Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Arrangement ❯ Chapter Seventeen ( Chapter 17 )

The Arrangement

Chapter Seventeen

"This island is so beautiful," Selina commented to Tea and Serenity as they continued their trek along the path beside a dormant volcano.

"It's so peaceful too," Serenity added, drinking in the silence around them.

"What I'm still confused about is why Kaiba suggested bringing me and Yugi," Tea admitted, her brows furrowed in thought. "I mean, I can understand about Duke since they're business partners, but Kaiba just doesn't seem to enjoy being around Yugi at all."

"He's unpredictable sometimes," Selina shrugged, a grin appearing on her face. "Which, in some cases, is a good thing."

"Well, for whatever reason he brought us along, he's obviously going to wish he hadn't tomorrow," Tea smiled, a light laugh escaping her lips.

"And what reason would that be?"

"You mean to tell me that the woman he's married to doesn't know his own birthday, but just about every other female on this planet does?" Serenity teased.

"What?" Selina asked. "His birthday is tomorrow and he never told me?"

"Looks that way. You know, men are strange. They can put all this effort into doing special things for their love on their birthday, and yet they don't make a big deal about their own. Of course, this is Kaiba we're talking about," Tea mused, stopping to sit upon an old bench which was along their path.

"Can I please remind you that Seto Kaiba is not in love with me?" Selina frowned, seating herself upon the soft earth. "He takes care of me, yes; but he most definitely does not love me."

"Not yet," Serenity voiced.

"You told me yourself he was falling in love with you. Before you know it, the hard-hearted CEO of Kaiba Corporations is going to be bending to your every wish and desire, doing anything to please you. When you're cold, he'll give you his coat and wrap his arms around you. When you're tired, he'll end whatever is going on and take you home to sleep. When you're sick, he'll take care of you. When you're-"

"I get it Tea. But trust me, he's not in love with me."

"What about you?" Tea countered. "Are you in love with him? The worst part of love is when it's one-sided."

Selina sighed, closing her eyes gently. "I care about him, but at times, I'm still afraid of him. And lately, he's been so busy - which is why this vacation is a surprise. But, that's completely off topic. What am I going to do about his birthday tomorrow?"

~*~*~*~

"Seto?" Selina questioned, slowly opening the door to their room. She found him sitting before his laptop, busily working. "Hey," she whispered as she began to massage his shoulders.

A smirk replaced the concentration upon his face as he closed his eyes and stopped typing. "You really know how to distract me," he murmured.

"Oh really?" Selina questioned, a sly smirk appearing on her face.

Kaiba merely grunted in reply.

"Good, because I need you to come with me," Selina said as she stopped the massage.

Kaiba's eyes snapped open as he turned to face her. "You know I need to work."

"Please Seto. All I'm asking is for a few hours."

"I have to work. I'll be finished in a couple hours and then I promise, I'll go wherever you want me to - as long as I'm back by five."

Selina's frown was quickly replaced by a small smile as she began to massage his shoulders once more. "I promise to give you a very nice back massage later if you come with me now."

Kaiba groaned slightly, finding his self-will defeated. Without a word, he stood from his seat and took hold of Selina's hand. "And where is it we're going?"

You'll see.Grinning, she led him from the room and down the stairs. "You know, I heard an interesting story from Tea and Serenity yesterday," she commented as she continued to lead him through the mansion.

"And I have a feeling you're going to tell me what it is."

"Yes. They told me that someone failed to inform me of his birthday today."

"I wonder who that could be."

"You keep wondering that," she paused, before adding, "Birthday Boy."

Kaiba mocked gasped, raising a hand to his chest. "How could I have forgotten my own birthday? And now, I am getting the feeling you're having some small party out on the patio with a cake and the ocean in the background."

Selina raised a brow, looking up into her husband's mysterious eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I'm not blind," he stated, gesturing to the patio before them.

"Oh," Selina whispered, a slight blush rising to her cheeks as she led him to the patio, which had a few decorations in celebration of the CEO's twenty-third birthday.

