Cheer up, Mr Kaiba!

by Alena S. Anigor

When Mokuba decides to cheer his brother up due to a stressful day, he asks Serenity for help. That, however turns out to be even more stressful for the elusive CEO...[KaibaxSerenity]. DISCONTINUED. Check profile for more info.

25. Bright Lights

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.

Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

Chapter XXV – Bright Lights

-by Alena S. Anigor

---

The interior of the limousine was pretty spacious and elegant; with stylish and sleek, black leather seats facing each other and a small compartment on the side for liquor and other things one might desire on their way to their destination. The window glass was darkened, making it impossible for any curious bystanders to peer inside while the occupants of the vehicle could see the outside world perfectly. It was a perfect little niche of privacy and coziness on wheels. It was also very warm which meant that the heating was on even though, at that precise moment, additional warmth was the last thing Serenity Wheeler needed in her emotional, mental and physical state.

She didn't know what was more overwhelming – the fact that she was going to attend a ball in less than an hour or the fact that she was sharing the limousine with only one other person who currently looked like he was trying to burn holes through the darkened glass with his mind alone. Well, there was also the driver but she hadn't seen much of the man ever since he had politely opened the door for her and she had almost half-crawled inside, mindful of the delicate material of her dress. She couldn't see anything past the black glass panel separating them from the man behind the wheel and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not, for she felt absolutely lost.

Serenity didn't know it was possible for one person to experience so many emotions at the same time without spontaneously combusting. She couldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling; the emotions emerged, mingled, swept over her and then morphed liquidly into all kinds of variations in between. She would feel giddy one moment, then scared, then excited and hopeful again and then her heart would plummet and drag her into the cold pool of panic and anxiety that left her trembling slightly like a leaf in the cool, autumn wind. And then the process would start anew and she would feel warm for a change, feeling hot waves tingling up her spine, warming her ears and cheeks and she would be a shivering mess again, feeling like she would explode any moment. She was actually surprised and secretly amazed she hadn't fainted by now.

She also concluded that if this whirlwind of emotions continued to assault her all the way to the palace, she was sure she was on a good way of doing just that. At one point, she inhaled deeply to steel her nerves but she inhaled too quickly and only managed to somehow choke on the air she swallowed, gasping and coughing slightly, her cheeks even redder when Seto Kaiba turned his head in her direction and gave her a look that she could only describe as the look Joey would have on his face when he'd step on something smelly and gooey.

Not wanting to embarrass herself any further, she straightened in her seat, clasping her hands tightly in her lap to prevent her fingers from shaking that obviously. Not that Kaiba was looking at her anymore thankfully, but she still wanted him to think she was at least somewhat collected and in control as he seemed to be. It wouldn't do her and both of them much good if they showed up there, him looking all elegant, handsome and cool and her looking like a twitching, anxious mess beside him, tripping over her words or even worse – her dress. Oh, wouldn't that be a perfect Kodak moment – Seto Kaiba's date sprawled on the ground, with him staring blankly at her while the lights of the cameras flashed around them happily. If that happened, she knew she would never be able to look him in the eye again; she had already had enough trouble keeping eye contact with him for longer than three seconds. And that was on his good days, as scarce as they were. Shaking her head mentally and willing the image to go away, she squared her shoulders for the umpteenth time that evening and looked outside the window. She could do this, she could do this. Well, she had to; there was no backing down from it anymore. And oh, how many times would she have this pep talk with herself until they got there? Every time she told herself she would be alright, something else would creep into her treacherous mind, just to remind her of the potential failures and she would be back to square one, biting her lip and chewing away her lip gloss in trepidation.

She chanced a quick glance at her 'neighbor' who was staring solemnly through the window. He was the epitome of a composed young man, his posture seemingly relaxed and nonchalant, as if he did this on a regular basis and was bored of it by now. Well, Serenity figured, he probably did have to attend numerous balls and parties, what with his social status and charisma. Plus, he was a very well-known benefactor, often supporting various charity institutions and causes so it was no wonder he was invited to all sorts of social events like that. Still, she felt slightly envious of his prodigious nature and calm demeanor, wishing for a moment he shared some of that aloofness and composure with her, if only for the night. Still biting her lower lip absentmindedly, she let her eyes linger on his figure probably more than she had wanted to, noticing the perfectly combed state of his hair falling slightly over his eyes, his head leaning on his hand, his long legs crossed and his suit fitting him perfectly. It was probably tailored specifically for him because he looked like he was born in it. His face was an impassive mask but upon a closer look, she noticed that his eyes were slightly narrowed and almost burning with that familiar intensity she always saw in them. Something shifted in them suddenly and it was then that she realized that the stormy look in his eyes was now focused on her.

Her own hazel ones widened for a split second, breath caught in her throat and her heart skipping a few beats when she saw his eyes piercing hers intensely. She gasped in horror, realizing that he had caught her staring so blatantly at him and quickly averted her gaze from those stormy blues and focused her attention on the floor, finding the material of the dark red carpet beneath her shoes suddenly very fascinating.

She chided herself mentally for being caught ogling him so openly and decided she wouldn't look at him again until they got to the palace and she would be allowed to breathe normally and her heart would stop trying to jump out of her ribcage. Raising her head slowly and biting her lip again, she turned her head in the opposite direction, cringing slightly when she could still see his reflection in the other window. Dear lord, there they were again – the butterflies in her stomach, the pressure in her chest, the incessant beating of her fretful heart and Serenity wanted to groan, wondering just why oh why had she agreed to this again.

As the limousine neared their destination slowly, she stared out the window, focusing on the blur of the dark scenery around them and sighing heavily again, wondered if she'd survive this evening without getting a nervous breakdown. Or a few.

---

Despite his indifferent demeanor and his trademark poker face on, Seto Kaiba was feeling anything but composed and relaxed; it was quite the opposite. His mood was even sourer because the source and cause for his mental and emotional discomfort was oh so primly sitting right across from him, blinking innocently at her surroundings and fidgeting in her seat. Just for a moment, he was thankful for his stepfather's arduous lessons in keeping a straight face in any situation lest his enemies take advantage of his mental or emotional distress.

And distress he did feel.

Ever since he saw her descending down the stairs looking almost unrecognizable like that, his mind and body had been in the state of constant upheaval. He didn't know whom to curse more – her for looking like that and making him feel all kinds of nauseous and jittery, Gerhard and Anika for their not so subtle verbal jabs sent his way or his own mind and body for actually reacting this way for no apparent reason. This was Serenity Wheeler, for crying out loud! The nuisance he had to take with them to Switzerland. That girl, who was making him feel weird and uncomfortable practically all the time. Mutt's sister. One of those nerds and dweebs Yuugi Mutou actually considered friends. He would've snorted out loud at that if his upbringing hadn't drilled a thing called manners into his head.

So then why was he sitting there, trying not to make eye contact with her for fear of his stomach emptying the contents of his lunch and his heart giving up on him? He nearly did feel like having a heart attack when he caught her staring at him, those hazel eyes looking at him in a way he couldn't quite describe and which left his blood rushing through his veins faster and his palms quite clammy. He cursed himself again for forgetting to ask the doctor about his strange symptoms while he was at the clinic with Mokuba. If only he didn't have to think about so many things at once and worry about his brother's wellbeing and about the ball and all the work he left behind at his company...Well, it was no wonder he was feeling so stressed out. He was Seto Kaiba but even Seto Kaiba, contrary to popular belief, was human and needed rest, sleep and food in order to function normally.

Still, he would ring the doctor the first chance he got to make an appointment at the clinic. He was rarely sick; he couldn't even remember the last time he had a cold, let alone anything more serious than that but the symptoms he was regularly experiencing were seriously starting to bug him and becoming a hindrance to his working hours.

He remembered Gerhard telling him once to take things one step at a time if he wanted to do them properly. Otherwise he would burn out and waste his energy on too many things at once without actually achieving the amount of efficiency and perfection he always strived for. As much as he hated to admit it sometimes, Gerhard was more of a father to him than anyone else he has ever met in his entire life. Gozaburo had never really counted. That was why he valued the older man's words of wisdom more than he let on, remembering them at crucial times such as this one. And damn that man but he was always right. So, he reasoned as he took one deep breath and looked at the shimmering lights of the palace ahead of them, he would take things one step at a time.

