You all are probably wondering why this is a repost.

Well, something happened with my disk, or FF went funky on me or something, but the final upload in this chapter had taken out a huge hunk of the story...okay, not a HUGE hunk, but about four or five paragraphs. As the authoress, I just couldn't deal with that, so I went back and reposted this chapter.

Enjoy the story!! .

Disclaimer: Me owning Yu-Gi-Oh! is like Homer Simpson owning the world.

Chapter Five

And so the Glass Shatters

Ah, there was nothing in this world quite like a fat mug of hot chocolate to soothe away the trials of this pathetic game called "life". At least, that's what Serenity thought as she lost herself in the bliss of Hershey heat sliding down her throat. For a brief moment, she almost forgot what had taken place between her and Kaiba yesterday...almost.

Malik watched her with observant amethyst eyes, and a dark glimmer radiated in those deep orbs. Ever since Seto Kaiba came back from the States, Serenity had been acting so depressed. I can't believe I actually put her through that in Battle Ship, he thought. It's all my fault that she's probably traumatized by him!

Malik knew Kaiba and Serenity had completed the dare so long ago. Just the way they acted the next morning nearly shouted the obvious to all who could hear, except to deaf nitwits like Joey. Still, he didn't think that it would have such an impact on her, even now. He couldn't believe he had been such ass!

Those amethyst eyes became even darker.

What if the problem was that Kaiba was not ceasing in his harassments? After all, didn't Serenity once say that Kaiba expected more from her and wouldn't leave her alone? A wicked gleam flickered in those lilac pairs. Maybe he should pay a visit to Seto Kaiba, grab the Sennen Rod, and shove it right up his--

"Something wrong, Malik?"

Her voice shattered his malicious thoughts, and he found himself staring into those honey brown eyes that he adored so much.

Or...

Another thought awoke within him, one that had been eating at him ever since he acknowledged Serenity's depression. What if--

NO!!!!!!!

Their marriage was one made of love, of purity. What happened was gone, in the past, vanished like souls of the dead crossing the vast desert to the Afterlife. How dare he even suspect her of such a thing!?!

He smiled as he gazed at her. Sweet Ra, but she was beautiful. The gods had blessed him, despite everything he had done, that was for certain. He was wrong in allowing such thoughts to enter his brain.

"Nothing, beloved," he replied in answer to her question. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how unhappy you have been in the past few weeks and if there is anything I can do to help."

Was that surprise that had flickered in those beautiful doey eyes? Or something else?

He couldn't help it. He was, after all, only human, completely equipped with human desires, human curiosities...and human suspicions. He had to know, he had to prove...

Malik's smile turned into a boyish grin. "I have a great idea, Serenity! Let's leave this place! Let's get plane tickets and book a cruise for Australia or something. We'll leave right away."

Serenity nearly spat out her cocoa. Was he serious?? "Um, Malik..." she began hesitantly. "...what about work?"

He snorted, as if she had told a lame joke. "What about it? As far as I'm concerned, I am well overdue for a vacation, and I know Mokuba can give you at least a week or two off. Besides, he's going completely bonkers because Rebecca won't give him the time of day anymore."

"Malik..." This idea was insane! Wonderful, yes, but unrealistic.

"I know that I have been far too tired to spend time with you these past two weeks, with new patients coming in and all," he continued. "I want to make it up to you."

"Word of your success has spread, so more people are entrusting you with their problems," Serenity pointed out softly. "You should be so proud."

She jumped when Malik leaped to his feet, slamming the table with his fists. "Dammit, Serenity, my duties as a psychiatrist are trivial compared to my duties as a husband!"

She couldn't reply. Only stare. Something was wrong. Malik never, not once during the entire duration of their marriage, raised his voice to her.

Next thing Serenity knew, Malik was kneeling next to her chair, his arms wrapped tightly around her, lying his head against her shoulder. "Beloved, I just want to prove to you how much I love you. Let's take that cruise. It could be fun. Please. I just want to spend some alone time with you."

