Darkness engulfed her body, shimmering lights from the city below gleaming like eyes peering back at her, taunting her.
She heard Kaiba shuffling around the room, his breathing like a beacon of light for her senses to trace.
Her insides felt frozen in shock, her heart screaming for answers with every painful beat. She felt his body brush against her back, her hair swaying to his touch as if wanting to following him.
"What happened?" She croaked, aiming her voice to where she felt him to be.
"Fuses." Was his tense response as his hand dipped into his pocket, pulling out a small flashlight and illuminating the electric panel that stood before him.
"Can you fix it?" She asked, not wanting the haunting silence to reign.
"Yes." Was his only reply, his exasperation cutting off the conversation.
Silver understood as she took hesitant steps toward the glass wall, her eyes searching the city below.
A car honked on the street far beneath the tip of the Kaiba tower, lightning swimming through the clouds like an eel. The tall building moaned yet again, as if it too were expressing its concern, the rain now splashing noisily outside.
Silver's steps stopped abruptly when muffled words seemed to float into the room, hushed and unintelligible.
"Speak up." He commanded, irritation tainting his words.
"It wasn't me." She whispered, hissing angrily, relieved he heard it too.
Kaiba swung his flashlight in her direction, then towards the door to the office, the small circle of light tracing no one. Silver's eyes darted desperately throughout the room, tearing through the darkness like darts piercing skin, aching to find something.
A flash of lightning lit the office to reveal Kaiba kneeling in front of a tangled set of wires, his fingers wrapped tensely around them.
Another murmur slipped into the room only seconds before loud thunder rolled out from behind the clouds, shaking the building to its echoing rhythm.
Kaiba shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head as if to wave away the haunting sounds. A bead of perspiration slid down his brow as he strained his eyes to snake their way through the sea of red and blue wires.
Heavy breathing broke into his effort to concentrate, turning to find Silver gasping for air, her eyes wide with fear.
Her trembling fingers emerged from her pocket with a white inhaler clenched tightly between them, both her hands struggling to shake it and set it in the right position.
Her face seemed paler than the moon, her legs quivering like the streams of city lights that strived to shine through the creeks of water rushing down the glass wall.
"Sit down." Kaiba commanded briskly as his legs shot up, flashlight pointed to the leather chair sitting inches away from the girl.
Her eyes circled over to the chair long enough to lose the inhaler from her grasp, rapidly rolling down the carpet until it stopped at the door, millimeters away from the frayed end of a brown rope.
Both their gazes met simultaneously in the same spot, hearts crashing in suspense when the rope was suddenly yanked away.
Silver let out an agonizing grunt as her torso doubled over, her hands clutching the edge of Kaiba's desk before her knees hit the floor, a muffled thump emerging.
The CEO felt his own breathing falter, struggling to contain the emotions rising to the surface of his skin. Kaiba forced himself to submerge a portion of the air around him into his lungs as he extended his arms towards Silver, propping her up gently against the desk.
Another flash of lightning struck the night sky, casting a silver glow unto the tears that rolled down the girls cheeks, creating the illusion that her own eyes were dissolving onto her skin.
Her hand shot out to grasp the collar of Kaiba's trench coat, pleading screams echoing into his mind, emerging from her gaze.
Kaiba tore his eyes from hers and onto the inhaler that still sat before the entrance to the office, its gleam contrasting eerily to the dark color of the carpet beneath it.
Kaiba rose one trembling hand to his collar, wrapping his fingers around Silver's cold hand and placing it back onto her lap, his legs creaking as he stood, steps paced towards the door.
Immediately both Silver's hands shot up to her mouth, a painful gasp of fear tearing through the dark atmosphere and urging Kaiba to feed his system with the utmost bravery.
He reached the entrance, mind bleeding commands into his body to resist looking into the black abyss that extended itself outside his door, fearing what might be on the other side.
Quickly his hands retrieved the inhaler as he turned back in Silver's direction, her eyelids pushing down onto her silver orbs.
He let himself fall before her, knees hitting the floor with the same crude thump that hers did. His hand wrapped tightly around the inhaler, he raised it to the air, shaking it and releasing the tension his veins were so agonizingly sustaining.
Rapidly his fingers shifted the mouthpiece until it faced her lips, pressing it gently down onto the dry pink flesh.
She weakly wrapped both lips around the inhaler, and both hands around Kaiba's, the two of them holding onto the device in an unspoken alliance.
Kaiba steadied the inhaler as she pursed her lips to absorb the medication, its effects easing down her throat, clearing the path for the vital elixir of air.
