Chapter 4

The next few days went by painfully slow for Aria. The hype of starting her new internship was slowly killed as each day just brought the same tedious work. And each day as Aria sits down at her computer, she couldn't help but hope that Mr. Langley had sent her a more challenging assignment. One that would actually test her abilities. But so far it had been the same every time. She was losing hope that she would ever work on anything other than gopher tasks.

On the bright side, she hadn't seen Kaiba in the labs again since his sudden appearance on Monday. When she had caught his eye, she turned back around so quickly she almost gave herself whiplash. She had been fretting ever since if he recognized her as the girl who put him down from class. Well, more like put him in his place. Either way, all it takes is one word from him and she's gone. Along with her future.

Thursday rolled around, and Aria was running extremely late for her last class. She had been researching in the library during her spare period about any big projects Kaiba Corp might be working on. If there was, they were being extremely hush hush about it. If she could only find out what the project Kaiba was sending down to the programmers, then she might be able to convince Mr. Langley that her skills would be a great asset to the team.

When Aria finally entered her history classroom, she noticed that everyone was sitting in pairs.

"Ah, Miss Ito, how nice of you to grace us with your presence," her history teacher, Mr. Armani drawled. She forgot what a stickler he was for tardy students. "We're working on a group assignment today. Since you're the last one to arrive you can join Mr. Kaiba in the back corner."

Aria's face paled. She opened her mouth to try and get out of partnering with Kaiba but could think of nothing to say. Instead, she nodded numbly and headed over to where Kaiba usually sat and took the desk on his left. When she had the nerve to look over, he was staring at her. Eyes narrowed, like he was scrutinizing her. So maybe he does remember her from the lab.

When he still hadn't said anything, Aria cleared her throat and asked, "Did Mr. Amari give us a worksheet?"

Kaiba looked at her a second longer and then turned his head away while wordlessly handing over the worksheet.

"Thank you," mumbled Aria. Taking the piece of paper she tried to read the questions while her stomach swirled with butterflies. "How about I take the first half of the questions and you take the second half. Sound fair?" she asked with her eyes still on the page. She was afraid if she looked over again she would find those piercing blue eyes trying to read her, and she'd probably be an open book.

"Are you sure you can work alongside the 'great Seto Kaiba'?" he asked sarcastically.

Aria grimaced. So, it was their first meeting he was remembering. She didn't know which one was worse. "Sorry about that, I was…having a bad day." She risked a glance his way and he was looking at her again.

"Could've fooled me," he said, crossing his arms. "Since this assignment is a waste of my 'precious time', I think you should be good on your own. Unless you want to receive a bill in the mail." He said this with a devilish smirk that reeked of arrogance.

Aria's eyes flashed in anger. She didn't care if this guy was her boss at work, in the classroom he was a student just like her and had no right to speak to her that way. "I'm surprised you haven't just bribed the school already to give you your diploma. Then you wouldn't have to affiliate with us mere mortals," she snapped.

Kaiba smirked again and gave a small chuckle. "I was wondering where that fiery siren went. Meekness doesn't suit you Miss Ito."

Aria's mouth opened to retort but then closed it. He had purposely tried to bait a response out of her, and she fell right into it.

"What I want to know," he continued, "Is why I saw you at my computer lab Monday afternoon." He quirked a quizzical eyebrow at her.

Now Aria truly was speechless. "How did you know it was me?" she asked tentatively.

"I didn't," he answered. "Until Mr. Amari said your name, then it was simply putting the two together."

She didn't know how to respond. Was this the part where he fired her? But he seemed almost…impressed with her ire. Even if it was directed at him. Fortunately, he spoke before she could formulate a response.

"And how are you liking working at Kaiba Corp?"

It was Aria's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "I feel like that is a very loaded question."

Kaiba snickered. "Afraid to give the CEO a piece of your mind? I have to say, I'm disappointed."

Aria let out a huff at the insinuation. She hated feeling trapped into a corner, but she couldn't back down from a challenge. She turned and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm sure it would be amazing to work for Kaiba Corp. You have the highest standard equipment for programming, and invent some pretty advanced technology, like your duel disc for example. But from my spot in the lab, it is simply…boring."

Kaiba looked at her thoughtfully. "You surprise me. I didn't think you would have said anything positive about Kaiba Corp."

"There's nothing wrong with Kaiba Corp, it's just the CEO that's a piece of work," she said with her own smirk.

Kaiba smirked back. "So what's the problem then? Sounds like it should be your dream job."

She had come this far so she might as well go all the way. "Langley won't give me any challenging assignments. He hasn't even attempted to test my skills. To be honest, I think he has something against female programmers." She held her breath. She just spoke openly down about her supervisor. Kaiba's going to think she has a problem with authority. Well, she did, but only with the arrogant kind.

"Mr. Kaiba, Miss Ito, maybe now would be a good time to actually work on the assignment, class is almost over."

Aria jumped, totally oblivious that Mr. Armani was standing right beside her. "Of course sir," she said, quickly nodding.

