Kaiba stormed into his secretary's office, slamming the door against the wall. "Make sure that I am not disturbed," he barked at her as he thrust open the next door into his office. He stomped over to his desk and harshly fell into his chair. He put his head into his hands trying to collect his usually cool demeanor.

My future could be ruined by engaging in this...summer dalliance.

"Gah!" Kaiba cried as Aria's words reverberated through his mind. In a fit of rage, he shoved everything off his desk and onto the floor. Unable to sit still any longer, he got up from his desk and started to pace around the room. How could a mere girl say no to him, Seto Kaiba? The one time he put himself out there and he got rejected!

Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Kaiba tried to think of what went wrong with Aria. He was sure she felt the connection that seemed to spark between them. But apparently to her, it was nothing serious, that he was just using her as a distraction for the summer. Didn't she realize that he could have gone to any woman for a "distraction"? Maybe he should have stuck to those women instead, and saved himself the headache.

Still too restless to even think about working, Kaiba sauntered over to his piano and began lightly playing a few notes. The notes eventually grew into more complicated melodies, until Kaiba was soon pounding out a movement from Beethoven. The ferocious composition matched Kaiba's mood. As the tempo grew faster, Aria's words continued to plague him.

I'm sorry if I lead you on in any way. It was not my intention.

Not her intention. Was it all just a ruse then? His fingers froze as a new thought invaded his mind. Did she do it to secure her spot on the team? CLANG! Kaiba slammed his fists down on the keys, making the whole keyboard rattle.

"I wouldn't go in there Mr. Mokuba," Kaiba heard his secretary say.

Mokuba immediately froze upon seeing the mess that covered the floor of Kaiba's office. Papers were scattered everywhere, even Kaiba's computer laid face down in a heap. "What happened here?" asked Mokuba.

"Now is not a good time Mokuba," Kaiba said severely.

"I can see that," Mokuba answered.

"Then why don't you leave?" Kaiba snapped. "I need to be alone."

Mokuba's brow furrowed, as if trying to figure out what could have caused his brother to act out so violently. Then comprehension dawned on his face. "It was Aria, wasn't it?"

Kaiba shoved away from the piano, and walked over to the window behind his desk, staring out onto Domino City. "I don't want to talk about it." Talking out loud about what happened would only augment the fact that he had been rejected. By the only girl that he ever actually liked enough to ask out. He had never felt so humiliated.

"What happened? Did you have a fight?"

"Please," Kaiba said, "Couples have fights. What we had was a clarification of her position as an employee of this company."

"You mean...she turned you down?"

Kaiba scowled. "Women don't turn me down."

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Whatever, the question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Kaiba turned around, giving Mokuba an annoyed look. "Nothing. She was just a wanna-be programmer who was trying to further her career goals."

"That's not true and you know it!" Mokuba said. "Aria is a good person."

"We hardly know her!" returned Kaiba. "She's not to be trusted."

Mokuba's eyes flashed. "I think you're just sore that she didn't fall at your feet like every other girl. Don't you see that's why she's special?"

"Watch it Mokuba," Kaiba said warningly. "You're talking out of line."

Mokuba ignored him and started stroking his chin in thought. "If it's the whole your-her-boss thing that's the problem, then we need to find a way around that."

Kaiba sighed heavily and went and sat in his desk chair. "Why bother? She's not worth it."

"She is worth it. And you wanna know why?"

"No, but I know you're going to tell me anyway."

"Remember at the Battle City finals, after you had defeated Joey in a duel, and I said you never smiled anymore or you're never happy?" asked Mokuba.

Kaiba did remember it, he had never seen his little brother talk so vehemently before. "Vaguely."

"Aria changed that. You're so...different around her Seto. More relaxed."

Funny, Kaiba thought, I always thought I was more on edge with her around. Kaiba rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Can't you see it's a lost cause Mokuba? You need to learn when to quit."

BANG! Mokuba slammed his fist on Kaiba's desk, startling him. "I thought you were Seto Kaiba? And since when does a Kaiba quit?"

Kaiba glared at his little brother.

"It's obvious Aria likes you. And you obviously like her, so fight for her!"

Kaiba stared long and hard at Mokuba, letting his words sink in. He knew Mokuba had a point, but a man's pride could only take so many blows. "Then what do you suggest? Since you're so wise."

"I'm getting to that part," Mokuba said. He started pacing around the room. He stopped and snapped his fingers. "I got it! What you need to do is date her, without actually 'dating' her."

