Random Stranger
Summary: In a desperate attempt to get Tristan and Duke to back off, Serenity grabs the arm of a random stranger and says that he's her boyfriend. Unfortunately for her, the random stranger she picked isn't as random as she'd like him to be. Silentshipping.
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh! Oh, or House, M.D. Don't own that either
Authors note: Hello and welcome to chapter nine of 'Random Stranger'. The summer holidays have begun and so I finally had the chance to finish this chapter. I won't have to go back to school until September 4th, so hopefully chapter ten won't take too long. Anyway, this chapter is a very, very important chapter. I suppose that's why I found it so difficult to write. Still, I think it came out fairly well, and I hope you'll agree with me. We're getting to the romance, everyone! About time, huh? Oh, and I would like to give a shout out to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, alerted and read. I really appreciate all of you. Thank you all very much for supporting me throughout this story; it makes writing it so much more fun. And now, without further ado, I present to you Chapter nine!
Chapter 9: Roommate
Serenity let out a heavy sigh as she sat herself down on that cursed, but still very comfortable double bed. Kaiba had left the room over half an hour ago, absolutely furious. She suspected he'd be giving the management a very hard time right about now.
Anxiously awaiting his return, which she hoped would bring good news, she jumped up from the bed and started pacing back and forth in the small space she would be sharing with Kaiba for the next few days. Oh, how she hoped he'd be able to arrange something. Friends or not, she wasn't that keep on having to share a bed with a man, no matter who he was.
Well, if Kaiba failed to convince the management to do something about their problem, there was always the floor. If she had to, Serenity could suck it up and spend a few nights curled up on the soft carpet. It wouldn't be too good for her joints, but hey, the resort was full of skilled masseuses who would be able to rub those pains away in no time.
Just as she bent over to feel how thick the carpet was, Kaiba entered the room, slamming the door shut behind him with a lot more force than necessary. Serenity could clearly see the dark cloud that was floating above his head as he stomped across the room and rather ungracefully plopped down on the wooden chair that accompanied the small desk plastered to the widest wall.
Knowing it had to be bad news, Serenity was almost afraid to ask. "What happened?"
"We're stuck here for the next three days," Kaiba muttered angrily. "It seems my specific request for a room with separate beds did not reach the management."
"Can't they assign us another room?," Serenity asked hopefully.
"It's the summer holidays. This place is booked."
"Oh…," she sighed, the little hope she'd had shooed away instantly. "Well, it's not unfixable. The carpet is nice and soft, I'm sure I can make a decent bed for myself there."
A teasing smirk appeared on Kaiba's face. "The floor? Really? Are you that uncomfortable sleeping in one bed with one of your friends?" He made sure to put a lot of emphasis on 'friends'.
Serenity blushed and instantly looked down. "I… think so. I've never even shared a room before, let alone a bed… And especially not with a man, so I suppose I am a little uncomfortable."
Kaiba slightly tilted his head to the right. Geez, this girl really was an open book. By far not as much fun to tease as her brother. "The floor's all yours, then," he said. "I'll call for an extra pillow and blanket."
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
He sighed. Thanking him for letting her sleep on the floor… Maybe he should have offered her the bed. Then again, she would never accept it anyway.
"I'll go unpack," Serenity announced, grabbing hold of her suitcase. "By the way, don't you need to call Kaiba Corporation to ask for the right set of blueprints?"
Kaiba blinked, the blueprints having completely slipped his mind due to the whole issue with the room.
Not wasting another second, he picked up the wireless phone from its holder on the desk and dialed the number of the head of Kaiba Corporation's Research and Development department, ready to give them hell.
Once he had gotten through, Serenity felt very sorry for the man on the other side of the line. Kaiba was positively boiling, using a few words that weren't for children's ears to catch. Serenity therefore focused on unpacking her suitcase, trying her hardest not to listen to Kaiba's booming voice.
