Yu-Gi-Oh 1. Chapter 1

_Well, all I can really say is this story is long overdue. I planned on writing it forever ago, but then never found the time. So I deleted the story I was working on, since it wasn't as popular as I would have liked, and decided to post this one up. Seeing as its prequel did quite well with the fans, I figured it'd be a good idea. So here it is._

**The Stress Filled Life Of Seto Kaiba's Wife.**

Chapter One: A Not So Happy Anniversary.

Pictures were spread out all over the soft, white carpet. They spread around the entire room, which was rather large in size. And save for the bed, closet, and bathroom, there were pictures on the ground. Making it near impossible to actually step inside and walk around to get to the bed or anything else for that matter. In the middle of the room was a scrapbook, and several supplies to make it look appealing.

Next to the book sat a frazzled looking girl, hunched over, and frowning. She sighed a bit and then reached over for one of the pictures by her. It was of a blond haired boy holding a blond haired woman. The man was kissing the girl, and the girl was blushing. The girl sitting in the middle of the room rolled her eyes and a smile touched her lips. "That boy of mine." She said to herself in her usual matter of fact tone. She ran her hand through her hair as she placed a bit of glue on the back of the picture.

She placed it in the scrapbook and stretched a little. "Well I'm already bored, I don't get how Serenity can spend so much of her time doing it." She said and rolled her eyes a little. She looked around the room for a phone and spotted it on the other side of a trail of pictures. She hopped over to it, scrunching a few and smudging others. She finished hopping and placed her hand on the phone quickly. She skillfully dialed in numbers that she had memorized and placed the receiver over her ear.

It rang a few times before a voice was heard on the other side. The blond haired beauty cocked one of her hips to the side as she waited to be acknowledged. There was muttering before she was spoken to. But the voice wasn't familiar. "This is the Kaiba Residence, who is it you wish to speak with?" The male voice asked professionally. Mai looked a little more confused but didn't act upon it.

She shook her head a little and then stuttered slightly. "I need to talk to Serenity." She said quickly, placing her thumb and forefinger on the bridge of her nose. She then frowned when she got another answer. The man had responded quickly and to the point.

"I'm sorry but she and Mr. Kaiba are out to dinner tonight." He answered and then continued after a short pause. "Call back later." He said and then quickly hung up. Mai looked a little angry, not liking being handled so rudely. They obviously had a new employee, and he didn't know just who she was. _I'll have to remember to tell them about him later…ignorant little bastard…_She thought and hung up the phone. She turned back to the pictures and spotted one of the couple she was trying to reach. She smiled a little and walked over to it.

It was of Kaiba and Serenity on their wedding day. She bent and picked it up, realizing it was by a cluster all on the same occasion. She looked down at them all and gently picked them up. She started flipping through the bunch. Most of them were of Serenity and Kaiba. And she was surprised at how much the later was smiling. She had been around the two often when Kaiba was doing just that, but in a picture, it made it look so different.

"She looked so beautiful." Mai mentioned to herself, as she looked at a lone picture of Serenity in her wedding dress. The dress was of course white, and had no sleeves. The front of it wrapped around her chest in a sort of heart shape around her beasts. It had no design, just a sort of silky cream look of it in the light. Kaiba was wearing a typical black tuxedo. But the tie he had was blue. He was holding Serenity, and looking at her, while the girl smiled for the camera. The picture had been an accident, but it was adorable nonetheless.

Slowly she continued flipping through the pictures. Smiling at each one. She paused as she reached a picture of the entire group. It wasn't well put together, yet the cheerfulness that was obvious in every one made the picture priceless. She laughed as her eyes rested on Tristan and Duke. They were happy for Serenity, but they were still glaring daggers at Kaiba for getting her to marry him. Joey looked surprisingly glad in the picture as well. She knew he approved of them dating, but when he found out they were to married, he was a little upset.

Mai walked over to the bed, not caring much for the pictures she stepped on along the way. She finished flipping through Serenity's wedding pictures and then sighed contently. "That was such a wonderful day…" She said to herself softly. She heard the front door open and sat up quickly. "Joey…" She said to herself and then looked at the mess on the floor. She chuckled a little nervous to herself and then quickly started to clean it up.

She heard the man's steps coming into the room and paused as the door opened. The look of surprise on his face was priceless. His eyes grew wide and he actually slipped on a few of the slippery cover's of the pictures. He fell back and hit the ground with a ground and a slight yell. "Mai!" He shouted standing back up and brushing himself off. The yell was by no means out of anger, more surprise.

Mai laughed loudly and walked over to him. "You're such a klutz Joseph." She said giving him a soft hug. The wedding photos were still in her hand, and as she took a step away from him Joey reached out to see what they were. He held them up then rolled his eyes a little. He then looked around at the floor and rose one of her eyebrows to his wife.

"What were you doing?" He asked her handing her back the pictures and tossing his stuff on the bed. He took off his shirt. He tossed it into the bathroom and then shook his head a little as he bent to help Mai pick up the remainder of the pictures. He looked over to her waiting for her answer as well.

Mai bit her bottom lip and chuckled a littler nervously. "Well…I was trying to do some scrap booking. You know…Like Serenity does all the time." She said blushing a little; she didn't know why she was so embarrassed. Slowly she finished picking up everything. She took the others from Joey and looked up at him. "I didn't make any dinner either…" She admitted chuckling slightly.

Joey waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. "Naw, its fine Mai. I'm not that hungry anyways." He said as he gave her a soft kiss. He then leaned back against their bedpost and looked over at his wife. "So today was Serenity's and Kaiba's anniversary…they've been married for a full year now." He said thoughtfully. Mai looked at him a bit lost.

"What is your point dear?" H asked him softly as she laid back on the bed with a sigh. She looked over at him, and didn't wait for him to answer. "I wonder what their doing tonight." She said mostly to herself, and not really caring about the answer.

"I'm not taking any calls." Was the simple statement of the only female residing the large Manor. She looked frazzled and a little on the angry side. Her hands were on her hips and she was pacing in the living room of the Kaiba Mansion. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun and she was wearing pajamas. Something that was odd for the hour of the day. The man holding the phone looked at Serenity and covered the speaking end.

"But…It's Mai." He said nearly pleading with her. He was a bit frightened though, even though serenity never had much of a temper, when she did get angry, she wasn't pleasant to be around. _Master Kaiba has been getting to her I think._ He thought to himself and looked back at the phone. "It sounds like she really needs to talk to you."

Serenity paused and looked over at the phone. She relaxed a little then sighed. She gave her head a gentle shake and then walked out of the room. She crossed her arms in front of her and her frown was back on her lips. She walked up the stairs to the top floor of her home. She walked to a room and looked at the security card slot that prevented people from coming inside. She pulled a card out and slipped it in. There were a few beeps and the door unlocked for her.

She opened the door and looked over across the room, to the desk at the other end of the room. There was the familiar silhouette of a man sitting in a chair and typing away at the computer. He looked up though when he heard her come in. He gave a little frown when he saw the look on her face. And he knew exactly why she was upset. He sighed and looked back at the computer in front of him and continued typing away. "We've been over this." He said to her lightly and stood up straight. He cracked his back a little and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Serenity shook her head a little and placed her hands on her hips. "But Seto." She started and walked up to the edge of the desk. She placed her hands on the hard wood and leaned over it towards him. "It's our anniversary. And you're working!" She yelled at him, she didn't like being put after his work, even with how little often he did it. But the fact that he was doing it on the day of their wedding on year ago angered her.

Kaiba stopped typing and raised his hands to his face. He rubbed his temples a little and closed his eyes. "It's not that I don't want to be with you Serenity, you know that I'd much rather be relaxing and celebrating this day than sitting here working." His words were truth, but there was an incident at KaibaCorp, and he needed to fix it as soon as possible, or he could lose millions.

Serenity frowned; she knew his words were sincere, yet she still didn't like them. "So I'm just supposed to sit back and waste away while you work on your stupid company." She said angrily and scrunched her face together to show that further. Yes, she knew it was important that he fixed whatever happened, but she didn't want much time, just enough for a glass of wine and maybe some cake.

Kaiba softly shook his hair and let his bangs fall over his eyes. "I'll make it up to you." He promised to her. He looked her in the eyes and tried to show to her how serious he was about showing to her he wanted to be with her, just couldn't at the time being. _I'll think of something to blow her mind away once I fix this._ He thought to himself, already thinking of something his wife would love.

Serenity looked at him for a moment, then huffed a little and walked out of the room, slamming the door along the way. She frowned and scoffed a little as she walked down the hall. She sighed a bit and looked down at the ground. Which caused her to accidentally bump into Roland. "Oh, sorry." She said gently and then scooted out of the way and continued down the hall. She let her hands swing by her side and she walked into the room she shared with Kaiba.

"I love you too Seto." She said sarcastically as she opened the door. She slipped inside and then walked to the closet. "If he isn't going to spend tonight with me, I'm going to find someone who will." She muttered and slipped into a nice outfit. She fixed up her hair and then left the room and went to the entry hall. She went to the right and got into the garage where she took her husbands keys and stepped into his Viper. She buckled up, and with the press of the button, drove out of the grounds of the manor.

Just as she left Kaiba looked up and rubbed his eyes. "Ok…I can take a break now…Serenity!" He called out as he stood up from his chair. He walked out of the office and down the stairs. He looked around a bit confused and buzzed for Roland. "Hey, where did Serenity go?" He ordered, and after he was told, he gave a little sigh. He walked back up to his office and sat down behind his desk again. "I'm sorry Serenity…" He said to the air around him.

Serenity had intended to go find Joey or Mai, but she wanted to calm down a little before driving over to their apartment. So she went to her favorite coffee shop. It was small, and family owned, but it had the best tea. So she drove her husband's car there, and parked along the side of the road. She slipped out of the car and locked it with a press of the automatic button.

She casually walked inside and heard the familiar ding of the bell above her head. She walked inside and up at the counter. She ordered her tea and then turned around looking around the mediums sized room. It was like any other normal coffee shop, nice table, books and magazines, and a few computers as well. But what stuck out to Serenity was her spiky haired friend. "Yugi?" She asked softly.

The man made a soft grunt of curiosity and lifted his head up from the book he was reading. Serenity immediately recognized the more mature features. "Oh…Yami." Serenity corrected herself with a slight chuckle. Yami smiled at her and leaned forward a little as he closed the book and placed it on the table in front of him. He motioned for her to come sit across from him and Serenity did so as she received, and paid for her tea.

She slipped into the seat across from him and smiled a little. "Why hello Serenity. Doing well I hope." He said to her as he picked up his mug of straight black coffee and took a sip from it. Serenity was silent and looked down at her tea. A small sigh of sadness left her lips, and Yami immediately knew something was wrong. "What is it?" He asked her raising one of his eyebrows.

Serenity looked up at him quickly and then gave a small smile, as she gently scratched the back of her neck. Yami then gasped a little and looked at her. "Wait a minute…isn't today your anniversary with Kaiba?" He asked her, remembering their special date. Serenity's face frowned again and she gave a small nod. She gazed at the tabletop and gently held onto the cup of tea with both of her hands. "Then why aren't you with him?" Yami continued slowly.

Serenity sighed and leaned back against the chair. "Work…" Was all she muttered before she took another sip of the tea. She finished it off, surprisingly quickly, and then placed the cup on the table again. Yami frowned a little at her answer and then sighed.

"Well...We all know Kaiba. His work is important to him. But so are you. I'm sure he'll make it up to you." Yami said trying to be supportive, his deep voice was calm, and there was a soft smile on his face. While his eyes resonated kindness. He leaned back against the chair and placed one of his legs over the other. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and suddenly felt a shudder go through his body.

Yami lurched forward with a gasp, and he hit the table a bit roughly. His coffee spilled over and flowed all over the book he had been ready. Serenity looked at him suddenly, with her eyes a bit wide. "Pharaoh…?" She asked softly, concerned that something was wrong.

Yami looked up at her quickly and shook his head slowly. He then sighed a little knowing she didn't buy it. "I just have the feeling something dark is coming our way…" He spoke softly. "Though I don't know what it is…I fear it will threaten not only us…but also the world." He said, his voice deep. He lifted his head and looked over at her. Though his glance was confident, and he gave her a little nod of surety. That she didn't need to worry. Even though he was.


	2. Chapter 2

So, I've finally made all the decisions I needed to to where to take the story, and wrote up the outlines to all the chapters

So, I've finally made all the decisions I needed to where to take the story, and wrote up the outlines to all the chapters. . I know you probably all hate me for not getting this chapter out when I promised, but life came up, which I can assume you all understand, and if not, I don't care. Heheh. But now I have time, and assistance. The plot for the rest of this story is partially due to my Boyfriend. . Who helped me come up with what needed to be done, so give him due.

Kaiba Corporation, hold please…

_Kaiba Corporation, hold please…_

_Kaiba Corporation, hold please…_

_Kaiba Corporation, hold please…_

_Kaiba Corporation, hold please…_

_Kaiba Corporation, hold please…_

_Yes ma'am I understand your distress, but we're doing everything we can, please give us some time to handle the situation._

Chaos. That was the only way to describe the human resources center of the towering building over Domino known as Kaiba Corp. And the rest of the sections in the place weren't in any better condition. Phones ringing off the hook, developers desperately leaning over their desks, reading through lines of code, checking everything, interns running about hallways delivering people to their higher ups, secretaries pushing people away at the door. Pure, and utter chaos. Such news would of course mean that our beloved CEO is in no better condition.

The man called Seto Kaiba sat up in his Italian leather chair, hunched over his oak desk, typing away furiously at his laptop. A stern frown was on his face, and his brow was furrowed together, making wrinkles on his forehead. His eyes were directed at the screen, not straying to the window nearby, which let in the bright sun, and shone the blear blue sky outside, showing just how beautiful it was. But no…the over worked man didn't care for any of that, he was too busy, and things had to be done, handled, and fixed. People had to be called, machines had to be fixed, and the people responsible had to be fired, but he was already deep into the list of who was to be sacked, so that wasn't a pressing matter.

And regardless of the promise he made to his wife a week before, on the day of their first anniversary, which he worked straight through. He had tried to spend more time with her after their discussion, but then their new product had massive malfunctions, and actually injured a good number of people. Of course, he had recalled all the items, but it was still too late. The board of directors, and investors from all over the world had lost tons of money, and were furious with him. He was on the brink of losing his job. And was sure that in a day or two he would be booted. Though he had pull in keeping his job, the board ultimately had the final word, and knew that the anger of everything that happened would come down on his neck. So right now, the man thought that trying to keep his job was better then trying to keep Serenity happy.

Suddenly, the phone sitting next to his laptop rung. He had jumped suddenly and stopped typing. For besides the clicking noises the keys he hit made the room was utterly silent. He slowly looked over at the sleek black phone and reached his hand over and picked it up. "Kaiba." He answered in his worked tone. His voice stern, cold, and void of anything. He leaned back in his chair as he waited for a response on the other end of the cordless phone. His back cracked and he rolled his shoulders a little bit trying to get them crack a few more times, as he felt tension there still. But it came to no use, and a male's voice came on the other end, Mokuba's.

The younger, and usually kinder, of the Kaiba's had moved to America after the wedding, and had set up a smaller Kaiba Corp there, to help get a base in both halves of the world. Things there had been going smoothly, until the incident in Japan had popped up. But that place had received just has much heat, and it was time for the two brothers to talk about what they were going to do. "It's me." Mokuba said quickly, recognizing the stress in his brother's voice. "We lost the England-Whittle contract." He informed quickly, knowing that beating around the bush would only make Seto snap at him, and at the moment, the two needed to be united, not divided.

Kaiba groaned, holding in an outburst, having the same thoughts as his brother about needing to work things out. "Well…can it be salvaged?" He asked quickly, thinking of ways to get the business back, because he knew that there'd be others that left their business, and would need to be convinced to either return, or not leave in the first place. He heard Mokuba give a grunt at the other end and knew that it wouldn't be very likely. He nodded a bit, though the boy couldn't see him and then cleared his throat. "I see….well keep me updated, I trust you to handle things, so don't call to ask about everything….but tell me what other accounts leave." He said, then without waiting to hear anything hung up and then leaned back.

He glanced over at the clock, 6. Before the past two weeks he would be home by this time, but of course now…all such timings seemed hopeless. He finally glanced over at the window and gave a slight smile. It really was beautiful, he wasn't so cold as to not realize that. And even know in the middle of everything he found it was nice to have a moment of peace. Perhaps his wife was rubbing off on him. Though, he couldn't enjoy it long as there was a knock on his door and a frantic looking man dressed in a white lab coat walked inside, and it was back to business.

Serenity sat on a grassy knoll. Her legs were gently tucked beneath her, and her pure white day dress reflected the sun shinning down. She wasn't oblivious to everything going on at Kaiba Corp, it was all over the news. But her husband hadn't bothered to tell her, which made her a bit angry. Though she handled it quite well. She was gently reading a novel, and let the slight breeze blow her long auburn hair from side to side. She slowly turned the page and then looked up at the sky, a soft sigh escaping her lips, her eyes looking sad. Slowly, she raised her left hand, and looked at the wedding band that resting upon her finger.

She slowly shook her head and rolled her eyes a bit. Lately she had been tempted to take it off, silently tell Seto how furious she'd been with him. But at the same time, it'd only been three weeks. A short time compared to the length of her life thus far. So she'd let time pass, let things settle, and then see what happened. If things didn't change she'd leave. If they did, and Seto went back to the man she married, then she'd happily stay with him, and enjoy the rest of their lives. Still…she didn't know how much longer she could wait for him to return to normal.

She slowly snapped her book shut, and pushed herself up onto her feet, which were bare. She had a lot of time to herself, and had been reading a lot of books. She didn't want her friends to know the struggle her marriage is going through. She stepped across the grassy yard, and past by a few trees, gently placing her free hand along the park. Her name surely reflected the moment. Everything was peaceful. She made her way back into the mansion, walking past the pool, and seeing her reflection in it. There was no smile on her face, and no frown either, just….void.

She walked inside and slipped into the kitchen for a glass of water, and then put her book on top of the table, and then walked out. She let her arms swing by her side and she made her way to the master staircase, but Roland stopped her. The taller man gently grabbed her arm and cleared his throat. "There's some one here to see you." He said and then motioned over to the sitting room, where all of their guests were taken. Serenity looked a little confused, as she hadn't been expecting company, but just nodded and walked over to the room. She opened it slowly and poked her head in slowly, making sure there was a smile on her face, not wanting to give off the wrong vibe to who ever her guest was.

Yami sat on one of the couches, his legs crossed over on another lightly. His hands were laced together and he seemed to be waiting patiently, but looked up as Serenity opened the door with a smile on his face. He stood, and walked towards her, and Serenity to him. And they softly embraced. He held her firmly, maybe for a minute longer then he should have, because Serenity gave a cough and took a step back. Yami nodded a bit and let his arms fall to his side, and scratched the back of his neck. "Look….there was a reason I came here to see you." He said, his voice serious, and his eyes looking at her intently.

Serenity looked at him with a slight tilt of her head, and turned serious herself. She slowly sat down on a couch, remaining to keep looking out him and gave a little nod. "Yes…?" She asked lightly, raising one of her eyebrows, watching as he sat on the couch next to her, looking at the ground between his feet. He had his elbows on his thighs, and his fingers were laced together.

"I suppose I should get right to the point…" He said and then turned and looked at her, trying to appear peaceful, and smiled, but it was obvious there was something really wrong, and that it really bothered him. "I've a strong connection to the spirit world Serenity. As I'm sure you know…but because of that I can feel things that other people cannot. One of those things….is a dark spirit that I believe is after you, and Kaiba." He said, and turned to look down at the ground again, as if it made him feel awkward to speak of such things.

Serenity wasn't really sure how to take it. She knew of the supernatural things that have happened to her brother, and his friend in the past. She'd even experience a few of her own because of them. But Kaiba had always been against it. Strongly against it. And suggested for her to not believe in it either. And as the events stopped, she listened to him. But she trusted Yami as well. He'd been a good friend for her over the past few years, especially in these times where she's felt alienated from her husband. And he sounded so serious, she thought it'd be foolish not to listen to him. "Do….you know what this spirit wishes to do?" She asked softly, her voice timid.

Yami sighed and then gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I've been trying to find out since our last talk….but I haven't gotten any leads or such…" He muttered, as if he was angry with himself. He then turned over and looked over at her, a smiling on his lips. "But I'll let you know if I do. I just want you to be on guard…this spirit doesn't have the best of intentions. That…I am sure of." He said with a nod of his head. Serenity looked at him, smiling graciously, and then gave him a nod, as a sort of promise that she would. He smiled a bit more, pleased by her reaction, and then gave a nod, going to stand up, where he reached his hand to help Serenity up as well.

"Thank you Yami…" She said softly. Though it wasn't the best of news, now she could be more prepared. It was better then having her life threatened and not know why. She may be able to help fight it off. She just knew she'd have to keep the news away from Seto. He wouldn't like it. And it would probably start a fight between them. And their marriage didn't need another fight to add to their list. "I'm glad I have a friend like you." She said gently and looked at him kindly. Yami didn't say anything to her right away though. He just looked back with a smile on his own face. He then glanced to the door and thought of something.

"It seems like it would be rather boring, being here all alone, all the time." He began, and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "If you would like, I could take you out. How about we go walk around the mall a bit, and maybe get some dinner? It'll be more entertaining then sitting here all alone." He said looking at her, curious of if she would accept or not. He held his hands by his side and waited.

Though it didn't take serenity long to answer. She gave a little giggle, and then quickly nodded her head. As if she had been internally praying for a reason to get out of the house. She then quickly wrapped her arms around him, her face beaming. "I'd love to. Thank you!" She exclaimed and then gave him a light squeeze, slowly letting go. She held up a finger and then started leaving the study. "Just let me get more decent, and get my purse." She said, nodding a little bit.

She walked out quickly, and then bounded up the stairs. She was a bit surprised at how happy she was at the thought of being able to be with someone. Just have a friends company, instead of the emptiness of the mansion. Sure, there were workers there and such. But they weren't much to talk to. As they were intimidated by her, and only spoke to her when she requested something of them. She slipped into the room she shared with her husband, and then walked over to their walk-in closet. She pulled out a fresh outfit, and quickly slipped it on. Then she ran a brush through her hair and re applied her make up. She looked ready for the day. Not stunning, but pleasant and easy going. She then grabbed her purse off of the bed, and started back down the stairs.

