No notes today. I save them for the sequel. But here it is. The last chapter. All I have to say is, bring out the tissues. Trust me. You're gonna need them.

Chapter Seven

Here's to the Night

The punching bag bounced violently as Malik delivered blow after blow into it, imagining a certain blue-eyed dragon's face being his real target. He had become quite the boxer over the years, though it was something he did in his free-time, not something he competed in.

"You're going to end up breaking that thing," Ryou observed gently as he placed the tray of tea and sandwiches on the table. "Take a rest, Malik. I made us lunch." It was the next day after the wedding ceremony, and Malik had arrived to take out his anger on something inanimate before he ended up turning into Yami no Malik again and try to destroy everything. Serenity did not come home last night, nor had she returned that morning. Malik called up Mai, who claimed that Serenity wanted to stay over there and spend some quality time with her brother. Had Malik not witnessed what he did last night, he would have believed her, like the blind fool he was.

Malik took off the gloves and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel. "I'm not hungry," he stated.

"You must eat something."

Malik cocked a brow at Ryou. "You're just everyone's den mother, aren't you?"

Ryou simply smiled. "Someone has to keep an eye on you people. Plus, you all have been there for me; Yugi, Joey, Tea, Serenity, even you. I suppose this is my way for repaying this debt I owe."

Malik plopped down on a chair. "You're just being nice to me because you're infatuated with my sister."

Ryou's smile seemed to grow wider, and there was a tinge of pink in his pale cheeks.

"Sometimes I think that demonic rabbit is rubbing off on you," Malik observed.

"Well, without the Sennen Ring, there is really nothing much he can do anymore. I let him out from time to time to let him wear off his cabin fever." He glanced around at Bakura's new spoon collection in the basement they were sitting in and laughed softly. "But I'm the one in control now. He hates it, but that's just something he'll have to live with." Ryou took a sip of his tea and sighed. "I had the option of getting rid of him forever, but that is something I cannot do. I hate him for the pain he has caused, but at the same time he is a part of me. And I am a part of him. We are one, neither of us able to survive without the other. We are two sides of the same person." He turned large, wise brown eyes to Malik. "Like you. You will never be rid of him, Malik. He is a part of you, of your soul, and will always be with you. The stronger part of him has been extinguished, but he is still within you."

"Don't remind me," Malik snapped with a slight shiver. Though he will never be strong enough to make his presence clearly known ever again, Malik could still feel the essence of his Yami within himself. Always there. Always watching. He will never die. Never go away. Not unless Malik himself was destroyed. As Rishid had kept Yami no Malik from surfacing, so Serenity had managed to suppress that horrible memory, the nightmare that plagued Malik's dreams. She kept his mind from slipping back into the shadows with the shining light of her love.

To lose her, would mean to go back to what he was once again, and that was something he just couldn't do.

"She is in love with another," Malik whispered.

Ryou set his tea down in dead concern. "How do you know this?" he inquired.

"I can sense it within her. Even when I make love to her, she thinks of another. It's hopeless, Ryou. I tried to be a good husband. I did everything I can for her."

"Her heart is her own. No deeds you do can change the path she has chosen."

Malik slammed his fists down on the table. "Then why the fuck did she marry me in the first place!?"

Ryou shrugged. "Many things. Compassion, perhaps she still holds much love for you, perhaps she thought her true love would never love her back. I cannot say for certain. But she doesn't strike me as the type who married you for the sake of marriage. Not her."

Malik sighed deeply, running his fingers through his long bangs. "I just don't understand where I went wrong. I wished she would just come out and tell me instead of keeping it as a secret. We promised to never keep secrets from each other! How could I have been so blind, Ryou!? So fucking BLIND!?!?!"

"Any idea who the other man might be?" Ryou asked tenderly.

The lavander lightning sparking in his eyes answered Ryou's question for him. "I do," Malik snarled. "It's Kaiba."

Ryou's brows shot up. "Really? Kaiba? Oh, dear. It all makes sense now."

"She has been acting different ever since he came back. I know it's him. I saw the two of them making out last night at the wedding reception. Then she ran off with him and has yet to return." He snorted. "I can only imagine what they've been doing."

"Do you plan to prosecute him?"

There was a moment of silence.

"In all honesty," Malik answered in a soft tone, "as much as I would love to rip that bastard's heart out and hang him by his bowels, I cannot hurt him. To hurt him would hurt Serenity, and I will do nothing to inflict pain upon her. I spare Kaiba, for Serenity's sake." His eyes flashed as he glared at Ryou. "But only for her sake."

