A/N: This story gives me life. I crack up when I write, and then I wonder if it's just me being overtired and that you guys won't find it one bit funny. But so far - the response suggests otherwise! Keep those reviews coming, loves!

Chapter 7: Her Boss, Not Her Work-Out Partner

"Yuuki! I need the Ishihara rep-"

"Here."

"The court docume-"

"Here."

"– The folders containing the company asse-"

"Here."

"– I don't know where my phone is, so I need you to fi-"

"Right here."

"- And also my wallet, I haven't se-"

"Also here."

"- Today's newspaper and my-"

"Already packed into your briefcase, ready for you to grab and go. The rest of the documents you'll surely request are also inside the briefcase. Your cup of coffee is on the desk outside, and I've already ordered a car for you."

Kaname gaped at his secretary, still not used to her amazing abilities. How could anyone be so compatible with him?

"Marry me already."

A dainty finger made its way to her mouth as she pursed her lips. "Hmm, give me a few years first." Yuuki teased.

"Fantastic!" Kaname grabbed the suitcase and his coffee, sprinting towards the elevator. "Go find a dress and I'll set the date!"

Her giggle echoed down the hallway as he pushed the button on the elevator and stepped inside. It'd been almost three years since he'd hired her, and everyday she surprised and amazed him, constantly outdoing herself. She knew him like the back of her hand, as he knew her, and together they worked magnificently.

He proposed to her on a daily basis.

She thought he was joking, and jokingly replied she would either consider it or she didn't have the time.

But he wasn't joking.

No, Kaname was as in love with secretary as ever. If he thought he loved her in the beginning, then surely he was out of his mind for her now. As he gradually got to know her better, and their relationship blossomed, he fell deeply for her. They were intertwined in so many ways; spent nearly every hour of the day together and acted like an old married couple.

She was his every dream and his every fantasy come to life – the woman of his dreams.

And she still only saw him as her boss.

She always found a way to evade his flirting; deflect his advances and whip him away if he misbehaved. She tolerated no tricks, and by god, the power she had over him was so tremendous he was sure she could tell him to kill a man and he'd ask her in what way.

Choking? By a gun? Poison? Accidental car-hit?

He'd do it. No matter what she asked.

He supposed it was a good thing that she treated him so platonically. Still, he always felt that there was something in her eyes; something beneath the surface that she refused to let out. Reinforced by the boundaries created by their respective roles, Yuuki had never overstepped any lines with him. She always held back; sure, sometimes she flirted back, and through tough times she'd been there for him and she'd soothed him; comforted him; made him feel good the only way she knew – but if he were to ask her to just go out on a simple date with him, he knew she'd refuse. If he asked her if she cared for him beyond him being her boss, she would admit they were friends, but nothing more.

Yet, a part of him – the blindly optimistic one, the one he both loathed and held onto – believed she had feelings for him too. Deep down, buried within. He knew it.

Question was, how did he get those feelings to come forward? Without ruining the companionship and friendship they had?

But then again, did he have any right to confess his feelings to her at this point?

Almost two years ago, she'd rushed into his office in the middle of the night, begging him to let her keep her job for another year. Then, another year had passed and now they were already halfway through the next one – their three year-anniversary looming closer.

So much time had passed, and so much had happened over the course of the past years…

"You're sure that you want to work for me for another year…?"

They'd just watched the Swan Lake ballet, and now they were standing outside the theatre as the rest of the audience walked out of the building. This was supposed to be the day that he'd confess to her – instead, he kept his mouth shut.

"Yes." Tearful eyes gazed up at him determinedly. "I have to… For my father."

"I see," he breathed, brushing her tears away. "If there's anything you need, or if there's anything I can do to help – extra money, fewer work hours – whatever you need, I'll help you."

"Thank you, Kaname," she smiled warmly, her eyes closing as she leaned into his touch, "but I can't ask all of that from you. The fact that you'll let me continue work for you is more than enough. I know my father; he's strong and I know he'll beat this – he just needs some help, and I'm going to help him. The Adacemy loans drained him completely of his funds, which is why I couldn't continue my studies… and that's how I ended up here with you."

