First of all, my heart-felt thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter—know that it was your kind words and encouragement that has kept this fic alive. You, wonderful people, are truly the bestest~.

Also, my eternal gratitude goes to: Tru Mel Meiko Mei Ling and Candyworld for believing in me, for reminding me the awesomeness that is "KaiYami" and Pride and I why I love it so~!

Thank you all so very much and enjoy the chapter…

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

O-o-O-o-O

The roar of the Blue-Eyes jet subsided as it landed on top of the KaibaCorp building in Tokyo. It was early in the morning and the sun was still making its slow ascent into the clear sky, suffusing the new day with its brilliance.

With a hiss, the hatch of the jet slid open and the imposing figure of the company's CEO appeared. Alighting with grace and agility, he made his way towards the two figures standing near the exit, one male and the other female.

Kaiba's eyes settled on the slender form of the Vice President. The younger Kaiba with his hands in his pocket was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, a wide grin plastered across his impish face. At eighteen, Mokuba had nearly caught up with Kaiba in height; half a head shorter than his older sibling, he was wiry in built having shed the plumpness of his childhood. His unruly trademark ebony mane had been cut down to shoulder length and modishly fashioned, giving the youth a trendy and yet a stylish look; the CEO met it with approval.

"Nii-sama!" exclaimed Mokuba with boisterous excitement when Kaiba neared them. "What an awesome surprise! Kaneko-san informed me just a few hours ago that you were coming!"

Kaiba cast a critical eye over the speaker's attire. Dressed smartly in a grey suit complemented with a light pink dress shirt, the combination would have been acceptable to the head of KaibaCorp had it not been for that tie—a bright yellow tie!

Kaiba narrowed his eyes with displeasure.

"Kaneko, how may times do I have to tell you not to pick clothes for Mokuba!" the CEO growled, turning his glare to the question's addressee.

"And nice to see you too, Kaiba!" retorted the female, folding her arms across her chest in an all too familiar stance. "At least he's wearing a suit! Do you how hard to get him to dress semi-decent?" The roll of the eyes was added for dramatic effect.

Kaiba continued to glower at the woman who was the personal assistant to himself and Mokuba at the Tokyo branch. Employed when she was straight out of university, her performance at the interview was very impressive. Three years on, her commitment to KaibaCorp could have rivalled the CEO himself. Her passion and flair for business was remarkable, her loyalty unfailing. It was one of the reasons why he was comfortable with leaving the Tokyo office under her supervision. If Kaiba was a severe taskmaster, Kaneko wasn't too far behind her employer—she was practically a slave driver! Staff at the office thanked the heavens for the kinder Kaiba junior. Similar to the situation at KaibaCorp in Domino City with the "Tyrant" and the "Hero", the two superiors: "Tengu"* and "Chibi" were either feared or worshipped.

"The tie goes!" insisted the stubborn man, commencing to walk away and compelling the others to follow.

Kaneko grunted indignantly.

"So, Nii-sama, what do we owe the pleasure of your sudden visit?" the teen asked curiously, falling in step with his brother's strides.

Kaiba tensed at the question but remained stubbornly quiet. The younger immediately noticed the change in his brother's demeanour and frowned. Deciding it was best not to pursue the subject in front of their companion, he let the matter drop. He suspected the reason—indications in the other's body language had visibly betrayed him. If it had been about business, his brother would never have hesitated to discuss it in front of Kaneko. It meant whatever bothered Kaiba was something personal.

So not is all well with Yami, Mokuba thought grimly. It certainly must be bad if he fled all the way to Tokyo with little warning. It wasn't like his brother to behave this way and the youth was tempted to call Yami to ask the reason. He knew the latter would be more forthcoming with the information than his reserved sibling. However, that is not to say, if the opportunity arose he wouldn't very well try and ask. He would have to wait patiently for his chance.

With a resigned sigh and gloomy thoughts, Mokuba followed the others into the building.