While she was neatly placing her clothes in one halve of the large closet, Kaiba arranged for the correct set of blueprints to be e-mailed to him. Once that was taken care of, he made another call, this time to the lobby downstairs, to ask for the extra pieces of bedding he had promised Serenity. It wasn't a problem; one of the employees would be bringing the requested items to the room shortly.
Just as he replaced the phone, a loud growling sound reached his ears. Shaking his head in light amusement, he turned around to face Serenity. "Hungry, are we?"
Serenity smiled, a little embarrassed. "I suppose I am," she said, rubbing her stomach, which was still making some unpleasant noises. "I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning."
Grinning, Kaiba picked up the phone once again. "I'll order room service."
After sharing a nice meal, the two roommates both found their own spot in the small room. Kaiba installed himself at the wooden desk, his loyal laptop working overtime, while Serenity settled on the large bed (since there was no couch), curled underneath the covers, one of her thick novels in hand as she divided her time between reading and watching a marathon her favorite drama series on the large widescreen TV on the wall.
Both had decided not to go outside the room that evening; Kaiba because he wanted to get a head start on his work, and Serenity because she was too scared she'd get lost in the massive building without Kaiba around to guide her.
Serenity couldn't say she minded though; it had been a long time since she'd been able to watch whatever she wanted on a Friday night, since Joey usually took control of the remote after he'd gotten off work, and she now finally had the chance to read her novel without having to worry about other duties.
On the other side of the room, Kaiba's foul mood was slowly clearing up. Even though he hadn't been able to look over the latest blueprints in the car as he would have liked, he had now nearly caught up with his original schedule. He would still be in for at least a few more hours of working, but it seemed he'd actually be able to catch some sleep that night.
Luckily for him, his roommate was a very quiet individual. The television was on a minimum volume, and the only other sound he heard from her was the subtle rustling of paper whenever she turned a page. Serenity was almost exactly the opposite of Mokuba, who always had the television's volume high enough to shatter eardrums and was often loudly chatting with one of his many friends on the videophone in his office. It was a very welcome change.
Due to the relatively quiet environment, Kaiba had a good focus and could work very efficiently. Within about an hour or three, only a few minutes after midnight, he was able to finish everything he had planned for the day. That, given the delay he'd had, was quite the accomplishment, even for someone of his caliber.
Kaiba therefore had every reason to be satisfied with himself when he finally hit the 'enter' key for the last time that evening. After closing his laptop and putting it safely back into his silver briefcase, he stretched his body to rid it of the stiffness the wooden chair had given it. Ah well, it was nothing a good massage couldn't cure…
Yes, that would be his first priority the next day. Getting those annoying knots kneaded out of his back and shoulders would surely do him some good.
With that relaxing thought in mind, Kaiba stood and grabbed his suitcase, which was still packed, so he could get ready for the night. Dragging the heavy black suitcase along with him, he went into the bathroom to prepare himself.
After getting changed into his white silk pajamas, brushing his teeth and using the toilet, Kaiba emerged from the bathroom again, ready to get a good night of sleep.
However, he was in for an unpleasant surprise. As he walked towards the comfortable bed, he realized his roommate was still in it – and she was fast asleep.
She was in some sort of half-sitting half-laying position, the TV remote loosely in her hand, the novel resting on her lap. It appeared she had tried to wait for Kaiba to finish his work, but had simply been too tired to accomplish that.
Kaiba sighed, lightly annoyed. Great, now what was he supposed to do?
Personally, he wouldn't have a problem crawling in next to her; he had been in the same bed with Mokuba many times before. Given, she was a female, but since there was no romance involved it couldn't be that different from sharing a bed with his brother. However, Serenity had clearly indicated that she was uncomfortable sharing a bed with a man, no matter who he was or how little he seemed to feel for sexual intercourse. And Kaiba was to respect that, or so he thought. That was how friends were supposed to acts toward one another, was it not?
He could just wake her up and tell her to get on the floor. Before, he would've done so without a moment hesitation. But the way she looked, so innocent, having fallen asleep while waiting for him… It reminded him so much of his younger brother. Kaiba even had the urge to ruffle her hair, but he smartly decided against that.
