The Job

Disclaimer: I don't own Boys over Flowers, Yugioh, Stargate SG1 and Rurouni Kenshin.

I read this awful manga a long time ago…. Seriously what were you thinking! She's the person who swore I really needed to read it and after I forced myself to read three books I told her I'd had enough! I hated the main boys with a passion and I couldn't stand how utterly stupid and completely unlikable the main girl was. However, I fell completely in love with one character. The girl's brother who is just sweet and caring and tried so hard to protect the stupid, idiot moron girl and got completely shafted in the ending despite his noble efforts! So I have made it my personal mission to rescue him from that awful ending the author threw at him. In fact this story was conceived partly to save him from that ending. So here he is: Shinogu Narita! Let's all give him a warm welcome! For the sake of disclaiming he's from Hot Topic. I am happy to say that I absolutely do not own that manga! And I never will! Grrrrrr….

Chapter 4: Let's Duel!

Tsukasa did not say a word on the ride back. Tsukushi was assigned a company car and driver so Tsukasa had jumped in the vehicle with her while the rest of the boys followed in their rented limo. He was stewing…he was likely still mad about her choosing to remain at Kaiba Corp. When they arrived at the beautiful and quiet complex he looked around with suspicion and something else…something she had never really seen in him: Fear.

Before she had a chance to ask him what was going on Rui, Sojiro and Akira caught up with them. Noisily they went into the elevator to the 25th floor penthouse of the central tower in the three building complex. It was an old but well cared for complex but according to Tsukushi's guards only 2 thirds of the complex was occupied. Many engineers had quit following Gozaburo's demise because they wanted to continue their weapons research in other companies.

"Many of the company's older employees disagreed with Master Kaiba changing the company's mission to gaming development," the guard concluded. Tsukushi thought this might alleviate some of Tsukasa's concerns. After all, gaming was a mostly harmless enterprise but he continued to brood.

"Yea…I'm sure that's why they left," Tsukasa grumbled under his breath. Tsukushi was about to retort when the guard spoke again.

"You're right…some left because they had ties to the yakuza groups Mr. Shinomori and Oniwaban took out," the guard continued as he unlocked Tsukushi's private elevator lobby. There were only two apartments on this level. He explained that they had remained at Kaiba Corp at first because the continued animosity between Shinomori Corp. and Kaiba Corp provided them some protection. Now that Shinomori and Kaiba were friends – and soon to be business allies – that protection had expired.

"How interesting…" Tsukushi thought as she unlocked the door to her new apartment. The first thing she thought of was the moron who had ignored her first. But all speculation suddenly flew out of her head as she opened the door. Her jaw dropped…the view of her new apartment was – in one word – stunning!

"Oh wow…" she said softly. The penthouse level consisted of two apartments. The living room was the first place you walked into to and it had a huge panoramic window across it that took in a spectacular view of Domino. Directly adjacent to it was an elegantly appointed dining room. Her new apartment had a huge master bedroom with a private balcony, a double sink bathroom and a large tub. It had two large regular bedrooms across the hall from the master bedroom and a large bathroom at the end of that hall.

"Oh wow!" she repeated more excitedly as she threw her purse down on the very plush and elegant couch with an expensive entertainment system mounted on the wall. On the opposite end of the house was a large kitchen and adjacent to it was a medium sized service area complete with washer, dryer and a small semi -secluded balcony with retractable hanging wires. Tsukushi was surprised to find also a small servant's quarters next to the washer room. It came complete with a small yet fully equipped bathroom.

"This is great!" Tsukushi enthused as she plopped herself down on the couch where Rui had already made himself comfortable. Sojiro and Akira had opened the windows and were looking out at Domino wondering where the good clubs in Domino were. Her bodyguards were still standing by the door.

"Ma'am we will return in the morning. The work day starts at 7am we will return then to pick you up," he announced solemnly. She sat up quickly and stopped him.

"What was your name again?" she stopped wanting to make sure she knew who she would be dealing with every morning and evening.

"My name is Sukoru and my partner is Zeru. I live in the level right below," replied the man solemnly and explained that Zeru had been temporarily removed from the Kaiba Estate due to a shortness of staff in the Kaiba building's security personnel. She nodded firmly and walked towards them.

"Make it six o'clock! I want to get an early start," she ordered firmly. They nodded solemnly and after saying good night they walked out closing the door behind them. Rui, Akira and Sojiro decided to head out to find some night life. Tsukushi let them go and gave them a key so they wouldn't make her get up to let them in. Tsukasa was still quiet while the others noisily left to find some "action".

