Kaiba's arms instinctively reached out to grab the person before they could hit the ground. When his fingers closed around fabric, he yanked back, sending the form falling back in the opposite direction. Kaiba used his body to stop their momentum with a thud and soon a small figure was leaning back into his chest. A figure that he could now tell had very womanly curves.

At first, Kaiba had reacted solely on impulse to stop the person from falling to the ground. But now with her pressing against his chest, it was easy for Kaiba to recognize that it was Aria who he had slammed into. With her so close, her scent drifted over Kaiba, and soon all he could smell was a light floral scent of lavender. He was tempted to put his nose in her hair and deeply breathe in the scent.

"You know, you really need to stop making it a habit of running into me or I might think you're doing it on purpose."

Kaiba snapped out of his reverie at the sound of her amused voice. Unwillingly, he let go of her arms and allowed her to step away from him to turn around. "Maybe you need to be more aware of where you're standing." He intended for the retort to come out biting, but it fell flat.

Aria gave him a knowing smile.

Mokuba poked his head around and lit up when he saw who Kaiba had bumped into. "Hi Aria!"

Aria broke her gaze with Kaiba and smiled over at the bushy haired kid. "Hey Mokuba, I didn't see you there."

"What are you doing here so late?"

Kaiba was wondering the same thing.

"Oh, I just lost track of the time," Aria replied. "I was actually rushing home, so I could get started on my studying."

"If you were rushing then why were you just standing outside the doors?" asked Kaiba with a raised brow.

Aria turned a little pink and looked down at her shoes. "Well...because I was in such a hurry, I kind of tripped coming out of the revolving doors, and when I had stood back up, that's when you came out."

Kaiba smirked at her obvious embarrassment. Although he loved seeing Aria with her eyes flashing in ire, he couldn't help but think that the meek and abashed Aria was pretty cute too.

"Anyways," she continued, "I better get going. Thanks for not letting me eat the sidewalk."

She turned to leave with a wave and started to walk away. Kaiba frantically tried to think of something to make her stay but was coming up empty. Fortunately, Mokuba intervened.

"Why not join Seto and I for our outing? It'll be much more fun if you come along."

Aria stopped and turned around, indecision showing clearly on her face. "That's nice of you to offer Mokuba, but I wouldn't want to impose on your family outing. And I really do have some studying I need to get to."

"I'm sure the studying can wait," Kaiba broke in before Aria could turn away again. He was going to kick himself for this later, but for right now, he didn't want her to leave just yet. "Mokuba could really use the spirited accompaniment, since, let's face it, I'm not exactly the life of the party."

Aria looked stunned at his pronouncement, but it soon turned into a wry smile. She looked back up the street as if contemplating whether or not to accept his offer. When she looked back, she peered into his eyes for a second then slowly nodded her head.

"Awesome!" cheered Mokuba. "Let's hop into the limo so we can decide where we're going." He ran over and threw open the door before hurrying inside.

Kaiba walked over to hold the door open, and with a sweep of his hand, signaled Aria to go in ahead of him. Not meeting his eyes, she shuffled over and climbed in, Kaiba followed close behind. When he sat down, he noticed that Mokuba had taken a seat on the bench that ran the length of the limo, leaving Aria to take the seat beside him. Kaiba didn't know whether to hug or throttle his brother for his meddling.

"So," Mokuba chimed in. "I had suggested mini putt, but Seto vetoed the idea. Got any ideas Aria?"

"Well..." began Aria uncertainly "I heard that there was a carnival in town for the weekend, down on the boardwalk. But if Kaiba didn't want to do mini putt then I doubt he would go to a carnival."

"You know I'm sitting right here," Kaiba deadpanned.

Aria and Mokuba looked at each other and shared a small laugh.

Kaiba gritted his teeth together at being the butt of the joke. But his anger was short-lived as it was good seeing Mokuba laugh with someone. Heaven knows Kaiba can't make him do it. "The carnival is fine. Driver?"

The limo immediately started driving forward.

"Wow, a real carnival!" exclaimed Mokuba. "Do you remember Seto when the orphanage took us all to that dumpy one? They couldn't even afford us tickets for rides so all we did was walk around looking at them. Except for the Ferris Wheel, Seto was able to purchase me a ticket for that one."

"Oh?" said Aria, intrigued, looking over at him. "And how did you manage that?"

Kaiba looked out the window, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "It was nothing."

"Nothing!" Mokuba blurted. He looked at Aria and explained. "He basically went up to every person and begged them for money."

Kaiba risked a glance over at Aria, and saw her eyes brimming with sympathy. Kaiba turned back to the window. He didn't want her pity. He wasn't that little orphaned boy any longer.

"I didn't know you both had grown up in an orphanage. It must've been hard," stated Aria simply.

