pink-strawberries: Yup, that was meant to be intense ^^
SETO-KAIBA-LIFE: You're so rude! But perhaps you're right :)
loane: I don't want to end it either but it has to end someday ;)
Chickanoona: For the sake of the story, that is? We'll see if you're right (or if I listened to you ;) )
Chapter 10: 300 flowers
Tea closed her eyes and held her friend tight as she burst into tears.
"I'm so dumb", she sobbed. "I-I spoiled everything... I had the perfect man and I just... Tea! Why the hell did I decide to tell him only to make me feel better about what I did! I should've listened to you..."
"You did the good thing sweetie", her friend replied in a whisper.
"Y-you should've seen him..."
They sat on the couch and the brunette wiped away Serenity's tears with the back of her hand.
"Was he very angry?"
"He wasn't angry, Tea, he was... devastated. I-I thought he would be mad, you know, because I would've been mad... but Seto's not like this."
She bobbed down.
"He cried you know... a-at first he just didn't believe me, he kept whispering 'Please tell me you lied, I'm listening to you now...' b-but then he understand that I was telling the truth and he... he broke down..."
Serenity hid her face behind her shaking hands.
"What kind of selfish whore am I? First I cheated on him because somehow, I felt that Duke would give me something Seto couldn't and fuck my stupid things about the drugs addicts! The hell with that stuff, I was just too self-centred to think that maybe it wasn't easy for Seto either! Maybe he was really trying to be a good husband for me and he couldn't do more and I just complained about what he did and what he didn't do, which didn't make it any better! And second, I just... when I decided that I couldn't live with this lie anymore, this fucking lie I made up, I thought 'You know what? Fuck that shit, I'm telling Seto'! I didn't think that maybe, this was something he didn't want to know because he was actually trying to make me happy! I—"
"Hold on a moment", the brunette said firmly as she took her cold hands in hers. "Are you out of your mind? You told it yourself, Kaiba deserved the truth. I tried to convince you that you should keep it secret to him, but then I understood that you were right. It may have hurt him, that's understandable, but knowing Seto Kaiba, what hurts the most right now is not the truth that he just learned, it's the lie that it reveals. And lying more, for a longer set of time, would not have made the situation any better. You should sleep now, have a bit of rest instead of beating yourself up for something that you cannot change anymore."
"You may kiss the bride."
She could hear her friends applausing and cheering, Seto's VIP guesses clapping their hands together a bit, just enough to be polite, and her brother muttering some adult-rated words even though Tea forced him to applause as she was made Kaiba's wife.
But she didn't care. All she cared about was that Seto had softly caressed her cheek and was now kissing her slowly, tenderly. She smiled in their kiss and squeeze his hand a bit, the diamond on her ring shining in the light.
"I'll love you forever", she murmured in his ear, her voice shaking because of the emotion.
"Forever might not be long enough", he murmured back.
They entered the beautiful suite rented by Kaiba. But they were not looking at the beauty of the decor: they would do it later. Right now, they were too busy kissing each other passionately. "You're so beautiful", he whispered as his fingers caressed her neck very lightly, causing her to shiver. She blushed. When he noticed how red her cheeks were, his hand stopped to move in her back to untie the gorgeous dress. "We don't... I mean if you don't feel ready... we don't have to do it tonight, you know... I don't want you to think that now that we're married, you—" Serenity smiled and touched his cheek. Yes, she felt nervous — very nervous — but she wanted it to happen tonight. "But I am ready, Seto", she said very softly. "I've been ready for months you know... I just... wanted it to be so special for both of us..." The wedding dress fell on the floor and she blushed even more. They had been together for about one year and had never gone further than kissing and cuddling. With their clothes on. Suddenly, she found herself with many defaults. Her legs were too short. Her breast was too small, yet she was fat. She had no hips and— He cut her thoughts by kissing her again. "You're perfect", he said in a whisper, his hands caressing her curves. She felt his hands on legs, his mouth on her breast when they fell on the bed. Her back arched and it sent chills all over her very sensitive skin. She bit her bottom lip when she felt him close to the most intimate part of her body. She had heard many things from her friends, from "This didn't hurt one bite" to "It hurt so much I cried and felt like I would die", so she didn't know what she should really expect. Kaiba softly took her hand and put it on his torso. "Stop me if I hurt you", he said before kissing her neck again.
She simply nodded and her eyes widened when he slowly, carefully thrusted into her. She grimaced and her nails dug into his skin. He stopped, and she took a long, deep breath.
"I'm sorry", she said shyly.
"Shhh, it's ok", he replied as he caressed her red hair. "Just relax, I don't wanna hurt you..."
His hand touched Serenity's cheek.
"I love you... for the best..." Serenity frowned. What was happening to him? His skin and hair got darker. His body got more muscular, his newly dark hair grew longer. Serenity felt her blood turning into ice when his cobalt blue eyes turned into emerald green eyes. Duke Devlin leaned over her to whisper to her ear:
"And the worst."
She panicked, started to hit him, trying to push him aside, but he simply laughed coldly.
"Leave me alone, get away from me!"
"I DON'T LOVE YOU!" she shouted.
She blinked when she realized where she actually was. She was not in the hotel suite with Seto/Duke. She was in Tea's lounge.
Alone.
The nightmare was over. Well... that one was over. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down — or at least preventing her heart from breaking out her chest.
"Serenity, are you ok?" Tea asked with a tired but worried voice.
The red-haired woman blushed.
"Y-yes, I'm really sorry, I had a nightmare... I didn't want to yell..."
