Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, yadda yadda yadda

Chapter Five – Dinner with Kaiba

"You have a date with Kaiba?" Téa asked, surprised at the news she was told the moment she walked in the door of the game shop.

"Yep. Mr. Seto Kaiba wishes to 'make up for his rude behavior over dinner.' This will be most interesting," Serena said, smiling angelically. The truth was that she had never been out with any guy before, regardless if it was an apology dinner.

"Where's he taking you?" Téa continued her questions, eager to know all about Serena's first encounter with Kaiba.

"He didn't tell me that, I don't think he even knew at the time, but he did tell me, after I inquired of course, that it was formal. I suppose I'll have to go find something formal since I didn't bring anything with me. Will you help me Téa?"

"Of course."

"Now?" Serena laughed slightly.

"I'm going to find Joey, you two have fun," Yugi chuckled as he walked out the door. I hope she's careful; Kaiba isn't always safe to be around, especially when he's angry and Serena's last name certainly seems to make him angry.

I will be, Yugi. Serena smiled as her and Téa went the opposite direction, in search of a formalwear shop. "I've never done this before."

"Shop for a formal dress?" Téa asked, a little surprised considering Pegasus was her uncle.

"Well, that, and go somewhere with a guy, excluding my tour around town with Yugi. This should be interesting though. I really want to blow him away, if you know what I mean."

"I think I know what you mean," Téa said, a small laugh escaping her throat. "Here, this place has tons of formal dresses."

Like two children on Christmas morning running to find their stocking hanging over the chimney, full of gifts and presents, Téa and Serena, giddy with excitement, went inside the shop to search for the perfect dress.

~*~*~*~*~

A soft knock was heard on the door of the apartment, announcing the arrival of a guest. Serena scrambled around to make sure she looked stunning enough to make Kaiba wonder what hit him.

"Kaiba," Téa uttered quietly, not expecting anything in return. Without even looking at him, she walked off; calling over her shoulder that Serena would be there in a minute.

"It's him," Serena said, voicing her thoughts. I wonder what he's thinking right now…an evil look passed over her face quickly, as she pushed the thought aside, focusing on the real reason why she even had a "date" tonight.

"It's him," Téa said, confirming what Serena already knew. "You know you're way back, right?"

"I'm sure I do, but if I don't, I'm sure Kaiba does," Serena said, looking at herself one last time.

"You look fine. Trust me, now go; he's not a patient person."

Serena grinned. "I figured that out already, that's why I'm taking my time; to teach him patience." She winked, and walked slowly to the small living room where Kaiba had taken a seat.

Kaiba heard footsteps and figured it was just Téa. Serena seemed to be taking her time and he wanted to get down to business and find out the real reason why she was there. The footsteps stopped slowly, but Kaiba didn't move. Instead of prying into his thoughts, Serena decided to get his attention.

"Are you always this rude?" she said bluntly, causing Kaiba to jump up and face her.

A slight flush went up in his cheeks as he looked at the girl before him, astonished at how beautiful she was. She wore a classy midnight black gown which was covered with sapphire rayon. The color of the gown accentuated her sparkling eyes. Her gravity defying bangs still hung in her eyes, but her medium length blonde hair was wrapped in an up-do by a tiny diamond circlet. She stood there as he looked at her, a small grin playing upon her lips. Kaiba stood there as if he were in a trance. Pegasus is not supposed to have a niece this beautiful. Seto! What are you thinking! He finally muttered something inaudible to her ears.

Serena laughed softly; she was enjoying herself. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked innocently, knowing very well what he had said, but enjoying putting him at unease.

"I said," Kaiba began, "we need to go." There wasn't any way he was going to tell Serena he thought she looked nice.

~*~*~*~*~

Kaiba led her into a quaint, yet luxurious restaurant. He walked straight to the front of the waiting line of people, with Serena at his side, slightly flushed from trying to keep up.

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba, right this way," the manager said, leading Kaiba and Serena to a secluded table. He took their drink order and left.

The two sat in silence; Serena felt uncomfortable at Kaiba's intense scrutiny and was thankful for the interruption when the waiter came with their drinks and took the order from Kaiba.

"So tell me why you are really here," he said, finally breaking the silence, his voice cold.

"I told you Mr. Kaiba, I'm here to duel," she responded evenly.

"Are you really?" he asked as he leaned back in his seat, his eyes narrowing.

"Mr. Kaiba, I assure you that I am indeed here to duel and find my way into the finals, not to take over your company. If you knew anything of my past, you would understand that corporations and business and money are no where in my list of priorities; you would also know that I am, in no way, like my uncle. If this will assure you any: I spent my first two years of life in his home under the close watch of my mother. We then left, and I never saw my uncle again until I was six. And even then, it was only for two weeks, because he sent me to a boarding school where I have been for the past ten years. I saw him once during that time, after being there one year," Serena said, her voice emotionless yet forceful and truthful.

I suppose she could be right…having not grown up with Pegasus, it would be hard for her to pick up on his habits. He leaned closer to the table, unsure whether to believe Serena or not. "How do I know you are telling the truth and that Pegasus did not send you here?"

"Tell me Mr. Kaiba, do I look like I am lying?" she asked, her voice unfaltering.

"No, I don't suppose you do. I apologize, Miss Pegasus," he replied as he once again leaned back in his seat, his voice sounding completely sincere yet still hard.

