Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon Master ❯ Chapter Two: The Dragon Master and the Maiden ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by its creator, Kazuki Takahashi and it's respective anime companies. I'm borrowing the characters and ideas for a nonprofit fan fiction written solely for the enjoyment of myself, and hopefully others.

Author's Notes: Usually, when I work with a new fan fiction property I start with a crossover. However, this story won't get out of my head. This may be slightly AU if you will, taking place after Yugi defeated Pegasus and freed the Brothers Kaiba. I've never written a Yu-Gi-Oh! story before, but I am a capable fan fiction writer.

To Nate Grey, who got me watching the show in the first place.

Heart of the Dragon Master

Chapter Two: The Dragon Master and the Maiden

By: Elf

Serenity was drawn to the quiet, sullen, brooding boy for some reason. She could tell that Joey didn't like him and the boy reciprocated those feelings, but there was just something about him that drew her to him. Maybe it was the lost look in his eyes or the way that he looked at his younger brother that reminded her of how Joey looked at her.

She had to admit that he was strikingly handsome. He was tall, slender yet he had broad shoulders. He carried himself arrogantly but was unsure in his own skin. He had high, sculpted cheek bones and the bluest eyes that she'd ever seen. And Serenity kept track of color now that her vision was perfect again. Like the soft brown of his hair and how it fell neatly along his face.

"Seto Kaiba," he said to her in his deep, haunting voice. Another point for him, he had a nice voice. He seemed unsure as he looked at her and held her hand.

She smiled up at him and said, "What about this one?" She pointed to a card that was called the Celtic Guardian that had a Legolas type elf on it.

"Decent fighting skills, but not really that powerful. Creatures and magic users are always going to be more powerful than simple warriors. Then there are fiends that have their uses as well," Seto explained.

She asked, "Well, Seto, what's your favorite card?"

His sapphire blue eyes blinked as he looked at her. She leaned next to him and studied his handsome face. She asked, "Well, what is it Seto?"

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Seto answered proudly.

She chuckled and asked, "Isn't it like the Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

"The Blue-Eyes is much more powerful. It's the ultimate dragon," he answered, "And very rare. There are only three of them in the world."

She replied, "And you have all three, don't you?"

He chuckled and answered, "Of course."

She studied him and asked, "Are you use to getting everything you want?"

He blinked again, looking endearingly confused. He looked at her wide eyed as if he'd never seen anything like her before. She tapped her fingers on the glass and looked at him. She wanted to sketch him and maybe even do a painting of him. He had a very captivating look and it had been ages since she could actually look at her hand on the paper and what she was creating.

She asked, "Well, are you?"

"No," he answered harshly and she chuckled.

She tucked strands of her hair behind her ear and replied, "Good." Seto looked confused and bewildered as she walked away. Joey was arguing with Tristan about two spell cards.

She said, "Hey Joey."

"Serenity, did that creep say anything to you?" Joey asked protectively as he guided her away from Seto.

She chuckled and answered, "Not really, other than his favorite card was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and he had all three in existence in his deck."

"Man, bragging in front of a pretty girl, how low," Tristan whistled and Joey bristled.

Serenity chided, "I asked, okay."

"Still, he's a creep, Ser," Joey argued.

Yugi walked over to where Seto was standing. The two started talking and Tea walked over. Tea said, "Well, he was fighting for his brother, remember Joey. Not much difference, except I think that, sometimes, Kaiba has better manners than you."

"Well, if I had more money than God I'd have good manners," Joey snapped with an acid glare at Seto.

Serenity looked over at Yugi and Seto. Yugi's head only came up to the middle of Seto's chest, but then again Yugi was very small for a fourteen-year-old boy and Seto was very tall for a fifteen-year-old. She remembered reading that the head of Kaiba Corp. was only fifteen, but he seemed so much older than that. An orphan and a child prodigy as well of having a genius level IQ would probably have that effect on someone, she reasoned as she studied Seto.

She whispered, "He just seems lonely."

******

"It's been a while since Grandpa has had a student like Mokuba," Yugi told Kaiba. Yugi had noticed that he'd been looking at Serenity for the past few minutes and nothing else.

Kaiba turned to face him, his blue eyes startled. Yugi smiled; it was rare to see Seto Kaiba startled. Kaiba looked over at where Grandpa and Mokuba were sitting. Grandpa was telling him about various crush and magic cards and even let him on a strategy that Yugi had known Yami to use a few times.

Kaiba replied, "Yeah. Mokuba's a good Duelist though."