"Fortunately, we weren't there very long," responded Mokuba. "Seto was able to wrangle an adoption out of our stepfather by defeating him at a game of chess."

"Impressive," was all Kaiba heard Aria say. What he would give to hear what she was thinking in that head of hers. Was she actually impressed? Or did she still despise him and was only acting polite for Mokuba's sake?

Soon Kaiba could see the bright colorful lights of the carnival come into view. Mokuba's face was pressed to the glass, his excitement obvious. At least he knew someone would enjoy this outing.

When the limo came to a halt, everyone climbed out and started towards the entrance gates.

Kaiba paid for their admission and once through, handed a wad of bills to Mokuba to go purchase some tickets for the rides.

As Kaiba stood awkwardly beside Aria, he tried to think of something to fill the silence. But when he looked over at her, he saw that her face was filled with awe from looking at all the attractions and flashing lights. He forgot that he wasn't the only one who had to deal with an overbearing stepfather.

"I'm guessing your stepfather never took you to one of these either," stated Kaiba.

Still looking around, Aria let out a loud snort. "Riku is a stepfather in legal terms only. I was never a daughter to him, only someone in which to use for his own personal gain."

"Funny how we seem to have that in common."

Aria stopped and looked at Kaiba with a sad smile. "I guess we do, don't we?" She gave a small chuckle. "Never thought I would have something in common with 'the great Seto Kaiba'," quoting her earlier depiction of him.

Kaiba couldn't help but smile at how much that statement had irked him when she first uttered it in contempt. Ironic how it was now an inside joke between the two of them.

Soon Mokuba was back with a ton of tickets. He grabbed Aria's hand and started dragging her to all the different rides.

Kaiba trailed behind, content to watch his little brother share in the enjoyment with someone. Almost like a sister. Kaiba quickly flicked that thought away, refusing to let it delve deeper.

After Mokuba and Aria had exhausted most of the rides, they headed over to the carnival game section. Aria proved herself to have a terrible arm, but Kaiba was impressed at how well she shot the ducks with the BB gun. Soon enough, she and Mokuba were starting to collect a huge number of stuffed animals from their winnings.

As they started to head back towards the exit, Mokuba quickly stopped them. "Wait! We haven't ridden on the Ferris Wheel! We gotta do that one for old times sake."

Kaiba rolled his eyes with a huff but walked back in the direction of the Ferris Wheel. As they stood in line, Kaiba tried to look everywhere but at Aria. Afraid that she might figure out that his feelings towards her were not entirely platonic.

"Are you okay Aria? You're looking a little pale," Mokuba asked, concern etched in his features.

Kaiba quickly looked down at Aria to see what the matter was. And sure enough, her face had gone pale, and her hands were clenched in front of her, as was her customary sign that she was nervous or anxious.

"I'm fine Mokuba," Aria answered. She attempted to give him a reassuring smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

Someone started to talk to Mokuba ahead of them, and with his attention drawn away, Kaiba stepped closer to Aria and fervently whispered "What's wrong? Tell me."

Aria's eyes met his and felt like the rest of the world had melted away. "It's just..." she began, biting her lower lip. "I have a thing against heights."

A breath of relief escaped Kaiba. Thankful that it wasn't anything serious. "Then why did you agree to go on the Ferris Wheel?"

She gave him a dubious look. "You of all people should know how hard it is to say no to that kid."

Kaiba chuckled. "He does have a way about him."

"Hey guys," Mokuba said, turning back around. "The people in front are looking for someone to make up a fourth person. I figured I would join them and then you two can go on together."

"Oh, that's okay Mokuba. I can just sit this one out" Aria volunteered.

Kaiba gave her an amused expression. "Not afraid are you Ari?" he said with an arrogant smirk.

Aria scowled in return.

"C'mon Aria, if Seto is game, then you have to go on," Mokuba whined.

Aria's face softened as she looked back at Mokuba. "Alright Mokuba, just so we can say that we actually got the president of Kaiba Corp to ride a Ferris Wheel."

Mokuba laughed and then it was Kaiba's turn to scowl. He should have known that she would try and get payback for calling her out.

Shortly it was Mokuba's turn to climb on, which left the last open seat of the wheel for Kaiba and Aria. Once they had settled and the bar lowered, Kaiba didn't realize how close in proximity they were going to be. The summer air suddenly felt a lot warmer.

The Ferris Wheel started its clockwise rotation. Kaiba noted that Aria's hands were gripping the handrail like her life depended on it. "Relax. Breathe." He said reassuringly. "Try and enjoy the ride."

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled back.

When their seat had come to the apex of the rotation, it abruptly lurched to a stop. Aria gasped at the sudden movement, quickly latching on to Kaiba's hand that sat between them.