So that only left one option: He was to sleep on the floor for the night. It wasn't very appealing, but it seemed as if it was the only decent thing he could do. With strong reluctance, he went to grab the extra pillow and blanket which had been delivered some hours ago so he could make himself a place to sleep on the carpeted floor.
After he had made his improvised bed, Kaiba took the remote from Serenity's limp hand and used it to turn off the television. Placing the remote on the closest nightstand, he also took the novel from her lap and laid it next to the remote. The last thing he wanted was to have that book hit him in the head if Serenity turned in her sleep.
Finally, Kaiba walked over to the window and shut the curtains, ridding the room of the vibrant moonlight which had illuminated it.
Luckily he had excellent night vision, and it didn't take him long to find his 'bed' for the night. Settling himself down on the carpet, he didn't even get the chance to think about his discomfort; his exhausted self was asleep mere seconds after his head had hit the pillow.
The next morning, Kaiba awoke to the subtle sound of running water. Not fully awake yet, he lifted himself up and headed for the curtains, expecting to find a grey sky behind a window tainted by raindrops. When he pulled open the thick curtains, he was greeted by rays of bright sunlight instead of the dullness he had expected. Groaning from the sudden light on his eyes, he backed away from the light and went to freshen himself up in the windowless darkness of the bathroom.
However, when he reached the bathroom door, he found that he was unable to open it. His sleepy brain slowly came to the understanding that it was locked. Ah, so that's where that sound was coming from. Serenity was in the shower.
Nodding to himself, Kaiba left the bathroom door alone and walked back into the main room. After he quickly gathered his pillow and blanket and put them away in the large closet, he went over to the wooden desk and sat himself down. Grabbing the wireless phone, he ordered breakfast to be delivered to the room. God, did he need a cup of coffee.
When the order had been placed, he took out his laptop for a quick check of his e-mail before breakfast arrived.
The knock on the door came just ten minutes later. There was nothing to complain about when it came to the service in this place… well, except for the fact the staff down at the reception tended to forget to write certain specific requests down.
He accepted and paid for the trolley filled with food. Since he had no clue what Serenity enjoyed for breakfast, he had ordered a small portion of basically everything. Oh, and one big portion of pancakes, since he could recall she had told him she enjoyed those when they were swapping personal information at the beginning of their 'relationship'.
Of course, what was most important to him was the large pot of coffee he so desperately craved. He immediately poured himself a cup, the aroma alone shaking his brain awake nearly at once. Damn, he was so addicted.
It wasn't until five minutes later, when Kaiba had just poured himself his third cup of coffee, when he saw the lock on the bathroom door turn. Serenity stepped out, fresh and clean, wearing her familiar attire of a pair of denim shorts and a yellow t-shirt.
When she saw Kaiba standing besides the newly appeared trolley, she instantly hung her hand. "I'm so sorry," she said.
"For what?" She was lucky the coffee was so good.
"Falling asleep last night. I should've known. I should've gotten on the floor when I started to get drowsy. I'm sorry."
"Whatever," was his disinterested answer. "It's fine."
"It is?"
"Yes." He nodded towards the trolley. "Now come on, I ordered breakfast."
Serenity smiled and walked over to him. She could go for a big bowl of cereal.
Too bad cereal was about the only thing the trolley didn't contain. Otherwise, it was loaded with almost every breakfast food known to man, including waffles, toast, sausages, eggs (both scrambled and boiled), pancakes… Not to forget the drinks; orange juice, milk, tea, coffee…
"Are you eh… hungry?," she asked, staring at all the food. There was no way the two of them would be able to eat all of that.
"Not particularly," Kaiba answered before taking another sip of coffee. "More thirsty, actually." He held up his mug. "I figured I'd order breakfast along with it, but I wasn't sure what your preference for the morning is."
"Don't you have your 'sources' for that?," Serenity asked jokingly.
"I do, but haven't ordered them to look into your breakfast favorites, since I hadn't expected to share breakfast with you at all during our time of 'dating'".