"Wanna tell me your nightmare?"
"No, just go back to sleep... I-I'm sorry I disturbed you..."
"Ok then... good night..."
Serenity sighed and closed her eyes. This was going to be a tough night.
That's what you deserve. Bitch.
Serenity spent a terrible night. She did manage to sleep a lot, but it was just nightmare after nightmare.
"'Morning", she said with a sleepy voice when Tea woke up. "I took the liberty of making some coffee. I hope you don't mind, I just... needed it."
"Of course I don't."
She smiled at her.
"What, no whipped cream? No chocolate? Not even a bit of milk?"
Serenity smiled back at her friend, but it was a smile without any happiness.
"No. This whole bullshit started with whipped cream and vanilla, so I thought I should slow down a bit and start drinking regular coffee."
Tea frowned, but didn't ask any more questions. Serenity stared at the clock on the wall.
Almost ten now.
She put her empty cup in the sink and sighed.
"I'm gonna go for a little while. I'll... I'll go pick up my stuff, I said I would take them back today when he's at work. And he has to be by now."
"Do you want me to come and give you a hand?"
"No, thanks. This is... I don't know. Something that I have to do by myself."
She sighed again.
"Wish me luck."
The young woman left her friend's appartment and slowly walked toward her... toward Kaiba's manor. She bobbed down. She took the longest path to the mansion: the longer she would take to reach her destination, the longer she would feel like she still belonged there.
The longer she would feel like she was still Seto Kaiba's faithful wife, and not some slut who had just lost her husband.
She bit her bottom lip when she reached the beautiful wooden door. At first, she touched the handle, as if she wanted to enter by herself, but an annoying voice reminded her that she did not live in this manor anymore. This wasn't home anymore. She bobbed down, and knocked on the door.
It took Ethan about thirty seconds to open the door.
"Good morning, Mrs K—I mean, Miss Wheeler—no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of—it's so awkward, I'm—"
He sighed.
"Can I just call you Serenity?"
She gave him a weak, sad smile. He was just trying to be nice, but his words were like knives to Serenity's heart. The butler was right: she was not Mrs. Kaiba anymore.
"Y-yes... you won't see me after that anyway. I just came for... you know, my stuff. I won't be long."
He stepped aside so she could enter.
"Please, take all the time you need."
Polite, as usual. She slowly climbed up the stairs, eyes full of tears as she looked around the mansion on her way toward the bedroom. The first time she had seen this place... it was so cold and severe. She had asked Kaiba the permission to change the look of the mansion. And, of course, he had said yes.
"I can't say no to you, you know that."
She took a slow, deep breath as she turned the handle of their — his — bedroom.
The smell brought her back three years ago.
"What was it that you wanted to tell me? Please hurry, I'm busy."
"Mr. Kaiba... I mean... Seto... it's been... I mean... the first time I saw you, I... fellinlovewithyou. I-I... love you."
How could she? She blushed even more, bit her bottom lip so she would not cry in front of him, and ran away without leaving him the time to react.
And the day after... her apartment was full of flowers. Her dream had just come true. The smell was amazing, almost spellbinding...
She blinked. The bedroom... the bedroom was full of roses, and it was their perfume that had brought her back three years ago. On the bed, on the floor... red and white roses everywhere.
"Am I dreaming?" she muttered for herself.
"No", a low, masculine voice replied.
Kaiba, who had been standing in a corner of the room, walked toward her. She felt a tear going down her cheek.
"Then why..."
"You have a terrible habit of telling me important things and then running away without leaving me the time to speak or even the time to think. Well... maybe yesterday it wasn't that much of a bad idea to leave me alone so I could think about it longer."
He took a red rose and looked at it in silence for a short while. Serenity did not speak, she was barely breathing. If this was a dream or an illusion... she did not want to break it. She was afraid that everything would vanish if she opened her mouth.
"Last night when you left, I... I tried to imagine my life without you. I tried to imagine that I couldn't look at you in your sleep when I wake up. I tried to imagine that you wouldn't be there when I come back, waiting for me even though it's past midnight. I tried to imagine that I couldn't hold you in my arms anymore, that you wouldn't get on the tip of your toes to kiss me. I tried to imagine that there would be no one willing to spend always more and more time with me. I tried to imagine... that we couldn't love each other anymore."
Serenity bit her shaking bottom lip.
"I couldn't. I can't imagine my life without you. 'Cause it wouldn't be a life worth living."
She wiped away her tears.
"I can't either", she said with a broken voice.
"Then why did you leave?"
"I didn't want to leave, I just thought... it would be better for you. I'll never forgive myself so how could you forget that?"
"I will not forget", he replied. "Forgiving is not forgetting. I cannot forget, but I can forgive you because..."
He touched her cheek with the rose.
"Because my love for you is stronger than that."
Kaiba bobbed down.
"A bit more than two years ago, we promised to love each other for the best and the worst. We've seen the best and we loved it. Now we've both... I think we've both seen the worst of the other. You've seen the worst of me, which caused you to show me the worst of you. The question is... can we take it?"
He softly took her hand.
"I can. Can you?"
She burst into tears and squeezed his hand.
"O-of course I can you idiot I love you so much—"
He hugged her very close against his body.
"May I kiss the bride?"
She got on the tip of her toes and dug her fingers into his hair as she kissed him passionately.
"For the best", he whispered.
"And the worst", she whispered back.
End of the fanfic: Am I so predictable that everybody knew that he was going to forgive her? Anyway, thank you for all your reviews and support, I'd like your feedbacks on that final chapter, pretty please? ^^