"Happy birthday Kaiba," Yugi, Duke, Tea, and Serenity chorused when they noticed him standing with Selina at the door leading into the house.

Kaiba nodded his head, not moving from his position, nor letting go of Selina's hand. "I need to finish my-"

"Back massage," she whispered, cutting him off as her eyes silently pleaded with him to stay.

"Fine, I'll stay. If you give me my present right now."

"Oh…well, about that. See, I didn't find out until yesterday and so I didn't have much time, and I didn't know-"

Selina's voice was cut off by Kaiba's lips covering hers in a warm kiss while his hands wrapped around her back. "Best present I can remember," he murmured, releasing her from his grasp and walking to the cake which sat on the table where the others were seated. Selina followed, her cheeks tinted red once more.

~*~*~*~

"Any special wishes Kaiba?" Duke questioned as he grabbed a piece of the birthday cake and returned to his seat beside Serenity.

Kaiba grunted, mentally rolling his eyes. "Devlin, I'm a twenty-three year old President and CEO of the world's largest gaming company, and I'm a multi-billionaire; there is nothing in this world that I could ever have need to wish for. I have all that I need."

Duke slightly leaned forward so he was close to Kaiba's ear. In a quiet voice, he whispered, "Maybe you have everything you need, but not everything you want." At this, he leaned back in his chair and made a small gesture to Selina.

If Kaiba was considering these words, he made no notion of it. Instead, he remained still, slowly eating the cake. "One of the reasons we came here is so you would stop baking," he commented, his navy eyes turning to glance at his wife.

Selina smiled, scooping some of the frosting from Kaiba's piece. "This was a special occasion."

Kaiba nodded, turning his eyes to Yugi and paying no heed to Selina's actions. "Yugi, I've been comparing the status reports of the portable holographic systems from all the stores where they've been placed for demos. Yours, however, has had the most positive feedback. Production begins in two weeks; I'd like your shop to be the first to receive these new systems. I believe they'll catch on rather quickly," Kaiba stated, initiating a long business conversation for the three men.

Always business.I know there's much, much more to Seto Kaiba than work. With these thoughts, Selina placed her frosting covered finger on her husband's cheek and wiped it off, bringing silence to Kaiba's frame.

He blinked twice, a blank expression upon his face. Slowly, he turned to his wife, a frown set upon his face. It only seemed to grow when he noticed her expression. "You think that's funny?" he questioned, taking a napkin and wiping most of the frosting from his face.

Selina nodded, laughter erupting from her lips as she took in the red, blue, white, and green smeared across Kaiba's cheek.

Without a word, Kaiba grabbed a corner piece of the cake and smudged part of it in Selina's face, bringing silence to her laughter.

"Seto!" she shrieked, jumping from her chair.

Kaiba chuckled, handing her a napkin. "And now we're even. By the way, you missed a spot."

"I did?" she asked, running the napkin over her face once more, only adding to the smudges.

"Yes." And once more, frosted covered cake was smudged on her face.

"Seto Kaiba!" With a glare now set upon her face, Selina picked up the remainder of her piece and shoved it full force on his nose.

Kaiba growled, returning the favor with the rest of his. Neither of them took notice that the four other members of their party had disappeared, leaving the two of them alone on the patio with their cake war.

"You almost got some in my eye!" Selina yelled, backing away from the cake covered CEO as he began to advance upon her with a handful of frosting from the remaining cake - which now sat on the table with half its frosting missing. "Oh no you don't."

Kaiba smirked, grabbing his wife and placing his hand on her face, gently rubbing the frosting around. When he was pleased, he picked up the bottom of her top and wiped off his hands. "And I just did. And don't think about trying anything."

Selina frowned, picking up a glass of lemonade that lay dormant on the nearby table. Grinning, she walked up to Kaiba's retreating figure, stood on her tip-toes, and poured it over his hair.

He was still for a moment, contemplating his reaction. Slowly, he turned around, a glare set upon his face. "Tell me why my face is dripping and there's a lemon in my hair and ice down my back," he said coolly, slowly walking towards her withdrawing frame.

