A Monopoly Of Blue Eyes Chapter 25, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 25: Merger

Six weeks after she got out of the hospital she was pleased to say she had fully recovered. Despite her injuries, and broken ribs were really irritating, she had healed easily and without much fuss. Thankfully, her language skills had come back in only a few days, well before the doctor had recommended she go back to work, and she was beyond grateful as that had scared her much more than a few broken bones and the horrible headache she'd had. Her doctor had been impressed with how quickly she healed all around, and even more so by how fast her bones knit back together. But she had always recovered more swiftly than other people, or so it seemed. Maybe it was just that she had been hurt so much in the past that her body was used to it, and had been waiting to fix something major for the last seventeen months or so. Despite that Seto had been treating her like she was made of glass, which was sweet, but driving her crazy as all she wanted most of the time was for him to grab her about the waist and do unspeakable things to her.

Two days ago she had finally lost all patience, she could only handle him ghosting his hands over her so long before she went completely insane, because seriously that was torturous. She had pushed him down on his back over her couch rather roughly, crawled over him, and all but demanded he stop keeping his hands to himself in a move so forward she couldn't believe she had managed it. He had been fully surprised to find himself under her as she berated him for not being less gentle for about five seconds. Then his navy eyes had glinted with undeniable want and he grabbed her, pulling her down over him and into a searing kiss that had quickly devolved into a hot and barely restrained tangle of limbs and loose clothing when she made it very apparent that he was not going to hurt her. Even now she wasn't entirely certain what had them stopping just short of what she had been aiming for, which was her bedroom, and felt half cheated over the thing no matter how good he made her feel as it was barely shy of what she felt was waiting on the horizon. She could only hang on the edge with him like this for so long before she died she was sure.

Still, things had been going wonderfully well. So well in fact she generally felt as if none of it was actually real. Never once had she anticipated being with anyone that complimented her so perfectly in seemingly every way. That wasn't to say he didn't drive her to distraction, because he had to be the most stubborn and blunt person she had ever met, but it simply seemed a natural part of their relationship. She really thought she wouldn't be able to make it with someone that didn't present some sort of challenge to her, and he certainly managed that at every available opportunity. She was actually positive he goaded her on purpose half the time because he enjoyed her reactions, but that was fun in it's own way as well, and to be perfectly fair she enjoyed pushing his buttons too.

Really, the only thing she had to complain about was the lack of time they'd had the last few weeks. This tournament he and Mokuba were so dead set on having had taken over her life recently. Now, not only was she doing her day to day tasks at work, and additional things for Seto for the tournament, but Mokuba had conscripted her onto his team as well. She had quickly discovered, that while he had a totally different managerial style than Seto did, he was just as demanding of perfection. And not that she didn't want to help the younger Kaiba in every way she could, and was throwing out all the stops to do so, but there was one clear difference between them. Seto had experience, and while he was absolute in his expectations and demands he had never given her more than she could reasonably do in a set amount of time, even when he had her working on giant projects. Mokuba clearly had no idea what went into her job, or the time some of the things he wanted done needed if she was going to do them properly, and she had quickly become overwhelmed for the first time since she started working at Kaiba Corp.

After the fifth day of being on Mokuba's team she lost all track of time as the frantic pace he set for her cinched tightly around her neck like a noose, and she suddenly had a dozen deadlines looming that she'd had no time to properly manage as he simply dumped them on her out of nowhere. Unlike the other people on his team she didn't have anyone else in her department, and everything he wanted translated fell on her. As she was making corrections to a flyer that had been given to her, meant to be sent out the next day to advertising for final mock ups, her cell phone rang as she sat in her office. Glancing up she began looking around for it, and eventually dug it out from under a pile of papers on the fourth ring. Hitting the call button right before it went to voicemail she answered distractedly, bothered by the interruption as she didn't have time for one. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Seto asked sharply, as if she was about to die or something.

"The office." She told him, wondering why he was asking.

"You're still there?" He asked, confused.

"I mean obviously. It's only-" She replied, looking down at her watch. "-eight." She sighed deeply, kissing any chance of sleep goodbye for the day as she still had nine more hours of work to do today easily. Not that she had been overly successful resting recently. She had been having the weirdest dreams, most of which she couldn't remember, but she kept waking up terrified of she didn't know what. She found the whole thing even weirder as she had never been prone to nightmares, even at the worst times of her childhood. "How is it already eight?" She asked more to herself than to him. "Look, I'm going to have to call you back, I'm kind of in the middle of-"

"We were supposed to have dinner together at my house an hour ago." He interrupted, now irritated.

"What?" She was sure that couldn't be right. "No, you said Thursday-"

"It is Thursday." He told her. "What are you even doing? You've been at the office since at least six this morning when I got there. It shouldn't have taken you that long to finish translating the new rule book."

"I finished that already." She told him. "I e-mailed you all the different versions. Please tell me they didn't get lost in cyberspace."

"Sarah, things don't just vanish into the darkness of the universe after you send them out of your inbox." He told her sarcastically. "It's not magic."