"Especially for his age," Yugi replied, wanting to see Kaiba's reaction. He started looking at Serenity again.

He asked, "Something wrong, Kaiba?"

Kaiba blinked and answered, "Nothing, Yugi, just distracted, that's all."

Yugi studied Tea, who was looking exceptionally beautiful in a pink sweater, kakki pants, and knee high boots. He liked the way her soft, chestnut hair fell around her face and the way her bright blue eyes sparkled. He also needed her. She had pulled him up to his feet more times than he could count and had been more supportive than even Joey.

Yugi smiled and replied, "Yeah, I know the feeling."

He felt Yami start to flash but told the Shadow King, It's okay. It's her decision if she wants to see Bakura or not.

I think you're being foolish, Yugi. If you don't say anything she won't know, Yami argued before submitting. Yugi knew fully well that the Shadow King that dwelled within his soul wasn't truly submitting, but humoring Yugi more than anything.

"You were having an argument with Yami," Kaiba stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Yugi looked him over and asked, "How could you tell?"

"Your eyes change when he's trying to come out but you don't let him. You see him for a moment and it flickers away," Kaiba answered easily as he looked over to where Serenity was standing again.

Yugi grinned and said, "You know, Serenity's a really sweet person."

"Yeah, I saw that, Yugi," Kaiba replied darkly.

Yugi sighed and wished that there was some way he could get to this guy. There were moments when they were Dueling there the real Seto Kaiba shone through and he seemed positively alive. Not the hidden, dark and brooding boy that he was now faced with. Yugi had actually thought he had been getting through, until Joey had snapped at him.

Kaiba, whether he realized it or not, was a very delicate person. He had his soul ripped from his body and Yugi didn't want to imagine what other horrors that Pegasus had submitted him to. Yugi wished that Yami had done more to hurt Pegasus at that moment and blinked in surprise.

You're learning, Yugi, Yami chuckled in the recesses of his mind.

Luckily, Kaiba seemed too lost in his own thoughts as he watched Mokuba talk to Grandpa. Grandpa now had out his bokken and showing it to the youngest Kaiba. Kaiba asked, "Did your grandfather study kendo?"

"Yeah, when he was my age. He really enjoyed it until he threw his hip out in a battle. He still keeps the sword though," Yugi answered as he watched his Grandpa fondly. It was so good to have him back to being his normal, grumpy, intelligent, yet sweet self.

Kaiba nodded thoughtfully and said, "I studied it some, but my preferred martial arts is akeido."

"Yeah, I heard that you were the Domino High hopeful for the championships this year," Yugi replied.

Kaiba shrugged and said, "Not really. I'm not going to enter."

"Come on, that's just neat," Yugi replied in awe. He had wanted to get into the martial arts but he was too small. That was one of the reasons he honed his Duel Monsters' skills. He could be good at that because size didn't matter there. He added wistfully, "I wish I could do that."

Kaiba smirked and said, "You have your own talents. Be thankful for those."

"You two are pretty friendly. What happened?" Tea asked as she eased herself between them. Yugi tried to hide his blush at her closeness. The tip of his head rested right under her chin. He cursed his lack of height and he swore he heard Yami snicker in his head.

Yugi answered, "I gave him a chance, that's what."

"And you invited me to spend the night," Kaiba answered with a hint of a smile.

Yugi nodded and said, "And we ended up spending the whole night on a Duel."

"That you won, right Yugi?" Joey asked as he walked over.

Yugi laughed and he was pleased to see Kaiba's amused smile. Yugi answered, "No, it was a stalemate. I fell asleep on my cards."

"We both did. We couldn't stay awake any longer and we crashed on the table," Kaiba added fondly.

Mokuba looked up at this and cried, "No fair, Big Brother! You never told me that you spend the night here!"

Yugi had asked him over to get to know him better, to Duel him as Yugi without Yami taking over, and mainly because he knew that Kaiba never slept at a friend's house before. Yugi even wondered if the stoic boy even had friends. Plus, he had been lonely because all of his other friends had lives outside of Dueling. There had been a few moments of connecting with Kaiba in the last few days, and from the news, it seemed that the gaming had been helping Kaiba work out his problems at Kaiba Corp.

"You should all spend the night," Grandpa invited.

Mokuba grabbed the table and asked, "Really?" He turned to his older brother and exclaimed, "Can we Seto? Please?"

Yugi grinned and said, "It would be fun."