Selina grinned sheepishly, turning around to run. Kaiba was quick however, and tackled her to the ground, his body holding her in place. For a moment, he was silent, smirking down upon her frosting covered face.

"You have a clump of frosting right above your eye," he whispered, taking his thumb and smoothing it out.

"Happy birthday," she returned as she began to chew on her bottom lip.

Kaiba grunted, opening his mouth to speak. Before he had a chance, Selina had covered his lips in a gentle kiss, surprising him for the moment and giving her a chance to stand up without him holding her down.

"You might want to wash your face and your hair before you get engrossed in your work again."

"Selina, wait," Kaiba commanded, reaching out and grabbing her arm. "There's this nice little restaurant right on the beach. It's just down the way a little. We'll go there tomorrow for dinner, just the two of us."

Selina smiled softly as she began to wipe frosting from his face. "It's okay, Seto. I understand that you're busy. You don't have-"

"Don't," he silenced her, his finger covering her lips. "I might be busy, but that doesn't mean I can't take time off to spend with my wife. Oh, by the way, I want that massage later."

Selina laughed lightly as he entered the house, leaving her alone on the patio. Sighing, she stared out into the ocean's waves, her heart and mind traveling to another time and another place.

~*~*~*~

"I had a nice time tonight," Selina grinned as she leaned into Kaiba's taller frame.

The moon was shining bright over the calm ocean waters as the two made their way back to the beach mansion from dinner. So far, everything was perfect and Kaiba's heart was feeling very light. He wasn't sure how much longer he could suppress the words and feelings inside his heart.

"I've been meaning to tell you that I'm glad you invited Yugi and Tea; they've needed a nice vacation. Yugi's been busy running the shop and Tea's been so busy with her classes at the university."

Kaiba forced a smile before stopping and turning to his wife. "Selina, where do you see us in ten years?"

"I see…" Selina trailed off, closing her eyes and allowing images to flow into her mind. "I see you with slightly graying hair, due to the stress of a company, Mokuba's adulthood, and a few children. I'm seeing about four or five children, all who want to follow in their father's footsteps. And-"

"No," he interrupted, causing her to open her eyes. "Where do you see us?"

Selina faltered as she stared up into his stormy eyes. "I…I see you and me…um…"

"I'll tell you what I see. I see you raising our children, giving them the perfect image of a working father and loving mother. But I see you look at me with eyes that tell another story, one of loneliness."

"Seto-"

"Let me finish. Selina," Kaiba whispered, grasping her hands as his breath began to quicken. "I can give you everything you want, anything money can buy. I can take you to all the ends of the world, show you all the things that can be seen. I could take you to the moon if that's what your heart desires. And for so long-"

"Seto, I'm happy. I don't need to travel the world or buy things. You make me happy," Selina interrupted, releasing her hands from Kaiba's grasp and running them through his hair.

"Selina, I…" he paused, his eyes closing in ache, his heart pounding ruthlessly against his chest, urging him to say what he felt, to be true to himself. He swallowed, ignoring the pleas of his heart and forced a smile. Slowly, he kissed her forehead and slipped his arm around her waist. "It must be late, we should get back."

Selina nodded, finding herself curious of what he was going to say, but not pushing him to say it. Something was on his mind; something was always on his mind. But this time, there was something different. The kind of different that makes your heart pound when you're about to proclaim it aloud; the kind of different that makes your palms sweaty and your body shake in anticipation. And while Seto Kaiba never exhibited sweaty palms or a shaking body, Selina had felt the pounding of his heart in beat with her own.

~*~*~*~

"Those boys are going to regret staying behind and 'conducting business,'" Tea laughed, her eyes taking in the calm ocean waters as their car drove along the coast.

"At least one guy came with us, right?" Serenity grinned, nudging Selina.

"He's my bodyguard, he has to. Although, I'm certain he'd have more fun with us anyways."

