Serenity saw him leave for work through her window, slightly waving, even though she knew he couldn't see her. She went to the reading room to join Zakura and Mokuba, seeing them stop dead cold in their conversation when she entered the room. She didn't question it at that moment. She looked at the two out of the corner of her eye, and her heart twisted itself again. They could've been anyone; people she met on the street or her life long friends. The way they laughed and talked about things together, as if they didn't have a care in the world. When in reality, not only did they have cares, but they belonged to a different world entirely. Serenity felt awkwardness settle over her, and she knew she didn't want to bask in it for too long.

"So, how old are you guys anyway?" Serenity asked, breaking the silence. Both of them smiled.

"Well, in reality, I'm about three thousand years old Serenity," Zakura said, a small smirk coming to her face.

"And I'm two thousand four hundred and sixty-four," Mokuba said, smiling even broader. Serenity looked down, not knowing how to answer them.

"But, if it'll make it easier for you, I'm twenty and Mokuba's sixteen," Zakura said. "And of course, we know everything about you." Serenity didn't bother to ask how they did, and immediately directed the conversation elsewhere.

"Where is everyone in the morning anyway?" she asked, noticing the silence that surrounded them.

"For a vampire, the entire world revolves around the night. If you get into the dark part of it a little too much, that is. They usually sleep around now from partying and feeding-all-night-long exhaustion. Not because we're afraid of the sun." Serenity nodded. There was so much she knew and didn't know, but at that moment, she knew that all she wanted was to know them as they had known her, not through a file that had been obtained, but by generally being their friend. Seeing Zakura and Mokuba talk and act like family made her heart ache for her own family. For her brother, the only one that was left for her. She excused herself and left the room, not even bothering to wonder if they were watching her go. She wandered the house, remembering that she had never really been everywhere. She saw rooms with random things in them, one held nothing but books, and others held nothing at all. Most of the bedrooms she saw were unoccupied, and some had figures that she couldn't make out sleeping in beds. She spent two hours walking around, as if the mansion were a tourist attraction, before she got to a door that looked like it led to the basement. As she was about to put her hand on the doorknob, she felt another hand grab her wrist to stop her.

"You shouldn't go down there," a voice warned her. "You might find something you don't like." Serenity slowly turned to stare into Shiori's intense green eyes. She smiled slightly, happy to see the girl again.

"You want to see your brother again, don't you?" Shiori asked Serenity after a few moments of silence, causing tears to well at her eyes.

"I know that I shouldn't ask you. And I know that you might get punished for it, but…"

Shiori put her hand over Serenity's mouth to silence her.

"I'll take you anytime." Shiori grabbed the girl and they dissolved, shadows engulfing them. They were in front of the small house again, and Serenity stepped away.

"Thank you," Serenity said, smiling.

"Just make sure you come back," Shiori warned as she disappeared again. Serenity nodded and walked into her house.

-

-

-

Serenity spent whatever time she wasn't at the mansion with her brother from then on; Shiori always seeming to sneak her out of or into the mansion just when she needed it. Her brother never asked where she was at night, since she always left right as he went to bed. Kaiba never noticed since he always seemed to work late. And her brother always assumed she had something early in the morning, and it always made her happy to know that he wasn't wondering where she was all hours of the day. They had been able to spend a lot of time together recently, since Mai seemed to be very sick. Joey always wanted to visit, but she always insisted that he never come, her sickness might be contagious. Joey worried, but Serenity always made sure to take the worry right off of his face when she spent time with him.

-

Serenity bid her brother goodnight some five days later, but he insisted that she go spend the night with a friend.

"I have to study, so get out of here and have fun. I can trust you for one night. It's not like you're gonna run away," he said with a smirk.

If you only knew the half of it.

It made sneaking away easier, so Serenity didn't argue as she went out the door, leaving her brother to clean up the last of the dishes in the kitchen. She didn't notice that Mai stood outside the door, a lifeless, yet evil glare in her eyes.

-

Joey cleared the plates, and started to soak them in the sink when he heard the door open and close.

"Serenity!" Joey called to the dark hallway. "Did you forget somethi-"

Joey's words were cut off when he noticed who stood in the doorway of his kitchen. It was Mai, but she had changed dramatically in the last week in his absence of seeing her. She was dressed in a white corset-like shirt and a denim mini skirt, typical Mai style. But she seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and now her figure was even leaner than usual. Her face had lost its usual glow and her cheeks looked like they were on the verge of sinking in. Her hair had lost its usual curl, laying flat past her shoulders. And her eyes seemed to be endless voids.