Kaiba was taken aback by the gesture, but Aria seemed too paralyzed with fear to truly notice what she was doing. Kaiba gripped her hand in return, trying to think of how to distract her.

"Why do you wear that attire to work?"

Aria blinked rapidly, confusedly looking over to him. "What?"

"Don't get me wrong, it's very professional, but it doesn't seem like something you would normally wear."

Aria licked her dry lips, discombobulated by the turn of conversation. "I didn't want to go into my internship looking like an inexperienced teenager." Her lips suddenly curved up at the corners, like she found something funny.

"What?" Kaiba asked, wondering what could make her feel so amused at a time like this.

"It's just..." she tried to bite her lip to hold back a smile. "It seems silly now, but I think I also wanted to disguise myself a bit, so that you wouldn't recognize me as the girl who had set you in your place at school. I was afraid you were going to fire me once you found out."

"Setting me in my place? Is that what you thought you were doing?" he asked amusedly.

She smirked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "It was about time someone did it."

Kaiba shook his head in amazement. How could he fall for the one woman who wasn't afraid to stand up to him? He froze at the comprehension of what he just said to himself. But he knew he couldn't deny it any longer. He had fallen for her. It was because of her ability to stand up to him that he was drawn to. All the reasons why he shouldn't get himself involved with her, didn't seem to matter anymore. All he knew was that he wanted her to be his.

The Ferris Wheel started moving again and Aria's grip softened. She suddenly pulled her hand back once she realized she had been holding it. As the wheel continued to turn, Kaiba and Aria sat in silence, neither one wanting to break this prohibited moment. For Kaiba knew, once they were let off, their distant relationship would ensue.

After a couple of cycles, it came to a stop to let them out. Kaiba helped Aria, wishing that he could've held her hand longer.

It was like their time on the Ferris Wheel had been in a different world, where they weren't separated by work and life. Now Kaiba just had to figure out how to bring the two together.

+++

Aria was at a total loss of what to say. The limo ride to her home felt stilted and awkward. Fortunately, Mokuba kept up a steady stream of chatter about the carnival, and she only had to nod and smile at the right moments. Kaiba just stared out the window the whole time, arms crossed over his chest, his signature somber look set in place.

Aria couldn't stop berating herself for how she acted on the Ferris Wheel. What he must think of her! But even though she was thoroughly embarrassed by her actions, she couldn't help but think about why he never let go of her hand. Did he not want to hurt her feelings? After hearing Mokuba's tale of them at the orphanage, it was clear that Kaiba wasn't as hardhearted as everyone made him out to be.

As Aria peeked over to study Kaiba, she felt herself softening towards him. She could not fathom how her feelings had changed for him so drastically in the last month. But what could she do about it? Nothing. She would be off to college in the fall, and he would continue his relentless reign within Kaiba Corp. A pang of sadness crept into her chest at the revelation.

Soon, too soon, the car pulled in front of her house. It was barely over 9:30, all of the lights looked off in the house. Riku must still be out at his pub. The last thing she needed was a confrontation with him. When Aria had hastily decided to join Kaiba and Mokuba, she hadn't been thinking about the possible repercussions.

"Thank you for inviting me out tonight," she said, directing her smile at Mokuba. She was too afraid to acknowledge Kaiba. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Thanks for coming, Ari!" Mokuba said, giving her one of his widest grins.

Still not looking at Kaiba, Aria left to get out of her side of the limo.

"I'll walk you to the door," said Kaiba, in a tone that stated she didn't have a choice.

Her heart fluttering, Aria walked alongside Kaiba up the interlock walkway. When they reached the door, she turned to face him but kept her eyes on the ground. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Aria."

Aria slowly raised her eyes until they met his. His face was impassive as always, never revealing his emotions. How she wished she could read what he was feeling right now.

A stray breeze blew by, whisking a lock of hair across her face. Kaiba steadily lifted his hand and brushed the curl back and tucked it behind her ear. Her breath hitched at the contact, but Kaiba's eyes never wavered.

"Have a good night," he said simply. And with that he turned back around and left. Aria watched from the doorstep as he entered the limo and drove away until it was out of sight.

If Aria's thoughts were a turmoil before, now they were in an upheaval. She walked through the threshold in a daze. Closing the door, she leaned back against it, letting the cool of the wood permeate her body. A crack of a smile broke its way through as she replayed the events of the night. Aria knew there was going to be hell to pay Monday when she returned to work. She and Kaiba had crossed the line that separated personal from professional. But she didn't want to think about that now. For tonight, she just wanted to bask in the delight of having enjoyed an evening with a handsome boy.

"Had fun tonight did we?"

Aria nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled to her right, searching in the darkness for the source. Only one voice could send such an icy stab into the pit of her stomach; Riku.