The three girls erupted into a childlike laughter, none of them understanding the reasons behind their giddiness. They were all grown, two married, one in a serious relationship; and yet they were giggling like thirteen year old girls whose crush smiled at them.

"Alright Serenity, spill it," Selina insisted, nudging her young friend.

"Spill…what?" Serenity asked, her young innocence shining on her face.

"When is Duke going to propose?" This question came from Tea, whose hand had gone to her stomach, a peaceful smile upon her face. "Then, eventually, you can become like me. Sick most the time, hungry all the time, mood swings…what's the one word they use to sum it all up? Pregnancy."

"Propose? Oh no, he hasn't even…I mean, we haven't…we've only been dating-"

"For five months; I've been counting," Selina interrupted, smiling wide.

"Exactly; it's too soon," she countered, frowning at the two elder women.

"Nothing is too soon anymore; I married Kaiba without really knowing him," Selina pointed out, a deep sigh escaping her lips. "I have a confession to make."

"Well, you spill it then."

"Before I actually met Kaiba, I had somewhat of an infatuation with him," Selina blushed, closing her eyes as she recalled the memory. "My life was a living nightmare, and Kaiba was the Prince Charming who could save me from my tower of terror. Anyways, I wound up in the hospital for an overnight stay and happened to be in Mokuba's room - he had just had his tonsils taken out. Anyways, that's when I met Kaiba. He was cool, calm, collected, poised…and perfect." Selina stopped, a dreamy look appearing on her face.

"I'd always heard about him, his company…but actually meeting him…Well, he was never rude to me, but sometime his voice was curt; but I did defeat him in a duel and he found out I was friends with Yugi. So, I adopted this perfect image of him. I could tell he cared a lot for Mokuba and I gained a respect for him, which only added to my infatuation. When I got home, the first thing I did was find an old magazine and cut out his picture. I wrote on it 'Prince Charming: make me your Cinderella.' I was so naïve!"

"That's so cute," Serenity smiled. "I mean, obviously Kaiba's not perfect, but you had a crush on the guy, and now look. You're married to him! He made you his Cinderella."

Selina rolled her eyes, a smile gracing her lips. "Maybe he did, but that doesn't change the fact that he's no perfect, riding up on a white stallion, Prince Charming."

"Maybe not, but he's in love with you; and that changes everything," Tea said with a knowing look. "Trust me Selina, I'm in love with someone who's in love with me. It's easier to see when others are in love when you're experiencing it yourself."

"Speaking of love, and getting off the subject of my teenage infatuation with Seto Kaiba; when is Duke going to propose?"

Serenity growled, eyeing her two friends. "I give up! You two are hopeless!"

"I gave my confession, let's hear one from each of you."

"Maybe later because this car just stopped," Tea commented, stepping out of the vehicle the moment the door opened.

"You know, one nice thing about being married to a multi-billionaire is he doesn't care how much I spend on clothes," Selina laughed as she emerged from the vehicle. "Oh, Roland, I almost forgot; what did Seto tell you before we left?"

"He told me to stay close to you, and should I deem any situation dangerous, I am to bodily remove you," Roland replied, straightening his black coat and motioning for the girls to continue walking.

"Bodily remove me?" Selina asked, following her friends into the mall.

"Yes; I believe he's still unhappy about when you left the mansion without anyone's knowledge. Now, I will be almost non-existent."

Selina laughed, running ahead to Tea and Serenity and latching their arms together. "So, who's up for some shopping at an American mall?"

~*~*~*~

Hours and much spending later, the girls found themselves back at the beach mansion drinking smoothies and talking. When they had returned, the boys were nowhere to be found, so they assumed they had gone out to some electronic superstore - if one existed on the island.

"Alright, where's the confessions."

"What are you, a priest or an interrogator?" Serenity joked, leaning back in the comfortable leather recliner.

"I'll share mine, but you two are going to laugh."

"Go ahead, then it's Serenity's turn."