And for the time being, he would focus all his attention on this opportunity he was given tonight. He would find Marcus Fernhoff and he would persuade him to at least talk to him and see what he had to offer to him. After all, Seto Kaiba's offers were rarely even questioned, let alone declined. Especially now, that both him and Fernhoff Industries had so much to profit from if they decided to combine their resources.

With the lights of the palace becoming closer and brighter by each minute, Kaiba straightened in his seat, nodded mentally to himself and swore he would make this night a success.

Across from him, Serenity stiffened visibly and her fingers gripped each other more firmly when she saw the palace basking in the warm, golden lights. It looked like a small child's toy when they were still far away from it but now that they were getting closer, she could see just how enormous, majestic and fairytale-like it seemed and her already frightened heart only started to beat more frantically. As they continued to approach it, she was getting more and more nervous until she was almost positive she would die from the lack of oxygen in her lungs. She gulped visibly, trying to suppress the urge to hide under the seat or ask the driver to lock her in the trunk until the evening passed and Kaiba decided to return back home. She was already this close to hyperventilating.

She could see the huge parking space ahead of them as the tires of their limousine crawled over the tiny gravel, maneuvering slowly between other limousines and expensive looking cars already parked before them. As the driver neared the front of the parking space, Serenity forgot her anxiety for a while, gaping in awe at the impressive building in front of them, marble stairs leading all the way to the imposing archway, decorated with intricate designs and details. She could see people walking slowly towards the illuminated garden, gowns sweeping elegantly across the walkway. There was a fountain in the middle of the garden, water cascading in sparkling waterfalls into the round pool at the bottom. She craned her neck a bit to see the tall figure in the middle of the fountain but couldn't see much from the people mingling around it. The only thing she could discern was that it was a figure of a woman.

She stiffened when the limousine stopped suddenly and the tires crunched over the gravel. The spell of the palace was temporarily broken when the driver got out of the limousine and appeared in front of her the next moment, opening the door for them and moving to the side expectantly. She gulped and looked at Kaiba who merely moved and stepped out in one fluid motion, coming to stand beside the driver and straightening the nonexistent wrinkles in his impeccable suit. He was looking to the right and Serenity could see flashes of light blue illuminating the sharp contours of his face and with dread pooling in her stomach, realized he was being photographed.

She cringed mentally and smiled nervously when both men turned to look at her oddly; she realized she should probably stop hiding in there and at some point actually also step out of the car and accompany one of the stars of the evening to the ball.

Right. No pressure at all.

With one last deep breath, Serenity squared her shoulders, grabbed her purse from the seat and carefully stepped out of the limousine, mindful of her dress. The heels of her shoes sank into the gravel slightly when she breathed in the crisp autumn air, and she was almost immediately blinded by the flashing lights of the cameras. When her retinas recovered enough from the assault, she squinted in the direction of the lights and saw they weren't actually as close as she imagined them to be. Luckily, the press was not allowed to get close to them too much; there was a thick barrier in front of them with security blocking the view of the guests but that still didn't stop the paparazzi from trying to get as close as possible to the attending dignitaries. Ambitious journalists and reporters were leaning over the barrier, trying to get a word or two from the guests, the microphones and cameras rammed towards them almost aggressively.

Kaiba simply ignored them and took a step forward, saying something to the driver although Serenity couldn't hear him from the amount of noise around her. The man nodded, got back into the car and Serenity had to sidestep a bit to let him drive away slowly. She was left to stand next to Kaiba stiffly, shivering despite the warmth of her black woolen coat and squeezing the life out of her purse. She didn't dare to look at the cameras again although she did see a few women stop and wave to the cameras, flashing dazzling smiles in return. She only felt like running away, finding a small mouse hole somewhere and crawl inside where she could stay safe and sound till the rest of the evening. Especially when she could hear one loud "Who is that with Seto Kaiba? Get a close-up of her face!" and see a few younger women in more than revealing dresses looking at her with an almost predatory look in their eyes.

Kaiba on the other hand has had enough of flashing lights and loud women asking him personal questions; he had more important things to do than wave and smile at the cameras so he turned around and started walking towards the stairs and the archway. He stopped when he could hear a gasp behind him and groaned softly when he remembered she was still there. With an exasperated sigh, he turned around and looked at her in annoyance, hoping she would take a hint and start walking after him but he wasn't quite prepared to see a completely terrified and helpless look in her eyes, her feet rooted to the spot and her hands trembling visibly.

Something stirred inside his chest and tugged at him at the sight of her and there was that blasted rollercoaster in his stomach again and the buzzing in his ears but as much as his rational mind was telling him to get moving, he couldn't stop staring at her petrified expression. He frowned slightly, puzzled eyes still glued to her wide and fearful ones. There was just something horribly wrong about seeing that kind of look on her face and for the love of him, he couldn't determine why or what made him suddenly want to reach out and wipe it off.

Serenity saw his back turning on her and his feet carrying him away but she could do nothing but gasp, her feet refusing to budge from her spot. She had already thought he would leave her there to become prey to the paparazzi and all those women observing her shrewdly but then he stopped and turned around. She almost expected him to yell at her to hurry up but after the initial annoyance visible on his face, his expression changed into an awkward mixture of wonder and confusion. In combination with his sharp features and stormy eyes, it almost looked pained. They were standing like that for what seemed hours to her, with lights still flashing around them and the incessant chatter and whispers of the passersby, until the slightly glazed look in his eyes cleared to his usual calculating one and he coughed slightly, his posture straightening to his full height. He hesitated for just a second before he tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth.

"Come on, let's go."

Seeing just how scared stiff she was, he tried to say it in a placating manner; the last thing he needed now was for her to get more scared and run off or faint before all the people and ruin everything. His vocal chords, however, were not used to producing soothing sounds so his words still came out more as an order than anything else. His left eye twitched imperceptibly when she jerked slightly in her frozen spot and for a fleeting moment, he thought he had blown it. It seemed to do the trick, though for she suddenly blinked at him, let out a soft "Oh, uhh…yes!" and started walking tentatively towards him. He waited until she was next to him before he started walking towards the archway, leaving the hushed voices and speculations behind them.

Her heels clinked softly when they reached the stairs and she stepped carefully on the marble, lifting the hem of her dress a bit to avoid tripping over it. She was cringing inwardly at her antics, thinking she must've looked like a gaping fish while everyone was taking pictures of their little private moment, as it has been dubbed by one of the reporters. She inadvertently blushed and lowered her head in chagrin, reminding herself firmly to stop acting like an idiot and look more confident and dignified. Everyone else around her sure did look like that and she had a feeling she was sticking out from the rest of the crowd like a sore thumb. Nevertheless, her nerves were tingling and sending little jolts of electricity through her body and her heart was fluttering like a caged bird inside her ribs and she didn't even realize she had instinctively inched closer to her companion, her body seeking something reassuring and strong to cling to. Kaiba's eyes shifted slightly to his right when he felt more warmth creeping up his right arm and frowned slightly when he realized she was closer to him than a minute ago and his heart rate increased almost instantly. Damn his heart, what in the hell's name was wrong with him? Did he now officially belong to the group of people that might die of a heart attack before they reached thirty? He sighed in irritation and just kept on walking forward, ignoring the exhilarating waves of warmth that kept on washing over his arm and the rest of his body.

When they reached the fountain, Serenity nearly went around it in the opposite direction from him but with a soft squeak, managed to stop her wandering feet and kept walking next to him. The corners of his lips involuntarily jerked upwards for a second at the sight, a soft snort managing to escape through his nose this time. At least she was somewhat more amusing than her harebrained brother. Serenity, still blushing, decided to pay more attention to where they were going, lest she lost him in the small labyrinth of perfectly trimmed rosebushes and cypress around them. But, she simply couldn't help but look at the statue in the middle of the fountain. Craning her neck, she stared in awe at the beautiful and curvaceous figure of a woman holding a pitcher of water on her shoulder, clad only in what seemed to be a sheet of some sort of. It was wrapped loosely around her, one of her shoulders and top of her breast revealed and the rest falling down her figure. She had a somewhat pensive look on her face, as if she was wondering about the destiny of the water she was pouring out of the pitcher. The fragrant smell of roses wafted to her nose and she inhaled deeply, the scent calming her already frazzled nerves.