O-o-O-o-O

Sitting alone in his office, Kaiba stared out of the window.

Dusk was falling in Tokyo. The bright lights of the bustling city as it readied to embrace the night, shimmered beneath him. The view was different than the one in Domino City. KaibaCorp Tokyo was the second tallest building in the city, the view presented from the top floor of his office was stunning and captivating…yet he could not appreciate the beauty.

Closing his eyes, he massaged the area between them.

Not wanting to go home with Mokuba, he remained at the office under the pretence of having some paperwork to look through. He could not face the latter's forced cheerfulness nor his questioning gaze. He had been tolerating it all day and he was, now, at the end of his tethers. The kid knew something was amiss and no doubt he was waiting for the right moment to broach the subject. Kaiba did not want to give him the opening just yet. He wasn't ready to talk about it.

Admittedly, he was tired. When was the last time he slept?

Thinking back, it was the night that he and Yami had quarrelled, when they had sulkily turned their backs towards one another and slept that way. It was bizarre how the situation had resulted with the present predicament. Over five and a half years they had known each other—seven months of it was spent intimately together. During those months he felt contented and satisfied, he thought he needed nothing else; he was truly happy.

A sharp pain stabbed him in the chest and he involuntarily clenched his hands tightly into a ball, biting down on his lips.

Yami, he thought bitterly as he recalled he person who had hurt him like no other could. The pain in his chest began to spread, consuming him with its ferocity.

After leaving Yami's office, he made his way to the mansion, to fetch some documents from his study. Once he retrieved the relevant items, his mind unintentionally propelled his legs towards the direction of his bedroom, not stopping until he reached the door. Hesitating on the threshold with his hand on the door handle, he dithered on whether he should go in or not…his mind, however, had other ideas; it impelled him to turn the lever.

Upon entering he looked around the room, unconsciously committing every little detail to memory. It was a foolish and meaningless exercise, reason told him. Did he not ask Yami to remove all traces of his existence from his home? So why was he greedily registering everything into his mind knowing his photographic memory could recall anything at will?

Wandering to the bed, he sat on Yami's side; he had to suppress the urge to glide a hand along the bed sheets. He was beset with confusion. It didn't make any sense at all—why was his body rebelling against his anger? Even as he questioned himself, hands drifted to the nightstand where Yami kept his small personal possessions and accessories. Fingers traced the smooth wooden surface before it strayed to the handle; grasping it with finger and thumb, he jerked the drawer open.

The small box of condoms rattled noisily as it slid forward inside the compartment and it immediately drew Kaiba's attention like a metal to magnet. Staring at it, Kaiba was unable to tear his gaze away, the pull it emitted was too strong and before he could stop himself, his hand stretched out and picked it up.

Tendrils of longing shot up his limb and curled around his heart…

What the—

He quickly dropped the packet back into the drawer, his hand felt scalded from where it made contact.

Slamming the drawer shut he turned to walk away. Unfortunately, he did not get very far. Taking a few steps forward he abruptly stopped then turning around he reluctantly retraced his steps to the nightstand.

Opening the drawer once more, he stood staring at the object that persistently pulled him to it; part of him was lured to the item whilst the other part insisted he should have nothing to do with it. After much struggle, the former part won; he cautiously recovered the offending item and opened it. Pulling one out, he hastily placed it in his pocket before closing the lid and neatly depositing it back into the corner of the drawer.

Fearful he was going to behave more pathetic than he already had, he retrieved his files, smoothed down the bedcovers to rid any evidence of his presence and swiftly left the room.

Reflecting back to the incident, he questioned his actions. Weren't he the one who had terminated the relationship? Weren't he the one who had viciously assaulted his lover in the most brutal and humiliating way possible?