Kaiba placed his elbows on the desk and started to rub his temples like he could feel a migraine coming on. "Out of all the ridiculous things you said today, that takes the cake."

"Don't you see?" Mokuba said excitedly, "Aria wouldn't actually be dating her boss, just convenient get-togethers that happen to be outside of work."

"She made it very clear she didn't want to see me socially. How is that any different?"

"Then say it's for work. C'mon Seto, think outside the box!" Mokuba implored.

Kaiba sighed. Should he really fight for her? What if she just turned him down flat again? "I don't know Mokuba, still seems like a stretch to get her to agree to these...get-togethers. She was quite adamant about where she stood." The words left a sour taste in his mouth.

Mokuba crossed his arms and was lost in thought again. Then he looked up at Kaiba with a devilish smirk.

Kaiba's face fell. "Whatever you're thinking? No."

Mokuba's smirk grew. "What you need is some inside help, and I know just the person who can do it."

Kaiba was confused for a moment as he tried to think of who Mokuba could be talking about. And then it dawned on him. "No. Way. There is no way I am going to ask him for help."

"Even if it means getting the girl?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba swiveled away from his brother in frustration. How badly did he want to win the girl? Pretty badly. And when Seto Kaiba wanted something, he got it. "Fortunately, the King of Games owes me a favor."

+++

Aria ambled around Central Park for hours after Kaiba had left. She kept replaying their conversation over and over in her head. Her mind kept telling her that she had done the right thing, that not only was Kaiba protected this way, but that it wouldn't have worked between them anyway. Even though all this made logical sense, why did her heart keep whispering something different?

Actually, I was hoping it would just be you and I.

Aria's stomach was still doing somersaults. Did he really just ask her out on a date? She snorted inwardly at the fact that Kaiba didn't actually ask at all but more stated. It was so like him. It had taken all of her willpower to say no to him. When he had started to reason with her, she knew she needed to stop him right away, before he convinced her to say yes. She couldn't even look at him when she said that she didn't want to see him socially.

Fortunately, when he swung her around and started throwing out accusations, Aria was able to use her anger to keep herself from succumbing to her feelings.

I won't have people thinking that I slept my way onto your team!

Aria cringed at remembering those words. She knew they were harsh, but knowing Kaiba, he wouldn't have backed down easily, so she needed to hurt him. But in doing so, she had hurt herself. And when Kaiba finally walked away, Aria couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

And so, she had been strolling along the paths ever since. Aria hadn't been lying when she said she had plans later. The gang was meeting up at an ice cream parlor to celebrate the end of exams over milkshakes and sundaes. Aria definitely did not want to go home, so she had headed over to the park to kill some time. She still didn't know what she was going to do about Riku. She was even afraid of using the front door in case he decided to ambush her again. And with exams done, she had nothing to distract herself with. Maybe she should ask Téa if she wanted to have a slumber party tonight. Aria just couldn't handle being in that house right now.

At about quarter to seven, Aria decided she could head over to meet up with everyone. Arriving at the parlor on foot, Aria walked in to find that no one else had arrived yet. Grabbing a booth, Aria absentmindedly looked through the menu while she waited.

"You okay there Ari? Your lookin' kinda down."

Aria raised her head to see that Joey had joined her and had slipped in across from her.

"I'm okay," she said, trying to smile reassuringly.

"Kaiba didn't do any funny business did he?" Joey asked.

Aria started at his question. "How did you know I was with Kaiba?"

But before Joey could answer, Yugi, Téa and Tristan had all walked in and crowded into the booth with them.

"I'm starving!" Tristan cried, "I'm thinking I might get the Banana Split Explosion."

"How you can ingest so much sugar in one sitting is beyond me," Téa said in disgust.

Soon everyone was talking about what they were going to order. Aria sent Joey a perturbed look before joining in with the conversation. She would have to find out later how he had known about her meeting.

"Well guys, looks like school is officially over," Yugi said after they had put in their orders.

"Any plans outside of working at your grandpa's shop?" asked Aria.

Yugi shook his head. "I'm hoping the Pharaoh and I will get at least a little break from saving the world," he said with a laugh.

Everyone else joined in the laughter. The conversation then turned to Duel Monsters and when they thought the next big tournament would be. When there was a lull in the chatter, Aria turned to Téa who was sitting beside her. "Hey Téa, would you be up for a sleep over tonight? I could really use a night away from the house."

"Sure!" Téa said enthusiastically. "Is your stepfather giving you a hard time?"

"You have no idea," replied Aria.

"Did I hear you girls are havin' a sleepover? Count me in!" Joey said, rubbing his hands together at the prospect.