Joey glared at Kaiba and said, "Sorry, Yug, but I've gotta take Serenity home."

Serenity looked up and said, "I'm fine Joey, but I'd love to learn to Duel."

"I'll teach you," Kaiba said suddenly, blinking in surprise at his own action.

Joey glared but Serenity smiled and replied, "Thanks. I'd love to learn from the Duel Masters Champ."

"Ser . . . This is Kaiba we're talking about here," Joey hissed venomously to the redhead. He said Kaiba like a curse, like a swear, like his name was evil.

Kaiba clinched his fists and grabbed his suitcase. Yugi watched as the walls were built around him again and Seto shut himself from the world. Kaiba snorted, "I didn't know that your sister needed your approval for everything."

Yugi glared at both of them and growled. Yami flared for a moment to stop them and call them both out, but Yugi managed to repress them when Tea walked between the two of them. She placed her hand on Joey's chest and glared up at him.

She whispered, "Give him a chance, will you. Yugi likes him so he can't be that bad."

Kaiba stiffened at that. Yugi could practically hear him think, Of course I am. I'm Seto Kaiba. I only care for myself . . .

"Stop that, Kaiba," Yugi snapped at him, "Don't think like that."

Kaiba's eyes met his and Yugi looked at him. Yugi realized that he was a lot like those Blue-Eyes that Kaiba coveted. He was fierce and powerful, but needed a heart.

Serenity smiled at Kaiba and said, "Our lessons start tomorrow, okay. Come on Joey, quit being an ass."

"Serenity! Where did you learn that?" Joey shuddered as the redhead drug the blond out of the store.

Serenity replied, "From you."

Tea chuckled as she said, "I think I'm going to like Joey's little sister a lot."

From the bewildered look on Kaiba's face, Yugi knew that she wasn't the only one.

******

"So, then the jerk comes out of no where and says that he'll teach Serenity how to duel," Joey snapped as he laid his Rude Kaiser on the table.

Mai toyed with one of her blond curls as she sighed, "And we're talking about Seto Kaiba right?"

"Of course, Mai. Who else would I be talking about other than that bastard," Joey sneered as he leaned back in his chair. There was something about Kaiba that made his blood boil. The asshole was just rotten to the core and Joey knew it. He could smell it.

Mai leaned over the table, allowing Joey a nice view of her perfect cleavage, pushed up by the black bodice she was wearing tonight. He stared for a moment, watching her slender hand place a Harpy's Lady onto the table. She backed up, causing her perfect form to giggle in the perfect way and tossed her long, curly blond hair. She was beautiful and driving him insane.

Mai smiled and tapped a finger to her lip. She replied, "You just seem so bitter, Joey, that's all. Relax a little bit. I came here to Duel you and not talk about Kaiba."

Joey's hormone induced mind flashed along a thousand thoughts that he'd rather do than Duel or talk about Kaiba. Her violet eyes sparkled at him as she rested her cheek in the palm of her hand and smiled fetchingly at him. She chuckled and shook her head disapprovingly at Joey.

Joey replied, "But she's my sister, Mai. I don't want her to get hurt."

"And she won't. Girls can take care of themselves Joey, and I'm attacking with my Harpy's Lady," she said.

Joey frowned and cursed, "Damn, my Kaiser's gone."

"That was the whole point of the move. You're usually a better Duelist than this. This whole Kaiba thing really has you bothered, doesn't it?" she asked sympathetically, lowering her long, thick lashes at him.

Joey noted that it suddenly became very hot in the room that they were in. Mai looked as if she was about to pop out of that sinfully tight bodice she was wearing. She leaned back and crossed her long, shapely legs and tapped a foot delicately on the table. He wondered if this was some new distraction tactic.

He nodded and then remembered what they were talking about: Kaiba and his baby sister. The anger came back fresh and hot. He drew a card and smiled as he laid down Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He answered, "Yeah, it bugs me. I don't want Serenity hanging around that bastard. He's cruel and mean and . . ."

"Beat you at Dueling and called you a dog. Yugi told me, but you've gotta remember, Kaiba was fighting for his brother's soul, like you were fighting to get the money for your sister's sight again," Mai pointed out as she frowned at Red-Eyes.

Joey said, "I'm attacking with Red-Eyes."

"Damn," Mai swore as her eyes scanned her cards and the Harpy's Lady. She sighed, "You won."

He grinned and said, "You still need more creatures in your deck. You depend on the Harpy's Lady too much."