"Aha…," Serenity nodded. "So you just ordered… everything from the room service menu?"
"About everything, yes. It is actually cheaper to order much at once than to have a waiter get up here twice for only a few items," he explained. "And no, my coffee could not wait," he quickly added when he saw her eyebrows rise.
Serenity shook her head in amusement as she took a plate of scrambled eggs from the trolley and sat herself down on the soft bed. "Whatever makes you happy," she said with a smile before starting on her eggs.
Kaiba drained his mug for the third time that morning, a thoughtful expression on his well crafted face. Whatever made him happy, huh? Not 'too much caffeine is bad for you' or 'you already get too little sleep as it is'. He looked over at Serenity, who was delicately eating her breakfast. He couldn't help but notice that her table manners were a lot better than her brothers. Actually, she differed from her brother entirely. Genes worked in strange ways.
Pouring the last of the coffee into his mug, he too took a plate from the trolley, which contained a few slices of buttered toast, and sat himself down next to Serenity on the bed. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, slightly surprised. Pleasantly surprised, though. He hadn't been this close to her since they had cuddled up together for the sake of their fake relationship. Somehow, it was good to know he was capable of sitting next to her without having to.
Her lips curled into a soft smile.
After breakfast, it was Kaiba's turn to use the bathroom. They had agreed they'd go get a nice massage together once he was finished. Serenity was rather excited; she'd never had a professional massage before, and she wondered what it would feel like.
She was already standing by the door when Kaiba emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later. "Ready?," she asked eagerly.
"Impatient?," Kaiba retorted as he walked over to her.
"Yes, very," she answered truthfully. "I've never had a massage before. I can't wait."
"Let's go, then," he offered as he pulled open the door. Serenity thanked him before slipping out the room, Kaiba close behind her. Side by the side, the two of them made their way over to the elevator.
They rode down to the second floor. Stepping out, Serenity wished she had about eight more eyes. There were doors everywhere, each carrying a label to show costumers what was behind them. Hot stone massage, Thai massage, Champissage massage, Balinese massage… There were so many. The corridors smelled deliciously of perfumed oils and incense.
"What massage are we getting?," Serenity asked Kaiba excitedly.
"You can see for yourself," Kaiba answered, gesturing at a random door. "I am getting a basic deep tissue massage. It's the most efficient and it's one of the few types of massaging where the masseuses don't try to push some nonsense about chakras on you."
So a deep tissue massage it was. There was no way Serenity was going to separate herself from Kaiba; with her poor sense of direction she was sure she would never find her way back to the elevator through this maze of corridors and doors. She sure hoped the other floors wouldn't be so confusing.
When they had reached the correct door, the two of them were temporarily separated by the gender bound dressing rooms. Seeing as it was still early, Serenity had the entire female dressing room to herself, though there were already two sets of clothing laying in a large cabinet which was divided in small squares. Serenity laid her own clothes in one of the squares herself once she had undressed. It felt strange, being naked in such a public place, so she quickly grabbed one of the large fluffy towels stacked in a reed basket near the door and wrapped it securely around her petit body. When she was sure everything was covered, she exited the dressing room.
Upon entering the large room in which the massages took place, Serenity was almost instantly greeted by one of the masseuses. The woman kindly directed her over to the massage tables. Kaiba was already there, laying comfortably on his stomach on one of the tables, a towel covering him from the waist down. Besides him, two women and one man were already being massaged.
The masseuse appointed Serenity the table next to Kaiba's, which Serenity gratefully accepted. She climbed onto it, careful not to expose any more skin than necessary. Slowly lowering herself, she laid herself down before pulling the towel away from underneath her, so that it was now covering her from her waist down like a fluffy little blanket.
"This is actually kind of comfortable," she said in surprise. "Aren't massage tables supposed to be hard?"
"Where'd you hear that?," Kaiba asked skeptically.
Serenity frowned in thought. "I'm not sure… A movie, probably." She tried to remember which one, but before she could, the masseuses arrived.
