"I say hey, I'll be gone today,

But I'll be back all around the way.

It seems like everywhere I go,

The more I see, the less I know.

But I know… one thing… that I love you (baby girl),

I love you, I love you, I love you."

Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead

XXVIII

It had been 1,209,600 seconds since the "Boyfriend Interview," 20,160 minutes since Kisara had informed Seto that she was moving to Hiroshima to attend business school, and 336 hours since the two of them had spoken. No matter what way he counted the past two weeks, to Seto, it seemed like an eternity since they had agreed that it was better to break up. Or rather, not get back together. Had they even reconciled what was once broken before Kisara left? Seto was still so perplexed by the interview, wondering why it had even taken place if this was the inevitable result. Had Kisara even intended on getting back together with him? Was the interview some sort of test of his love for her? Had he failed? All of these questions were swirling around in his head like a whirlpool, dragging him deeper into the depths of his own misery.

It wasn't that Kisara and Seto hadn't talked things over. After Kisara told Seto about the move, they talked for hours about what that meant for their relationship, despite Seto not knowing whether they had one to begin with. Regardless of the mystery surrounding their relationship status, Seto suggested that it would be best if they put things on hold while Kisara went to school. Neither of them were fans of long-distance relationships. Instead, they would remain 'friends,' which left Seto exactly where he was a month ago… pining after a woman that he denied being in love with.

Sighing, Seto typed away on his computer, watching the words appear on the document he was working on and not caring what they said or meant. It was Friday afternoon and the weekend was about to begin, a time that he never looked forward to. It was easier to forget about Kisara when he was at work… but only slightly. Seto could no longer look at the corner of his office where Kisara used to work without feeling a twinge in his chest. Not having her around just made everything—his office, his work, his performance—so purposeless. Work had become a chore to him. He spent a great deal of his day trying to make his work matter to him but his mind refused to stop wandering back to Kisara.

Without consciously thinking, he typed in a simple search on the internet and pulled up an article that had been posted on New Year's Day… the one concerning Seto and Kisara's relationship, and of course, the cell phone documentation of their first kiss. Seto sighed, enlarging the low resolution photo, and losing himself in the image of their romance. It was weird to think that, all those months back, he had gone to that party not feeling anything but dread for the people he was going to have to put up with. Yet, all these months later, Kisara was the only person he remembered being there.

Seto heard a knock on his door and closed his laptop. "Come in," he said, before asking, "How was school today?" He assuming the footsteps he heard entering his sanctuary belonged to Mokuba. But when he turned his chair around, and saw the figure silhouetted in his doorway, Seto jumped to his feet. "Who the hell let you in?!"

"Calm down, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus replied, shutting the door behind him, "I had to sneak my way in. Your secretary has been turning me away at the door the last couple times I've come to visit."

"Leave my office now," Seto said, his eyes suddenly filled with rage as he picked up the phone to dial security.

Pegasus held up his hands in defense.

"Kaiba-boy, please. Just give me a chance to explain myself." Seto didn't move the phone away from his face.

"I don't need to give you that privilege. I know why you're here," Seto gritted his teeth, "You've come to mock me about what happened at the Tokyo Game Show, haven't you? Either that, or gloat about how right you were about that spy within my company. By the way, thanks for letting me know who the traitor was."

"It's not like that, Kaiba. I didn't know who it was or who he was working for," Pegasus said, "Though I did try to warn you." Seto sighed and let his body slump back into his chair. Pegasus slowly moved towards the seat positioned in front of Seto's desk.

"What are you doing, Pegasus?" Seto asked, softening the tension in the room as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"May I have a seat?"

"…Whatever." Pegasus sat and waited a few moments for Seto to speak. Seto lifted his head, "Tell me why you're here. And don't give me any crap about how you were just 'passing by the neighborhood and decided to pay me a visit.' Skip the bullshit and explain yourself."

"First of all, I'm sorry about what happened at the Tokyo Game Show…"

"I told you to skip the bullshit."

"…And I'm sorry about what happened with Kisara." Seto pointed towards the door.

