At This Moment
Seto x Serenity
By Charismatic Beauty and Falchionne
Chapter 3
Connections
Tea Gardner had been friends with Yugi Moto for many years. She had stood up for him as he struggled with bullies in school and had tried her best to help him as his life was brought into chaos with those strange Egyptian mysteries. There were times she felt distant, able only to look on as Yugi met with peculiar characters. Other times she felt awkward, unsure whether to communicate with the Yugi she knew or the other him, the "Yami".
It had been a difficult time for relationships, given the events and their young age. However, as time passed Tea was able to examine her feelings. Soon she realized that the two could deepen their relationship, but it still took a while before they were comfortable with the idea of dating.
Yugi had liked Tea for a long time, though his initial pining wasn't much different than that of a childhood crush. He had always thought her to be a remarkable girl, strong and brave but very caring. Nevertheless, he never had the courage to believe that she would consider dating him. He wouldn't have minded supporting her as a friend, but there was an unbelievable joy of being by her side.
Their friends watched on as the two decided to try dating. It was immensely awkward at first as they struggled with the shift of friends to lovers. The first date was rough, the first kiss barely made it, and the continual announcement of "Yes, we are actually dating now" got rather tiring. However, both had been through worse, and they found that even through the difficult times they would rather stay together.
Serenity looked at her friend as the two stood outside a store in the mall. Tea Gardner had asked Serenity to help her find a good present for Yugi as the two were going on a day trip the next day. Now the older girl stood peering through the window for a store called Retro Games Galore and tapped her shoe impatiently against the floor.
"Did you want to look inside?" Serenity offered.
Tea shifted her position and folded her arms across her chest. "No, I better not… Grandpa would be upset," she sighed, referring to Yugi's grandfather who owned the game shop where Yugi lived.
Serenity looked from her friend to the store and noticed that Tea was looking at a display of Duel Monsters cards. The label underneath them read Old-fashioned DM cards; Great price! It had been a while since Serenity had given her brother any such cards, though she knew he still collected them. She wondered how much Yugi played the game anymore. For that matter, how much did Kaiba really play it? He certainly still produced devices for it…
"Oh, I don't know!" Tea groaned and turned dramatically away from the store, "I just can't think of what to get him!"
"Why are you getting him something, anyway?" Serenity asked.
"I don't know…" Tea grumbled, "I thought it'd be nice."
The girls started walking towards their next destination, whatever it may be. They passed by various small stores and Tea glanced around in hopes of finding the perfect gift. A larger clothing store caught their attention and the two decided to walk in.
Serenity looked at the mannequins and the fancy clothes draped on them. She quickly walked towards a pink summer dress just off the main aisle. The fabric felt light but comfortable and she imagined what she would wear with it.
"They have a lot of nice things here," Tea smiled. The store was well lit and played gentle music over the speakers, giving a cheerful atmosphere.
"Too nice, it seems," Serenity mumbled, showing Tea the price tag for the dress.
"Oh, yikes. Well, maybe I can get something small."
"I can't imagine paying such prices for clothes," Serenity sighed as they headed towards the next section of the store.
"I wonder if Duke shops here," Tea commented.
"Or Kaiba."
"I can't even imagine him out shopping. I bet he special orders everything."
The two neared a collection of purses and accessories. Tea fingered the chain strap to a purse and thought of the chain Yugi still wore around his neck.
"He said he wants to tell me something important," Tea suddenly spoke.
Serenity looked at her, "Yeah?"
"I don't know what to expect," Tea turned to face Serenity directly, "I don't know if he means that he just has something on his mind, or if it's something to do with us, you know, as a couple."
"Is that why you're getting him a present?"
"It's in case it's something not good, I think. Like, what if there's bad news. Maybe if I give him something first than it won't be so bad."
"I don't think you have to worry about that," Serenity gave her a light smile, "It can't be anything bad if he's taking you out for the day, right?"
"Well, then, on the other hand, what if it's something good," she sighed, "Like, too good…"
Serenity wanted to comfort her friend more, but she found she didn't know what to say. Perhaps it was because she wasn't in a relationship, but she couldn't understand why Tea would worry that it was something good.
"Well, I still want to look around a little bit," Tea brightened, "Let's check the men's clothing quickly… Ah, but I have to head to the bathroom first."
"I saw one in the store back by the dresses," Serenity nodded to the area, "I'll meet you in the men's section."
"Sorry," Tea waved as she rushed to the restroom.
Serenity walked towards a line of ties ordered by color. She picked up a light blue one and remembered that the only tie her brother owned had been a gift from Mai. He had worn it a couple of times, but it always looked a bit off.
As she set the tie down Serenity thought she hurt a familiar voice. She looked around and slightly gasped when she saw Seto Kaiba talking to the cashier just past the men's section. He had a small bundle of clothes on the counter before him and glared at the poor cashier who seemed to be moving too slow for his like.
Feeling a bit nervous but more curious, Serenity sneaked her way towards the cash register. She tried to hide herself in the collections of shirts and pants as she neared the man. Apparently Kaiba did shop at a place like this, though it still felt weird to see him doing such a mundane task as shopping. Intrigued, Serenity inched forward.
Kaiba must have heard Serenity because he suddenly turned to look in her direction. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed her form amidst the clothing racks. He made eye contact with her, his cold blue eyes seeming to pierce right through her. This wasn't a look of acknowledgement, he glared at her as if she were some parasite.
Serenity stepped back with a rush of panic. Her foot slipped as she moved and suddenly she came crashing down, hitting the rack behind her. The rack wheeled into a shelf, making a loud thump. Hangers clanged as they hit the ground and the fancy clothing spread along the dirty floor. A couple of children laughed at the girl but were quickly scolded by their mother. Serenity's face went bright red.
"Foolish woman," Kaiba smirked as he grabbed his shopping bag and walked away.
The cashier rushed to Serenity and helped her off the ground. She held a fake smile as she asked the girl is everything was alright. Serenity looked down in shame but offered her help to the worker. The lady quickly denied help, afraid to have to deal with more problems.
"Serenity!" Tea called out as she rushed towards the scene, "What happened, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Serenity laughed sheepishly, "Just a bit clumsy, I guess."
Tea looked at her expectantly, knowing that Serenity had more to say.
The girls walked away from the scene and Serenity explained what had happened. "He scared me a little bit, but I made it worse…"
"You just tripped, don't worry about it. It's Kaiba who acted poorly," Tea tried to comfort her friend. She wished she could give Kaiba a good slap across the face but knew she shouldn't say so to Serenity.
"Someone would usually help the person out, right? Why would he just walk away?"
"Honestly, he's not really known to be a helpful person."
"Maybe I should give up trying to get to know him," Serenity exhaled slowly. She knew she wouldn't be so low-spirited the next day, but for now it felt easier to believe that he really was just a cruel person.