"I have the Harpy's Dragon and . . . oh, you're right, maybe I could trade you for that magnificent dragon," Mai replied as she leaned over to him. He swallowed as he realized that her face, those eyes, those cherry red lips, were inches from his. He made a tiny choking sound as her hand rested on his arm, her long, elegant fingers making tiny circles there.

He chuckled and managed, "Nothing you're going to do Mai is going to make me give up that dragon."

"Maybe I was trying to distract you," she said in her sultry voice.

His cheeks flamed as she laughed and backed away. She reached out and tapped his nose with her finger. She chuckled, "You're so adorable, Joey, did you know that?"

"Hey!" he cried in protest as he glared at her, "That's not funny, Mai!"

She giggled, "But the look on your face is."

He had to laugh back as he collected his cards. He shuffled them again and remembered the subject at hand. He said, "But do you have any advice on how I should handle Kaiba?"

"Well, I don't suggest fighting him nor Dueling him. I think the only one who could actually beat him is Yugi, or rather, Yami. I think you should just let this run its course. I can see why your sister would be interested in him though," she answered coquettishly.

Joey snapped, "He's an egotistical, cruel son of a bitch! Serenity should stay away from him or she's going to get hurt. Then I'd be in jail because I would've killed Seto Kaiba."

"Well, he's handsome, very handsome. He's a good dresser. He's very rich and he has that brooding Bad Boy thing going for him," Mai explained, counting each attribute off on her fingers with a thoughtful smile, "I would have gone after him myself, but I prefer blondes." She winked at Joey and he found himself blustered again.

Joey groaned, "Okay, fine, but he's still a jerk."

"Not really. I actually feel sort of sorry for Kaiba, I mean, think about it. He was orphaned at an early age, the only family he has is his brother, and he really doesn't have any friends. I think he acts like that because he's afraid to get hurt," Mai replied as she shuffled her deck, "I think your little sister might be good for him. Did you ever think that she could break his heart?"

He smirked. He liked the idea of having Serenity make Kaiba a suffering mess. He snapped, "Serves him right."

She groaned and shook her head. She said, "Joey, some times you're so clueless. If you weren't so cute I don't think I'd put up with you."

He tilted his head and blurted, "So you think I'm cute?"

"Yes, you're adorable. Why do you think we always meet here, Joey?" she replied as she flickered around their surroundings. Joey looked around and realized that they almost looked like a couple. He couldn't remember when he had stopped arguing with Mai and started Dueling her and talking to her on a regular basis. It had just happened, suddenly, without warning. He was pretty sure that it was his hormones talking.

He laid his deck on the table and asked, "Wanna go for another Duel?"

She smiled fetchingly at him, her violet eyes twinkling. She nimbly shuffled her deck in her hands with a throaty chuckle. She answered, "I'd love to."

******

"The first things about Duel Monsters are the monsters themselves," Kaiba began. They were in his library, away from prying servants' eyes and the quietest place that he could think of that wouldn't overwhelm his guest. Serenity was sitting in front of him, her hands lightly folded on the table, her red hair pulled back into a long braid, leaving her heart-shaped face unadorned. He had an urge to walk over and pull the elastic band out of her hair just to see it fall around her, making her emerald eyes seem even greener.

She nodded and replied, "Right. Monsters."

"There are different sorts of monsters: Dragons, Fiends, Demons, Warriors, Spellcasters, and so on. Some have a price to pay when you summon them, a tribute. Any fifth level or higher monster you have to pay a tribute to summon them," Kaiba explained as she watched his face intently.

She asked, "Could I have a deck where I could have monsters that didn't need tributes?"

"I wouldn't recommend it. All of those monsters have hit points less than 2000 and couldn't stand up against monsters like the Blue-Eyes or the heavier spellcasters like the Dark Magician," Kaiba answered, wondering why she would ask a question like that.

She replied, "But that seems a little mean though, I mean for the monsters."

"It's a price to pay," he argued back.

She snapped, "Well, I think it's a little cruel, that's all."

"It's how the game works," he replied icily, "You'll just have to get use to it."

Serenity's green eyes blazed in her delicate face. She snapped, "You don't have to be so cruel."

"It's how the game works," he growled back, clutching the table.

Serenity started to stand up and snapped, "Maybe I should ask Yugi to teach me."

Kaiba glared at her and she glared back. Her hands went to her purse and Kaiba relented. He said, "Sit back down. Let's try this again."

"Fine," she replied as she sank back down in the chair. He noted that there were little charcoal marks all over her hands. She cracked her knuckles and watched him.

