Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Yu-Gi-Oh.
Chapter 3: Someone Clever
The next day, it seemed so obvious.
That girl... There was something about her that was special; something that affected Seto Kaiba in a profound way. He behaved differently around her.
During the Duel Monsters tournament at the park, he did not ridicule her poor strategies. Nor did he insult her relation to that dog, Joey Wheeler. He even gave the girl a split-second smile—something rare, inexplicable, and contrary to Seto's normal persona.
And what of the way that he stared at her at the ice cream parlor? That was a novel act as well, for he rarely gave others even a passing glance.
Moreover, Seto continued to dwell on her that evening, keeping the girl in his thoughts long after departing from her.
That was simply something about that girl...
...and Mokuba knew it.
The kid snickered to himself as he considered these things.
Seto, returning home from a long day at Kaiba Corporation, noticed his little brother's crafty grin immediately as he walked in the door.
"Hello, Mokuba," the businessman greeted with suspicion in his voice. Raising a distrustful eyebrow, he added, "You seem awfully cheery today."
"I am," the boy smiled.
Kaiba eyed his little brother warily, expecting more details, but the kid merely grinned back at him. Dismissing Mokuba's awkward mannerisms, Kaiba said indifferently, "Well, that's nice," and set his briefcase on the floor.
Mokuba then pointed to a stack of envelopes on a nearby table. "I got the mail for you, big brother," he proudly announced.
Kaiba seated himself at the table. "Thanks," he muttered, picking up the envelopes. He thumbed through them quickly, but stopped when he came to an envelope that was completely blank. "What's this?" he wondered. He opened the envelope and silently read the letter inside it:
'Seto Kaiba,
You are powerful in the business world, your intellect is unmatched, and your dueling skills are world-renowned. I like a man like that. I am fond of you, and I want to stand beside you as you continue to climb to the top. Please meet me at 5:00 tomorrow evening, under the sakura tree in the park.
-Your Secret Admirer'
Seeing the words, his lips curled into an egotistical smirk.
"What are you reading, Seto?" Mokuba asked curiously, peeking over his brother's shoulder.
"Here, see for yourself," Kaiba answered as he handed the letter to his brother.
Mokuba read through it, then excitedly commented, "Wow! You have secret admirer! That's so cool!"
The older brother chuckled arrogantly, saying, "You act as if it's is a new concept. I get swamped with love letters every day at school, Mokuba. I have to compliment this one, though..." He snatched the letter and read it again.
"She's clever," he acknowledged. "She knew what I wanted to hear, and she kept the note short and simple—none of that 'I'm madly in love with you' nonsense. She thoroughly considered her words. She knew exactly what she needed to write in order to convince me to meet her."
Mokuba guessed hopefully, "So you're going then?"
Kaiba remained ever serious. "Well, it's certainly a compelling letter," he reasoned, "unlike any one I've ever gotten before. I'm so used to lovey-dovey, high school garbage that I'm not sure how to handle this one. Despite her ruse, she could just be another obsessive fan, and I really would prefer not to waste my time. It's probably best to throw the letter away and forget about it."
"But if the letter is so different, it's worth looking into," Mokuba argued. "Aren't you curious to see who she is?"
"I suppose so," Kaiba muttered, more to himself than to Mokuba.
"That's great!" Mokuba exclaimed.
Kaiba rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Keep your excitement to yourself, Mokuba," he snapped, "and leave me alone. I've got a lot of other mail to go through."
"Okay," the kid consented, leaving his brother in quiet solitude.
Seto picked up the love note one last time. Running his fingers lightly across the concise words, he let out a sigh. There was something about that letter...
The next evening, just before 5:00, Seto stood under the sakura tree, his stance rigid and his arms folded. Looking around the park with narrowed, ruthless eyes, he was prepared for the worst. The mysterious admirer could very well be nothing more than an obnoxious, love struck teen. He eyed every girl who passed by like a hawk, warning her to stay away, lest she face his merciless claws.
Another girl appeared in the distance. Kaiba turned his attention to her and watched as she drew nearer. She was a dainty, little thing, with long, auburn hair and eyes that were wide with innocence.
"Serenity?" Kaiba murmured the name in disbelief.
He scanned her body again just to ascertain her identity. Yes, it was her, but how could a girl like that conjure such a letter? Perhaps she was not headed his way. She seemed to visit the park frequently, so she could just be on casual stroll...
Yet she kept walking straight toward him. At last she noticed him, waving happily and smiling brightly. She joined him under the tree and greeted, "Hello, Kaiba."