The friendly female masseuse who had just appointed Serenity to her table came to stand next to her, a bottle of massage oil in her hands, while Kaiba was greeted by his own masseuse; a tall and masculine man with extremely large hands. Serenity was instantly glad her masseuse didn't appear as if she'd be able to crush her in one movement.
The woman who would massage her smiled as she squirted a large amount of oil onto her hands and started to rub her hands together. "Is this your first deep tissue massage, dear?"
Serenity nodded. "It's my first massage overall," she admitted. "Will it hurt?"
The masseuse laughed lightly. "Oh no, dear, not at all. It will feel good. Though your body might be a little sore afterwards. See, a deep tissue massage reaches deep underneath your skin and a lot of your body's waste will come loose, which will be a little uncomfortable. But after a day or two you'll lose the waste and you'll feel better than ever, I assure you!"
"Okay then," Serenity smiled brightly, "I can handle that."
"So, you're ready? The oil's all warmed up," the masseuse said as she stopped rubbing her hands together to warm the massage oil.
"I'm ready."
"Then here goes." The masseuse laid her oiled hands on Serenity bare back and started working her magic.
It was the best feeling Serenity had ever experienced. With every movement the masseuse's hands made, she felt herself growing more and more relaxed, until she just laid her head to rest and closed her eyes in utter pleasure.
On the table next to her, Kaiba was also enjoying his massage. He really should do this more often… but then again, work was more important. He folded his arms in front of him and laid his head on them, his eyes facing his roommate on the table next to his.
It was easy to see she was loving it. Kaiba couldn't remember a time when she had seemed so relaxed; she always tensed up when she was around him, though he couldn't really blame her for that. He was a rather intimidating person. Though now that he thought of it, she hadn't been that tense lately. She didn't stutter anymore when she talked to him, nor did she say sorry as much, though she still apologized for tiny things far too often. And to be fair, he hadn't been his regular self around her either. He couldn't recall the last time he had yelled at her or insulted her. How peculiar. Maybe it really was friendship.
Kaiba watched the movements of the hands of Serenity's masseuse going up and down her slim body. From right next to her, he could see the side of one of her medium sized, well-shaped breasts. He'd never really paid attention to it before, but she was really a beautiful girl. Not like most women nowadays, who had to put a ton of make-up on their faces to at least look slightly presentable. Serenity almost never wore make-up, and when she did, it was very little, yet her face wasn't in the least hard to look at. Combined with her subtly-curved, slim body and her kind personality, Kaiba could definitely see why Taylor and Devlin were so interested in her.
However, neither of them were a good match for her in Kaiba's opinion. Devlin was too much of a playboy. He only wanted Serenity as a prize, a trophy on his shelve of one-night stands. And Taylor, the moron, was simply grasping for someone way out of his league.
Not that it was any of his concern; Kaiba couldn't care less about the people Serenity did or did not date. That was none of his business.
"I think that should do it, sir," said the man who had massaged him, pulling Kaiba out of his thoughts. "I'll just need to wash the remaining oil away and you're good to go."
"Good," Kaiba answered curtly as the masseuse rubbed his back and shoulders with a wet washcloth. When it was done, he sat up and wrapped his towel securely around his waist to hide his private parts.
Glancing over at Serenity, Kaiba noticed her massage wasn't finished yet, but he still turned and headed for the dressing rooms. He'd wait for her in the hallway.
The remainder of the weekend turned out to be very fun and productive for both the roommates.
Kaiba didn't come out of the room even once after the deep tissue massage. He stayed locked up in the tiny space, sitting behind the wooden desk, typing on his laptop, making phone calls and filling in the few papers he had brought with him. It was a very productive weekend for him, and he was glad he had been able to get away from Mokuba and his girlfriend. Horny pre-teens were not very good for ones concentration.
Serenity left Kaiba to his work while she spent most of her time outside. The three tranquility gardens were all extremely beautiful and calming, which was why she could easily roam around them for hours while the bright summer sun gave her a light tan. And when she needed to cool off, there was always the large outdoor pool. It was a wonderful place.
