Seto Kaiba stared out into the ocean. It was probably the most calm he's ever been in the 23 years he's been alive. He stared down at the ocean from the deck of the cruise, and whipped around because he thought someone was going to push him over. No one was coming up behind him. An old lady sort of stared at him as if he were about to jump off, you know that scared/concerned face people get. He wasn't though. Seto Kaiba was the man. A rich, single, gorgeous man, what more could a woman ask for? Ha. That's right. Nothing.

Seto Kaiba was not exactly sure why he agreed to come on this cruise. He was alone, he didn't do well in parties, and he didn't know anyone besides Pegasus. That's pretty damn sad. He stared out into the ocean, taking it in before he returned inside. He'd never been that fond of the ocean or the sky, but something about it today just attracted him to it. Like a fly going to a light. He looked down the other sides of the cruise. He saw waiters and waitresses bring food in and out and waiters taking peoples orders. It was just about dinner time, 8 o'clock. He saw a family of 6 sitting at a table, ordering.

There was a tall man with his beautiful blonde wife, who were holding hands and looked so happy. It was surreal. Also at the table were 3 daughters. Two of them were blonde, one clearly older than the other. They smiled. The other daughter had black hair, she didn't resemble either of the two parents, but they accepted her anyways. Finally there was the eldest off all the kids, the brother. He was smirking arrogantly and wearing eyeliner. He was a rebel on the edge. Seto laughed, but on the inside Seto was jealous. He imagined them having lots of conflicts and fights but at the end of the day if they can sit down at the table and be happy, that was the best thing. He wanted a family. He wanted to feel that kind of bond. He wanted to get married. He wanted everything that came with all that. But he lacked the charisma to get a beautiful girl. Plus he had a reputation of being an asshole and most woman don't find that attractive.

He also had quite the reputation. Everyone thought he was gay. The last serious relationship he had was at least 2 years ago. With Ishizu Ishtar. He couldn't marry her because he didn't love her and she was willing to look past that but he couldn't do it. She was a wonderful girl but not the one for him. They seemed like they'd be a great couple. But it felt like they were like bobbers in the water next to each other. They had sex, but Seto really couldn't get attached to her. She attached to him though and drove him crazy. She wouldn't leave him alone. She was obsessed. To shut her up, he got engaged to her. She was ecstatic. He soon then broke off the engagement. And everyone started to think he was gay because, why the hell would he break up with her? She was rich, sophisticated, elegant, perfect. Everything a guy like him should marry. But he didn't want that. He felt she deserved someone who would actually love her. He admired her though. She took the break up well and understood. Because he had told her before that he just didn't love her. They talked occasionally now, every once in a great while they'd have dinner when she was in town.

Seto turned his head to the other side. There was a pretty brunette girl sitting in chair, smoking a Newport. She looked like she was just about 20, maybe younger. She was alone. One would think a pretty girl like her would be surrounded by friends. He would have walked over to her, but that would make him seem like a rapist. That would be bad.

The brunette girl looked around real quick as if she lost something, she saw Seto in the distance. She laughed because she probably looked really funny looking around for her purse like an idiot. The girls name was Brittany. She was 19. She had wavy dark brown hair and green eyes. She couldn't find her purse, so she thought she left it in her room. She tended to have momentary memory losses. Where was that Christina character at?

Brittany sighed and sat back in the chair and took a long drag of her cigarette. She looked out in the distance and still saw the guy who witnessed her act of stupidity. She smiled at him. He looked like he was desperate for some human contact. He looked like a decent guy. A really tall guy, but a decent one. She preferred blonde guys with blue eyes. He had gorgeous blue eyes but that was about it. Brittany wasn't very picky about the guys she dated. They had to be nice to her, not obsessive, affectionate, sweet. She wasn't vain so they didn't all have to be gorgeous. If they made her feel even the slightest bit comfortable, she'd stay with them. Comfort was the big thing in all her relationships.

She never really had comfort. With her parents, she had the comfort. When they died and she was sent to live with her aunt, there was no comfort. There wasn't any affection. There was nothing. She didn't care what she did. She just freaked out on Brittany all the time, for no reason. Blaming random things on her. Her aunt was an alcoholic. She couldn't have kids, she had a couple of miscarriages but for her to have kids she would have to give up drinking and that just isn't in the cards. Brittany was 13 when she was sent to America to live with her aunt. Brittany was born in America but lived in England and went to school there. She missed it. She missed everything about it. It was magical. Her aunt couldn't afford to send her back to England to finish school, so she ended up just dropping out at 15. It was very depressing. But, it's not time to think about the past. She took another drag of her cigarette and put it out in the ash tray next to her.

Brittany took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Enjoying yourself?" Someone asked her.

"Very much so." She said even though her eyes were still closed.

"You look like it. Are you here for business or pleasure?" The same man asked her.

Brittany smiled and moaned softly. "Pleasure."