"Alright. Serenity is going to laugh the most about this one. When we were fourteen, Joey, Tristan, Yugi, and I were all hanging out at Mister Motou's game shop after classes. This was all before I considered Yugi as anything more than a friend, and when he was much shorter than me. Anyways, Joey was in the kitchen looking for food as usual and I was going in to get a drink. Now, I had always though he was cute, even though he could be so stupid sometimes." Tea grinned, closing her eyes and placing her hands around her abdomen. "I don't remember how it happened exactly, but Joey somehow became my first kiss. After that however, I didn't have a crush on him anymore and I can't remember why."

Both Serenity and Selina burst into laughter as they tried to imagine Tea with a crush on Joey, and the two of them kissing. For some reason, it was unimaginable.

"Joey never told me that. All I've ever heard about is Mai this, and Mai that," Serenity smiled.

"Alright Serenity, it's your turn; and this had better be good. Only, Tea and I get to pick the topic, and we want to know when Duke is going to propose."

Serenity sighed in exasperation, her eyes rolling slightly. "Fine, you want to know what's happening with me and Duke, I'll tell you."

Tea's eyes opened as she and Selina leaned forward in their seats, prepared to believe everything Serenity said.

"Well, we're in a serious relationship; I think you both knew that. And I'm in love with him, but I don't think it's as deep as the way he loves me. And I say this because of what happened. Nobody knows, so this is to be kept as a secret," Serenity warned, glancing at the two other girls. "We've never really discussed marriage or anything, but I think it's because we know that if we stay in this relationship, that's where it'll go. But, obviously, Duke has been constantly thinking about it for a while. On Valentine's Day, we went on a nice little picnic in some secluded area. While we were eating, he kept telling me how much he loved me and never wanted to let me go. I guess I didn't really understand where this was going." She paused, looking down at her hands and fingering the ring she wore.

"He told me he had made this special dessert, which surprised me because I didn't know he could cook. Of course, it turned out to be chocolate chip cookies, which he did bake and were good, but that's not the point. The one he handed me had this white wire sticking out of it; and it was in the shape of a ring. I eyed it, picked it out from my cookie, and that's when he got on his knee and held out a ring to me."

Tea and Selina gasped, their eyes widening as they both thought the same thing. He's already proposed!

"He told me how much he loved me and wanted to be with me forever. We had only been dating for almost four months, so I wasn't sure how to respond. I wanted to say yes, to make the day end in perfection…but I couldn't."

"Then what happened?" Selina questioned, her eyes shining.

"He wanted to know why, so I told him. I told him it wasn't because I didn't love him, but because I wasn't ready. And, I wasn't sure exactly who I was. I had only been nineteen for a short amount of time; plus, I wasn't sure how Joey would react to this. I do want to marry him, I just want to wait a little longer. I want to be completely, madly in love with him when we are engaged and do get married."

"I can't believe he never said anything!" Selina exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"I asked him not to."

"How long before you think he'll ask you again?" Tea asked.

"When I say, 'Duke, let's get married. How does…say, June sound?'"

Selina laughed, shaking her head. "You're going to 'propose' to him instead; that's priceless."

Serenity grinned, glancing down at the ring on her finger once more. "The next day, he went out and got me this ring; he told me it was to show the world he had claimed me and that I'd one day be his. He carries the engagement ring with him at all times."

All three girls laughed, continuing on in their conversation. Unknown to them, Kaiba, Duke, and Yugi had just returned from a little shopping excursion of their own. And they had no idea just what they had been planning.

~*~*~*~

"Did you ladies enjoy your shopping trip?" Duke asked, stepping into the room and interrupting the conversation.

"I certainly did; there are so many cute clothes for babies, I just had to buy some," Tea grinned, snuggling close to Yugi the moment he sat beside her.

"As long as you didn't buy the entire store," Yugi smiled, his arms wrapping around her.

"I would have bought it for her, but she told me she didn't want it," Selina shrugged, a grin on her face. "I was thinking about buying this one store called 'Gap' but I don't think Seto would approve of me owning a clothing store."

"If that's what you want, go ahead," Kaiba shrugged, a smirk on his face.