She didn't go as quickly as when she had went up the stairs. Just, gracefully descended with her hands on the railing. Yami was waiting at the bottom and smiled as he saw her coming down. "Shall we?" He asked, chuckling lightly, and then Serenity stood beside him. They walked out the front door together, and then Serenity saw the car he had come in. It wasn't anything great. She had a viper of her own, courtesy of her husband. But it was still a nice car. Yami opened the side door for her, and then closed it as she got inside. She placed her purse in her lap and then leaned back against the leather seats.

She reached back and pulled the strap over her self, buckling herself in, just as Yami slipped into the car himself. He got buckled as well and then turned it on. "Ready?" He asked, making sure she didn't forget anything. Serenity waited for a moment, and then nodded. She placed her hands in her lap and then smiled at him.

"Yeah. All set. Let's go." She said, and then Yami took off. He drove slowly out of the driveway, and the gate opened automatically as they left the Kaiba ground. It closed slowly as they went onto the main street as well. Serenity glanced back once, and then sighed a bit, but one of contentment, not because she was saddened. She then turned forward again and watched the objects outside of the window scroll by as Yami carefully drove them to the mall. She felt safe. She felt happy.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Yeah. All set. Let's go." She said, and then Yami took off. He drove slowly out of the driveway, and the gate opened automatically as they left the Kaiba ground. It closed slowly as they went onto the main street as well. Serenity glanced back once, and then sighed a bit, but one of contentment, not because she was saddened. She then turned forward again and watched the objects outside of the window scroll by as Yami carefully drove them to the mall. She felt safe. She felt happy._

* * *

Seto Kaiba winced as he heard the squeak of his chair when he leaned back against it. He sighed a little bit as his face returned to normal, and he slowly ran his hands over it, and then back through his hair. He shook his head a little bit, and then stretched his arms up, and over his head, hearing his shoulder's crack a bit. Then, he gave his back a deep arch, and heard a deep crack come from that as well. He sighed once more and then sat forward again, leaning over his laptop. He looked at the screen, a bit blankly, and then his eyes went for the clock on the screen. It was a bit past midnight. He slowly closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm so sick of this…" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, in a burst of his die hard stubbornness he slammed his laptop shut. Perhaps a bit harder then he really should have, and then slipped it into his briefcase, tossing his phone in there as well. He stood up so quickly his chair rolled back a good foot, and then strongly walked over to the door.

He jerked it open, not surprised to see there was no secretary on the other side. She had surely left for home hours earlier. He didn't mind either. After his marriage with Serenity he had become more lacks on how he treats the woman, whose been nothing but helpful since she started there. He smiled a bit, glad that she was at least getting the rest required for natural bodily functions. He then looked at the only other thing on the floor. It was merely a small room outside of his office. The desk and two doors. One led to his office, the other opened from the elevator. He pressed the button and waited for it to ascend up to his level, knowing it might take a while. While he waited he wondered how many others were still there. He knew he wasn't the last to leave. Most of the higher ups were working pretty hard trying to make up for everything that had happened. For the stocks that had dropped…business lost.

He quickly shut his eyes and shook his head. He didn't like the thoughts that he was having. He knew his company could go under any time….and he wouldn't be able to support his wife, or any child she had wanted to bring into the world. He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair again. "I'll make it work….for her…" He said, and dug his hand under his shirt, producing the Duel Monsters card shaped locket from his shirt. Mokuba's picture was there as usual when he opened it. But then he gently moved it to the side with his thumb, and Serenity's smiling face was looking up at him. She was in her wedding dress, a few trees around her. And a smile came to his face. "I love you…" He whispered, gently stroking his glossy face with his thumb. He looked at the picture until there was a ding from the elevator, telling him it had arrived. A low hum ensued, and the doors were opened. He frowned a bit, not liking being torn from his moment with her picture, but knew that as he descended he'd only be brought closer to the real thing. He slipped inside the elevator as he slipped the locket back beneath his shirt, and then pressed the floor one button.

The ride down was uneventful, and took a few moments. He was leaning back against the far wall, his head bent down, gazing at the ground. His mind began wandering again…this time to his younger brother. Who had been a great help in these hard times, though at the same time, hadn't been hit as hard. As reigning Vice President he works in America, and handles an entirely different branch, and customers. So they were effected, but not by nearly such a degree as Kaiba himself. "I hope he's alright…" He said to himself just as the elevator came to a sudden stop. He looked confused and up at the number of which floor he was on. 12. "What…?" He asked himself slowly, going to push the button again, but the door opened and a lovely looking scientist walked in. She looked up at Kaiba, and a tired smile came across her rather beautiful face. She had tanned skin, and dark hazel eyes, with midnight black hair. She was attractive, and her body shapely. She had a white lab coat on, and a pen keeping her hair up. Kaiba looked at her for a moment, and then gave a nod, that was all.

She walked into the elevator with a sigh, and leaned against the opposite wall. She glanced at Kaiba for a moment and then held her arms behind her back. "Guess I'm not the only one who was pulling a long night huh?" She asked rhetorically. Kaiba gave a little huff, not really in the mood for conversation. The woman stayed quiet for a moment, and then stuck out her hand to him. "I'm Kiara." She said, holding her hand out for him to shake. Kaiba raised his head a bit, and looked at the hand. He softly shook it, and muttered his name, like she really didn't know who he was. In fact he was sure the only reason she wanted to strike conversation with him was because he was Seto Kaiba. He leaned back against the wall again and then sighed, wishing the elevator to move faster. Though, even with his brain power, it remained at its normal speed….and they still had 6 floors to go.

"So….do you think we're going to make it out of this Mister Kaiba?" Kiara asked lightly, knowing he'd understand what she was talking about. After all….it was the reason both of them were in the elevator at nearly one in the morning. Kaiba sighed a bit more. However much he didn't want to talk to anyone but his beloved, he didn't want to talk about business even more. He looked over at her, her looks finally registering with him. And it seemed that a blush nearly hit his cheeks. Not that he was really attracted to her. Mostly taken off guard by an attractive scientist. He thought of them all as old fat men.

He looked up at the numbers, cycling down slowly and then back at her. He gave a shrug of his shoulders and then stood up a bit more straight. "I would hope so. If everyone is competent….and does their job….we should be able to…wouldn't you think?" He asked, looking at her and raising an eyebrow. He had been trying to lay certain hints. There was finally another ding, and Kaiba gave a breath of relief. He walked out of the elevator, of course followed by the girl, whose heals made loud clicking noises against the marble floor of the entry way. She took a few quick steps to walk next to him and looked up at him. He was about a foot and a half taller then her and didn't look back.

"Yes…I guess if everyone was doing their jobs we wouldn't be in this mess…would we?" She asked, as a strong retort. She raised one of her eye bows and looked at him, smirking triumphantly as he stopped walking from mere shock. Serenity and Mokuba were the only ones who ever spoke to him like that. He glared at her a bit, though from his fatigue it only came across like a sad frown. Kiara giggled a little, and tapped his lips, which made him frown a bit more, and take a step back.

"Don't touch me…" He muttered, and then walked over to the front doors and walked past the security guard standing there. The man gave him a tip of his hat, and then opened the door for Kaiba. The CEO walked to the parking lot quickly and slipped inside of his car. He slammed the door a bit and then turned it on, and quickly sped off, on his way home, quickly forgetting about Kiara, as thoughts of Serenity filled his head. He sped the entire way there, but no one was around, not even police, so he wasn't stopped. Soon enough he saw the familiar brick wall that surrounded his land. He slowed the car a little bit and then pressed a button in his car that opened the iron cast gate. He slowly drove up the drive, the gate automatically closing behind him. There was grass on either side and gravel on the drive. There was a low crunching noise as he went along, and in about five minutes he made it to the mansion.

He wasn't surprised to see only one light on. And he slowly turned the car along the circle that wound around, near the front steps of the door. In the middle of the circle was a little fountain, slowly spouting water. He grabbed his briefcase and then got out of the car, quickly locking it and making his way into the house. As he did, he didn't bother with anything such as lights. He just walked to the steps, knowingly, and not stumbling once along his way. He walked up a few flights, and then went down the hallway to the door at the very end. He softly opened the door and slipped inside, trying to prevent from making any noise. He gently placed his briefcase on the ground and slipped out of his trench coat. He also got out of his pants and shirt, leaving himself in his boxers.

He walked over to the right side of the bed, where he slept, and slipped inside. He gave a relaxed sigh and stayed on his back for a moment. He closed his eyes and took in a very deep breath. Then he rolled onto his side and cast an arm over where he figured Serenity would be. But…to his surprise, the bed was empty, save him. His face scrunched up in confusion, and he quickly reached over to turn on the lamp, resting on Serenity's bedside table. And like he had felt, he was the only on in the bed. He looked confused and then glanced around the room a bit. It didn't look like she was anywhere. And her purse was gone. "What…" He whispered to himself, and then got out of the bed quickly. He grabbed his robe and quickly wrapped it around his body and tied the sash. Then, he ran back downstairs and threw open the door that led to security.

Roland was sitting at the main desk, watching a few monitors and then looked up as Kaiba burst in, with a raised eyebrow. He didn't bother asking, he knew Kaiba would demand whatever it was he wanted. And in a split moment he did. "Would you mind telling me…Where my wife is…?" He asked softly, raising his own eyebrow to match Roland's.

* * *

"I don't know Yami….don't you think 4 is enough?" A highly female voice asked, slowly, and a bit slurred. Serenity was sitting at a high benched table, leaning over it using it for a support. Her long auburn hair fell down her back and slightly onto the table as well. Across from her sat Yami, who had a bottle in hand. Alcohol of course. They hadn't intended to drink, but that's what had come of their day out. Serenity had only had 2…but she was already feeling the effects of it, and didn't want anymore. Yami had already finished his 3rd, and asked for another. But the King of Games simply looked over at her and shook his head.

"Nope…I am quiet sober I think." He said, but the look on his face, and tone of his voice made it clear he was anything but. Serenity rolled her eyes and stopped the waitress from getting another. She gave her head a little shake, telling him no more. She then stood up from the bench, and helped him down as well. "It's late…We should be getting back." She said lightly. She left some money on the table and then left the bar. She walked them out to the street, where Yami brushed himself off a little bit and then stood up on his own, seeming to get a better hold of himself, regardless of still being drunk.

"Well….what about a taxi huh?" He suggested and then walked out a little bit more, but the street was absolutely barren. "Or…how about I walk you back." He said as the idea of a taxi seemed a bit too optimistic. Serenity gave a little nod, figuring it was a good idea. He softly linked arms with her and started on the way back to her mansion.

The walk went by nicely, though it took some time to get there. Serenity slowed as they reached the Iron Gate, and walked to the left side, softly punching a button. She waited for a moment and then Roland's voice came through the other side. "Come on in Mrs. Kaiba. Your husband has been worried about you." He informed a sound of warning in his voice. Serenity cringed and looked at Yami a bit. She hadn't expected Kaiba to be home yet. She gave him a little hug and then smiled. "Thanks for the day out…I had a lot of fun." She said, and Yami hugged her back.

"As did I Serenity. I'll see you around." He said, and then stumbled a little bit as he pulled back. He then cleared his throat and gave a little wave as the gate began to open and he started walking away. Serenity turned into the land and then sighed, and started the walk up the drive. It took her some time, but she finally got to the mansion, and then slipped inside the house. Roland was waiting just inside the door for her. He looked a little concerned for her. Then he motioned up the stairs, and Serenity gave a little nod.

She started up the stairs slowly, not exactly excited to confront her sure to be angry husband. Though sometimes she didn't understand why he got so aggravated sometimes. He had been late for weeks in a row, she has one night out and suddenly it's her that is at fault. She slowly shook her head and grunted a bit as she reached the top story. She walked down the same path to the room at the end, and then took a deep breath as she slowly opened the door and pushed it open. She peeked her head in first to see Kaiba sitting on the bed, leaning over on his knees. He turned as she walked in the room, and then stood up, his robe falling around his thighs. Serenity gave a little smile, and then closed the door behind her, not moving any further into the room. "Good morning Seto…" she whispered softly and then started for the closet.

Kaiba nodded slowly, and then walked towards the closet after her. As she walked inside he stood at the door, his arms holding either side, as if blocking her in. "Where were you?" He asked, getting straight to the point. His voice was low, and dangerous, but Serenity wasn't that frightened by it, she had heard it plenty times before. She slowly turned around as she was grabbing a set of her pajamas from the hanger. She gave a little shrug, and started undressing a bit.

"I was just out with Yami…" She said honestly, though she hadn't expected his reaction. He looked a bit shocked and took a step further into the closet and closer to her. Serenity took a step back, and then took off her top. Her slim form was shown, covered only by the black bra she had on her top. Though even that she reached her arms back to take off and let it drop to the floor, leaving her top completely exposed to him. Though she wasn't doing it in a sexual manner, and she slowly put on another, more comfortable shirt. She wasn't nervous showing off herself to Kaiba. He'd seen all of her plenty of times before.

She shifted the shirt a bit as it tightly held onto her body and then looked at him some more. "He took me out this afternoon to let me get out of the house…you know, it can get so stuffy here when no ones around." She said, a bit sarcastically at the end, hoping he got a hold of her hint she had laid. She then unbuttoned her pants and shook her body a bit to get them off, and the fell around her ankles, but as she went to get on her pajamas, Kaiba grabbed a hold of her arm and stopped her. Though his grip was a bit rough, and she looked a little surprised by the force he used.

"I was worried." He said simply, though it didn't really explain why he was holding her so hard. He slowly began dragging her back into the main room and jerked her before him a bit. Serenity grunted and then stood up taller, rubbing her arm a bit. "What if something had happened to you Serenity?" He asked her, his voice getting louder. "What if someone hurt you?" He continued and started getting closer to Serenity again. The girl once again took a few steps back, but then….Kaiba's head hung, and he stopped getting closer to her. "I was scared…" He admitted softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Serenity stopped backing up and then slowly looked down herself. _So he hadn't been angry…._She thought to herself, and then slowly looked up at him. "Seto…" she whispered softly. "You're gone all the time at work….I was just wanting to have some fun." She explained and then looked back down at the ground and held her arms behind her back. Suddenly an image of Kiara came to Kaiba's head as he saw what she did. He quickly shook his head and then took a step closer to Serenity.

"Next time….please tell someone where you're going." He said gently, and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, and then held her close. He dipped his head down and then kissed her lightly. Serenity smiled a little bit and kissed him back deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kaiba slowly broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes. "Besides…." He said, and started moving them both back to the bed. "You and I never got to celebrate our anniversary…We need to have some fun." He said smirking a little bit and then pushed her down onto the bed. Serenity giggled and looked up at him, and then scooted back onto the bed a little bit more.

Kaiba crawled on top of her, using his arms to keep just a little space between them. He then dipped his head down and kissed her deeply, closing his eyes. He lowered himself down on top of her, and placed his hands on either side of her body, running them up and down gently. Serenity lifted her head softly, kissing him back lovingly, wrapping her arms around his back, and holding them there lightly. Kaiba broke the kiss for just a moment and whispered to her. "I love you Serenity…" He said lightly, and then started tugging her panties off of her body.

Serenity looked up at him, her hazel eyes big, a soft smile on her lips. "I love you too Seto…" She whispered back to him, quickly capturing his lips, and kicking her panties off her ankles after he had tugged them down. She ran her hands up and down his back, and then started undoing the sash that was keeping his robe on his body. As it came free he shifted it off his toned arms, and then held onto him. Kaiba bent his head down again, kissing her neck lightly, and closed his eyes, breathing softly against her skin. Serenity closed her eyes, and then tilted her head to the side a bit.

* * *

The sun rose outside, making the dew on the grass sparkle a bit. But it didn't bother the two resting in bed. Their clothes strewn about the room recklessly. They both lay in bed, beneath the covers, lightly holding onto each other. And both well asleep. The curtains had been closed, and so the room remained dark. Serenity had her head on Kaiba's shoulder, and her arm draped across his middle. Kaiba had both of his arms wrapped around her, and held close. The blanket was resting up around Serenity's chest, and the sight was peaceful.


	4. Chapter 4

_The sun rose outside, making the dew on the grass sparkle a bit. But it didn't bother the two resting in bed. Their clothes strewn about the room recklessly. They both lay in bed, beneath the covers, lightly holding onto each other. And both well asleep. The curtains had been closed, and so the room remained dark. Serenity had her head on Kaiba's shoulder, and her arm draped across his middle. Kaiba had both of his arms wrapped around her, and held close. The blanket was resting up around Serenity's chest, and the sight was peaceful._

* * *

Serenity woke with a light groan. Her eyes closed tightly, forming a little wrinkle on either side of her face. She stretched her arms up over her head, and turned on the bed a little bit, holding onto the blanket tightly as she turned around. She sighed a little as she rested again, and then she slowly opened her eyes, and they immediately fell onto the clock on her bedside table. She looked a little shocked, and gave a loud gasp. She sat up quickly and turned to her right, the bed was empty. She frowned a little, remembering the time she had shared with Seto last night, saddened to see he wasn't there.

But then, to her surprise the door opened slowly, and Kaiba walked in with a tray in his hands, with two plates of food. Serenity looked a little confused, and sat up a bit more, pulling the comforter up around her body to stay covered. He smiled at her and then approached her, carefully balancing the tray. He sat at the edge of the bed and placed it on her lap softly. And then gently gave her a kiss. Serenity smiled a bit and looked at the food on the tray. A full breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. With a glass of orange juice. She smiled brightly and then turned to him, giggling a bit. "What about work?" She asked gently, and Kaiba shrugged.

"Work can wait today…" He said to her softly, and Serenity felt a small blush creep upon her cheeks. _He's back…My Seto is back…_ She thought to herself pleasantly. The man she had married had returned. She took up the fork and then scooped up a bite of hash browns, but instead offered it to Kaiba, who took it into his mouth with a smile. He nodded a bit and then swallowed. "It's official…I am a great cook." He said, smirking a little bit and Serenity gave a little giggle and then took a bite herself, and nodded in agreement.

She leaned back against the head post and continued eat, enjoying the moment. Things were pleasant, and he didn't even seem like he was rushed to get to work. She had her legs crossed beneath the tray and ate slowly. She glanced at him occasionally and saw he was gazing at her every time she looked at him, which made each of her cheeks turn a bit red, more each time she saw him looking. She gave soft giggles and then finished the meal, softly pushing the tray off her lap. She then looked at him, as if expecting something. Kaiba chuckled a little bit and then leaned over and kissed her lightly, then, suddenly his cell phone in his pocket rang.

He gave a sigh against her lips and then backed away just a moment. "Just…hold on honey." He said, and dug into his pocket. Serenity sighed as well and closed her eyes, rubbing her hands against her forehead. Kaiba got out the phone and quickly answered it. "Hello?" He asked, rather aggressively, upset that the phone had interrupted his moment. He paused for a moment, his face slowly began dropping and he sighed a little bit, looking at Serenity apologetically, to see that her eyes were closed. He gently tapped her and Serenity looked at him quickly. He mouthed and I'm sorry to her and then stood up slowly, continuing to listen to the man on the other side of the phone.

Serenity nodded as he began walking away, and then sighed a little bit. She slowly slipped out of the bed and walked to the closet and started grabbing an outfit. Nothing too fancy. A simple pair of jeans, and a black tank top with a white over shirt. She then grabbed a towel and walked to the bathroom, starting to turn on the shower. She closed the door behind her, in case any of the maids came in to clean the room. She opened the cabinet for a moment and started rummaging for her tooth brush; she grabbed it, quickly running it over her teeth with some paste on it. She spit it out and then checked the temperature of the water. She smiled a little bit and then slipped into it, closing the curtain.

She washed quickly, rubbing some shampoo into her hair, and then continued on with her shower nonchalantly, softly humming to herself as she did so. She quickly turned off the water and then draped the towel over her body, and then slipped out of the shower, jumping when she saw Kaiba in there quickly brushing his teeth. He turned and smiled at her for a moment, then quickly spit it out and gargled some mouth wash. "The board wants to see me…talk about some things." He explained, sighing a bit and looking at her with a sad smile. "I'm sorry…" He said gently and then gave her a soft kiss.

Serenity gave a little nod and then kisses him back, softly patting his shoulder. Kaiba then walked out, snatching his briefcase and then quickly running out of the room. Serenity gave a little wave and then unwrapped the towel from her and wrapped it up around her hair. She pulled on some of her clothes and stretched a little bit. She shook the towel around her hair to dry it out a bit more, and then started out of the room, and down to the library. There wasn't that much to do around the house when there was no one around. So she snatched up her favorite book and took a seat on her favorite couch, and then started reading it.

* * *

Kaiba quickly made his way to Kaiba Corp. Already in a bad mood. He had wanted to spend the day with Serenity, the whole day with her. He wanted to forget about everything with work for one day. But when the board said they wanted to see him he couldn't exactly tell them no. He parked in his reserved spot near the front door and then heaved a light sigh. He ran his hands through his hair and then opened the door and started into the building. He went up to the second story from the top, where the board usually met.

He stood out side the door and then opened it. Though all he was really thinking about was what he and Serenity had done the night before. A small smile came to his lips and he stood in front of them, closing the door behind him. He raised one of his eyebrows, and waited to see what they would say. The head of the board stood slowly, and gave a deep breath as well, gently brushing his suit a bit. "Mr. Kaiba…" He said lightly and then looked across the long, oak table to Kaiba, who was standing straight. "I have a bit of disturbing news for you." He said, and Kaiba could feel it coming. He was going to be fired.

He would take it like a man though. He held his head high, and looked each of them in the eye for a moment. But the words that the head of the board said took him by surprise. "We had an interesting conversation with your brother earlier." He began, and started walking around the table. "He said that he….would like to take over at President of Kaiba Corporation…that you are currently unfit…" He said, waiting for Kaiba's reaction. The chestnut haired man's eyes widened and then he slowly looked down.

_My brother…my own brother wants to demote me?_ He thought to himself, trying to speak, but not very able to get words to come out. "What position did he suggest I'd be better suited for?" Kaiba asked, curiosity ringing in his voice. The head of board stopped walking around the table and paused for a minute. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave out a loud breath.

"That's the funny thing Kaiba…He thought that the better interest of the company would mean that your part in it would be over. To terminate you completely." He said slowly, once again looking over at Kaiba to see what he would do. And the man seemed to be fuming. He'd gotten over his initial shock, and now he was just angry. His grip on the briefcase was so tight his knuckles were white, and his face formed a bit of a snarl. Seeing that he wasn't going to speak the head started speaking again. "Now we disagreed. We are watching you Kaiba…seeing as the company hit such a low the past few weeks…but you have been a large asset to the company in the past…and we're willing to see where this goes. To see if you can put us back on the top. But one more mistake Kaiba…and we will instate your brother as the new president of Kaiba corp." He said, his voice getting very serious and the end.