"Oh my gosh, I don't have time for a lecture on technology, and don't tell me it isn't magic, because surely it is. There's no other explanation as to how I am able to see so many cute videos of cats."

She could sense him rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Then why are you still there?"

"I still have things to do." She informed him, wondering what else he thought would keep her there. Sure, she liked her job, but not enough to just hang out at Kaiba Corp for days on end, especially when she could be spending time with him.

"All you had to do was the translations for the rules."

"Yeah, for you." She told him. "Mokuba has this whole other set of things going on."

There was a brief pause. "You're on Mokuba's planning team?"

"I mean, that's what he told me. I thought that meant you knew about it." She agreed as she pulled the flier back to her. "I'm sorry I missed dinner. I thought today was Wednesday. Could we try again tomorrow? I can set an alarm on my phone so I don't forget."

"How long have you been at Kaiba Corp?"

"Erm, since four-ish?" She replied, thinking that was about right.

"Since four this morning." He repeated. "And what time did you leave yesterday?"

She sensed this was going poorly for some reason and didn't want to tell him. "I feel like you're about to yell at me for getting my work done."

"I'm not going to yell at you." He told her calmly. "But I am going to tell you, strictly as your boss, to pack all of your things up and leave."

"But I'm not done-"

"Sarah, you are done for the day. I don't want you back at the office until nine tomorrow morning at the earliest. You need a break. You can do that here with me or go home, but you are leaving."

A whine of frustration left her, hating leaving things undone. "What am I supposed to tell Mokuba? He needs this finished."

"I'll talk to Mokuba." He assured her. "Now come over here and eat."

She let out a little breath, torn between very much wanting to leave and the very real understanding that this wasn't going to get done if she left. "Seto, if I stop now this really isn't going to get done in time for your tournament. And looking at all of it I see why Mokuba needs it done, but I don't have anyone else to help me with it. So…" She looked around her desk a little helplessly at the small mountain of projects. "I guess I don't know what to cut out if I leave, and I really think I need to finish what I can tonight."

He must have heard the underlying panic in her voice, because instead of insisting she do what he said he went in a completely unexpected direction. "Fine."

"Really?" She asked, relieved he was going to argue with her about it.

"Yes, really." He agreed.

"Okay." She felt a little better, but still guilty about not meeting him. "I really am sorry I forgot about dinner." Other than spending time together as they usually did, he had taken her out multiple times now, somehow scrounging the time up from somewhere, and all of their dates had been fun. While on some level she had always known he didn't get out much it had never occurred to her how much time he spent working or by himself until they started going places together. While he certainly knew his way around the city, he clearly never stopped anywhere when he was headed to whatever destination he had, where she was prone to wander about taking everything in. After their first date, which she had to admit he had planned rather beautifully by taking her to a sushi restaurant and then down to the beach to walk around afterwards, she had taken over, which seemed to intrigue him entirely.

Knowing him well enough to guess what he might like she had first taken him to one of the six museums in the city that had a touring display on the history of technology going through, including an exact replica of the very first Turing machine. That had fascinated him and she had been fully amused by how long he stood in front of it, his eyes flicking along the machine as he worked out exactly how it had been put together, although he had to have already known. Still, seeing something and reading about it were two different things and they had lingered in the museum for hours as the items on display had taken up all of his attention. She was sure he had gotten more out of that than she had, as he understood how it all worked, but it had been a fun experience for her as well. On their third date she had managed to tempt him fully out of his comfort zone, and mostly healed up at that point, and sick of being forced to sit about and do nothing, she had rented them some time at a local facility with a rock climbing wall. He had clearly not been expecting anything like that and she had merrily handed him a bag full of workout clothes Mokuba had given to her for him when she asked earlier in the day. Seeing the challenge in her eyes he had raised an eyebrow and silently accepted, going to the men's locker room to change. Never one to back down, and being a fast learner, he had quickly gotten into it and put her through her paces as they played about on the course.

So needless to say she had actually really been looking forward to spending a quiet evening at the mansion with him. "It's alright, Sarah." He assured her. "I'll see you soon." She had wished him a farewell and gone back to work. Twenty minutes later and there was an impatient tap on her door and she looked over, shocked that anyone else was here. Seto was standing there with a bag in one hand and a confused looking Mokuba on his right. She sent them a questioning look, not understanding why they were here, as he stepped in and set the bag on her window sill, grabbed the back of her chair, and rolled her in front of it. "You eat." He instructed firmly. Then he turned to his brother. "Sarah has been here for almost seventeen hours now and is fully planning on staying for at least the foreseeable future." He told him, not unkindly, only in a factual sort of way. "Yesterday she was here for at least eighteen, and I can only guess how long she was here the day before that."

Mokuba frowned. "Why?"

