The Way I Loved You

Summary: Serenity is dating Tristan, who is the perfect gentleman to her. But somehow, she can't get rid of the thought of her ex-boyfriend; a certain infuriating, yet incredibly appealing CEO. Silentshipping.

Disclaimer: I woke up on Christmas morning, running to the Christmas tree to open my present, hoping Santa had brought me what I has asked for: the right to Yu-Gi-Oh! Unfortunately, that was not the case. I shall now patiently sit and wait for the next Christmas to come around.

Author's note: Merry Christmas, one and all! Christmas is sadly almost over, but I do hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. Now we can look forward to New Year's Eve ^-^. Anyway, I just finished this chapter (it's four in the morning here -_-). I hope you'll all accept this as my Christmas present to you. Again, there are a few things you should know about this. Well, actually, there's only one thing you should know. This chapter is exactly the same as the previous. But this time, it is from Kaiba's point of view. I hope you'll all enjoy it, and again, a Merry Christmas!

Chapter 2: Reminiscing

Business is tricky. If one is not able to estimate a single deal correctly, he can go bankrupt in only a day. If one is not focused, it can be fatal.

And focus is something that has slipped my mind today.

It is absolutely inexcusable. It is Christmas for crying out loud, the few days in the years when any company selling a worthwhile product should be on its toes. If not, it could easily be obliterated by the competition.

I know all this better than anyone. I have been in the world of corporate for years, as the CEO of the second largest company on the planet, right behind Microsoft. For years my company has been the greatest in its expertise, and if my calculations are correct, it will remain at its well-deserved place at the top for quite some time. I have numerous awards, from rather pathetic ones like the 'Best Dressed Celebrity' award to the prestigious 'Best Businessman' award. The money I make in one week is more than most will earn in a lifetime. I am respected and admired by many, feared by some. I was, am and always will be the very best.

But damn it, today I just can't concentrate.

Actually, it is not only today. My mind seems to have been slipping into standby on numerous occasions after a very unfortunate event occurred six months ago. I have been trying to get past it, but the more I deny it, the less my focus seems to become.

It was the day I ran into my very first ex-girlfriend again.

~o~

It was a Saturday in late June. The sun was already shining brightly when I left my mansion that morning at eight 'o clock precise. I had let my younger brother convince me to walk to work that day, a decision that I, when I saw the unnaturally crowded streets, instantly regretted.

I do not walk in the public streets often, and if I do, I usually were a less than flattering attire, consisting of worn-out jeans, an old T-shirt, sneakers and a baseball cap. It is so that no one will recognize me. Taking a relaxing stroll is hardly that relaxing with people obsessing over you the entire time.

That particular day, however, I was dressed in my signature outfit. After all, I could hardly show up at work in that old T-shirt and jeans. Security would probably throw me out of my own corporation before I could even show myself. Not to mention I would surely lose the respect of my employees, which is something no businessman could ever afford.

And so the people stared. I ignored them the best I could, while silently praying no one would confess their undying love for me right there on the streets. Yes, I know that sounds arrogant, but trust me, it wouldn't be the first time someone I had never even met proposed marriage to me in public. It is one of the biggest reasons I usually prefer my car over my legs to transport me to work.

The Domino Park was a possible route for me to take. I knew it would be a partial suicide, entering such an enclosed, public area, but I also knew that if I went around it, I would never arrive at my corporation before nine.

Thus I entered the park. An action which, I couldn't possibly have known then, I would soon sincerely regret.

The minute I walked through the iron gates, the loud chatter that would normally fill the park on a sunny day died down instantly. I pretended I had no clue what the people were whispering about, though I knew very well that it was all about me.

I kept a steady step, my ears focusing on the sound my shoes made against the pavement, my eyes on the path before me.

The benefit of being the most powerful man in the country is that people always make way for you. As I walked along the narrow path that would lead me to the other end of the park, the people slowly parted, stepping back onto the grass so that I could pass without a fuss.

Eventually, only a single figure remained on the path. A figure, I suddenly realized, I knew.

I nearly stopped dead in my tracks, just in time becoming aware of the fact that such an action would look completely ridiculous. Keeping my pace, almost robotically, I eyed the woman blocking my path.

She was as beautiful as she'd ever been, if not even more. Hazel eyes, auburn hair, pink lips. She wore a pale blue sundress, one I had never seen before. It justified her subtle, but gorgeous curves. She was staring at me, a look in her eyes I could not quite place.

She was the very first woman I had ever dated. The sister of a man I cannot stand, the only reason I even talked to her was to get on his nerves. That was, until I came to the realization that she was nothing like him. She was so… so wonderful. Polite, gentle and shy, she was nothing like her brother. She was the perfect angel.