Kaiba looked at him, and gave a little nod. "Understood…" He muttered tightly, and then spun around quickly, and walked out of the room. He stepped into the elevator, and started on his way down, he didn't want to go to his office right now. He wanted to speak to his brother in a more personal setting. He started down, angry again, as the elevator stopped at floor 12. He found it a little odd, and then looked at the door. He wasn't very surprised to see Kiara there, going into the elevator. She looked pretty much the same as the night before and looked at him with a little quirky smile.

"Well what a surprise to see you here Mister Kaiba." She said with a little flip of her hair. Kaiba gazed at her for a moment, and then to the elevator doors, begging them to close faster. "Especially after such a late night." She said, waiting for him to say something, but again, he remained quiet. She frowned a little bit and then held her arms lightly by her side. "You seem upset. Something wrong?" She asked, raising one of her black eyebrows to him. Kaiba glanced at her and sighed. "I'll take that as a yes." She said chuckling a little bit and leaning back against the elevator. "Want to talk about it?" She asked curiously.

Kaiba rolled his eyes a little bit and shook his head. _Not to you…_ He muttered in his mind, sure the woman was up to something. He went to cross his arms over his chest, but then remember that his briefcase was in his hand and he wasn't able to it without looking rather foolish. He grunted a bit and held his arms by his side again. His trench coat shifted slightly at the movements of his arms. He was still seething, but tried to keep it more inside now, wishing Kiara hadn't noticed it in the first place. But the girl wouldn't let it go.

"You know…I like getting a soothing cup of coffee when I'm upset." She said, taking a step closer to him and looking into his eyes. Kaiba looked at her silently for a moment and then sighed. "You're not going to shut up until I agree will you?" He asked, and she smiled brightly, quickly shaking her head, getting closer again. And the closer she got the more he realized her shirt was terribly low cut. His eyes wandered for a moment, and a smirk came to her dark red lips. But she said nothing about it. The elevator reached the bottom floor and then they started out of the building.

Kaiba led her to his car and opened the passenger door for her. More out of instinct, rather then the fact he wanted to be respectful to her. _Though she is rather attractive._ He thought, but quickly shook his head to get the thought out, but a rather crude image of what her body might look like naked kept popping into his mind, and he felt himself getting aroused. He growled a bit as he slipped into the driver's seat and started up the car. He went off to a café he liked to go to whenever he was stressed and didn't offer any conversation.

Kiara on the other hand crossed her legs in the leather seat, tugging up her dress a bit to show off her perfectly sculpted legs. Kaiba glanced over for a moment, and then shook his head, quickly looking at the street again. "You know…" He voice rang up as she crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back against the seat. "Whatever the problem is I'm sure the great Seto Kaiba will be able to handle it." She said, buttering him up a bit. But Kaiba didn't say anything. He just drove. Luckily the place wasn't far, and they were there in a matter of minutes. He turned the car into a parking spot and then got out, not getting the door for her this time.

Kiara frowned a little and then got out herself, following him into the building, tugging down her dress a little bit. She walked next to him and looked up at him. "This is your favorite place to get coffee? It's a run down shack…" She muttered a bit, frowning as she looked at it. Kaiba simply nodded, and then walked inside, going straight up to the counter as there wasn't a line. He didn't blame her for thinking it wouldn't be good. As far as décor went this place wasn't tops. But their coffee was amazing. He didn't need to order, as they saw him walk in the began preparing his regular. The girl at the counter did look at Kiara, wondering what it was she wanted.

"Just black…nothing special." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. Kaiba looked at her a bit surprised. It wasn't often someone ordered a plain coffee. He nodded with a bit of respect, and then took out his card, quickly swiping it and paying for it all. He then glanced at Kiara and slipped the card back in his pocket. "So black huh?" He asked and she smirked up at him.

"Just because my coffee is plain doesn't mean I am…._Mister_ Kaiba." She said, emphasizing the title, almost as if to taunt him. Kaiba just rolled his eyes and then took his order in his hand starting for a table. And of course Kiara smiled. She sat across from him, crossing one of her legs over the other again, and her foot touching his leg. "So are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked, tilting her head onto the side, almost in innocence.

Kaiba smirked lightly and looked at her. His crystal blue eyes blazing a bit. "Are you going to tell me you actually care?" He asked, raising one of his own eyebrows. He didn't believe she did. She was still going for something, but he had no idea what it could be. For a second he saw a dark shadow cross her eyes, and he looked a little confused and turned around, but there was nothing there. He shook his head a little bit and then looked forward again, at her.

She smiled a little and shook her head. "I guess you're to smart for me." She said, leaning back in submission, taking a sip of the coffee. She rubbed her foot against his leg lightly, a 'come hither' look on her face. But kaiba retracted his leg a bit so she couldn't touch it any more. Though the feeling he had gotten in the car was strengthened, and he started feeling a bit uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat a little bit and then drank from his own coffee. "I'm not going to get into my personal life with you…so you might as well stop trying." He informed, looking at her seriously. He smiled, almost victoriously as she pouted and seemed to have given up.

She stood up quickly and took the cup with her. "Well thank you for the drink mister Kaiba. I suppose I'll be seeing you at work." She said, and then turned and walked out of the café. Kaiba said nothing, just watched her leave, and sighed. He quickly finished off his coffee and then stood himself, going to walk out. But not before kindly tipping his head to the two workers behind the counter. It was a family business, and he rather liked the way things worked there. They knew just how to make his coffee. And not to bother him with any nonsense. And he liked the plain atmosphere. Too much pop and frills in his every day life. This café was a nice break from it all.

After he did he walked to his car. Quickly finishing the drink, and tossing the cup to the grass nearby, not minding the littering he was doing. He got into the car quickly, Kiara's walking form still visible from where he sat, though he felt no inclination to go get her and drive her back to work. It wasn't a far walk, so he knew she could handle it. _She is in impeccable shape…_He though, frowning as he did. "What's wrong with me?" He shouted angrily, closing his eyes and trying to envision Serenity's face, but again, the possibly naked form of Kiara came to his mind. He grunted and quickly sped out of the parking lot, on his way back to the mansion.

He sped for a while until he got closer to the mansion, impatiently waiting for the gate to open and let him in. Then, he quickly went up the drive as if he was being chased by cops. Though in reality there was no one there. He pressed the breaks and spun the car around the curve then quickly hopped out and ran up into the mansion. He went straight to the library, knowing that's where Serenity would be at this time of day. He opened the door slowly and looked inside; there she was, calmly sitting on the couch. Though she slowly looked up at him, a bit confused as he had burst him.

Then, in a mere moment, he was on top of her again, just like the night before. Kissing her passionately. She smiled a bit, wondering what he was thinking, but didn't mind the attention. She felt his hands wandering her body, and a slight blush came onto her cheeks. Then…oddly…he muttered a name. "Kiara…" He whispered in a wanting tone. Serenity immediately looked confused, and scooted back a bit to look at him. "Who's Kiara?" She asked an angry tone in her voice.

Kaiba paused for a moment. He hadn't realized he had said it out loud. And knew that if she found out he had been fantasizing about another woman she'd be angry. He was angry enough with himself over it, though couldn't seem to stop it either. So, he lied. To the one person he said he'd never lie to. "I said Kisara." He covered softly, gazing into her eyes and stroking one of her cheeks. "You know how Ishizu had spouted that nonsense about you being the reincarnation of Kisara….that girl who was the spirit of the blue eyes and that's how she knew we'd love each other…." He explained as if Serenity didn't know. Then looked at her, hoping she'd buy it.

Serenity didn't look angry any more, more just confused. But she nodded her head and looked at him. "Yes I remember her saying that….but I thought you didn't believe in all that." She said, looking at him lightly, and tilting her head onto the side a bit, her shinning auburn locks falling over her shoulder, and covering his hand. Kaiba just smiled a bit, and gave a childish shrug of his shoulder, going in to kiss her again, reaching his hand down, beneath her pants beginning to rub her. Though still, in his mind, Kiara's face wouldn't go away.

Serenity was still a bit suspicious, but she trusted him, so believed that she could have simply misheard what he said. She let her book drop to the ground, and held onto him lovingly. Closing her eyes as she enjoyed his gentle touches. She leaned her head back, soft moans escaping from her lips as he continued, and the started getting louder as she felt pressure building up. Then, a light scream as she released it. Kaiba gently kissed up her neck and captured her lips. "I love you…" He whispered against her skin. And Serenity softly repeated them back to him.

He leaned back, getting off of her body, feeling a bit relieved. The thought of Kiara had left, and he just gazed down at her. Serenity shifted her hands, laying them both on her stomach, and he glanced at her wedding ring, and then looked at his. _I'll have to do something about this Kiara…_ He said, concerned about jeopardizing his marriage over her. Marrying Serenity was the best thing that ever happened to him. He wasn't going to let something change that. Especially some girl. _I'm not falling for her…this is all simply sexual…I just have to ignore these damn urges I get around her…and we'll be fine…_ He thought to himself, laying a gentle kiss on Serenity's forehead.

He then stood up slowly and pulled out his cell phone, not bothering to clean anything up. He quickly dialed his brothers number, n impatiently waited for it to ring. His cleared his throat, not too excited to have this conversation with his brother. But he slowly wandered out the front door and began wandering the grounds as he waited for it to ring.

* * *

Serenity had slowly sat up, buttoning up her pants, and then stood slowly, feeling an odd feeling between her legs as she walked. She went to the bathroom and cleaned up a bit, then walked to the main hall, where she saw Kaiba walking out the front door on the phone. She sighed a little bit and decided to let him to his business. She reached for her own cell phone and called her brother, wanting to catch up a bit, and missing him.


	5. Chapter 5

_He then stood up slowly and pulled out his cell phone, not bothering to clean anything up. He quickly dialed his brothers number, n impatiently waited for it to ring. His cleared his throat, not too excited to have this conversation with his brother. But he slowly wandered out the front door and began wandering the grounds as he waited for it to ring._

_Serenity had slowly sat up, buttoning up her pants, and then stood slowly, feeling an odd feeling between her legs as she walked. She went to the bathroom and cleaned up a bit, then walked to the main hall, where she saw Kaiba walking out the front door on the phone. She sighed a little bit and decided to let him to his business. She reached for her own cell phone and called her brother, wanting to catch up a bit, and missing him.

* * *

  
_

"Hello Big brother." A rather tentative voice answered after a few rings on Kaiba's phone. A short pause, and then he continued speaking. "Do you need something?" He asked, softly clearing his throat, from his voice Kaiba knew why he was calling. This meant the board hadn't been lying, which was a hope Kaiba held. But now it fell through.

"You son of a bitch." Kaiba said blatantly, not holding back any of his anger for his brother. All that time Mokuba had been by his side, supported him, helped him, and now, he stabbed him in the back. "You thought they'd fire me did you? Well guess what, I'm still the president. I'm still in charge. You lost." He said, as if Mokuba was the enemy. And right now, that's what Kaiba considered him. "You were going to take everything away from me. My job, my life. How do you think I was going to support Serenity if I lost my job?" He asked, though didn't give Mokuba a chance to answer.

"But you didn't care about any of that. You just wanted to get ahead. You wanted to be the best. The top. Well guess what little brother…even after the disaster Kaiba Corp is going through…even after me being blamed for all the stocks lost, even after you turning your back on me and betraying me….I'm still the best. I'm still president. The board still wants me." He gloated, hoping to cause anger to rise up in Mokuba as well. Make him hurt like he was hurting right now. He waited, having finished his rant, to see what Mokuba's response would be.

There was silence on the other end for a moment and then a slow sigh came across, and the squeak of a chair. "Seto-"Mokuba began, but kaiba quickly cut him off.

"No. You have lost your rights to call me that." Kaiba said coldly, his voice quivering with anger. He hoped to let Mokuba know just how angry he was, and he thought he was getting his point across quiet nicely. Again, there was silence on the other side. No doubt Mokuba hadn't expected to be denied the right of saying his own brother's name. It was a near minute before he spoke again.

"Ok Kaiba…" Mokuba began, waiting to be cut off, but Kaiba said nothing. The tall man walked about the front part of his property. His strides were long, and he walked along the trees which were scattered about lightly. The sun was still shinning brightly, but the leaves prevented the rays from getting to him so much. From where he was the gate wasn't even visible. "I was looking out for your best interest when I suggested that to the board." Mokuba finished slowly, his voice cautious, afraid of angering him. Though it only managed to get a scoff from Kaiba.

"Oh please…How would firing me be good for me?" He said closing his eyes for a moment. He was still slightly in shock. He expected this from many people. But his brother was never on that list. He didn't think it was possible for his brother to betray him in such a way. He was nearly heartbroken. It tore him apart to know that his brother would want to take everything away from him. But….all that seemed to be the least of his problems when he heard what Mokuba said next, that is…if it was Mokuba.

The voice of his younger brother suddenly got about an octave deeper, and seemed to be rather scratchy, instead of the usual smooth, somewhat high pitched voice Kaiba was accustomed to. "Just trust me it was." Mokuba said, and then went silent a bit. Kaiba jumped a little bit when he heard the strange voice, and then looked a little bit confused. _Perhaps he's sick…And he has a frog in his throat…_He thought, though it sounded darker and more guttural then just having a frog in one's throat. Kaiba stayed silent for a moment and then shook his head a little bit.

"No Mokuba…You lost my trust." He said lightly and then stopped by a patch of ground. He bent down and snatched at a sort of pulley on the ground and then tugged it up, and took a step down into his 'lair'. But he paused before descending all the way. "Look Mokuba. Think about what you've done, and what it's gotten you. But don't think apologizing will get anywhere with me. You are now my enemy. You're on my list…" He said slowly, not giving Mokuba time to respond before slamming his cell phone shut quickly.

He slipped it into his pocket and then continued down into the underground chamber. He shut the top above him as he bent down, and then a dim set of lights came on, directing him down the hallway. He made his way to the end of the hall and opened the door, after passing the security measures. The door hummed open and he walked inside, taking his seat on the chair in the middle of the consol. A few memories came to him. The time he helps Yugi by boosting the power of his monster. That made a sort of sour look come onto his face. "Yugi…" He muttered annoyed. To this day he's still yet to beat him in a duel. Of course card games themselves seem just a fleeting memory to Kaiba now. It's been ages since he's picked up his duel deck; he simply hasn't had the time.

He shook his head quickly, his chestnut brown hair flapping down around his eyes for a moment before he brushed them away. He then typed a few commands into the computer, and the voice hummed on around him. "Hello Mr. Kaiba. It's been some times since you've come down here." The female voice noted, and Kaiba gave a little nod. "I've been busy." He said, thinking about spending some time to upgrade the computers down here. He has so much better technology now. But that could wait. He leaned back in the chair, as he finished typing, waiting for his commands to come up. It was a picture of Mokuba, and a thumb print.

"What is it you're doing Mr. Kaiba?" The voice asked, unsure of what was happening. Kaiba was silent for a moment, and then started hitting the delete button. "Mr. Kaiba!" The female voice shouted out in surprise. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked, starting to bring the files back. But Kaiba just hit the button again. The 'woman' froze the computer, demanding an explanation from Kaiba.

"He's a traitor, and no longer welcome here, or any where else I'm affiliated…He wouldn't be vice president any more either if I had anything to say about it." Kaiba informed and then hit the button again. The woman let him this time though didn't say anything. She remained quiet, unsure of how to react to the news. All the files were deleted in a moment's time and then the blue screen popped up, waiting for more commands, but Kaiba stood, and turned it off, as that was the only thing he need to do.

He turned quickly, heading for the door once more. He started up the stairs and slowly pushed the secret door up, and he started out onto the lawn again. He sighed, brushed himself off just slightly, and then made his way back to the mansion. He dropped the door with a thump, and then started walking. He walked quickly, not for any particular reason, but he wanted to get back into the comfort of his house. He saw it begin to loom in the distance a bit and smiled, picking up his pace just slightly.

* * *

Serenity had to a wait a few rings as well before there was an answer on the other side. "Ehhh….hello." The familiar voice of Joey Wheeler came through the other side. "What do ya need Serenity?" He asked curiously. Serenity smiled a bit. It'd been so long since she'd gotten to speak to him. She took a few steps back into the library and softly plopped herself down on the couch, and laid back against the arm rest. She twirled a strand of her hair around her index finger of her free hand and then shrugged a little bit.

Serenity was silent for a minute, and then gave a light shrug of her shoulder. "I don't need anything really, I just wanted to check up and make sure everything was alright over there." She said honestly, her voice light, and carefree.

Just as she and Joey had started their conversation Kaiba walked into the room again. Serenity looked up at him and raised a silent eyebrow, wondering what it was he wanted. He motioned for her to come with him and Serenity sighed a bit and gave her goodbyes to Joey. She hung up and slipped her phone back in her pocket. "What is it?" She asked lightly, and stood from the couch, beginning to walk over to him. She gently crossed her arms over her chest and raised one of her eyebrows out of curiosity.

Kaiba slowly approached and walked over to her. She could tell something was wrong, especially as he wrapped his arms around her and held her so…frightened. She looked a little confused, but returned the hug none the less. "Seto…?" She asked lightly, wanting to know what was wrong so she could help. Kaiba was silent though, and just continued holding onto her tightly, pressing their bodies close together, like he thought she'd leave if he didn't hold her so tightly.

* * *

Sorry for the shortness, but I wanted to get something out, and the next few events wouldn't really fit in. ^^ So…that's what you get…Again, I apologize…but please review, tell me what youre thinking.


	6. Chapter 6

_Kaiba slowly approached and walked over to her. She could tell something was wrong, especially as he wrapped his arms around her and held her so…frightened. She looked a little confused, but returned the hug none the less. "Seto…?" She asked lightly, wanting to know what was wrong so she could help. Kaiba was silent though, and just continued holding onto her tightly, pressing their bodies close together, like he thought she'd leave if he didn't hold her so tightly.

* * *

  
_

The sound of running water into a sink rang in bathroom ran as Serenity had turned on the sink. She dipped her hands underneath it and then softly closed her eyes, and cupped her hands, catching some water in them. She then splashed it over her face and slowly gave a sigh. She repeated the process and then leaned over the counter a bit, slowly opening her eyes to look at the small stick like thing resting on it. She frowned a little; glaring at it like it was a mugger holding her up for money. Defiant, and frightened. She slowly looked at herself in the mirror, listening as the water continued falling. She slowly picked up the stick and looked at the positive sign on it. She glanced into the garbage near by, frowning when she saw several others, all of which bearing the same symbol.

She gave a loud grunt and then threw that one into the trash can as well. She quickly turned off the water and dried her hands in a rag. She tossed it on the counter and then suddenly saw a shadow pass behind her. She jumped, gave a gasp, and quickly spun around. She looked a little confused when she saw she was still alone in the bathroom though. She bit her bottom lip and took a few steps forward, and opened the door looking into the main entry hall. But it was empty. It was a bit dark, as night had fallen, and the only light was the moon casting it's reflection upon the marble floor. She sighed a little bit and looked around a little; sure that she had seen someone.

But as she saw the front door begin to open she jumped a little bit and quickly hid inside the bathroom again. "Serenity!" A familiar voice called out, and the auburn haired girl felt a little foolish, she gave a relieved sigh and then walked out of the bathroom.

"In here Seto." She said softly and then started walking towards him. She smiled brightly, noticing that lately he had been acting much more sure of himself since the incident with his brother. He had seemed so vulnerable that day, but since Kaiba Corp had been climbing back up again he seemed much more sure of himself. Kaiba looked at her and smiled brightly. He quickly walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Serenity giggled a little and returned the embrace, but suddenly sensed something odd. He smelt…strange. She scrunched her face together a little bit, confused, and tried sniffing a few times, it smelt like perfume. And not a kind that she wore. She ignored it though and then smiled up at him, but that only made her notice something else. _His shirt is inside out…_ She thought to herself softly, but only smiled up at him. "How was work? And I have something to-" She started speaking, but he had cut her off before she could finish.

Kaiba gave a nod of his head, gently wrapping an arm around her. "It was fine dear; I found out that Mokuba was fired for fraud. Saying his branch was making money that they weren't…I'm throwing a party for the new VP before he heads over to the branch to take over." He said, with a surprisingly large amount of joy in his voice, which concerned Serenity.

She gently took a step away from him, so she could look up and get a better view into his eyes. "Seto…I know he hurt you….but he's your brother…How could you be glad that he's probably going to be sent to jail?" She asked softly, a little concerned and looked up at him with wide eyes. She knew that Mokuba had hurt him, but she still didn't want anything bad to happen to her brother in law. She still cared about him.

Kaiba just gave a shrug of his shoulder and smiled down at her. "Because it was the Karma he had coming for him." He said simply, and then kissed the top of her head. "Now…I have a conference call to make, and I don't know when it'll be over, so don't wait up for me alright?" He asked her, and then started walking up the stairs to get to his office. Serenity opened her mouth to say something, but then smiled and nodded. She gave a little wave, and then sat down on the bottom step of the stair.

"By the way Seto…We're having a baby…" She mumbled to herself as she looked down at the marble floor. She placed her chin in her hands and then closed her eyes a bit. She sighed softly and then stood up and started up the stairs herself, going to their room. She walked up and gently pushed the door open and made her way over to the bed. She snatched at her purse which was resting near the bottom and then dug through it for her phone. She quickly hit a speed dial number and pressed it against her ear.

It rang a few times and then a voice answered on the other side. "Hello?" The female voice rang curiously. Serenity took a big breath and closed her eyes softly.

"Hey Mai it's me…Serenity…" She said softly and then started pacing the room a little bit. "Uh Mai...Look…I got to tell you something…" She continued, and twirled a lock of her hair in her free hand. Mai was silent on the other end, waiting for Serenity to finish. "I'm pregnant." Serenity finally spat out, she had wished Seto would have been the first to know, but she had to tell someone, and he was busy. So Mai was the next option. However she quickly dropped the phone as an ear piercing scream was heard on the other end.

* * *

The news spread quickly around Serenity's group of friends, but past that it was kept secret. After a few days, Kaiba was the only one Serenity knew who wasn't aware of the being inside of her. Even Roland and the help at the mansion knew. As one of the maids had found the tests when cleaning up the bathroom. Serenity had tried several times to tell him, but he always seemed busy with one thing or another. She was sort of getting aggravated. But she had threatened to fire and sue for slander should any of them leak any of the news.