Her own guilt eating her up inside, Serenity returned his hold, clinging to him tightly as if he might vanish forever. Yes, Malik was right. She needed to get away. Get away from Kaiba, from the tight grip he had on her. Humph! He probably made up that sob story about his scars just to make her feel bad, trick her into thinking that there was something more between the two of them.

Well, there wasn't! She was sure of it! Just because Kaiba knew how to fuck right meant diddly squat.

Kaiba had been a good lay.

And nothing more.

Of course, that was not true. But, in a situation such as this, she had no choice but to keep lying to herself.

The salesclerk had to keep from sighing out-loud with impatience as the three customers before him pined over the ring section. It was one thing to be indecisive, but he wanted to make at least a few good sales before the second coming of Christ here!

"How about that one?" the blonde suggested.

The raven-head, who was obviously the one doing the buying, grimaced. "She hates pink," he replied.

"You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not."

"Are you sure she hates pink?"

The raven-head narrowed his blood-indigo eyes. "Joey," he began slowly, as if to keep from losing it, "I think I would know."

The tall brunette rolled his blue eyes, all this becoming an increasing bore to him. Dammit, this was the third damn jewelry store they've been in. For the love of all things holy, Mokuba, PICK A FUCKING RING ALREADY!!!!

Despite this extra heavy boost of malicious nastiness that had entered his soul, he was doing a good job of keeping his mouth shut.

The salesclerk cleared his throat. "Out of curiosity, sir, are you actually planning on buying anything today?"

That earned instant glares from all three of them.

"Hey, butt out, buddy!" Joey snarled. "He's picking out an engagement ring for his sweetheart! This is something that takes time, takes heart! Only the right ring will do! Nothing less."

Kaiba snorted. And this was coming from a guy who had gotten Mai's engagement ring out of a fifty-cent machine!!!

Mokuba hadn't even noticed the exchange. "You guys, I'm not finding it," he sighed. "Man, why do these things have to be so hard? Don't get me wrong; all these rings are extremely beautiful but they're just not speaking to me."

Mokuba, I swear, if you drag me into one more fucking jewelry store, I am going to buy you a ring and shove it up your ass, so when you propose to your bitch tonight, you can shit it out!!!!!!!

Now THAT was uncalled for. As soon as the thought completely, Kaiba was instantly sorry. No, he didn't mean it. But damn! He didn't understand where this viciousness came from at all!

Wait, yes he did.

Serenity. Ever since she left him yesterday. Of course, he hadn't exactly been a gracious host, however calling someone up and apologizing for his behavior was totally out of character for him.

"What about that one?"

"Umm...no, it doesn't look right."

Besides, he didn't know her number, anyway.

So close. He and Serenity had been so freakin' close that morning. He inhaled deeply, still feeling her smooth skin underneath his hands, his lips still tasting her mouth, her breasts, loins still burning with ache from the way she touched him...

"Hey, this one's cool. It even comes with a chain."

"That's a necklace, Joey."

His cinnamon hair bristled as the rage and frustration began to build within him. He was beginning to hate Serenity, hate her for the way she was making him feel, hate her for reducing him to some male whore sniffing after her skirt like a jackass in heat, braying for her affections. He hated her for making him yearn for just the sound of her voice, making him grow hungry just by thinking of her. Hated her for making his throat constrict with panic and horror at the mere concept of never being near her again.

Soon, these highly dangerous and disturbing thoughts faded to one so dangerous, he actually shivered inside for thinking it. Yet this was not the first time it had invaded his mind.

"Hey! That ring's sorta shaped like a pe--"

"JOEY! I'm trying to concentrate!"

Was he...truly...in love with Serenity???

Before he could contemplate on the matter further, a sound caught his attention and he turned his head back to the counter.

The salesclerk cleared his throat as he struggled not to pop a vein. "Pardon me, sir," he growled softly, his voice directed at an oblivious Mokuba, "but I really can't have any loitering going on in my store. I have a reputation, you know. If you can't find what you are looking for, then please leave and come back later."

FINALLY!!!