Mere seconds passed before another crack of thunder stilled the night sky, Kaiba now prying the piece from her lips and setting it down in her outstretched hands.
"Thank you." The girl breathed in but a whisper of her voice, her eyes tearing into his.
Kaiba merely grunted as he retrieved the flashlight from the floor and quickly retreated to his former stance, eyes buried in the electric panel.
Another muffled voice tore through the air, this time sounding more like a scream, distant and faded like paint dried in the sun.
Silver whimpered as she pounded her clenched fists against her ears, shutting her eyes and burying her head between her legs.
Kaiba swallowed heavily, feeling as though a pound of rocks were trying to pass through his narrow throat.
What was that? Where was it coming from?
Pleading questions seeped into a portion of his mind while the other portion angrily reprimanded the latter, stressing the focus of the task at hand.
Her whimper only aggravated his struggle, her fear again reminding him of Mokuba on stormy nights, his tiny figure sitting in the same position she was in, hidden in a corner of the room.
The thought urging his hands, his fingers rapidly set the wires in place, the last of the arrangements finalized.
He stood, aiming the flashlight at a black switch placed beneath the electric panel. Hope made its way into his heart as he held his breath, placing the switch between two fingers and lifting it upwards, the lights in his office instantly flashing on.
Heaving the breath, he clicked off the flashlight in his hand, tucking it safely back in his pocket as he turned to Silver, who remained in the same position, eyes tightly shut.
Kaiba took slow steps toward her, feeling as though he were comforting the child that still awaited him at home.
He let his body down on one knee as he reached her, slim fingers wrapping themselves around her wrist.
"Open your eyes, it's just me." He said, the tone in his voice fused with the soothing tranquility that always lured the small boy out of his terrorized state.
She lifted her head to the rhythm of her eyelids, her gaze instantly meeting his, a low warmth taking possession of his deep cerulean eyes.
He released her wrist and brought his body back up, extending only a hand to her as she did the same towards him, the CEO pulling her body upwards, towards him.
"Thank you." She whispered again, her voice wavering in the night, eyes searching his, silver moons drenched in the blue sea of his eyes.
His gaze broke off from hers instantly, only nodding his head as a response and heavily swallowing as he quickly released her hand and turned away from her. In silence he rounded the desk and pulled open a drawer, searching its confines until a small blade emerged between his fingers.
The night roared in fury as Kaiba's rapid steps led him to the entrance of the office, blade raised, his hand achingly tight around it.
He stopped just a mere step from the door, heart crashing into his chest.
"You coming?" He asked, his back stilled turned to her.
Silver shoved the inhaler back into her pocket as a deep breath made its way into her lungs, hoping to absorb some of the CEO's reinstated confidence as she mirrored his position, eyes helplessly lost in the darkness of the awaiting room.
With an outstretched hand, Kaiba pushed the door until it opened completely, its creaking like a warning they should have both heeded.
The pair stood perfectly still, senses peeled to their core, registering every miniscule particle in the room.
The waiting room sat impeccably untouched, every object that was once inside it finding itself intact.
The pair of camel colored couches sat huddled together beneath a wide portrait of the ocean, a small coffee table positioned at their feet holding an array of magazines.
An oblivious clock ticked away above the secretary's lonesome desk, every device completely shut off.
Kaiba slowly lowered the blade in his hands as Silver stepped past him, her eyes cautiously searching the room.
"What do you thin-" She began before being interrupted by a shrill ringing, Kaiba's cellphone vibrating loudly upon his desk. Instinctively he rushed back to the room, the small picture on the screen showing Mokuba's smiling face below his name in large blue letters.
His hand swooped the phone up from the desk and in mere seconds he was speaking into the device.
"Mokuba, I can't come home I'm sti-"
A dead line cut into his sentence, its steady pace aggravating Kaiba's desperation.
He pulled the telephone from his ear, searching the screen for information, finding nothing but a finished call.
An angry shout erupted from the teen's mouth, hand slamming the telephone onto his desk, a raging fire he did not recognize burning in his eyes.
Skyelaar.
Her name had been printed onto that chip because he had done it himself, years ago. He had designed and assembled that phone especially for her 16th birthday once they became formal, its every detail custom designed to fit her and only her.
The police hadn't reported finding the phone among the remains of her accident, yet here it was sitting on his desk, torn apart. The last message she had tried to send had been on the very day of her accident but it had failed when the device was crushed only seconds after.
Clenched fists turned his knuckles white, their constant trembling only further infuriating the teen, for no weakness was ever to manifest upon his body. He shut his eyes tightly until it hurt, his teeth seeping into his lips until he tasted blood.
"Seto?" Came her voice, distant, muffled, scared.