On the third day, a Saturday, Kaiba was home sitting at the desk typing away on his computer quickly. Serenity was pacing outside of the door, with her thumbnail in her mouth. She was looking down at the ground in worry as she paced back and forth. Roland was a few steps away from her watching her try to work up the courage. He was standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest. Serenity glanced at him and then sighed. "Fine fine…" Se muttered lightly and then stopped her pacing outside of the door. She took a deep breath and then slowly placed her hand on the handle and began opening it.

She poked her head inside and looked over at Kaiba. He looked up from his computer at her as he noticed the door opening. He smiled a little bit and then motioned for her to come towards him. "What is it dear?" He asked softly. Serenity sighed a little bit and then approached his desk; however, right as she opened her mouth to speak a buzzing came from Kaiba's cell phone. She closed her mouth as he reached for it and hit the ignore button then gave a nervous smile and waited for her to speak.

Serenity chuckled a little bit and then pushed herself up to sit on the edge of his desk. "Seto…Umm…I have some news for you." She said lightly, her back to him. She held her hands in her lap and sat with a straight back. She slowly shifted a bit so she was partly facing him. "I'm-"She began, but then the phone began buzzing again. She stopped and looked at it a bit angry.

Seto sighed a little and held up a finger to her. He flipped it open and then spoke abruptly. "What is it?" He asked quickly, there was silence for a moment and Kaiba slowly nodded. "Yes I can do that." He answered slowly, and then began to stand and collect his things. Serenity just watched silently, wondering if he even noticed her being there.

As he hung up the phone he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, that was someone from the office. How about you tell me the news after I get back?" He offered and then slipped his laptop and phone into his briefcase. "I'll be back in a few hours." He said, and then softly kissed the top of her head. He then quickly walked out of the office and went to the garage.

As he left, Roland walked in and looked at Serenity for a moment. "I take it he still doesn't know." He said to her softly and Serenity looked back at him with a little frown. She shook her head softly and she then slipped off the desk. She walked out of the office and then gently placed a hand on her stomach.

* * *

"What do you mean you have told Kaiba yet?!" Mai's loud voice said to Serenity in the middle of the baby department of a Super Store. Serenity was holding a package of bottle and suddenly dropped them. She was trying to be subtle about asking how to tell Kaiba, but Mai ha decided to make a larger deal out of her not doing it yet. Mai looked at her angrily and cocked one of her hips to the side and she crossed her arms over her chest.

Serenity slowly bent down and picked up the bottles, gently placing them in the cart. She looked at Mai and sighed a little. "It's not like I haven't tried…" Serenity muttered lightly. She went to grab another package and slowly put it in the cart as well. "But when ever I do something…" She paused and gave a light shrug of her shoulder. "…comes up." She finished lightly and then looked at the cart a little bit, bothered by her failed attempts.

Mai sighed a little bit and then grabbed a blanket, putting it in the cart as well. "Well just be forceful. Sit him down and be blatant about it. But make sure you video tape it…I have to see the reaction of the Great Seto Kaiba when he finds out he's going to be a daddy." Mai chuckled a little and continued getting a few things. "Have you been to the doctor yet?" She asked curiously, and Serenity slowly gave a nod of her head "Good…Do you know if it's a girl or a boy?" She asked curiously.

Serenity quickly shook her head. "I want to be surprised." She said honestly, with a little smile on her face. It was obvious she was happy about having a baby. A small smile was on her face as she talked about the mystery of it. But Mai didn't like the approach, though didn't voice her opinion, and simply rolled her eyes.

Serenity giggled a little and then turned to push the cart out of the baby section, as they had gotten enough things for now. As she started leaving she nearly collided with someone's cart and jumped a little bit. She looked at who owned it and then smiled pleasantly. "Yami. What're you doing here?" She asked curiously, and Mai walked up to give him a greeting.

Yami waved to them both and then motioned to his cart. "Shopping quite obviously." He said with a smile and then looked at the contents of their cart. "And I can see you're getting prepared." He said gently and then smiled at Serenity, who nodded quickly. He chuckled a little bit and then continued. "Well that's good…" He said softly and then paused, but looked like he was going to continue. "I have some news for you…but why don't we get some where more comfortable." He offered and then started walking towards the front of the store to the check out line.

Mai and Serenity followed, but Mai placed a hand on Serenity's shoulder. "I'd love to join you two, but I have to get home to make some dinner for Joey…I'm sure you're both aware how disastrous it would be if he couldn't stuff his face every free second of the day." She joked lightly and then gave them both a hug. "Congratulations Serenity. I'll talk to you later. See ya Yami." She said, and then started out of the store.

Serenity and Yami both waved to her and then Serenity went through the check out, quickly swiping a credit card to pay for it all. She took her single bag, and then waited for Yami. He didn't take much longer and then stood beside her. "Let's go to the café." He offered, and they made their way to the one that was in the store. Neither of them got anything but sat at a table, putting their bags at their feet.

"So what is it?" Serenity asked curiously raising one of her eyebrows. She leaned back against the chair comfortably and crossed one of her legs over the other. Yami sighed a little bit and then held his hands together on the top of the table, leaning over a little bit.

"I hate to say it, but I think I'm going to be the bearer of bad news…I found out who the spirit was I told you about earlier…" He said slowly, looking over at her seriously. Serenity nodded a little bit, nervous, but waited quietly to let him finished. "His name is Aknadin. A character from my, as well as Kaiba's far past. He seemed to be targeting the both of you from the other side." He said slowly, and then let Serenity ask what she wanted, or react in what ever which way.

Serenity was silent for a moment, breathing slowly. She didn't like the idea of someone trying to torment her and her husband, earlier she believed she'd be able to handle it, but with the baby on the way…She slowly looked away from Yami, and to the table top. "So…how do we stop him?" She asked softly, looking back up at him and tilting her head onto the side a little bit.

Yami shook his head a bit and sighed. "Not sure how we could when he isn't in the realm. As far as I can see, he's been controlling others to get his actions done." He said softly and then shook his head a little. "Just take care of yourself for now. I've been trying to get a hold of Marik and Ishizu, I'm sure they'll be able to help more then me." He said to her, and then stood. He gently placed a hand on Serenity's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Stay safe…I'm sure of what his intentions are…and they aren't just to tamper with you…He wants your life. Yours more then Kaiba's." He said and then grabbed his bags.

Serenity looked up at him and then gave a little nod of her head. She grabbed her bag and then stood up slowly. She gently gave him a hug. "I will. Thank you for the help." She said, and then took a step back. He nodded, and then gave a little wave, and started out of the store. Serenity sighed softly; she started out of the store and walked to her car. She slipped into the driver's seat and then put her bag in the passenger side. She closed the door with a soft thud and then leaned her forehead against the steering wheel.

"Why me…"

* * *

Kaiba pulled up to a small house in a quaint neighborhood. He stuck out like a sore thumb, but there wasn't much he could do about that. He parked his car in the drive way and then got out and locked the car. He walked to the front porch and then let himself into the house. "Kiara!" He said loudly, and then heard some rummaging in the back. He gently placed his briefcase on the ground by the door and closed it behind him. He then started for the back as he took his trench coat off.

He tossed it on a hanger and then went to the source of the noise. He knew the small house very well. At the back of the house was Kiara's room. He gently pushed the door open and then smirked widely. Kiara stood in front of him in…scanty clothing. She wore a black bra and panty combo; both were made of lace, and hugged her body tightly, accenting some of her best features.

Slowly she approached Kaiba and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kaiba slowly put his hands on her hips and gave her a kiss. Kiara didn't wait long, and started lifting his shirt off over his head. As she did, Kaiba picked her up and then walked over to the bed. He laid her down, and then slowly crawled on top of her. He straddled her softly, and bent his head down, softly kissing the space between her breasts.

Kiara bent her legs up, on either side of Kaiba, and bent her head back as his hands began running over her body. They softly took a hold of her panties, and bean tugging them down off of her body. As they reached her ankles he began toying with her clit. Kiara gave a light moan and arched her back just slowly. "Seto…." She said softly, her voice quiet and filled with pleasure.

Kaiba lay next to Kiara softly. His arm was draped around her middle, and she was cuddled up against him. She softly looked up at him and smiled a bit. "I enjoy these escapades of ours." She said softly, and Kaiba smiled a little and nodded in agreement. "Does your wife suspect anything?" She asked gently.

Kaiba tensed a little as Serenity came up. He always felt guilty when doing this with Kiara, but he hasn't found himself able to stop. He slowly shook his head and closed his eyes. "She doesn't know anything." He said to Kiara softly. _I'm too good at keeping secrets…_ He thought to himself mournfully.

It was silent for a moment and then Kiara gently placed one of her hands on her chest. "So when are you going to leave her?" She asked softly. Kaiba tensed and his eyes snapped open and he looked at Kiara in near shock. But she just gazed up at him innocently, like what she had suggested was obvious. "Well?" She asked slowly.


	7. Chapter 7

_It was silent for a moment and then Kiara gently placed one of her hands on her chest. "So when are you going to leave her?" She asked softly. Kaiba tensed and his eyes snapped open and he looked at Kiara in near shock. But she just gazed up at him innocently, like what she had suggested was obvious. "Well?" She asked slowly.

* * *

  
_

Kaiba's shocked face turned into an intense frown. Kiara started looking a little more worried then she had when she originally suggested it. She bit her bottom lip, and then just turned her gaze away from his icy blue eyes and to his chest instead. "I'm…I'm sorry Seto, I just figured since we both enjoy each other's company so much…" She began stammering, torn between afraid and hurt. She had hoped Kaiba would choose her instead of Serenity.

Kaiba scoffed a little bit and then unhooked his arm from her body and started getting out of the bed. He quickly began getting dressed again, and aggressively turned to look at Kiara. "I love my wife." He said coldly, and went to grab his shirt. "I'm not going to leave her for you." He finished and then slipped it over his head.

But Kiara slipped out of the bed too, and wrapped the sheet around her. "You don't love her. Or else you wouldn't have been sleeping with me so much." She pointed out, and walked around to the other side of the bed to get close to him again. She poked his chest once or twice as she continued. "You don't love her." She finished sternly, and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. Kaiba swiftly grabbed her wrist and held it tightly, bending it back and forcing her back away from him.

He looked down at her coldly, his eyes turning to slits. His crystalline blue eyes started turning to ice as his fury towards her increased. He pushed her back against the bed and Kiara fell down on it. She looked up at him a little afraid, and then Kaiba stalked out of the room. But before he left he spun around and pointed at her. "Never come around me or my wife again…" He muttered angrily, and then slammed the door, leaving her inside of it. He grabbed his trench coat and briefcase and then walked out of the house to his car.

He unlocked it with a beep of his keys and then leaned back against his leather interior. He closed his eyes lightly and then rubbed his hands over them, and down his face. He lowered the visor, and flipped open the mirror. He looked at himself with a frown, and then slowly averted his eyes. "How could Serenity love someone like me…?" He muttered to himself, ashamed.

He flipped up the visor with a grunt and then stuck the keys into the ignition. He didn't start the car yet though. He glanced at the door. Not in a want to go back in, but in hatred. "What have I been doing…?" He asked himself again, and then hit the steering wheel in anger. "ARGH!" He shouted and hit it again. He started the car quickly. He jerked it into reverse and then looked in the rear view mirror to make sure he was all clear. Once he was sure he was he quickly pulled out of the drive way and started to go away from the house by putting it in drive, but Kiara's figure was in front of him.

And though he was tempted to, he couldn't run over her, so he stopped, and glared daggers at her from inside his car. Kiara quickly walked over to the driver's side and opened the door. "Kaiba!" She yelled and placed her hands on her hips. She was dressed now, but not nicely. She had thrown on a pair of sweat pants, and a jacket, zipped up just over her chest. Kaiba didn't turn his attention as she moved over to the door though. He just kept looking forward, silently.

She grabbed onto his shoulder and then her other hand onto his chin, forcing him to look over at her. "If you leave I'm not letting you come back…" She muttered to him, her voice sexual. Kaiba smirked a little bit, and then raised his hand to smack her over the cheek. Kiara gasped a little bit and took a step back. He strapped his belt over his chest and then glanced at her once more. "And by the way…You're fired…" He said to her, then closed the door and sped off.

Kiara watched him go with a glare of her own. She crossed her arms over her chest, and then gave her head a flip to get her hair out of her face. She huffed a little bit, and a dark glaze came over her eyes once more. She then stalked back to her house and tried opening the door, but as she tried jerking it open, it moved no where. She looked a little confused and tried again, but nothing happened. She turned the handle around a little bit and then realized she had locked herself out. She closed her eyes and sighed a little bit, leaning back against the door.

As she opened them up again she blinked a few times, the dark glaze gone. She looked around at where she was and then down at what she was wearing. She ran her hands over her jacket and sweat pants, and then tried the door. But it was of course still locked. She cocked one of her hips to the side, twirling one of her locks of hair with one of her fingers. "What happened…?" She whispered to herself a little confused. She stood up on her tiptoes and reached up over the top of the door for the spare key. "How did I get out here…?" She continued to herself, and then lowered, key in hand, and let herself into the house.

* * *

Kaiba didn't go straight home. He had to come up with a way to prove himself to Serenity. Even if he didn't tell her, which was what he was planning to do, but for himself, he had to show her how much he cared. So he made his way over to the same jewelry store he bought her ring from. It took him a while to get there, as it was on the other side of the town. He was just below the point of speeding, wanting to get there as soon as possible. His eyes darted around him, making sure he wasn't going to get into an accident, because that would cause way more problems then what he wanted to deal with.

He began slowing down as he saw the jewelry store come into sight. He slowly pulled off the main road, and onto the parking lot, swiftly jerking the wheel so he'll stop in a spot. He put the car in park then grabbed his briefcase. He got out of the car, locked it, and then started inside the store. It was bright, diamonds and such reflecting off the lights from above, but it was something he was used to, and what he expected. The attendant behind the counter smiled brightly, remembering him from when he had bought Serenity's engagement ring.

"Ah Mr. Kaiba! Welcome back." He said pleasantly, and walked out from behind the counter with his arms held wide open. "What is it you need?" He asked curiously, and held out a hand to shake Kaiba's hand, but Kaiba didn't take it. He just brushed past the man and continued deeper into the store.

"Something for my wife…something elegant. Expensive…" He mumbled off and then turned back to look at the attendant. The attendant was silent for a moment, his hands lowering back down to his side. He nodded a little bit, thinking, and then walked around to behind the counter again. He paused for a moment, and tapped on the glass a little bit. There was a light thumping noise and Kaiba waited, rather impatiently. He crossed his arms over his chest and slowly approached the counter.

"Alright Mr. Kaiba…" The sales clerk began reaching down under the counter at a display. It was an entire set. All attached to a neck and bottom half of a face. He gently placed it on the top of the counter, and closed and locked the back of the display. "This is a nice piece…has earrings, necklace and a bracelet as part of it." He explained, and Kaiba looked at it a bit. He shrugged, as it didn't really catch him as something Serenity would enjoy. It was pretty, but rather plain in his opinion. With simple studded diamonds.

Kaiba shook his head, and batted his hand at it, to motion for him to take it away. The salesclerk nodded a bit, and started returning it and looking for another piece. But Kaiba did the same as well. He started browsing through the store and looking through the displays. He shifted his hold on his briefcase and then stopped at a certain display. It was a three-piece set, like he had wanted to her in the first place. But it wasn't nearly as plain as the first one he had been show. There was white, with red accents on the bracelet and necklace. And the earrings had a red center stone, with a circle of white ones surrounding it. And knowing red was Serenity's favorite color he motioned for the clerk to come over to where he was.

The man looked up at the waving of the hand, and swiftly walked over. Kaiba pointed to it and nodded a bit, telling him to take it out. The clerk quickly took it out, and showed the display to Kaiba. The CEO slowly reached his hand out and took a hold of the necklace. He raised it up closer to his face so she could see it, and an actual smile came onto his features. "I want this one." He said quickly, putting the necklace back down. The clerk smiled and nodded, getting a gift box to put them all in.

"I'm sure she'll love it Mr. Kaiba." He said to him and then snapped it shut. He then walked over to the Cash Register. He placed the box on the counter and then looked over at Kaiba, patiently. Kaiba was opening his briefcase, and took out his wallet. From that he withdrew his credit card, and handed it to the clerk. The man nodded a bit, and then hit a few buttons on the computer. "Alright Mr. Kaiba…it'll be 5,000." He explained, looking for a nod of approval before swiping the card into the machine.

Then he motioned to a screen and a pen, and Kaiba quickly took it and gave his signature. He then dropped the pen without much care for it, and took back his credit card. He put it back into his wallet meticulously, and then put it in his briefcase, and did the same with the box of jewels he had for Serenity. He then shut the case with a thud, and turned to walk out of the store without any other motion to the clerk again.

He left the store and slipped into his car, unlocking it with the automatic key. He placed his briefcase on the passenger seat, and shut his door with a thud. In no more then a minute he was back onto the street, and on his way back to the mansion. He pulled into the first bit of the drive that wasn't closed in by the gate, and pressed a button, waiting for it to open. "She's going to love it…" He whispered to himself softly and leaned back against his leather seat waiting for the gate to finish opening.

* * *

Serenity hummed lightly as she ran a brush through her hair. Her bottom lip was caught between her two rows of white teeth, and she gazed at herself in the mirror nervously. "I have to tell him today…" She whispered to herself, brushing off her white shirt. She was dressed nicely, wanting to not look like a grunge when she came out and told Kaiba they were going to be having a child. She took a deep breath, and then rubbed her lips together one last time.

She ran her hands underneath the running faucet once more, and then dried her hands off gently. She slipped out of the bathroom, to be confronted by her and Kaiba's bedroom. She slowly walked over to the bed, and spun a bit. She fell over, purposefully, and landed on her back on the bed. She looked up at the canopy that was draped over it. She closed her hazel colors eyes for a moment, and placed her hands on her stomach. She wore classy jeans, and a pair of heals. It looked like she was about to go on a business lunch. But that was how she felt she needed to confront her husband on the matter.

She slowly lifted herself up and then walked towards the door that led out of the room. She slipped out of it, and started down the stairs to the main entry hall. Her hands swung gently beside her, and she landed on the bottom floor. She then slipped into the security room and cleared her throat to get Roland's attention. The suited man turned around in his chair, and switched his attention from the monitors, to her. A light smirk then hit his features, and he chuckled a little bit. "Telling him are you Miss Kaiba?" He asked, with a slight pause, and then added with a raised eyebrow. "Finally?" He finished, and Serenity gave a nervous smile.

She nodded a little and then looked down at herself. "How do I look?" She asked lightly, looking back to the security chief with a nervous smile. Roland chuckled a little and stood. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and nodded.

"You look fantastic. If he isn't thrilled by the news then I think all the rumors are two." He said with a chuckle, and letting his arms fall to his side.

Serenity lightly tipped her head onto the side a bit confused. "Which rumors?" She asked.

"The ones saying beneath his human like skin is really a robot bent on world domination, for he has no heart." Roland explain, and then plopped himself back onto his seat. Serenity gave a little giggle, and shook her head lightly. She waved at him a little and then walked out of the room, and into the main hall. She was crossing it, on her way to the kitchen when she heard the door bell ring. She looked a little confused, unsure of whom it could be.

She slowly walked over to the door and tugged it open, a small gasp coming from her lips as she saw the raven haired man on the other side. "Mokuba?" She said slowly, looking even more confused. She opened her mouth to say something, but slowly closed it, as she was unable to muster up the words. She blinked a few times, and then shook her head a bit, her auburn locks quickly shaking about. She slowly took a step back, motioning for him to come into the house.

Mokuba nodded to her a bit, his eyes downcast. He slowly muttered a thank you, and then slumped into the house. Serenity slowly closed the door behind him, and looked at his back as he continued walking deeper into the house. "Mokuba?" She asked again, hoping for a response this time. Mokuba stopped walking and turned back towards Serenity. The girl looked at him with Pity. As it seemed like he was at his breaking point. He slowly walked back towards her, stopping about a foot away.

"Serenity…" He began slowly, and then looked into her eyes. "I…don't know what happened…But I thought I'd be safe here…" He said softly, fear in his shaking voice. "You're…You're not going to make me leave are you?" He asked her softly, and then looked back down at the ground.

Serenity was silent for a moment, and then nodded a little. "Of course you can stay…" She said to him, and then gently wrapped her arms around him. "For as long as you need." She said surely, and gave a kind nod of her head.

Mokuba smiled a bit, and quickly wrapped his arms around her as well. "Thank you Serenity!" He said loudly, and it seemed like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Serenity broke the embrace after a moment, and then took a step back. She then began catching him up on everything he's missed while being away in America.

* * *

Kaiba parked the car and then grabbed his briefcase and got out of the car. He walked towards the front door and then slowly opened it. He looked around, frowning when he saw it empty, but he heard voices coming from the living room. He smiled a bit, figuring it was Serenity on the phone with one of her friends. So he made his way over to it. He slowly opened the door and then looked inside. His eyes tightened at the edges when he saw who Serenity was talking to though.

He burst into the room and cleared his throat. Serenity and Mokuba quickly stopped talking and looked over at Kaiba. Serenity stood slowly, and held her hands behind her back. "Seto…I know you didn't want him here…but he needs help." She said lightly. Kaiba didn't say anything though. His gaze set deadly on Mokuba. The younger of the brother slowly stood up and scratched the back of his neck.

"Look…Seto…Serenity said you-"He started, but Kaiba quickly cut him off.

"You betrayed me! You're not welcome in this house you traitorous rodent." Kaiba said angrily, dropping his briefcase, and started to approach Mokuba. But Serenity quickly stood between the two and placed her hands on Kaiba chest. She gave him an intense look, and then glanced back at Mokuba.

"Why don't we all relax?" She asked lightly, but Kaiba gently pushed her towards the couch. She fell on it, sitting on the remote and turning the TV on. Immediately all their attention turned onto what was on the screen, and Kaiba's face paled. He quickly went to get the remote from beneath Serenity before they both realized what it was talking about.

Serenity slowly stood and watched. "What is that girl saying?" She asked, as her eyes scrolled over the words rolling along the bottom of the screen. _**Woman claims to have had a long term affair with CEO Seto Kaiba.**_ Serenity looked a little confused, and then the TV turned off. But she quickly spun around and jerked the remote from Kaiba's hands. She turned it back on, and continued listening. Kaiba cringed, and turned his head away a bit, immediately forgetting his anger at Mokuba.

