Serenity stretched, the morning light falling onto her and flattering her beautiful figure. She got up, shivering slightly from the lack of clothing she wore to bed. Her tank top and short shorts clung to her body, drenched with sweat. She was having one of her nightmares again. She blew her bangs out of her eyes, brushing it off like she usually did. She glanced around her room, finding her boyfriend's clothes thrown aside carelessly as he ran to take his morning shower. Serenity smiled sweetly; he was always late for something. She walked over to the door, knocking gently to get over the sound of the water.
"Duke," she called, hoping he'd hear her. "I have to go soon. Hurry up!" Soon the water subsided, and her very wet boyfriend emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist.
"Good morning to you too," he said, smiling as he kissed her fully. Serenity smiled back, pushing him away playfully.
"Duke," she said, giggling as he hugged her from behind and started kissing her neck. "I need to go to school. If I have any hope of staying in college on a scholarship, I can't afford to be late every day."
"It's your first year, they'll forgive you," he said, kissing her neck and making her shiver. Serenity found it so hard to resist, but she did have the better self control in the relationship. She pushed him away gently, laughing.
"Duke, I need to go. Not all of us have the job of our dreams and have enough money to support ourselves for another twenty years."
"You could just let me support you, Serenity," he told her, rolling his eyes. "I understand that you want to be independent, but there's a difference between independent and stubborn."
"Shut up," Serenity said, throwing her towel over her shoulder as she walked into the bathroom.
"You moved in with me so you wouldn't be a burden to your brother," he reminded her. "I took you in because I'm in love with you. You're my girlfriend, Ren. Let me take care of you until you finish school at least." Serenity smiled and stuck her tongue out.
"Never." And she slammed the door in his face.
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An hour later, Serenity emerged from the shower, feeling fresh and clean. Duke had left for work, leaving her alone in the small apartment. She flopped back on the bed, hitting her hand on the headboard as she went. She winced, cradling her hand with her other one. Looking out the window, she couldn't help but sigh. She had decided to move in with Duke, who lived in the city. Her brother and his girlfriend still lived in the suburbs half an hour away. She moved out to have a little bit of independence from her over protective brother, but she also decided that her brother deserved to take a break for the first time in both their lives.
Ever since their mother's suicide seven years ago, Serenity and Joey had been through hell and back. Through their childhood, though Serenity couldn't remember it much, they had been running from their abusive father. Serenity didn't remember him at all. He was dead now, for all she knew. Then they'd lived in the Kaiba mansion.
Serenity got up and pressed her palms to the window. Across the city, with several huge skyscrapers to show it, she saw the powerful Kaiba corp. She had lived in the mansion that had bred its president, Seto Kaiba, from age's seven to eleven. Her memories were fuzzy, but at the same time all too clear. That house was hell; she only had two refuges. One of them was Mokuba Kaiba, who had been her best and only friend throughout her childhood years. The other was Yuri, who had become her foster mother after her and Joey's mother committed suicide. Serenity had grown up happily, though her mother had barely ever made an appearance in her life for those four years. After her death, Yuri had brought her own child and them away, moving out of the city and into the suburbs. There, Serenity had lived a quiet life, full of happy memories. Joey and Yuri's daughter Mai had basically been her surrogate parents, which, Serenity figured, had led to their becoming a couple. But, as soon as Joey turned sixteen, he fulfilled the promise he had been intending to when he was fourteen. To move out and take his sister with him, therefore they would never burden anyone again. Yuri, with a heavy heart, had let them move to the apartment buildings bordering the city. It was a nice place, where she and her brother had become such close family. The minute she turned 18, Mai had moved in with them. It was such a sure thing, that they were going to be together forever. Serenity smiled sadly; she wished for something like that for herself. Everyone thought she had it already. One of the few secrets that she ever kept was that, even though Duke was so wonderful and she did love him, she didn't love him as much as he loved her. And she knew, unlike he seemed to not know, that they weren't going to be together forever. The luster was gone, the fire was gone. Eventually… everything would be gone.
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Serenity walked down the city street three hours later, her class letting out early because the teacher had some family issues. She hadn't been to the city in so long; she seemed to be getting lost at every turn. She discovered men leering at her left and right, and she couldn't' help but cross her arms over her chest. Growing up, Serenity's figure had been the envy of every girl she knew. She had always been an hourglass, and it made her self conscious. As she walked down the side walk, a car pulled up next to her. She couldn't believe this; she was starting to hate city life.
"Hey," a voice called from the car, which was starting to speed after her.
"Leave me alone," Serenity called out, increasing her speed. She heard the car park, and she heard someone get out. Wasn't anyone watching this? Why wasn't anyone stopping this?
"Would you just stop?" the voice, who she recognized as a guy's voice, called out to her.
"Drop dead," Serenity called over her shoulder, her pace not slowing down in the slightest.
"Are you Serenity Wheeler?!" the voice shouted, causing Serenity to stop suddenly. The stranger caught up with her, his hand grasping her shoulder. Serenity turned to face violet eyes, violet eyes she hadn't seen in years.