"Whoa Mai! How sick were you? Why didn't you tell me it was that serious?" he said before going to her and pulling her into his arms. She didn't answer, but instead leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him back lightly. Joey's eyes softened and he held the girl even tighter.

"You really know how to scare a guy, you know that?"

"Sorry," the girl said in an almost robotic like way. Joey assumed it was from being sick.

Inside herself, Mai watched as she was manipulated at every twist and turn. She watched herself embrace Joey without her actually doing it, and watched her speak without her actually using her voice.

Ready to fulfill your purpose, puppet? A malicious voice asked the girl inside her own head, and Mai tried to block it out.

Remember, he's going to eat some of that poison that you brought. That will make him long for your touch more and more. His desire for you will grow until it devours him, and then he'll do anything for you. You'll be his puppet master, just as I am yours. And here's another thing to think about, if he doesn't have you with him, he'll go insane. He won't eat, he'll barely sleep, and he might be led to insane acts. Unfortunately, this poison is too strong to be given to someone all at once, so you'll just have to feed it to him little by little, until you break him.

Mai's heart ached at what the girl in her mind had just told her. Mai would hate herself for what she would do, causing a person's existence to become so corrupted and awful. Especially a person who she had given her heart to. Mai tried to fight, but she was losing the battle within herself. The battle to control her mind, and the battle to keep her sanity. Being alone in your own body with a cruel voice mocking you, that was her fate. But, as she saw what she was about to do, she knew that some other fates, like hers, were worse than death.

-

Joey sat turned to make Mai something hot to drink, so he didn't notice as she took a very small bottle out of her pocket. The liquid was clear, with a rainbow gleam in it from the overhead kitchen lights. She slipped a small amount in her mouth and almost retched. The taste was nothing, since there was no taste; but the feeling, as if something evil had invaded her body, made her want to retch. Even though Mai was no longer in control of herself, the poison was that strong.

And he doesn't even know that I'm going to use it on him…

Mai watched as her body went over and hugged Joey from behind. As he turned, she pressed her lips to his in a kiss. Joey was surprised for a moment, but welcomed the girl he loved, parting his lips slightly so his tongue and hers could meet.

He didn't even notice as the poison slipped into his body.

-

-

-

Serenity sat on her bed, staring at the TV in front of her but having no recollection of what was going on in the program. She wouldn't meet her brother today, because he said he was with Mai. Serenity was relieved that she was feeling better, but had gotten used to spending so much time with her brother that she had nothing to do. Everyone in the mansion thought she was hauled up in her room reading books all day, which was true; until she had finished them all. She wondered if she could go see Kaiba, since he seemed to be working at home today, but something held her back.

She and Kaiba had barely spoken to each other for several days, ever since they had made love. The occasional small talk when they passed each other in the corridors was all she got out of him. Serenity knew he wasn't ashamed of his performance, but she vaguely wondered what had been keeping her from seeing him. She felt it too, the connection they had made in mind way before they had ever made it in body. She decided that she did want to see him, so she changed into a decent outfit. She had never brought anything from home, just to avoid suspicion, so she continued to borrow from Zakura. She reached into her closet and pulled out a navy blue strapless dress that cut at the mid-thigh with a slit that stopped just below her underwear. She brushed her hair out, letting it fall past her shoulders. She walked down the hall to his office, where she found him not working, but staring off into space. Her presence seemed to interrupt the world that he was in, and he directed his attention to her. He beckoned that she close the door, and she did, and then she stepped closer. He didn't say anything, but she could've sworn she saw his body rack with tension at the sight of her.

-

Kaiba saw her and felt as if he should send her away. He knew she would listen, but he also knew that he wouldn't want her to listen. He watched as she sat on the corner of his desk, her body seeming to glow before him.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" she asked. He was shocked by her bluntness, but answered her question with one of his won.

"Why do you care?" he asked, his voice taking on its usual non-caring tone. She looked hurt by his words, and it took all his will power to not want to take back the words. She seemed to recover rather quickly, and spoke to him with more blunt confessions.

"Because I love you."

He was frozen, if only for a minute, by her words. He recovered from his shock quickly, composing himself with his fierce demeanor.

