Should've held my ground
I could've been redeemed
For every second chance
That changed its mind on me
I should've spoken up
I should've proudly claimed
That oh my head's to blame
For all my heart's mistakes

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
I 'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away

-Mess I made - Parachute

Seto stood hovering over the table, his eyes drawn to his shaking hand. After his escape from Pegasus's goons, he was shaky. The terrible thought of losing Mokuba, and watching his enemy be beaten by a clone of himself, it was all so hard to take. He closed his eyes struggling with multiple feelings. He never should have left Mokuba alone. Why did he do that? He promised to always come for Mokuba, and yet he had left him there alone, defenseless, with Pegasus waiting to strike. He sank into the chair, wishing he could make things different.

"Excuse me," a light angelic voice addressed him and he lifted his blue eyes to see who it was. A girl with olive-green eyes stared at him, her amber hair waving around her shoulders. She was dressed in soft jeans and a t-shirt. "May I sit here?" She asked, placing one delicate hand on the table.

He waved his hand at the seat, intrigued as to why a random girl would want to sit with him. Instantly his hackles rose, Pegasus was tricky, but would he resort to using a little girl to get his way? Seto couldn't be sure and decided to wait and see what she did.

"Thank you." The girl sat down and smile. For a few seconds she was silent, as if waiting for him to dismiss her. He also stayed quiet, waiting.

"Uhm, are you okay?" She suddenly asked. When his eyes narrowed she drew back a little, "sorry! That's none of my business. I just thought you looked upset and maybe you needed someone to talk to." She looked down at her lap, "I'm sorry."

Seto wasn't sure why, but this girl seemed vulnerable and not at all like someone Pegasus would use, "I do need someone to talk to." He muttered, "but I doubt you can help me."

She lifted her eyes, "m-maybe not... but you won't know unless you try." She smiled reassuringly. Seto couldn't say why, maybe it was the pressure of the situation or the loss of his brother, perhaps all the losses he had been experiencing lately, but he desperately wanted to trust this girl and he wanted to tell her everything. He bit his tongue, looking off into the distance, debating what to do. She waited patiently, watching him with curiosity. Finally his blue eyes came back and he gazed at her.

"I lost my brother," He started, "and I left him alone... I know where he is. But I don't know if he would want to see me. After all, I barely know who I am anymore. Why would he want such a weak brother?"

The girl tilted her head, "why do you think he wouldn't want to see you? Just because you left him alone? Everyone needs time to themselves. I'm sure your brother understands that."

Seto sighed, "it's more complicated than that. Never mind, I never should have said anything."

"No. Please. Let me try..." she reached across the table, hesitating to touch him. "I doubt you are weak, you just haven't ever lost right? And I'm guessing recently you lost... something you never thought would happen. But when it did, it tore your self-confidence away, and now you think you're weak. That's wrong though. When you lose, you aren't weak. Losing helps you grow stronger and learn from your mistakes so that you can be better in the future." She smiled, "we all have to lose sometimes to know how to stand when we need to. It helps strengthen our resolve. If we win all the time, we forget what it was like to lose, and that makes us cocky and we're blinded by our over-confidence. Never realizing that we aren't invincible, and that we can lose. Usually by the most unlikely thing or in the most unlikely way we ever imagined."

Seto blinked, his eyes widened as she spoke and he took in her words. Was she right? Did he really need that lesson to see what was important in his life? That Mokuba was more important than Duel Monsters? He looked down, what a fool he had been. His strength had always been his family. Mokuba had always given him the strength he needed to keep fighting for their future. Why did he let things change?

"Also... if you are anything like my older brother, then I doubt your little brother doesn't want to see you again. I bet he is waiting for you as we speak." The tips of her fingers brushed his hand. He looked down at her fingers and then back up at her.

"How can you be sure?"

She smiled brightly, "being a younger sister, I know no matter what, I would want to be by my older brother's side. We're family, and we love each other. That's reason enough."

Seto couldn't believe that this stranger was actually making sense, and that she was strengthening his resolve. He steadied himself and gave her a small smile, "you're right. Thanks."

"You're welcome." The girl glanced down the street, "I have to go now." She stood, "I'm glad I could help." She smiled. As she was walking away, a thought occurred to him; he didn't know her name.

"Wait," He called, jumping to his feet. "What's your name?"

The girl turned, her hair blowing in the wind, "Serenity." She replied, giving him a the warmest smile he had ever known.

"Seto," He said.

"I know." She nodded and continued on. Of course she knew who he was, for a moment he forgot that he was a champion of Duel Monsters and a CEO of an International Company. He watched as she entered the Hospital, he narrowed his eyes, wondering why she went in there. But he couldn't give it much thought, he had a little brother to rescue and a man to beat senseless. He turned away and walked quickly down the street, once more feeling alive as a tiny ray of hope filled his chest and the words of that girl- no, Serenity - filled his mind. He smiled, 'Thank you, Serenity. I'll never forget this.'