"Because you've given her too much to do." Seto told him patiently, and she realized all at once she was being used as a learning tool. Figuring she was a better person to do that with than anyone, as she wasn't about to get mad about it and honestly wanted Mokuba to succeed, she opened the bag to see what she had been brought, delighted to have food she hadn't been expecting. "The rest of your team can delegate work, Sarah can't. You also didn't tell me you were working with her, so I was giving her more." Mokuba immediately looked chagrined. "So, we have two weeks, and most of what you need from her is devoted to marketing, which needs to get done within the next seven to twelve days. Sarah can't do all of it no matter how much she wants to, and even if she works straight through, which is physically impossible. We also no longer have time to hire another translator to help. What's your solution?"

Mokuba blinked at the calm but pointed question. The next twenty minutes he and Seto took over her office as she was pressed into a corner eating a delicious noodle dish as they prioritized projects together. She watched quietly as Seto first walked Mokuba through it, and then pulled back almost completely to allow his brother to solve this problem himself. Thinking Seto was a much better teacher than he thought he was she kept her peace as her workload was drastically reduced to being only slightly enormous rather than impossible. Thankfully, the next day when she got back Seto actually swept in with her to help her as well, managing most of the English translations she needed to get done before the lab called him, which really helped her out.

Now, with only a week until the tournament started, and the marketing and advertising portions completed, her work days had dwindled back to normal, although Seto and Mokuba would be getting exponentially busier in the next two days. Taking full advantage while she could get him out of the office for even a few hours she had suggested they spend some time together on Saturday, secretly wanting to spend at least part of the day with someone she cared about on her real birthday. Of course Seto knew when it was, as he had found out along the way, but she also knew she couldn't mention it and was sure he had likely forgotten the exact date. And while it might be silly, a part of her wanted to celebrate turning eighteen even if all they did was sit on the couch and watch a movie without acknowledging it. She couldn't actually remember a time she had a good birthday, although she was sure when she was very young she had as her mother had been a very loving individual. Still, all the one's she could remember had been rather awful, and last year she had spent it on her own in her empty apartment with almost no food. Admittedly at that point she had been grateful she hadn't been with her uncle, but it was still fairly pathetic. When she had asked Seto about it he had been on his way back to his lab to work on something and had told her distractedly to pick whatever she wanted to do and he would be sure they would. She had quickly settled on a moderately sized cultural festival Domino was hosting. There were several local bands playing, and she hadn't been to any sort of concert in awhile. She was almost certain he had never been to a live performance at all and figured they would both enjoy it. Seto had agreed without issue and they had decided to meet there as it was only five blocks from her apartment.

It was such a nice evening outside she had walked over about ten minutes early, intent on enjoying the early summer weather. Having recently been to Mia's store she was dressed in a new line she had gotten from a designer the other woman was trying out. She was totally into the clothes, which were really exactly what she liked to wear, and Mia had made a note on them in her log book, obviously interested in ordering some more things from them after seeing how pleased she was with them. Having never really gotten into the short skirt scene that went on here she was in a pair of sky blue shorts and a loose, flowing tank top that had thicker straps resting on her shoulders. The top was a sort of mustard yellow that was muted down with beautiful, brightly colored swallows patterned all over it. She was also in a new pair of blue flats, as the ones she'd had on during Seto's duel had mysteriously vanished somewhere. Assuming she would never see them again she went ahead and bought some more.

Looking down the walkway of the park where the festival started, which was full of happy, carefree people, she sent Seto a short text telling him she was under the large tree at the south entrance and slipped the phone back in her purse. No sooner did she do so then a shadow fell over her and she glanced up into a pair of emerald green eyes and a truly charming smile. "Hello, beautiful."

Wondering at his horrible timing she sent Duke a disgruntled glare, wondering how to get rid of him as quickly as possible. She was still irritated with him over the entire dinner fiasco and wanted him far away before Seto arrived, or really, just far away. "I might be flattered if I wasn't sure you said that to every woman you passed on the way over here." She replied dryly.

The man chuckled and she had to admit the playboy acted his part wonderfully. Dressed in his signature black shirt and dark washed jeans his inky hair and grass green eyes were set off very well indeed. It hardly helped that Duke knew he was a handsome man. He embraced his looks with relish and was fully aware of how to best wield them on the opposite sex. "I only mean it when I say it to you."

"Oh I'm sure." She replied sarcastically. "You've got to work on the pick up lines." She advised him. "Or select a more naive target."

He chuckled, not at all bothered that she was calling him out. "But you're so much more fun. It gets boring, having women fall over you."

"You have no shame at all." She told him.

"None." He agreed with a grin. "What brings you here, pretty thing?"

She made a bored sort of motion behind her at the tents, people, and bands setting up. "I would think that was obvious."

"You don't really strike me as a festival type." He remarked.

"Because you know me so well." She replied. "Do you really see this conversation going somewhere?" She asked with exasperation. "Because when you did trick me into going on a date it didn't exactly go well."

"It didn't exactly go horribly wrong either." He replied.

"What exactly is your definition of a date going wrong if you felt that was even marginally successful?" She asked, hating that she was actually curious about that. It had to be a train wreck of a story.