"Mokuba?"
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"I can't believe it's really you," Mokuba said, smiling over a steaming cup of coffee. "It's been years."
Serenity smiled back, swirling creamer into her coffee. "It's been seven years, to be exact."
Serenity couldn't believe how odd life was. Just two hours ago, she was lost on a city street. Now she sat in one of the most expensive coffee bars in the city, catching up with an old friend. Serenity could barely force herself to look at Mokuba. Aside from their odd reencounter, she couldn't help but notice how much he'd grown in the seven years they hadn't seen each other. Or how good looking he'd become. He wasn't as pale or skinny as he used to be. He'd grown up with some color in his skin and with a slightly muscular build. His black hair was always unruly, now was no exception, but it seemed to work for him. He'd grown seriousness in his face, but he still had that smile in his eyes. It was the same Mokuba, in a way anyway. Here they were, catching up on life. She'd forgotten how easily they could talk. She was glad that aspect of him hadn't changed.
"So, you moved out of your brother's and now…?" Mokuba asked, swirling his straw around in his soda.
"I…uh… I'm living with my boyfriend," Serenity said, not sure why it was so uncomfortable to talk about all of a sudden. Mokuba raised an eyebrow.
"Boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Serenity said, sipping her coffee. "Been going on about a year or so now."
"You haven't mentioned him this whole time," Mokuba said, smiling and leaning forward. "Tell me all about him."
Serenity felt guilty about keeping something from Mokuba; she didn't even understand why she did it. Duke just seemed to have slipped her mind.
"His name's Duke," Serenity said, sipping another mouthful of coffee. "He's one of my brother's friends. They went college together and they worked together; he just transferred here a year and a half ago. He owns a shop called 'Dungeon Dice Monsters.' Heard of it?"
Mokuba took a long moment sipping his soda. "I might have."
"Well, anyway," Serenity continued. "Joey has enough on his shoulders supporting himself, so I decided to move in with Duke. It seemed like the next step, I mean we've been dating for a while. And it's not like we aren't… intimate or anything."
Serenity usually was more reserved while discussing intimacy, but with Mokuba, she just felt that comfort that had stayed with her all these years. She looked up, and was relieved to see he wasn't making fun of her or pressing her for details. He was just listening intently.
"We've been living together for about three or four months," Serenity said. "And, it's alright."
"…Serenity," Mokuba said, sipping his soda slowly and thoughtfully. "Why'd you move in with him?"
"…I don't know," Serenity said, sipping her coffee again. "It's what couples do, isn't it?" Mokuba leaned back in his chair, downing the last of his soda.
"Not necessarily, Ren," he said, chewing on an ice cube. "The way I see it, living by stereotypes and expectations isn't any way to live." Serenity thought on what he said as she too, finished her drink.
"So how's your life, Mokuba?" she asked him.
"I can't complain. I mean, my brother's been busy since our dad died, running the company and all. I barely get to see him, but I go out enough that it's both our faults."
"I read about your dad dying in the paper a year ago," Serenity said, patting his hand. "I'm so sorry."
"It's no big deal," Mokuba said. "And once Seto started college, I barely saw him anyway. Running the company means I get to spend five minutes a day with him instead of the fifteen I used to have. It's not as if Gozaburo was my real dad, or that much of a father to me. He was the scum of the earth. I hated that bastard."
"Mokuba," Serenity said, scolding him silently. He just looked at her, causing both of them to go silent.
"So, tell me about the school situation," Mokuba said, putting a smile on his face as he changed the subject. Serenity smiled, grateful.
"It's pretty good," she said, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I just need a job, but I don't know how to do anything."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"All I can do is cook and clean," Serenity said, swirling her finger around the coffee cup's rim. "I helped Yuri around the house all those years after we moved out, and I always cook for my brother and my boyfriend. I can't do much else." Mokuba thought for a moment.
"You know, there's a shortage of staff at the house. Why don't you come and work there?" Serenity just stared at him, and then she remembered that Mokuba had no idea what her mother had gone through when they lived there. How could he? He was so young.
So was I, Serenity thought to herself.
"Ren" Mokuba said, pushing his face closer to hers. "Are you alright? You seem a bit pale."
"I'm fine," Serenity said, shaking her head. "I guess all that coffee just got to me. So, you want me to be a maid?"
"Not like that," Mokuba said, and Serenity saw the earnest in his eyes. "It would only be once in a while. I guess you could consider it part time, only you can choose the hours, if you want. And I'd pay you good money, Ren. I can't skimp out on my best friend." He flashed a beautiful smile, making her blush.
"So what do you say?" he asked, resembling an excited little puppy with the hope in his eyes. "We could spend more time together that way. And I won't let you work hard or let it interfere with anything. C'mon Ren, what do you say?" Serenity looked at her friend and at all the hopes in his eyes. It wasn't like she'd have to face the father Kaiba anymore; he was gone forever. There was nothing bad for her to go back to.