So tonight

So I lied

Are you the now or never kind?

In a day

In a day, love

I'm gonna be gone for good again

Are you willing to be had

Are you cool with just tonight?

Here's a toast

To all those who hear me all to well

Here's to the nights we felt alive

Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry

Here's to goodbye

Tomorrow's gonna come too soon

Serenity moved, feeling that warm body beside hers. Seto still slept, his head nuzzled against her collarbone, his arms wrapped around her tiny frame. She stroked his face, wanting the moment to last, wanting to stay here forever just to watch him sleep. He was so beautiful when he was asleep.

What time was it?

She glanced over at the clock and nearly jumped out of the covers. Holy crappage, it was going on 2:30 in the afternoon! Malik was probably throwing a fit! Mai couldn't possibly keep holding her cover for long.

Oh, but she didn't want to leave. Not now. Not yet.

Seto was so still when he slept. Unlike her. She probably kicked him a few times.

She kissed his forehead, remembering last night. It felt like a dream, yet this morning proved the reality of it all. She and Seto had made love countless times, unable to get enough of each other, to the point where both of them were too exhausted to even move. She remembered screaming his name in her pleasure, how their bodies moved in raptured ecstasy. She had never felt anything like this before, not even with Malik. Seto made her feel complete, made her feel the most stronger. She thrived in his dominance in bed, the same kind she had first felt on Kaiba Craft 3 seven years ago when they both had been inexperienced virgins.

She frowned. If only she had the courage back then to show her true feelings to Seto. Then they would have been able to spend those seven years together, instead of wasting them in the agony of being apart. Serenity never thought she'd ever regret marrying Malik, and now she did. As much as she loved Malik, too, she loved Seto more, much much more. Malik had made her world beautiful, but Seto had made it complete. Better to feel complete in an ugly world, than feel empty in a beautiful one.

"Seto..." Serenity breathed shaking him gently.

He didn't stir.

Her frown deepened. "Seto?" But he wasn't moving, just laying there, as if...as if...

"Seto!" She began shaking him rather roughly now, her voice shaking in alarm. No, oh, God, please no, no, no, no... "Seto, wake up! Please, wake up! Seto...!"

"..Nnn, what?" he groaned, eyes opening and staring up at her. "What is it?" he asked more awake as he sat up. "Something wrong?"

Serenity was breathing heavily now, staring at him widely. "I...I thought..." She couldn't finish but he figured what she was implying.

"Oh." He smiled. "Sorry. I forgot to tell you, I'm a really heavy sleeper. Extremely. You actually caught me in one of my more minor moments. Otherwise, even shaking me and screaming at the top of your lungs wouldn't have any effect. You see..." Here he paused and blushed slightly, "...I have a confession to make. I'm a narcoleptic."

Serenity's jaw dropped in utter shock. She figured if Kaiba indeed had some kind of sleeping disorder, her first guess would have been insomnia but... "Narcolepsy?" she choked.

Seto nodded. "I have a medication that keep my attacks down to a minimum, which is why I am usually locked up in my office all the time, so nobody can see my head crash face first on my desk and I start snoring for no reason. This is also why I don't drive. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I could have a narcoleptic attack and crash. And when I actually do go to bed and sleep, I instantly go into Stage IV of the sleep cycle, skipping the first three stages completely."

She continued to stare. She couldn't believe it. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized after a moment. "I just..."

"Can't believe it?" He grinned. "Yeah, you not the only one who hardly sees me as the type of person who would have narcolepsy. But I do. It used to make Gozaburo so mad..." He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought. Then he shook his head, and smiled at her again. "Well, looks like day by day, you are finding out just how imperfect of a mortal I be. I might have to kill you to keep from talking."

"NO!" Serenity playfully cried, as Seto tackled her and began tickling her sides.

He smiles a lot more now, she thought. And he seems so much more gentle than ever before. It made her wonder.

She told him everything.

Answered all his questions.

He simply sat there, staring out of the window. It was open, the breeze of that night running its fingers through his sand-blonde hair. After being with Seto last night, there was no avoiding telling Malik the truth any longer. Serenity cursed herself. Despite the devastating pain of all this, she should've had the guts to tell him all this long ago. It would have been less painful for the both of them. Malik had revealed to her that he had seen their kiss at the reception. She had never intended for him to witness her adultery, and so she felt heavily responsible for everything.

What a spineless whore she had been.

"So, as I suspected it was him you loved this whole time."

"Yes," Serenity confirmed.