He sighed and said, "Let's try this again."

"You were telling me about monsters that need tributes," she replied gently.

He nodded and told her, "You can't avoid them. If you do your deck will suffer for it."

"Got it," she said with a tiny nod, some of her red hair had escaped from it's braid and fell softly in her face. Kaiba looked her over and swallowed. He wondered why he had volunteered to teach her how to Duel, and he was suddenly reminded as he looked at her.

He explained, "Like I said before, there are different types of monsters. Now, some types of monsters can't attack others. Like a flying monster can't be attacked by an earth-bound monster, unless they're a magic user. Unless the flying monster is crippled in some way, like with a spell or crush card."

"Like if Red-Eyes had a virus on it then say, the Celtic Guardian could attack it and kill it, right?" she asked, all of her anger completely drained.

Kaiba nodded and replied, "Exactly. Now, each Duel starts with 2000 life points to each player, there are some special cases where the life points start higher or lower, but most bout matches start at 2000."

"And when another monster kills a monster the points, if any, that are left over from the attack go over and take off on your life points," Serenity added.

He found himself smiling and said, "Very good. I see that you do know something about Duel Monsters."

"Joey talked to me about it while I was coming out of surgery and I still had the bandages over my eyes," she replied, looking away.

Kaiba's heart went out to her for a moment. She looked so vulnerable there, so lost. He wanted to take her up to a tower and protect her from any monster that came at her. He was filled with the sudden urge to keep her safe and happy.

Kaiba managed, "Your brother was very brave for you. Foolish, but brave."

"That's Joey for you," she chuckled.

Kaiba replied, "It must have been hard though."

"Yeah, it was," she confessed, "Do you know what the worst part of it was?"

He shook his head as her green eyes became distant and misty. He wanted to hold her and tell her that it would be okay. That he wouldn't let anything hurt her again.

Serenity answered, "I couldn't see to draw or paint. I couldn't see my brother smiling at me. It was like . . ."

"Eternal darkness," Kaiba finished for her. He suppressed a shudder. He could still feel the chill of the Shadow Realm where he was locked, away from his body and utterly alone. It was endless darkness, never ending and never relenting.

She nodded in agreement and replied, "Yeah . . . You were trapped in that Shadow Realm, weren't you?"

"Yes," he hissed, looking away from her intense emerald gaze. He couldn't meet her eyes. He didn't want to see the pity reflected there. And he could feel the dark chill creeping up on him again, threatening to engulf him. He couldn't sleep without a light on because the memory was still too fresh. All the lights in Kaiba Manor were usually kept on because he couldn't stand the darkness anymore.

Mokuba had recovered quicker than he had, but Mokuba hadn't felt that he had failed. Kaiba had failed. He was weak. Pegasus had mocked him, stole his dragon, and then locked him in that Dark Hell. He couldn't even beat Yami without relying on dirty, cheep tricks that played on Yugi's kind heart.

The pain sept out again and threatened to consume him. He felt the cold, lonely darkness surrounded him and froze. Time stood still for a moment until he felt a warm hand on his face, gently directing him to look else where.

Long lashed emerald green eyes, a sharp, pert nose, soft, plump lips and locks of fiery red hair faced him. His eyes widened as he looked at Serenity. Her hand was warm and soft against his cheek and she was so close. It was tempting to take her hand, and Kaiba prided himself on his restraint and strength, but he couldn't help taking her hand.

It was tiny, yet the fingers were long and strong. He felt a few calluses on the palms and on the middle finger as he traced the soft, ivory skin. Serenity's cheeks flushed, giving her pale skin a rosy glow and her eyes widened as she watched him.

"Seto?" Her voice broke the spell and he remembered who he was. He gently let go of her hand and he realized that his heart was racing like mad in his chest. He had never been affected by someone like this before. Ever, not even Mokuba.

He cleared his throat and stood up. He said, "We'll continue the lesson tomorrow. You'll need cards if you'll want to Duel."

"Sure, Seto, okay, sound's great," she chirped, but she was still blushing and confusion played in her green eyes. She stood up as well and looked as if she remembered something. She managed, "I need a way home."

Kaiba was confused and conflicted. He had no idea how to handle this. This went beyond logic, beyond any magic that he knew of, beyond The Heart of the Cards, beyond anything he knew. He wasn't sure if he could handle this and he was a bit afraid. It was too fast, too soon, too sudden, and too powerful for him to control.

He found his voice again and replied, "I'll take you home."