She chanced a glance at Kaiba who kept on walking steadily down the garden, left hand hidden in the pocket of his black slacks, the lights of the palace illuminating his face. He looked almost regal, like one of those young princes she used to read about in the newspaper, charisma, elegance and poise a part of him like they were carved into his very being from the moment he was born. She wondered about his upbringing briefly, remembering he wasn't on good terms with his stepfather. Well, it was no wonder, really, not after all he had to go through with him. When she noticed him glancing at her sharply, she quickly looked away, blushing and concentrating on the beautiful lush garden around her. She should really stop staring at him like that. She was very well aware of the fact that he was both handsome and intelligent, a 'perfect catch' as he was often referred to in all those silly magazines her mother used to read. But she was also aware of her place and her role in their current situation and she knew she should really stop daydreaming. It wouldn't really get her anywhere. She knew where they both belonged and that was miles and miles apart so she kept on walking solemnly down the garden, her eyes focused on the grandness and beauty of the palace before them. They were almost out of the garden now, approaching another set of marble stairs that were leading to a big round terrace with a balustrade, the last thing separating them from the main entrance. What first sounded to her as a jumble of words and sounds, now slowly started to take another shape and resemble various voices of people gathering there and music, melodious tunes of violins sneaking out of the building and flowing down the terrace towards them.

There were some people - couples mostly - sitting on the benches placed in small niches amidst the garden, laughing and chatting animatedly, the smell of expensive perfume filling her nose. She smiled softly, remembering Anika spraying her with what was probably a whole bottle's worth of her own perfume. She admitted she liked the scent although she thought Anika went perhaps a bit overboard since she ended up coughing in the cloud of the flowery fragrance after some time, yelping at Anika to stop otherwise she'd make half the attendants around her lose consciousness. Curious, she leaned discreetly towards Kaiba again, wondering if he was also wearing any cologne on him. She sniffed the air around him, trying to catch anything that would indicate he was also a victim of Gerhard giving him the same treatment. She did catch a faint scent of something both spicy and sweet and something entirely unique she couldn't put her finger on but just when she was about to lean away, he turned to look at her and she froze when he stopped in his tracks and gave her a pretty bewildered look.

She stopped as well, staring at him with mouth half-open in apology when he beat her to it and she cringed at the annoyed, clipped tone of his voice.

"What...are you doing?"

"Uhm...", was her smart reply, the apology she wanted to splutter lost on the way because he was looking at her like she just aimed a gun at him and demanded he give her all his money. Her brain decided to freeze just like the rest of her and left her on autopilot to defend herself, so instead of apologizing to him like she had intended to, she added the first thing that came to her shell-shocked mind. "You smell really nice!"

There was a pregnant pause in which she stared at him with eyes wide open and wondering had she really just told Seto Kaiba what she thought she had. He was looking at her with an equally stunned expression, mouth slightly agape, brows furrowed and eyes blinking profusely. Someone giggled nearby and Kaiba was only half-aware of two people passing them both by, casting curious looks at their frozen figures and odd expressions.

He had thought she had gotten suspiciously close to him but he didn't really think she had actually gotten that close and he barely managed to suppress the initial reaction to jump away from her. Something akin to panic settled and rattled through his chest and all he could do was stare at her in wonder. And then she went and said something so, so...

"Seto!"

They both jerked visibly and whipped their heads towards the voice, spotting a figure of a man clad in an elegant suit, walking animatedly towards them and waving. Serenity had no idea who he was but Kaiba obviously knew him because he turned away from her and focused his attention on the man. Serenity coughed softly and turned also, clasping her purse more tightly and trying to look as calm and cool as possible. She silently cursed her curiosity for getting her in trouble so many times and decided she should just keep her mouth shut and smile politely.

The man approaching them seemed to be in his late thirties, a warm smile on his face and in his crinkling blue eyes. His short, dirty blonde hair was receding from the top of his head but he was slender and his gait lively. His suit was dark like Kaiba's and undoubtedly expensive and tailored specifically for him but when he finally approached Kaiba, Serenity noticed he was still a bit shorter than the younger man in front of him. After taking a brief surprised and curious look at Serenity, he beamed and grabbed Kaiba's hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

"So glad you could make it! I've been looking forward to this ever since I've heard you were back!" he gushed in heavily accented Japanese, still shaking Kaiba's hand, his eyes twinkling merrily. He then proceeded to embrace Kaiba's shoulder with his other arm, shaking him energetically for emphasis. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Kaiba merely nodded, ignoring the shaking completely and just standing impassively next to the buoyant man. Serenity couldn't help but gawk, not used to seeing Kaiba being manhandled like that willingly.

"Martin," he replied in his smooth baritone, acknowledging the man finally. The man named Martin grinned at him mischievously and patted him on the back once before pulling away and hiding his hands in his pockets, leaning back slightly on his heels. He then switched his gaze at Serenity and she smiled politely, albeit a bit uncomfortably, not knowing whether to expect a similar treatment or not. The man just smiled back cheekily and then looked at Kaiby almost slyly before moving in front of Serenity and bowing appropriately in front of her. Serenity bowed back respectfully.

"And who is this beautiful young lady?" he asked with a toothy grin, making the girl blush slightly.

"I'm Serenity Wheeler, nice to meet you," she managed to pipe, cringing slightly when she realized just how squeaky her voice sounded. Martin didn't either seem to notice or didn't mind at all.

"Nice to meet you, too, miss Serenity," he chirped and gave Kaiba another meaningful look. "I'm Martin." Kaiba ignored his look completely and simply stared ahead.

"I must admit I didn't expect Seto to appear with such a pretty lady like you," Martin continued, making Serenity's blush deepen and Kaiba clench his jaw slightly. Martin laughed good-naturedly at her reaction. "If I had known, I wouldn't have pestered him so much to find a date for tonight. Who would've thought he already had a pretty lady by his side all along? Seto, you sly devil, you!"

Serenity's blush traveled all the way to her ears upon the implications and she quickly opened her mouth and raised her hands to clarify the misunderstanding but Kaiba beat her to it.

"She's n-...an acquaintance," he retorted brusquely but Martin managed to catch the brief pause between the two words and the almost imperceptible brush of pink over his cheekbones. He wanted to ruffle his feathers a bit more but the thunder and lightning gathering in Kaiba's eyes made him pause and cough to get the conversation back on track and avoid the wrath of Seto Kaiba.

"Oh, I see, I see, of course," he acquiesced, his face and voice less jovial but eyes still twinkling with mirth. His eyes kept traveling to and fro two visibly uncomfortable and stiff teenagers for a few more awkward moments, noticing the way the girl's head was lowered, fingers and nails squeezing the black lacquer of her purse. If she kept blushing any more, he was afraid steam would start rolling out of her ears. Kaiba's expression went back to his usual indifferent glower but knowing him well by now, Martin could easily see the tension in his shoulders and posture, coiled and ready to snap at any moment. Well, for now, he'd leave the two alone; he had plenty of time to poke and tease him about it later. Besides, the poor girl was so frightened and lost he couldn't help but want to help her out.

"Well then, shall we?" he ventured; all cheerful smiles and sparkling eyes again and extended his arm towards the entrance to the palace. Kaiba nodded and started walking, still slightly tense from the sudden wave of liquid heat that for some odd reason was still warming his limbs and ears and creating those blasted palpitations in his chest. Serenity, willing her stiff legs to move, already thought she'd be the last one walking behind them but Martin surprised her by offering her his arm and a warm smile.

"Uh..." She mumbled, lost for a second at the sight of a dark suited arm bent her way. She wasn't used to anything this culture had in store for her and wasn't quite sure how to respond and what was proper. Martin watched her blink at him then look at Kaiba questioningly, seemingly reluctant to take him on his offer for some reason. When Kaiba just kept on walking without a care in the world, she smiled politely back at him and linked her arm with his.

"O-okay, sure!"

"Lovely! I'm sure Seto won't mind, anyway!" Martin replied in a slightly louder voice than was necessary and with a flourish, started walking together with her after Kaiba. When Serenity giggled at his antics, finally relaxing slightly and enjoying his company, Kaiba turned briefly to look at her and Martin caught a brief flash of something sharp and dark in his eyes before it was gone. With a still pretty sour expression on his face, he turned his back to them and kept on walking, Martin smirking in return. This was going to be an interesting evening, indeed.