Wearing his traditional smirk, Kaiba strode over to the counter, eternally grateful that his build-up of raging hormones had found a scapegoat. "Excuse me," he began as politely as possible, "but no one talks to my brother like that and gets away with it."

The salesclerk looked up and paled upon seeing the KC logo emblazed on the collar of Kaiba's leather jacket. "M-m-mister Kaiba!" he stammered, sweat-beads actually forming on his brow. "And this is...I-I-I-I didn't know...I--"

"Well, you do now," Kaiba sneered. "So why don't you do us a favor and leave yourself because you obviously are not doing your job very well. Or do I have to--"

"Found it!!"

All three of them stared at Mokuba, who was proudly pointing at a specific ring. "This is it! I know it is! Just what I've been looking for!"

The salesclerk moved quickly to bring it out onto the counter, presenting a beautiful ring with single teardrop emerald in between two tiny diamonds on a golden band. Joey raised a brow. "It's so...simple...and tiny," he remarked.

Mokuba beamed, holding it up to the light so he could view it at all angles. "Exactly. It's perfect!"

"So, you'll buy it?" the clerk asked.

"Of course!" Mokuba exclaimed as he handed the ring back, too lost in his own happiness to take notice of the sudden tension in the air.

Relived, the salesclerk was about to go to the register when Kaiba reached over and grabbed his wrist. "Considering your rudeness earlier, wouldn't it be fair to give this ring to my brother for free?" he inquired, ever so nicely, but the icy ferocity never once wavered in his eyes.

"I can't!" the clerk cried. "That's a 600 dollar ring! My boss will kill me!"

"Good man, I think you have more important things to worry about right now than your boss," Kaiba purred. He began squeezing the wrist in his hand. "Like what I'm going to do to you if you don't do as I say. Then you can simply explain to your boss what a rude son-of-a-bitch you have been towards your customers."

Shaking visibly, the salesclerk placed the ring in its box and handed it to Mokuba. Then teen said nothing, but skipped off with his new ring, Joey not far behind him. Kaiba released the salesclerk and grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you," he declared and departed the store.

Stomach churning with nerves, Mokuba stood outside of Rebecca's house, then knocked on the door. Her grandfather answered, smiling at Mokuba, who was still clueless about the news. "Come in," he greeted. "Rebecca is in her room."

"I really hate to intrude like this," Mokuba explained, "but I was desperate to see her."

"Yes, I know. And I also know that Rebecca has missed you as well. Though, it might not seem like it. In fact, she may seem to hate you."

Mokuba's head snapped up. "Wha-why?"

Arthur grinned, remembering how his wife and his daughter had gone through the very same attitude adjustments. "It's a woman thing," was all he said.

Mokuba still didn't understand, but all thoughts of that vanished once he reached her bedroom. Rock music flowed out from behind the door, not very loud but enough to hear the thump of bass and lyrics heavy with angst, and he knocked vigorously. "Rebecca, it's me, Mokuba!"

She ignored him.

He sighed. "Reb, please, talk to me. I have no idea what I've done, but I promise I will make it up to you. I love you. Anything you want of me, I'll do. Please--"

He was cut off when the door swung open and Rebecca stood there, her once proud, defiant emerald eyes puffy and red from tears. Mokuba gawked, unable to believe it. "Rebecca!" he cried. "Why have you been crying!?"

For a long moment she stared at him. Then she brought her hand back, and the next thing Mokuba knew, he was slammed against the doorway from the force of her slap. He stared in shock and hurt as he gently rubbed his throbbing cheek. "Rebecca--"

"Make it up to me!?!" she shrieked, quivering with rage. "Make it up to me!!!" She jabbed a finger to her stomach. "HOW CAN YOU MAKE THIS UP TO ME!?!?!?"

Mokuba's eyes drifted to her stomach, and saw that it was rounding quite considerably. That's when all the pieces of the puzzle finally fell together. That's when he understood the truth. "Rebecca--"

"I HATE YOU, MOKUBA KAIBA!!!" she screamed, new tears streaming down her face. "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!! I NEVER WANNA SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!!" And with that, she slammed the door in his face.