So what the fuck was he doing? Did he take the condom as a keepsake, a memento of something that belonged to Yami? Or did he take it as a painful reminder to himself, a warning of what would happen should he repeat the same mistake and allow someone to get close to him again? If he was honest to himself, he could not figure out the reason for his action yet his mind sought to justify it—telling him it was acceptable to procure the item if he so desired it.

With a groan, Kaiba rubbed his temple; all the weighty deliberating had induced a headache and he was most put out by it.

So tired…he thought, his lips stretched across his face in a taut harsh line.

With the menacing darkness fed and satiated, it retreated back to where it came from. Without that intensity of emotion supporting him, all that was left was a hollow empty feeling. Spent, like the dying embers of a fire that blaze so fiercely only moments before, the violence, the rage and anger had burnt itself out, leaving destruction and a large void in his heart.

With a derisive snort, he thought how ironic the situation had become. He had pushed himself and Yami to the extent where forgiveness was impossible. Could it be that he did not want to be forgiven? Reconciliation would allow Yami back into his life—to give the other means to hurt him again. He could not allow such threat to happen, it would be like having daggers suspended over his heart constantly. Life had taught him to be wary of others; it was the reason for his impregnable barrier and the unapproachable exterior. But Yami had gotten through those defences and now the ex-spirit was paying the price for the folly.

Back at the club, he had not thought about the magnitude of his actions nor did he care about its aftermath. The shockwaves that rippled thereafter were of no consequence to him. Did he not hurt Yami? Left him faced down, naked, on his desk without so much as a backward glance? The petit man had cut a forlorn figure; abandoned and broken, left to pick the shattered pieces alone. To Kaiba, the repercussions concerned him not…or so he thought.

Images and thoughts about Yami would not leave him; feelings for the petit man still plagued him, there was something about the Game King that tugged on his consciousness and reverberated through his being. Search as he might for a stopgap to fill the emptiness, the results yielded nothing. The deep dark chasm yawned infinitely now that Yami was no longer there to fill it.

It was lonely.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he resisted the urge to fish into the pocket of his jacket; but just like before, his hand moved on its accord, inching its way towards the opening until he was about to slip his fingers in…

A loud rap on the door disrupted the action. Kaiba frowned at the interruption yet at the same time, was relieved for it. Without waiting for an answer, the person rudely bursts into the room.

"Still here? Good, let's go!"

Kaiba spun his chair around and faced the intruder. Glaring at the presumptuous woman, he coldly replied, "Like hell I am! Who the fuck do think you are ordering, Kaneko?"

With a shrug of her slender shoulders, his assistant replied, "Kaiba Seto, of course! The man who, after not seeing his brother for months, decides that remaining in the office is better than going home and spending quality time with him! I know you are trying to avoid Mokuba hence the 'I-have-work-to-do' crap so why not avoid him whilst having dinner with me!"

Kaneko was very persuasive in her argument.

"Did you ever think that maybe I want to avoid you as well!" growled Kaiba, his annoyance seeping into his tone.

"Aw, you hurt my feelings, Kaiba!" said Kaneko as she slowly made her way towards the desk, her hips swaying sensuously.

Narrowing his eyes, Kaiba watched her approach him.

Kaneko Hiraki was a very beautiful woman. With long flowing hair the colour of moonlight and eyes similar to the colour of the frozen sea, it was set in a pale delicate face. Petit and fragile looking, she was the type of woman men wanted to take care of and protect; but looks were deceiving. Intelligent, sharp and witty, she was perceptive in her judgment and shrewd in business. She used her gender to her advantage—allowing the men of the corporate world to think her weak. By appealing to their sense of masculinity and flattering their ego, she wooed and bewitched them. Most could not resist, she was able to use her beauty and her feminine wiles to snare many unsuspecting businessmen. Soon her reputation preceded her and people became cautious—but it was all in vain. All but a few had immunity and were unsusceptible to her ways.

Reaching the desk, she elegantly sat down on the hard surface in front of him. Her eyes fixed on his face.