Mr. Armani gave them a stern look then walked away.

Kaiba took the worksheet off her desk and started scribbling furiously down on the page. After a few minutes he said "Here," and handed it back to her. He got up from his desk just as the bell rang and was gone from the room.

Aria blinked a few times trying to process what just happened. She looked down at the assignment in her hands and each question was fully answered in an immaculate but oddly masculine handwriting. Seto Kaiba was definitely not as clear-cut as she first made him out to be. Did he even care about her concerns with work? Or was he just scoping her out for the sake of his company?

The shocked look on Mr. Armani's face as Aria handed in their completed worksheet was almost worth having Kaiba as a partner for class. As she gathered up her things, she realized that working alongside Kaiba hadn't really been that bad. And it left her with a smile as she exited the classroom.

The next day, Kaiba sat in his office looking over the report Langley had sent him earlier that day. The report outlined Aria's progress over the last few weeks. Basically, Langley said that Aria completed her work adequately but showed no signs of advanced skill. Kaiba snorted at that. If her portfolio was any indication, her skill level was way above par for her age and experience.

He leaned back in his chair, resting his face against his intertwined hands, lost in thought. He couldn't remember the last time a girl had captivated his thoughts. Their conversation yesterday hadn't only been entertaining, but surprisingly stimulating as well. No other girl could banter back with him like she could. Yes, she was gorgeous. Her thick black hair and soft face were definitely appealing, but it was those green eyes that entranced him. Whenever he got caught in their gaze, he always found it hard to look away.

Kaiba suddenly sat up straight as he realized the turn his mind had taken. Aria Ito was an employee of Kaiba Corp and the only thing he should be interested about her, was her ability to program his software. He gave his mind a mental shake then looked back at Langley's report. It was obvious that Langley hadn't given Aria any chances to actually prove herself. She had said as much yesterday. Kaiba was beginning to think that maybe Langley did have a prejudice against female programmers.

Well he wasn't going to let Aria's talent go to waste. He could use someone whose mind hadn't been molded by rules and limits. He needed someone who could look past all that, and into the impossible.

After typing something quickly on his computer, Kaiba got up from his chair and exited his office. He headed towards the elevators to ride down to the 10th floor. Once he got there, he went straight into the computer lab.

Sure enough, he saw Aria typing away at her computer. Though he noticed that her keystrokes were slow and the way her chin sat in the palm of her hand suggested she was bored.

Kaiba walked over to Langley's desk and stood with his arms crossed. Langley immediately stood up and bowed. "I have a special project that I want to assign to Aria Ito."

Langley blinked, his face locked in disbelief. "Are you sure sir? There are many others who would be more than qualified- "

"No," Kaiba cut him off. "I found your report lacking. I want Miss Ito to be able to prove her abilities, which is an opportunity you seemed to have denied her." Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

Langley nervously fidgeted under his direct gaze.

Kaiba turned away and looked towards Aria table. "Miss Ito," he said, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Almost all of the workers stopped to look in her direction, curiosity evident in their faces.

Aria swiveled around at her name. Her eyes widened once she realized who had called her. She slowly stood up and walked towards Kaiba.

"Yes…Mr. Kaiba?" She asked, stumbling over her words.

A small smile almost escaped Kaiba's lips. It must've been hard for her to address him so respectfully. "I have a project that I want you to do for me."

Her breath hitched at the pronouncement.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up yet," Kaiba continued. "It is a challenging one, but if you can successfully implement it, then you would have earned a spot on my team. Are you up for it?"

Aria straightened her spine and looked into his eyes. Her eyes darkened to an emerald green, sparking determination. "I accept."

Kaiba smirked at her resolve. "Good. Langley will send it over to you immediately."

Aria nodded and headed back towards her desk.

"Oh, and Miss Ito?"

She stopped and looked back at him.

"Don't disappoint me."

She looked at him a second longer then gave him one curt nod and continued to her desk.

Kaiba watched her go, feeling even more impressed by her tenacity to prove herself. He had a feeling she won't let him down. Leaving the lab to head back up to his office, Kaiba thoughts couldn't help but be filled with the raven haired beauty.

Aria stayed long after closing hours. Kaiba wasn't kidding when he said that the assignment was challenging. But she was too elated by the fact that she got to work on something that actually required some skill! Her mind had gone into overdrive trying to figure out how to accomplish Kaiba's objectives. She was definitely going to have to think outside the box.

Once she got outside the office building, she decided to hail a cab as she doubted the buses were running too regularly at this time of night. Within minutes a cabbie had pulled up to the curb. The ride home allowed Aria to reflect on what Kaiba had done for her today.

To say she was surprised was an understatement. When he came into the lab earlier and called her name, she was sure she was getting the axe. The insubordination she showed in class the other day could not go unnoticed. But instead of reaching out with an axe, he extended an invite to prove herself. It was so unlike the Kaiba she had portrayed in her mind.