"Have I ever told you how I met Seto?" He asked the girl in a hushed voice and she looked at him, her expression the one of confusion and innocent curiosity. He let out a snuffle the next moment, slapping his forehead and shaking his head. "Oh, of course I haven't, we just met!"

Serenity giggled again, a small blush on her cheeks and her mouth covered with her hand in a true lady-like fashion. Martin beamed at her, glad the girl had finally loosened up a bit. "Well, in that case," he whispered and leaned towards her in an almost conspiratorial manner, "let me tell you. Just don't tell him I did otherwise he'll skin me alive and cement my remains in the foundations of the next Kaiba Corporation building."

"I won't, I promise," she whispered back and chuckled when Martin cast one last suspicious glance Kaiba's way. He was still walking ahead of them, the epitome of elegant aloofness.

"Okay, now listen to this..." he leaned in again and began his story.

---

By the time they entered the foyer of the palace, Serenity was almost in tears, doing her best not to start laughing out loud like a maniac. Instead, she opted for giggling and chuckling behind her fingers at things Martin was telling her in his hilarious story-telling way. Not only had he told her how he met Kaiba and did a great impersonation of their first meeting, but he had also told her about some of the adventures he had when he was trying to find suitable dates for him every time the ball would be held. They finally stopped talking and giggling when they came to the man standing behind a small stand, dressed in a formal tux and wearing a very snotty expression.

Serenity's giggles died down almost instantly upon seeing Kaiba leaning on the wall opposite the man, arms crossed and glaring daggers at them both. She swallowed thickly, realizing she had almost forgotten all about him due to the fact that Martin was just so entertaining. The man next to her coughed guiltily as well, a smile still on his face as he led Serenity to the man behind the stand. Another one approached her from the small room next to it and she was asked for her coat.

She was about to take it off herself when the man in charge did it instead, grasping the lapel of her coat and letting the warm material slide down her bare arms. It was only then that Martin finally saw what she really looked like under the warm lights of the foyer and gaped openly at her. As Serenity was still fidgeting with her purse and looking around curiously, he glanced at Kaiba and noticed a very concentrated look in his eyes as he kept on staring at her, as well. The moment he realized Martin was looking at him almost shrewdly, he quickly averted his gaze, glaring at the adjacent corridor with stormy blue eyes and lips thinned into a frown.

Martin only chuckled softly to himself before turning to a fidgeting Serenity again and smiling at her. "Serenity, only now I see just how wonderful you look!" He exclaimed, making the poor girl blush and smile prettily again. She really wasn't used to receiving compliments, was she? He wanted to compliment her some more but stopped himself when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Kaiba move away from the wall and approach them stiffly, a glower still present on his face.

"Can we get going already?" he snapped, his voice and expression barely containing frustration that was coiling through his blood unpleasantly. Serenity flinched a bit and swallowed while Martin just smiled at her and moved away from her, opting for standing next to the archway that led to the marble corridor and observing the play of emotions on both their faces.

Serenity tensed visibly when Martin moved away from her and left her to stand alone by the podium awkwardly. Without his relaxing presence and the warmth of her woolen coat, she couldn't help but feel like someone just pulled a safety blanket from her abruptly and left her there to shiver in the cold and fend for herself. She hadn't even realized she had become so accustomed to Martin keeping her spirits up and now that she was once again left with an approaching Seto Kaiba as her 'date', she felt the onslaught of all those troubled emotions wash over her anew. The fact that he was looking at her as if she had just set all his companies on fire, didn't help her jittery nerves at all.

Kaiba approached the stand and the snotty-looking man lost some of his haughtiness when he saw the younger man looming over him, a dark. homicidal aura simmering all around him. He coughed awkwardly and quickly glanced at the large guestbook in front of him.

"Names?"

Serenity thought the question was pretty redundant; it was perfectly understandable to ask for her name since this was her first time appearing at such an event, but who in the world didn't know Seto Kaiba? The man in question ground out his name through slightly gritted teeth and the men behind the stand exchanged discreet looks. The guestbook attendant then glanced at Serenity nervously and she cleared her throat clumsily, stating her own name shakily. The attendant checked the list, nodded and scribbled something down. Serenity, being close to the stand, peeked at the book and noticed that they were listed as 'Seto Kaiba + date', promptly blushing slightly at the insinuation. She had a vague idea Martin had something to do with that particular wording since all other dignitaries who had brought someone along, had 'guests' attached to them instead and Martin was currently wearing a pretty smug expression for no apparent reason.

When the formalities were dealt with and the usher wished them a pleasant evening, Kaiba walked away brusquely from the foyer and into the adjacent corridor, all rigid shoulders and clenched fists. Serenity followed stiffly, biting her lower lip and wondering if she had once again done something wrong, heels clacking against extravagantly checkered tiles. Martin had gone ahead of her, too and was now walking next to Kaiba, telling him something in German that Serenity had no chance of understanding. She sighed and let her gaze wander somewhere ahead where the music was becoming louder and the chatter of people more discernable.

"Bist du bereit?" Martin asked, glancing at Kaiba, one hand in his pocket. The stormy ocean in Kaiba's eyes flickered and he nodded imperceptibly, jaw set.

"Ich weiß was Ich zu tun habe." He replied and Martin nodded, knowing perfectly well that once Seto Kaiba had his mind set on something, that something had no chance of escaping his will and determination. Still, he decided to wish him luck, lest that something decided to play it tough.

"Viel glück, Seto."

"Hmm..."

When they reached the end of the tiled corridor, Serenity almost started to hyperventilate again. Kaiba had successfully walked into, what she had secretly dubbed as 'the fray', and slowly started to disappear in the crowd of elegant suits, designer gowns, stone-faced waiters and shiny, silver platters with glasses of champagne bubbling in them. The ballroom seemed to stretch on endlessly, with high ceilings that were carefully painted and depicting various scenes Serenity thought reminded her of all those renaissance paintings she used to see in textbooks. Intricate and heavy-looking crystal chandeliers hung from them, gleaming with surrounding light and making Serenity blink when her eyes looked at them and they peppered her eyes with little stars of light. It was as if the whole room was basking in gold, with warm-colored vanilla-peach walls, candelabrums hanging on them with elegant white candles that only added to the whole feeling of warmth and luxury. The curtains were rich and beige and Serenity could spot a few balconies peeking behind the material of some of them. The whole room was practically alive with people standing, chatting, dancing or walking about and laughing, the band sitting on a separate podium not too far away, music stands and instruments catching the golden hues and creating music mellow but lively enough to dance to.

It all seemed so much like a picture out of a perfect fairytale and it was scaring the living daylights out of her since her feet refused to budge from the entrance.

"Serenity," someone had stopped next to her and caught her by the arm gently. She jerked and looked at Martin looking at her, eyes crinkling in amusement. "Breathe."

It was only then that she realized she had indeed stopped breathing for those few, long moments of awe and amazement and she quickly inhaled sharply before she fainted for real from the lack of oxygen this time. Martin chuckled next to her and tugged at her arm playfully.

"Ready?" He asked and Serenity kept her anxious eyes on the room a moment too long because Martin patted her head affectionately. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just don't forget to breathe." He added jokingly but to Serenity it really did sound like a very good advice. "Shall we?"

The words prompted her to blink, realizing that she would eventually have to move from there and stop blocking the entryway. Despite her clammy palms and shaking fingers, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and nodded firmly, letting Martin lead her into the room and into the mass of warm, moving bodies, bright lights and music.

---

This was why he hated crowds.

There were so many people around him; chattering, moving, getting in his way, approaching him and greeting him out of the blue. Faces he didn't know and care much about, all phony smiles, practiced gestures and empty words. He nodded at every one of them politely, going along with the social pretense while keeping one eye trained on finding the familiar mop of grey hair. He only had to find the old man, ask for a chat in private and settle their little squabble from the past. He was sure that with some reasonable suggestions and offers, he would be able to persuade the head of the Fernhoff Industries to work with him so he continued to scan the crowd of dignitaries and their wives carefully, blue eyes raking through the moving sea of people in the ballroom.

In fact, Kaiba was so focused on trying to find the distinctive face of Marcus Fernhoff that he failed to see the fast approaching figure. Only when he heard one excited and shrill 'Seto!', did he turn around and with a grimace, spotted a figure of a young woman making her way through the crowd.