"But what if I just gave you the money? It'd be no problem for me, I swear! That way he could receive his treatments and you could go back to school and pursue your dreams. Listen, just tell me how much and I'll wire–"

"You know by now that I'm not that kind of person, Kaname," Yuuki soothed, recognizing his good intention but loathing the way he went about it. "I don't just take money from the people I care about. I could never use you like that. My father is my father, and through hard work I'll help him. I'm… forever indebted to you for letting me work for you."

Her lower lip trembled as tears slid down her cheeks. "Actually, if it weren't for this job, I… I think I would've fallen apart a long time ago. Watching my dad suffer due to his financial situation was hard enough… now that he is sick, I… I already lost my mother and… I can't lose him too, I…" Her words got caught up in her sobs as her grief overwhelmed her; bony shoulders shaking as she lost her composure.

Consequences be damned, Kaname grabbed her and hugged her tightly in his embrace, stroking the back of her head as he whispered soothing words. "Shh, it's okay, Yuuki… I'll be here for you if you need anything, I promise. You're not alone."

In this moment, he was not her boss, but a man that cared deeply for her. She accepted his embrace and buried her face in his chest, letting go of her doubts and reservations; basking in the warmth he provided.

For this moment only they'd put away their titles.

A few days before Yuuki was supposed to leave the company, Kaien Cross had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Luckily it was in the early stages, but the doctors concluded they would need to remove his thyroid gland during surgery, and have him go on medication and radiation afterwards. Yuuki explained that since his debts from the Academy were so overwhelming, he was having a hard time coming up with the money to pay for the treatment. Yuuki had managed to preserve some of her earnings that could cover a great deal of the treatment, but there was still a lot left to cover. Of course, were it up to him, Kaname would've given her the money gladly without complaint, but she was stubborn and refused him.

Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months and soon years had passed. What was supposed to be a temporary solution became permanent, as Yuuki continued working for him even after her second year deadline. In a sense, they were at a standstill; still in that strange relationship that always tilted between strict co-workers and friends that made flirty remarks towards each other. And though it weighed his heart down, Kaname knew that it wouldn't change anytime soon either.

At the time, he'd planned on confessing to her; but as soon as she told him the news and begged him to let her work another year, he'd cancelled all his plans and temporary put his feelings aside.

She already had enough on her mind and needed the job more than ever; and now her boss was proclaiming his love for her? He didn't have the conscience to put that weight on her shoulders, and so he shut down his feelings once again and silenced himself.

Maybe one day, there'd be an opportunity for him to tell her how he felt. But for now, he'd be content just being able to see her everyday and work with her. It would do.

For now.

"Ah, this is good!" Yuuki exclaimed, sipping on her hot chocolate.

"I know, right? These hot chocolates have saved me through many hard study sessions," Yori muttered, grabbing her own cup and tasting the chocolate heaven.

"I bet," Yuuki hummed, savoring the taste.

"So enough about me," Yori put her cup down and stared at her bestfriend,"how are things going with you? I heard your father was in remission?"

"Yes," Yuuki muttered, "he is."

"Good…" Yori trailed off, not used to her bestfriend being so… tame. Usually, when Yuuki was happy she'd shout and beam like crazy, letting the whole world know how she felt. But, ever since her father was diagnosed, she noticed a shift in Yuuki; her voice was lower; her eyes were lackluster and tired; and the pause between sentences was longer and more silent than usual.

Yori softly placed her hand upon Yuuki's. "You can talk to me, you know that right? Tell me how you really feel…"

Yuuki slumped in her seat, feeling the weight of the world latch onto her. "I… it's just been a heavy time. You know my father; he always keeps his spirits up even during chemo… To see him lose his hair is so hard; and he's gotten so thin already I fear he'll break anytime… But, I know him and I know he's a fighter; I know he'll beat this completely, but there's still this nagging what if feeling that won't let go of me. The doctors say he's out of the danger zone, but still… I already lost my mother. I can't stand losing my dad, too."

"I can't imagine what you're going through, Yuuki," Yori whispered, clutching onto her bestfriend's hand. "I know you're filled with doubts and fears, but don't let it get the best of you. And, like you said, Kaien Cross is a fighter to a tee. If you think you won't be seeing him in his Hello Kitty apron in twenty years, you are dead wrong!"