She occasionally returned to the room for meals, which she and Kaiba ordered through room service, since going to the dining room on the first floor would surely expose them to the public. The only time she and Kaiba were in the room together for more than an hour was in the evening, after most of the resort had closed, but even then there was little interaction. Kaiba had his work, and Serenity had her novels and the large television. However, she was now very careful not to fall asleep in the bed again. It was the perfect weekend for the both of them.
On Sunday evening, the last evening they would be staying in the resort, Kaiba was yet again alone in the room, sitting behind the wooden desk, his fingers flowing over the keys of the laptop in front of him. He was going over the last of his recent business deals, which would also be the final work he'd planned to do while at the resort.
It didn't take him too long to plow through the final deals he had made, searching them for imperfections and possible improvements. He had looked all of them thoroughly over. All of them, except for one: his 'relationship'-deal with Serenity Wheeler.
"I'm back!"
Serenity walked into the room with a towel around her neck, her long hair still damp from her swim in the pool. She smiled at Kaiba. "Still not done?," she asked as she sat herself down on the bed.
"Almost," Kaiba commented, getting up from the wooden chair. "There is only one thing left, and I need to discuss it with you."
"With me?" Serenity was surprised; what aspect of his work could Kaiba possibly want to discuss with her?
"Yes," Kaiba said as he sat down beside her on the bed. "I've been going over my latest business deals, and technically, this 'relationship' of ours is a business deal," he explained. "Now, I've looked over our performances for the last two months, and I can't find anything that needs to be altered or improved. However, since you are my partner when it comes to this deal, I need to know if you believe there are faults in our setup."
"Oh, I see," she smiled. It was like a performance review. "Well, I don't think there's anything wrong the way we're doing things now," she said as she thought about it. Then she laughed. "Well, except for maybe our kissing technique. That was quite horrible. I'm surprised Mai didn't call us on that one."
"True," Kaiba agreed. "If someone were to notice our discomfort concerning kissing, it would surely make them suspicious. However, not sharing kisses at all will make them equally suspicious."
"I'm sure everyone will understand that we're uncomfortable kissing in front of them," Serenity said. "Neither of us are that outgoing in the first place."
"Yes, but with your sister-in-law and my younger brother, I don't think withholding is an option for very long," Kaiba mused, more to himself than to Serenity. Damn, this was an actual problem. How could he not have seen it before?
"Well, maybe we should practice," Serenity joked. As if Kaiba would ever agree to that.
"Good plan." Kaiba couldn't say he was all too excited to stick his tongue in her mouth again, but if they both practiced their skills, their next kiss in front of other wouldn't be so uncomfortable and would therefore seem much more natural to their public.
"Y-you're serious?," Serenity stuttered, her cheeks burning.
"Practice makes perfect," Kaiba shrugged. "Besides, it's purely business."
"Right." She nodded, trying to calm herself down. "So… where do we start?"
"I think an analysis of the previous kiss would be good," Kaiba suggested. "On which points do I need to improve?"
Wow, he really was serious. "Well, eh, you kind of stuck your tongue a bit too far in my mouth," she remembered, "and you just… kept it completely still. A little movement would be better. And you tasted very much like coffee, but I can't really blame you for that."
"Noted."
"So… Anything I need to work on?"
Kaiba didn't have to think very long. "Open your mouth further. Your teeth were in the way. You should squirm less. And I can't say the taste of tea pleased me that much either."
"Okay," Serenity said, memorizing the information. "So... what do we do about it?"
"I propose breath mints for us both," Kaiba started, gesturing towards the jar of peppermint each room had on the left nightstand, "and then we practice."
Serenity nodded in agreement and both of them stood up and took a peppermint out of the jar on the nightstand. A rather awkward silence fell between the two as they sucked on the mints, trying their best to avoid any eye contact. Yup, this was definitely going to be a very… peculiar experience.
"So… how do we begin?," Serenity asked awkwardly when she'd finished her peppermint.