I was roughly pulled from my thoughts about her when another figure stepped onto the path, lightly grabbing her arm and trying to get her out of my way. I instantly knew who it was. It was that friend of her brother, that insufferable nitwit who couldn't count one and one if his life depended on it. He was, however, also my ex's new boyfriend, or so I had been told.

I could feel my jaw clench at the sight. He wasn't allowed to touch her. His greasy little fingers should either stay by his side, or be chopped off.

It was rather pathetic, my fuss over him touching her. After all, I was the one who broke it off with her. I was the one who let her go. I did not have the right to keep her away from other men. Not anymore.

As I got closer, he let go of her and stepped back. She remained where she was, her eyes not once leaving mine. I think she was trying to give me an angry look, but she's never known how to do that. She's never angry, never upset. She doesn't hate, and if she dislikes, she never voices it. It is one of the things I admire about her.

Eventually, I reached her. She had still not moved from her spot. The path was too narrow to go around her.

"Would you mind?," I asked, in the coldest tone I could muster. I had to get past her, to get out of there, before I did something I knew I would regret. Damn it, I wished I had just walked around the stupid park.

She diverted her eyes to the ground, then took a step aside. I quickly continued my way, leaving her with her new boyfriend.

It took me all of my willpower to refrain myself from looking back at her.

~o~

And that is what has been draining my focus for the past six months. One look and three seconds of eye contact. Pathetic, is it not?

I suppose it is my own fault. I was the one to break up with her. Over a reason so stupid I am honestly doubting my intellect right now.

You see, she and I were a very big item when we first got together. Paparazzi was everywhere, always. I was used to it, and slowly, she adjusted to them as well. Everything seemed perfectly fine. That is, until I had that faithful meeting with my board of directors.

They told me I was losing publicity. That my relationship with her was getting old and boring. They advised me to break off our relationship, if only to stir the media a bit. I, being the fool I was, complied.

~o~

It was New Year's Day. I had just returned from work, going straight up to my office at home to tie some lose ends together before calling it a day.

I had planned on ending our relationship the moment I got home, but unfortunately, my soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend was out shopping with her sister-in-law. To avoid wasting time, I told my loyal butler to notify me the moment she came back, then started on the final paperwork that had to be done.

It wasn't until quite some time later when Fong, my butler, came to my office.

"The miss has returned, sir," he told me. "Do you want me to bring her up here?"

I nodded. "Yes."

He was about to leave when I called after him. "Oh, and Fong? When you have informed her, go and pack her belongings. She won't be residing here anymore."

He stopped, turned, and stared at me with a look in his eyes I hadn't seen in a very long time. It was disgust. However, Fong knows when to keep his tongue. He bowed to me. "As you wish, sir."

He had barely left the room when my telephone started to ring. Cursing whoever was calling for their horrible timing, I snatched the receiver from my desk and answered in a very annoyed manner.

It was the head of the Research and Development department of my company, calling me about a problem so deplorable I can't even remember exactly what it was. Biting into the phone what an utterly useless employee he was, I heard the door of my office slide open. I didn't have to look to know who it was; I motioned for her to come inside, then cut off my conversation, telling the man that if he didn't find a way to fix such a simple little setback, he'd be fired the next day.

I put the phone back, then walked around my desk to her. I wanted to get this over with a quickly as possible, and so I opened my mouth to tell her. However, just as I was about to spill it, she looked up at me, a smile on her pretty features. The words stuck in my throat.

Upon seeing my expression, she frowned. "What is wrong?," she asked me, sincere concern in her voice.

I just stood there, unable to answer her. I couldn't understand why it was so damn difficult to do this. I was a CEO for crying out loud. I fired people on a daily basis, and that had never bothered me before. Why was this so different?

I eventually found my voice long enough to choke out two words. "It's over."

There, that was it. I had done it. Or so I thought.

"What is?," she asked me, the concern in her eyes now mixing with confusion. Obviously, she didn't understand what I was trying to do. "Did the corporation lose the contract?"

I sighed, exasperated. As if this wasn't hard enough, she had to go and play so damn innocent with me. Then again, I was her first boyfriend, just as she was my first girlfriend. She had never been broken up with before; she couldn't possibly have known what I meant.

She gasped when she saw me, thinking my corporation had indeed lost the contract I had been fawning over for a long time. "It did? But I thought the corporation was in the lead… what happe-"

I abruptly cut her off. "We got the contract." I had signed the papers only hours ago.

"You did? That's great," she said, sincerely happy for me. I saw the gleeful look in her eyes fade to puzzlement. "But… then exactly what is… over?"

I, this time, did not hesitate to answer her. If it didn't happen now, it never would. "This relationship," I said, slightly wondering if I should point to her and myself to clarify. "Us. It is over."