Yuuki laughed through her tears. "You're right, you're right… You know what? I'll buy him a new one when the treatments are finished. An extra pink one!"

Yori giggled. "Hoo! I want to see his reaction. Invite me to this life-changing event, ne?"

"I will," Yuuki laughed, wiping her tears.

Yori's smile faded as she sensed Yuuki avert her eyes, once again growing quiet. "What else is bothering you, Yuuki?"

Yuuki hesitated. "It's just that… you've all graduated now, and I'm… I'm stuck, you know? I feel like I'm so far behind in my life, and while I don't blame my father for it, I just… this is going to sound selfish of me, but I wish life had been a little more fair to me and him."

"Mhm, I see," Yori nodded, "that's not selfish of you. That's a natural reaction to everything you've gone through. Now that your father is getting better and you've worked up some money, maybe you should quit and study again?"

Yuuki stilled. "That's the problem, though… I don't really want to. I mean… yes, I want to study and move on with my life, but at the same time I'm just so happy with my job. I'm good at it – and Kaname is just the best boss ever. He's been so understanding and lenient with me these past years, letting me go early and stay home for longer periods of time to care of my dad. We just… get along really well and I'd hate losing that."

Yori smirked. "Ahh, I see... separation anxiety due to your sexy boss, huh?"

"Yori!" Yuuki gasped, frantically looking around the café to see if anyone had heard, "he's not… well, he is, he really, really, really is, but I don't see him that way! Nothing could ever happen between us."

"If you were one of those gold-diggers, I'd just advise you to marry him and live off his fortune. Well…" She trailed off, "think about it! When I interviewed him for my final paper – once again, thank you for that – he was really nice and laidback, not like I'd expected him to be like. And I noticed how you two interacted – you're kind of like an old married couple already even if he's almost thirty and you're pretty young. So you've got chemistry down and you have my blessings. What more can you ask for!?"

"Oh gosh," Yuuki blushed, "I really don't see him like that. We're just really good friends, you know? I value him a lot and our friendship. I like working there… but you're right, I think maybe it's time to move on soon. Time goes by so fast…" She trailed off in thought, remembering the first time she stepped into his office and her interview.

Speaking of time… "Shoot!" She said, glancing at her watch, "Hanabusa will probably be here now to pick me up."

"Ah, okay," Yori picked up her bags and her book, following Yuuki outside.

"He's not here…" Yuuki trailed off, glancing at the crowded streets. She turned towards Yori and hugged her. "Thank you for today, Yori. It felt really good to talk, so thank you for listening."

Hazel eyes gazed at Yuuki warmly. "No problem, Yuuki. We should meet again soon, ne?"

"Oy, Yuuki! There you are! I've been looking all over for you, do you even reali– woah."

Hanabusa froze, eyeing the petite blonde next to Yuuki who gave him a confused look. Her face was heartshaped and her eyes were a beautiful shade of hazel – unlike any color he'd even seen before. Her skin held a glow that made him feel like he was gazing at the sun or something; everything about her exuded warmth and kindness.

She was really, really, really pretty.

He slid up to her, disregarding Yuuki. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, peeking up at her. "Your eyes are like the stars in the sky. I want to go to them." He paused. No, that sounds wrong. "I mean, no, I want to reach for them, ca–"

Yori raised her eyebrows. "You want to reach for my eyes? That's kind of…"

Hanabusa flushed. "No! I mean… I mean – your eyes behold the beauty of a thousand stars and like the stars I want to collect them."

"You want to collect my eyes?"

His blush deepened as he stuttered. "No! Yes! No, I mean, the stars! But I like your eyes!"

"I gathered… err, Yuuki, see you soon okay?" Yori hugged Yuuki quickly before escaping, giving Hanabusa one last distrustful look.

Hanabusa could only gape at her retreating form as he watched her walk away. His hand clutched the material above his heart as his pulse skyrocketed.

Yuuki couldn't hold back her giggle. "What was that!? You want to collect her eyes!? Haha!"

"Aiiish!" Hanabusa hissed, glaring at her. "Don't laugh at me! I… I… I don't know what happened! She broke me!"