"Get out of my office."

"Just hear me out."

"No. I'm not talking about what happened at the Tokyo Game Show, let alone my romantic life. Not with you, not now, not ever," Seto stated, on the verge of throwing the phone in his hand right into Pegasus's face. What made Pegasus believe they were friends? Or better yet, that Seto would ever talk to him about his relationship troubles? He lifted the phone in his hand, but instead of throwing it in Pegasus's face, he began dialing.

"You know what?" Seto hissed, his voice rising with every word he spoke, "I'm not going to waste anymore time. I'm just going to have you thrown out. Alright? Have a nice flight back to America and this time, stay there." Pegasus rose from his seat.

"If you don't wish to listen to me, that's fine, but I came all this way so I'm going to say what I came here to say: Don't give up on Kisara. Don't give up on the woman you love because you're too proud to admit that you experienced a moment of weakness." Seto stopped dialing.

"How does protecting my company and my reputation make me weak?"

"Kaiba, I was there. I saw what happened at the convention, I heard what you said to Kisara. You and I both knew she wasn't the spy. In the grand scheme of things, you could care less about who stole what from your company. You didn't fire Kisara to protect your company or your reputation, you broke up with her to protect something far more valuable."

"And what would that be?"

"Yourself." Seto, as furious as he was with Pegasus having wasted so much of his time already, couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, great. So while you were creating duel monsters, did you also get a degree in psychology? Is there some sort of fan club I don't know about that meets once a week to psychoanalyze me?" Seto had already received this speech from Mokuba, but from Pegasus too? It was getting ridiculous. Seto got up again and pointed Pegasus towards the door. "You don't know me, Pegasus. Now why don't you wait outside? Security should be here any minute now."

Pegasus's expression changed. His pretentious exterior began to melt away as he spoke. It was as if, for the first time in the several years Seto and him had been doing business together, he was talking to him like a person instead of his competitor. "You and I have been in this business for a long time now, Kaiba. I've seen you become the business man you are today. I've seen you change both this company and yourself." Pegasus sighed, "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble when I came here, I just wanted you to know that when you have something worthwhile, you have to fight to keep it. No matter what it takes and no matter what stupid decisions led to losing that person in the first place." Seto's eyes narrowed.

"You told me I couldn't protect her," Seto said just as he sensed the security guards lining up outside of his office, waiting for his signal to take Pegasus away.

"I couldn't protect Cecelia either but that didn't stop me from trying to save her… or continuing to love her every day that passed since her death."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you still have a chance to be with the person you love. You still have a chance to be happy. And you can't let anything, not fear or pride, get in the way of that." Pegasus paused, "You may always see me as a monster, Seto Kaiba, but I have loved and lost just as you have. Despite our differences, I will always regard you as a friend, even if you never see me the same way." It was then that the first of several security guards entered Seto's office.

"I'm sorry for letting myself in, Master Kaiba, but do you still want us to throw this man out of your office?" Seto's eyes shifted from the security guards to Pegasus. Pegasus didn't wait to hear Seto's orders, he walked out the moment security had come in. Seto dismissed the security guards from his office.

Seto sat back down at his desk, regressing back to his earlier state: alone with a heart that was aching for a woman that was once his. He re-opened his laptop to find the same article, the same picture, and the same emotions. He began to remember the night as he looked at the photo more closely. He remembered the fight with Jiro, the way Jiro had put his arm around Kisara, and the way his blood had boiled the moment Jiro touched her. With each passing second the memory replayed and Pegasus's words were stuck in his head, he began to realize what he needed to do.

Seto shut down his computer, grabbed his coat, and left his office. As much as he hated Pegasus, the man was right. He couldn't let Kisara go… he couldn't throw away his one chance to be happy, even if it meant loving her from afar. The distance no longer mattered to him—the pain of Kisara not being near him was less excruciating than the idea that another man might enter Kisara's life and take his place. In a few short moments, he had exited the Kaiba Corp. building and was sprinting towards the parking lot. He loosened his tie and wiped the sweat from his brow before he flipped out his cell phone and hit speed dial.