Kaiba looked at her dispassionately, "What the hell do you think you are doing?" he asked coldly.

With a mischievous grin that uncannily reminded Kaiba of someone he left in Domino City, she replied, "Waiting for you to finish off your work and then taking you out!"

"Get lost Kaneko," the CEO snapped. "I don't need your company and neither do I want it!"

"Tsk, then see it as humouring me! It's not like I am asking you out on a date or anything! Just a meal after work between colleagues—it's no more than that. Come on, don't deny me this pleasure, it's not like you come to Tokyo often that I get this opportunity and I am still waiting for you to invite me to Domino City!" Kaneko ended the sentence with a pretty pout. "I know a fantastic sushi place," she purred.

Kaiba scowled at the audacious woman before him and she met his gaze with her own unwavering stare. Without a word, Kaiba pushed his chair back and got up. He might as well go since the damn woman would not leave him in peace until she got her way. It was better to have her out in somewhere public than being alone with her in the office. She would be less outrageous in behaviour and speech.

"You're paying!" he said as he passed her.

Kaneko rose from the desk with a smirk. "Stingy bastard," she muttered under her breath as she followed him out of the office.

O-o-O-o-O

The dim lit interior of the restaurant was filled well-dressed patrons and the sound of the subtle chatter was complemented by the sound of Japanese music playing faintly in the background.

Oblivious to the envious stares of the other customers, Kaiba and Kaneko sat in the corner of the establishment talking amicably with one another. Their discussions focused on work rather than personal matters. Kaneko knew better than to pry into Kaiba's private life; aside from Mokuba, Kaiba rarely spoke of himself or anyone that was related to him. His life in Domino City remained a mystery, which even the loose-tongue Mokuba refused to divulge. It made it more intriguing for the inquisitive female.

To her, Kaiba was aloof and unattainable. Try as she might she could never get close enough to chip beneath that cold façade he always wore. It made her curious to discover the man that was behind that frigid CEO mask. The real Kaiba Seto was an enigma and the most elusive man in the whole of Japan. He fascinated her. Never had she wanted a man like she wanted him. Never could a man remain unaffected by her charms if she willed it, none…with the exception of him!

It enthralled and vexed her at the same time.

The meal had finished some time ago and they were enjoying the remaining flasks of sake that was warming in a pan of hot water. Kaiba watched Kaneko take a sip of the rice beverage. It never ceased to astound him how she was able to drink any man under the table. It was entertaining to think just how many business negotiations were completed under such instances. Even he was cautious not to consume freely in her presence in case she would do something that he will regret the next day!

In comparison, his mind drifted to a certain crimsoned-eyed individual. Kaiba inwardly snorted at Yami's low tolerance for alcohol, the latter truly sucked when it came to drinking which wasn't always a bad thing he thought fondly. How many times had Kaiba taken advantage of Yami's intoxicated state and pounded him into next week? The latter would wake up the next day nursing a "mother-of-all-hangovers" and sore ass to match it!

Yami…

Watching Kaiba intently, Kaneko noticed the change. She saw the eyes grow stormier with each passing second, the lips pursed together tightly. Even with them sitting so close to one another, she never felt him more distant. His mind was elsewhere…

A lover? she thought ruefully.

Stretching out a hand she rested her palm on his cheek. He visibly stiffened at the contact.

"Kaneko, what do you think you are doing?" he hissed, directing his glare onto her face. "Be mindful of what you do in public. Remember where you are and who you are touching!"

Ignoring his warning and refusing to remove the offending limb, she said, "Did you know, you was the reason I came to work in KaibaCorp?"

Kaiba snorted at the confession. "So it's not because I pay you well then?" he sneered, sarcasm accentuating the question, his death glare still rested on the other's face.

"Well, that too, though you work people to the bone, is unbelievably fastidious not to mention obnoxious and rude to boot!" Kaneko complained sulkily.