Aria's eyes were drawn to a small red light in the living room. Once she adjusted to the dark, she realized it was the tip of Riku's cigar as he drew in a drag. She felt glued to the floor, unable to run away.

"And here I thought," Riku said in a lazy drawl, "that you had no interaction with the CEO of Kaiba Corp. You've been holding out on me Aria."

Aria stiffened at being caught within her deception. Her eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion at how Riku knew that she was out with Kaiba. "Tell me," she said with a new-found boldness, "how did you know where I was tonight? Something tells me you didn't figure it out when I walked up to the door."

"Oh, I have my ways," he responded evasively. Rolling the cigar between his fingertips.

"You had me followed, didn't you?" she cried. His lack of response was all the answer Aria needed. Now her anger was really starting to rise. She couldn't believe the audaciousness of her stepfather. He already controlled her life, like a puppeteer with a marionette, but having her followed? That was a step too far.

"The point is," Riku continued, as if he had done nothing wrong, "is how we can use this opportunity to further Fenrir's prestige."

"There is no 'we' Riku, there never was."

His gaze turned into a hard glint. "That's right, you were planning on going to college in the fall. Computer science if I'm not mistaken. And you were going to pay for it all by winning a scholarship. Did I forget anything?"

Aria stumbled backward. She could feel her fear clawing its way up her throat, suffocating her. How could he possibly know all that? Riku may have acted like a prestigious corporate man, but there was no way he had that much power at his disposal.

"How?" she croaked.

An evil smirk stole across Riku's features. "I have recently acquired certain...resources. But back to business my dear." He pressed his cigar into the ashtray, the room now illuminated by only the moonlight through the window. "Since you have acquired a valuable opportunity at Kaiba Corp, you are in a prime position to obtain what I need."

Aria kept quiet. She didn't want to be a part of this twisted game Riku had constructed, but she needed to know what he wanted from her. Something had happened to make her stepfather much more dangerous.

"Kaiba is working on a new development that is going to change the world of technology. But you are going to get it for Fenrir first, before he can market it."

Confusion swept through Aria. "But that doesn't make any sense. Fenrir is just a software company, it doesn't manufacture its own technology."

Riku held up a finger to silence her. "But there is another company that can, and Fenrir will develop the software for them, earning us a hefty commission. We just have to provide the plans."

Understanding began to dawn on Aria. Riku had been planning this since he heard she had gotten the internship at Kaiba Corp. That was why he had allowed her to go through with it. To utilize her. Aria had never felt so used, so naïve. "You can't make me go through with this," she said with resolve. "I won't let you."

"Oh, I think you will," Riku stated simply. "For if you don't, I will personally make sure you are never accepted into any college program or hired on by any company. You will be permanently blacklisted."

If there was a chair behind Aria, she would have sat down, but all she could do was lean against the door frame, her body weak. Thoughts began to quickfire off in her brain.

How could she oust Kaiba Corp like that? Her heart dropped. How could she do that to Seto? But what other choice did she have? Her life would be ruined, if Riku was serious about his promises, and it sounded like he must've made some powerful friends. How else could he have concocted such a plan?

"I can't promise anything," Aria uttered. She closed her eyes, hating herself for the words she was saying. "I'll look into it, that's all I can do for now."

Riku's grin deepened at her surrender. "It is fortunate that you should have developed such a cozy relationship with Mr. Kaiba. You should have no problem getting close enough to acquire the information needed."

Aria's eyes flashed in ferocity. "I will not act the hussy just to meet your demands, Riku. My position in Kaiba Corp should be enough to get what you want."

"As long as you do get it," he responded with a merciless glare.

Aria straightened, too overcome with emotion to say anything more, she turned on her heel to run to the confines of her room.

"One more thing," Riku said, halting her halfway up the stairs. "If you runoff to your boyfriend about this, there could be dire consequences. Let's not have to resort to that, shall we?"

Unable to hold back the tears any longer, Aria ran as fast as she could away from her stepfather, tears streaming down her face. Throwing open her door, she collapsed on the bed, her head buried in the pillow.

She didn't know how long she lied there, sobbing her heart out, but when the weeping began to subside, Aria began to assess the situation. There had to be a way out. There was no way Riku could've covered every loophole. She just had to buy herself some time.

A few fresh tears escaped when she realized what she had to do, and that was to distance herself from Kaiba. If she got any more involved with him romantically, Riku would not hesitate to take advantage of it. And it looked like he would stop at no lengths to achieve his goals.

Mokuba's face came to mind and Aria shuddered at the thought of anything happening to him. She had known Riku was cold, but she could never have imagined that he would be this malicious.

Still lying in bed, Aria wept over the tangled mess she had gotten into. Eventually she fell into a restless sleep.