The young Kaiba looked between the two, and slowly to the screen. He didn't really know what to say. He slowly ran his hands through his hair, and kept his mouth shut. He kept his gaze on Kaiba, a little frown coming onto his lips. Serenity just kept gazing at the TV, listening to what Kiara had to say. As the story changed she slowly turned it off and took a deep breath. She looked over to Kaiba, and remained silent for a minute. "Seto." She said, surprisingly calm.

Kaiba didn't look at her for a moment, and then took a deep breath, and turned. He matched her gaze, standing tall, trying to come off as strong. Even though on the inside her felt himself quivering. He felt his heart being torn with guilt and fear. "Is it true?" She asked lightly, and the question rang in Kaiba's ears. He still didn't say anything to her. But held her gaze, and then Serenity slowly looked down at the ground. "Your eyes say enough…" She whispered. She remained standing where she was, and then suddenly bounded out of the room, leaving the two there in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

_Kaiba didn't look at her for a moment, and then took a deep breath, and turned. He matched her gaze, standing tall, trying to come off as strong. Even though on the inside her felt himself quivering. He felt his heart being torn with guilt and fear. "Is it true?" She asked lightly, and the question rang in Kaiba's ears. He still didn't say anything to her. But held her gaze, and then Serenity slowly looked down at the ground. "Your eyes say enough…" She whispered. She remained standing where she was, and then suddenly bounded out of the room, leaving the two there in silence.

* * *

  
_

Serenity roughly tossed three shirts into a suitcase that was resting on the bed, and then went back into the closet for more. She threw open a drawer and pulled out some jeans. She then walked back to the suitcase and threw them in as well. She walked to her nightstand, grabbed a few books, and then added them to the messy pile in the bag. She quickly ran her hand through her hair and gave another grunt. She paused in her packing for a moment and just looked down at the bag. She breathed slowly, and then yelled a bit. "How could I be so stupid?" She shouted to herself, and then shut the lid down with a heavy jerk.

She sat on the bed, and then laid back on it, with her legs dangling off. She covered her eyes with her hands and was surprised to see that she did want to cry. She was more infuriated rather then upset. She paused a little, and took three slow breaths. She lowered her hands from her eyes and then sat up. She remained sitting on the bed though, and glanced over to where she and Kaiba slept. Suddenly a deep frown came onto her features and she crawled over to his pillow. She then picked it up and began punching it. With a few more grunts she threw it across the room and onto the other side. It hit the wall, and then fell to the ground.

Serenity didn't bother to go pick it up. She just slipped off the bed and then went back into the closet, grabbing a few more articles of clothing before finally walking over to her back, stuffing them in, and zipping it shut. She gave one last sigh, and then just leaned against the bed, with her back to the door. Her mind was rather blank, as was her face. And she just gave a heavy breath. Slowly turning. That's when her eyes caught a glint off of her wedding ring. She slow looked down at it, and gave a slight shake of her head. She suddenly ripped the ring off her finger, and threw it across the room.

She watched where it landed, initially drawn to go pick it up, but resisted the urge because of her anger. She looked down at her bare finger; a strip of white skin was shown where her wedding ring used to be. A tan line, marking, just as permanently, the bond she shared with Kaiba. "But that's over now…" She whispered softly to herself, and closed her eyes, turning her head away from her hand a little bit. She bit her bottom lip and then sat back on the bed once more. She looked over at the suitcase, and then gave a little nod. "Time to go…" She continued to herself, and then reached into her back pocket to reveal a cell phone.

She flipped it open and quickly pressed one of her speed-dials, and then pressed send. Joey's name popped up on the screen. The phone continued ringing for a few moments, and then there was the sound of picking up on the other end. A slight paused, and then a cleared throat. "Hello?" Joey's familiar voice rang into Serenity's ears.

The woman opened her mouth to talk, trying to get some sort of words out, though her throat suddenly her throat felt constricted, and she couldn't get any words out. She closed her eyes for a second, and heard Joey ask again. She swallowed thickly, and then nodded, though he couldn't see her. "Joey it's me." She said quickly, surprised at how she was getting choked up. She was trying to cover it up, and not let him know, but Joey noticed the strain in her voice.

"Serenity…?" He asked, concerned.

"I need you to come get me." She answered him quickly; keeping her eyes shut tightly, preventing the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She held the phone tightly in her hand, and her heart was still pounding.

"Come get you? Where are you?" He asked, obviously not understanding what she was talking about.

Serenity gave a sigh, and lightly shook her head. "I'm at home…please just…come get me…" She whispered, fighting to hold back more tears. She bit her bottom lip, and then whispered a thank you when Joey said he'd be right over. She closed the phone with a snap, and then slowly, very slowly, slipped it back into her pocket. She covered her mouth with her hand, and then sat back on the bed once more, leaning against the bedpost for support. She took deep breaths, her eyes red and poofy as she continued struggling to hold back the tears that wanted to scream of her pain.

She suddenly jumped and looked over at the door when she heard a quick knock. The door jiggled slightly, indicating someone was trying to get in, but once they realized it was locked they went back to knocking. Suddenly Kaiba's voice ran through the door, though it seemed a bit soft, and desperate. "Serenity…" He began, though it took a moment for him to continue. "…you…you have to…" He continued, but never got to finishing that sentence.

On the other side of the door Kaiba was leaning back against the oak. His head tilted back against it as well and slightly up towards the high ceiling. His eyes were closed though, and his face looked frightened. Next to him stood Mokuba, who was simply watching the entire scene, not saying a word, not thinking he had a place to speak up and offer his own advice for what Kaiba should say.

"Please let me in." Kaiba tried speaking to her, placing his hand on the door, as if trying to send some sort of mental push to get her to do what he wanted. Though as minutes past, and the other side of the door remained silent, and the door stayed unlocked, Kaiba figured she wasn't going to do it. He slowly shook his head, and closed his eyes again, running one of his hands through his hair, trying to think of what else to do.

"Serenity I can't lose you…please…let me in…so we can talk…" He started out strong, but as he continued talking his voice began trailing off into a whisper. Mokuba looked up at him slowly, but then quickly to the door when they both heard Serenity yell from inside.

"There's nothing to talk about! You cheated on me! Repetitively with the same woman! I'm nearly positive you didn't lose me, more like abandoned me!" She screamed, and then it seemed she threw something heavy at the door. The two brothers jumped a little at the loud thump that emanated as it connected with the wood, and Kaiba heaved a light sigh, and turned his head down to the ground, slipping his hands into his pockets.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Mokuba stopped him by grabbing onto his arms quickly. He shook his head, and then whispered. "Tell her you're sorry…" He said softly, and then lowered his hand, but not before Kaiba could shove him away a bit, and spoke to him with venom in his voice.

"Don't you _dare_ give me advice you traitor." He said glared down at his little brother, who just looked shocked, and widened his eyes a bit, though didn't exactly back down.

"Seto…What are you talking about? I wouldn't ever betray you…" Mokuba claimed, his eyes shinning forth truths that he spoke, but Kaiba blatantly ignored him, and turned back to the door. He ignored the advice his younger brother gave him, and simply continued pleading with Serenity to let him into the room. Which she of course ignored.

A near hour had past, and nothing had changed. Kaiba and Mokuba stood outside of Serenity's door, though now Mokuba stayed quiet, trying to think of what Kaiba had referred to when he said he had betrayed him. And Kaiba kept pounding away at the door, pleading with Serenity to let him inside. Though she stayed on the bed, occasionally glancing over at the ring she had pr3viously tossed onto the ground, still tempted to go pick it up, but her resolve was too strong to give into the urge. Just like how she ignored Kaiba's constant pleadings. Which nearly everyone in the world would be surprised to find Kaiba doing so.

Soon enough the door bell rang and both of the brother's attention turned towards the stairs that would lead down to the entry hall with the main door. "Who could that be…?" Kaiba muttered, a bit annoyed that he'd have to be torn away from his pleadings with Serenity. He sighed a little and turned away from the door, and slowly walked down the stairs, rolling his eyes as he heard the door bell go off again. "I'm coming!" He yelled loudly, annoyance written on his voice.

Mokuba followed after Kaiba, curious of who was at the door. But as he started down the stairs he cast a glance back over at his shoulder, giving a light sigh as the door to Kaiba and Serenity's room faded from view. He then looked forward, and quickly walked down the several flights of stairs to reach the main floor, by that time, Kaiba was already had his hand on the door knob and was opening it.

As the door stood open before all of them Kaiba looked a little confused, then his anger returned. "What do you want Wheeler?" He asked with venom in his voice, not wanting Serenity's brother to hang around when they were going through such personal matters.

Joey shrugged a bit and pushed himself into the mansion, glancing around the entry way, and looked back at Kaiba, speaking quietly. "Dunno…Serenity called…she sounded upset." Joey said, raising a near knowing eyebrow at Kaiba, and then started for the stairs. But Kaiba put his hand on Joey's shoulder, stopping him from going any further. Joey frowned a bit, and then spun around and looked up at Kaiba, as the CEO was a few inches taller. "What Kaiba?" Joey demanded, shrugging Kaiba's hand off of his shoulder.

Kaiba let it drop to his side, and then crossed his arms over his chest. He huffed a little and then quickly crossed them over his chest. "Well it was a misunderstanding…she doesn't want you here….so go home." Kaiba said coldly, and Mokuba opened his mouth, knowing it was a lie, but then realized he couldn't make his brother's situation worse, so slowly shut it.

Joey glared at him a little bit though, and shook his head. "She'd tell me herself if that were true Kaiba…I know my baby sister…something was wrong…and she asked me to come pick her up." He said tilting his head, seeing what retort Kaiba would have to that.

Though it just seemed that Kaiba had nothing to say. The man's eyes had widened lightly, and his face had paled even as well. His arms slowly fell to his side, and his lips stayed slightly parted. He shuttered a bit, and then looked down. And his silence made Joey curious. The blond crossed his arms over his chest and took a step closer to Kaiba. "So want to tell me what happened now? Kaiba?" He asked, his voice showing that he was beginning to get angry.

Kaiba still didn't answer, but his rage was beginning to build as well, and he just glared down at Joey. Slowly he spoke, trying to keep his voice cool. "That is between me and Serenity…" He muttered angrily, shaking a bit.

Joey's eyes tightened at the sides a bit and he frowned. He growled a bit and then grabbed the front of Kaiba's shirt. "That's my baby sister up there! Don't tell me this doesn't involve me!" He screamed up in Kaiba's face, and then shoved him back a foot or two. He then let his hands drop to his side, and he began panting a bit, obviously enraged. Mokuba, who had been staying quiet the entire time, just looked a little shocked that Joey had behaved so violently. He took a step back, afraid he'd get caught up in the fight.

Kaiba quickly corrected himself from him stumbling, and stood up from the shove, and kept his back straight. He looked down at Joey, his eyes blazing with anger. He then closed the space between the two and took a hold of Joey's neck. He growled a little bit himself and began chocking Joey. The blond reached up and started tugging at Kaiba's wrists trying to get them off of his neck, as he struggled to breathe.

But what stopped the two was a scream coming from the stairs.

Kaiba quickly let go of Joey, who reached his hands to his neck and rubbed it softly, still panting for breath. They both turned and saw Serenity, bag in hand, standing near the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes wide, frightened, much like Mokuba was. She looked at Joey, concerned that he wasn't ok, and then her features turned cold and she turned to Kaiba. "How dare you?!" She screamed at him, dropping her bag, and approaching the man, a good foot taller then she was.

She then reached her hand back and gave him a firm smack across the face. And Kaiba just stood there and took it. He slowly looked down as Serenity walked to give Joey a hug, and examine his neck. After she had assured herself Joey was alright she cast another glare at Kaiba. "Let's go…" She muttered lightly, and took Joey's hand, and then went to get her bag. Joey took it from her though, and began carrying it outside to the car.

Serenity paused at the door though, and took a deep breath. She slowly turned around, looking back at Kaiba and Mokuba once more. Kaiba took a step towards her, trying to say something. But then Serenity shook her head and stopped him. She took the door in her hand, and gently closed it behind her as she left the mansion and walked over to Joey's car, which he had just closed the trunk of and started to the driver's side of the car.

Serenity slipped into the passenger side door, and closed it with a light thud, strapping the seat belt over her softly. Joey looked over at her, silently for a moment, wondering if she was going to explain anything yet, but as Serenity just looked out her window, he sighed, and started the car, and drove out of the drive way. Serenity, unable to bare leaving the mansion, her home, closed her eyes, not wanting to watch it, and a silent tear fell down her cheek, and that was all it took. And then she openly cried. She covered her eyes with her hands and bent her head down towards her lap, openly crying in front of her brother, and for the first time since finding out.

* * *

Kaiba watched as the door closed, and then slowly turned his head down to the ground of the entry hall. Mokuba slowly walked towards him, trying to think of what to tell him. He cleared his throat a bit, and then slowly reached his hand up and touched Kaiba's shoulder, the elder brother quickly jumped and looked at Mokuba, but then relaxed a bit when he saw who it was. "Mokuba…" He said softly, and then slowly began walking away.

Mokuba watched him leave for a little bit. "She wasn't lying." He stated, making Kaiba stop walking away and heave a heavy sigh, but he didn't say anything, or turn around. "She wasn't lying…" He repeated, this time quieter. "Was she…?" Mokuba finished, this time looking for an answer. He watched Kaiba, and then felt his heart sink when he watched his brother slowly shake his head from one side to another, and then continue walking away. Mokuba just looked down at the ground, and closed his eyes. "Sorry Serenity…" He whispered, so silently that Kaiba wouldn't be able to hear.

* * *

Again, sorry this chapter is a bit shorter then others, though I hope it appeased you and your wants. ^.^ I'm intending to have this finished by Christmas Day/Eve, and have about 6-7 chapters left to go...so I have a lot of work ahead of me, and shan't procrastinate any longer. ^.^


	9. Chapter 9

Yeah ok soooo….the whole Christmas day/eve thing….didn't really work out. My family required much more time then I thought they would….so I'm sorry. Especially to you ShizukaxSeto. . I really enjoy writing this story, especially when I know you all enjoy reading it so much. I'm sorry I let you down.

* * *

_Mokuba watched him leave for a little bit. "She wasn't lying." He stated, making Kaiba stop walking away and heave a heavy sigh, but he didn't say anything, or turn around. "She wasn't lying…" He repeated, this time quieter. "Was she…?" Mokuba finished, this time looking for an answer. He watched Kaiba, and then felt his heart sink when he watched his brother slowly shake his head from one side to another, and then continue walking away. Mokuba just looked down at the ground, and closed his eyes. "Sorry Serenity…" He whispered, so silently that Kaiba wouldn't be able to hear.

* * *

  
_

"Oof!" The now 5 month pregnant woman said as she attempted to stand from the couch she had been resting on. Though as she had tried, she had only managed to fall back down onto her rear. She huffed a bit, and placed her hands on either side of her, pushing herself back up, steadying herself a bit before starting to walk towards the kitchen. She had a fair plump on her belly, though for five months, it was a bit larger then normal. Though she had refused to get an ultrasound and find out what was going on in side of her.

She was wearing a light pink maternity shirt, which clearly showed her rounded belly, and a pair of loose sweat pants. Overall she looked comfortable, if not at wits end due to her pregnancy. She ran one of her hands through her long Auburn hair, and then placed her hand on the counter that wrapped around the kitchen, separating it from the living room, where the sound of the TV she was watching still resounded in the small living space of the Wheeler home.

She walked around the counter into the kitchen, and then grabbed a banana, and began slicing it on a plate. She then prepared herself a peanut butter sandwich, and placed the peanut butter on the sandwich. Finally, she drained a bit of honey all over it, and then put the two halves together, and waddled back into the living room, where she plopped herself down onto the couch, and began munching down on the sandwich she had made herself. She tried crossing one of her legs over the other, though she hadn't been able to do so and just crossed her legs Indian-Style as se sat on the couch, flipping through the channels with her free hand.

Suddenly Serenity heard the door open and she slowly turned around, seeing Mai walk into the living room, shutting the door behind her with a thrust. The woman ran one of her hands through her hair, looking frazzled. "I hate working." She muttered with a heavy female voice. She then smiled brightly at Serenity and wrapped her into her arms. "How're you doing honey?" She asked kindly, and then started into the kitchen herself.

Serenity giggled a little, hugging the woman back. "I'm fine Mai." She said, and then lightly patted her enlarged belly. "This has been giving me hell…" She muttered lightly, and then took another bite of her sandwich. She finished in a few more, and then stood once more, to wash her plate in the sink, smiling at Mai. "How was work?" She asked curiously, raising her Auburn eyebrow.

Mai just rolled her eyes, tugging open the fridge with a large jerk. She then raised both of her hands in front of her and throttled the air. Serenity watched as Mai grabbed a jug of milk out from the fridge and began drinking straight from the carton, though that was a regular habit among all the inhabitants of the home, so Serenity had no problem with it. She just smiled sympathetically and then went to go take her seat back onto the couch where she was comfortable. She scooped up the remote again and then began browsing through the channels once more, still displeased by the selections she was confronted with.

If you were to ask her, Serenity would be quick to say that they biggest thing she missed from her old home at Kaiba's mansion would be the satellite connection they had to their TV, allowing her thousands of channels to breeze through, and always able to find something to watch. However at the Wheeler home they had basic cable…and thus, not many choices. Now, her saying she missed the satellite the most was a complete and utter lie, she missed her still husband dearly, though her pride, and the constant badgering of Mai and Joey prevented her from seeking out the CEO and trying to solve the situation in any way.

_They're both just as stubborn as me…_ Serenity thought to herself nonchalantly as Mai sat down next to her and joined her in channel surfing. Though soon enough the lustrous blond was asleep, tired from a hard days work. So Serenity was in solitude once again. Something she had become used to over her life at the mansion. So it didn't bother her the least while here, as both Mai and Joey worked to support the three of them. And help Serenity buy things for the baby coming along. She felt terribly indebted to them, and promised herself one day she'd find a way to pay them back, but with her current situation the thought ever returning the huge favor the two had given her seemed bleak. She just told them thank you constantly, hoping that if they knew she was thankful for what they were doing they'd be more inclined to continue their service to her.

Slowly Serenity stood, angered by the TV, and with just as much as a struggle as the previous time. She slowly walked down the hallway and into the room she spent the most amount of her time. And it wasn't hers. She slipped into the carpeted room, and smiled as she saw the lightly painted lime green walls, yellow curtains, and fishy mobiles that hung from the ceiling over a single crib to the far right side of the room. She looked at the crib a moment, and then down at her belly, slowly raising her hand to caress it lightly. Her free hand closed the door behind her, and she walked over to the crib, and began speaking lightly. "You're going to be sleeping here some day…with Auntie Mai…and Uncle Joey and Mommy…" She said, her voice sounding sad, rather then happy at the thought of her child's birth and life in this world.

She quickly closed her eyes, and held back tears that screamed to fall down her reddening cheeks. "You won't need a Daddy…You'll have all the love in the world right here." She said with a firm nod of her head. She quickly wiped the tears that began falling away, and shook her head quickly, her beautiful auburn hair sprawling out around her as her head jerked each and every way. "I hate him so…" She whispered lightly, as if trying it hide it from someone. "And yet…I know I will never meet someone like him again…" She continued, explaining her dilemma to no one in particular. "Who can top Seto Kaiba…who can beat that?" She asked herself, a light, helpless smile coming onto her gentle pink lips. She slowly shook her head, gently this time, and then placed her hands on the edge of the crib.

She leaned against it, and looked down at the few blankets that rested in there. Joey had painted the room and built the crib. Mai had picked the colors and the clothes. They had both surprised Serenity after she had returned from a weekend visiting her mother. Needless to say Serenity had been over filled with joy, and surprised even, at the love that the couple had for her. "But we've always been close…Since that tournament…" Serenity spoke of the time she and Joey had been truly reunited. Able to spend real time together. After that they had been nearly inseparable. Quickly wanting to get her mind off the tournament, for that was the first time she had met and spoken to her husband, though she'd never had thought she'd marry him at the time; she gently played with the mobile hanging above the crib.

A soft sigh came from her lips and she closed her eyes, the tears having stopped a few moments ago. She gently turned and started walking out of the room, knowing there was still a lot to do there, but also knew that they had three more months to do it. So she wasn't really worried. She opened the door slowly and faced the other side of the hall, a wall with a single picture on it. Of the three of them, soon after Serenity had moved in with them. They were smiling, though it wasn't hard to tell serenity's was fake, and forced. At that time Mai and Joey were doing everything they could to get her mind of Kaiba. Serenity heaved another sigh, and whispered, now trying to be quiet not to wake Mai. "Seto…"

* * *

"So you mean she left before telling him?" The hushed, yet completely intrigued tone of a blond haired woman dressed in a simple black dress that reached about her knees. The sleeves fell down to the middle of her forearm, and it had light accents of white. Her hair was done up in a tight bun, and she had a simple face, and figure. She was leaning over a laundry hamper, and against a washing machine, obviously a maid in the Kaiba household. Her pale face was looking intensely at the woman across the hamper from her, wanting to hear the rest.

The other woman, not noticeably more attractive then the first just slowly shook her head as she shifted the basket aside and began putting taking out the clothes of the dryer, and into the empty hamper. "She just packed her things, and left, without a word to Mr. Kaiba." She said, as if she was above gossiping and the like. She picked up the hamper, and started taking it into an adjacent room, where another girl was waiting to get the clothes and fold them. She dumped out the hamper on a table, and then went back o the washer and dryer room, where the first girl was still waiting.

"So…why did she leave?" The girl asked, now leaning against the top of the dryer, with her elbow on the top of it holding her head up, shirking her work. The second girl sighed a little and then started taking the wet clothes from the washer and putting them into the dryer. She gave a light shrug, and then closed the top of the washer, as for the moment there weren't anymore clothes to wash. She put in a dryer sheet, set the timer, and then closed and started the dryer.

"No one knows. Don't bother even trying to ask Kaiba…" She said, not bothering with his title, as she's been there much longer then the first girl. "He barely even talks to his own brother after she left. He doesn't give any of us the time of day. He rarely even gets out of his room…just works from there…" She trailed off lightly, as if she was concerned. She had been there for a few years, and had grown attached to the entire Kaiba household. She missed Serenity dearly, and was worried about Kaiba becoming a recluse.

She stayed still for a moment and then suddenly shook her head, and walked out of the room and into a door that led into the kitchen. The second girl quickly followed and this time pulled herself up onto the island in the middle of the kitchen, and crossed one of her legs over the other. "So...where did Serenity go?" She asked, turning her head to follow the first girl around the kitchen as she got a plate and heated up some food.

