Chapter 10

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Over the next month nothing out of the ordinary happened, other than a few small hiccups with the duel disk technology and Sakura ripping into him for going behind her back and plotting with Steph. He was off the hook soon enough, but it didn't help that he couldn't remove the smirk from his lips the entire time. His intercom buzzed to life as his Sunday secretary called for him.

"Sir, there's a young girl here to see you without an appointment." He grumbled before replying. He wished his weekend secretary was as professional as Sakura was.

"I don't have time for fans." He snapped into the box. He began writing something down when the intercom buzzed to life again.

"I'm sorry si-" The woman was cut off by a voice in the background.

"You wish I was a fan. Let me up." Stephs voice replaced the secretary's while she apologized over and over.

"Come right up." He said with a sigh. It took her a while to ride the elevators up, but she finally gave a knock on his door and opened it a moment after. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked sarcastically. He knew she was Sakura's best friend, but it didn't mean he had to trust her right away.

"Sakura's birthday is in two days. I want to have a party for her. I've been talking to her friends, and you were the last on the list."

"The last?"

"Do you know how hard it is to get your phone number? Freakin impossible." He smirked, Of course it was.

"Has she done anything with his room yet?" Steph looked at him funny.

"No... I don't think she knows what to do with it."

"I'm pretty sure he'd want her be happy in it." He said pensively. Steph nodded. Jiro was all about chasing happiness. "What makes her happy?"

"Music and drawing." Steph said with a shrug. "Oh, and scrap booking. She's good at that... actually... pretty much any craft."

"I have an idea. But I'll need your help."

"Hey, it's ten past. Time to pack it up." Sakura said into the intercom.

"Five more minutes." He called back, but she heard a click and let herself into his office. He was at his desk, but completely packed and ready. She looked at him expectantly, but his attention was drawn to his phone. The thing buzzed in his hand and he finally glanced up. "Lets go." He said and punched in his code on his elevator.

"You ok? You've been quiet."

"I'm tired."

"... You're also hiding something." She observed. He mentally cursed himself for letting her read him so well. Too well. She just... understood him. It was uncommon, no, almost unheard of, for someone, anyone to get him the way she did. She was the kind of person he could probably spend the rest of his life with... wait... where did that come from?

"Yes, I'm a spy. I'm leaving for Iraq tomorrow to take out Al Qaeda." She snorted and he glanced down at her.

"No offense, but a pretty boy like you?" She laughed and he glared at her.

"What if I really was a spy?" She laughed again.

"You're too busy to be a spy."

"I... Concede that point." They made their way to the parking lot where Kaiba had his flashy little sports car that Sakura loved so much.

"Finally." They heard someone say, and both turned. Steph leaned against her own car and looked at the two with a smirk. "Come on, I'm stealing you." She said moving to Sakura and taking her by the arm. Sakura glanced up at Kaiba while being dragged away and shrugged. "Let's go. You're having a pre-birthday sleep over." Sakura paused.

"You know I don't like sleeping in places that are not my own bed." She said disapprovingly.

"So sorry, you don't get a choice." Sakura gave one final look at Kaiba before being dragged into her white Camry. He smirked as the second part of his plan worked out and climbed into his car. There was only one part left.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked as she watched the buildings pass outside her window.

"Where tomtom tells us to go." Steph said, earning a glare from her friend.

"This isn't the way... or any way to my house." Steph just ignored her, humming a slight tune, but Sakura didn't need to ask anymore questions. Their car pulled into one of the most famous estates there was. "What are you doing?" Sakura glared accusingly at her and she giggled. She parked as if she knew exactly where to go. The little brats plotted behind her back again. "You are in so much trouble."

"I am trouble." Steph got out and walked up to the front door, leading a grumpy Sakura to the mansion. It was huge. She didn't expect anything less. It had an old feel to it, giving it even more of an ominous, intimidating allure. They knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. A butler came forth and ushered them inside, where it took on more of a modern appeal. The butler led them into a room off to the side, where once inside, everyone jumped out in classic fashion and yelled 'surprise!'

"You guys are so dead." Sakura said with a grin. She didn't want a party or to put out the people she cared about, but she couldn't help but smile at their efforts. She gave hugs all around until she got to Kaiba. "You, mister, are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Maybe you are a spy." She laughed and he smiled down at her.