"Why didn't you go with them?" she asked yawning tiredly as she headed back to the master bedroom.

"Tsukushi…I'm serious I don't want you to work for this guy," he insisted with single-minded determination. Tsukushi rolled her eyes and turned to give him a piece of her mind. Her mouth opened but she held back the lecture she was about to shoot at him. The look on his face was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

"Please…" he repeated softly. The fear in his eyes was something very foreign so she changed her track.

"Why are you so adamant against this?" softening her tone. He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. His face was completely transformed by fear.

"This isn't like high school! This isn't rich brats playing pranks! This guy is for real!" he pleaded desperately. Tsukushi's concern died instantly as her hackles rose. She pushed him away and pulled off her jacket.

"Are you implying that I was in no "real" danger back then? Shall I write you up a list of all the things I went through because of your stupid red tag! How dare you?" she yelled at him tossing her jacket on the bed.

"In case you forgot…I was in REAL danger! I was in danger of starving, getting beaten, raped and oh yea…I still have the scars from that convertible, do you want to see?" she continued hollering at him not giving him a chance to reply as she pulled her sleeves up to show him the scratch marks on her elbow.

"People DIE around Kaiba Tsukushi! They DIE! You can't take back death! You can't apologize for it and no amount of revenge can bring you back from death!" he yelled back desperate and afraid cutting her tirade off.

"You can yell at me all you want and punish me for being a stupid kid for the rest of my life! I don't care as long as you're alive!" he insisted and the level of distress and vulnerability in Tsukasa surprised Tsukushi and kept her silent.

"I'm not that idiot boy anymore but I can't prove it if you're dead," he ended more softly. His eyes were an open door giving Tsukushi a full view of Tsukasa's real feelings. Tsukasa had never really loved anything or anyone until he met Tsukushi. She loved him but she wasn't sure she was quite ready for the kind of commitment that lurked underneath Tsukasa's plea. She needed to strike out on her own…to make her own mark in the world.

"Tsukasa I need to do this…for some reason I feel like I'm meant to be here…that my destiny – no – our destinies are here. I need you to understand," she began more softly this time reaching up to touch his face. He grabbed her hand pulling her close holding that hand to his chest.

"I need you alive! I'm no good without you…" he added softly he added baring his soul as much as he had ever been able to. It gave Tsukushi pause but she could not be deterred from this course. The fact that Tsukasa was being so insistent wouldn't have been enough to discourage her but the level of fear he was projecting certainly made her think.

"Give me a little time…I will prove to you that this is a good move…not just for me and my family but for the two of us as well," she insisted reaching up with her other hand to touch his face. His brow furrowed in disappointment and anger then melted away to wry amusement.

"Stubborn woman… you never let me have it my way," he countered pulling her hand up to his lips to kiss her fingers softly. She smiled surprised by this sudden show of out of character gallantry.

"But isn't that why you like me?" she teased lightly. Again his expression turned serious and her heart skipped a beat from the look in his eyes.

"That's why I love you," he rejoined solemnly. It stopped Tsukushi in her tracks. Tsukasa had never made such an open declaration in years. She tensed for a moment waiting for when he would revert back to his spoiled bratty self and take back what he said.

"And I'm not taking it back," he insisted forcefully "I love you! There! I said it again! Convinced yet?" he asked a fierce and uncharacteristic determination in his eyes. She smiled up at him.

"Yes, I'm convinced. I love you too," she replied and then he kissed her…

Tsukushi attacked the next day with a super burst of energy and determination. Tsukasa had insisted that if she wasn't going to come back that at least he be able to hire one security person that he knew for sure he could trust. To her surprise Roland was incredibly accommodating in this regard and by noon that day a girl about two or three years older than Tsukushi had already been hired.

Her name was Anko and she didn't quite look like a bodyguard. At first glance she looked like some cheerful college girl. She wore the black suit that was common for Kaiba's security and right away hit it off with the other security guys. Roland though let Tsukushi know that she was a freelance agent of Oniwaban Security Services and that she was a highly skilled warrior. Anko insisted sitting in for her secretary until she could hire a properly trained one. She hated sitting around doing nothing.