Kaiba shrugged. "I suppose like last time… but improved, of course." Serenity could tell he wasn't too experienced when it came to this sort of thing, and she was actually very glad for it. At least she wasn't the only one.
Well, here goes nothing. The two of them hesitantly wrapped their arms around each other; his around her waist, hers around his neck, assuming the same position they had the previous time they kissed. Serenity got up on her tiptoes, stretching up as far as she could, while Kaiba leaned down in order to reach her. A few seconds passed with them standing there, before they simultaneously decided they'd had to get it over with.
Their lips crushed together for the second time in their lives.
It was… slightly better. Not much, though. The only real improvements were the peppermints, which had mostly exterminated the undesirable flavors. The advice of the other in mind, both of them tried to fix their flaws… and failed miserable. Serenity, the advice of further opening her mouth in mind, opened up so much it would seem as if she were at a dentist appointment, while Kaiba, who knew he shouldn't keep his tongue still, started to twist it like some sort of propeller, which caused high discomfort for his partner.
When they pulled back, the conclusion was obvious. "That wasn't much better."
After going over the new flaws, they tried again. And again. And again. Each try resulted in utter frustration from both parties.
"Stop squirming!"
"That was my nose!"
"You bit my tongue!"
"Don't stick it in that far!"
"You bit my tongue again!"
After the seventh try, they really were sick of it. "This is hopeless," Serenity sighed, plopping back down on the bed. "We just can't kiss."
"Agreed," Kaiba grunted, sitting himself down next to her. "Then again, that last time was a little better than the others. Neither of us gagged."
"Or bled," Serenity added. "Does that still hurt? I'm sorry I bit you. Twice."
"I'll live," he said sarcastically. "How's your nose? Will it bruise?"
She touched the spot on her nose where Kaiba jaw had hit her. "Meh, I don't think so. It wasn't that hard a blow."
Kaiba nodded, and another rather awkward silence fell. This was absurd. There had to be some way they could improve when it came to kissing, hadn't there?
"Maybe it'll work better if we sit down," Kaiba mused, patting the bed they were stationed on. "I can hardly bump your nose when I'm not towering above you."
"That might work," Serenity agreed. "One more try?"
"One more try."
They scooted closer to one another and gave it another go.
It was… good. Very good, actually. Maybe it was because they weren't trying too hard anymore, but suddenly, they seemed to have caught the rhythm. No bumping, no biting, no squirming… Their tongues moved at an equal pace, dancing around each other in a steady beat. Both their eyes slowly closed as they experienced something incredible – their first acceptable kiss.
Pulling back, both were a little out of breath. So, it hadn't been a 'fireworks, hallelujah' kiss, but it was pretty damn amazing for two people who had no experience in kissing and didn't harbor any feelings beyond friendship for each other.
"Well… that worked," Kaiba said after a while, obviously pleased with the outcome. "I'd say business deal approved."
"So, you're work's done for now?"
"Pretty much."
Serenity picked up the remote for the television. "Want to watch 'House' with me?"
Kaiba smirked. "Sure, why not?"
Chapter nine is finished. Woow. As I've said in my author's note on top of this page, this is a very, very important chapter. Every scene in this chapter will help the relationship between Seto and Serenity. The scene where she fell asleep in the bed shows that Kaiba is indeed starting to care for her (though he'll never admit it). The breakfast scene I designed mostly to have Kaiba realize that Serenity is nothing like her brother. The massage scene revolved around physical attraction - I established Serenity's physical attraction for Kaiba a few chapters earlier, but I needed Kaiba to have a little physical attraction towards Serenity as well, because it's hard to build a relationship without it. And the last scene... I think that speaks for itself. Bad kissing is a no-no in a relationship, so that had to be fixed. Though I have to admit, I also did it for fun - most fun scene I've ever written, hands down. So, from here on I can really start working on the romance between these two. Please stay tuned for chapter ten, which I hope will be up before my summer holidays end. And if you have the time, please feel free to leave me a review. They are always appreciated. Until next time!