"If I told you the truth, I'd have to kill you." He said before she was taken away by a few of her friends to open gifts. She grumbled through the entire process, but was unable to hide her happiness very well. After the cake, the night wound down with a movie. Steph spent the first half cuddled with Sakura but before long her boyfriend stole her away, leaving Sakura alone on that couch. Kaiba moved to sit next to her and leaned in.

"You're having a great time." He whispered to her.

"I didn't realize." She said, trying to put away her smile, but failing. He chuckled, moving his arm around her. She looked up at him, but he just sat there, smile on his face and eyes glued to the movie. He was really something. She scooted closer, nuzzling into the crook of his arm and turned her eyes towards the television screen as he had done, now unable to see his smile widen.

After the movie, it was getting late. People began to filter out and Kaiba watched as she bid farewell to her friends.

"You ready?" Steph said, hanging onto her boyfriend and looking between him and Sakura. Kaiba stepped up before she could answer.

"I'll take her home." He said, making her look up at him confusedly.

"But I'm on the way..." She said glancing at Steph. She shrugged and looked up at her boyfriend with a smile and kissed his cheek. "Ew... On the other hand, I wont have to sit through that..." Steph stuck out her tongue but tossed Kaiba a wink. She knew how to get under Sakura's skin.

He drove her home in his Dodge Challenger, one of the American cars he owned. He selected it for the spacious interior, giving her plenty of room to store her things. Also, because she had pointed it out the last time she had seen it. After accompanying her to her door, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small decorative box.

"One last thing." He said, clearing his throat and holding up the box to her. She looked between him and the box disapprovingly, but accepted it. She peeled off the wrapping and cracked the box open, but paused, looking inside confusedly.

"A key?" She said, picking up the skeleton key.

"I figured a skeleton key would suit you more, as Steph had been so kind to inform me of your... dungeons and dragons games." He said, looking at her as if she was a child. She gave him a playful glare but smiled. "But that's not really the gift. I like useful things, and this definitely has a use." He said. That excited her. She loved the feeling of a skeleton key, but even more, turning one. She didn't care what it was she was opening, it was just something about using one that made her revert to a five year old on the inside.

He followed her inside, then started down the back hall, pausing halfway there and turning to meet her gaze. He took on a more serious look and addressed her.

"When... When I first met Jiro... He made a wish for you. He wanted you to be happy. To smile always. I wanted to give you that. This gift... It's not just from me. It's from him as well." He said, backing towards Jiro's old room. The doorknob had been changed and Sakura could see it was an old fashioned lock. She moved forward and placed the key inside, turning it slowly and glancing up at Kaiba before entering.

With a nod from him, she walked into the room and immediately froze. Her hand made it's way up to her mouth and she looked around the room breathlessly. Her fingers trembled as she brushed them across the new desks lining the room.

It had been completely transformed. Sleek steel desks and tables were placed along the walls with organizers and drawers built in and on top, filled with different materials. On the long desk just across from the door there were a few organizers on top, filled with high quality paper, ink and paints. In the drawers were pencils, charcoal, pastels, chalks, markers and pens, all of the highest quality. Next to the desk was a large cabinet filled with fabrics and spools of thread.

Along the back wall there was a smaller table with a sewing machine built in. She ran her fingers across the smooth metal body of it and moved to the next table. It had a paper cutter on it along with two organizers filled with card stock of every design and color. In the small drawers under the table she found empty photo books and specialized edging scissors, double sided tape, and pattern punches.

Kaiba moved to the closet and opened it, ushering her towards it to look inside. Canvases of every size and shape stood neatly next to two large easels and one desk easel.

"He hinted that you were happiest when you made art, and I agree with him. I've seen how it makes you smile. I've heard you humming while sketching. Which reminds me." She looked at him incredulously and watched as he reached into a drawer and pulled out a remote. He aimed it at a panel by the door that she had overlooked and hit a button. The panel flipped over, showing off a neat tablet computer. "I've put my library of music into it. Speakers are wired throughout the room, and even if you don't like my music, it has the ability to surf the web and go on sites like pandora and youtube." He said, handing her the remote. She took it and placed it on the closest desk to her.