"So where were you guys anyways? When we got back, you three were missing." This statement came from Serenity, whose eyes were traveling to each male in the room.

"We needed to do some shopping," Duke answered, grasping Serenity's hands. "In fact, I got something for you. How does a nice ride on a yacht sound? Just you, me, the ocean, the dolphins…and the captain."

Serenity laughed, throwing her arms around Duke in a hug. "It sounds fun Duke."

"That reminds me; Tea, you need to go pack."

"Are we leaving early Yugi?"

"No. But you and I have reservations at the Four Seasons Resort for the next three nights. Just you, me, the ocean view, our own private lanai, and uh…whatever else the hotel offers; Kaiba recommended it," Yugi replied, grinning.

"Oh Yugi!" Tea exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. "That must have cost a fortune."

"Don't worry about it Tea; besides, you're much more important than money."

Selina sat in silence, turning her head to glance at Kaiba in expectation. In truth, she didn't expect him to get her anything, but she was curious anyway.

"Later," Kaiba whispered, bending down to her ear.

Selina smiled, her mind wondering what he could have gotten her. She didn't really care that he had gotten her something; but that he had specifically gone to a store to buy something for her showed he was thinking of her.

"If you four would excuse me and my wife; we have a reservation in thirty minutes, and it will take twenty minutes to drive there," Kaiba said, his eyes glancing at Duke and Yugi. Slowly, he held his hand out for Selina to accept.

"I didn't know you were taking me to dinner."

"I'm not," was all he said as he led her from the room and to their awaiting limousine.

~*~*~*~

"Seto Kaiba, what are we doing?"

"We have reservations for the hidden waterfalls. Apparently, they are a hot spot for tourists, but I was able to pull a few strings and got us in, alone. No one else is here except for the two of us."

"Hidden waterfalls? You mean, the pictures from the book you showed me; the place I said-"

"Yes," Kaiba grinned, slipping his arm around Selina's waist and leading her into the dense overgrowth of palms and bushes. "I was here earlier today, so don't worry, I know the way. And, if we happened to get lost - which we won't - there are these watches."

"You think of everything, don't you."

"Of course; I'm Seto Kaiba, I can't afford not to think."

Selina rolled her eyes, a smile shining upon her face as she lost herself in her thoughts while they walked. I can't believe he remembered me saying how beautiful it was and how I would like to go there. And then he went shopping with me in mind. Could he really be…falling in love…no, it's…it's not possible. If anyone were to be in love here, it would be me with him…but I'm not in love with him. Sure, I care so much for him, but I'm not in love with him; not yet anyways. I want to be, so badly, but I just can't seem to make myself love him. What was it Tea told me the other day? That you can't push love to happen and that when it happens, it just happens? That was it; that and to wait for love and look for the good. Well…it was something like that…

"Selina?"

Selina snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes taking in the scene before her. There were three waterfalls, each protruding over the hillside and falling in different directions. There were tropical flowers all along the lake's edge and deep green grass with soft dirt. The retreating sun was casting its final rays over the hillside and through the water, making it sparkle like diamonds.

"It's so beautiful," Selina whispered, drinking in the picture.

Kaiba nodded slightly, turning from the sight and making a motion to Roland, who was standing under a palm tree. He walked forward, gave Kaiba a basket, and disappeared into the tropical forest.

"And now, we eat. I didn't take you to dinner, I brought dinner to you," Kaiba explained, taking a blanket from the basket and laying it on the soft grass and dirt.

Selina smiled, seating herself on the blanket, her eyes never leaving the soothing waterfalls.

~*~*~*~

"It's getting late; look, the moon is already out," Selina whispered, closing her eyes lightly.

"Are you tired?"

"No."

"Then we'll stay a little longer. Are you cold?"

Selina smiled, snuggling deeper into Kaiba's arms. "A little."

Kaiba's face was expressionless, but his arms wrapped tighter around Selina's frame as he lay his chin against her head.

After a few moments of silence, Kaiba began to speak. "Selina, are you really happy like you claim to be?"