"I thought I told you never to say that out loud again," he said in a growl, his voice seeming to be as icy cold as his eyes. He saw the hurt look on her face, but he found that he didn't care. Or rather, he wanted not to care. She leaned in closer, her face now barely inches from his.

"You also told me that you wanted to kill me. I have yet to see you raise a weapon or a hand to me."

She had gotten him there, they both knew it. He turned away, and felt her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off violently.

"Don't touch me," he told her darkly.

"Why are you trying to hurt me?" she asked him, her voice racked with hurt. He didn't expect for her voice to sound so desperate, for her to seem to make herself small. He turned slowly to face her again, inwardly shocked at the sudden closeness between them.

He grit his teeth, a grimace coming to his face. He wasn't ready to deal with what she was doing to him, not just yet. She sat in front of him now, noticing that he was shaking. Her hands reached out and cradled his head gently, despite her hurt. She pulled him towards her, bringing his head to her chest in a warm embrace. Her warmth caught him off guard at that moment, seeing as she just appeared to be angry with him only moments earlier. She held him as she would've held a new born, gentle but with a fierce love.

"Seto, what are you trying to hide from me?" she asked him quietly, as if the question was sent to his heart instead of to his ears. His eyes widened against her breast, and he was grateful that she didn't see. Had she had just called him by his first name. He found he didn't mind it, and kept still.

Do you think that girl can give you back your humanity Kaiba?

Marik's cold voice suddenly ran through his head. He stiffened, which caused her to loosen her grip a little. His breathing turned heavy, as he involuntarily went back through his nightmares and his memories. He remembered Serenity's taste, wanting it for himself again, even though he knew she wouldn't survive it. He felt tears trickling down his face, but he heard no sobs escape his throat. He felt as if his tears were his asking for forgiveness for all he had done, but he also knew that he would never have forgiveness; not ever in his immortal life. The memories were choking him, and he felt as if he would die. They trapped him in the screams, the pleas, and Marik's cold, dark promise.

"You know that I hate you. And how much more could I show it than taking your woman. I'll take her Kaiba, when you least expect it. And when I do, I'll turn her myself. She'll be mine, and you'll know that for the rest of your God forsaken life."

His breathing turned from short and shallow to almost ragged, everything too much to take.

"Seto, what's wrong?" he heard Serenity's voice say to him. He took his hand away from her and placed it over her chest. He felt a heartbeat. He then placed it over his, where another heartbeat was now beating with equal ferocity. Everything, all the pain, all the hurt, all the guilt, it was all coming back to him. And he was doing everything in his power to keep them at bay.

No! Stop! NO!

-

He didn't remember what had happened within himself before he violently pushed Serenity away from him. She toppled of the desk, landing with what sounded like a painful thud on the floor. He didn't notice; he was only noticing the memories that flew in front of him like a slideshow, and the heart beat that pounded within his ears. He was within his own darkness, and he felt like nothing could stop it. He heard a creak in the floor and looked over, and watched as Serenity pulled herself up off the floor.

"Stay…away," he told her, his voice coming in gasps. She didn't listen, but instead took his hand in hers. She eased her way towards him, and put her other to hand to where his other hand was. Over his heart. For the first time, she felt it too. The slow, but steady beat of a heart. His heart. She brought her head to it, pressing her ear to the comforting sound. She felt his body win the inner struggle he was having, and his breathing ceased from gasping. The heart beat grew fainter until it was gone completely, as if it was a precious memory she was storing in the back of her mind. She looked up, and discovered he was looking down at her. He shoved her away, but with less force this time.

"I can't be around you. You do too much to me. Just leave me alone right now. Don't come back to me. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU!"

Serenity felt as if she had been thrown into a mirror, glass shards ripping her to pieces just like his words did. She tried to step towards him again, but saw him take a step back. What had she done to him? Had she not saved him from himself? But… an awful thought entered her head.

Was I the one that condemned him in the first place?

"Did you hear me?" he said violently to her. "I said GET OUT!"

Serenity felt an onslaught of tears come to her, followed by sobs that could've broken anyone's heart.

But he has no heart. Not anymore…

Serenity turned and ran, barely making out of the room in time before she felt her emotions catch up with her. She managed to hold it in until the very last second, until she got to her room. She fell onto her bed, crying to herself. All her hurt seemed to have been exposed with his, and she couldn't let it go as easy as he seemed to have had. That was the difference between a human and a vampire.

-

-

-

Shiori watched from Serenity's doorway, her infamous evil smile coming to her lips.

Just a little more