Mascara accentuated, bright blue eyes were watching him intently, arm lifted and waving at him, loose blonde curls bouncing lightly around her face. She was sashaying her way towards him, a big smile stretching her glossy lips and showing a row of perfectly pearly white teeth. There was glitter all over her hair and dress and Kaiba realized, with some dread pooling in his stomach, that the history was apparently repeating itself tonight. When she finally pushed her way through the last remaining group of people, she practically pounced on him, grabbing him by his arm and pulling him down into a firm hug. He resisted the almost violent urge to push her away as a heavy scent of her perfume assaulted his nose, her curls scratched and prickled at his eyes and he could feel soft breasts in a barely covered cleavage, push against his frame purposefully.

Great. Astrid was also here.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" she squealed in English, batting her eyelashes seductively and leaning back slightly to see him better. "When I heard you were coming, I was so happy! Oh, look how you've grown! And you're so handsome!" She giggled, swatting at his lapels playfully and Kaiba desperately wished teleportation had been invented by now. "How have you been?"

Kaiba somehow managed to pry her hands away from his arms and his impeccable suit by turning around and pretending to grab a glass of champagne from the platter that was being carried around.

"Fine," he muttered, trying to ignore the way she still decided to cling to him. She giggled again and shook her head, curls bouncing together with the movement.

"You've always been a man of few words, huh? I kind of like that, you know, instead of all those flatterers and sweet talkers I'm constantly surrounded with," she continued, illustrating the amount of supposed attention she was getting by arching her hand through the air. Kaiba refused to say anything to that and pretended he was incredibly interested in the curtains on the opposite wall. "So...how about we move to a more private place? I'm sure we have tons of catching up to do."

Those last words were said in a slightly more sultry tone, long and slim fingers with manicured nails digging into his arms again. Kaiba frowned at the implications and refrained from jerking his arm away. The woman was even more clingy and annoying than her younger, preteen self. He was about to politely refuse her offer (she was still the daughter of one of his business associates) and run away from her when he heard his name being called again. They both turned to see Martin approaching them through the crowd, Serenity close behind, eyes still slightly wild and biting her lip gently. Kaiba almost sagged in relief. Astrid frowned.

"Sorry, but I'm...with, uh, someone," he nearly cringed at the last part, still slightly in disbelief over the fact that he had just said he came with another person. He could hear Martin's sing-song voice in his head, proclaiming he had come with a date and his facial muscled actually decided to cringe this time. As the two approached them slowly – Martin with a huge smile on his face and Serenity clutching his arm for dear life, Kaiba's shoulders relaxed slowly. He was saved. For now.

Serenity was afraid to let go of Martin's arm lest she folds and collapses like a paper saturated with water. She had never been amidst such a crowd of people, all looking at her shrewdly like she was a potential threat. Well, those looks came mostly from women; men were more or less ogling her and she didn't know what was worse. She felt like a particularly interesting exhibit in a freak show as Martin led her forward. It didn't help that the young and gorgeous woman standing next to Kaiba and holding his arm was also looking at her with interest but Serenity could almost feel chills rolling down her spine. There was something predatory in her eyes as if she just stepped onto someone else's territory uninvited and there would be hell to pay for that. She unconsciously bit her lip again, teeth and lips trembling slightly from nervousness. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Right.

"Ah, lovely miss Astrid," Martin stopped, still holding Serenity's arm as he smiled at the blonde woman, "nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Mr. Larrs," Astrid all but cooed, nodding politely in return but her sharp, piercing gaze fell on Serenity all too soon. "And who is this, if I may ask?"

Serenity realized it was her cue to finally say something so she coughed softly and bowed respectfully, her hair curtaining her face for a moment. "I'm Serenity Wheeler, nice to meet you," she said in her best English and Astrid, not expecting such an introduction, gaped at her for a second before snapping out of it and nodding politely.

"Oh, nice to meet you, too," she echoed though both Martin and Kaiba could detect something steely behind that pleasant tone. "Are you here with Mr. Larrs? You make such a lovely couple!" She added, eyes twinkling shrewdly, a practiced, perfect smile on her lips. Before a very flustered Serenity and an amused Martin could say anything though, Kaiba beat them to it with a dark expression on his face and a voice deep, husky and laced with a hint of possessiveness that took them all by surprise, Kaiba included.

"She's with me."

A pregnant pause followed in which three pairs of eyes were trained on him, unblinking. Astrid's mouth was slightly agape; her grip on his arm going a bit slack as she stared at him in barely concealed shock. Serenity wasn't far behind either, gawking at him with wide eyes, her breath lodged somewhere between her throat and her heart that was hammering frantically in her chest and pumping heat into her cheeks. Only Martin wasn't really that shocked but still had one eyebrow raised, his eyes sparkling mischievously at the almost frozen look on Seto Kaiba's face.

Kaiba, in his defense, had no idea what had just happened or how. All he knew was that one moment, he was trying to shake Astrid off and run away with Martin to find Marcus Fernhoff and in the next, he was spouting something his brain had apparently no control over. He just remembered feeling something sharp and hot jarring his stomach at Astrid's words and making his mouth open and move without his consent. He barely even recognized the tone of his voice. What the hell was wrong with him? He almost sounded...

"Oh," Astrid was the first to recover and break the tense silence between them, pulling the smile back to her lips, albeit with some difficulty, "I see..."

"Well," Martin was about to dilute the heavy atmosphere with a funny remark about his day but then caught someone interesting right across the room and stopped abruptly. Kaiba, ever perceptive, noticed the suddenly serious look on Martin's face and following his gaze, turned around, letting his own narrow in concentration. Marcus Fernhoff was standing not too far away from them, a champagne glass in one hand and his trusty staff still in his other. He was talking to another elderly man, apparently discussing something mundane if their smiles and relaxed postures were anything to go by.

"Let's go," Kaiba said without any ado, straightening his posture and expertly disentangling his arm from Astrid's loose grip. She let go of him somewhat reluctantly and with a pout, watched him as he stalked away, bent on talking to some old men across from them.

He mentally growled at the onslaught of unruly butterflies in his stomach and excited palpitations of his heart and resolutely crushed and pushed them back at the darkest recesses of his mind. He'd deal with them later, once his work was done and he was free to hole himself up in his office and go through the events of the day with meticulous care to every detail. Now, he had Fernhoff where he wanted and he'd be damned if he didn't use this chance he was given.

Martin looked slightly more hesitant to follow, torn between staying and helping Serenity deal with the other woman but this was once in a lifetime chance for Seto and he had to be there to offer his counsel and drag him out of sticky situations if necessary. God knew Seto Kaiba didn't mince his words and preferred the direct approach, which usually meant that the conversations with him were brutally honest and, to lesser souls, even offensive and intimidating.

"Well, my ladies, looks like it's time to discuss business," Martin said, offering an apologetic smile to Serenity whose eyes started to widen in panic. He subtly squeezed her arm reassuringly before moving away and she quivered, feeling cold and abandoned again without his warmth by her side. "I'm sure we'll be back to chat with you soon but until then, please excuse us." And with one last, charming smile sent Astrid's way and a quick, meaningful glance directed at Serenity, Martin was gone, scurrying after Kaiba as they made their way to the head of Fernhoff Industries.

The silence and tension between the two women was almost palpable and deafening despite the constant noise of people and music around them. Serenity helplessly watched Martin's figure getting obscured by another walking group of people and sighed inwardly. She was on her own now.

She tensed when she felt those chills creeping down her spine again, feeling someone's eyes prickling the back of her head. Turning around slowly, she caught Astrid giving her that same, shrewd and calculating stare that she had seen on many women tonight. The expression quickly morphed into a sweet and pleasant one but Serenity could still imagine razor sharp teeth hiding behind that glossy smile, ready to sink into her at any opportune moment. The predatory gleam never quite left her eyes, either. Serenity offered an awkward smile in return, clutching her purse for some sort of assurance and stability.

Astrid merely giggled like all was well with the world, taking a sip out of her glass and Serenity grimaced mentally when she spotted long, pink nails that were matching the color of her, almost scandalously short, cocktail dress. "Is this your first time at an event like this?"

Serenity nodded bashfully and Astrid let out one long 'awww...' that was supposed to come out as sympathetic but didn't really quite reached the sympathetic department.