"Master Kaiba? I'm surprised to hear from you on a Friday evening."

"Isono, I need a favor. Something came up and I need to make a quick trip to Hiroshima. Can you watch Mokuba for me? I'll be back later tonight but it'll probably be late."

"Wait, are you leaving for Hiroshima right now? Master Kaiba, it's 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The traffic will be unbelievable. Is this for business?" Seto rolled his eyes.

"Isono, I don't have time to explain why, I just need you to tell me you'll do it."

"Yes, of course I'll do it. What shall I tell Master Mokuba?" Seto shoved the key into the ignition and started the car before pulling out of his parking place without looking. He was already wasting too much time on the phone and he didn't want to get into the specifics with Isono, at least not right now. He needed to hang up and focus on the six hour drive.

"Just tell Mokuba that I'll be back before tomorrow morning and that nothing's wrong. I'm doing what he's been telling me to do for the last two weeks. Tell him that, okay?" Seto didn't wait for Isono to confirm he would relay the message to Mokuba, he just hung up and drove. Isono would understand, and there was no time to be worried about hurt feelings.

Questions were no longer swirling in Seto's head, instead, they had been replaced with thoughts and scenarios. He imagined Kisara, with her soft smile and even softer skin, entering a classroom, men staring at her. He was sure they wouldn't be staring at her deep, blue eyes either—the ones Seto had lost himself in a couple times before—they would be staring at the body that was only secondary to all she was. Those men wouldn't have any interest in getting to know her either, as perfect and wonderful as she was, they would be wanting to put their arms around her just like Jiro did. Just the thought of another man so much as staring at Kisara, that way, the wrong way, cemented Seto's foot cemented to the accelerator.

In that moment, Seto began to realize that the next six hours would be the most important six hours of his life. The time between getting to Kisara or losing her forever was all that mattered now.

Seto had been in Hiroshima for a couple minutes and already he was seeing signs promoting the Yokohama School of Business. He was off of the highway and knew that it would only be a couple of minutes before he got to the campus. He didn't know where he was going to park, where to begin searching for Kisara's dorm, or where she would end up being when he did get to her dorm… but he was happy to at least know her address. After questioning a couple people on campus, he was sure he could find Kisara.

Finding Kisara wasn't really the problem. In the six hours he had to himself, his fear for Kisara's whereabouts had grown. Sure, he would probably be able to find her dorm room in no time, but then what? What if she wasn't even in her dorm room? He couldn't stop himself from imagining her at some party on a Friday night, hanging out with a man. A college man. Then he imagined something worse. What if she was in her dorm room… but wasn't alone? What if she was lying her head on a boy's chest while they cuddled in bed? What if he stroked away the hair in her face and what if he did that right before he kissed her? It was a Friday night and Kisara, the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen, could be with anyone at this hour. After all, it was almost midnight.

Seto parked his car in the first place he could find, not caring whether he got a ticket. He asked the first person he ran into for directions to Kisara's dorm and was walking up the stairs to the third floor. With every step he took, his heart sank deeper into his stomach. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to find Kisara in her dorm or not. If she wasn't in her dorm, he didn't know how he would be able to find her or when he would be able to see her if he waited in her building. At the same time, he wasn't sure what he was going to do if he found her home, alone, with another man.

After exiting the stairwell, Seto walked down the hallway, scanning each door he passed for room 303. He found it quickly and then he stood in front of the door, choosing whether to knock or not. Seto wasn't sure this was the right thing to do. Showing up unannounced on a Friday night? How would she feel? What would she think? The more he stood there, the more questions he produced until he could take no more. He needed answers before he drove himself insane with his own apprehension. He knocked on the door.

In no time at all, the door was opened by none other than Kisara.

"Seto? What are you doing here?" Seto observed her outfit. The first thing he noticed was that she had clothes on. The second thing he noticed was that she was wearing pajamas. It was a relief to know that she wasn't at a party and didn't appear to be on her way to one. Still, if she was cozily dressed in her dorm, there could still be company inside.