Aria rested her forehead against the back window. Watching the city lights flicker pass, she found herself wondering how a man who was supposed to be so callous acted like he had a heart. His actions today showed that he listened to her yesterday and cared enough to do something about it. Or was this all business? Aria let out a sad sigh. Maybe she was looking too far into things. It could only be that Kaiba sees her potential and wants to utilize it for his next big development.

The cab pulled up in front of her house, it was late, but Aria could depict a few lights still on through the lace curtains. She inwardly groaned to herself at the prospect of having to face her stepfather. He seemed to have blissfully left her alone all week and now she's waiting for him to ambush her. The calm before the storm so to speak.

Aria paid the cab driver, climbed out and walked up the steps to the house. She debated getting into her room through the trellis, but she had learned the hard way that putting off her stepfather only made the inevitable meeting much worse.

As she stepped into the front foyer, she saw that the door to his study was closed but could see the light on underneath the door. Should she approach him? Or continue on, pretending that she didn't know he was there?

She stood there in the front foyer, hands clenched at her sides, immobile with indecision. She shouldn't have to feel this way in her own home. It may be Riku's house, but the last memories of her mother were here. Of her cooking in the kitchen while singing horribly offkey to ABBA. Or of her attempting to knit a sweater for Aria. She never did get the hang of it, but she always thought that knitting was a trait every good mother should have.

Tears pricked behind her eyes at the memories, but Aria blinked them away. Five years her mother had been gone now, and Aria still had moments when she woke up in the morning and expected to smell her home baked muffins. But that was all gone now, and with it went all the things that made the house homey.

Thinking of food made Aria's stomach growl. With all the excitement at work, she completely forgot to grab some dinner. She took one last look at the door to the study and decided to head to the kitchen first before deciding what to do about Riku.

Walking towards the back of the house, Aria entered through a swinging door into an immaculate white and stainless-steel kitchen. She was glad Riku made a modest enough income to have hired help to clean and do the grocery shopping, otherwise the house would be in shambles. She stuck her head into the refrigerator rummaging through for some ingredients to make a sandwich. She was too tired to put much effort into anything else.

While still looking inside the fridge, she heard the tell-tale sign of heavy footsteps approaching the kitchen, followed by the door swinging open and close. So much for eating first. She stood up and turned around to face her stepfather.

Riku stood with his thumbs looped around his suspenders, his face contorted into what she thought was supposed to be a smile. "I haven't had a chance to speak with you all week. How is the internship at Kaiba Corp going?"

Aria's defenses immediately went up. His tone was way too conciliatory, Riku never spoke to her this way. "It's fine," she answered carefully. "It's only been two weeks, so they don't have me working on too much yet."

"Oh? Surely they must've given you something by now."

She clenched her teeth together, trying not to say anything that would reveal her recent interactions with Kaiba. "Well my supervisor Mr. Langley won't give me any special assignments." Which was true, it was Kaiba who had given her latest special assignment.

"But you work in a lab with other programmers, don't you? Have you overhead anything that might indicate a new development from Kaiba Corp?"

Now Aria was in full alert mode. "You seem more interested in what they're working on then my internship. You should know better than anyone that I can't divulge anything that concerns Kaiba Corp."

Riku put his hands up in mock surrender. "Just trying to help. If I knew what they were working on I might be able to help you get on board."

"Thanks for the offer" she replied coolly. "But I think I can handle it."

Riku's eyes suddenly went hard. "Just don't forget where your roots come from. You'd be out on the streets right now if it wasn't for me. You owe me." He scowled at her and with a snarl on his lips, he turned around and left the kitchen.

Aria was left seething. How dare he act like he gave two figs about what happened to her! He only kept her around because she came with her mother. And then when she had passed away, he found a use for her at his company. But there was no reason to keep her around now. Unless he was planning something…

Aria was usually pretty good at handling her stepfather. But this was a side of him that she had never seen before. She could tell that he was interested in Kaiba Corp, but what could he benefit from knowing their latest project? Fenrir was too far below their standards in being able to provide any programming services.

Aria left the components to her sandwich in the fridge, her appetite gone. She slowly trudged to the stairs, looking forward to the solace of her room. The one place she felt a smidgen of comfort, which was saying a lot.

Home…When was the last time she actually felt at home somewhere? With Riku's new threats, the house was even more desolate and felt devoid of any warmth. It was moments like these that Aria missed her mother most. She would bring a pleasant light into any room she walked into.

But her mother wasn't here. Aria wished she could just walk out those doors and never look back. But with her 18th birthday still months away, she wouldn't be able to live on her own without someone calling Children's Aid on her and sending her right back.

School was almost over, then all she had to do was survive the summer and then she was off to college. Even if she didn't win the scholarship, there was no way she was staying here any longer than she had to. She would find a way.

Reaching her room, she immediately went to the bed and crawled under the covers, fully clothed. Her thoughts drifted to her mother and her sunny smile, but the last image to cross her mind before sleep took her was that of a pair of steel blue eyes.