It entered his mind and set itself upon his body, washing over his fear like water on a bleeding cut.
"Seto!" She shouted again, this time louder, closer, horrified.
Images of a weeping Mokuba intertwined in his mind with images of Silver falling to her knees, her hand reaching out for Kaiba in desperation.
A piercing scream broke through his ears, shattering his trance and snapping his eyes open, heart racing through his blood stream. His legs tore through the night, pumping into a run as fast as his body could carry him, urgently searching for the source of the screaming, taking him into the hallway outside the waiting room.
He ran and ran until she rammed into him, her body pressing into his, her screaming draining itself into his chest, into his heart. His arms instinctively clamped around her, eyes desperately searching until they landed on the trigger to her demolition.
Hanging limply from a panel on the ceiling was Kaiba's newest secretary, her body wrapped tightly in rope, like a cocoon suspended from a branch, eyes tightly shut.
She swung slowly in circles, her uniform untouched, not a single drop of blood staining the woman's body.
Blue orbs lowered back into the hallway, not a trace of a fourth person within his sight. A sick churning broke through his stomach, trembling lungs fighting for air as he closed his eyes and paced his heart, begging his insides to regain control of his body.
Kaiba slowly raised both hands and gently placed them on Silver's shoulders, prying her body away from his.
His eyes stepped into hers, tears flowing from her silver moons, beads of water clinging to her lashes.
No words came to the CEO's lips as he watched her cry, her hands cupping her mouth in a silenced terror, features penciled into the most childish of tones.
In silence he took her by the wrist, leading her to one of the cubicle chairs, away from the horrifying sight.
One hand pulled out the rolling chair, setting it to face her as the other placed the weeping girl into the cubicle, her shaking fingers taking hold of the chair's armrests as she lowered her body into it.
Her eyes immediately shot through the glass walls, landing directly on the woman, an involuntary cry bubbling from her throat.
"No, no. Don't look at her." Kaiba instantly commanded, his fingers wrapping themselves around her chin. "Silver, look at me." He urged, turning her head until her eyes met his.
"Just look at me." He whispered, his eyes nudging their way into hers until an understanding nod finally shook off his hand.
"You have to call the police." She urged, her hands sliding into his, pressing in urgency on his fingers.
Immediately he pulled his fingers out from her grasp, violently shaking his head.
"They won't believe-" He interrupted himself, lips shutting in resign as his head bowed to retreat the last of his words.
"They won't believe what?" She asked harshly, dragging the last word in suspicion that Kaiba knew just what was at the core of their adventure.
His head snapped back up with a scowl across his features, narrowed eyes pointed at her.
"I don't have to give you any explanations. You shouldn't be here anyway." He growled to an impatient Silver, who's words froze onto her tongue as the adamant CEO stepped briskly out of the cubicle.
His attitude had changed so suddenly, like a glass of water that tipped over to spill its contents, only to have it instantly pulled back up to restrain from pouring out any more.
The chair creaked as Silver sprang up, following the teen's crude steps, finding him back facing her, standing directly beneath the unconscious woman, forcing his eyes up only long enough to map out the route he was to follow if he intended to get his secretary down.
"Give me the chair." He seethed upon sensing her presence, knowing he did so only to lure her away from the frightening scene, despite his icy tone.
Swallowing the turmoil of emotions brewing inside her, she stepped back into the cubicle, rapidly rolling out the large chair in Kaiba's direction.
Her gaze stayed glued to the floor as she released the chair to Kaiba's waiting hands, the small wheels squeaking as he placed it in position.
"Hold it in place and do not let go." He commanded, swiftly removing his trench coat as he raised one leg to the chair, instantly followed by the other, his swaying body struggling to balance itself.
Silver grasped the chair firmly between her hands, fingernails digging deeply into the soft fabric.
In one swift movement, the blade in Kaiba's hands tore through the thin rope, the body crashing down into his awaiting arms.
Silver steadied the chair as the teen carefully stepped off it, rapidly making his way to the waiting room. She picked up the trench coat from the floor and jogged behind the teen, the eerie solitude of the hallway seeping into her skin much too quickly.
Kaiba set the woman down on one of the couches, skilled fingers pulling apart the brown rope, tugging and threading until releasing her body.
"Is she-?" Silver began immediately upon entering the room.
"No." He interrupted briskly, his head placed upon the woman's chest, the faint tapping of her heart contradicting their utmost terrifying thoughts.
"Seto, you have to call an ambulance." Silver whispered, raising Kaiba's attention to the use of his first name.
He turned to look at her, eyes wide as she clutched his trench coat achingly close to her body. Concern swam freely in her eyes, the most innocent of streaks playing across her face.