"You can always leave if you have problems with my attitude and the conditions I set out!" Kaiba shot back brusquely.

Kaneko puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance. "Always so cold, Seto," she protested playfully. Her lips curled in a soft smile as her thumb gently caressed the smooth pale cheek.

"There is a reason for it! It's to prevent people like you doing unnecessary things. Take my advice and remove your hand before I forcibly remove it, perhaps breaking a few fingers in the process!" cautioned her employer as he calmly reached for his cup. "I don't think you'd want me to reveal my obnoxious side in front of so many people, right?

With a sigh, Kaneko did as she was told. Removing her hand from her companion's face she began to refill her cup with sake. "Che, guarded as always! Have you let anyone into your heart, Seto?" she asked curiously. The question though uttered casually, was accompanied with a piercing gaze; it was one that studied him closely for hints to her inquiry.

Pausing with his cup raised midway; Kaiba stared back at her but did not answer.

Kaneko found the look disconcerting, it was as if he was looking straight through her or rather looking at her but not seeing her. Finding the silence unsettling, she broke it with a nervous laugh. "Well, I am truly envious of the person who was able to get pass those defences," she declared.

Knocking back the shot of alcohol, Kaiba remained silent. He didn't envy the person whom got pass his defences at all….

O-o-O-o-O

The next morning the diligent CEO was back at the office. Pleased he was able to avoid Mokuba the day before and in the morning, he was relieved that the teen was absent due to the classes he needed to attend that day. He knew he could not elude Mokuba forever, the matter of his appearance and as well as the issue concerning Yami was inevitably going to be raised. The younger had sensed that something was amiss but had tactfully kept quiet; however Kaiba knew it was only a matter of time before curiosity would force the other to begin questioning.

Not wanting to dwell upon the bleak subject and keeping himself occupied, Kaiba shifted through some paperwork from the Tokyo branch. Truth be told, Kaneko had ensured all was in order regarding KaibaCorp; nothing was passed through without her knowledge and she in turn, kept him informed. Going through the documents at record speed, he was faintly amused to see Kaneko's contribution in all of them. Some of them would have attachments stuck to them with Kaneko's notes written in her small neat hand; she recorded every little detail in her dealings. Indeed, she had become an invaluable asset to his company just as the Game King, too, had achieved the same status and had even gone beyond that…

Yami…his foolish heart whispered.

Shaking himself from those unwanted thoughts, Kaiba redoubled his efforts with the task at hand. Picking up a large folder, Kaiba read the cover. It was the project that Mokuba was working on.

Reclining back into his chair, the CEO placed the folder on his lap and began to thumb through it. He had been filled in on the outline of the project but not the details. Kaiba allowed his brother a free rein when it came to this venture; he wanted the other to be able to handle it on his own, with Kaneko's assistance, of course. Where Kaiba could offer his guidance to Mokuba, he was reluctant to interfere. This assignment of Mokuba's was his debut into the corporate world. If it succeeded, it would be a global phenomenon and if it did not, then Kaiba would be divested of some loose pocket change.

Flipping through the pages of the project, Kaiba was intrigued. The product he was introducing was good and marketable, the details were sound, thorough and impeccable; everything was in order. All it required was the publicity to launch it. Deciding to check out the advertising proposal, Kaiba pulled out a slim red glossy folder it was kept in. As his eyes attentively scanned the contents, an unwelcomed discovery hits him and his face immediately darkens.

Staring back at him was a painful reminder of someone he'd rather forget, a rude awakening to the one whose existence agitated and irked him like no other; the one person whom he despised above all others. Written in bold letters was the name of the supervisor responsible for the promoting the project…

Sakaki Ryuichi.

~TBC~

O-o-O-o-O

A/N: I know this was slow in coming, being occupied with my other work and having serious motivation issues, I hope the chapter wasn't too disappointing or lacking in any way.

As always, your thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading.

*Tengu – Demon.