But Tsukasa's interventions didn't end there. He bought her a brand new car fully decked out with every gizmo and luxury known to the automobile industry and insisted she use it. She suspected the car was somehow wired so he could keep tabs on her every day and she was sure the new celphone that came with it was too. She found that she didn't really mind.

She called her mother to let her know how things were going. Her family would wait until her brother's up-coming school spring break to move in with her. He would transfer to Domino High and the boy was jazzed at the thought of going to school with Seto Kaiba and Yugi Motou - his Duel Monsters heroes!

It seemed her tenure at Kaiba Corp was off to a good start! By the time that Seto arrived – still wearing his high school uniform – she had reports from every department on his desk. Once he finished changing into his business suit she had her notepad in her hand and was seated at the small conference room table. She was ready to fill him in on the day's activities.

"Oh and the inspectors called and said they would be coming tomorrow to begin the safety inspections for the Kaibaland Park attractions," Tsukushi explained she had obtained an estimated timetable for the inspections. Kaibaland Park was Seto's post-Battle City project. A theme park based on Seto's favorite pastime: Duel Monsters!

Her little brother asked her last night if she could score him tickets for the highly anticipated Duel Monsters theme park called Kaibaland Park – companion to the Kaibaland Arcade adjacent to the Kaiba Corp. main building. Fortunately, Roland had let her know her family would receive VIP invites for the opening week. Her little brother was ecstatic! Her mother was also happy to know that she would soon meet her daughter's most infamous and rich new boss!

"Now sir about opening week…have you decided what you want to do?" Tsukushi asked banishing the memory of her mother asking Tsukushi if Seto was married or if he had a girlfriend. The woman would never rest until Tsukushi married one of the many rich handsome men she seemed to always be surrounded by.

"I'm throwing a duel monsters competition but I've decided to keep it more low key," began Seto. Tsukushi made notes as Seto explained that he was going to invite only the most elite competitors from the countries where Duel Monsters was most popular. He would narrow the list to about 16 people.

"The duels will be dispersed in the space of the whole week," Seto continued pensively as he looked out the window.

"Will you be participating?" Tsukushi asked. Seto was quiet for a moment then shook his head. He looked sad for a second and for that moment she could actually see the teenager Seto – not the ruthless, genius, badass owner of Kaiba Corp.

"No…I have too much on my plate and I wasted too much time last year in Battle City," he paused and Tsukushi realized then that the game wasn't just an excuse to battle Yugi or to randomly humiliate people who annoyed him; it was something that he truly loved to do. She could see it cost him dearly to say no to a duel monsters tournament. She made a mental note to get her brother to teach her about duel monsters. She would learn more about what her boss loved most even if it meant learning a little dueling.

"The winner of the competition will win a duel with the King of Games," Seto declared switching back to his usual tough guy voice. He gave her a list of the duelists he had thought most useful for promoting Kaibaland Park.

Some were long retired yet fairly well known, others in junior leagues showing much promise. She noted that most were well known for other things then their dueling skills, for example Ms. Rebecca Hawkins was the youngest person in the world to receive a college degree. She had been 10 years old at her graduation. She was now 12 and working on an engineering master's degree. Mr. Soguroku Motou was a retired – yet well-known – archeologist, aside from being the famous Yugi Motou's grandfather.

There was a plastic surgeon and a detective and a renowned environmentalist with a very odd personality quirk. There was even a popular and beautiful young kung fu actress and an American Country music singer! They discussed the opening of the amusement park the most because it seemed that Seto's current drive focused completely around the event. Even though it was still weeks away the park was foremost in her intense boss' mind…

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The following Friday…

Keith Watts – head of the Internal Computer Systems Dept – glanced furtively behind trying to make sure no one had followed him. Confident that none of Kaiba's mercs were around he continued on his way to the rendezvous point.

He would've preferred a more secluded location but realized that hiding in plain sight was the smarter choice for this transaction. He parked his car, entered the mall just a couple of blocks from Kaiba Corp and sat at a table in the food court to wait for his meeting.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Watts," said a silky male voice with a slight German accent. A young man in a deep purple suit and his hair dyed pink sat in front of him smiling politely at him. The smile had a chilling effect on Watts and for a moment he wondered whether it was really such a good idea to sell out Kaiba. He hated the brat but this guy scared him.