"To her brother's place. She lives there with him, and –" she cut herself off as she looked at the door with wide eyes, and almost began quivering. The first girl spun her head around and then gasped a bit when she saw Seto Kaiba standing in the door. Both of the girls stayed silent, and gazed frighteningly at the man. The air in the room was tense for a moment until Kaiba took a few intimidating steps forward.

The first maid quickly hopped down off of the island, and stood somewhat at attention. "It seems we have to much help…Seeing as you two have enough free time to gossip about my personal life…" He spoke in a chillingly cold voice, void of all emotions except loathing. "You." He said looking at the first and newest maid. "You're fired." He said simply, and motioned his head towards the door, motioning for her to leave.

The young maid slowly looked towards the second, frightened, and unsure of what to do. The older maid averted her eyes, and looked down at the ground. "Did I stutter?!" Kaiba screamed at her angrily, walking towards her and grabbing her by her arm tightly. He dragged her out of the kitchen and into the Entry Hall. He then shoved her towards the front door and pointed to it. "Get out!" He shouted, and then without a thought turned back into the kitchen.

He looked at the second maid, intently, for a long time. And she looked back into his eyes, still afraid, but not wanting to back down. Kaiba sighed a little bit and ran his fingers through his hair. He huffed and gave a light shrug towards her, while closing his eyes, as if he was terribly fatigued. "Get back to word…." He muttered and then spun around and walked out of the kitchen, and went back up the stairs.

The maid panted a little, like she was relieved, and slumped against the back of the counter. She slowly stood up again, and walked back into the laundry room, staying in there so it looked like she was working, and wouldn't anger Kaiba any more then he already was. "We need you back Serenity…" She whispered lightly, looking down at the ground in front of her as she leaned against the dryer.

* * *

Kaiba was working his way upstairs when there was a knock on the door. He rolled his eyes a little, not really in the mood for company, but went back down and started for the front door. Her assumed it was the maid, having come back to plead for her job, but as he opened the door he was surprised to see that Yugi was standing on the other side. He went to slam the door on him, not wanting to see him in the least, but the still small man stuck his foot in the door, preventing Kaiba from kicking him out.

Kaiba glared, and then growled a bit, but let Yugi into the house. "What do _you_ want?" He asked dangerously, like he thought Yugi was there to torture him or something.

The spiky haired man stepped into the house and slowly shook his head. "It's worse then I thought." He spoke, mysteriously, and Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't speak, just waiting for Yugi to explain himself. After a moment of looking around Yugi did just that. "There is a dark spirit out for you Kaiba." Though he didn't intend to stop speaking he was cut off by a huff from the taller man.

"Please Yugi…no spirit is out to get me…that stuff doesn't exist." He claimed, confidently. He started walking away towards the stairs again, but Yugi followed.

"You have to listen to me Kaiba. Your life is in danger." Yugi pleaded, following him up the stairs at a quick pace to stand in front of him. "It's the reason Serenity left you." He said, knowing that would catch his attention. Though it wasn't a very positive one.

Kaiba glared up at him, with a snarl on his lips. "Don't…bring Serenity up….ever again." He said with a quivering voice, and shoved his way past Yugi and continued up the stairs. "Or I will kill you." He said as he walked past him.

Yugi sighed and still kept walking past him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kaiba spun around surprisingly fast, and held his hand out to stop him. "Look Yugi. Serenity left me because I'm an asshole. I always have been, and always will be. You know that. And now she knows that. No evil spirit is the reason she now understands what a terrible person I am. It's just me. Now get out of my house." He said, and continued up the stairs.

With a sigh, Yugi didn't follow. He slowly turned and started down the stairs, and got half way out of the door when he turned and glanced back inside the house. "Leave this family alone…" He muttered, concerned, then turned, walked out, and shut the door behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

ShizukaxSeto, you weren't rushing me. ^^ I just wanted to let you know that I was sorry for shirking my promise. . Don't feel bad or anything. I love your reviews. Hehehe they tell me how much you like my writing. Even if I am a slow updater. XD

* * *

_With a sigh, Yugi didn't follow. He slowly turned and started down the stairs, and got half way out of the door when he turned and glanced back inside the house. "Leave this family alone…" He muttered, concerned, then turned, walked out, and shut the door behind him.

* * *

  
_

"What do you mean you want to go talk things through?" A rather annoyed female voice, belonging to the lustrous blond yelled, placing her hands on her hips, which were cocked to one side. She was about the same height as Serenity, so couldn't really peer over her, but she was giving her an intense look of disapproval. Joey was standing nearby, but was keeping his mouth shut for the moment. But his arms were crossed over his chest, and his face portrayed that he was siding with Mai.

Serenity just gave a light shrug, and looked down at the ground, though it was hard to do, seeing as her belly was so round it blocked her from seeing her feet. "I…miss him…" She whispered, like she was afraid to stand up to the two, and say how she felt. That was because half of her agreed with them, and the other half desperately wanted to see her still husband. "He…he doesn't even know I'm do in a month…" She continued, trying to convey to them that it was at least a bit unfair that Kaiba was still unaware of him impending Father-Dom.

Mai just shook her head quickly, and wagged her finger in front of Serenity's face. "That selfish bastard doesn't deserve to know. Don't forget what he did to you Serenity. Not only once! But for a long, if not undetermined amount of time." She said as she let her arm fall to her side again. "You can't possibly miss him." She said as if she didn't believe what Serenity was saying. Joey stepped forward, a bit closer to the two, and placed his hand on Mai's shoulder to try and relax her.

"Serenity…you know we love you…" He started, and glanced at Mai, who quickly began nodding her head. "But…" He slowly continued. "I can't approve of you going to seek him out and talking about what happened between you two…What he did just proved more that he isn't worthy of human life…or being your husband." He said looking deep into her eyes. He then stepped between her and Mai, and placed his hands on her shoulders, and lightly kissed her forehead. "You don't need him…We'll always be here for you. And I hear Tristan still has a crush on you. Now him you can trust!" He said with a bright smile.

Serenity was silent for a moment, and her gaze just remained on his chest. She was feeling her heart slowly rip out one piece at a time, not because of what they were saying, but because he wouldn't support her in her decision. It was still her life. But still overcome with gratitude for everything they've done for her, she quickly put on a smile, and looked up into his eyes. "Tristan…" She said softly, as if thinking about the idea. "Sounds great." She said, though even if she didn't want to go see Kaiba, she still know it'd only been about 8 months since she left him…it was still very soon.

She nodded a few times, and then gave him a light hug, though it was hard because of her practically bursting belly. But he returned it, and after a moment of the embrace Serenity let go to embrace Mai as well. "I'm going to lie down." She said to the two of them, who gave a nod, and then Serenity walked back to her room, and carefully laid herself on her back. She closed her eyes softly and thought a bit. _A wonder what a baby will do to you…I could never sleep on my back before…now I don't have much of a choice._ She finished lightly with an amused smile on her lips, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

In his room, Mokuba sat at the window. It was night, and in his hand was a lightly shinning object. He was drawing something against it, causing the sound of metal scraping against metal to ring through out the room. His eyes were glazed over, and he simply gazed up at the moon as he continued playing with his toy. After a while, he looked down at it, and gently touched it against his fore finger of his left hand. With the simplest prick his finger began bleeding.

He gave a light chuckle and slowly licked the blood from his finger. He then slipped the knife onto his belt and slowly stood up. He brushed himself off, and then ran his hands through his raven black hair. His body was built, and he was much taller, almost as tall as Kaiba now. He looked at his bed, several trays of uneaten food sat upon it. That was just from today too. He hadn't been hungry for the past week now. And hasn't left his room either. He just had one thought in mind. And tonight was the night he was going to make his idea a reality.

He stepped out of his room, and then started for the stairs that would lead him upstairs.

* * *

Much like his younger brother Kaiba had been staying in his room for days. It'd been months since Yugi came to his house and warn him. And lately he's been feeling more and more threatened…So he stayed in his room hoping that nothing would be able to reach him there.

While residing in his room he let his emotions fester…Every day he could feel himself. Hate becoming stronger and stronger. He kept having dark, disturbing thoughts. About going to find Kiara…and kill her. Though the still sane part of his mind told him it wasn't really her fault, and he was the one stupid enough to let it progress to what it had. Slowly the CEO slapped his laptop shut, so hard that it nearly jumped off of his cherry oak desk.

He stood up from his leather chair and then stripped out of most of his clothes, not bothering to properly put them away, like he probably would have in the past. He just left them on the floor and then got into his bed in his boxers. He lay on his back, and looked up at the ceiling and gave a light sigh.

Slowly, he turned his head to his right, where months ago Serenity had laid. Where they had made love. He slowly turned on his side and ran his hand along her side of the bed. He still had the habit of not moving over to it…in his mind she was still there. And so that wasn't an option. With a sudden snap of his fingers a bedside table lamp burst into action, and illuminated a little picture. His auburn haired beauty was sitting on the beach. Head tilted back to let the sun bake her skin, and feet slightly in the water. Her eyes were closed, but Kaiba didn't need that to close his eyes and imagine them. Her bright hazel eyes were imbedded in his mind.

He gave another snap of his fingers and the light turned off, and he lay on his back. He closed his eyes again, and held that image of Serenity in his mind. And soon, he drifted into a turmoil filled sleep.

Mokuba stood outside a large wooden door, with a dragon etched on it. He slowly pulled the knife out of his belt, and held it up once more, the moonlight making it glint a bit. He gave a low chuckle, and then carefully opened the door. He moved so slowly and silently not a sound was made. He moved along the bedroom floor towards the bed, and went along the right side. Where he saw his brother's sleeping form. His glazed over eyes watched him for a moment, and then he raised the knife, and brought it down towards Kaiba's chest.

Kaiba reached out his arm suddenly, grabbing Mokuba's, and holding back he knife. He gave a light grunt, of surprise, and strain, and pushed his brother back. He got out of the bed quickly and stood, squarely facing Mokuba. The younger recovered himself and then charged Kaiba again, tackling him to the ground. Kaiba held both of Mokuba's arms back, with everything he had, but the younger brother came up with a new plan.

With surprisingly precise aim, Mokuba dropped the dagger on top of Kaiba's chest. The sharp tip of the knife fell into Kaiba's chest, not deep, but enough to make him give a scream in pain, and immediately let go ok Mokuba, who took advantage of the situation. He pulled the knife out of Kaiba's chest, and then dug it deep into him, near his hip. Kaiba gave out another, much louder, scream of agony, and struggled to fight back. Though after a moment he managed to throw a punch at Mokuba hard enough to knock him back.

He pulled the knife out of his body, ignoring the massive amounts of pain he felt whenever he moved and the stinging that was constantly on his side. He tossed the knife away from the two, and then wrapped his hands around Mokuba's neck, and began strangling him. He had to close his eyes to do so…It was still his little brother…but he had to protect himself…

Kaiba didn't get to finish off the younger of the two though. Suddenly, his vision started getting blurry, and he felt himself getting weaker. And as he continued losing blood, he lost consciousness as well. And slowly his hands fell to his side, and his body hit the ground with a light thud…The last thing he remembered seeing was Mokuba's body hitting the ground beside him.

* * *

A soft click, and a low hum, and blue light illuminated the dark living room of the wheeler home. Serenity, not in the best of her moods, sat on the couch, and tried crossing her legs. But her overly plump belly prevented her from doing so. She just leaned back against the couch, and grabbed the remote off the coffee tale in front of her. She shook her head slowly and muttered to herself. "Maybe this will get me some sleep…" She whispered, and then started flipping through the channels.

She leaned her head back against it and then suddenly jerked forward with a gasp as she saw a new station, broadcasting words at the bottom of the screen as the told another story. 'CEO of Kaiba Corp Hospitalized after brutal attack…' It went on, but Serenity had already stood, and hurried towards the door, where she slipped on a pair of shoes, and threw her jacket over her shoulders. She then ran out the door, into the night, and to her car.

It didn't take her long to get to the hospital. She slowly slipped into a parking spot, and the got out, and locked her car. She could see reporters outside the front door of the hospital, and she frowned a little, and gave a little sigh. She ran her hand through her hair, and then slowly started walking towards the door, hoping she wouldn't be recognized, especially with her plump belly.

But as she started making her way to the door reporters turned around and started badgering her and asking her all these questions, but everyone was talking so fast, and loud, that she didn't understand any of them. She held her hand over her face, and still kept pushing her way through, trying to reach the door. She finally broke through the crowd, and made her way into the hospital, and as she stepped through the doors she gave a relaxed sigh, and leaned back against it closing her eyes and relaxing for a moment.

Her eyes then snapped open as she remembered what she had gone there for. She nearly kicked herself off the front door, and walked towards the front desk. She gently placed her hands on the desk and sighed a bit. "Where is Seto Kaiba's room?" She asked softly, but the receptionist didn't look up at her and just shook her head.

"Sorry ma'am. Kaiba's room is off limits to strangers." She said, still not bothering to look up at Serenity. "Too many wanted in to see him." She finished and continued her work, as if Kaiba's condition wasn't an issue at all.

Serenity just frowned, heavily, and glared at her a bit. "Excuse me…" She said, her voice quivering a little bit with anger. "I am his _wife_." She emphasized, though she was still furious with Kaiba and didn't really want the title at the moment, but it was far too handy in the current situation to let it up.

And as soon she had said that the lady looked up, a bit frightened. She quickly nodded her head and motioned to a door on the left. "314." She said and bowed her head a little. "Mrs. Kaiba I'm sorry I didn't-" She said, but Serenity had already started walking away, and through the door.

She was lead to a hallway with no elevator, but stairs at the end. She frowned a bit more. _I hate stairs…_ She thought to herself, but slowly started walking up them, holding onto the railing with one hand, and covering her belly with the other. Her face was down most of the climb up, carefully looking at the steps she was ascending. She got to the second landing and then glanced up to see how much farther she had to go, when she saw a familiar face, but not enough to know who it belonged to. "Who are you…?" She asked, a bad feeling burning in her, warning her.

The girl she was looking at had glazed over eyes, and slowly approached her, causing Serenity to take a step back. "Hello Serenity…" She said darkly, her voice full of malice, and she continued going down the few stairs that separated Serenity from her. But the auburn haired girl turned and started to go back down the stairs, trying to get away.

But with a gasp she felt two strong hands push her back forward, and she stumbled down the rest of the stairs, covering her belly as best she could, but as she had no real control of her body, everything got hit.

When she landed on the floor she sprawled out a little, unconscious, bleeding from a few places, and bruised all over. She breathed shallowly, and groaned a bit, causing a bit of attention to be brought to her. Kiara just stood at the top of the landing, smirking a bit, the dark glaze still over her eyes. She triumphantly crossed her arms over her chest and then turned, and with the flip of her hair, started back up the stairs towards Kaiba's room. "To easy…" She muttered to herself.

* * *

Again, another short chapter, but a lot happened. . Sorry about the length, but hey! My updates are getting faster. So is the trade off worth it? Why don't you decide.


	11. Chapter 11

Ahhh, ShizukaxSeto. . I love you too!

* * *

_When she landed on the floor she sprawled out a little, unconscious, bleeding from a few places, and bruised all over. She breathed shallowly, and groaned a bit, causing a bit of attention to be brought to her. Kiara just stood at the top of the landing, smirking a bit, the dark glaze still over her eyes. She triumphantly crossed her arms over her chest and then turned, and with the flip of her hair, started back up the stairs towards Kaiba's room. "To easy…" She muttered to herself.

* * *

  
_

Beep.

Beep.

Beep…

The repetitious high pitched tick echoed in Joey's ear as he leaned over the bed of his sister's body. He was gently holding her hand, though at the moment he was asleep. The room was silent, for the two were the only ones in it. His breathing was slow, and shallow. His body was bent over the side railing of the bed, and his head dipped down. His long shaky blond hair was hiding his face from anyone who would try to look. And his clothes looked like he hadn't changed for a day or two.

It was the increased speed of the beeping that woke up. He jerked awake quickly, and shot his glance towards the heart monitor quickly. He immediately noticed that the spikes representing her heart were recurring more then they should. He quickly jumped onto his feet and looked a little frantic. "N…Nurse!" He called out, unsure of what to do. He looked over at Serenity, her face serene, her body motionless. It was like nothing was happening to her at all.

Suddenly he felt himself being pulled away by a strong hand, though as he turned he was surprised to see it was a nurse, trying to get to Serenity. Joey quickly jumped put of the way, and got far enough back that he knew he wouldn't be a problem. He then looked on helplessly, and held a hand up to his head, slowly running it through his hair. He shifted his position every few seconds as the nurses got a syringe and slipped it into the IV connected to Serenity. Slowly the heart beat returned to normal, and the nurses left the room again.

Joey sighed a bit, and his arm slowly fell down to his side. He approached the bed once move, and took his seat by Serenity side again. "C'mon sis…you can shake this…" He whispered lightly to her as he gently ran his hand along her cheek, and through her hair. He dabbed her forehead lightly, for a few beads of sweat had formed. He then wiped his hand on his jeans, and took a hold of hers again. "You gotta wake up now…" He continued, though knew she wouldn't. She hasn't woken up since the accident.

Joey continued talking to her. Rambling even. He'd heard plenty of times that the voice of a loved one can bring someone back. So he spoke. About whatever came to his mind. For hours he kept going. Gently stroking her hand, and occasionally kissing her forehead. He even chuckled a few times, bringing up humorous memories of his. He'd then look at her again, feel guilty for enjoying his time, and he'd stop laughing.

* * *

"Mr. Kaiba you need to stay in bed! You're not well enough to be moving around!" A helpless voice called out in Kaiba's room. The small nurse, practically dwarfed by Kaiba as he got himself out of his bed, was trying to stand between him and the door, and push him back onto the bed, but he gently pushed her out of the way, and continued off the bed.

He kicked his legs over the side, and then pushed himself off with his one good arm. His left arm was in a sling, and was of no use at the moment. As he pushed himself onto the ground he gave a grunt, mostly from shock of walking again, rather then pain. He stood up, and then ran his hand through his hair with a relieved sigh. The linoleum ground of the hospital floor was cold against his feet, but he didn't mind. He looked at the nurse and gave a sure nod.

"I'm going for a walk." Was all he offered before opening the door to his room and beginning to wander the hospital.

He wandered aimlessly through hallways and doors. He kept a mental map of where he was going though, so it'd be easy for him to get back. No one stopped him, even if he wasn't really allowed to go where he was. But he was Seto Kaiba. And no one had the guts to tell him no. At least not the people he was passing.

He started walking into the ICU and gave a depressed sigh. _Just got out this yesterday and now I'm coming back…_ He thought to himself as he started into the waiting room of the ICU, and he stopped suddenly when a strange sight caught his attention. His eyes tightened and he glared at the spiky hair kid sitting in a couch. "What's the nerd herd doing here?" He asked, not having used the term in years. It felt nice. He looked at each of the faces in the room. _Yugi. Tristan. Duke. Mai. Tea..._ He suddenly stopped as his mind realized who was missing.

"Which one…?" He asked, not sure which of the wheelers it was that was hurt. He didn't see them among the group, and no doubt family would be waiting in the room with the injured person. He just prayed that it was Serenity mourning over her injured brother, rather then vice versa. He looked at Yugi, demanding an answer. But the man was just silent, and looked at Kaiba apologetically.

Kaiba put on a burst of speed and nearly ran to the door leading into the actually ICU. But he was jerked to a stop when Yugi stood and rang out a question, so close to an 'I told you so' that Kaiba felt like turning around and punching him. "Do you believe me now Kaiba?" He asked his voice deep. He was looking at Kaiba's back, hoping he'd turn around. But the man just stood facing the door, breathing slowly.

He shook his head quickly, not saying he didn't believe him, but that he didn't want to listen to him right now. He rang the call button, requested Serenity's name, and without another word to the group walked inside the Unit.

* * *

Yugi slowly sat back down and sighed a little bit. "He's so stubborn…Serenity's going to be dead before he starts realizing what's going on here." He said, leaning back against the couch and hanging his head a little. Mai, who was sitting next to him, gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"At least you tried Yugi." She said gently, trying to be optimistic. But with her Sister-In-Law battered and helpless in a hospital bed, and her niece and nephew barely hanging on in the NICU, it was hard to look on the bright side of things. But she didn't want to be the one who brought the groups spirits down.

Yugi gave a huff, and then, feeling bad at treating her with sarcasm, looked at her and smiled. "Thanks…" He muttered lightly, and then looked to the doors of the ICU again.

* * *

It didn't take Kaiba long to find Serenity's room. He jerked open the door with his good arm, and strode in with his hospital pajamas. Joey turned around as soon as he heard the door open, and then stood, and glared up at Kaiba. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked angrily, but kept his voice down, trying not to bother Serenity.

Kaiba ignored him though, and started walking towards bed, looking down at Serenity. "What happened?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. His throat was constricted, and tears threatened to fall down his face as he looked down at her, helpless, in her bed.

Joey was still glaring, but crossed his arms over his chest and gave a shrug. "She came here to see you. She was about to get to your room then she must have tripped and fell down the stairs…two flights…" He muttered lightly, and forgetting that Kaiba didn't know about the babies, continued. "She went into labor soon after, but she was unconscious and…well the babies didn't fair well in the fall either so their in the NICU right now….they're lucky to be alive." He said gently and then realized what he had said, and his eyes widened.

Kaiba slowly turned away from Serenity, and looked at Joey, shock and a bit of confusion written across his face. "Babe…ies?" He asked slowly, making sure he had heard right. "Two?" He clarified holding up two fingers into the air.

Joey paused a moment then gave a little nod of his head. "A boy and girl." He explained a bit more, figuring Kaiba had been kept in the dark about his own children long enough. "And just in case you're thinking it they are yours…"

Kaiba rolled his eyes a little bit, and looked back down to Serenity. "I know. She left 8 months ago; it takes 9 months for a baby to be born idiot." He said sarcastically, and then slowly reached out his hand to touch her face. "It's been 8 months since I've seen her face…" He whispered, mostly to himself, though Joey was sure to be able to hear.

The two remained that way for a while, Joey opened his mouth to say something a few times, but then closed it again, figuring now wasn't the best of times to badger him about what happened between he and Serenity 8 months ago. "Can I see them? The babies? Do they have names?" Kaiba suddenly asked, looking at Joey again. This time, he look was anger free. No hate, nothing negative. In fact, if Joey was certain, he looked like he was hopeful. Like he was depending on Joey at the moment.