After a few moments of standing still and not saying anything, he began to wonder if he had made the right move. She turned to face him, an uncertain look on her face. Her hands were still shaking and she looked ready to cry. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by her hugging him.

"This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done. I... I don't know what to say." He smiled and put his arms around her. He loved making her happy. It was intoxicating. He wondered for a moment if it was normal, but tossed aside the thought, deciding that he didn't care anymore. "You're a lot better at this 'friend' thing than you let on." She said pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I had help."

Over the next few days he noticed Sakura was in unusually high spirits. He was glad to see it too. It was about time that girl had some joy in her life. She had been one of the hardest workers and most devoted people he had ever known, and he was pleased with himself for helping her find some happiness.

The doors to Kaiba Corp. would be closing soon and not long after he would be driving her home. He had no more appointments for the rest of the week and his disk technology was finally done. Things were looking up. If he was a superstitious man, he would assume his luck was about to run out soon. After all, nothing good lasts this long, right? Suddenly his intercom buzzed into life, but the voice he heard was not the one he expected.

"And you're going to get him to let us in, got it?" A man asked angrily.

"I cant just ask him to let in a bunch of random men, he'll tell me to get lost." Sakura's voice responded. He flipped open his laptop and accessed the security cameras. What he saw made his blood run cold. Three men stood over Sakura. She had her hands splayed across the keyboard, holding down the specific keys required to override the intercom while one of the men waved a gun in her face. She was alerting him on purpose.

He immediately hit the silent alarm under his desk and readied himself for her next move.

"You will find a way to get him to unlock that door, or I swear I'll just shoot you then shoot my way in. Now do it." The man said, holding the gun against her cheek as he spoke and making Kaiba tense. She released the keyboard, slowly moving towards the real intercom, and pressed the button.

"Sir, I need to get in your office for the... Battle City financial files." She said a little shakily.

"Fine." He replied, hitting the button that unlocked the door. He watched as the men grabbed Sakura, holding the gun to her back as she was forced to lead them through the door. The men entered Kaiba's office using Sakura as a shield. Kaiba rose as they moved in and closed the door and locked it behind them.

"I'm sorry..." Sakura looked at him with shame in her eyes but he knew it wasn't her fault. The man holding her tossed her aside, landing her on a small couch.

"What do we do with her?" The one with a gun asked.

"Just shoot her. We don't need her anymore." Sakura's eyes widened as the gun was raised and aimed at her.

"No!" Kaiba jumped up, stopping them. "Injure her and you get nothing." He said through gritted teeth.

"Hah, I see how it is." One of the unarmed ones said, moving forward, glancing between both Sakura and Kaiba.

"What do you want?" Kaiba demanded. The men looked over him in amusement.

"Ten signed blank checks from at least three different banks." They said, now pointing the gun at him. He glared at them as he unlocked a draw and reached in. He pulled out three checkbooks and signed a number of each.

"Don't give them anything!" Sakura shouted, earning a hard blow to the head.

"Don't touch her!" He yelled, watching her fall and hold her head. The men were about to grab the checks when the doors to his office began to rattle. They all turned to the door and could hear the shouting of the security guards just outside when Kaiba hit the button to unlock the door. The men turned back to Kaiba, but not in time. He had already closed the distance between them and grabbed for the gun, pointing it away from Sakura.

The weapon fired once, making Sakura cry out and, but Kaiba still had it away from her. He punched the man holding it across the face hard, and the man stumbled backwards, dropping the thing. The security guards had already entered and grabbed them, removing the threats from the situation. Kaiba dropped the gun and turned to Sakura, helping her up and pulling her against him.

His left arm circled her, squeezing her close to him. She grabbed hold of the lapels of his coat and hugged him back, still shaking. She looked down, away from him, but something caught her eye. His right arm dangled lifelessly at his side.

"Your arm..." She said, her eyes finally finding the bullet wound. He glanced down at it and sighed.

"I'll live." He lifted his good arm, guiding her face to his. "I could have lost you." He said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. His lips closed in around hers, making her gasp into his mouth, but soon enough, she fell into the kiss, unable, no, unwilling to pull herself back.

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Read, Review, Enjoy~Love!