Tristan smacked him behind the head.

"Hey! What was that for!" Joey cried.

"For acting like an imbecile," replied Tristan.

Aria and Téa only looked at each other and rolled their eyes at Joey's childishness.

Once everyone had finished their ice cream, they all got up to leave and headed outside to say goodbyes.

"How bout Yugi and I walk you girls to Téa's place since we're heading the same way," offered Tristan.

"How gentlemanly of you," said Téa jokingly.

"What? We can't act like a gentleman every once in a while?" replied Tristan.

"If you two got the girls then I guess I might as well head on home," said Joey. "Smell ya later!" He started walking in the opposite direction down the street.

"I'll catch up with you guys, I need to talk to Joey about something," said Aria as she jogged after Joey. Yugi, Téa and Tristan gave her puzzled looks but remained silent.

"Hey Joey!" Aria called.

Joey stopped and turned around. "Yeh? What's up Ari?"

"I need to know. How did you know that I had met up with Kaiba?"

"Oh, that. Well uh...I kinda told him where to find ya."

Aria was bewildered. "But...why would you do that? I thought you and Kaiba were like arch enemies or something?"

Joey laughed. "Yeh, you could say that. But then I saw him following you like some love-sick puppy. I figured you'd send him packin' if he was unwelcome." Joey rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I was kinda hopin' you would, just to see the look on his pretty boy face."

Aria let out a humourless laugh. "Yeah, he had quite the look alright."

Joey suddenly went serious. "You mean you actually sent him packin'?"

"You sound surprised."

Joey shrugged. "To be honest...I thought you liked him. Which, to be honest, made me angry at first, but I realized that if there was a girl that could lighten' up Kaiba, it'd be you." He winked at her. "Cuz' you wouldn't put up with any of his egotistical crap."

Aria smiled. "You really are just a big softie, aren't you Wheeler?"

Joey blushed slightly. "Nah, just helpin' a guy out. Even if it is Kaiba."

Aria shook her head in wonder. Joey was the last person she ever thought would help out Kaiba. "I actually better hurry back to everyone, thanks Joey." Aria turned around and started running after the rest of the gang.

"Everything okay?" asked Téa, once Aria had caught up with them.

"Yeah, I just had to clear something up," she replied.

They walked the rest of the way making small talk. Once they had arrived at Téa's apartment, Tristan and Yugi waved them off and continued on their way.

As they climbed up the stairs to Téa's unit, Aria couldn't help but thank Téa again for letting her crash for the night.

"No problem!" came Téa's reply. "I'm just happy to have a female friend to hang with for once."

Aria chuckled. "I don't know how you handled going on all those adventures with three boys."

"It was tough at times, but I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Upon reaching the 4th floor, Téa led Aria down to the door that was marked 401. Téa grabbed a key out of her handbag and after unlocking the door, slowly peered inside. "My parents go to bed early," she explained, "Which also means they rise super early."

"Would they be okay with me staying over?" asked Aria concernedly.

"Oh yeah, it's no problem," said Téa, "I just want to make sure we don't wake them."

They slowly creeped in, shutting the door softly behind them. "We'll just have to stay in my room. I can grab you some PJ's and a toothbrush," said Téa.

"Oh, that's okay," said Aria. "I got all that stuff in my knapsack."

Téa raised an eyebrow at her statement but chose not to comment. "Bathroom is over there," she said, pointing to a slightly ajar door.

Aria nodded and headed over, so she could change. Once her teeth were brushed and she was dressed in her pajamas, Aria exited the bathroom to rejoin Téa. Seeing a light emitting from under one of the closed doors, Aria figured that it must be Téa's bedroom. Knocking softly first, Aria poked her head in to find Téa lying on her bed, reading through a teen magazine.

"Oh good, you're done," said Téa, rolling off the bed. "Feel free to read this while I get myself ready for bed." She tossed Aria the magazine, grabbed some PJ's, then left for the bathroom.

Aria sat down on the bed and flipped through some of the articles. One caught her eye, 10 Ways to Know if Your Crush is into You! 1. He goes out of his way to help you. 2. He initiates the conversation. 3. Makes physical contact. As Aria continued reading through the list, she couldn't help but compare them to instances where Kaiba fit the scenario.

Realizing her thoughts, Aria threw the magazine on the bed in disgust. Kaiba was not her crush. And she didn't need some heartthrob magazine filling her head with girly fantasies.