"Good afternoon Mr. Von Schroeder…I have what you wanted," Watts replied wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Straight to the point… excellent Mr. Watts. I appreciate expedience. But please the name is Lloyd…Siegfried Lloyd. I trust everything is in order," the young man replied still smiling politely. Watts was sweating by now and wanted to be away from this young man as soon as possible. If Kaiba ever found out what he was up to with Lloyd - he'd be dead meat!

"Yes the code is in the disk and you will be entered in the 16 contestants," Watts assured him pulling out a small data disk from his pocket. Siegfried reached for the disk but Watts held on to it.

"What about my pay?" Watts added roughly. Siegfried smiled coldly sending a deathly chill down Watts' spine.

"Ah yes! Of course," said the young man as he pulled out his blackberry and typed in a few quick commands. He smiled chillingly.

"There…it has been deposited into the account you have provided us. You may check if you wish," he added politely. Watts did just that since he had his own blackberry out and his account was set to send him a confirmation message when the deposit was made. Once he received the confirmation he let go of the disk which quickly disappeared into Siegfried's jacket.

"It was good doing business with you…Have a good day Mr. Lloyd," Watts said getting up from the table. He needed to get back to the office before he arouses any suspicions.

"Oh but won't you join me for a friendly lunch?" the young man teased. He was obviously aware of Watts' discomfort. Watts made an effort to calm him self.

"No thank you Mr. Lloyd. I've already had lunch…I must return to my office now I have much work to do," he replied with a polite bow and a feeble attempt at a cheerful smile. Quickly, he walked back to the parking lot and hurried back to his routine before anyone would suspect him.

The young man at the table smiled evilly as he played with the little data card in his hand.

"Oh Ger-Kaiba your end is near," Siegfried said softly chuckling evilly to himself before getting up to and walking away…

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So Tsukushi spent the weekend in the office acclimating herself to Kaiba Corp much to Tsukasa's displeasure. By the time Monday morning arrived, the F4 – mostly Tsukasa - admitted defeat and returned to Tokyo. Tsukushi was left with a promise that they would return the following weekend so she attacked the rest of her week with vigor unseen in any of her predecessors! She stayed late nights in the office working hard to get in step with her very intense and hardworking boss.

Seto Kaiba was tough beyond his age! He could spend hours working tirelessly and still have energy for his brother. He made some heroic efforts for him and it was heartwarming catching them in those very rare moments when he would smile or laugh at something Mokuba said or did. It worried Tsukushi though that he didn't seem to take much time for himself.

Did he have friends his age? Did he have a girlfriend? Did he go out on dates? It didn't seem so to Tsukushi and it seemed kinda sad that he didn't take some time out to be a regular teenager. She thought perhaps that's why he loved tournaments so much. It was really the only time he got to be a kid. She would keep her eyes peeled and see if there was a way for her boss to enjoy those brief and turbulent years of teenage-hood. After all, even she had managed a few dances and dates and fun in high school.

She wondered perhaps if that's why his sensei made him go to school once a week. He obviously didn't need it for academic purposes! She pondered all these things as she labored intensely to be the best EA in Kaiba Corp history. But despite her best efforts and a heroic save in the art department – it became obvious to Tsukushi that her boss needed more than one assistant. She had learned in her years with the F4 that pride always goes before a fall and she was not to proud to admit when she needed a little help.

The vacuum of power left by Kaiba Corp's big five meant that there were a lot of sneaky, rotten bastards just waiting to strike at Seto Kaiba if they got wind of any weaknesses. Her instincts told her that some of Kaiba Corp's key managers were up to something. She couldn't put her finger on what exactly was going on but she had the distinct feeling there were a few sneaky bastards plotting against him.

'He needs to have more people loyal to him up here,' Tsukushi thought as she read a report from the human resources department. She tried to concentrate but she had noticed a suspicious man at lunchtime talking to the head of the Internal Computer Systems department. She had gone to the shopping mall a couple blocks down with Anko to get a little exercise and a sweet snack when she had recognized the ass that had ignored her on the first day. The way he was sitting and talking in hushed tones with the other man at a partially hidden table gave Tsukushi a bad feeling.

'I wonder if I should have called him at school,' she thought for the tenth time since she rushed back from lunch. Her boss attended high school on Friday mornings on orders from his sensei. Though who this sensei – who was so mysterious and apparently powerful enough to give orders to her boss was – was still to her (and almost everyone else) unknown. The only ones who seemed to know were Roland and Mokuba – and oddly enough her guard/secretary Anko – but they weren't talking!