Yuuki wiped her eyes. "I think someone just fell in looove… Come, we're gonna be late." She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the street.

"Is that why…" He held onto his shirt right above his heart, "it hurts?"

"We're heeeere," Yuuki announced, strutting through the doors of Kaname's office, "if we're late, blame it on Hanabusa for falling in loooove!"

"Hey!" Hanabusa hissed. "I didn't fall in love! Cause… Cause… love is for losers, am I right, Kaname? Eh, eh? Who needs that when you have money and cars, right!?" He reached over Kaname's desk for a high five.

Kaname barely bothered glancing at Hanabusa's hand hanging in the air as he answered coldly: "I value love more than anything. It's the most precious thing we have in this world."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Yuuki cooed as she put Kaname's coffee on his desk. "10 points to you, 0 to Hanabusa."

Hanabusa faltered, yet his hand remained in the air. "I… got rejected… again…" He whispered frantically, eyeing his raised hand.

Her compliment made Kaname feel all giddy inside. "Thank you," he smiled warmly. He resisted the urge to curl his toes in glee at the notion of being complimented by her.

Yuuki beamed back, picking up her canister and watering the plants in his office.

Kaname eyed Hanabusa's hand still dangling in the air darkly. "Take that hand down or I'll cut it off and toss it to my parents' dog," he threatened in a low voice, careful not to let Yuuki hear him. "Rido loves meat, no matter the source."

Hanabusa yelped and retracted his hand with a jerk, staring with wide eyes at Kaname.

"What, still jumpy after falling in looove?" Yuuki teased from the back of the room as she heard Hanabusa yelp.

"You're in love, now? Is this what happens when I send you off on errands?"

"I'M NOT IN LOVE!" Hanabusa erupted like a volcano. "A-and, Yuuki was having lunch with her gorgeous friend, not me! So she was the one that was wasting time here!" He accused.

Yuuki rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Her gorgeous friend, was it? I see who caught your eye. As for your accusation that Yuuki was wasting time, I personally allowed her to have her lunch outside," Kaname said, crossing his legs elegantly.

"You never allow me to have lunch outside! I barely have lunch at a–"

"Yuuki is prettier than you," Kaname shrugged, winking at Yuuki when she blushed in response.

"Th-that's sexism! I'm offended!" Hanabusa huffed, pointing at Kaname.

Kaname's headache intensified. This brat has the audacity to point his finger at me…

His murderous expression shut Hanabusa up immediately as he realized he'd gone too far. From experience, he knew he could only push Kaname to a certain degree; if Kaname snapped, he'd make sure that Hanabusa would have to be the one responsible for the trashcans in the building and washing the toilets for another two weeks.

His boss was way too creative in coming up with ways to punish him.

"Whatever, I'm leaving," he muttered, stalking out of the room furiously.

Yuuki giggled wonderfully. "He's so rude! I can't believe it's been years and he still hasn't learned how to not rile you up!"

Kaname rolled his eyes. "Once a brat, always a brat… How was your lunch, by the way?"

"Oh! Good…" Yuuki trailed off.

He narrowed his eyes. "Good…?"

"Ah, I mean… well, we talked about a lot of heavy stuff and… well, I just started thinking about a lot of things."

"Like what?" He gestured for her to sit down in the guest chair on the other side of his desk. She obliged and plonked down into the chair, staring at her lap as she spoke. "Well, I… I've been working here for quite a while now, and I really enjoy working here. But… time has passed and I feel like… well, my dad is doing better now and I still have some studies I need to resume, so…"

"Ah…" Kaname leaned back into his seat, studying her. "You want to… resign again?"

Her head shot up. "No! Well, yes, but not yet… I mean. It's just really complicated, heh…"

"Your father… how is he? Are his treatments finished?" He inquired gently, watching her expression shift as she wrestled with her emotions. Over the past years, she'd changed; grown more quiet and reserved – as her father improved, she gradually returned to her vibrant self, but sometimes he'd catch her lost in her thoughts, her shoulders slumping as it seemed like the weight of the world imbedded itself into her shoulders.

"Better," she smiled, "the doctors say he's out of the danger zone, so everything should be okay. I'm still recovering from the scare, though…"

"I'm sure that won't fade as easily… but I think you've done a great job at remaining strong through all of this. I really admire that about you – your strength."