But the blond had to let him down. He gave a shake of his head and a sigh. "They won't let anyone see them…" Joey explained lightly, in such a way to say that he'd tried, probably more then once.

Kaiba growled a little bit, anger filling him once again. "But I'm their father!" He called out, motioning to himself.

Joey just offered a shrug of his shoulders, not letting Kaiba get to him. He looked over to Serenity again, and then once again claimed his chair by her bed. Kaiba stepped aside, respectfully, and looked down at her as well. They were silent for a moment and Kaiba walked around to the other side of the bed. He looked down at her face gently and sat down on the other spare chair in the room. He leaned over, and lightly pressed his lips against hers. He expected Joey to protest to the action, but he heard, and felt, nothing. So he kept his lips there for a moment, closing his eyes, and then leaned back against the chair again.

He was surprised at how much that made him feel better. He couldn't even feel the pain in his arm, or side anymore. Even if it wasn't much to begin with. And his heart was fluttering, like it had been on their wedding day, or their first date, and his mind went back to those days. When there weren't any troubles. Just him, and his wife, as happy as can be.

Suddenly the door opened and both of them turned, thinking they'd see a nurse, but instead Yugi was there. The man walked in, silently, and closed the door behind him gently. "Kaiba…" He started to say softly, and approached the two. But he stayed at the foot of the bed, and lightly placed his hands on the bottom railing of it, leaning forward against it gently. "You have to listen to me now…" He trailed off a bit; till he was sure he had Kaiba's full attention.

The man looked up at him and was silent, looking like he was actually going to listen this time. Yugi sighed a little and took a deep breath, wondering where to start. "If you don't stop this…it's never going to end…" He said lightly. He looked over at Serenity and held the glance for a while. "Even if Serenity and the kids pull through this time…he'll keep coming until all of you are dead. He'll keep using other people like Mokuba…until you are no more. You have to stop him!" Yugi said more passionately this time.

"You have to go to him, and kill him…seal his soul away so he can't come back." Yugi continued slowly and looked to Kaiba, his eyes practically blazing. He waited for Kaiba response, hopeful that he'll listen this time. But Kaiba remained silent for a while longer.

He didn't turn to Yugi as he spoke, or afterwards. Joey looked between the two for a while, but Kaiba continued looking at Serenity. He gently stroked her face, and ran his hand through her auburn locks slowly. He closed his eyes, and looked a bit pained, and conflicted. "This will keep her…them…safe?" He asked slowly and sincerely, looking over at Yugi.

Yugi looked a little surprised, as did Joey. _He hasn't even met them and he already feel protective…Maybe Kaiba really has changed._ Yugi thought to himself. He then gave a little nod of his head. "I promise you. You destroy Aknadin…And all of you will be safe from now on." He said with a sure nod of his head. The spikes of his hair bounced a little bit as he did so.

Kaiba was quiet for a bit longer this time. He closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded his head softly. "So how do we stop him then?" He asked looking at Yugi.

Yugi smiled and suddenly started emanating light, making the transition into the ancient Pharaoh. "We need to get to Ancient Egypt…kill him, and then seal his soul away." Yami explained quickly.

Kaiba looked a little reluctant, but gave a small nod of his head. "And…How do we get to Ancient Egypt?" He asked lightly, and a bit apprehensively. He looked up at Yugi, shifting his arm in the sling a bit so it didn't ache so much.

Yami smiled a little bit. "First…we're going to need to get to Egypt." He explained lightly with a shrug of his shoulder. "I can handle the rest." He explained with a sure nod.

Joey suddenly stood and looked at the two. "You guys aren't thinking of leaving me behind are ya?" He demanded a bit angry if they had. "This is my sister we're talking about here…I need to help fix this." He said, as if they didn't have a choice of letting him come or not.

Kaiba and Yami looked at each other, a bit surprised by Joey's sudden outburst, but then gave light shrugs. "I guess we don't really have much of a choice…" Kaiba muttered, as if he really didn't want Joey to go, but Yami did, so it looked like he was outnumbered.

Joey smiled and crossed his arms over his chest lightly. "I guess we're all heading off to Egypt then."

Well there it is! ^^ The three are heading off to Egypt. And all the real adventures start.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry I took a while to update again. I came down with a bad cold…T.T and my bf broke up with me…brutally. I've spent the last few weeks in the concaves of my best friends room while she tried to put me on blind dates and cheering me up with I ate my weight in Ben and Jerrys. But I am once again alive and well. Writing and planning my next cosplay. ^.~ So no worries, and again, sorry for the wait, I shouldn't have let my personal life prevent the story from ending.

_Joey smiled and crossed his arms over his chest lightly. "I guess we're all heading off to Egypt then."_

Stepping out of the private jet, the three men were taken aback by the heat, and suffocating air around them. Joey coughed a little bit, and hit his hand over his chest a few times. He then waved her hand in front of his face, and looked at the brown area surrounding them. "Dusty…" He muttered lightly and glanced to the other two. Yugi didn't seem to like the area either, but he didn't say anything about it. And Kaiba just stood there, looking around them with intent gleaming in his eyes. He hadn't said a word since they left.

Surrounding the private jet was mostly desert. A few buildings, and huts, and people could be seen. But it was definitely mostly sand all around them. And a squelching heat which was unrelenting against their skin. Yugi started walking towards the closest building. That was considered the airport, but it was odd to say, seeing as they had the only plane there. They hadn't landed in Cairo; Yugi had suggested another town, much smaller, a bit further away as well. But no one had protested.

As Yugi continued walking towards the airport both Joey and Kaiba followed. Kaiba's trench coat billowing at his feet, and his arms swinging by his side powerfully as he walked. Joey didn't look nearly as intimidating. He walked slouched over, with his grungy clothes, and his head hung towards the ground. His hands were deep in his pockets, and he followed after the others. He gave a little sigh, his heart still heavy with the images of his sister strapped to a hospital and plugged into so many different machines. Thinking about it again made tears begin to swell up in his eyes once more, and with a quick sniff he wiped them away, hoping the others didn't notice.

Kaiba heard him however, and looked over at him, giving a little grunt. But he didn't speak. This surprised Joey. Usually the man would give some snide remark, or an insult. Something. Yet, he just remained silent. And if Joey saw right…it looked like there was some moisture on Kaiba's eyes as well. _Maybe he does care…_ He thought to himself, though was still angry at the CEO for everything that had happened in the past. It would be a long time before he forgave the CEO.

The small group continued walking in the harsh desert continues until they reached the small building. Joey brushed all the dirt out of his hair and held his arms open wide with a light chuckle. "Ah…feel that air conditioning." He said relaxed, but it didn't gain a laugh from the other two like he'd hoped it would. He slowly lowered his arms, and returned to the somber walk he'd been giving before. They silently walked through the building to the other side, and then they walked out the other side, seeing two familiar figures.

Standing on the other side of the two were two native Egyptians, dressed in their usual garb. Ishizu and Marik stood arms gently at their side, with light smiles on their faces. Neither of them spoke until Yami, Kaiba and Joey got closer, then Ishizu gave a little sigh. "Dark times are ahead." She spoke ominously, looking at each of them individually, her eyes then rested on Kaiba. "You are going to undergo much before this is all over. Do you want to follow through still Kaiba?" She asked raising one of her black eyebrows.

Kaiba looked at her, his bright blue clashing against her brown, as if he was challenging her. "Serenity needs me." Was his simple reply looking at each of them individually, her eyes then rested on Kaiba. "You are going to undergo much before this is all over. Do you want to follow through still Kaiba?" She asked raising one of her black eyebrows.

Kaiba looked at her, his bright blue clashing against her brown, as if he was challenging her. "Serenity needs me." Was his simple reply, and he crossed his arms over his chest, and looked down at her while holding his chin up high. Ishizu looked at him silently for a moment and then a gentle smile graced her lips. She gave a nod, and then turned, motioning for the three of them to follow her. Marik didn't turn yet though, and waited for the three to walk past them, and then he took a spot in the back. His hair was still silvery, and spiked up on the top of his head, her wore a simple outfit, to help keep the heart away from him like Ishizu did. He looked somber, simple. Like he wasn't happy or sad. Just that there was something to be done, and he was going to help do it.

As Kaiba past he looked at Marik apprehensively. His dark brown eyebrow was raised, and his hands had returned his hands to their spot deep in their spots in their pocket. He grunted a bit, and then strutted by after the others. The group remained quiet after that. The walk to Ishizu and Marik's car was a short one. And the three were relieved when they got into the air conditioned interior of the car. However, naturally, Ishizu and Marik didn't seem nearly as bothered by the heat of the outside as the three were.

Kaiba ended up in the middle of the back row of the five seat sedan. He sighed, his long legs shifting uncomfortably he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, slowly shaking his head, muttering about why Yugi couldn't have gotten into the seat, he was shorter. He heaved a sigh, and then settled into the seat, deciding to just deal with the predicament rather then spend the next few hours complaining about it. He leaned back against the seat, and lightly closed his eyes. He hadn't slept on the plane…he was too overcome with grief with the situation he had put Serenity through. _Knowingly put her through…_ He thought sighing once more.

Yugi looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, wondering why the tall man was seeming to develop a sighing disorder, but Kaiba didn't address him. He just leaned his head back against the top of the back of the seat. He took in a few deep breathes, placed his hands in his lap, and then closed his eyes, feeling himself becoming drowsy. Whether it be the smooth rhythmic motions of the car, or the fact he hasn't slept in who knows how long, he wasn't sure, but soon enough, he was asleep…

_Kaiba stood with sand all around him, at least as far as he could see. But when he turned around a large and glorious looking palace rested. He smirked a bit, familiar with these visions by now, but he still didn't like them, so crossed his arms over his chest, and scoffed a bit. "What are you trying to tell me now?" He asked to know one in particular, but was smart enough to know that someone was sending these visions to him whenever something superstitious happens._

_He stepped towards the castle, surprised to see that his clothes hadn't changed. But he ignored it. He continued onward, having to pass through a few streets of the surrounding city before he made it there. The sun was down, and the only light was the torches hung outside of some houses. Sometimes he was forced to walk in darkness, but he wasn't one to be fearful of such things. Something's though he would see something pass out of the corners of his eyes, and his head would jerk to where he saw it. But after only a slight hesitation his stride would pick up just as surely as he had before._

_When he reached the palace he slipped through the hallways with familiarity, like he'd been there before. He didn't have a destination in mind, and yet his feet seemed to be taking him to where they wanted. Which lead him down some sets of stairs to the darker parts of the surprisingly empty palace. He continued still though, not struck with an eerie feeling at the emptiness._

_He suddenly heard something, a low deep chant, and it made his skin crawl. He stopped walking right where he was, and placed his hand on the wall for support. He slowly and cautiously continued on his way, his eyes darting into each open room he passed, though each turned up empty. His feet continued taking him down a hallway where there was a bright room at the end. He knew that was where the chanting was coming from just from logical thinking. He took a deep breath before continuing and entered the room._

_It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust, but once they did he saw 7 men in black cloaks and hoods standing in a circle. In the middle was a large pedestal, big enough to hold a body. There was a door leaving the opposite end, which opened soon after Kaiba looked at it. It didn't seem he'd been noticed by any of the others, so he didn't bother hiding from this man, though he'd be in plain sight. And as their eyes locked, and the man made no move, Kaiba knew he was safe. So he walked in a little bit more. He saw the man was holding a suspiciously familiar body, but he couldn't see the face yet. Though he knew it was female._

_The man walked up to the pedestal, and placed the body on it. Kaiba, who had been approaching as the man was, gasped when he saw that the girl was Serenity. Her auburn hair lay around her head like a halo, and his heart stopped when he looked at her. He looked around, unsure of what was happening, but he wanted to stop it, he didn't see it ending well for his love. He looked at the man who had carried her in. He recognized him as well. "Aknadin…" He muttered hatefully, and went to send a punch at his ancestral father, yet his fist went straight through. He grunted slightly and shook his head angrily. He then went to serenity's side and tried to stroke her face, but like Aknadin, it had gone straight through. "Damn these dreams!" He shouted angrily._

_He didn't leave, regardless of his anger; he remained standing directly next to Serenity, trying his hardest to protect her as the chanting increased in intensity. Suddenly Aknadin raised his hands, and the chanting stopped. Kaiba looked around at each of the other men, before returning his attention back to Aknadin, who began speaking. "With this woman and her strength I will become whole again, and will take the world by storm!" He exclaimed, raising his hands up above his head, and gaining a cheer from the others in the room, save Seto of course._

_The CEO slowly glanced down at Serenity, she seemed out cold. He went to stroke her cheek again, and of course, touched nothing. His turned towards Aknadin again as the man continued his speech. "With her Spirit Energy still imbued with that of the Great White Dragon it will give me strength enough to regenerate my body, and take down the pharaoh and his priest! We will rule once and for all!" He shouted loudly, and it echoed in the chamber around them, and earned another cheer from those around him. After a moment things settled and everyone got quiet again, Kaiba's attention was dead set on Aknadin, wondering what was going to happen next._

_Suddenly a glowing dagger was produced from Aknadin's robes, and Kaiba's eyes widened a bit. "No…" He whispered lightly his crystalline blue eyes darting between the dagger and Serenity. He reached his hand out, ignoring the fact that he knew it wouldn't work, and the dagger went straight through his hand and into Serenity's heart._

A high pitched solid tone rang in Kaiba's ear, jerking him from his sleep. When his eyes snapped open and his head snapped up though, it was gone. He looked around; trying to find the source of the noise, but it was long gone. He thought about the dream he had, his heart pounding in his chest. He slowly shook his head and closed his eyes, placing his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose. "How far are we?" He asked, agitation and worry in his voice.

Marik slightly turned back to face Kaiba and then spoke gently. "We'll be there in about ten minutes." Kaiba nodded a bit, and glanced out the window. He wasn't exactly sure where 'there' was, but he had to trust that the two Egyptians knew how to solve the problem, and where to do it. He glanced out the window and saw that his surroundings had changed greatly. Instead of massive extents of sand dunes he instead saw buildings, close to their car as well, and people walking along the side of the road. He turned his attention to Joey, who was sleeping as well, and then to Yugi, who seemed to be concentrating on something else.

He grunted a bit and turned forward, impatiently waiting for the ride to be over. Marik's prediction was just about right on, and the car pulled to a stop at a building, looking something like a shack in Kaiba's eyes, but it was livable. As the car stopped Joey snorted awake, and the group emptied out of the car. Kaiba looked over at Ishizu demandingly. "What are we doing here?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ishizu looked at him with the same patience she's had for all of her life. "Preparations Kaiba. Such a journey as this…it will require spiritual protection for you, and your companions." She explained lightly giving a very simple nod of her head, and then she turned, shut the car door, and walked into the building. Kaiba glared at her a bit as she walked away, but a flashback image of the dagger plunging into Serenity's heart came into his mind and his heart stopped a bit, and his face went blank. He hesitated, shut the door, and followed after the woman.

The inside of the house wasn't that great, and Kaiba was surprised to see that people truly lived like this, but he swallowed it, and concentrated once again on whatever preparations he'd have to take to make Serenity and…his children….safe again. But a rather humorous shiver from Joey distracted him again. "What is it fool?" He asked his voice cold. Joey didn't speak though, just pointed.

The sky was darkening, at a sickening quick rate. The sun seemed to just dissolve into nothingness. A shiver went down Kaiba's spine, and a gasp came from Yugi's lips. "It seems we have less time then I thought…" Ishizu spoke, her voice quavering as she looked up at the sky herself. Marik stood protectively in front of his sister as he also looked up, and intensely furrowed his brows as if he was thinking. The group remained standing at the door way, staring at the sky, as did nearly every one else in the city, until it was completely black, the only lights coming from the street lamps. But one by one those shattered, and the streets were dark. Quickly Ishizu looked into the slightly opened door of the home, and at a lamp near the front door, which in a second exploded as well. She gave a light jump and then quickly ushered the group inside. "Hurry." She ordered sternly.

They went inside the house, and giving one last glance up to the sky Ishizu shut the door. "I suppose none of you understand the cause for this." She said, about to continue onto her next point when Kaiba shook his head in disagreement. She raised her eyebrow curiously, and lightly tilted her head, and all attention was on the tall man. "Well…would you care to explain then?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, as if she was mad that he understood when she didn't.

Kaiba was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground, sticking his hands into his pant pockets once more, not liking to have to reiterate the dream he had while in the car, which would explain the dark sky. He took a deep breath, and steadied his voice, not wanting to appear weak, but he did so anyways. "In the car I had a dream…" He said, is voice showing that he didn't want to believe it, but would for the sake of his wife. "In a Palace Aknadin had Serenity…he said he was going to steal her strength and take it for himself and take over the world." He condensed it quite well and then looked at Ishizu to see what she thought.

Ishizu looked concerned and glanced towards the door once more, and at the outlines of the others she could pick up in the darkness. She slightly let her arms fall to her side, and remained silent for a moment. "I…don't know what to do…It looks like we're too late…" She said softly, and looked at Kaiba, hoping he got the clues of what she meant.

Kaiba looked at her seriously, though it was Joey who picked up on it first. "Wait…You mean…he already did it? He took her strength? You mean…she's dead?!" He yelled, his voice showcasing pure and utter rage. He took two large strides to Ishizu and rather roughly grabbed her shoulder's, shaking them lightly. "No! We're not too late! We didn't even have a chance! It's not fair! These guys always let us fight! We always win! Serenity's not going to have to pay for that!" He shouted in her face. Tears started streaming down his cheeks.

Kaiba growled a little and then grabbed Joey's shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself!" He shouted and shoved him lightly. Though his heart had felt like it was shattered into nothingness when Joey spoke what he had, he couldn't let himself get like that again, like he had when he was in the hospital and cried so openly in front of others. He had to make sure nothing happened to Serenity again, and stop what was happening now. He took a deep breath, trying to recover still, and looked at Ishizu. "There has to be something. Anything." He said, but it wasn't the woman that answered.

Yugi, glowing lightly, and growing into his alternate spirit Yami, cleared his throat and drew attention from Ishizu. "I have an idea…" He spoke lightly, glancing down at his puzzle.


	13. Insert Sneak Peek Here

An update! *gasp* Yeah I'm pretty much out of excuses. ^.^' For any of you still following this, thanks. XD I recently started a DMG cosplay for several cons in my area, and a YGO group for a contest. We got a Seto, Yugi, Marik, Bakura, Mokuba, Dark Magician, and me as Dark Magician Girl. . I have a lot of work to do on the costume, but it should be epic. Anyways, I say this because doing the cosplay got me wanting to continue the story.

Buuuuut, I hate to say it, you're not getting anything just yet. .. I decided to give you a sneak peek of what was too come, as I haven't fully decided how to get there yet. So here you go, and let me know what you think. But I decided I was going to make a third installment, and I know how I wanted to end up there.  


* * *

_As he emerged he found himself in the desert. He looked a little confused, and wasn't sure if he had made it through alright, or with everything he carried through. He looked down in his arms and found Serenity still peacefully lying in them. Her eyes were closed and her face was paled. Kaiba heaved a sigh of relief and then started walking, behind him, the portal from the past closed. It caused a gust of sand to wipe around his face and he quickly shut his eyes, ducking his head down to make sure sand didn't get in his face._

_Once it settled he looked around. He saw nothing. His heart stopped a little and he frowned. "Great…" He muttered to himself. He then looked back down at Serenity and then knew he had to try. So he slowly took one step, and started forward._

_Her body wasn't heavy in his arms. But he moved slowly, as if it was weighing him down. He had his eyes closed, and it felt like all his blood had stopped flowing. He took slow steps forward, and could feel her long auburn hair brushing against him as it hung over his arm. Her head was gently resting on his shoulder. He took in a deep breath, and smelled her scent, a beautiful soft smell of a sakura blossom. And he knew it was completely natural. She's smelled that way since the first day he met her on that pier._

_He slowly came to a stop, and fell down to his knees. He lightly placed her body on the grassy oasis in front of them. He softly opened his eyes and looked down at her peaceful looking body. "I love you…" He whispered softly. "I'm sorry Serenity, I'm sorry for everything…Please…" He whispered. He shook his head and tears started streaming down his face. He reached down and stroked her cheek, it was ice cold._

_He shook his head, willing color to return to her cheeks, and for her skin to once again be warm. But as the moments passed away nothing happened. He slowly shook his head and clenched his fists tightly. "I did everything she said!" He shouted. "Why didn't it work?!" He called out again, more tears streaming from his eyes. He bent down and lightly kissed her cold, dead, lips._

_He slowly parted and looked at her once more, rage filling him. "They'll pay Serenity. I promise I'll make them pay. The ones who made me do this…The ones who did this to you…I don't let them get away with this…I'll kill each and every one of them. I Swear…" He ran his hands through her hair softly and then slowly stood, just as he did a streak of wind came through and blew his trench coat. "I won't let them get away with this." He promised and then heard the familiar ring of his phone, meaning he had satellite coverage, and thus, could use it, even in the middle of the desert. But that did ease his worries about emerging at the wrong time. He slowly reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone._

_He pressed a single button and then pressed it to his ear. It rang a few times and then a man answered on the other side. Kaiba got straight to it. "It's me." He spoke darkly. "I need that favor you promise me." He said, and glanced down at Serenity's lifeless body one last time.

* * *

_

That's it. . All you get for right now. Let me know what you think please.


	14. Chapter 13

127 hits since my sneak peek. Clearly people are still paying attention to the story. Though *hint hint* reviews would be nice. *hint hint* I like knowing what you think. Still…Here's the next chap. ^.^

_Yugi, glowing lightly, and growing into his alternate spirit Yami, cleared his throat and drew attention from Ishizu. "I have an idea…" He spoke lightly, glancing down at his puzzle.

* * *

_

"You really think this is going to work?"

Silence.

"Yug…?"

Still silence.

"C'mon don't play with me. Will this bring Serenity back?"

"…I hope so…"

Joey sighed. Yugi hadn't told him much of the plan, but it seemed in essence they were going to go back in time once more. The adventures never seemed to end for Yugi and his companions. Joey wondered how Serenity was doing, if she was frightened. He slowly shook his head and gave a glance over to Kaiba; the man seemed stoic, though Joey knew why. He didn't prejudge his reaction this time. Kaiba was a businessman who has been in many crisis situations. He was able to remain calm. At the moment Joey was surprised to see that he wanted that trait, a trait Kaiba had. He sighed a bit and ran his hands through his hair.

"So when do we go?" He asked Yugi, turning back to his best friend. Yugi just shrugged his shoulder a little. Seeming thinking deeply. His face was blank, but his eyes were raging. Joey couldn't stand just staying there though. Suddenly the champion turned to Kaiba, and suddenly turned to Yami.