"Oh, I have examples." He assured her with amusement and she wasn't at all surprised he had more than one after interacting with him for more than an hour. "Why don't we discuss it over some cotton candy?"

"Um, pass." She replied.

"Watching that figure?" He teased, running his eyes over her approvingly. "You don't need to."

"I'm simply trying to get rid of you." She quipped back, not sure how to be less straight forward about not being interested. "And shouldn't you be here with that cute little red head you're always fawning over? Joey's sister?"

"You mean Serenity? Poor dear thinks she's in love with Tristan."

Poor dear indeed. Tristan wasn't what she would call stable or reliable. "Ah." She said in response.

"She's young." He told her, and she had to admit at least he was upfront about being a little sleazy. "She needs some time to figure out he's going nowhere fast."

"A nice thing to say about a friend." She agreed. "How about one of the any number of other women you reportedly flounce about town with?"

"Reportedly?" He asked curiously.

"Duke, you're exploits are documented in great detail by all the local society reporters. I'm fairly certain I read an article about you drunkenly swimming in a fountain with two lady friends just last month." That was just… beyond ridiculous. "You couldn't find a pool?"

He grinned wider. "You read about me?"

"If by that you mean I read the local paper, then yes." She agreed, although honestly she was a bit paranoid one of those very reporters had seen her and Seto running around town together. Not that she was ashamed, but she knew it was going to cause waves at work and just wanted to be prepared when that inevitably happened.

"I don't see anything wrong with spending time with someone, or a few someones, that enjoy my company. I'm not seeing anyone seriously, why shouldn't I have some fun?"

"What could be wrong with trespassing and obvious drunken behavior?" She asked sarcastically, thinking that maybe for some people it wasn't an issue, but for her it certainly was.

"I think you're missing the point." He stated.

Her lips curled up. "Free love, or supporting the local economy with bail?"

He chuckled. "Nothing is free, and I'm not cheap."

"I mean, you took me to a greasy burger joint, but right, you're not cheap."

He waved his hand. "I was trying to remind you of home, make you comfortable."

She liked a good cheeseburger as much as anyone, but that had so not been what happened. "Yeah, not buying that."

He shrugged that off, continuing to pursue her when she obviously did not want to be pursued. "You don't really want to be here exploring this lovely event all on your own do you?" He wheedled. "I'm such good company."

"Believe it or not I do all sorts of things all on my own, and I'm not convinced your company is what I would term good." She told him. "So I'm fine here, alone, without you."

Duke leaned into the tree beside them, his smile growing, and she realized he was liking her refusals too much. "But think of how much better it could be with me." He replied flirtatiously. "A picturesque night, a handsome man on your arm, an ice cream cone, a little music, and then back to my place." He smiled as she wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "A perfect sort of date-"

"Devlin." Seto said coldly, his voice full of deadly warning as he was suddenly right behind him. The other man flailed in surprise, and turned, his shoulders going stiff. It was clear Kaiba had heard him invite her home and was in no way pleased. His navy eyes were shimmering with anger and it was clear he was about to grab Duke and hurl him into the nearest trash bin. Considering how irritating Duke was she was pretty amused by how well Seto had disconcerted him, no matter how mean spirited that might be.

"Kaiba." He returned easily, regaining his composure and flicking some hair out of his face casually. "I didn't think you left the office."

Seto narrowed his eyes at the other man, not moved by the attempt to taunt him. "Maybe if you spent more time in yours you wouldn't be running around begging for funding to keep yourself in business." He replied icily.

Duke was flustered. "Your company seemed more than happy to invest in Dungeon Duel Monsters as I recall."

"Funny." Seto remarked. "I seem to have forgotten exactly why that is. I'll be sure to look into it once my tournament is over."

Shaking her head she stepped over to Seto before he could ruin Duke's life, as that seemed a bit much for a few minutes of being bothersome. "Hi." She said, drawing his attention back to her. She smiled at him in greeting, happy to see him. "The first concert starts in ten minutes. I really want to see this band. Their first album was great."

Duke frowned, glancing between them quickly. "Wait, you're here with him?" She sent him a bemused glance and he was fully put off.

"Goodbye, Devlin." Seto said, his voice clipped as he sent him a look that clearly told him to back off. Before she could say or do anything else Seto put his hand on the small of her back and turned her away from the other man, putting space between them. She went with him willingly, sending Duke an amused glance over her shoulder. He rolled his eyes, seeing he had been defeated, and sauntered off as the crowd swallowed them up. As they moved into the festival Seto's shoulders remained stiff and she thought he had really taken that too seriously.

Going up on her toes she kissed his cheek, which had him glancing down at her. "Duke would hit on anything that breathes." She told him. "He's not my type."

Seto relax minutely, but watched her out of the corner of his eye. "A successful, handsome man that flirts with shamelessly isn't your type?"