"Thank you," she blushed and looked down into her lap.

"Besides, he needs to stay alive when you finally give in and marry me," he quipped, flipping through his calendar.

Yuuki giggled. "Aw, not this again! I said I'd think about it!"

"How does the 16th work for you?" He responded, still flipping through his calendar. "Oh, maybe we should move it to the 25th?"

Yuuki only giggled in response, happy that they weren't talking about life-altering decisions and dying fathers, but their fake wedding plans instead.

"You just want someone to do all the dirty work for you, not a wife!" She accused.

"Sure I do! True, I need someone with your abilities to upgrade my life, but I'm a man too, and I need love desperately. I'm lonely, can't you see?" He pleaded.

"Yeah!" Yuuki laughed. "So lonely you'll even propose to your secreta–"

The phone on his desk rang and interrupted her. Like a snake he grabbed the phone quickly and held it against his ear, frowning as he concentrated on the words on the other side of the phone.

"Yeah… Yes, of course. Perfect, I see… Great. I look forward to hearing back from you. Bye, now."

He put the phone back and paused, a million thoughts spinning in his head.

"What was that?" Yuuki inquired gently, wondering what was going on.

"It was the Shouto deal… It'll conclude today, so looks like I'll spend some overtime at the office and wait for the conclusion… Yuuki, you're free to leave early and be with your father. I don't really have any need for you for the rest of the day."

"Nuh uh!" Yuuki blurted out. "I'm sooo staying for this! This deal has haunted you for years, so I wanna know what happens."

He gave her a peculiar look as he chuckled. "All right. So do you want to continue our wedding planning?"

"Oh, shush!" She got up from her seat and strutted towards the exit.

As always, his eyes were unashamedly trained on her rear as her hips swayed from side to side.

"I'll go and cancel the Matsumoto meeting that you just completely forgot about," she called.

"Oh!" Kaname exclaimed. Upon hearing the news of the deal closing he'd completely forgotten about everything else. "Yeah, could you cancel that and th–"

"The TV interview at nine? Already on it!"

As the door closed behind her, Kaname collapsed on his desk, his face pressed against heaps of papers. He sighed, feeling the butterflies gather in his stomach for the millionth time since he met her. She was too damn perfect!

"Yuuki, it's late, you should just go home now. I'll call you if anything happens."

Yuuki yawned and stretched upon his office sofa. "I said I was going to stay, didn't I?"

Kaname smiled. "You're so stubborn sometimes…"

"Likewise," she quipped.

He eyed his watch worriedly, looking at the time. "Well, we should know soon how the deal goes, but at this point I'd like to request that you stay over at my place instead of going home alone to your apartment. I feel better knowing you are safe."

A year or so ago, he'd bought her an apartment. Yes, a goddamn apartment in the heart of Tokyo. He'd explained to her that he'd feel better if she and her father had a temporary place to stay closer to the city and the hospital while he was getting his treatments. She had refused his offer at first; denying that she needed it, claiming she couldn't accept it.

So he'd lied and said that the company covered it; after all, Kuran Inc. was all about their employees' welfare. It was just another section of their health care package.

He didn't know if it was the exhaustion of dealing with her father and the fatigue of always travelling far, but eventually she gave in and moved into the luxury apartment he got for her and her father. If she ever found out it was actually he that was paying for the apartment, and previously her work clothes, she would kill him instantly.

"Yeah… I think it's better, too. I'll stay over." She acquiesced, yawning again. Her phone buzzed and she perked, grabbing it and staring at the screen.

Kaname couldn't help but notice the blush and the smile that stretched across her features.

"Who is it?" He wondered, narrowing his eyes at her blush.

"Oh, er, it's…" Yuuki fumbled with her phone as she texted. "Zero, actually."

WHAT!?

After their date had been cancelled, they hadn't found any time to catch up due to his tour. And after the news of her father's illness broke, she'd told him that she was simply not in a place where she could begin dating. He'd understood and they'd both parted ways. Kaname, of course, was living in the clouds knowing that his number one enemy had given up.

But it seemed like the manchild wanted to make a comeback.