I kept my eyes locked with hers, something that might not have been the smartest thing to do. I could so how hurt slowly filled her eyes, darkening their brightness. She was looking at me as though I was someone she had never met before.

"W-what?," she stuttered, her saddened eyes pleading with mine.

I had to use a lot of my willpower not to put my arms around her and tell her it was all a joke. Instead, I stood as a statue on my spot, and repeated myself robotically. "We're over."

At my words, my conformation, tears formed a barrier in front of her eyes. They flowed, slowly, down her cheeks, darkening the bright pink fabric of the warm sweater she was wearing. It was a horrible sight.

Unable to look at her, I turned around, and made my way over to the large window that granted me a view of the gardens. Snow was falling down in a rapid pace, covering everything in a layer of pure white. It was like a Christmas card. Too bad Christmas had already past, and Christmas Eve had been a night without even a single cloud in the sky.

I had hoped she would simply leave as soon as I had ended our relationship, but I sensed her presence behind me. I decided it would be best to tell her she had to leave the mansion as well. "Fong is packing your things as we speak," I said, finding it surprisingly easier now that I wasn't looking her in the eye any longer. "He will give you enough money to stay at a decent hotel for at least a month. I want you out within the hour."

Maybe it was cruel of me, throwing her out like that. It was all for selfish reasons too; I knew I could not stand it if she stayed around. If our relationship had to come to an end, then I wanted her out of my life. Permanently.

I heard her voice, calm and strong, behind me. "Alright then. I'll be out of your hair as soon as possible."

I nodded, though I'm not sure if she noticed it. I did not turn around, nearly holding my breath when I finally heard her leave the room.

The minute the door was pulled closed, I collapsed in my office chair.

~o~

After the ordeal, I was initially satisfied with the outcome. The media was regaining their attention for me, and sales went up five percent the first week.

I started dating another woman only a few days after the breakup. You see, ridiculously naïve as I was back then when it came to emotions such as love, I had figured that my first girlfriend was not that special. Sure, she had been the first to introduce me to the whole 'love' thing, but I figured that any woman could make me feel the way she did.

It was one of the few times I had been proven utterly wrong. I saw many, many different women after her, each and every one of them as unsatisfying as the next. For some strange, unexplained reason, sharing my bed with whatever woman brought me less happiness than just a simple smile from her.

It took me nearly a year to realize I would never find a woman like her ever again. It was a depressing thought, especially after my little brother moved out of the mansion and left me all by myself. But I knew I had brought it on myself, and so I did not complain. I pushed it back and buried myself in work. And that helped. That was, until I saw her again in the park that day.

I suppose the worst part is that she has moved on, while I'm still stuck in the past. She has found another one to love. A better one, probably. Though he lacks intellect, I do suppose he makes good boyfriend material. Unlike me, he knows something about love. He would never make the same mistake I did.

I should be happy for her.

Yeah... I should be. I'm just not. I hate the thought of him being with her, loving her, touching her, kissing her...

And there I go again. Damn it, I should really put her out of my mind. I have no right to think about her touches and kisses or whoever she shares them with ever again.

Even if I was the very first she shared them with.

~o~

It was spring. I was in my bedroom, changing my outfit from my signature white trenchcoat to a more elegant white tuxedo.

From the window in the room I could see her strolling around my oversized backyard, stopping now and then to admire a flower. She loves flowers. I don't. I think they are useless creatures, only used for a human's delight before withering and eventually disintegrating. The only reason I hadn't turned the gardens into one large sheet of grass was because both she and my little brother enjoyed the flowers so much.

I finished dressing by pinning the silver cufflinks that would keep the sleeves of my suit in place. Checking my watch, I noted that I had half an hour left before the recently scheduled meeting would take place. Seeing as it would take approximately fifteen minutes for me to reach my company's headquarters, I had fifteen minutes left to shoo her off.

We were not romantically involved back then. I was one to dismiss love as hormones, she was too innocent to even think about trying something. I was, however, mildly interested in her, both because she was the most amazing creature I had ever laid eyes upon, and because I knew it would piss off her brother, whom I despise.

I swiftly made my way downstairs, through the hall, outside. When I neared her, her back was towards me, her form slightly bent forward to inhale the smell of a branch of lilacs. The light pink sundress she was wearing seemed far too skimpy for early spring, but the cold breeze that still lingered from winter didn't seem to bother her.

"I thought I'd find you here," I said, to attract her attention. She turned to me, her cheeks a pretty shade of pink that fitted perfectly with the dress.

She smiled that perfect smile at me. "I can't help it," she said, motioning towards the gardens surrounding us. "It's beautiful out here."