She took him in, mystified to realize he was jealous he hadn't found her waiting alone for him, no matter if Duke had found her purely by chance. That Seto would be jealous of anyone was mind boggling. Figuring he wasn't used to that at all, and likely needed some reassurance, she smoothed the whole incident over at once. "Well, when you put it that way maybe he's exactly my type, but I much prefer blue eyes to green." He hummed, but she saw he relaxed all over and she tugged him farther to the left, hearing familiar music and working out the band was warming up. "Thanks for coming with me. I know you're crazy busy right now."

"I always have time for you." He told her with such straightforward sincerity it nearly broke her heart, especially knowing he had been at Kaiba Corp all day. Really, he had to be tired. She smiled at him as they got to the top of a small rise and spotted the troop in a tiny amphitheater carved into the ground. Seeing it was going to get busy, and figuring he wouldn't want to be surrounded by strangers she quickly picked a spot that was out of the way under another large tree. It wouldn't afford them the best view, but she was here to listen to the music anyway, so it hardly mattered.

Seto glanced about with interest as they stood there, taking everything in. She noted that he was dressed much more casually than normal, forgoing a button up shirt and his trench coat. Instead, he was in a plain blue t-shirt and pants, with a light jacket on over it. He looked very much like any other person here and she leaned back into him, tilting her head up so she could smile at him. "You look nice. Are you going incognito today?"

He raised an eyebrow as he slipped his arms around her waist and held her back to his front. "I didn't want anyone to bother us." He told her, his fingers brushing over her stomach casually. "Are you sure this is all you wanted to do today?"

"I like concerts." She told him. "Did you want to leave? I know I've been picking for us. We could go somewhere else if you want."

"This is fine." He assured her, glancing up at the small crowd gathering in front of them, who weren't paying attention to them at all, which was very much to her liking. "I know you like music. I just thought you might want to do something more involved."

Amused, she leaned back into him a little more and he shifted so his back was against the tree and he could hold her up more easily. "Like rock climbing?"

His lip twitched. "That was entertaining." He admitted.

"Good." She replied, relaxing fully. The band started about five minutes later and they stood there listening for about an hour. She was fully entertained, humming under her breath and rocking slightly with the music. She couldn't really tell if Seto liked the songs, but he listened quietly without complaint, holding her against him while they played and taking the scene in as they stood at the back of the crowd. As they were on their last song he shifted a bit and she rocked forward, figuring she was getting heavy. A moment later and she felt his fingers brush her shoulders and then a slight weight on the back of her neck. Jumping a little as a spark of cold hit her collarbones she glanced down and saw a necklace had been placed around her neck. As she blinked at it he pulled her back to him and she reached up to the pendant that was hanging around her neck. A beautifully shaded sapphire was attached to the chain and she sucked in a breath of surprise at the sight. She had never owned any sort of jewelry that was worth anything at all, and this was clearly a well crafted and expensive piece. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a real sapphire, or that the chain was either silver or platinum, although she didn't have the skill to tell.

She gazed up at him with it sitting in her palm and she was sure she looked at dumbfounded as she was. "Seto, this is too much-"

Leaning down he kissed her softly. "Hush." He told her when he broke away, his voice pitched low. "Happy birthday. You get presents on your birthday." That caught her off guard and it must have shown. "I have a eidetic memory." He told her, amused she thought he had forgotten. The band finished playing as he ticked at her cheek, clearly unbothered by how expensive the gift must be, and changed the subject easily. "Is there another band or do you want to go get dinner?" He asked.

She gazed up at him for several long moments, the pendant still in her hand. Honestly, she had been planning on going to the other side of the park to hear another band, and then have them walk a few blocks over to a little cafe that had opened a few weeks ago she had been meaning to try. But… she let the pendant drop around her neck and went up on her toes, reaching up and pulling his face down to hers. She kissed him deeply and he let out a little sound in the back of his throat, surprised by the public display of affection when she was generally very uncomfortable with that. After several moments she pulled back, making up her mind all at once, and not because of the present, which was no doubt worth a small fortune, but because he had remembered it was her birthday for no other reason than he cared. Seto seemed to feel the sudden shift in the air, or perhaps he was simply seeing the want in her eyes, because his entire body went oddly rigid as he held her against him, now completely oblivious to what was going on around them. Dipping his head down he kissed her again and a shiver of want tore down her body. "Let me take you home." He whispered into her ear. "I want you." He kissed her lips again hotly. "I want to be with you."

"What about Mokuba?" She asked breathlessly.

"He's staying with a friend tonight." He told her. "Some sort of gaming party."

It was a miracle. "Can we leave now?" She asked raggedly, her lust running amok.

He kissed her hard and pushed them off the tree, taking her hand in his and leading her out of the crowded park. She followed him and he squeezed her hand reassuringly as they got to a side street and she spotted his car. He unlocked it with his key fob and held the passenger door open for her as they came up next to it. Getting inside she fidgeted restlessly as he went to the other side, wanting nothing more than to rip his clothes off and have him even as nervous tingles ran up her spine. Going around the car he got in and then they were off. When they were out on the road he caught her hand in his and lifted it to his lips in yet another surprising show of affection. That only had her more excited and she met his eyes for a moment. The lust in them must have been as noticeable as in his because he went fast, blatantly breaking the speed limit in the short distance between the park and her apartment's garage. They got to her home in record time, which was probably for the best as she had started playing with his hair, which was causing him to swerve dangerously on the road more than once.