"You're seeing him again?" He wondered, careful to not let his emotions slip.

"Well, not really," Yuuki muttered, still texting, "we haven't really hung out yet. I randomly met him not so long ago and after that we started texting and stuff."

"Aha…" He trailed off, annoyance rising in the pit of his stomach as she remained completely immersed in her telephone.

"So, do you like him?"

"Huh, what?" Her fingers tapped away at her screen.

"I said, 'do you like him?'"

Still texting, she waited a minute before she responded to him. "I'm sorry, one more time? I didn't catch it."

"Forget it," he hissed and walked towards his desk. His jealousy was bad enough; now she was blatantly ignoring him because she was texting him? He would have to call Ichijou and ask that they resume their kickboxing training.

He had a serious amount of anger to get out.

"Shit," Yuuki muttered, realizing how rude she'd been. She got up from the sofa and walked over to his desk. He ignored her and stared at his papers, pretending to write something. She sighed, knowing his moods all too well. She knew he absolutely detested when people were being rude and ignoring him, especially if they were caught up in technological devices. He'd told her that he found the action absolutely appalling; when you spoke with the CEO of Kuran Inc. – or anyone in any case – you were supposed to devote your undivided attention to him. It was common decency.

She lowered herself onto her haunches next to him, behind his desk. Her hand grazed the side of his thigh as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Kaname, that was rude of me."

He glanced down at her, his stoic mask still intact.

Why does she have to sit down there!? Does she have any idea what this looks like!?

"Forgive me?" She pouted, brown eyes gazing up at him innocently.

He swallowed, feeling an intense need to loosen his shirt and remove his jacket. "l–"

The phone rang, interrupting their moment yet again. He grabbed it and held onto it for dear life – grateful for the distraction and happy he'd finally receive some news.

"Yes? Ah… Yeah. Great. No, I see. All right. Pleasure doing business with you as well. Bye."

He put the phone down and quieted. Unable to deduce the outcome by the tone of his voice, Yuuki clenched his thigh, looking up at him with frantic eyes. "What happened? Did it come through?"

He shot up form his seat, clenching his fists. "Yes…" He grinned, turning towards her. "It went through. It's finally… mine."

Yuuki shot up from the floor as well, squealing as she hugged him tightly, jumping in his arms. "Yes! Finally! I'm so happy for you, Kaname!"

He hugged her back without reservation, elated about the deal going through and having her in his arms. Just for this moment, he'd indulge in the feel of her body next to his without a grain of guilt.

"Congratulations!" She beamed, leaning back from his embrace and turning her head.

But as she did so, he angled his head too and shifted simultaneously; suddenly their lips were only inches apart as they gazed into each other's eyes. They both froze; realizing their awkward proximity – yet neither did anything to move as they continued staring at each other.

So close… It hadn't been his intention to end up this way; but somehow they'd both moved at the same time, resulting in their very intimate embrace. Kaname gazed at her lips for just a fraction of a second. If he just leaned slightly forward his lips would graze hers. Just one time…

Yuuki swallowed, unable to move. She knew that should anyone walk into the office right now and see them, they would get the wrong idea. But she was unable to tear herself away; she noticed his eyes shift towards her lips, and instinctively hers glanced at his, wondering what it would feel like to have them brush against her own.

Seconds passed, yet it felt like hours as they remained in place, their breaths intermingling.

Finally, reason caught up with her hazy mind and made her take a step back. "Err, I'll.. I'll go get the champagne!" She rushed away from his embrace, and stalked out of the office as quickly as possible.

Once she was out of his sight, she leaned against the wall in the empty hallway and grasped the material of her shirt above her chest, panting as her heart beat against her ribcage.

She swallowed deeply and fanned herself with her left hand. What was that?

"I'm telling you – we almost kissed!"

"And how did that make you feel?"

"How? Wonderful, of co–"

"Like a man!" Ichijou bellowed in Kaname's face. When Kaname only stared at him with a stunned expression on his face, Ichijou repeated his words louder. "LIKE A MAN!"

Kaname nodded excitedly as he caught on, jumping on the spot as he raised his fists. "Yeah! Like a man!"

"Louder!" Ichijou bellowed, matching Kaname's tempo.