"So, you and Seto, hmm?" She ventured in a saccharine voice, staring intently at her with those piercing eyes beneath a thick layer of mascara and making Serenity's skin crawl. It was obvious to her that the woman was interested in Kaiba and was fishing for information but the question was so blunt and out of the blue that Serenity couldn't help but blush and stammer.

"Uh, oh...n-no, that's...we're not really-"

"Now, now, no need to be shy," Astrid cooed again, ensnaring her arm with her long fingers and pink claws and dragging her towards a small open buffet. Serenity tried to squirm her way out of it but the woman's grip was relentless and she wondered if she'd have bruises tomorrow. She opened her mouth to protest politely but Astrid cut her off by grabbing the champagne glass from one of the circling platters and almost spilling the contents all over Serenity.

"Here, try this, it's really delicious!" She exclaimed and Serenity had no choice but to accept the glass with the bubbly, golden liquid. Raising her head to see Astrid raising her glass towards her, she tentatively clinked her glass against hers, watching the liquid slosh and shimmer seductively. "Kanpai!"

"K-kanpai," she mumbled, watching the woman take a hearty sip and with a resigned sigh, did the same.

The drink was indeed as fizzy as it looked and sweet, with a tang of something sour and bitter as it slid over her tongue and down her throat, pooling in her stomach and warming her insides slightly. She coughed softly, swallowing a bit too much and not used to drinking alcohol. Astrid chuckled quietly in front of her.

"You know, I've known Seto since we were kids but he's never brought anyone to parties before," Astrid continued cheerily, twirling the glass in her hand and looking at the champagne playfully. Serenity gulped and nodded dumbly, feeling cornered all of a sudden. Then she looked at her again and Serenity tensed slightly when she saw that scheming look in her eyes again, the smile as sweet and venomous on her lips, "I mean, god knows I've tried, so you can imagine my surprise when he suddenly came with you!"

Astrid took another sip from her glass, observing her keenly over the brim so Serenity, compelled, followed suit.

"Uh, w-well, it's nothing like that, really, so..." Serenity piped, glancing at her glass when one carefully groomed eyebrow rose on Astrid's forehead. Did it become even warmer in the room or was it just her and her bouts of jittery nerves again?

"Oh?" Astrid inquired and there was something almost gleeful in her voice when she did. Serenity just nodded again, keeping her smile as neutral as possible and wondering how to get away from this predicament. If she said she needed to go to the ladies room, would she follow her? That plan went down the drain soon enough when Astrid leaned in and with a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes said "You wouldn't mind, though, right?" She chuckled again when Serenity choked on her next sip and blushed profusely.

"Uhh...wh-no, that's-"

"Oh, come now, you don't have to play coy with me! Everyone knows Seto is a perfect catch," she cut her off again, her expression smug and eyes narrowed. Serenity's blush only deepened. A while back, she did think the same thing but coming from Astrid, it sounded like he was a prize to win and then flaunt; a trophy husband. "So, how did the two of you meet then? Do your parents work for him? I haven't heard my dad mention anyone by the name of Wheeler." She placed one pink fingernail on her chin in wonder but Serenity could easily tell it was feigned.

"But then again, I don't really care about my daddy's work, I'm a model, you know. So, how did you meet and where? Do tell!"

The barrage of questions just kept coming, making Serenity feel slightly dizzy and overwhelmed. She sighed inwardly, frowning slightly and looking at the contents of her glass almost miserably now. Was it just her or did she already finished almost a whole glass? The amount of champagne was dangerously dwindling.

"Uh, we met at a tournament," she replied, raking her brain for that first meeting with Kaiba on his blimp when she all but begged him to help Ryou Bakura. By now it was getting a bit harder to think. And to breathe. Martin told her to breathe but it was a bit too stuffy and warm around her lungs and stomach. And her head. Things were getting kind of...hazy. "And no, my...my parents don't work for him. I just...I'm just an acquaintance."

Astrid blinked and her eyes widened a fraction, the answer clearly not what she had been expecting. Then she gave Serenity a onceover and grinned, those perfectly white teeth making Serenity shudder.

"That's interesting," she quipped and not knowing what to say to that, Serenity just stood there, staring at the remaining bubbles in her glass. They were so...fizzy and sparkly and pretty. Oh great, she was now complimenting her glass of champagne. What was wrong with her?

"Did you know Seto and I decided to get married once?"

The question sent hundreds of little swords and knives sinking mercilessly into her gut and chest, and she raised her head so quickly her mind reeled, eyes wide and mouth agape. She blinked a few times, trying to chase the haziness away and finally focused her eyes on Astrid. She wasn't sure anymore but it seemed like the woman was watching her with a pretty pleased expression, her smile reminding her of a cat who just got its hands on the canary. She downed the last of her champagne, hoping she would now have an excuse to run away from the pushy girl.

Serenity shook her head numbly, giving her reply to the heart-numbing question and trying to dispel the fuzziness that was, like a spider, softly weaving its web around her mind. Did she have too much of champagne? Was it that strong? Did she eat anything before they left for the ball? She couldn't remember anymore. And her heels were killing her. And Astrid obviously didn't care about her misfortune and kept on talking, making Serenity wish she could just run away from there, instead of listening to this woman and comparing her to her own petty, ordinary, commoner self. Seto Kaiba would never go for an ordinary, plain girl like her, right? Right.

"Of course, we were still kids by then and-oh," she stopped when she realized that Serenity's glass was empty and without a lot of chance to complain, another full glass was lifted from the tray and thrust into her hands. Serenity, cheeks already flushed and feeling light-headed, shook her head frantically. She was already tipsy enough.

"Oh, no, I-I really shouldn-"

"Nonsense!" Astrid chirped in her ear, suddenly too close to her and Serenity balked slightly at her proximity. "This is a party! People do this at parties so just relax and have fun!"

Serenity thought she was having everything but fun but Astrid was already raising her glass and Serenity's eyes widened in fear. Again? How much could this girl drink?

"To having fun!" the model girl in question proclaimed dramatically and clanged her glass almost haphazardly against Serenity's. She raised her glass to her lips and then waited for Serenity to do the same with a definite challenge in her eyes. With a tortured sigh, Serenity mumbled 'kanpai' one more time and leaned her glass.

"That's the spirit!" Astrid patted her on the back merrily and a bit too enthusiastically, which only made Serenity lose her balance more. She gasped and had to grip the table behind her for support. "These balls are all pretty boring so a girl has to entertain herself somehow. And trust me, free champagne is the best way to survive a night like this."

Serenity was certain she would disagree with her but just nodded anyway and then quickly turned away to raise her hand and mask a hiccup. The blonde woman didn't seem fazed by alcohol at all, judging by her still straight posture and the will to chatter her into despair.

"So, tell me," she continued mercilessly, eyes set on her willing prey, a dangerous and feral glint in them and dread settled in Serenity's stomach, making it do a small flip of discomfort. "Did Seto have to buy you that dress? Or did you have to rent it?"

Serenity stared at her numbly for a few moments, glass slipping slowly down her sweaty palm, before her brain finally wrested through the hazy cobweb and caught up with her to process the thinly veiled insult.

"...what?"

---

The two elderly and unsuspecting men were just in the middle of chatting about old war wounds when they felt like a dark cloud had suddenly crept on them and was about to rain on their parade; or, in this case, a friendly chat. And when Marcus Fernhoff indeed turned his head to look at the newcomers, he concluded something like that just might actually happen since he was greeted by a very determined and very serious Seto Kaiba who was looming over them ominously like an approaching perfect storm.

"Herr Fernhoff," Kaiba thundered, standing there like firmly like a marble statue. Martin Larrs was smiling awkwardly behind him with hands in his pockets. "May I have a word with you?"

There was a brief pause in which the elderly men exchanged knowing glances, before Marcus Fernhoff nodded at his friend who nodded back understandingly and with a smile and a full plate, sauntered away to give them privacy.

"Young Herr Kaiba," Fernhoff replied casually, leaning more heavily on his staff, a glass still in his other hand. "It's been a while."

Kaiba nodded, the grim expression never leaving his face. "It has."

Fernhoff gave him a crooked smile, grey eyes gleaming with challenge under the bright lights of the room. "If I remember correctly, the last time we spoke, you told me sentimentality had no place in business world."

