Quick Recap: Mai apologizes to Seto for her actions and what she said regarding Sephy, but he is so livid with her because of the way she does it that he yells at her. Mokuba tells Seto that he can't join he and Sephy for dinner, and then Seto starts to plan what to wear but can't figure it out on his own. After almost having an anxiety attack over it, he decides to go to his little brother for advice. At KaibaCorp, Mokuba plays with the Duel Disk while Seto does some work and then back at home Mokuba shows Seto a video of he and Sephy playing guitar. At dinner, Sephy explains that she isn't interested in a standard boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and that she had no plans to change anything from the way it currently was.

Disclaimer: We do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor do we own the items or settings where this story takes place. All we own is the idea for this nifty little story and our original characters. Please don't sue, as all you will get from us is an empty jar of mustard and some olives.

Title: Clarity
Chapter: Everything
Chapter Written By: Peggi
Edited By: Dante
Chapter Dedicated To: Duelist Amy from Quotev (who challenged me to update this a second time this week, to which I replied "in the words of Barney Stinson, challenge accepted"!)

Seto wasn't sure if Sephy was serious or not, but she seemed completely serious about not having titles but still having some form of a beyond-friends relationship with him. It wasn't something he even really knew existed, but he hadn't had time to think about it until now.

"How do I know that you wouldn't suddenly expect me to act differently? How do I know that you wouldn't want me to spend more time with you?"

"I guess you'd have to take my word for it that I don't like to be smothered by people. I mean, I grew up in the system and I don't really like too much attention from people, so too much time is a bad thing to me. That's why I've never been big on relationships. I'm usually the one to pull away."

"Then why were you willing to throw all of that away and consider a title if I'd wanted one? That's a bit alarming if you claim to be against them."

"I'm not so much against them as I am new to them. With you, it's just different. I really like you, and like I said, I want you to like me too. I guess I was just willing to take the chance of you getting close to me if it meant you liking me. Close, as in a little more clingy than I like."

"I'm not saying that I want this, because I don't, but I love to learn about new things of course, so how would that work? If I were another person, I mean, and you were to want this sort of relationship with that person?"

Before Sephy could answer, the waitress walked up to the table, "are you ready to order yet?"

Seto stared at her coldly as they ordered and she was clearly nervous because of it, but maintained composure. Sephy wasn't too happy about it obviously, and as soon as she walked away, she gave him a dirty look.

"It's not her fault, she was just doing her job, you know."

"Well, are you going to answer my question?"

Sephy just sighed, "there's no winning with you. Um, oh right. Well," she laughed a little, "yeah the question about if you were another person. Who isn't you. It wouldn't happen, because I wouldn't be interested. I'm only interested in you. So your research is totally thrown off. Look, if you want to know how this would work, it works exactly like it does now. We do exactly what we do now, plus whatever you're comfortable with that's relationship standard stuff. If you want to hold my hand you can do it, if you want to kiss me, obviously I'm fine with it, we can go on dates, if you just want me to come over and read with you that's fine too because I really like doing that and you have awesome books."

"You'd get bored after a while," he pointed out.

"That's what you're assuming."

He felt like it was fact, but really, this was all new to him. He knew what he wanted, and it was exactly what she was describing. It would be perfect, except for the idea that he could be hurt at some point. He knew that was a very real possibility. He'd been hurt by people before and even Mokuba knew that he was afraid of being hurt. He didn't want to get close to her and have her turn around and walk out of their lives. He didn't want to let her in and have her see how damaged he was, either. He knew he was damaged, but what she'd seen so far hadn't scared her off, and that was refreshing. He hadn't managed to push her away yet, and he'd pushed her pretty hard so far.

"I still don't want this."

"Again, that's fine. We can be just friends. I'm fine with that."

"I don't want that either."

Sephy sighed, "then what do you want?"

"I don't know. I need to think about all of this. You can't just walk into my life and expect me to uproot everything for you in one night."

She had a sudden look of irritation on her face, "I don't expect anything from you, Kaiba. I've made that clear several times. I'm giving you the choice, and I'm not expecting anything at all. If you want to be friends that's fine, if you want any sort of relationship that's fine, I'm giving you the option of what sort of relationship or how fast things move along, you act like I'm pushing you towards something. You're impossible, you know that?"

"If you don't like the way I'm treating you, you can leave. I was fine before you came into my life and I'll be fine with you gone."

Well, that was definitely far enough, because Sephy just shook her head and stood up. Seto hadn't actually meant to push her that last inch, but apparently he had. She grabbed her purse and walked away from the table, and he barely managed to grab her arm in time. He didn't know how to stop her, he didn't know how to keep her from leaving, he didn't know what to say. Instead of saying anything at all he turned her around and before she could complain, he stopped her from leaving with a kiss. That had managed to shut him up at the photoshoot, so he hoped it would keep her from leaving.