Her intercom buzzed then snapping her out of her reveries. Lynn's soft, sweet voice came on letting her know Mr. Kaiba had arrived. Tsukushi grabbed her pad and hurried towards his office intent on reporting what she had seen. The only bright spot right now was that Tsukushi's best friend Yuki had been hired to be her executive secretary. That at least increased the number of allies but Yuki wouldn't start her new job until Monday.

"Ms. Makino! What do you have for me?" he barked out his usual Friday afternoon greeting. Quickly she ran through the morning activities with a recap of the week. Tsukushi realized that going to school always put him in a somewhat bad mood. Today though he seemed a little more intense than usual.

"Make sure the art department sends you a thank you note. I was getting ready to re-staff it," Seto offered by way of a compliment as he perused the art samples for one of the new games. Tsukushi was already used to it. Her boss was not the type to be flowery but his brutal honesty and rough demeanor was refreshing to Tsukushi. She was utterly tired of the charming, handsome completely false guys and the two-faced twerps that surrounded her in Eitoku.

The art department had fallen woefully behind on its deadlines and it was the first thing Tsukushi attacked at the beginning of the week. By switching assignments around and sending people out on little field trips to art galleries and manga stores, she had revitalized the artists. By Friday morning they had done 2 weeks' worth of work.

"My sensei has recommended that I add one more person to my upper management group," he suddenly threw at her then paused in his perusal of the reports and gave her a hard look. It caught Tsukushi a little off guard since she was still thinking about the suspicious guy from lunch.

"Really? That's great! Do you have someone in mind?" Tsukushi replied excitedly silently thanking the all-wise and wonderful yet unknown Sensei for his or her clairvoyance. His face changed and he looked surprised.

"It doesn't bother you to have to share power?" Seto asked. Tsukushi waved the notion away.

"No way! You need allies, sir! The more the merrier is what I say," she countered cheerfully. Seto merely smirked in amusement.

"And if you don't mind my saying… I have a feeling we are going to need plenty of allies soon," she added a little more softly. Seto leaned in closer.

"Why?" he asked simply with a very ruthless look on his face. Quickly she told him what she had seen earlier and her observations throughout the week. He just listened quietly and said nothing finally he tapped on the intercom and called Roland in. He looked at the reports on his desk concentrating on the one about the Internal Computer Systems department. Roland walked in seconds after summoning.

"Roland, have Watts followed and get one of your men to back up all our computer records," Seto instructed roughly.

"Do complete new background checks on everyone in his department, especially Watts! And make sure no one knows about this," Seto added in a low very ruthless scary tone. Roland merely nodded and Tsukushi got the distinct impression that he enjoyed being sent to do sneaky stuff. Tsukushi smiled and relaxed a little.

"You have good instincts Ms. Makino. I have been suspicious for some time though I was reluctant to move without more concrete proof," Seto commented as Roland left the office.

"I'm telling you…we need more allies," whispered Tsukushi conspiratorially. Seto nodded slowly in agreement. He opened his mouth to say more but the intercom sounded and Lynn announced his appointment had arrived.

"Just so you know Ms. Makino. Like you, I have already hired him based solely on who referred him," he added with an amused smirk. "In fact, I have a feeling you might know him. He also did an internship at Shinomori electronics," Seto added apparently very amused by the coincidence.

"Really? Who is it?" she asked feeling slightly buoyed by having an ally who could be immediately trusted. Seto just smirked as the door opened and Lynn led a tall, solemn, dark haired man in to the conference room. He was a few inches shorter but he could almost pass for Aoshi Shinomori himself! He bowed to Seto and he moved forward to shake hands with his new boss. Tsukushi had to keep herself from squealing.

"Shinogu! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed as she moved forward to shake his hand. Yea, she absolutely knew Shinogu. He had been a law school graduate trying to get into a permanent position at Shinomori Electronics. He smirked just a little and returned her greeting in a calm warm manner.

"Good…you know each other. Let's get to work," Kaiba ordered. The first order of business was dividing up the work.

Shinogu would be in charge of Legal and Human Resources. They were pretty large sections and needed more careful attention. Tsukushi would handle finance, manufacturing, marketing and distribution. Leaving Mr. Kaiba to concentrate on what he did best: game and technology development. They all agreed that at some point they would hire a Public Relations person but at the moment they were confident they did not need one.

"I want all of us to know everything the others are doing. I don't want any surprises! Especially during the opening of the park," Seto concluded as they put Shinogu up to speed.