A retort sat on his lips but extinguished itself in her eyes, a mere 'no' whispered into the air between them.
If he called for an ambulance they would want to know what happened and not only did he not know, but he feared it had something to do with Skyelaar, something he could not easily explain to the paramedics, nor the police.
There was a small area in the basement that served as a makeshift infirmary for whenever an employee managed to get hurt, an area equipped with medical items that could be of use.
"Go ring for the elevator." He said as the idea chimed into his mind, her slow footsteps his only response.
The teen turned his gaze back down to the woman in synchrony with his arms, lifting her as he raised his body. Careful steps led him to the elevator doors sitting outside the elevator, Silver standing anxiously awaiting him, her eyes shifting uneasily.
The pair of metallic doors slid open with a chime, Silver stepping in then Kaiba.
"The basement." He said.
Silver eyes turned to look at him with a confused expression inside.
"The bright little button with the 'B' in the middle." He said in a taunting voice, as if he were speaking to a toddler. Her gaze stayed fixed on him for a moment before she turned and pressed the button he had described.
The ride down was quiet, except for a few of Silver's sneezes and Kaiba's grunts in response, which she assumed was his way of saying 'bless you'.
As the elevator doors finally slid open Kaiba led the way, walking into another waiting room then through a pair of glass doors, through various corridors until reaching a metallic door marked "Infirmary."
Silver extended her hand to the knob gleaming in patience before being cut off by Kaiba.
"Don't. You see the small keypad over there?" He said pointing with his gaze in the opposite direction. "Type in B1E5W8D."
Silver walked over to the keypad and did as she was told, the beeping of the buttons as her fingers glided across them, the only sound in the empty corridor. The door clicked open after only seconds in suspense, the smell of strong chemicals immediately drifting out.
Kaiba walked in first, followed by Silver who's hands still clutched the CEO's coat.
Rows of beds lined both sides of the vast room, cabinets upon cabinets placed beside them. Long shelves held towels and robes, sinks and showers discretely implemented at the end of the room. One small area held small bookshelves with a selection of books kept neatly inside, three cream colored couches lined beside them.
Kaiba was already setting the body down on the last bed, his eyes frantically searching the medicine cabinet before him. She walked over to him, setting down the coat on one of the couches, keeping her gaze fixed on him like he had advised her.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She asked, watching as Kaiba began injecting a thick white substance into the woman's neck.
He ignored the girl's question and instead issued a now customary command to her.
"Hand me a tissue."
Silver bit her lip in resign and reached over to a small white deposit that held papery thin tissues. Her fingers gathered a wad and plucked them out, harshly placing them in Kaiba's outstretched hand.
He pressed the wad on her neck and watched as it quickly turned a dark crimson color. Silver plucked another wad, slightly larger and handed them to him, brushing her fingers against his cold ones.
They repeated the process until the tissues emerged clean and the woman's chest began to rise and fall at a steady pace.
Silver and Kaiba exchanged quick glances, glances only they knew were of triumph.
His gaze stayed fixed on the secretary seconds longer before making his way to one of the couches, letting his lean body collapse onto it in a very un-Kaiba like way, Silver following suit.
The two teens sat in an understanding silence, their eyes placed on the unconscious woman.
As the night wore one they drifted off silently into a fit full sleep until dawn came along, the first warm streams of sun pouring in from the tall windows above. Kaiba was the first to wake up, his body unused to the uncomfortable sleeping position, his bones rock hard against his muscles.
He regained his senses quickly, scanning the room for any signs that what had happened that night had maybe been a wicked nightmare.
His theory was immediately dismissed when he felt Silver's limp body leaning against his, a quiet snore emerging from her sleeping body.
The thought of shoving her body off his crossed his mind, yet something deep inside his mind refused to, thinking of the fragile girl he had encountered last night.
His eyes traveled down to her, finding her body wrapped loosely in his favorite trench coat.
A scowl, the first of the day, shot across his face like lightning, the sentiment for her shattered as he yanked the coat off her body.
She did nothing but groan and settle deeper into the couch as Kaiba scooped her off his shoulder.
He quickly put the trench coat back on, stiffing when the familiar stench of strawberry wavered into his nostrils.
Irritation welled into his mind then subsided into angst when a carefully placed note rose and fell on the secretary's chest.
Kaiba gulped thickly as he reached forward, taking the note between two fingers and setting desperate eyes upon it, finding only one word scribbled in dark crimson letters.
The name of the girl who's scent lingered in his favorite trench coat, the girl who's warm body had spent the night intimately pressed against his.
Silver.