"LIKE A MAN!" Kaname bellowed, pouring out all his frustrations and excitement. "Oh yeah!"

"That's right!" Ichijou nodded, holding out the focus pads in front of him. "Now show me!"

"I'll show you!" Kaname bellowed, punching the focus pads with his mitts, sweat pouring down his glistening back as exertion caught up with him.

"Very good!" Ichijou approved, and raised the focus pads higher. "But there is an issue! And you have to deal with it as a man!"

"As a man!" Kaname repeated, lost in his excitement. "Wait, what issue?"

"ZERO KIRYUU WANTS TO STEAL YOUR SECRETARY AWAY!" Ichijou roared. "HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL!?"

"REALLY ANGRY!" Kaname roared, his fists sailing through the air as he kicked and punched, pouring his rage out. "AAH!"

"But your secretary wants to be stolen away," Ichijou said, watching Kaname's energetic punches falter as he lost his concentration.

Using his boss' minor shutdown, Ichijou twisted and turned, landing a punch to Kaname's protected face.

He sailed unceremoniously to the ground, landing with a loud thump on his back.

"Ahh…" He moaned in pain, lying on the floor like a dead animal.

Ichijou's evil smirk vanished as he realized that he'd knocked his boss out. Again. "Oh dear! Oh no! Kaname, I'm sorry!" Green eyes stared in horror as his boss laid lifeless on the floor.

"Kaname, can you hear me?"

No response.

"Kaname? Kaname! Oh lord, what if I knocked out his hearing!? What if he'll need hearing aid from now on!?" Ichijou threw off his focus pads, only to gather his hands in his hair and pulling the blonde strands.

"Or... or what if I knocked him out completely, and he's… dead?" He gasped in horror. "Kaname! You can't be dead! Kaname! Nooo!"

Then he heard a sound; so faint he almost he imagined he'd heard it.

"Avfder," Kaname mumbled as he rose from the dead, trying to sit up.

"What?" Icihjou wondered, unable to hear him clearly.

"Wavderr," Kaname repeated, taking off his protective helmet.

"What?"

"WATER!" Kaname bellowed.

Icihijou yelped and scurried off to one end of the boxing ring, gathering the water bottle he'd brought. He quickly handed it over to Kaname, retreating to the side as soon as possible.

Kaname drank the water gratefully, gulping down until there was nothing left.

"Ahh, Kaname… You can't keep letting me beat you like this," Ichijou said carefully. "I mention Yuuki and Zero dating and you just lose all sense of time and place."

"They're not dating yet," Kaname hissed, his muscles aching as he got up from the floor. "And besides – we almost kissed! That has to mean something, right?"

"As your vice president I'm not happy about it, but as your bestfriend I'm freaking elated. But still – how sure are you that it wasn't just you imagining stuff? I mean, she could have just been following your lead? After all, you're her boss and she's probably scared of not pleasing you."

"Oh, trust me," Kaname sighed, "Yuuki would never let herself be forced into anything. Remember that time I tried tricking her into attending the Prime Minister's gala with me instead of Sara? She almost killed me for even suggesting it. I'm telling you – that almost-kiss wasn't just one-sided. I promise you."

"Yeah, yeah, she's still dating someone el–" At Kaname's murderous look, Ichijou coughed and cleared his throat. "– still almost dating someone else. That means something too."

Kaname sighed. "Knock me down and break my spirits, why don't you?"

"Hehe," Ichijou laughed, slapping Kaname's bare back. "Go run off the ache and I'll meet you later to discuss the trip."

He obliged, and soon he found himself on the treadmill, watching the Tokyo skyline as he ran and ran, sweat pouring down his muscles. Having a company gym in the Kuran Inc. building was proving to be really handy - especially when he had a certain lady he wanted to impress.

"Ahem."

Lost in his running, Kaname didn't notice the person that timidly cleared her throat next to him.

"Ahem!"

Still no reaction. Yuuki slithered in front of the treadmill, blocking his view – though he'd say she made it better.

"Ahem!" Her eyes were wide in annoyance as she tapped her foot, her arms crossed.