"You'd do anything for her?" He asked simply, his deeper voice somewhat intimidating with the question he presented. Kaiba didn't hesitate. He gave a sure nod of his head.

"Anything." He said with conviction, fire burning in his eyes. Yami gave a nod and turned away from him a bit. He paused and then took the millennium puzzle off of his neck. He walked over to Ishizu and handed it to her, and then woman slowly took off her necklace and handed them both to Kaiba.

"You must use these to travel back in time, and stop any of this from happening." She explained, not explaining how to make them do it, for she figured he'd be able to figure it out himself, in fact it was somewhat imperative that he figured it out himself. He took them and nodded simply. "Don't play this down Kaiba. It may sound simple, but you will encounter obstacles." She said and Kaiba just looked at her, he sighed a little.

He walked towards the door and held out the items. He closed his eyes and pictured Serenity's face, felt a wave of guilt wash through him, and slowly shook his head. Suddenly he heard Joey shout out. "Don't mess this up Kaiba!" Kaiba turned and smirked a little.

"Don't worry dog. By the time this is all over we'll be back to hating each other and Serenity will be holding us at bay. The way things should be." He said and then turned forward once more. The door began opening and a rough wind blew at him. He closed his eyes and dropped the items a bit. His chestnut hair whipped about and he held his hands out to protect himself. Suddenly it all stopped.

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to find out that he was in his own office. "What?" He asked, confused and slowly shook his head. "It didn't work…" He muttered and grumbled a bit; angrily he threw over a stack of papers to the floor. He then crossed his arms over his chest and looked around a bit, unsure of what to do.

After a moment of pause he started for the door, but came to a sudden stop when it opened, and he saw…himself…walking into the office. "Ok…" He said, processing what he was seeing. "Didn't see that coming…" He muttered, waited for him to realize he was there. But, he never did. The other Kaiba closed the door and walked to the desk. Glanced at the knocked over files but waved them off and called for the secretary to come clean them up for him.

He shrugged a little bit and then walked over to the desk towards the Other Kaiba. "That either…" He said slowly. He walked close to himself and reached out to touch him, but his hand went straight through. "But…" He paused and touched the desk, his hand stopped once he came into contact with it. "I see…" He said slowly, beginning to understand.

He started thinking about what he had to do. "I suppose I need to know how far back I went…" He thought aloud to himself. So he stepped behind the Other Kaiba and leaned over to look at the date on the computer. He nodded a little and did some calculations. "I haven't started yet…" He said with a bit of relief. He closed his eyes and then waited. There wasn't anything he could really do but wait. He couldn't leave; opening the door would surely put the Other Kaiba on edge.

So he sighed a bit and just paced around the office. "Do I really work this much…" He muttered to himself after a few hours have passed. He glanced out the window to see that the sun had already set. Suddenly the Other Kaiba began moving and Kaiba perked up a little. He watched himself pack his things into his brief case and then head towards the door. "About time…" He muttered and quickly followed after. He slipped out of the door before himself and then waited for the Other Kaiba to head to the elevator.

He stood beside himself and when the elevator came he was shocked to see that _girl_ in it. The two walked in, though only one was noticed. And they all started down to the bottom floor. At first things were quiet, and then, he suddenly watched himself and the girl began kissing. He gasped a little and realized just when this day was. "Of course…" He said, and waited for it. The Other Kaiba pushed the girl away quickly and stepped to the other side of the elevator.

"I'm married." He said, crossing his arms over his chest and turned towards the front of the elevator. She walked closer to him and ran her hands up his arm and side. Kaiba rolled his eyes and berated himself for being so stupid. But he also knew what was coming next. So, he took a step to the side and pressed the emergency stop button. The elevator immediately froze, and shook a bit. The two jumped apart and looked around.

The Other Kaiba grunted a bit and then walked towards the panel, trying to figure out what happened. Kaiba smirked triumphantly at the girl. "This is going to be easy." He said to himself, in a cocky manner, already forgetting what Ishizu had told him.

The elevator got going again and the three rode down silent and still. Once again the elevator came to a halt. The door opened and they all filed out. Kaiba walked a few steps behind the two, with a disgusted look on his face. "What did I ever see in that wretched whore…?" He asked himself, his voice echoing in the ethereal world he now traveled in. He crossed his arms over his chest as he followed after them. Prepared to prevent any further shameful acts.

* * *

The first thing Kaiba noticed was he never grew tired in this ethereal world. It was as if his body had a constant stream of energy. One thing he was thankful for was he also never got hungry. For he had no idea how he would obtain any sot of sustenance.

He spent a lot of his time tailing himself, not remembering all the times he snuck away to try to be with the woman. Which now, every attempt was quickly sabotaged by himself. So most of his time was eaten up. But he did find a new favorite past time in the months that followed as he stalked himself and his sex partner. In every free minute he had he spent it watching Serenity. Every move she made he just took in and savored. She spent a lot of time with Mai, which made him smile. He was glad she had someone to depend on. Because he's well aware that he wasn't there for her in those passing months.

At nights, when he wasn't interrupting his own escapades, he would sit at the end of the bed and watch her read and sleep. He would reach out, to try and touch her. But nothing would happen, and he wouldn't be able to feel her. He started adjusting though.

There was one day in particular that he would remember. He was following Serenity around a store with Mai. Knowing that he would be in a business meeting for the entire day. Now he knew that Serenity was pregnant. But before, when he was in the hospital, he didn't allow it to sink in. But seeing Serenity shopping for baby supplies right now really made it all real. He couldn't help but have a huge smile pop onto his face. His heart fluttered a little and he remained still, letting the two girls move onto more shopping. He glanced over at a blanket Serenity had wanted for the babies. He reached out and softly stroked it. He was able to touch objects when he wanted, phasing through them when he didn't. It was only people he couldn't touch.

Still, right now, all he wanted to do was run his hands over the same blanket Serenity wanted for their children. He could still even feel the warmth her body transferred to it as she had held it close to her. He sighed a little bit and lightly put it down, not wanting anyone to see a randomly floating blanket.

He felt a couple tears run down his cheek and suddenly everything he was working for for the past few months seemed even more real, even more important. He had to succeed; he wanted to be a father and husband. "Just a little bit longer and I'll be back with them. I'll have my family all together." He said happily, his heart racing quickly at the idea of having a happy family all together.

* * *

He knew it was getting close to the end when the phone call with Mokuba happened. That too he wanted to stop. So he made a quick distraction, like a broken fountain, and the Other Kaiba was quickly pulled off his phone. Feeling like everything had been avoided Kaiba started thinking of ways to get back into his own time. Where the time line should be changed, and his life should be the way he really wanted it to be.

There was one last meeting. Where Kiara would ask when he would leave his wife for her. Where he would ultimately end everything himself. But he wanted to make sure that he didn't even come close to sleeping with her, like he did originally. He followed himself to Kiara's small home, and looked upon it in disgust. He crossed his arms indignantly and then slowly shook his head. The car stopped in the drive way and the Other Kaiba started getting out. Kaiba himself just phased out of the car. Phasing was on thing he'd miss giving up on his return to the actual plane of existence, but knowing who would be there waiting for him would be worth everything.

He followed himself inside, and started thinking of what he could do to make sure nothing promiscuous started happening. His thinking led him into the kitchen where he would up turning on the stove. He heard his other self heading back into the house and meeting Kiara. But he would quickly end all of that. He started a quick fire and set off the alarm. Causing both others to come running into the room. He looked at her, having a large coat draped over herself, and watched as the other him put out the fire. He stood in the middle of them, looking at both wondering what would happen next. Kiara spoke first.

"That was exciting." She said, placing a hand over her heart and smiling a little. "You were very brave." She continued, taking a few steps closer to him. "Makes me sure I'm going to be safe when you and I are married." She said, holding onto one of his hands. Kaiba held his breath, knowing that all of his work was accumulating into the other Kaiba's reaction right now.

The other Kaiba took a quick step back and looked at her with disgust. "Excuse me?" He asked her angrily. He stood up as tall as he could muster which absolutely towered over her and glared down at her infuriated. "How dare you?" He asked her, Kiara was stuttering, unsure of what to do, unsure of why he was angry.

"But Seto, we've nearly…" She started, trying to explain herself, but he quickly cut her off.

"We've never done anything. We've never been close to doing anything. And we never will." He said pointing his finger at her angrily. "Stay away from me and my wife." He said coldly and then stalked out of the room. Kaiba followed after him, smiling triumphantly. Everything would be over soon. He followed the other Kaiba back into the car and sat down happily. "I'm coming back Serenity…Soon."

The car drove off, this time uninterrupted, and drove quickly to the jewelry store. The same set of jewelry was bought, and Kaiba knew that once reaching home Mokuba would be there waiting for him. As would Serenity. He sat anxiously, not able to wait to finally hold her in his arms. Not able to wait to kiss her.

As they arrived back at the house he wondered how much things would be different when he got back. The car came to a stop and both Kaiba's got out, one unaware of the other. They walked back into the mansion and then met Serenity and Mokuba. The two wrapped their arms around the other Kaiba and he smiled. He ran his hands through his hair and then took a few steps back, as he did he felt himself being pulled. He was being torn from the scene, and everything got blurry.

* * *

He was suddenly falling and hit a hard surface with a grunt. He remained on his back for a moment and then slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He was still disoriented, but from what he could tell he was sitting in a sort of tomb. The air was musky and heavy; the area was also dark, making it hard for him to see. But his eyes slowly started to adjust and he was able to look around a bit more.

He suddenly heard a dark voice and stood up with a jerk. He looked around, not able to see the source of the voice, so called out demandingly. "Whose there?!" He yelled, looking around some more. He took a few steps forward and started exploring the tomb a bit more, trying to go towards the voice.

Something suddenly caught his eyes. A lightly glowing body upon a pedestal. He thought the body looked a little familiar, but his eyes were still adjusting. He walked towards it and when he got close enough he felt his heart stop. It was Serenity! He ran towards her and then gently touched her face. "Serenity!" He called out. "Serenity wake up!" His voice echoed loudly in the tomb.

Suddenly that dark voice he had heard came back, this time laughing right behind him. Kaiba spun around and looked into Aknadin's face. He gasped a little but recovered and stood tall again. "Too late." Aknadin said looking at Serenity. "I've already fed off all her energy." He said, and as Kaiba turned around once more he saw that all of the color had gone from Serenity's face. His eyes widened and he desperately took a hold of her.

He felt rage building up inside him and his body started quivering a little. Aknadin was still laughing behind him. Kaiba slowly let go of Serenity's body and turned around, his face clenched in anger. "Well there's only one thing to do then…" Kaiba said angrily. He took a step towards Aknadin and then threw a punch at his face.


	15. Chapter 14

Little miss, or mister, anonymous whose been reviewing so many of my stories…I love you! XD You've been so awesome! . I'm glad you've been able to see the differences, and improvements, which I've been hoping to, see in my writing. Though I must admit I am a bit embarrassed of some of my own work that I did in the past, but it is a testament of how I've improved. Anyways, again, thanks.

* * *

_He felt rage building up inside him and his body started quivering a little. Aknadin was still laughing behind him. Kaiba slowly let go of Serenity's body and turned around, his face clenched in anger. "Well there's only one thing to do then…" Kaiba said angrily. He took a step towards Aknadin and then threw a punch at his face.

* * *

_

His fist collided, and Kaiba felt a surge of pleasure flow through him, for being able to give a firm punch to the man who had been causing all this turmoil in his life. He smirked a little as Aknadin stumbled back and recovered from the blow. Kaiba then flexed his fists a little, and took in deep breaths. He glared over at him and slowly stalked towards him a little.

Suddenly Aknadin stood up and held out his hands. Kaiba was shot backwards and hit the opposite wall with a low thud. He gasped for breath and his eyes widened a little. He slowly fell to the floor and got up himself. He brushed himself off and started towards Aknadin again, but the man slowly shook his fingers and clicked his tongue. "Really, for someone so bright you don't really learn fast." He said, and Kaiba quickly came to a halt.

With a huff the CEO glared at the ancient spirit. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, commandingly. "What is it you want?" He asked, glancing back to Serenity's body. Within a moment though he was looking back at Aknadin, who remained silent. "Why?!" He shouted, anguish showing in his face.

Aknadin took a few steps closer to him, smirking lightly. "Would you be surprised to find out I'm not the great mind behind all of this. Everything for the past two years is not my work. Though I'm completely pleased with all of it." He said simply, not caring how Kaiba reacted, knowing there was very little the man could do. He ran his hands through his silver hair and then shook his head a little. "Not like there's anything you can do about it now." He finished, and turned around a little.

Kaiba looked back at Serenity again. He slowly walked towards her and stroked her face. Tears started streaming down his cheeks again. "Yes there is." He said softly, kissing Serenity's forehead gently. "I'll bring her back. You'll see, and I'll kill everyone who was involved…"

Aknadin just laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "And how are you going to pull that off?" He asked, raising one of his thick brows. Kaiba thought for a moment and closed his eyes tightly, his mind beginning to travel back.

* * *

_Kaiba walked down a marble hallway, ancient pictures on either side of him. He glanced this way and that, not really interested in anything he saw. He was a person that looked towards the future. He was someone who didn't believe in destiny, or fate. He was someone who would do anything for power. Soon he reached the end of the hallway and stood outside two doors._

_Tightening his hold on his briefcase he took a slow breath to calm himself, knowing what lies on the other side of the door might make him more powerful then he could imagine. He reached his free hand out and slowly pushed it open. He was surprised to see the image of a tall, but slim looking woman. "You're the one who called me?" He asked surprised, and she gave a nod, and then motioned him forward._

"_Mr. Kaiba…" She began her voice foreign. "I am here to enlighten you." She said simply._

_Kaiba simply scoffed a little, shaking his head a little. "What kind of knowledge could you have that I don't? In case you're not aware I'm a certified genius. There's virtually nothing you can tell me that I don't know." He said unimpressed with how she was presenting herself thus far._

"_On the contrary Mr. Kaiba. I know of something that can make you powerful." She said, though that was the same thing she had said on the phone to get him to come down to meet her, so Kaiba didn't react much to her words, he just looked at her, with his cold, blank stare, and waited._

_She slowly turned and motioned to a tablet behind a wall of glass. "Do you know what that is Mr. Kaiba?" She asked him, raising one of her black eyebrows._

_Kaiba shrugged, not really caring. "A piece of rock with faded pictures from artists long dead." He said sarcastically. She seemed to not even notice._

"_On the contrary Kaiba, this is the secret to your power." She said, dropping her formality; Kaiba looked at the stone. "This artifact depicts the bearers of the millennium items." She continued, Kaiba didn't say anything however. So she kept on. "As you were told before, you were the bearers of the Millennium Rod. A powerfully strong artifact that will allow you to control the minds of the victims you chose." She said simply._

_He glanced to her with his cold blue eyes. "I know." He said gruffly, almost offended that she would think he needed to be reminded of what it did. Or what she thought of his supposed past life._

"_Well then Kaiba, you'll know that this, combined with the other items will give you power beyond your wildest dreams." She said softly._

_Kaiba started to look a little confused and turned to her. "Why are you telling me this, you want to hand over to me unlimited power?" He asked, raising his own brunette eyebrow._

_The woman just shook her head a little and started back to the doors he had entered in. "There will come a time Mr. Kaiba, when the one you love most will be in peril, and you will have to call upon the power of these items to bring that one back from a most terrible place." She said, continuing to the door. "I believe you should be given the chance to bring that person back."_

"_Why should I trust you? You lost your gift of foresight when we sealed away the items." He said, having a distinct memory of that moment._

_The woman shook her head and ran her hand through her long black hair. "The necklace wasn't the only thing that gave me power Kaiba." She said smiling a little. She glanced back at him and then her face turned blank. "Think about it?" She asked, and continued through the door._

_Kaiba hesitated a moment, still not believing in what she had told him, but unwilling to take her threat lightly. "What will happen to him?" He asked, assuming the person she was talking about was Mokuba._

_The woman stopped and turned to face him just before slipping through the door. "What makes you so certain that it is your brother who will be in peril?" She asked him, and then left. Kaiba was too stunned to respond. He watched her go and then turned back to the tablet; he'd seen it plenty of times before. He hadn't ever fully accepted its truth. Even with his adventures into his past life, his mind wasn't willing quite yet. But he wouldn't reject it completely anymore._

_He was still for a while and then he felt his pocket start to vibrate. He slowly reached in and without looking to see who was calling put it to his ear. "Hello?" He asked lightly, his voice smoother then usual. There was silence as he listened to the caller. He then smiled a little. "Yeah Serenity, I'll be there to get you at 7. You're sure your brother isn't going to be home?" He asked, started to leave the room himself._

_Again he waited for her response and then nodded once more, glancing over his shoulder at the tablet once before he left. "Great. I'll see you tonight. Bye." He finished and then slipped the phone into his pocket. He went out the door, and put everything Ishizu had told him out of his mind.

* * *

_

Kaiba had remembered the moment in mere seconds, which allowed him to react when Aknadin came after him. He jumped back and tried to retaliate, but the man got away quickly. Silently cursing Kaiba remained where he was, a plan formulating in his mind. "If you're not behind it, then who is?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aknadin shook his head. "Now I'm not going to make it so easy for you." He said, slowly beginning to circle around Kaiba. Kaiba didn't respond right away, but turned to continued facing his foe as he was stalked. "You have made many enemies Kaiba. In many worlds. I'm doing some of them a favor." He said with a shrug. Kaiba didn't realize it, but Aknadin was getting closer to Serenity's limp body.

"Who?" Kaiba asked again, though this time didn't really expect much of an answer. His cold eyes were calculating, trying to find anything to use against Aknadin.

The old man shook his head and then reached Serenity. He lightly placed his hand on her forehead and stroked her hair. Kaiba was enraged and immediately flew towards him. Suddenly he felt something in his hand, something cold and smooth. He looked down and his eyes widened a little. The Millennium Rod was in his grasp. Reacting on instinct he held it out in front of him and closed his eyes, willing something to happen.

He felt a great energy surge all around him, and chills ran up and down his body. Gasping a little he fell to his knees and then slowly opened his eyes. He was dizzy and it took a moment for him to compose himself. When he did he slowly looked towards Serenity, Aknadin wasn't near her anymore.

Instead the old man was on the ground at the foot of the table she lay on. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale. Kaiba slowly stood and looked down at him, uncompassionate. He kicked him a little and then came to the conclusion that he was dead. He shrugged and then went to put the millennium rod on his waist, to keep it, but it slipped away, just as quickly as it had appeared in his hands.

Not caring so much about it he looked over at Serenity. He ran to her side and then stroked her face, still pale and cold. "I'm fixing this, I promise…" He whispered his lips close to hers. He slowly put his arms beneath her legs and back and picked her up, her weight easily held in his strong arms. Her head lightly bobbed against his chest, and then fell back, loose, her long auburn hair swaying around his leg. He walked away from the altar and Aknadin's dead body and towards a door.

Kicking it open he saw a light at the end of the hallway. He slowly walked towards it, certain that when he reached the other side Serenity would be back, alive in his arms. He started getting a tingly sensation as he walked, and began feeling himself being pulled. He closed his eyes as the feeling got stronger and held Serenity close to him to try and protect her. Soon the feeling ended.

As he emerged he found himself in the desert. He looked a little confused, and wasn't sure if he had made it through alright, or with everything he carried through. He looked down in his arms and found Serenity still peacefully lying in them. Her eyes were closed and her face was paled. Kaiba heaved a sigh of relief and then started walking, behind him, the portal from the past closed. It caused a gust of sand to wipe around his face and he quickly shut his eyes, ducking his head down to make sure sand didn't get in his face.

Once it settled he looked around. He saw nothing. His heart stopped a little and he frowned. "Great…" He muttered to himself. He then looked back down at Serenity and then knew he had to try. So he slowly took one step, and started forward.

Her body wasn't heavy in his arms. But he moved slowly, as if it was weighing him down. He had his eyes closed, and it felt like all his blood had stopped flowing. He took slow steps forward, and could feel her long auburn hair brushing against him as it hung over his arm. Her head was gently resting on his shoulder. He took in a deep breath, and smelled her scent, a beautiful soft smell of a sakura blossom. And he knew it was completely natural. She's smelled that way since the first day he met her on that pier.

He slowly came to a stop, and fell down to his knees. He lightly placed her body on the grassy oasis in front of them. He softly opened his eyes and looked down at her peaceful looking body. "I love you…" He whispered softly. "I'm sorry Serenity, I'm sorry for everything…Please…" He whispered. He shook his head and tears started streaming down his face. He reached down and stroked her cheek, it was ice cold.

He shook his head, willing color to return to her cheeks, and for her skin to once again be warm. But as the moments passed away nothing happened. He slowly shook his head and clenched his fists tightly. "I did everything she said!" He shouted. "Why didn't it work?!" He called out again, more tears streaming from his eyes. He bent down and lightly kissed her cold, dead, lips.

He slowly parted and looked at her once more, rage filling him. "They'll pay Serenity. I promise I'll make them pay. The ones who made me do this…The ones who did this to you…I won't let them get away with this…I'll kill each and every one of them. I swear…" He ran his hands through her hair softly and then slowly stood; just as he did a streak of wind came through and blew his trench coat. "I won't let them get away with this." He promised and then heard the familiar ring of his phone, meaning he had satellite coverage, and thus, could use it, even in the middle of the desert. But that did ease his worries about emerging at the wrong time. He slowly reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone.

He pressed a single button and then pressed it to his ear. It rang a few times and then a man answered on the other side. Kaiba got straight to it. "It's me." He spoke darkly. "I need that favor you promised me." He said, and glanced down at Serenity's body one last time.

* * *

There you have it! The final chapter of my longest story yet. To me it seems like my best work, and I'm a little upset it wasn't as possible as some of my others, but at least many of you, at least enough to keep me going, are still reading my work. I hope to continue making improvements, and I will always welcome constructive criticism. I don't accept flaming simply because I made a mistake, but if you want to kindly point it out, I'll listen. No doubt there are holes in my plot, I'll accept that. This story has been in the work for nearly a year and a half and I probably forgot a lot of the things I started planning for, and then made changes to things I had already established. For that I apologize and hope that my final installment will be the best it can be! And it will be my first trilogy! So…win win! Lol well thank you to all who read this from beginning to end, I'll see you in the final installment. "The Adventures of Being Seto Kaiba." ^.^ See you all soon!


End file.