"I'm sorry to drop in on you like this. Are you busy with anything or… anyone?" Seto asked, resisting the urge to burst into the dorm and get a better look for himself.

"No, my roommate's hanging out somewhere with her friends so she probably won't be back for a while. You haven't answered my question though. What are you doing here?" Kisara opened her door all the way, allowing Seto to see that she was, in fact, completely alone. Her quaint, little dorm room was well-put together, and he spotted an overturned book on her bed. Seto could finally let go of the rest of his worries just knowing that Kisara had been spending her Friday night reading. "Hello? Are you going to answer my question or keep looking at my room? It's a small dorm so one glance should pretty much tell you what it looks like in here."

Seto took hold of her hands.

"I came here because I didn't answer your question honestly during that interview," Seto responded, "Kisara, I'm in love with you and the truth is, I've been in love with you since before we went to the Graduation Dance… and maybe before that. Maybe since the first time you spoke to me, maybe even the first time I saw you. I can barely remember what my life was like before meeting you. All I really know is that my world hasn't been the same since you came into it and that means something to me." Seto paused, allowing himself time to postulate what he wanted to say next. All of his emotions, these feelings he was unfamiliar with due to his resistance to feel them, were making him disoriented. But he had to continue… he had to tell Kisara what she meant to him.

"The reason I didn't tell you how I felt was because I was scared. I was scared of how you made me feel and I was scared of what you would do with those feelings if I ever told you. So I chose to run away from them, thinking that was what you'd do if I ever told you…" Seto said, "But now… now I just want to be with you. Even if that means we can't physically be together for the next four months, I'm willing to do everything I can to make this work."

Kisara was silent. She hadn't batted an eye, or taken a breath. All she could do was stare at the man declaring his love for her. Seto Kaiba, the CEO of Kaiba Corp. who had brought her to Japan in the first place because of his expertise in business, was standing outside of her door asking to be hers. The shock of it all was so great she didn't know what to say. She felt so many emotions at once, words weren't forming in her mouth. She could only stare into those icy, blue eyes that began to melt as he asked for a second chance.

"I—" Kisara began, but there was no need for words. In an instant, Seto had pulled her into his arms, pressing lips against hers. Time suspended as the space between them disappeared, lost in each other's arms. Having Seto's body pressed against hers served as a reminder of the passion they felt during the six months they were together as well as the uncontrollable chemistry they shared from the first moment they met. What felt like an eternity was not nearly long enough as the two parted, Seto stepping back in an uncharacteristically unsure manner. Kisara saw his lips moving, but her brain was too dazed to decipher the syllables into words.

"…so I guess…" Kisara finally began to comprehend the words being said as Seto started to turn away, "I'll leave you in peace. I'm sorry." Her brain began to register what was happening and her body reacted. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"No, I won't let you leave." Kisara's lips rejoined with Seto's, confirming everything he had hoped for: a desire to try again. She pulled him back in her arms and their bodies became intertwined a second time. The pair gravitated back into her dorm and the door closed behind them.

It had taken a month and a half, but Seto and Kisara were together again.

A/N: FINALLY! I can't believe that chapter took as long as it did. First and foremost, sorry for the delay! Most of you know I like to keep a pretty tight schedule when it comes to updating and I had actually written this chapter early, believe it or not, but the revising and re-writing process was a particular pain this time around. The problem I'm encountering these days is that I've been plotting out this story for about four years now so I'm getting to some of the scenes I've thought of years ago but don't actually remember the exact way I wanted them to be written which leads to a lot of writing and re-writing until my brain thinks we've written the scene I envisioned. It's pretty obnoxious but it produces good work… even if it means I have to suffer the woes of wanting perfection. If you want to know where I am in the writing/updating process, check out my Twitter! Around updating time, you'll typically get some relevant updates on how close I am to posting a new chapter. In between updating time, you can learn more about my crazy, weird life. Either way, I hope you all have a wonderful day! Thanks for reading.