She nodded as he lead her out of his library.

******

They rode in strained silence. Serenity would have been excited to be riding in such a plush limo, but her feelings were overwhelming her. She was confused, one moment Seto was far away and distant and the next she was touching those sharp, handsome features.

Serenity studied his profile. His handsome, well-sculpted features were something a sculptor would kill to have a chance to recreate. Now, his intense true blue eyes were something that a painter would itch to paint. She had noticed that his eyes would darken when he was hurt or widen and brighten when he was happy or confused. She rubbed her hands together as she remembered the intense, burning look he was giving her when he had took her hand and began to rub all of her calluses.

She looked at him again. His sapphire blue eyes were distant and staring out the window and at her reflection. His hair shadowed most of his face, making his expression wholly unreadable. She sighed and was reminded of a few romance novel heroes she had read about when in the hospital before her eyesight became too far gone.

Still that reminded her of what he said about endless darkness. The look in his eyes when he said that were like the look of someone who had faced the very Gates of Hell. She shivered and didn't want to even think about the sort of pain that gave a man that look. She knew the basics of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, the Shadow King, the magic of the Duel Monsters cards, and the story with Pegasus and how he stole the souls of the Kaiba brothers for personal gain. She knew about losing her site and being placed in darkness, but what Seto had faced was far worst and her heart went out to the brooding boy.

All too soon, they reached her apartment. Seto said, "I'll walk you to your door."

She flinched. She, Joey, and her father didn't live in the best neighborhood. Rumor had it that yakuza had a base of operations set up here as well as several opium lords. Her father was working to save up money so that they could move into a better place. She'd been surprised on how her father had cleaned up over the past few years.

He held the door open for her like a gentleman. She noticed that he looked around the neighborhood disapprovingly and guided her protectively to her door. She felt her cheeks redden in shame. He's a multimillionaire and you're just Serenity Wheeler, and your dad's just a blue collar mechanic.

She forgot that the second step had a huge chip in it. Her boot caught on it and she stepped wrong. She cried out as she felt her weight sway and the ground rush up to break her fall. Except she never hit the hard concrete.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and another supporting her back. She opened her eyes without even realizing she closed them. Seto was looming over her, holding her and looking utterly surprised. His blue eyes were wide and his mouth was parted slightly. He was gasping almost as hard as she was.

She tried to stand up, but that only had her fall forward and right onto his chest. She placed her hands on his shoulders to balance herself and he had his one arm wrapped around her waist. Her heart pounded as she looked up at his true blue eyes.

He managed to ask, his voice hoarse, "Are you okay?"

"Thank you," she answered, her voice a bit breathy. She stood up and that only brought her closer to him. She didn't let go of his shoulders and he still was looking down at her. His free hand shakily pushed her hair out of her face as his blue eyes watched her.

Their eyes locked and she raised herself on her toes to look at him better and he bent down. She noted that he smelled like mints, a little cold and sharp. As a sharp contrast, his body was wonderfully warm and strong. The muscles under her fingers were taunt and trim. Her heart was racing as time froze and she dared to dream.

He looked a little bewildered as he bent down and kissed her.

The kiss was soft, sweet and gentle. Each of his movements and caresses were heartbreakingly gentle. It was as if he was afraid that he was going to break her. Her hands tightened around her neck as she kissed him back. It was wonderful, incredibly and soft.

He pulled away swiftly and blinked in shock. Serenity caught her breath and tried to quiet her racing heart. My first kiss. That was my first kiss, she thought in elation and moved to call him back. She wanted him to kiss her again; her body was screaming for it.

'Seto," she whispered as he backed away from her.

Seto blinked as he looked at her. He managed, "I shouldn't have done that. I have to go now."

She reached out and grabbed his wrist. She said, "Don't go, please."

"This isn't right . . ." he snapped harshly as he jerked his hand away from her. She looked at him, the anger in his face, the pain. His eyes were shadowed to her now, hidden. He swept his duster behind him as he headed back toward the limo.

She called out, "Seto?" There was no response. He did look back at her with that haunted expression. Then he climbed into the limo and drove away.

"Seto," she sighed as watched the limo drive away.

To Be Continued!

This is a little different for me. For one thing I've never played Duel Monsters and two there's been any "action" yet. There will be later, hopefully. So far it looks like this fic is more romantic and angsty than anything, but then look at the hero. Kaiba is angsty and dark by nature so there you go.

Anyone know where any Kaiba/Serenity pics are?













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