He smiled lazily and pushed the STOP button, jumping off the treadmill elegantly. "What is it, Yuuki?" He inquired gently, intentionally flexing his muscles and pushing his naked chest out as he took a sip of the water.

It worked. Her eyes traced down his naked chest, transfixed by the chiseled muscles that rippled and stretched beneath ivory skin.

"LIKE A MAAAAAN!" He heard the faint echo of Ichijou's voice in his head as he smirked, enjoying the attention he received from her.

"I don't imagine you came here to ogle your boss now, did you? If you did, you're welcome to take a peek." He grinned. Ever since their almost-kiss, he'd stopped holding back on his flirting. Now he was as seductive and charming as he could be, teasing her to the point where she'd stomp her foot and flee the room. He was going to wear her down little by little until she finally gave in.

"I…" Distracted by the way his muscles kept flexing – is he doing it on purpose? Looks like he's having spasms to be honest – Yuuki finally tore her eyes away from his magnificent physique. "I… O-ogle!?" She spluttered. "I… was just thinking how pale you are. Are you anemic?"

He wouldn't let himself be deterred. "If I was, would you be my nurse? I can buy you the uniform if you like. I think the Sexy Nurse costume is still available at the costume store."

"You–!" Yuuki huffed, roses of red blooming on her cheeks. "Oh!" She groaned. "Forget it, I'm leaving! Get your important messages from someone else!"

He grabbed her arm gently, turning her back towards him. "I'm sorry, Yuuki." He batted his lashes. "Working out makes the testosterone levels rise, you know. Can't help it."

"You stink." She huffed and turned her face away.

"I accept that." He laughed. "I should take a shower… Maybe you–"

Her ominous glare shut him up effectively. "-Should give me the messages right away so you can leave my smelly self."

Yuuki smirked, pleased that he was giving up. "That's better." She flipped through some of the folders in her arms. "I came here to the company gym and put myself through the torture of smelling you to tell you that Isaya Shouto wants to take you and your staff to Singapore for a 'celebration weekend'."

"Ah, he mentioned it earlier… What do you say, are you coming with me? Or are you busy dating?" His eyes bore into hers intensely.

"Oh, shush," she hissed. "No, I'm not, but I don't know… I mean, he's taking us to Singapore for free? That's insane."

"He is insane," Kaname shrugged, grabbing a towel and drying himself. Unbeknownst to him, her eyes followed his every move. "But it's a wonderful opportunity. You've been great help to me in dealing with this case, so I really want you to come with us."

"I don't know…" She muttered as she tore her eyes away from his body. "With my father and…"

"He wants you to go," Kaname quipped.

"What?" Her eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"I called him." He answered nonchalantly, walking away from her.

She followed like a baby duck, hot on his heels. "You called him!?"

"Yes," Kaname quipped, "I knew you'd be stubborn about this so I wanted to get his approval. Also, I wanted to get to know him better and hear about his condition. He is one strong man, I could tell that only from listening to his voice."

Calling Kaien Cross had been the toughest test Kaname had gone through. If everything went smoothly, he'd been calling his future father-in-law. If everything didn't go smoothly, he'd been calling the future father of the woman who filed a restraining order against him.

Ah, the future sure was unpredictable.

Surprisingly enough, they got along well on the phone, and some of Kaname's fears disappeared. He could tell where Yuuki got her enthusiasm from; the former martial arts champion would not stop talking Kaname's ear off about his latest pot stew – which took so much time that he had to cancel two meetings.

"That's… oddly sweet of you," Yuuki blushed. How many people could say that their multi-millionaire CEO-boss had called their sick parent to get permission to whisk their employee away to a vacation paradise?

Only one person, apparently – and that was her.

"But I… I don't know, I mean… I want to, but at the same time it–

"Yuuki," he halted. She crashed into his back, wincing as she felt his sweat. "Ew!"

He turned and chuckled, smirking as he watched her stare up at him with wide eyes.

"It's fine if you want to follow me into the wardrobe, but…" His eyes sailed to the ceiling where the words "WARDROBE FOR MEN ONLY" were painted in big, bold letters. "I don't think it's… appropriate." He winked.

With that, he turned and disappeared down the short hallway into the wardrobe, chuckling at the sound of her horrified scream echoing off the walls as she sprinted away.