"Sir…given the situation might I suggest that Tsukushi be the one to give me the tour?" he began. He explained that by allowing Tsukushi to take charge it would show that Seto was delegating all his work to his E.A.s and it might lure the traitor into a false sense of security.

"Of course! He might think that Mr. Kaiba's slipping or losing confidence because he's handing control to a couple of newbies. Then he'll slip up and we can catch him in the act!" exclaimed Tsukushi slamming her fist into her hand. She was impressed! The man didn't miss a beat! Seto smirked just a little, pleased by the way his new E.A.s were thinking.

"I have one more thing that might lend to the ruse…" Seto began thoughtfully. Shinogu and Tsukushi exchanged a look of confusion but before they could ask anything their boss sent them away to follow their commands. He scribbled an address on a piece of paper and told them both to be there on Sunday morning.

"You can bring those idiots from the F4. They should fit in nicely with the crowd I want you two to meet," Mr. Kaiba added with an amused chuckle. Tsukushi looked at him with suspicion but shrugged it off. She had learned in the week she'd been at Kaiba Corp that her boss had and odd sense of humor. She told as much to Shinogu as the two walked away to the tour.

Shinogu and Tsukushi quickly reacquainted with each other. Tsukushi insisted Shinogu keep Yuki as his secretary. Anko proposed they just leave her in the position of Tsukushi's secretary. It would make it less obvious that she was a bodyguard. It was an idea that appealed to Roland so he left Anko there. Tsukushi couldn't really complain. The woman was quite efficient and pleasant to have around.

In time it would become apparent to all the staff that Shinogu was the exact opposite of Tsukushi. Tsukushi was cheerful and open. Shinogu was calm and mysterious. They were both also perfect compliments to their boss who was intense, ruthless and most of the time cold-hearted. They humanized him in a way that until then had been the sole domain of his brother. They made him a more approachable boss.

Tsukushi spent the weekend helping Yuki move in to her new apartment in the Kaiba Corp housing complex. Shinogu alternated between the office and moving into his own apartment: The penthouse opposite Tsukushi's. Roland transferred Sukoru to Shinogu and sent Zeru back to the Kaiba Estate for grounds guard duty. He left Anko with Tsukushi. Tsukasa had added a bodyguard/maid who would take care of her at home when Anko went home to her apartment one floor down.

"Come on are you guys coming or not!" Tsukushi called out from the entrance of her apartment. Akira, Rui and Sojiro had come again with Tsukasa to hang out on the weekend with Tsukushi but had spent Friday and Saturday night partying. It was noon already and they were still passed out in the two guest rooms of her house. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Let's just go…they are never getting up," said Tsukasa in a bored tone. He had not gone with them either night so he had been up every morning with Tsukushi. He didn't let her out of his sight!

"Alright, let's go," Tsukushi relented with a sigh. The cheerful maid handed her Tsukushi's purse and keys.

"Thank you Ms. Sanada. Please make sure my guests are well taken care of but if they get fresh with you feel free to give them a practical demonstration of your martial arts skills!" Tsukushi added. She had noted on their arrival that Akira and Sojiro had not let up bothering the pretty and cheerful maid despite her polite and adamant refusals.

"Yes maam!" the pretty dark-haired girl replied cheerfully. She waved them goodbye as she stood by the door waiting for them to get in the elevator. She knocked on Shinogu's door much to Tsukasa's displeasure. Tsukasa had – of course – disliked Shinogu from the instant he met him for no other reason than that he looked like Aoshi Shinomori. Why Tsukasa hated Mr. Shinomori so much… she did not know. Tsukasa for some reason did not feel like sharing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting…I'm afraid I have not made much headway with my apartment," he said as he came out looking somewhat flustered. Tsukushi frowned. He greeted Tsukasa very politely and formally. Tsukasa barely acknowledged him. He turned to lock his door and they walked to the elevator.

"If you don't mind I can send Ms. Sanada to lend you a hand," Tsukushi offered. Ms. Sanada suddenly appeared next to Tsukushi smiling cheerfully, ready to serve. Ms. Sanada – like Yuki – liked Shinogu very much! Tsukushi found this all very amusing. He looked surprised for a moment then he smiled a little.

"Thank you Tsukushi, Ms. Sanada for your kind offer but my mother and one of my sisters are coming tomorrow and will be staying the week to assist me," Shinogu replied bowing slightly. Ms. Sanada visibly deflated but quickly her cheerful smile returned.