Mokuba continued to stare as if no movement had been made before him.

Rebecca was pregnant.

Holy shit, he was a dad!!!!

And from the looks of things, apparently she had been pregnant for a couple of months now, beginning to show the signs. He slammed his hand against his forehead. How could he have been so incredibly stupid???

It certainly explained why Rebecca seemed to hate him. When Mai had become pregnant about two years ago, she had been pissed off at Joey for months, and they were married!

Given the fact that Rebecca was pregnant, and Mokuba hadn't even proposed to her yet...damn it all, I'd hate me, too!

Arthur greeted Mokuba at the foot of the stairs, still smiling as if this were a normal everyday ordeal. Mokuba's eyes were out of focus, as if he were in a trance, finally reaching the floor. "Rebecca's...having a baby," he whispered.

Arthur raised his brows. "Rebecca's having a baby?" he repeated. He handed Mokuba a set of ultra-sound pictures. "Take a good look at those pictures, son," he pointed out. "You might want to rephrase your statement."

Mokuba blinked in confusion before turning his attention to the ultra-sounds. Then he saw something that really got his attention. What the--!!! Mokuba flipped through them all, unable to believe what he was seeing. Was such a thing even possible with a girl as young as Rebecca? Overwhelming emotions surged with him: joy, confusion, shock, alarm...until finally, unable to take anymore, his eyes rolled and he collapsed unconscious on the floor.

Seto gawked at the ultra-sounds as he and Mokuba sat in the lobby of the Kame Game Shop. Yugi's friends had agreed that they would wait for Mokuba to come back with the news of Rebecca's answer, either by phone or in person. They did not expect him to come back so soon, nor the ultra-sounds he carried.

"Sweet cheezits, Mokuba, you how many damn times did you knock her up!?!" Joey cried, staring over Kaiba's shoulder.

Mokuba narrowed his eyes. "The number of times I've...made love to her, first of all has nothing to do with how many babies a woman can have at one time, and secondly, is none of your damn business!!"

"Looking at these ultra-sounds and how many times you and Rebecca have been going at it makes me wonder!" Seto snapped. "Shit! Is such a thing possible in a sixteen-year-old girl!?!"

"Apparently," Tea remarked, stirring some hot chocolate for everyone.

Seto sighed, placing the ultra-sounds on the table, to be instantly picked up by Joey. "All I got to say is, you're on your own on this one, kid. From now on, I'm just the uncle."

Joey released a low whistle as he continued to pan through the pictures. "Damn...no wonder Rebecca hates you."

Groaning with a half-sob, Mokuba allowed his head to hit the table in defeat.

::What's going on?:: Yami demanded, having woken up from a nap.

::Mokuba's showing everyone his ultra-sounds:: Yugi replied as he helped Tea with the cocoa.

Yami raised his brows. ::Rebecca's having a baby, huh? Didn't see that coming::

::Nope!:: Yugi grinned. When Yami stared, he continued, ::She's having triplets!::

"Jessica, get away from that table right now before you get hurt!"

The three-year-old squealed with delight, abandoning the coffee table as Mai began chasing her around the house. Serenity smiled, drinking a glass of water, watching in amusement. Jessica was so much a little Joey, who had always been thrilled whenever he got into trouble, giving their parents a difficult time. Jessica herself was only two and she was already running.

Mai and Joey had married a few months before Serenity and Malik did. Serenity was shocked that Joey had bought Mai's engagement ring from a 50-cent machine, and was even more shocked that Mai had actually found it wonderfully charming. "Had it been huge and expensive," she had said, "then I would have to question his honesty."

Well, that made sense...somewhat.

Giggles erupted as Mai returned to the living room, carrying the blonde bundle of energy in her arms. "All righty, you," she declared, "it's playpen time." And with that, she popped Jessica into the playpen, and instantly, the toddler became interested in her stuffed animals. Mai released a deep breath before plopping back down on the couch to continue their interrupted conversation. "So, you and Kaiba came this close to going all the way, huh?"