"At least he made good use of my Sennen Rod," Malik commented dryly. "And you married me to forget him?"

She bit her lower lip. "Yes," she whispered. "But I do love you."

"You just love him more," he finished.

Silence.

"Yes."

He looked at her deeply, before a small laugh escaped him. "As much as I hate being the second choice, it is more than I deserve. As pathetic as this sounds, even if you had a whole harem of Kaibas, I would still be completely and devoted to you."

She blinked at him, not understanding.

"However," he continued, and his lavender eyes turned dark and cold. "I cannot be married to someone who does not love me in return. Call it my damned pride if you will, but everyday, the pain increases when I know it is he you are thinking of. You understand, don't you?"

He took his wedding ring off and it made a tiny tink sound when he placed it on the coffee table.

"I am asking for a separation. Whether this will lead to divorce or not, I don't know. You may keep the apartment to do with what you desire. I will be moving back with my sister before finding my own accommodations."

She said nothing, taking the ring in her hands and watching as the golden band sparkled in the light. She never felt so numb.

"I will always be there for you, Serenity," he added softly. "No matter what. I am sorry that the paths we have chosen were not the same. I am sorry that our marriage turned out to be nothing but a lie. Had I known of this pain, I never would have proposed."

"Malik--" she whispered, but he was finished, and disappeared into the bedroom to pack his things.

Put your name on the line

Along with place and time

Wanna stay

Not to go

I wanna ditch the logical

Here's a toast

To all those who hear me all too well

Here's to the nights we'd felt alive

Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry

Here's to goodbye

Tomorrow's gonna come too soon

"Sir, you need to calm down," the voice instructed softly on the other end of the phone.

"Calm down!?" Mokuba shrieked. "Calm down!?!?!?! My wife is going into labor!!! With triplets, lady!! TRIPLETS!!!! And she's only eight months pregnant!!!!!" He was practically pulling at his hair now. It was currently cropped to his shoulders, so he couldn't do too much damage.

"She's very young to be having triplets, sir. Even if she were in a more older age, premature labor with multiple fetuses is common."

"So, you're saying that--"

"I'm saying that your wife is going to be fine. An ambulance is on it's way. Now please calm down."

Mokuba groaned in frustration, pacing back and forth. Rebecca sat on the couch, breathing heavily as her labor contractions continued. If this was another false labor, she was going to disembowel Mokuba with her bare hands! Only three months married or not. Fuck, this HURT!!!

Still, she needed him near her. "M-m-mokuba!" she cried, panic beginning to swell within her. What if something went wrong? What if it was too soon and the babies would be suffering with internal complications or worse...

A gentle hand resting on her face. Mokuba was still on the phone with the 911 receptionist, but concentrated completely on her. "It's okay," he whispered softly. "You're going to be all right, Rebecca. The babies, too. Everything's going to be fine."

She clung to his hand, desperately praying he was right.

Serenity had known all along about Seto's infection, but she didn't think it was too serious. Seto was doing great from what she had seen, and she believed they had seen the worst of his condition. He could only get better.

How wrong she was.

They were out walking about the streets of Domino, peering into various windows. She was eating a chocolate-mint icecream cone while Seto sipped on a latte. They were holding hands, like a couple of school children. More than several passerbyers and shoppers peered at them, wondering with amazement who Seto Kaiba's girlfriend was. Serenity didn't understand why someone as reclusive as Kaiba was being so open with his feelings, however, she did not question him. He was acting like a completely changed man. It was amazing.

She had thought they were simply meandering the streets for no particular reason, doing the first thing that came to their minds, until Serenity realized that Seto acted as if he were going to a specific destination. He didn't look at the other stores like she did. Just simply charged on ahead.

"Seto, where are we going?" she finally asked unable to take the suspense.

He grinned boyishly. "You'll see."

Finally, they reached a street where the more expensive shops were located, and Seto nodded at one building. "Here we are."

Serenity gawked when she discovered it was Aphrodite Gems and Jewelry, one of the most expensive jewelers in the entire world. Everything in that place was specially hand-made so every order had to be made specifically and in advance. The shop in itself was tiny and there were only four in existence, its original spot in Athens, Greece, and then Sweden, America, and right here in Domino.

"Seto..." she started to protest.

"Come on," he urged, gently pulling her in. The tiny bell on the door rang musically as they walked inside.

Serenity gasped when she saw the countless jewels on display; Sapphire earrings, garnet rings, pearl and ruby necklaces, pure gold bracelets and silver watches, emerald stones beyond worth. But unlike these other jewelry stores, these particular pieces had already been bought and paid for, simply waiting for the buyers to come pick them up, displayed only to show walk-ins like Seto and Serenity a tiny fraction of what the store had to offer.

