Chapter 11

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"This... Isn't exactly a friend acti-" She tried, breaking from the kiss only to be silenced by another. She brought her hands up and around his neck. She just felt right up against him. He knew this was where she belonged. With him. In his arms. It was just... right.

"Um... Sir..." Kaiba pulled back and turned to the security guard that addressed him. Both he and Sakura straightened themselves. Sakura looked away, a blush apparent on her face while Kaiba stood tall and professional.

"Everything has been recorded. The intercom records every message automatically, and when I hit the silent alarm, it triggers the security cameras, audio and video. I'll send someone to collect them now." He informed them. The rest of the night was spent giving written and spoken accounts of what exactly took place in the building. Afterward they were taken to the hospital where Sakura was examined and released with a mild concussion and Kaiba got his arm stitched and bandaged up.

"Thank you..." She said quietly. They were finally free and he had driven her home and escorted her inside.

"For what?" He glanced down at her and she smiled, but didn't look up.

"You... you saved me." She shuffled her feet beneath her.

"Actually, you saved us." He finally coaxed her into looking at him. "If you hadn't thought to use the intercom bug, I wouldn't have been able to alert security in time."

"But you were still hurt." She said, eyes wandering over his arm. He lifted her chin forcing her to face him.

"You're still alive. That's what matters." he leaned into her again, brushing his lips against hers. She pulled back and looked at him for a moment, confusing him in the process.

"What... are we?" He continued to look at her, speechless. "Are we friends? A boss and his employee? What?"

"I... I was hoping for something a bit more." There. He said it. He put it all on the line. He waited the few endless seconds for her response in an internal struggle.

"More... like..." She started, trailing off.

"Sakura, you understand me. You can read me like a book and I've never met someone like yo-"

"Ok." She cut his rambling off. She had never seen him stumble over his words like that before. He wasn't used to asking girls out, that much was obvious. She smiled up at him and he pulled her against him. He flashed her the most brilliant smile she had ever seen before kissing her deeply. He pulled away, brushing his fingers across her cheek gently. "Wait!" she called out, stopping him from putting on his coat. "Can... can you stay... a little longer?" She asked, feeling vulnerable.

He looked at her with concern and offered a sympathetic smile. She was still shaken from the events earlier that day, and he wanted to be with her, to comfort her. He just hoped he could. He walked her over to the couch and she curled up, snuggling against him. He stayed with her, sitting silently next to her until she fell asleep. Smiling down at her, he lifted her gently. His injured arm stung, but he wanted to continue. He moved her to her own bed, placing her carefully down and kissing her forehead as he tucked her in. He glanced back once more before shutting her door and locking up her home.

Ever since the attempted blackmail, theft and attack, Kaiba reinforced his security measures in Kaiba Corp. It gave Sakura a little peace of mind and made him feel more secure knowing there was more being done to prevent what happened last time from happening again. While at work they remained professional and civil, but once work was over, he made sure to take her everywhere with him. Partially because he wanted to spend time with her, and partially because he wanted to make sure nothing happened to her.

Now that they were open with their relationship the media was all over them. He was afraid one of his enemies, or possibly just a thief would do something to her. Mokuba had been kidnapped a few times and threatened, so he was used to feeling on edge. He just couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her because of him. Again.

The few months left at Domino high were a breeze. Kaiba graduated valedictorian and Sakura salutatorian, giving them the top two spots in their class. Kaiba held a small party at his mansion for her and her friends, and afterward took her out and got her a gift. He wanted to spoil her. Everything he did now had her in mind. He actually found himself a little unmotivated towards his tournament, but after his encounter with that woman...

A visiting specialist on Egyptian studies in the Domino Museum had contacted him, informing him of a few rare and powerful cards. The God cards. She also spewed some crap about past lives and destiny, but he didn't really pay attention to it. He was interested in the power of the god cards. With them he could defeat Yugi, reclaim his champion status and put his childhood... behind him.

He would have preferred Sakura to join him in the details of the tournament, but all she wanted to help with was the locational planning and financial filing. It was a little depressing that she didn't share all of his passions, but she did what she could. He couldn't ask for more.

One of the projects she was actually interested in helping him with was the virtual reality game. They were able to make the landscapes first and the vendors and peasants were next to come. He put in some of the plot devices and was ready to run a test drive.