"Yes, I am," she answered in honesty. "I admit, it does get lonely around the mansion when Mokuba is gone and you're working all the time; but I am happy."

"Is there anything you want to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you were growing up, wasn't there something you wanted to become when you got older? For example, Mokuba wants to be a doctor."

Selina laughed lightly, envisioning the younger Kaiba with a white coat, stethoscope, and latex gloves. "I love kids Seto. I never really wanted to be anything except away from my father and happy. I guess, a part of me wanted to be around children in some way, but the other part of me wanted something with electronics."

"I can understand both of those," Kaiba chuckled, closing his eyes softly. "I think what I understand most is that you hate being alone."

"Yeah," Selina murmured, sighing softly.

"I'll take care of that. We should probably go," he said, releasing her from his arms and rising from the blanket. He held out his hand, helping her rise from the ground and proceeded to fold up the blanket. Grinning, he removed his coat and placed it over her arms, his eyes focused on hers as they shone in the moonlight.

"Selina, there's something I should tell you."

Selina lifted a brow, urging him to continue. He had piqued her curiosity.

Kaiba swallowed, his heart immediately speeding up. I am not nervous! He mentally growled as he thought about the power she held over him; like he was in some kind of spell.

"Seto?"

"Here, I got this for you," he said, handing her a small velvet box.

Slowly, Selina opened it, gasping at the contents inside. "They're beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes growing at the site of the two earrings. They were in the shape of a flower, but make of a pure diamond.

"Their beauty fails in comparison to you," Kaiba whispered gently, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Selina smiled softly, gently rising to her tiptoes and kissing her husband on the cheek. "Thank you."

Kaiba stood in silence, swallowing once more. "There's something I should tell you."

"You said that. What is it?" she asked in concern, placing the box in Kaiba's coat pocket and looking at him with worry.

"Selina…the other night, when I told you that I could buy you anything and take you anywhere. There was something I wanted to say, but it wasn't the right time to tell you."

"What is it Seto?" Selina whispered, her throat beginning to feel dry.

"Selina, for so long, I feared that I wouldn't be able to give you the one thing you really needed," Kaiba began, his eyes focused upon her. "But now, I know without a doubt, that I can. When you're around, it's like nothing else matters. I know it doesn't seem that way, but that's how I feel inside. For the first time in my life, for as long as I can remember, I feel free," he emphasized, a grin appearing upon his face.

"Free to be who I really am and not have to worry what the media will say or how people will look at me. Free from the pains of my past. For the first time, I don't care what anyone says, or care about humiliation. You make me feel alive. Instead of hiding away the smiles I feel, you make me want to smile at the world. Selina, I don't care what anyone says; I don't care where you've been, what you've gone through…you're the most beautiful woman to ever walk this earth. You can make me forget what I'm doing in a heartbeat; you're completely amazing," Kaiba finished, his voice soft as he reached for her hands, grasping them in his.

"What are you trying to say?" Selina whispered softly, her heartbeat increasing as her eyes began to mist.

Kaiba looked down at her as the light of the moon reflected off the gentle waterfall and to her sparkling eyes. He took a deep breath, his voice coming out soft and hoarse, yet very clear. "I love you."

- - -

And so the fun begins! Sorry for the delay on this chapter! Oh, a little note: I have never been to Hawaii, so most everything is what I'm imagining Hawaii would be like from books I've read, however, the Four Seasons Resort does exist and is about $750 a night. Also, a lanai is a Hawaiian term for a veranda of a roofed patio. I'll let you in on a little secret: guess who paid for all the gifts? Yes, it was Kaiba but that's not going to be mentioned -anywhere- in the story, it's supposed to be assumed considering Kaiba is filthy rich and Yugi could not afford to pay $750 a night for THREE nights…yeesh…there was one that was $7,000 a night, but that was a bit overboard, don't you think? ^___^

Anyways, I'll start working on chapter eighteen right away; and in the meantime, check out my other story: Into the MidnightSun. ^__^

~Shadow Angel