When he turned her around, she had resisted against him, but the second his lips pressed against hers he felt her whole body relax. He had grabbed her arms to hold her in place while he kissed her but he let her go, and in the few seconds while he was kissing her, he wasn't really sure where his hands were supposed to go. It was a little bit of anxiety mixed with relief, and a whole lot of nervousness. He wasn't sure how long it was supposed to last, and he secretly was hoping that she'd be the one to direct things. Then, he also hoped she wouldn't pull away and slap him, because he realized he had just kissed her after a making her mad, but she seemed fine with things the way they were.

He got lost in the smell of vanilla, the warmth of her soft lips against his, and then he felt her hand against his chest. She wasn't pushing him away, though. She was just resting her hand against it, and her other hand was around his waist. After just a few moments, she pulled away and stared up at him, and he could see that she was incredibly confused. Luckily, she didn't notice that he was equally confused. She sat back down and so did he, and they sat in silence for a few moments. Seto forgot entirely that they were in a crowded restaurant and that people probably had noticed what had just happened. He was still trying to figure out himself what had just happened.

"You really don't know what you want, do you?" she stated more than asked.

"No, I don't."

"I'm going to give you as much time as you need, Kaiba. I'm serious. I'm not rushing you into this. If you're not sure, take your time. You don't have to decide tonight."

But he did. He couldn't let the anxiety build up, wondering what he should do, but he didn't want to rush into things either.

"I want things to stay the way they are now," he took a sip of water and wished he had alcohol to calm his nerves.

"That's fine, then."

"I want for you to still spend time with my brother, I want you to still come to the library and read with me on occasion, and I want to get to know you. I don't want a girlfriend, because that's not something I'm ready for just yet."

"Like I said, that's okay. I'm not asking you to push yourself. If you're not ready, you're just not ready."

"Kissing you isn't terrible, though."

Sephy just laughed a little, "well I definitely enjoy that part. So, do you want to keep things the way they are now, but maybe a little more?"

"I'll let you know," Seto offered, not really sure how much he really could give.

Sephy seemed fine with his answer and took a sip of her wine. The waitress approached again and Seto was already annoyed with her so he was ready to snap even though he was ready to order.

"Are you ready to-"

"Just bring me whatever is on special and then leave us alone. Sephy, what are you having?"

Sephy looked at the girl's nametag and smiled awkwardly, "sorry about him, Amy. He's had a rough day. I'll just have the steak, medium rare."

The waitress, Amy, took her leave, grabbing the menus on the way, trying not to take Seto's bad attitude to heart as she did. This was her first day and she's just moved to Domino from America, and it was not her best first day at work ever.

"Want a sip of my wine to calm your nerves? You look stressed."

Seto suddenly remembered Mokuba's advice, "no, but we can order champagne if you'd like some. We can get some Rosé, if that's more your preference."

Sephy just smiled at the offer, "thanks, but I'm fine with this."

The rest of the dinner was pretty quiet. Seto got another call from the unknonwn number and was starting to become a little concerned by it, because when he answered, there was an odd clicking sound on the other end. He would have to have his phone looked at when he went back in to KaibaCorp and make sure that there was no malicious virus on his phone or some sort of bug from another company spying on his calls to get vital KaibaCorp information. That's all he needed now was spies.

Seto noticed that through most of dinner, Sephy was watching him, smiling every time they made eye contact, but it made him feel very uncomfortable and awkward. He didn't want to ask her to stop, though, because they'd just reached new ground and he didn't want to set them back a few paces if her strange staring was just a part of the new steps they were taking. He'd try to find a way later to bring it up to her. Once their food came, though, she was distracted and didn't pay much attention to him.

Once the check came, Seto paid and they left without a word, but as Seto was pulling out his phone to call for the limo, Sephy placed her hand over his to stop him from calling.

"Don't call for a ride yet. We're going to be spontaneous."

"I don't like spontaneity."

"I figured you don't, but you're going to learn."

He pushed aside the feeling of irritation and followed her as she led them to an unknown destination, which quickly became clear. They were close enough to the beach to walk to the edge, not towards the rides or the boardwalk, but there was a patch of sand and water. It wasn't something that Seto was going to enjoy, and he huffed at her idea instantly. She heard him but ignored his aggravation and continued on until they were at the edge of the road.

"I'm going to get my suit dirty, and your shoes are going to get sand in them. This isn't my idea of fun. Besides, the beach is closed. We aren't supposed to be here."

Sephy just smirked at him, "I'm sure if we get in trouble you can talk our way out of a ticket."

Seto stopped at the edge of the road but Sephy didn't. Nice shoes and all, she walked on towards the water, and Seto watched as she took her shoes off and walked along the water. He half-expected her to start picking up sea-glass again, but she didn't. She just walked in the mud and waded out so that the water was just above her ankles and twirled. He sighed, finally giving in and followed her, feeling like he was going to be the reason they got into trouble if he just stood there in the open, staring. He hated the way the sand felt under his shoes and he already felt like he needed a shower. He didn't get too close to the edge of the water, but just close enough for her to hear him.