What Serenity didn't know...yet...was that Kaiba wasn't just a walk-in.

"Hello, Mr. Kaiba," the saleswoman behind the counter greeted warmly. "Your order is ready."

"Right on schedule," Kaiba replied.

Serenity turned in surprise. Order?

The woman, who was of Swedish origin in her mid-fifties with gorgeous raven hair with streaks of silver pulled up in a tight bun, noticed Serenity and smiled. "Is she the lucky one I take it?" she questioned, her accent as smooth-flowing and soothing as the incense that burned in the atmosphere of this cozy building.

Kaiba nodded and the woman handed him a small bag. He cleared his throat, and she took the hint, exiting to the back room and leaving the two of them alone. Kaiba took something out of the bag, something Serenity couldn't see, though she desperately wanted to. Then he crinkled up the bag and tossed it in the garbage.

She tilted her head. "Seto?"

He took her hand in his and fiddled around with it for a moment, humming a small random tune.

"Well, what did you buy?"

"Huh?"

She sighed. "I wanna know what you bought."

He shrugged. "It was nothing. Just a piece of jewelry."

"Who's it for?"

A smile curved on his lips. "Someone very, very special to me," he whispered and released her hand.

She stared at him before looking down when something gleamed in the corner of her eye. She nearly fainted on the spot. It was more the gorgeous glitter of the sapphire stone, but the fact that the stone was actually an eye, an eye belonging to the head of a silver Blue-Eyes White Dragon ring wrapped around her engagement finger. She stared at it for a long moment, afraid it would vanish should she look away. Finally, she lifted her eyes to Seto, still smiling that small smile.

"I'm not one for fancy proposals, plus I'm pressed for time, anyway," he admitted. "Everything I want to say now, I've already said and did. The fact I've been waiting for that ring for the past six months confirms all I want to say, though I admit, I never thought I was going to use it as an engagement ring. However, I will say this. You'd better get your divorce from Ishtar finalized quick because I am not about to let you get arrested for becoming a bigamist."

Tears formed in Serenity's eyes. She had no idea what to say. So she flung herself in Seto's arms.

For a moment, he held her tightly to him. Then his body when suddenly stiff as a rod. She pulled away, staring up at him in concern. His face was ashen, and a trickled of sweat ran from his brow. "Seto...?"

"S-stay here," he groaned in a tight voice before rushing outside. In usual Wheeler rebelliousness, she ran after him in time to see him clinging to the wall of the building as he struggled forward to a reclusive spot. "Seto!" Serenity exclaimed, racing to his side.

He said nothing, but groaned loudly in agony as he clutched his stomach with both arms, doubling over at the waist. Then his upper body gave a violent lurch as he opened his mouth and vomited. But instead of stomach fluid, it was globs of thick, black blood.

All my time is full in motion

Can't I stay an hour or two or more

Don't let me let you go

Don't let me let you go...

A few days later, Serenity decided to visit Seto at the hospital. Mokuba had given her permission to leave work to do so.

Seto was sitting in bed reading a book when she entered. "Hello," she greeted softly as he regarded her coolly from over the top of his book. "Are you feeling all right?"

"What are you doing here, Serenity?" he asked tonelessly.

Serenity frowned. "I wanted to see that you were okay. Mokuba told me how you were doing, but I had to see for myself."

Seto closed his book and placed it on the table beside him. "You shouldn't have come here," he declared.

"But I had to see you," Serenity protested. "I couldn't stay away. Not from you."

"It can't be like this," he pointed out. "Despite our feelings for each other, you have a husband and your feelings should be reserved for him alone."

"What? Malik and I are separated now!"

"Your divorce is not finalized. Therefore he is still your husband."

"I show my feelings to whom I choose," Serenity shot back. "And I chose you."

He sighed, releasing his breath out in a heavy exhale. "Why, Serenity? Because you and I happened to have really good sex one night, now all of a sudden you can't live without me?"

"I loved you even before that."

"What is there to love?"

"Plenty."

"Really now?"

"Yes!"

"Prove it."

Serenity looked away, unable to give him a reasonable answer. "You can't prove something like that."

Seto snorted. "Thought so."

Her head snapped up and she glared at him. "If I recall correctly, I was perfectly content the way things were until you showed up out of nowhere, begging for me to come back to you. And now that I have, you act just like you did after that night; that you wanted nothing more to do to me."