"Make sure everything runs smoothly. Keep track of the plot line coding and I'll report graphical issues as I encounter them." He said to Sakura, then turned to Mokuba. "Monitor my vitals." His little brother was happy to help. They buckled him into the pod and turned the machine on. Once inside they watched as he tested the functions of his gaming abilities.

He looked around at the landscape Sakura created and smiled. It looked, felt and even smelled real. He shook his head and got back to the functionality of the game. The first thing he wanted to do was summon and behold his favorite creature, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He pulled the card from his virtual deck and held it up, summoning the magnificent beast before him. But something was wrong. Sakura watched as the lines of code didn't match with those she had seen programmed in before.

She watched on the monitor as a dragon capture jar was put into play, removing the blue eyes from the field.

"What's happening?" Mokuba asked, watching as another creature approached. Suddenly Kaiba disappeared from the screen completely. "Big brother!" Mokuba stood as the doors to the observation room opened. Two men entered, eyes set on Sakura and Mokuba.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sakura demanded, but realized who they were. Two of the top five executives of Kaiba Corp. The five that plotted with Pegasus to abduct Mokuba. Kaiba was supposed to fire them, so why were they there?... unless they were about to get their hands dirty a second time. "Mokuba get out of here!" Sakura screamed, turning to the boy.

"No, get over here!" One of the men said, reaching for him. Sakura ran to block them and successfully knocked them off path, but they took her with them to the ground. She looked up in time to see Mokuba run off. She rose and locked the door, entering in the highest code security she could. He men threw her aside and tried their own codes, but they had already been removed from the system. They slammed their fists and cursed, but turned back to her.

"You're going to pay for that." They said, lifting her and blindfolding her. They dragged her through the back door and out a different exit, unable to follow Mokuba through the exit he had left through. She felt herself being placed in a car, driving somewhere and being pulled into a building. Once inside, she was bound to an uncomfortable chair, her hands and feet duct taped to the arms and legs of the seat. There, they left her. She knew hours had passed since they locked her away, but couldn't tell how many.

"What is Kaiba's over ride pass code?" One asked.

"I don't know." She said honestly.

"You're Kaiba's personal secretary, you should know all of the high level codes." She did know them, but she wouldn't give them anything.

"Do you really think he'd trust anyone that much? I may be his secretary, but he's had many. I wasn't the first and I wont be the last."

"But you're also his girlfriend."

"Now I am, but when I'm of no use to him, he'll move on. He's done it before and he'll do it again. What do you think would happen if he told every girlfriend of every little thing about him? Half the supermodels of the world would know his secrets." She said, making them glance between themselves. "He's not that stupid."

"So you're into him for the money?" Another thought out loud, shifting in his seat. She didn't like where this was going but decided to continue.

"You kidnap and blackmail, I prefer an easier method. If you hadn't noticed, he gives me everything I look at." She huffed, trying to look more upset than scared. The men looked amongst themselves again. She couldn't quite see their faces, as the lighting was poor, but she hoped they were considering letting her go.

"We wish we could believe you. You could have made a wonderful ally. You're quick witted. Good with words." Sakura did not like where this was going one bit. The man paced around her as he spoke, circling and getting closer with every pass. "You're smart and diligent, but most of all... Loyal." He slammed his hands on the arms of the chair she was seated in, hovering over her menacingly.

"You could have been such a wonderful asset. You still can. Tell us the over ride codes. We'll give you a cut. If you really want the money, you'll take our offer. Kaiba is gone, no matter what. Your free ticket is up. You can take one last cut. Will you?"

"He never gave me access to them." She said, trying to sound defeated. She didn't know where they would go next with the interrogation, but she wanted out as soon as possible.

"Then... You have no use to us." The five rose and moved out of the room, leaving her there to wonder if she had made a mistake.

Kaiba woke from the pod, upset that Yugi had to come and save him again, but even more furious with the five and their goons. He moved to the extra pod chamber for his little brother. He passed Mai and Joey on the way in, ignoring them and nodding to Yugi who was behind them.

"Big brother!" He cried, jumping up into his arms.

"Are you alright Mokuba?" The boy looked as if he was about to cry.

"Now that you're free we need to save Sakura!" Kaiba froze, as did Yugi, Joey and Mai.

"What about Sakura?" Joey asked from behind. The question had been right at the tip of Kaiba's tongue, but he was unable to form the words.

