell him off if she was trying to save her own hide. Probably talented enough to make a decent department director. It was funny, the way he felt when he was around her. All the little things she did were just so interesting… Her difficulty with keeping her composure being the most amusing of them. Her nervous tics were another; she had crossed and uncrossed her legs at least five times during their conversation. That was something he would need to fix; he felt an inexplicable need for her to feel comfortable around him.

He shook his head. Focus…

Kaiba leaned his elbows on his desk, put his fingers to his temple and pushed, hard. It didn't usually take this much for him to concentrate on work. But things had been different lately. Running this company had become more strenuous than ever, and the stress was finally taking its toll…

He pushed harder, driving all other thoughts out of his brain, and went back to work.


It was the end of the day, and I was trying to stuff all of my papers into my tiny briefcase, but to no avail. They wouldn't fit. I should ask Kaiba where he got his fancy, shiny one. Ha. Though, he does carry a shitload of files around in that thing.

As I pondered my predicament, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was Ayumi, my neighbor down the hall and, I suppose, my closest friend here in Domino. I took the call.

"Hey. What's goin' on?"

"Not a whole lot, Nat! Just calling to see if you were up for going out tonight?" Ayumi was pretty big on partying and such.

I was in a pretty decent mood. All in all, work hadn't been too stressful today. And going out with Ayumi was always fun; she knew the best bars in town. "Yeah sure, why not?"

"Yay!" she squealed. "Alright, so tonight there's this party someone from work's throwing at their apartment. She asked me to come, sort of forced me into it a little bit, but I think it'll be fun!"

That sounded good. If there's one thing I hadn't done enough of while here in Japan, it was meet people. Outside of work.

"Oh, and dress hot! Because judging by some of the guys that stop by work to see her, she's got some sexy friends..." She trailed off and giggled at the end of her sentence. Ayumi did that a lot. She actually worked at one of the main news stations in Domino as a weathergirl. That was part of what made going out with her fun I think, seeing all the people who recognize her off the news when she's totally wasted.

I just smiled and sighed. "Ayumi, you know I've got Tom."

She laughed. "I know, I know. You can still be my wingwoman though! Help me score somebody good tonight, puhlease!" She paused, and then tittered again. "Okay, that sounded really desperate. There we go, I need you to keep me from coming off desperate!"

"Yeah don't worry, I'll come. Sounds like fun. What time are we gonna go?"

"I'm thinking we'll head over at like nine, so don't worry about working late or anything, 'kay?"

"'Kay. Meet you at yours at nine."

Just as I hung up, the door to my office swung open. In the doorway stood Seto Kaiba, that briefcase in hand. Of course he didn't knock.

"Uh, hi Mr. Kaiba," I said as he glanced at his watch. "To what do I owe the… Well, why are you here?"

He folded his arms. "It's six o'clock. We have business to discuss, and I'm rather hungry. Grab your coat and briefcase."

What a boss. He sure knew how to make you feel like you're being ordered around. "Right, okay." I walked around to the other side of my desk and pushed down on my briefcase with all my weight. Of course the little fucker still wouldn't close. Stop embarrassing me! I shouted, in my head. At my briefcase.

I turned back around, and Kaiba was standing right there, holding my coat, which he had grabbed off the rack, in one hand. "Here you are. May I…?"

"What?" I asked, nervous for a second. Without waiting for a real answer, he outstretched his other hand, and somehow (magic, surely) snapped my briefcase shut.

I shrugged my coat onto my shoulders and followed him out the door. As we headed towards the elevators, I couldn't help but ask, "Kaiba, where exactly are we going?"

"To dinner," he stated plainly.

He turned and stopped on the spot, waiting, as always it seemed, for me to catch up.