He parked next to her car and they both got out quickly. She wasn't entirely sure how they made it up to her apartment, because they were pawing at each other from the time they were on the elevator to when they practically fell through her door after she somehow managed to unlock it. As soon as they were in he slammed the door shut behind them and locked it firmly before pressing her up against the nearest clear wall. Completely losing what little control she had left she began to shove his jacket off of his shoulders with fumbling, unsure hands. Seto appeared to feel the same way because any semblance of control he'd had before when they were together like this was gone. The way he was touching her now felt very different from all the other times, for all they had already done. His fingers tangled in her hair and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as they locked themselves together. He bent into her, increasing the contact as much as he could and she could only approve. Lust blasted through her and she made a low sound of want against his lips, which triggered him entirely. His hand ran down until he was cupping her bottom and then he lifted her up slightly, taking a half step forward. Able to hold her in place his hand began to roam over her in long, hot strokes and she quivered, her nerve endings sparking like mad.

Unable to keep her hands idle she began to touch him too, feeling him over his clothes and once again finding herself more than satisfied with him. As she rubbed up against him as best she could pinned against the wall she felt him get hard and thought she might faint as her lust somehow went higher. Even so, she knew she needed to at least tell him something before this went any further, even if she was fairly certain he already knew. As he broke away for half a moment to breathe she squeezed his shoulders. "Seto." She panted. He hummed in response and kissed her again, tilting her head back to make it easier. She nearly lost herself again, and honestly wanted to lose herself, but this seemed important. Pulling back slightly she held onto him, meeting his eyes and flushing badly. "Seto, I've never-"

He kissed her again before speaking. "I haven't either." He rumbled, and somehow knowing they were talking about the same thing she accepted it and went back to kissing him, feeling better that she wasn't alone in all of this. They stayed like that for another few minutes, lost in one another, before he scooped her all the way up, his arm sliding under her as he bent down slightly. Knowing what he wanted instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up. He took her back to her bedroom as she continued to kiss him, and she was impressed he didn't fall over with as distracting as she was being. When they were in her bedroom at last he stopped them next to the bed and went back to kissing her, slowing their frantic pace down a little as he held her flat against him, letting her legs slide down so she was standing again. She moaned in approval as her hands tangled in his now very wrinkled and abused shirt and he reached up and stroked her face. Her eyes fluttered open and he watched her for a long moment, going still. There was something there in his face, some nameless unspeakable desire that she kept getting flashes of when they were alone together, and found herself deeply, terribly eager for it.

"You're perfect." He told her, which had her catching her breath in surprise as he wasn't one to doll out praises or exaggerate his feelings in the slightest. "I just want to be sure this is what you want."

"Yes." She breathed, leaning up and kissing him. That was apparently all either of them could manage in the way of waiting any longer for this because then they were kissing like they would never get to touch one another again. She had never been so consumed with want before, felt as if she were losing her mind, and found she really didn't care. Even her nervousness over doing this had seared away to almost nothing, and she thought that must be strange considering up until now nervous bubbles had always surfaced once he was over her. Reaching behind her he pulled at the zipper of her top and she stilled enough for him to pull it all the way down to the small of her back. Then his warm hands were running over her exposed skin and she let out a high pitched whimper of approval.

Twisting, he pulled her after him as he sat on the edge of her bed and she straddled his legs at once, pressing her lips firmly against his. Seto's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her tighter against him before he let her go so he could pull her shirt up and over her head. Lifting her arms up she helped him and he dropped the shirt away at once. His eyes raked down as he rubbed his hands firmly along her rib cage. Squirming in approval she realized she was panting lightly and pushed at his shoulders as she arched to the side. Catching her as she tossed them sideways he laid her down over the bed and draped himself over her, his mouth locked against hers. Slipping her arms over his shoulders she quickly wrapped her leg around his waist to keep him right where he was and he groaned as she locked her hips up against his. He pressed down against her, rubbing himself over her in an effort to find some relief. Reaching farther down his back she caught his shirt and began to drag it up, trying to rid herself of the obstacle.

Seto pushed himself up long enough to grab it himself and yanked it over his head quickly, tossing it away and laying back over her as quickly as he could. His arm slid under her and then she felt his fingers fumbling with the clasp on her bra. Before she could help him with it he had it undone and she found herself wondering at the deft movements. Kissing her hotly he pulled at the fabric and she let him take it off. He dropped the lacy material away and stared down at her with glittering eyes full of lustful approval. Bending his head down he began to kiss his way along her neck and she moaned as she stretched up to make it easier. As she did one of his hands slid up to her chest and he squeezed her breast lightly before circling his thumb over her, which had her arching sharply and gasping. Clearly liking that reaction he did it again before running his hand down and tugging on the button of her shorts. The action had her starting to squirm desperately and he grunted as she let out a high pitched whimper of want.