Behind Kaiba, Martin cleared his throat subtly which was supposed to be an unspoken warning to the younger CEO. Kaiba gritted his teeth, one of the muscles in his jaw visibly tightening. He understood the message perfectly. Despite his old age and frail health, Marcus Fernhoff was not a person to trifle with. He made for a formidable opponent and Kaiba had found out the hard way. And so, right now, he couldn't allow himself any more slipups if he wished to conclude this successfully.

"Yes," he ground out, trying to keep his voice flat, left hand unconsciously slipping into the depths of his pocket, "It seems that we started off wrong. I would like to...amend that if possible." Martin apparently approved of that because he couldn't feel any jabs on his back, awkward coughs or glares heating the back of his head. Marcus Fernhoff remained equally silent, grey eyes narrowed and calculating, making Kaiba falter just barely in his posture. Was it too late and the old man still held a grudge against him and his reckless words from two years ago?

"I'm sorry to hear your brother was involved in an accident," he suddenly said, breaking the uncomfortable silence and making Kaiba stiffen involuntarily. Martin blinked in surprise. "How is he?"

The question had caught him off guard, his mouth opening and then closing in shock. He was so focused on staying in his business mode that he honestly didn't expect such a personal thing to come out of Marcus Fernhoff's mouth. He recovered quickly enough, though and with a soft cough and a frown, replied "He's...still recovering."

"Is the recovery going smoothly?" Another personal question. Kaiba's left eyebrow twitched a bit.

"Yes. For now."

"I see. Well, that's good to hear then." The older man said offhandedly and then started half-limping away from them, making Kaiba stare at him incredulously. Behind him, Martin was kind of lost, not knowing what exactly just happened or where to go from there. It seemed that Kaiba had come up with a plan of sorts because he also moved, turning after the older man.

"Wait!"

The staff tapped dully against the shiny floor of the room, a few guests turning to look at the exclamation in curiosity. Marcus Fernhoff merely turned his head to give him a blank look. Kaiba's gums were starting to ache from all the teeth gritting. The nerve of that old man!

"Yes?"

Kaiba approached him hurriedly in a few long, sharp strides; fists clenched tightly and his expression pinched. The damned man had actually had the gall to just walk away from him after asking about Mokuba and not listening to another word of his! And as much as he hated to admit it, the scene felt so familiar and Kaiba couldn't help but feel like a child again, forced to follow Gozaburo around like a puppy on a leash. Martin was next to him in a matter of seconds, eyes slightly wide and pleading with him not to do anything rash.

Kaiba took a few deep breaths that did nothing to elevate the bubbling anger in him, but he somehow managed to refrain himself from snapping at the older man. It sure wouldn't do him and his public image any good if he ended up yelling at an old man with a handicap in front of all those people. A few of them were still giving them curious looks.

"I would still like to talk to you about something, Herr Fernhoff." The voice came out as a growl and sounded too rough to be civil even to him. Marcus Fernhoff lifted one grey and bushy eyebrow in return.

"About business, I presume?"

"Yes." He managed to make that come out less feral than the last sentence. Martin mentally gave him props for that at least. The older man in front of them didn't seem the least bit impressed by that. He turned around towards them completely, leaning one gnarled and tanned hand heavily on the staff.

"Ah, unfortunately, I don't discuss business on parties, young Herr Kaiba. Especially on those that raise money for poor children. There are offices and workdays for that, lad. And we are at a party. Try to have fun tonight, your business won't run away anywhere in the meantime."

With that, he started turning around again and waved at them dismissively, his staff stabbing at the polished tiles. Kaiba, together with Martin, was left to stare after his retreating figure blankly, blinking in wonder. The older man was just about to sidestep a group of extremely chatty women when he felt a strong grip on his upper arm, halting his movements. He turned around in surprise, looking at a very resolute expression on Seto Kaiba's face, stormy blue eyes ablaze. The boy sure was obstinate.

"Wait!" He hissed, muscles of his hand flexing and shuddering around the older man's arm and making Marcus Fernhoff's face scrunch up in mild annoyance. "Please! I just...Look, I know you don't like me and I don't give a damn about that but just give me a few minutes and then I-"

He didn't get to finish his half-plea because a sudden cry of surprise pierced the jovial atmosphere of the ball not too far from them. Soon enough, a collective of gasps and murmurs followed, making the crowd gather pretty quickly around one particular spot in the room. Martin's face blanched almost immediately, a sinking feeling in his stomach when he realized that that was the spot where he left Serenity with Astrid. He swore quietly, turning around sharply to see Kaiba still staring intently at Marcus Fernhoff and apparently not paying any heed to his surroundings.

"Seto!" He exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm now and jerking him away from the older man slightly. Kaiba glared at him in response.

"What?" He snapped.

Martin didn't say anything but instead pointed at the crowd gathering excitedly around a buffet table across from them. Kaiba frowned, still not understanding what the big deal was. "What?" He repeated, pissed that his conversation with Fernhoff had been interrupted.

"Serenity!" He barked, pointing at the crowd again.

"What about her?"

Martin wanted to bang his head against something very solid. "I left her there with Astrid and I think somet-"

Someone shouted something in German from the center of the crowd and the group of people in front of them split slightly, allowing them a peek at the main show. Martin gasped softly, paling in fright, one hand flying to his mouth. Kaiba's eyes went blank, body going slightly stiff and his grip on Marcus Fernhoff slack. The older man let out a small 'oh', looking worriedly at the gap between the people.

"It seems the young lady has fainted."

The young lady in question was lying motionlessly on the ground, a broken champagne glass next to her outstretched arm, leftover champagne pooling around her fingers slowly. Her bangs were clinging to her perspiring face like an auburn curtain, partially covering her open mouth, flushed cheeks and closed eyes. She looked so lifeless lying there; like a dressed up, real-sized doll whose strings, due to some ill fate, got cut off and let her fall to the ground in a motionless heap of limbs.

Martin swore again and ran towards the crowd, loosening his tie with one quick flick of his wrist. Kaiba seemed completely devoid of emotions, eyes on the sprawled figure of Serenity on the shiny tiles, unable to do anything but stare at her. She looked so still, so motionless, so broken and then it felt like something solid finally hit him in the face and he was forced to move and take a sharp intake of breath to compensate for the sudden rush of blood his madly fluttering heart was pumping trough his body. The sharp pang felt like someone gutted him and he had absolutely no idea why he was feeling so angry and cold and so incredibly helpless all of a sudden. His body wanted to do something, something but his mind was still trying to process all those strange sensations wracking his nervous system and causing havoc in his head.

"Serenity!" Martin almost crashed into an older woman as he slid to a stop in front of the unconscious Serenity. Crouching next to her he glanced at an older man checking her pulse and recognized him as one of the doctors from the list.

"Ist sie okay? Was ist passiert?" He asked in German; deep voice thick with worry. The older man nodded, moving Serenity's bangs out of her face carefully, hand still on the pulse point of her left wrist.

"Ja, sie wird gut, sie ist nur ohnmächtig. Ich vermute sie hat ein bisschen zu viel Champagner getrunken."

Martin frowned slightly and then looked up, searching for the other girl. Astrid was busy talking to a group of women above them, explaining everything in detail and sporting a shocked and worried look but Martin knew pretense when he saw one. The girl didn't feel sorry at all and Martin's jaw tightened. The music had stopped for the moment but the murmurs and speculations of people around them didn't cease and Martin exhaled loudly, turning to look for his younger friend. When he saw him still clutching onto Marcus Fernhoff and looking like a ghost, he nearly bit his tongue off in frustration. Despite all the genius and power he possessed, the boy could indeed be such a real boy sometimes.

"Seto, dammit!" Martin yelled, trying to make him snap out of it but instead managed to make Serenity regain her consciousness. She let out a groan and moved her arm sluggishly, yelping and then hissing in pain when her skin dragged over one razor-sharp piece of the broken glass. Martin's head whirled back in time to see blood slowly soaking the tiles and mingling with the champagne, creating liquid, orange swirls on the white surface.

It was the blood and the pain on her face that finally got him moving. Up until that point, he felt like a mere spectator to the whole ordeal, his mind meticulously analyzing everything around him – the tireless chatter of people, the cool sweat on his palms and forehead, his bangs soaking it up; Marcus Fernhoff's flabby arm beneath the material of his suit, the frantic pitter-patter of his heart, beating against his ribcage, the shortage of breath and the almost impossible urge to do something that his body apparently wanted to do but his mind refused to acknowledge it. Then came her sharp cry, her face twisting into a pained grimace, and when he saw blood, blossoming over the tiles like some twisted version of a spider lily, his mind finally gave in to his body's demands and he jerked, taking a step forward.