"Now that we have that cleared up, may I proceed with a question?"

Kaiba frowned; he didn't like what she could possibly ask him, but maybe this once, it would be alright. No one said he had to answer. "Go ahead."

"First, please call me Serena; 'Miss Pegasus' causes me to feel old. Now Mr. Kaiba –"

"Take the 'Mr.' off my name, and I'll consider it."

Serena chuckled quietly; this man was insufferable yet amusing to her. "I'm sorry, Kaiba," she said, stressing his name. "May I inquire as to what has caused you to be so hard hearted?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, slightly taken aback.

"Well, it is quite obvious you do not trust anyone but yourself. But beyond that, your voice gives it away, as do your eyes. It is said eyes are the window to the soul, in your case, I must agree."

"I do not know what you are talking about," he said coolly. She dares to question me? She seems to not care about my millions or my business, but strangely enough, about my…heart? He narrowed his eyes.

Two can play this game, Seto Kaiba. "I am sorry, forget that I asked. But, so you know Kaiba, all masks on my end are down."

Kaiba nodded slightly, but did not comment. Silence reclaimed the table as their food was placed before them. Serena focused her eyes before her, not wanting to look up into the cold eyes of Seto Kaiba.

He does have beautiful eyes Serena, even if they are full of coldness, she told herself quietly, her cheeks flushing slightly. I can't trust him…he refuses to trust me and I will show him the same courtesy. Regardless of how handsome he may appear to be, his heart is as hard as stone. I wonder what he is thinking right now…

I wonder why she won't look at me; it is as if she has something to hide. Maybe she does, considering she bears a millennium item, or maybe it is just the insignia. If it's anything like Yugi's, she could bear an alter-ego, but hers may not be so nice. She does look beautiful, but I refuse to go soft. She is just another girl, another duelist – one that I must defeat, regardless the cost.

Serena stopped listening to his mind; she didn't want to know where he may go with that. She hated to admit it to even herself, but she was having a decent time, now that he wasn't saying anything rude. In fact, he wasn't saying anything at all.

"Dessert Mr. Kaiba?" the waiter asked, removing their empty dinner plates from the table.

Kaiba considered this, and then looked at Serena. "Ask her," he said, tossing his head towards Serena, his voice not showing any emotion.

For a moment, Serena was stunned, but she quickly recovered by declining the waiter. Maybe…she refused to finish her thought. Kaiba was just another one of those callous, cold, insensitive, self-centered jerks. If he dared to care about anyone, it would be himself.

~*~*~*~*~

"Thank you for accompanying me to dinner," Kaiba said as he walked Serena to the door of Téa's apartment, his voice sounding as if he were conducting business.

"And thank you for inviting me," Serena replied in the same manner, but she smiled into his eyes as they stopped before the door. "I honestly did have an…enchanting time. It made my first day here in Domino…interesting."

Kaiba stood there, looking down into Serena's eyes. An emotion swirled up inside of him like a hurricane and before he could register what he was doing, he cupped her chin and stared straight into her soul. "I hope I'll see you again," he mumbled softly as he brushed his lips against hers and turned to walk away.

Serena knew she had responded to the kiss and her face had lit up like a beacon. What was he thinking? He mind cried out in confusion. The one moment he showed any emotion was in the wrong way and definitely the wrong time.

What was I thinking? He chastised himself and picked up his pace, hoping to be away as quickly as he could. He allowed emotions to get the best of him and wound up making a mistake. She was just another duelist, a naïve child; he would not get involved in any way with her except to defeat her in dueling. He could not trust her anyways; he could trust no one except himself. That was how it had always been, that is how it would remain.

"Kaiba," she called, her voice soft and radiant like an angel's.

He turned slightly, refusing to look at her. He had made a mistake kissing her, a large one. Now she was probably reading more into it than what it was.

"Thank you for allowing me to remain a competitor in the Battle City Tournament, it means a lot to me." With that said, Serena slowly opened the door to the apartment and went in, a deep sign residing within her. She knew she shouldn't have expected his heart to have changed so quickly, but she too had let her emotions take advantage of her. She turned around and looked out the window, watching Kaiba walk to his limo and tried to listen to his clouded thoughts.

She is just another duelist, that's all. I was a fool to let my guard down for one second. I should have just dropped her off, but I had to be somewhat of a gentleman for her and take her to the door. I do have a reputation to uphold. I doubt she'll say anything, but that's the last time I let my guard down. I don't think she read into that anymore than what it was. But there did seem to be something more in her words, like she wanted to say something else, but decided not to. I am a fool. I will not trust anyone, let alone her. The next time I see her will be when I defeat her in a duel!

Serena quit listening to his thoughts, she knew only crude thoughts about her would follow. She would show him she was more than he thought she was. She would prove that she was nothing like her uncle once was. But more than anything, she would prove to Seto Kaiba that she was a master duelist. He was just another everyday jerk. He cared for no one but himself and she was a fool to allow herself any fancying of another sort. Regardless of what she told herself, she did feel a longing in her heart that there was someone caring deep inside of him and that the kiss had meant more. As she watched the limo drive off, her eyes began to shine with the ache of unshed tears.

A/N: Just so you all understand, even though Kaiba may be a vindictive person on the outside, he still is human and allowed him to get caught up in his emotions and the moment, thus partially why he kissed her. ^_- Maybe he just can't admit that the hard hearted Seto Kaiba is only a mask. O_o