Wasting no time he got her shorts loose and shifted up so he could get them off. As soon as there was room, before he could settle at all, she was pulling at the top of his pants quickly. Surprised but approving he helped her and then went back to her, grabbing the bottom of her shorts and tugging them down her legs. She lifted her hips to help him, rapidly losing patience with how long this was taking for all they were frantically rushing toward the inevitable conclusion of this encounter. He leaned in and kissed her again as he hooked his fingers under the side of her panties and peeled them off her with a quick tug. She felt herself flushing even as she started to push his pants down his hips and he batted her hands away so he could kick them off, along with his boxers.

Finally free of their clothing he slid back down next to her on his side, reaching out and pulling her up against him. She caught hold of his shoulders again and kissed him, her heart beating hard in her chest as waves of heat rolled over her. Seto wrapped one arm firmly around her and reached down between her legs, beginning to rub her. She nearly came off the bed when the tips of fingers stroked her and she felt him smirk into her lips at the reaction. He continued to rub her and she writhed against him as her body began to tighten up. Despite his very obvious lust he was shockingly patient, watching her intently as he wound her up to a breaking point and dipping his head down to kiss her every few seconds. Honestly, it didn't take him long tip her over the edge. She was so wound up she was actually shocked it took him more than a few seconds. A few minutes in he twisted his hand a little and pressed one of his fingers inside of her and she shattered apart at the sudden sensation. Letting out a low wail she clutched at him hard as a shudder tore through her.

Seto held her tightly against him as pleasure coursed through her, obviously fascinated and extremely pleased with himself. She found she could only approve of that, and when he rolled her to her back and started to kiss her insistently she pulled him over her with shaky arms. He stroked her all over as she began to tremble, the pleasure fading back to be replaced with nervous excitement. His hand flowed down past her hip and to her thigh, nudging it open as he moved all the way over her. His hand moved back up to her hip and he held it firmly as he propped himself up with his other arm. Breaking out of a kiss he spoke, his voice badly strained. "Okay?"

Nodding adamantly she reached up and put her hand on the back of his head, pulling it down and kissing him. Shifting forward his hand tightened around her as he pressed inside her in a rush. A sharp pain snapped through her and she grimaced as it pushed the other, much more pleasurable sensations away. Seto was clearly distracted and didn't see her expression as he groaned out a curse of gratification, his head tipping forward. He stretched out, his hand leaving her hip and sliding under her, pulling her into a tight hug as he flattened himself down. Her fingers dug into his back, and she bit her lip as he began to rock inside her, the sting turning into a sharp sort of ache. But he was panting harshly, clearly feeling very good indeed, and she tried to focus on how good it felt to be close to him as he lost himself fully inside of her.

Slowly, the ache diminished and he started to kiss her neck again as he moved, regaining himself somewhat. As the pain faded back her body took over and she began to rock with him. Seto groaned as soon as she began to move and she figured she must be doing this right. That thought was reinforced as she felt him rubbing something inside of her she hadn't been aware existed and a shiver hit her as all the muscles in her abdomen tightened. Strange, soft moans began to fall out of her at the feeling, and the sounds spurred him on. He began to rock faster and turned his head to kiss her mouth. She returned the kiss as they silently found a rhythm together, the pressure building up incrementally. Fully focused on him she found herself gazing up into his face as they moved and he set his forehead on hers, watching her intently. The intensity of that, of having those dark navy eyes of his seemingly looking into her soul as he pressed inside her was too much. She broke apart with a sharp cry of relief and he began to falter as she pulsed around him. As she writhed below him he lost his pace completely and slammed his hips against hers with his own ragged groan of completion. He slummed over her a moment later, his body pressing hers into her mattress as he went slack.

Holding him to her she panted, feeling so good she could hardly believe it. Above her Seto was gasping in large breaths as he shook, his face resting at the base of her neck and his warm breath gusting against her sweaty skin. They were both completely unraveled and she was glad she wasn't the only one. As her body pulsed with unexpected aftershocks of pleasure Seto's arms tightened around her slightly, almost like was afraid she was going to vanish. Thinking that was the last thing that was going to happen she squeezed at his shoulders, liking how close they were, and all but basking in the heat radiating off of him. After a long time he shifted out of her and collapsed onto the bed beside her. She turned toward him at once, ignoring the ache between her legs, which had returned as her orgasm faded away, and he put his arm over her back as she pressed flush up against him. He let her go just long enough to pull a blanket over them and then went still with her against him, his breathing still ragged, but slowly returning to normal. Snuggling her face against his skin she relaxed fully, completely satisfied in every way.

Seto reached up and began to stroke her hair gently, his fingers winding through the strands. They were quiet for a long time, basking in the afterglow. Finally, he broke the comfortable silence. "Did I hurt you?" He asked quietly.