He must've forgotten his hand was still attached to Marcus Fernhoff because he automatically pulled the older man with him, making him yelp in surprise. He turned around, realized he was still clutching the man's arm and let go, breathing heavily and staring at him intently. The older man was simply staring at him and observing him, as well, watching the battle of emotions on his face play out with rapid succession. He watched him turn his head towards the bleeding girl one more time, jaw clenched, before he gave him one last, determined look and nodded.

"Some other time, then." He clipped and then darted across the room and towards the crowd. His friend started saying something to him but he only shook his head and knelt down next to the girl. Marcus Fernhoff couldn't see the girl anymore but he still watched as the young man swiftly slid the tie off his neck and wrapped it around the girl's arm, providing a makeshift bandage. He told something to the other man and he nodded, running off and disappearing in the prattling crowd a moment after. Then there were gasps again, made by some of the women gathered around, when Kaiba suddenly lifted the girl in his arms and without any further ado, barked one loud 'Move!' and then made his way through the slowly separating crowd.

"Ah, Seto!" One young woman with blonde curls yelled after him, her arm raised and a disappointed pout on her lips, but she went unnoticed and ignored as the crowd slowly closed around them like a curtain again, and the dramatic play of the evening had reached its end, only hushed whispers and comments of the audience left behind. A few minutes later someone had obviously told the band to continue playing because music was heard again, although it took the crowd a bit longer to get back into the easygoing atmosphere.

Marcus Fernhoff, still standing where Kaiba last left him, chuckled in amusement, rubbing his sore arm absentmindedly and leaning on his staff. Then he smirked and straightened, stretching old joints and muscles tiredly.

"Interessant." He mumbled and then turning on his heel, grabbed a plate, stuffed a few things on it and went in search of his old friend again.

---

She ruined it all, didn't she? She just had to ruin it all and now he's going to hate her guts for the rest of his life. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Serenity let out a choked sob, the heels of her palms jabbing almost painfully into her closed eyes, as Seto Kaiba carried her through the corridors. She was sore all over – her head was throbbing with a headache, her eyeballs protesting from both the alcohol overload and her palms; her feet were still killing her and her forearm was still leaking blood and pulsating unpleasantly with dull pain but all she could think of right now was how she still managed to ruin everything in the end.

"I'm-hah, I'm s-sorry," she half-cried, half-sobbed out, trying to catch her breath between the tightness wedged in her throat. "I'm so, so sorry..."

"Shut up." Was all he said and she bit her quivering lip, resisting the urge to start openly crying in front of him and instead trying to stifle her sobs and shivers.

They were outside already, judging by his hurried steps and the cool autumn air on her exposed skin, making her shake in his arms even more. She was so, so stupid! Why couldn't she just get away from that harpy before it got too hard to breathe and the world started spinning? Why couldn't she just stop drinking that champagne when she started feeling ill and light-hearted? Why couldn't she just ignore her snide remarks before they made her angry and made things only worse? Why coul-

Well, too late. He hated her even more now. He had to be. Oh, dear god, she would never live this down. She'd just pack her suitcases when they got back and leave on the next available plane for Japan. And then she'd spend the rest of her life avoiding Seto Kaiba like a plague because she was sure he sure as heck wouldn't like to see her face ever again. She'd perhaps never even see Mokuba again!

The thought sent a sharp twinge up her chest and she gasped for air, her body shaking violently in his arms, trying to catch her breath. She felt him quicken his pace, his feet crunching over gravel now but she still didn't dare to open her eyes for fear that she would really see all the hatred, venom and disgust on his face. She just...wouldn't be able to take it now. So she kept her trusty palms on her eyes, smearing away tears and choking back sobs.

"Seto, over here!" Somewhere to her left she could hear Martin's voice and promptly hiccupped, remembering she had made a fool of herself in front of him, as well. Just great, disappointed another person who was egging her on. Kaiba stopped crunching over the gravel suddenly and Serenity could hear the engine of the limousine roaring to life. They had reached the car.

"Here, I got her coat back," Martin said, wrapping her up in warm wool gently. "And her purse."

"Inside," Kaiba's voice vibrated through his chest and her side as Martin consented, throwing the purse inside hastily. A moment later, she felt herself being transferred to the warm interior of the limo, the leather seats cushioning her sore back. She was laid down, the coat still wrapped securely around her.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Martin mumbled outside on the parking lot. Then she heard a rustle and someone placed a gentle hand on her coat, patting it affectionately. "You'll be okay, don't worry!" Martin added in an encouraging voice that only made Serenity die a bit more inside.

She heard another rustle across from her and then the sound of the doors of the limo being shut, followed by two pats on the roof and then the car started moving, taking her back and away from the nightmare she created. She knew he was sitting across from her, she could hear his clothes rustling as he moved before the deafening silence followed, the limo moving away from the parking lot and onto the concrete road.

She almost wished for him to start yelling and screaming at her. She didn't mind the insults and his sharp tongue; she knew she deserved every one of them for ruining his important night. She wished for anything, really, just to stop this nerve-wrecking silence on his end but he remained silent as the statue of the woman in the fountain, unyielding, cold and unresponsive.

Her headache-turning-migraine made her feel even more ill as various thoughts refused to stop running through her head. Eventually, exhaustion and pain took over and with a soft exhale of breath, she let herself be pulled down into the dark abyss of unconsciousness once again.

Across from her, Seto Kaiba watched her intently, not daring to move a muscle or say a word. He just stared at her, unblinkingly, waiting for any signs of pain or blood but the girl remained still. Slowly, as she fell asleep, her hands started sliding from her face, cheekbones and eyelids red and swollen. They kept sliding until they unceremoniously fell down; one landing on her side and the other, injured one, dangling from the seat. Kaiba, lips set into a thin line, hesitated for a moment before he slowly got up and wordlessly, lifted the dangling arm and placed it over her abdomen carefully, letting it rest there, his necktie still wrapped around the gash in her skin.

He moved away and plopped back onto his seat again, leaning his entire body weight into the leather and raising his head to stare at the ceiling tiredly.

This...needed to be processed and his mind was still whirring tirelessly and trying to come to terms with everything that has happened. He knew he'd be doing that all night once it was all over but as thoughts, impressions and emotions kept on being torn apart and analyzed, one thing repeatedly kept popping up, trying to make a point, trying to make him see something although he still wasn't sure what that was. Either way, that thing kept on coming back, again and again, refusing to back down, as relentless as his own persona was.

He never wanted to see her in pain again.

---

a/n:

Foreign words:

(German)

"Bist du bereit?" – "Are you ready?"

"Ich weiß was Ich zu tun habe." – "I know what I have to do."

"Viel glück, Seto." – "Good luck, Seto."

"Herr" – A way to address a male person like 'Mr.' in English language

"Ist sie okay? Was ist passiert?" – "Is she okay? What happened?"

"Ja, sie wird gut, sie ist nur ohnmächtig. Ich vermute sie hat ein bisschen zu viel Champagner getrunken." – "Yes, she'll be fine, she just fainted. I think she had a bit too much of champagne."

"Interessant." – "Interesting."

(Japanese)

"Kanpai!" – "Cheers!"

Sooo...hi there.

Crappy intro, I know, especially after so long but bear with me. Anyway, this is long. Again. It's even longer than the last chapter and that thing was hella long, too. I thought of dividing this in two parts but decided against it. I figured you all deserved something long and action-packed and all that jazz after all this time...Are people even still reading this story, lol?

This also hasn't been double-checked or beta-ed because I was trying to finish it before tomorrow, when my second year of masters officially starts so, uhm...next update will be...I dunno when. I just hope it won't take me another...uh...holy crack, 5 years, dear Odin I suck. I also think my writing style has changed a bit. Maybe. I don't know. I figured all those essays and papers killed my immature muses so I only managed to retrieve those serious, deadpanning ones. And those all in favor for crack stories, apparently.

Right. I'll just go now and hide under a rock.

...I still hope you liked this, so...feedback would be appreciated. :D