"Sure, why not?"
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Serenity came home a little later then planned, but thankfully Duke was running late. She got in the shower and put on a T-shirt and underwear, letting her wet hair drip dry down her back. She started looking through her things, finally finding the small book of photos form her years at the Kaiba mansion. The earliest pictures featured Joey, their mother, and her. Serenity smiled sadly as her fingers brushed the photos of her mother. She was such a beautiful woman, her personality even more so. The pictures slowly progressed to include Yuri, Mai, and then finally Mokuba. There were so many pictures of her and Mokuba together; they were so close, almost like lovers. Serenity chuckled at the thought. The small book of pictures finally reached its end, leaving Serenity with painful, but happy memories. Her sweet, beautiful mother had gone through suffering for the sake of her children. At first, Serenity had been angry with her mother for not being able to resister the torture. But, as the years went on, Serenity just grew sadder and sadder. Her mother had given up happiness to give her kids happiness. Serenity just wished she hadn't buried herself so deep in grief; it could have been possible for her to make her way out of it. A door opening alerted Serenity, and a minute later Duke sauntered in the room.
"Hey, babe," he called out to her, sitting on the bed to take his shoes off. Serenity winced slightly; she hated when he called her that.
"Hi, Duke," she said, getting up to hug him. He instead grabbed
her wrist and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. She kissed back
for a few seconds, and then tried to pull away. He wouldn't let
her, pulling her onto the bed with him.
"Duke," she said,
pushing him away after a few seconds. "Honestly."
"Is kissing my girlfriend a crime?" he asked her, slightly miffed.
"No," she said. "Of course not. It's just that I figured we could, you know, talk."
"I'm too tired to talk," he said, reclining back on the bed.
"But you're never too tired for sex," Serenity mumbled, just on the verge of being pissed off. Duke turned over on his stomach to get a better view of her.
"You say something?" he asked her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm going to make some dinner," she said, getting up off the bed. "Any requests?"
"Keep your pants off?" he said, grinning slightly. Serenity hit him, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance on her face.
"I guess I'll make some sandwiches," she said, pulling a pair of shorts off the floor and onto her body. "Turkey or roast beef?"
"Neither," Duke said, pulling his shoes back on. "I think I'm going out for dinner. Don't wait up." Before Serenity could answer, Duke slammed the front door behind him. Serenity bit her lip, something she did whenever she was pissed off. She had wanted to talk to Duke about Mokuba's job offer. He hated the Kaibas as much as her brother did. Joey hated Seto Kaiba for a confrontation from when they were younger; Serenity was passed out for that. Duke just seemed to have a hate campaign going against rich people. Her brother had a hate campaign over a stupid childhood grudge, against one of the most powerful men in the world. Seto Kaiba...
Serenity leafed through some magazines she owned, and sure enough, there were pictures of Seto Kaiba. He ran one of the most powerful companies in the world, and though normally boring, he was very popular. His looks, intelligence, and young age combined seemed to have put him on par with some of the most talented actors and singers in the world. He was incredibly good looking; these glossy magazine pages didn't lie at all. Flipping through magazine after magazine, Serenity discovered that his hair had grown slightly, reaching into his eyes. His eyes were a piercing blue; though she was only staring at a picture, she could feel the intensity of his stare. She remembered that stare distinctly in her mind; it was amazing. She had only had two encounters with Seto Kaiba, out of the many years she had lived in that mansion. He had the same handsome features and same dead set stare. The only thing that had seemed to change about Seto Kaiba was his age. She distinctly remembered the times she had met him; he had known her name already, while she was just discovering half of what his name would someday mean in her lifestyle today. She had spent the night in his room at a young age, him not even glancing over once. He had done a good deed, though he looked at it as more of a way to prevent annoyance. The second and last time she had seen him was the morning of her mother's suicide. She distinctly remembered fainting and then waking up in the servant's quarters. She was the only person in that room, until she had glanced at the doorway and saw his retreating back. She remembered hearing three distinct words, so low she had to strain to hear them. "Be strong, Wheeler." It was such a sweet sentiment that he most likely did not remember in the slightest. It was an odd realization to think about. She looked down at the phone number Mokuba had scribbled across her hand before they parted ways.
"If you decide you want the job, just call me," he had said. Staring at the number, she decided that she didn't need anyone else's opinions to impact her own. She needed a job, and one had been handed to her. Who was she to say no? She reached for her cell phone on the bedside table and slowly typed in the numbers.
"Hello, Mokuba?" she said into the receiver. "It's Serenity. I'll take the job as soon as you can give it to me."
"Great," Mokuba said on the other line. Serenity could feel his smile through the phone. "When can you start?"
Serenity didn't even hesitate on her answer. "Tomorrow would be fine."
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Second chapter's done. I hope you all liked it. The chapter flow might be a little slow, since school is hectic. But I'll have as many chapters as I can out whenever I can. Serenity and Seto will meet very soon, I promise - . Ja!