Warning: this chapter is very sexually charged (not to the point of being a lime/lemon, however, I thought I'd still give you the heads up), but I thought Kaiba needed some reassurance. And cut the guy some slack, think about how scared he must be with the current circumstances. There's a lot going on and he hasn't convinced himself beyond a reasonable doubt yet. And I had a meeting for a group project that didn't go as long as I thought it would, so I can post today! Yay!

Jemmea

Zero and I were back at it the next day. He stood, watching my shots. When I finished a round, he noted, "Somehow you've gotten worse since yesterday." He looked at me and saw me staring ahead. "You're distracted," he observed.

I was quiet for a minute, still thinking. "You're right," I admitted. I had been thinking about Seto a lot today, and it was quite distracting. I thought for another minute, biting my lip, then turned to Zero and decided, "I think I'm going to go find Seto."

But when I saw Zero, he had a hand over his face. He lowered it as he replied, "Sorry, where did you say you're going?"

That was the wrong question for the statement I had just given, but I answered the question he asked. "I'm going to see if Seto is in his office or his lab on the eighth floor. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Go ahead, I'll just be here."

I left the hearing protection on a counter and turned to leave. When I got in the elevator, I decided that I would stop at the eighth floor first since it was closer. When the doors opened again, I stepped out into an unfamiliar hall, looking around. I wandered, looking for some indication of which room Seto might be working in. After about a minute, a security guard found me. I was lucky enough that it was one of the ones who recognized me from other areas, and he was able to tell me where I could find Seto.

I eventually found the opaque heavy door that the guard had described. When I opened it, I could see Seto, but he didn't notice me. I was in a very small, dark room with one wall made of glass and a glass door embedded in it. Seto worked intently beyond the other side of the glass. He was looking especially tantalizing.

He had taken his suit jacket off and set it over the back of a nearby chair. He worked under the florescent lights, standing behind a decently sized metal table. The parts of what I assumed to be a duel disk were sprawled out on the table in a semicircle, making room for some plans to be laid in the center. His sleeves were rolled up slightly, allowing me to better appreciate his forearms, his tie slightly loosened around his neck.

He was looking at the pieces on the table, sometimes picking a piece up, then looking down at the sheet, then placing it back. Then I saw him let out a breath as he placed both palms on the edge of the table and leaned forward, looking over the papers as he thought.

He turned around to the whiteboard behind him, covered in his handwriting (which I had loved since the day he printed it across my skin). He wiped off a line with his hand. I recalled the way those same hands would slowly creep across my body...

Just then, Zero came in the door behind me. Or more, he stumbled in the door behind me, using the handle for support, his breathing heavy. "I found you," he heaved. He closed the door while keeping his eyes on me, then started to step forward.

His eyes had barely started to glow when I said, "Oh no, now?"

He froze, I had never hesitated before. "What is it? Why did you say that?"

"Oh, it's just," I looked at Seto working intently again, then back to Zero, "if you can really taste feelings, well, I don't know what you're going to think of this."

He looked confused, lowering his eyebrows. I decided that he should taste my blood first this time before he bit me. Not just to clear up what I meant, but to see if he could even handle it. I reached up and held his jaw firmly in one hand, opening his mouth. I moved my pointer finger forward and pierced it on the tip of his fang. A few drops of blood appeared and fell into his mouth right before I wiped the rest on his lip. Then I raised my eyebrows, waiting for his reaction.

He pulled back hastily and spat, clearly back to his usual self. I laughed as he turned away. "That's disgusting," he scoffed.

"Wait, really?" I called after him, laughing. "That was enough to curb your appetite?" But he was already gone. I turned back to Seto. I wouldn't mind if Seto bit me right now, I thought, recalling times where his teeth had gently grazed my skin.

He picked up another piece, then kept turning his head from it to the board as he thought. I loved watching him think. I paid special attention to his intense blue eyes. My breathing had deepened as I stood there motionless, unable to take my eyes off him. I had my arms crossed, but one hand had escaped and found its way to my chest, sprawled over my heart. He set the piece down and picked up a file, folding it open and holding it in one hand. He turned away, writing swiftly on the whiteboard. It showed off his broad shoulders and perfect V, and I envisioned running my hands over it. I couldn't take it anymore.

I turned around and locked the door that Zero had come through, then turned back, slipping through the glass door. I stayed silent as I approached him, not wanting to distract him until I was upon him. I didn't mean to surprise him, but even if I did, he would pin me. With that realization, I sort of hoped I did surprise him.

I was right there when he turned back around. And I was ready. I grabbed his biceps and pushed him back against the wall, taking him off guard. I would have tried harder to let him be, had I not known that he liked having this effect over me. And I was ok with it, too, so long as he took care of it.

Seto

I had a lot of momentum on my project, caught up in my latest contraption. And then Jem was there, suddenly pushing me against my board. "Hi," she said softly, looking up at me with heavily dilated eyes. She let go of my arms, but pressed her body against mine. She tilted her head down a little as she lowered her eyes, taking my tie in her hands. I knew exactly what was going on.

Her eyes then started to trace my body. She lifted her hands and put them on my shoulders, then slowly ran them down my chest. "Mmm," she admired. Her eyes then flashed up to me. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't contain myself anymore." She brought herself to her toes and pulled me down by my tie. I felt her kiss on the side of my face, then her swift exhale, then kiss again. I grinned, knowing she couldn't see it, and took the opportunity to reach out and drop the file I had onto the table. "I've missed you," she whispered. There was something about me, and only me, that made her unable to control herself. It made sense. When I say I am the best at everything I do, I do mean everything. I straightened up and looked down at her, smirking. I wasn't going to let her have what she wanted so easily.

I looked at her for a moment, her eyes hazy, her lips parted, her hands clutching my clothing. I quickly grabbed her wrists and brought them away from my body. She let out a quick breath, then took a sharp one in. "You should know better than to bother me while I'm working," I said. "Just for that, I'm not sure I should encourage you by giving you what you want."

Her attitude quickly changed. She became worried, frantic. "No," she breathed, "You can't..."

"Now you're telling me what I can and can't do?" I taunted.

"No. Seto, please, I'll do anything..." she begged. This was the first time since she got back. Maybe I should go longer in between from now on—this was fun.

"Hm," I mused. Still holding her wrists, I pushed her back onto the table, pinning her and hovering above her. Her breathing hastened for a moment when I did this. I lowered my head to kiss her chest. She tilted her head away, closing her eyes, and arching her back to allow me better access. I felt her legs brush against mine, leading one of her knees up alongside my hip, trying to encourage me to come closer, but I kept my distance.

"Seto, please don't," she pleaded. "Not if you're not going to. Don't tease me..." But she still held herself in a way to encourage me to continue. She was completely powerless to me.

Then I tried something I never had before. "I can do whatever I want to you," I told her, pausing to see how she would react to the first part. Her breathing hastened again and she looked at me with an expression that seemed to beg me to do whatever I wanted to her. Then I looked her in the eye, leaning forward more so I was directly over her, ready to give her my reasoning, and simply said, "You're mine."

She seemed to melt in my grasp when I said this, her lips parting again. She kept her eyes on mine as she breathed, "Seto," and then a few heavy breaths, "I'm yours, Seto..."

That was all I needed.

Next Chapter: Ashes

I knocked on the door and none other than Zero opened it. When he saw me, he wasn't excited, but he backed away and let me enter. Once I was in he didn't go away. "She's in her room," he informed me.

"I assumed," I replied coldly.

He thought for a minute, not quite sure what he wanted to say. "It's good you're here. Her brother's ashes came today. She's not doing well."