"Hello," he guardedly replied.
"What brings you here this evening?" Serenity curiously wondered.
Kaiba replied dryly, "I'm meeting someone."
Serenity's cheeks warmed into a rosy blush. "Oh," she shyly remarked, "I am too."
The businessman locked his cold eyes on her. Had Serenity just confessed to writing the love letter?
Kaiba could no longer restrain his desire for certainty. "Serenity," he addressed the girl sternly, "is this your work?" He reached into his pocket, pulled out the note, and handed it to her.
As the girl looked over the hollow words, her face crinkled up in disgust. "I would never write something like that," she claimed.
"I didn't think so," Kaiba muttered under his breath.
Serenity cocked her head in confusion. "Something strange is going on here," she deduced. Pulling out a letter of her own, she questioned, "Did you write this?"
Kaiba unfolded the paper and read its message:
'My Dearest Serenity,
You are the most wonderful girl that I have ever met, with beauty and grace like that of an angel. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days with you. Meet me in the park tomorrow at 5:00 P.M.
Love,
Your Secret Admirer'
Kaiba found himself similarly repulsed by the mushy words: "I would never write something like that."
Baffled, Serenity asked, "Then who wrote these letters? And why?"
"It's clearly a setup," Kaiba concluded. "The writer catered to our personal tastes in an attempt to increase the likelihood of our showing up for this meeting. Someone is clever."
Serenity took both of the notes and studied them closely. "You're right," she gasped. "Even the handwriting is identical, but who—"
"Let me think for a minute," Kaiba harshly interrupted. Pursing his lips in contemplation, he took a moment to analyze the situation at hand. The answer came to him with stunning clarity:
"I should've known," he furiously growled.
"Known what?"
Kaiba spoke through gritted teeth, "It was my brother."
"Mokuba?" Serenity inquired, finding it rather hard to believe that Kaiba's little brother was responsible for the false love notes. "Are you sure?"
Kaiba vividly recalled the boy's behavior. Mokuba had been annoyingly forward with his questions and comments regarding Serenity, and he had grinned ever so devilishly. "Yes, I have no doubt about it," he firmly asserted.
Serenity giggled, "What a cute idea!"
Kaiba raised an eyebrow and repeated, "Cute?"
"Yeah," Serenity laughed. "What do you think we should do about it?"
"What do you mean? I'm going to Kaiba Corp.," the CEO told her matter-of-factly. He then made a motion to leave.
"But you can't go!" Serenity protested, tightly clenching Kaiba's arm.
"Don't touch me!" Kaiba snarled, giving her an extremely cold glare.
Those eyes were unlike any others she had ever seen. They were like the sharpest glass, painfully slicing her skin, and they were like the coldest ice that burns and numbs—freezes and kills. They seemed to pierce her very soul. Serenity quickly and unquestioningly obeyed the teen's command and let go of his arm. She then turned her head away, no longer able to look at him.
All was quiet for a long while, but Kaiba broke the silence. "I'm sorry if I scared you," he apologized flatly.
"Oh... um... It's okay," Serenity said, unsure of how she should respond.
Another silence.
"Look at me," he said, his oddly voice soft.
Although she was afraid to meet the intimidating eyes again, she fought her fear and looked at him. His face was serious, as it so often was, yet the eyes were different. They were now more like dull sapphires, empty and lacking. She could not understand how a pair of eyes could change so quickly, and she was so unsettled that she did not know what to say.
"I'm sorry," Kaiba repeated.
"It's okay, really," she said uncomfortably. "I shouldn't have-"
Kaiba interrupted her. "Why did you try to stop me?"
"I don't want to disappoint little Mokuba," Serenity admitted. "He went through all the trouble to put this together; he'd be so heartbroken if his plan didn't work out. I thought that we could go on a date."
"Hmm" was all the Kaiba could muster.
She began to blush terribly, then added, "It wouldn't have to be anything special. We'd just be doing it to please Mokuba."
"I see," Kaiba mumbled, knowing that Serenity was right. Mokuba would surely be embarrassed and crestfallen if his master plan failed, but was it Seto's duty to prevent that from happening? After all, Mokuba's plot was deceitful, and he possibly deserved some sort of punishment. And yet... the kid was his brother, always good to him and proud of him. From a young age, Seto had sworn to take care of the kid, and even now—even when it meant spending time with a Wheeler—the older brother had to uphold his promise.
"So, is it a date?" Serenity asked him.
"It is."