"Only a little." She replied honestly, feeling herself blushing. "It's almost gone now."

He ran his hand over her head gently. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She replied quietly. "The last bit made the whole thing worth it." Leaning in he kissed her forehead. "Best birthday ever."

He laughed softly, tickling his fingers down her spine. "If only I had mentioned this last year."

She grinned up at him, a light blush staining her cheeks. "You probably wouldn't have been received quite as well."

Smiling, he kissed her again, warmly, and she relaxed all over. When he pulled away he traced her jaw with his finger, studying her quietly. Used to him thinking so deeply she stared back at him, more than content to lay against him while he turned over whatever it was he was turning over. After several long seconds he spoke. "Are you happy with me?"

She watched him, wondering where that had come from. "Of course I'm happy with you." She told him. "No one has ever made me so happy before." She smiled at him shyly. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "I promise I'll take care of you, Sarah." He told her sincerely. "And keep you safe."

She frowned a little, confused by the adamant sincerity of that statement. "No one's going to hurt me, Seto." Leaning in he kissed her, and she relaxed as he stroked his hand down her back.

"No, they won't." He whispered, rolling her over to her back again. "You're beautiful." He told her, changing the subject as he ran his hands over her, his expression changing to one of palpable desire. "I'm going to make you feel good again." He told her matter of factly, his bold narcism coming out full force.

"O-okay." She agreed breathlessly as he started to kiss her neck again. Closing her eyes she bent her head back, letting him do what he wanted, because it was what she wanted too. The next few hours were a blur of sweetness and sensuality that had her melting over and over again in his arms until they finally fell asleep tangled up together in her bed in the early hours of the morning. Tucked securely under his arm she was dragged back awake when she got too hot and stretched out sleepily, thinking she simply needed to push the blanket off herself so she could rest again.

Opening her eyes she reared her head up when she found herself in a different room altogether. Looking around frantically she saw that instead of her bedroom she was in a large, stone room covered in archaic looking decoration. Along two of the walls torches were flickering, sending odd shadows dancing about the darkened room. They caught on several tapestries hanging off the walls on either side of a great golden door engraved with symbols she could neither read nor decipher. On the floors were thick, well kept fur rugs of a tiger and a zebra. In the far corner she saw a short table covered in the remains of a meal, with an empty goblet tipped on it's side and another standing upright. Closer to her were a mixed pile of clothing, mostly white and cream colored with flashes of blue shining out of them. Sitting up quickly she felt a coarse, linen sheet fall down her and grabbed at it when she realized she was wearing nothing.

As she held it against her chest, fear coursing through her, she heard a low murmur right beside her. Her head whipped around and she saw that Seto was also here, lying on his side on the small bed next to her. Still baffled she calmed slightly at the sight of him and reached over to him, setting her hand on his shoulder. "Seto?"

Rousing himself at the call he blinked awake and saw her sitting up and looking about with worry. Humming, he reached up and drew her back down against him. "What's the matter, my love?"

She frowned, quickly noting the odd formality and tone of his voice and not understanding it in the slightest. "Where are we?"

He curled up around her, tucking her firmly against him. "My home." He reached up and gently caressed her face, watching her with adoration as he corrected himself. "Our home." She didn't understand at all and was about to ask him what he was talking about when she noted something she couldn't really explain. This man, whoever he was, wasn't at all her Seto for all he appeared to be a carbon copy. But there was something in his eyes that wasn't exactly right and apprehension filled her. Misunderstanding the sudden panic he saw he kissed her warmly. "I'll keep you safe, Kisara." He whispered, pressing his lips warmly against hers as second time. "And protect you from this darkness." She had no idea what this person was talking about and was frozen in shock over being kissed by whoever this was as she lay naked against him. "And when this is over we will come back here and you will be my wife in every way. I swear this will not be kept a secret for long."

She jerked away and was suddenly back in her own room. Flailing in confusion she was was prevented from falling off her own bed by Seto's arm around her waist. His head came up as she jolted and managed to catch her more on instinct than anything. "Sarah?"

"What?" She panted, her head whipping around in alarm.

"You had a nightmare." He said groggily. "It's alright, lay back down with me."

She looked around, trying to understand what was going on. That certainly hadn't felt like a nightmare, it was like she hadn't been right there in that strange room with another Seto, but she was clearly safe in her own bedroom now. Slowly, she laid back down, allowing him to tuck the blanket around her and curl up at her back. Slowly, she forced herself to relax and he fell back asleep behind her. Once he stilled she turned her head, tracing his face with her eyes. After several moments she has assured herself this was Seto, the real Seto, and calmed significantly. However, something was very wrong with all of this and she felt something scratching at the back of her mind. Disliking the feeling, fearing it for some reason, she turned and hid herself against his chest, searching for comfort and reassurance that nothing was wrong while knowing that there was. The movement woke him slightly and he rubbed at her back. "Just a dream, Sarah."

"Yes." She agreed quietly. "Just a dream."

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. I had a short spurt of writer's block and then rewrote the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it ;)