The man laughed and Brittany opened her eyes. It was the man who was desperate for human contact. She was shocked but smiled and sat up a little.

"You?" She asked.

"Business." He replied and smirked.

Meanwhile...

On the other side of the ship, a pretty girl with blonde curls that spilled down past her waist, stood alone. She was leaning against the railings of the ship and staring out at the ocean. The salty breeze blew her blonde curls in the wind and she bit down on her lower lip. She loved the ocean right now. It was comforting to stare out at something so much bigger and more powerful then herself. It put things into perspective for her. As she stared out at the beautiful waters, she wondered vaguely where her best friend Brittany was and what she was doing. Probably chain smoking and flirting with the sailors, even though flirting with the sailors was something SHE herself would normally be doing.

But she had absolutely NO desire to flirt with ANYONE right now. She just wanted to be alone. So she didn't have to act. When she was alone she could be as depressed and as pathetic as she truly felt. She didn't have to pretend that she was ok and that her life was just the way she wanted it to be when she was by herself. She didn't have to smile her bubbly smile and giggle her flirty, girlish giggle. She could just be alone and think.

She was a very good liar. Her smile was her best lie. It really was. No one who looked at her could tell just how lost she felt. No one could see that behind that bright, bubbly, vivacious smile was a really screwed up little girl. Not even her best friends could look at her and see that. Brittany and Pegasus would probably be quite surprised if they knew how she really felt about life. Her lie of a smile was so good that no one could tell. She didn't know whether to be surprised about that or disgusted.

As she stared out at the rolling waves of the ocean, she wondered to herself why she was here. On this earth. She often wondered that. She had nothing really. She had no one. Sure, she had her older cousin, Mai Valentine. But she didn't REALLY have Mai. Mai had her own life, her boyfriend Joey. She herself hadn't had a serious, long lasting relationship in years. The longest relationship she had lately was seven hours. A glorious, sensual, lust filled seven hours.

But she refused to let anyone get close to her. She knew that she would just get hurt. People were constantly letting each other down, it was just human nature and unavoidable. And falling in love was out of the question. She had thought she was in love before...once. And she thought that he had loved her. But it had been just a lie, a relationship as fake as her smile today was. But whatever, she didn't want to think about that.Really, she thought, why am I here? She felt so out of place, everywhere she went. No matter where she was she always felt sooo uncomfortable and as if she didn't belong and her skin would get all...prickly. She HATED that. That horrible, intense skin prickliness. But it was always there, always. To remind her, as if she needed any reminder, that she had no place in this world...

"There you are my dear girl! I've been looking absolutely EVERYWHERE for you! Why are you hiding all by yourself over here?" Asked a loud, booming voice.

The voice was that of one of her best friends, Maximillion Pegasus. He owned this ship. He had invited, actually demanded, that she and Brittany join him on his cruise. To "make him look good" as he had put it. She quickly rearranged her face and when she turned she was wearing her bubbly smile.

"I just felt like staring at the ocean, it's sooo preeetty!" She said with a tender giggle.

"Yes yes, well you have all the time in the world to stare at the water, Christina Valentine, it's EVERYWHERE! Come with me to find that Brittany and then we can par-ty like it's our birthdays!" Pegasus declared.

Christina nodded and followed him, her long blonde curls fanning out around her in the wind as she followed him. As she walked, this guy with platinum blonde hair and gray blue eyes smirked at her and winked. She sighed inside her head and prepared to put on her act. She smiled her brightly, flirty smile at him and giggled and blew him a kiss. His smirk widened. She strutted along after Pegasus, and uh, accidentally let the back of her skirt fall down, revealing her black lace thong and little booty. The guy laughed as she unconvincingly made a sound of embarrassment and pulled her skirt up. Then she peered at him through her blonde curls, smiling and giggling. Thankfully Pegasus turned around the corner and she had to follow him, leaving the smirking blonde man behind.

"I swear Christina, you are a heartless flirt," Pegasus said with a chuckle, "I hope you don't have any daughters. They say kids are twice as bad as their parents, and I shudder to think what a girl twice as bad as you would do!"

Christina giggled and smiled.

"Don't worry Pegasus baby, I'm NEVER having kids. The whole happy little family thing is just not for me," Christina said.

Pegasus smirked.

"No, I can't picture you even married, let alone with kids," He said.

Christina laughed and hit him in the head.

"Oh ok Pegasus, that's why you ask me to marry you at least twice a week!" She said.

He smirked.

"I can't picture you married to ANYONE else but ME!" He said.

Christina hit him again and shook her head.

They saw Brittany ahead, laying on one of the lounging chairs and talking to some tall guy. Christina couldn't really see him. Just then she remembered she had to call Mai.

"I have to call my cousin, Pegasus, I'll be in my room. Meet me there with Brittany," Christina said.

Pegasus nodded, and Christina hurried off. Pegasus walked up to Brittany and the tall guy, who he knew to be Seto Kaiba.