"She sacrificed herself to get me out! They took her. I don't know where she is." Mokuba said sadly. Kaiba rose, his muscles tense and face stern. If the five were controlling their counterparts in the virtual reality, then they were somewhere in the building. He knew what he needed to do.

He grabbed his briefcase from the observation room Sakura had been taken from and moved to the parking lot. Mokuba, Yugi, Joey and Mai followed the enraged CEO and watched him type something into the parking console. The gates on every entrance began to close and they heard a motor in the distance. A car was racing down from the top of the parking garage, trying desperately to beat the gates.

"The gates wont hold them!" Joey yelled, but Kaiba was too busy. He reached in his briefcase and pulled out a checkbook. "What the hell are ya doing? I don't think they're gonna stop for money." Kaiba would have glared at the boy if he had time. He ripped the book out of it's leather case and as the car passed them to ram through the wooden cross gate, he slapped the thing onto the back of the car. The glue from the back of the book instantly stuck to the car's body as they sped off. "What the hell was that?"

"That was my fake checkbook. It has a tracking device inside in case I get mugged." Yugi, Joey and Mai all looked at him in amazement. "This isn't over. Now we have to follow the signal." He said, climbing into a car of his own. "Mokuba, I need you in my office as my navigator." The boy nodded and ran towards the building as The rest of the group climbed into the car. They got out of the parking lot, turning the same direction they saw the big five's car go just in time for Mokuba's voice to ring out in the car.

" Third left, then first right. Sashimoto Ave, then Futori." Kaiba slammed on the gas, speeding off while following Mokuba's directions. He followed them to a decent house in a normal neighborhood. He stepped out of the vehicle, noting the car in the driveway as the one he had slapped his checkbook on. Where he had attached the checks, was a big pink burst of paint. On the ground, the book laid utterly useless, but it had gotten the job done. A trail of pink paint lead to the back of the house.

"What... is that?" Joey asked, looking at the paint as Kaiba walked on.

"Ink pack. It explodes when someone touches the book after I trigger it." He said calmly, finally reaching a bulkhead door. He turned back to the rest of them and sighed. They weren't exactly the crew he'd choose to fight off his enemies, but time was short and he had to work with what he had. "Ready?" He asked, hoping they wouldn't do something to jeopardize anything. They nodded quietly and he took a deep breath. The doors to the bulkhead flew open easily and he charged down the stairs, followed by the rest of the gang.

There he saw them. Three of them immediately ran up the stairs to go farther into the house while two were caught lifting a bound and blindfolded girl. Kaiba rushed forward, his fist connecting with the first man's jaw and grabbing Sakura's arm. Joey charged the other one, giving Kaiba the chance to rip the blindfold off of her and to tear away the duct tape on her wrists. Once she saw him and was able, she pulled him into a tight hug. He patted her back, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Not yet." He kicked the man he had recently hit across the face, knocking him out cold, and moved up the stairs. He chased them outside, but was too late. The cops had already got them. Kaiba smirked as he realized Mokuba had called them, giving them the final location of the checkbook, and giving him proper backup. He turned back and saw Mai helping Sakura peel the rest of the duct tape off of her ankles and Yugi and Joey holding down the last of the big five.

Their reign was over. Now, he would never have to deal with them again.

"Are all your tests this... exciting?" Sakura asked, stepping forward. "Because if so, I think I'm going to demand some hazard pay." She smiled while leaning up to him and he pulled her into a kiss.

"Whatever you want."

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Another section of plot down. I finally got to use the checkbook thing. I've had it in my head that he would be crafty like that. Though, I've always had the scene as 'Kaiba's pulled into an allyway where he cant fight off his attackers. They demand his money/wallet/checkbook and he "complies". Gives them fake checkbook, they run off, and ten seconds later, in the middle of the crowd the checkbook explodes in a pink burst of marker paint like the kind banks use on a stack of bills' I've been waiting a year to use this in a story. He is a genius after all, he can think on his feet. He's like a younger cuter and richer Macgyver! Anywho, woot another chappie up.

I've been thinking of doing a Yu Gi Oh/Pokemon fic... to pay homage to my childhood. Another story I've been wanting to do for like...10 years. It uses the pokemon universe, not necessarily the plot, and the yu gi oh charactors. Is it worth putting up? Will anyone read it? Let me know! Obviously it's a SetoXSerenity fic. as that's my favorite duo, so I was thinking Adventure/Romance? What do you all think?

Read, Review, Enjoy~Love!