Serenity nodded as she fumbled with her glass, blushing with shame. She couldn't look at Mai. Those violet eyes had never once judged her, and she didn't want to experience it now, thought she completely deserved it. "I was ready for him to take me then and there. More than ready. I know it's wrong, and that I'm..." she shuddered, "...cheating on Malik, but I couldn't help it. Even after all this time, I want him. I want him so badly." She laughed, a small, bitter laugh. "Pathetic, huh?"

She fully expected Mai to agree with her full-heartedly. Mai's response was the opposite.

"Nope."

Serenity stared. "What?"

"Joey throwing a fit because his favorite football team lost," Mai explained, "is what's pathetic. Never compare that to true love, hun."

True love!?!? Serenity turned even redder. "Mai...me and Kaiba...in love? Hardly. I mean, we just slept together once, seven years ago, and now we just want to re-experience it. That is hardly love."

Mai smiled, shaking her head. "How do you know what you and Seto did wasn't perfectly right? What if your marriage to Malik was the wrong thing to do?"

At first there was silence, the only sound being Jessica dissecting her teddy bear with her bare hands.

"It's too late for that now," Serenity protested. "I'm married to Malik. I love Malik."

"Marriage out of love and marriage out of compassion is not the same thing, Serenity," Mai pointed out.

Serenity balked. What?

Then again, it was true, wasn't it? Her overly compassionate and charitable heart had blinded her to the facts, as it always did. But she remembered the pure love and devotion shining from those amethyst eyes. How could she bring herself to say 'no'!?! Was that it? Now that she thought about it, had her marriage to Malik Ishtar been nothing more than an act of pity on her part?

Unshed tears gathered in her eyes. It couldn't be true! It just couldn't!!

And yet...

Mai shrugged. "Then again, I could be wrong. Who's to know what's right and what's wrong?" She looked over at Jessica, a bright shine of happiness lighting her eyes. "I suppose you'll never know until you finally find that one person whom you share a heart and a soul. Then it all becomes clear."

That didn't exactly make a whole lot of sense to Serenity. Then again, as she thought about it, maybe she wasn't supposed to understand...at least not yet, anyway. "Well, I'd better get going. Malik wanted to leave for a cruise tonight, and I haven't even begun to pack."

"Have fun!" Mai chirped. "And don't worry about Kaiba. Be sure you enjoy yourself, okay?"

"I will," Serenity promised. As she carried her glass to the kitchen, she happened to glance at the coffee table Jessica had been playing on earlier. A thick novel sat by the lamp entitled Secret Fantasy, a muscular man and a scantly-clad woman embracing each other on the cover. "Mai, I had no idea you were into romance novels!" Serenity declared.

"I'm not, however, the guy on the front was hot so curiosity got the best of me. Joey says I should them for reference. Ha! As if! It's actually a really good story so far. Not as mushy as I thought it would be, which is good."

Serenity turned the book over and began reading the summery in the back. After a minute or two, she gasped. "It says here that the main character is married to another man," she stated.

Mai grinned. "That's what makes the story delicious. The beauty of it is that the husband knows she's cheating, too, and he blames himself. He thinks that because he hasn't been paying attention to her, it's his fault she wandered off to greener pastures. He won't say a word, not even hint, about his knowledge. He wants to prove to her that he is a better man. So he lavishes her with gifts: expensive jewelry, shopping sprees, random cruises..." Mai was about to go on about the key-points of the story when the sound of glass shattering against the floor cut her off.

"Serenity, what's wrong!?!"

Serenity did not reply, staring at the book, but not seeing it. All things in the world were vanquished from existence except one thought:

He knows!!

Malik knows!!!

Hee hee hee. Another cliffie. I know. I am purely evil. XD

Don't forget to look at my bio and check out my RPG. waves hands in front of your face as hippy guitar string music plays in the background You...will...join...XD

Um...yeah, no more Vanilla Coke for me. ;;