"Hmm." I kept my snappy comeback about the uselessness of flowers in the back of my mind. Instead, I watched how the branch of lilacs she had just been observing swayed in the wind.

We were silent for a short period of time. Then, she asked me something. "Do you have a meeting soon?"

I redirected my gaze from the lilacs to her, a tiny bit surprised she had just guessed that correctly. "Yes. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just the suit," she said, casually nodding towards me. "You weren't wearing it before, so I figured you must have something important coming up."

I smirked at her train of thoughts. "Observant, as always," I noted.

She smiled at me, though only slightly. "Guess I should be going then, if you'll be leaving soon."

I nodded. She let out a heartbreaking sigh. Slightly raising my eyebrows, I asked: "You don't want to go home?"

She looked at the ground, lightly shaking her head. "Not really, no," she sighed.

Now I was not too familiar with the status of her family back then, but her sad pose told me everything I needed to know. Without really realizing what I was doing, I took a step towards her, ready to offer her to stay at the mansion as long as she pleased.

The moment I opened my mouth, however, she looked up. The pink blush on her cheeks had darkened slightly, and her wide eyes above it made it the most adorable sight I had ever seen.

I finally found my tongue again. "Would you like to stay here for the rest of the day?"

She nodded, smiling brightly. Her eyes were beaming, robbed of the sadness that had occupied them only seconds ago. It was as if they were pulling me towards her.

Before I could fully realize what on earth I was doing, I had wrapped one of my arms around her waist, pulling her into me. Her arms enclosed themselves around my neck, her delicate fingered running softly through my hair. My other hand settled itself onto her neck, lifting up her face. Our lips were mere inches away from each other.

I do not know if it was me or her, but soon the slight gap that remained between the two of us closed. Her body was pressed against mine, our lips touching. I had to bend over slightly to be able to reach her, but it was more than worth it.

On a certain point, her lips parted, allowing me full access to her mouth. I pulled her closer as our tongues danced the perfect tango. Emotions I had never experienced before rushed through my veins, making me feel as if I was the king of the world.

Due to a need for oxygen, our lips parted. I studied her beautiful face; her eyes were closed, her lips slightly swollen and the blush on her cheeks had now turned crimson.

She opened her eyes, those gorgeous large orbs that seemed to swallow me when I looked into them. She looked so dazed, so innocent, so perfect that I had to fight the urge to settle my lips on hers again. She was definitely the most...

Crap, what time was it?

Suddenly remembering my extremely important meeting, I rose, breaking our eye contact. Quickly checking my watch, I cursed myself inside my head.

"Damn," I panted, my breath still not having fully returned to me. "I'm late."

I turned and hurriedly left, leaving her stranded in my garden. It didn't matter though.

I knew she would wait for me.

~o~

I turned out to be right. When I came home that day, she was still there, waiting for me. I didn't waste time stealing a second kiss from her.

Thus we started seeing each other. Her brother wasn't as angry as I had originally hoped, but that didn't even matter anymore. She was mine, and that was all I needed to know.

She moved in with me only months later, more than ready to get out of the small and filthy apartment she had resided in before. She started out in one of the many guest rooms, not ready to share a bed with me yet. However, after a few more months and a night filled with rain and lightning, she moved into my room.

And yet we never did anything beyond that. Never. Sure, I'd had urges at some times, but it seems I was afraid to taint the pure white sheet that was her. It would be like a large black spot in freshly fallen snow; wrong and ugly.

Part of me now wishes we had gone further. If we had, I would never have left her. I would still have her. I wouldn't have had to hurt her, and I wouldn't be all alone.

The digital clock on my desk beeps. Five 'o clock. I should get going to celebrate the holidays with my younger brother, his girlfriend and her grandfather.

I go downstairs to get ready to leave, not forgetting to take the rather expensive presents I bought all of them.

It should be a nice enough Christmas, even if it is without the woman I love. I'll have my family around me, and that is all that counts.

Oh, and by the way, for the few of you who do not know me: I am Seto Kaiba.

I am Seto Kaiba, and I love Serenity Wheeler.

And that was chapter two! I tried to make Kaiba a bit more humane in this one, though still Kaiba-ish. After all, he's now in his late twenties, and he's had Serenity's good influence for nearly four years, so I figured he should at least be a little more humane. Now let's hope I pulled it off without completely pulling him out of character. Anyway, I am going to work on chapter three, the final one, as soon as I can. Hopefully I'll be able to post it either on the last day of this year or the first day of the new year. If I won't be able to do so, then I hereby wish you a Happy New Year. On a final note, I want to thank everyone who had reviewed so far. I'll be replying to them as soon as I finish this, when the hectic holidays are over. And now I will go to bed. Until next time! =3