"You look childish, and this is absurd. Come on, I want to go home now."

"No."

"This is why I don't want a relationship with you. It would be like I'm in a relationship with a little kid."

"I thought we already went over all of this, and figured out what we are. I don't want anything from you, and besides, I'm not acting like a little kid. You just don't know the meaning of fun! Get dirty once in a while, laugh, enjoy yourself and stop caring about the rest of the world."

"I can't do that. I have a business to run, and I actually do care what other people think of me. I don't understand how people like you can go through life doing these embarrassing things and not give a damn what everyone thinks when they look at you. You weren't raised in Japan, but most women who were would look at you and know that you grew up somewhere else. It's just not right for you to have fun every day of the week and act like everything is a game. Life is hard work."

"Seto Kaiba, lecturing me on hard work. For your information, mister, I did work hard, I know all about it. I just choose not to act so stuck up just because I know how to work hard. I bet I could do a lot of the things you do at your job and I'd be a lot happier about it."

Seto just 'hmphed' at her, "you, do my job? I doubt that. I highly doubt that. You wouldn't last a day in my place, and you certainly wouldn't have the respect I do if you tried."

"Maybe not all of it, but some of it. I'm not as stupid as you think, and a lot of it is just business decisions, right? I know business. Everything is business, if you look at it the right way. The real trick is knowing how to enjoy it. Learn to enjoy what you do."

He was tired of hearing her talk, and even more tired of hearing her belittle him. Without warning, he reached over and grabbed her, tossing her entire body into the water. Sephy half screamed in surprise and half laughed as he tossed her, and then he just left her there, completely soaked and sitting in the cold water.

"Your right, this was fun," he called behind him as he left, pulling out his phone for a ride.

Sephy was a little annoyed that he'd just left, but still managed to enjoy it, and caught up to him, "you know, I should hug you and get your suit wet for that."

"If you do, I'll make you walk home."

"I'm not allowed to read in the library again?"

"Not after annoying me like that."

"Too bad, I'm your not-girlfriend now. I'm coming over to read and you have to forcefully stop me if you really don't want me over."

She was pushy, but he almost appreciated that part of her, and seeing her soaking wet and still sassing him was almost so cute that he didn't want to say no. Plus, she'd already taken his hand and was holding it, and he was stunned into silence as they walked towards the road to get to the limo, so he wasn't really sure how to say no at that point.

Peggi: I'm in a very FeFe Dobson mood these last couple of chapters! I can't help the chapter titles or the themes, sorry guys!

Seto: Why am I chained up? I haven't done anything wrong.

Peggi: Duelist Amy from Quotev requested it. Also, she was featured in this chapter because she requested a similar scene to the one in this chapter. What my readers want, my readers get. ScarletBelle87 got her suit and Duelist Amy got her chains. Everybody goes home happy.

Seto: I haven't.

Peggi: Deal with it.

Mokuba: Important announcement time before the thank-you's again, guys! When you guys suggest a scene she WILL thank you by either doing a reader-insert OR thanking you in the forward, but she wanted to do something special so when she writes the America trip and the tournament, Peggi isn't writing it in major detail and it won't take up a huge portion of the story, but it WILL be here, but she wants to include her readers! So if you send in what you'd like to be called and a brief description (just what you're wearing or your hair color or some minor details) she will write it down in her notebook and when those chapters come, she will include you. Also, if you guys suggest something to add in, if she can fit it in somehow, like she did for the Amy scene, she will include you. So don't be afraid to tell Peggi what you want to see in the story. She already knows what she plans to do, and she planned the kissing scene already (Amy just wanted him to stop her, the kissing scene was already planned, so instead of just saying 'no' or something, she said well hey, since I'm already doing that and/or can fit it in with what I already planned, why don't I just include you for being awesome and wanting to help!) so...don't forget. This is as much for you guys as it is for her!

Peggi: Yes, I want you guys to enjoy this. And have fun with it! So if you would like to have your name appear in it like Amy's was, just submit it in a review. You don't even have to give a real review along with it (unless you already were) so you know I'm not review-begging haha! Speaking of reviews:

kayleebaby13: I once wrote a fanfic entirely BASED on him out of his comfort zone, so it's not as hard as I expected to write this, I was expecting it to be more difficult, but I wasn't sure how everyone would take it. I never know what the feedback will be, so seeing things like this makes me smile and makes all the hard work definitely worth it! Thank you so much for your review! It makes me happy! I'm glad you liked her other title! I thought it was very to-the-point and fit well with her character so far, because of how laid back she is. I hope you like how the not-date ended! I fangirled over that scene a little bit, can't lie, I definitely fangirled lol

Guest: So glad you liked the alternative title! I hoped everyone would like it, and it seems everyone did, so I'm really happy about it! I thought that was a simple solution to not having to put him in a situation where he'd be forced to choose between a real relationship or staying single, especially in a relationship fic!