It was at that point that Téa walked back into the room, having now changed into her pajamas. She looked at the magazine now lying facedown on the bed. "Are you sure you're okay Aria?" she asked. "You've been acting a little strange lately."

Aria let out a long sigh. "Yeah I'm fine. Life is just a little messed up right now, you know?"

Téa let out a soft laugh. "When you've witnessed a shadow game, you definitely know messed up." Téa gave Aria a concerned look. "So, what's been going on? You know you can talk to me about anything."

How badly Aria just wanted to spill everything that's been going on. Her encounters with Kaiba. The blackmailing. How nice it would be to just have a friend listen to her problems. But her problems were bigger than her and she just couldn't tell someone without endangering them. But maybe she could share some of the truth, just so she could lessen the burden that had been placed on her shoulders. "My stepfather found out that I was planning on leaving for school in the fall, and he wasn't too happy about it," Aria confessed.

"Woah, that's crazy," Téa said, sinking onto the mattress. "Did he threaten you or something?"

"Yeah, he said he would prevent me from getting into any colleges or working anywhere but at Fenrir. I don't think he has that type of power to do that, but what if he's not bluffing? I don't know if I could take that chance."

"That is messed up," said Téa. "What are you going to do about it?"

Aria shrugged. "Continue on like nothing's changed. I'll just keep working at Kaiba Corp until Riku makes his next move and hopefully find a solution."

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help," Téa said sadly. "But you make sure to come to me if there is anything you ever need. My place is always open."

"Thanks Téa, I appreciate that."

"Speaking of Kaiba Corp," Téa said with a sly grin, "how is it working for the infamous CEO?"

Aria groaned and fell face first onto the bed. Her head muffled in the mattress she said, "Must we talk about boys?"

"It's a slumber party! It's a given," Téa responded.

"Okay," Aria said, propping herself on one elbow. "I'll talk about Kaiba, but you have to spill the beans about you and the Pharaoh."

Téa suddenly went pink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ha!" Aria laughed, "So you didn't go on a 'date' with him?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Téa crossed her arms and glared at Aria. "Fine, but I want to hear first about what has been going on between you and Kaiba, because he has definitely been acting weird around you, and he never acts weird around anybody."

Aria rolled back and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't even know when it all started. First, I'm yelling at him in class about what a pompous jerk he's being, and the next thing I know we're holding hands riding on a Ferris Wheel."

"You held hands!" Téa exclaimed. "I didn't think that guy had a sweet bone in his body."

"Well that's the thing," Aria said. "I had him totally pegged as this cold-hearted inhuman being, but then he surprised me." She turned to Téa. "You've actually seen more of him outside of work than I have. Do you think he's a bad guy?"

Téa went thoughtful. "He definitely acts like a jerk, a lot, but it's when you see him interact with Mokuba and how he would lay down his life for him. Did you ever hear about that duel between him and Yugi at Duelist Kingdom?"

Aria shook her head.

"Kaiba knew he was going to lose, but he needed to win in order to try and save Mokuba from Pegasus. So, he put himself on a ledge, that way if Yugi attacked, the force would've knocked him off."

Aria's eyes grew wide. "He did that?"

Téa nodded. "Kaiba is an enigma. But you actually had a date with him?"

"It wasn't a date," replied Aria, "Mokuba was there, technically."

"Still, he must really like you."

"He...may have asked me out," Aria said while inspecting her nails.

"What!" Téa nearly yelled, and then remembered her parents were sleeping in the next room. She lowered her voice. "So, are you guys, like, dating now?"

"I told him no," said Aria softly. "That's what I had to talk to Joey about tonight. He knew about my meeting with Kaiba today."

Téa looked confused. "Why did you say no? It seems like you do like him. Or enough to be thinking about him."

"He's my boss, for one. What would people say? And I'm so unsure of his character, that I doubt his sincerity."

"Okay, one," Téa replied, "He's only your boss for two months, and two, he asked you out. I don't think you know how big that is Aria. I bet in Kaiba's mind, girls are supposed to ask him out."

Aria laughed at that. "You know," she said, looking amused, "I find it interesting that both you and Joey would vouch for Kaiba, even after everything you've been through with him. What gives?"

"To be honest," Téa replied, "I think it's because we've been through stuff with him that we think he's not such a bad guy as everyone believes. We may not like how he treats people but maybe you could soften that side of him."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Like that would ever happen." She rolled onto her belly and cupped her face in her hands. "But enough about me and Kaiba. It's your turn."

This time Téa groaned. "But it's so complicated. Do we have to?"

"Hey," Aria said, "It's a slumber party, it's a given."