"Why on EARTH are you talking to KAIBA BOY! Ewww Brittany!" Pegasus yelled with a smirk as he thumped Kaiba on the back as a way of greeting.

Seto turned around and punched him in the stomach. "Hello Pegasus." He said, his icy blue eyes glaring at him.

Brittany laughed, everywhere Pegasus went he was known to cause some sort of drama.

"Hey Peggy. Where's Miss Christina at?" Brittany asked, smiling at Seto cause he looked like a deranged cougar and Pegasus was the helpless deer. She hit him in the head. "Stop that dear boy."

"CHRISTINA, my GIRLFRIEND, went to her room! To call her cousin back or something. Let's ditch the square," Pegasus said, smirking at Kaiba, "and go get little Christina and make her party with us!" Pegasus nodded.

Just then a man with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes walked around the corner. It was the guy Christina had been messing with. He smirked at Pegasus, looking too arrogant for words.

"If the Christina you're talking about is that blonde girl, I doubt you'd have to MAKE her party," He said with a sneer, "she looks like a lot of fun."

Pegasus chuckled.

"Eavesdropping are you Malfoy old boy? That's awfully rude, though I admit cursed useful," Pegasus said.

The man named Malfoy smirked.

"Yeah, uh hu. Like I was saying, the blonde looks like a lot of fun, but THIS one is more to my taste," He said, his blue eyes lingering on Brittany as he smirked wider.

Pegasus chuckled, then stopped, looking suddenly angry.

"She's MINE Malfoy man!" Pegasus exclaimed!

Malfoy smirked and laughed, then walked away.

Pegasus shook his head.

"Oh that arrogant Malfoy! How he ever became a business man is beyond me!" Pegasus said, shaking his head still.

Brittany smiled.

"He's gorgeous. I'd tap that so... hard!" She moaned and leaned back in the chair, practically out of breathe. Then she stood up and brushed herself off. "Okay, I'm better. Let's go. Bye Mr. Kaiba. Pleasure meeting you." She said and smiled then walked away with Pegasus.

Seto laughed, crazy people you meet on cruises. I wonder how Pegasus got so popular. Why don't most people see him for being the crazy, reckless, loser he is? This puzzled him.

Christina was sitting in her room. The phone next to her ear was still ringing. She let it continue to ring because that Mai character needed to answer her damn phone. She knew that it was Christina who was calling. Finally after about three thousand rings she picked up.

"Hello?" Mai asked.

"Hellooo my darling cousin! How ARE you?" Christina asked cheerfully as she leaned back in her bed.

"Christina. Where are you?" Mai demanded.

"We-ell, I'm in bed..on a boat...Pegasus's boat!" Christina said with a giggle.

"What?" Mai asked.

"I'm on a cruise, on my dear Maximillion's ship. It's quite nice," Christina said.

"You're with Maximillion Pegasus again? Why? I can't stand that man," Mai muttered.

"I adore him. He's hilllarrrious!" Christina said.

"Yes, well whatever. The reason I called you is because I have news," Mai said

"Oh? And what would that be?" Christina asked as she played with one of her blonde curls.

"I'm getting married. Me and Joey are getting married," Mai said.

Christina let the blonde curl in between her fingers fall to her shoulder and she sat up fast. Suddenly she felt her skin prickling again. Her throat closed up, making it hard to swallow.

"Did you hear me?" Mai asked.

Christina gulped.

"Uh, yeah. That's great news Mai. Really great. You and Joey were made for each other," Christina heard herself say.

She vaguely heard Mai talking and herself answering. She really didn't hear the rest of the conversation. After about ten minutes, she realized Mai had hung up and so she flipped her cell phone shut. She rolled over onto her stomach, thinking. What was wrong with her? She should be happy for her older cousin. She really should. But...it was sooo selfish to think this way, but she couldn't help it, now Mai would have everything. Her life would be perfect, complete. She wouldn't need Christina. Christina felt like she had just lost her cousin. Her tiny little world of people close to her had just grown smaller. She hated herself for feeling that way, but couldn't help it.

Meanwhile...

Seto was eating spaghetti. Staring out into the ocean literally all day was truly exhausting. Sometimes he would have to yell at someone to get him an umbrella cause the sun was in his eyes. He was always thirsty cause the waiters go all the way around getting peoples orders before bringing yours first. It was annoying. He bitched one of them out. She was a stupid cunt. She didn't have time to deal with her annoying ass. Seto twirled a bunch of noodles around his fork and shoved them in his mouth. They were good but, they weren't that good. Shitty ass food. I wonder if they have a sushi bar. I would kill for an eel roll or two he thought. Then he was thinking of salmon rolls, and how good they were with duck sauce. He finished off his plate within a few minutes. He got his bill and it was $13.78. He threw a fit and left without paying. They'll never suspect it was him he thought. He smirked and went to go find a sushi bar. He couldn't find one. It made him sad and angry at the same time. He wanted to punch someone or something. He needed too. He was very frustrated. All over sushi. It was that good.