"As of Monday I will be officially under Kaiba corp. payroll! So if your mother or your sister needs anything please make sure they do not hesitate to call on me!" Ms. Sanada cheerfully declared. The elevator opened and she held the door opened for the three of them to step in. Sukoru and Yuki were in the elevator already. Yuki's smile went just a little wider as Shinogu stepped in the elevator with Tsukushi and Tsukasa.

"Good Morning Mr. Shinogu!" she greeted perkily. Only at the last second did she remember to greet Tsukushi and Tsukasa. Shinogu acknowledged her greeting formally. Shinogu then turned to Tsukushi and asked her if she knew where they were going. Tsukushi shook her head though it sounded like Shinogu did know.

"Do you know?" she asked. He frowned but nodded. Mr. Kaiba had asked them to dress casual for this meeting so Tsukushi and Shinogu were both in jeans, sneakers and t-shirts. Yuki was wearing more of a date-like summer dress.

"Yes, I passed by it on my way back home last night. We're going to the Kame Game Shop," he explained solemnly. Tsukushi's eyes went wide. The Kame Game shop was the shop owned by Yugi Motou's grandfather. Yugi Motou is Seto Kaiba's only rival and the current title holder of the King of Games. He defended successfully said title during last year's Kaiba corp. sponsored Battle City tournament.

"So we're going to meet Mr. Kaiba's duel monsters rival…" she concluded wondering at the same time if this was part of Mr. Kaiba's plan to lure out his saboteurs. Shinogu seemed to agree.

"But we will have to wait until we get there to know for sure. He may just want us there when he invites him to his Kaibaland opening," he added. Tsukushi nodded agreeing with him as they reached the underground parking lot. Anko was standing next to Tsukushi's car wearing a pair of very short shorts. Sukoru gave her a disapproving look – he was still wearing his Kaiba Corp black suit – then led his small group towards their car.

"I'll see you there," Shinogu called out solemnly. Tsukushi waved back and chuckled a little as Yuki practically skipped along next to Shinogu grinning like a maniac. They got in the car and Tsukasa grumbled annoyed at having to be around Kaiba. Tsukushi had worked most of the weekend but Kaiba had not shone up once all weekend and that at least had been a small blessing to Tsukasa.

"I just don't like the guy," he grumbled. Tsukushi just shook her head.

"Really? Cuz I think he's kinda cute!" called Anko cheerfully out from the driver's seat.

"Of course you do! You Oniwaban chicks are weird!" Tsukasa retorted angrily. Tsukushi groaned but Anko just laughed.

"Yea I guess you're right!" she laughed. It didn't take them long to reach the store. The shop was actually a few blocks from Domino high school in a busy and convenient intersection. Shinogu got out of the car and held the door for Yuki. Mr. Kaiba's limo was parked already on the side of the shop. There seemed to be a lot of teens coming in and out of the shop.

"It looks like a popular teen hang out," Shinogu noted as little knots of teens were seen coming and going from the shop. Kaiba corp. tower could be seen in the distance to the northeast of the shop. The school could be seen towards the west. Lots of teen noise was coming from the shop.

"I think that's it! I bet he's trying to make them think he's distracted…" Tsukushi said softly. Shinogu nodded. If Seto gave the appearance of being distracted with teenage concerns his enemies would become bolder. She said as much to Shinogu as they moved towards the shop. Sukoru and Anko stayed by the cars as Tsukasa, Tsukushi, Shinogu and Yuki moved towards the shop.

"I think you might be right," Shinogu agreed and they opened the door to join their boss and his high-school "friends"…

I like Tsukushi/Tsukasa pairings. Of the F4 I believe that Tsukasa is the only one capable of change. He seems the only one that can be molded and re-trained. I just don't see Rui ever moving past his obsession with Shizuka – whether he admits it or not. And Sojiro and Akira are just not capable of holding Tsukushi's interest. As for Kaiba – well sometimes even I don't know how a story will end! LOL

However, I must point out that Kaiba is a minor. So it is very unlikely that even if I entertained such a pairing as Kaiba/Tsukushi I could not really do this sort of paring at this point in Seto's timeline. Besides I have another story with Seto and he has other drama going on to be messing with Tsukushi right now. Right now I will concentrate on the dark plots surrounding Kaiba corp. and how Tsukushi and Shinogu will help him save his company.