He laughed then, and she continued to glare at him, unable to understand his humor. "Ironic, isn't it?" he chuckled. "I felt the same way when you asked me not to tell anyone about what we did. I was just simply granting your request. If I pretended I wanted nothing more to do with you, then you would forget about me and go about your merry way. However, I admit, I was infuriated when I found out you and Ishtar were married. I felt used, and came back to seek revenge I guess. Instead, what started as a simple act of revenge turned into something completely different."

"Seto..."

He caught and held her gaze with his own. "I love you even more so now than when I first laid eyes on you when you boarded my craft. I thought you were the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. I ignored you out of cowardice, afraid that to so much as speak to you would shatter all my defenses. And they are shattered. For it was you who caused me to feel again. It was you who opened my eyes to what life really is. And it is because of you, that I am able to think of someone other than myself."

By this time, Serenity had approached the side of his bed. She took his hand in hers, stroking the long fingers delicately. His hands were rough, not the smooth flesh of the prestigious like himself, but covered with small calluses, the skin underneath perfectly manicured nails scarred and broken. So many scars. So many wounds continuously being reopened. Just how much pain did this man suffer on a daily basis?

She lifted the hand until it was touching her cheek, and he gently rubbed her face. For a long moment, the two of them were still, saying nothing, savoring the moment and the proximity of each other.

Now, Serenity had her answer. It may be wrong, but it was there just the same. "I love you, Seto Kaiba," she whispered hoarsely, new tears forming. "I didn't think it was possible to love someone as much as I do you, but it is. I love you."

He pulled his hand away, sighing again. "And have you told Malik this?"

She shook her head. "Yes. And I have never been so sure in my life than I am right now."

"You do realize how much this has hurt him, don't you?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Since when did his feelings matter to you? I thought the great, all-powerful Seto Kaiba didn't care for the feelings of others just as long as he got what he wanted."

It was Kaiba's turn to glare. "I never said I was looking out for his feelings, Serenity. I'm looking out for yours."

"What does Malik have to do with it?"

"He's your husband. Shouldn't he have everything to do with it?"

"Seto, have you gone mad?" Serenity exclaimed. "Here we are confessing our love for each other, and then all of a sudden you bring up Malik! Malik isn't even here. What is the point in all of this!?"

"I just want to be sure that you will be able to live a happy life with no regrets," Kaiba replied very, very softly.

"Live a happy life!" she cried. "Seto, you've gone crazy! Look!" Serenity held up the Blue-Eyes engagement ring. "You proposed to me three days ago, Seto! We're getting married! Now, you're acting as though that never happened. As if you changed your mind." She stopped when he made no protest to ease her suspicions. "You did change your mind, didn't you?"

He said nothing. That was enough of a confirmation for her.

"Why!?!" she exclaimed. "I thought you loved me!"

"I do," he replied softly, not looking at her. "And I want nothing more than for you to marry me. But that was before...before I realized..." He stopped, his voice fading.

Serenity paused, the ascended silence seeming to stretch for eternity.

"Seto, what's going on?" she asked slowly, forcing the words out. "There's more to this than just wanting me happy." The more she talked, the more she began to suspect. "What's wrong with you, Seto? What did the doctors say?"

Kaiba sat there for a minute, perfectly still. "I am 23 years old now. If I am extremely lucky, I will live to see 24. ONLY if I am extremely lucky."

Serenity stumbled backwards, mouth hanging open. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry or scream, so she just stood there. "Y-you're lying!" she choked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The infection caused by the scars on my back has spread too deeply, and there is no cure. All I have are medications that simply prolong my life. However, my body is becoming immune to them because I've been taking them for so long. My days have been numbered. It's only a matter of time. I can die in the next five years...or the next five minutes." There was no tone in his voice to give away his feelings. He delivered the facts as indifferently as presenting a composition paper.

Serenity was shaking her head vigorously. "No. No, this can't be. It's not true, Seto!"

"Can you and I really make a life together, Serenity?" Seto demanded. "Have children only to watch their father die at a young age? Or to not know their father at all? No. I would not put any child through that. Especially your children. I know what it is like to remember the day your father dies. I remember the funeral, how it rained on that dark day, diamond drops sparkling off the flowers placed upon his casket. To know that the last time you saw your father's face was when he was lying in his coffin, eyes forever closed, forever at peace. Is that something you really want, Serenity? Live a few years, weeks, days of bliss with me, only to face the rest of a lifetime of death? I'll probably die before our wedding for all I know. Is that really what you want?"

With a sob, Serenity flung herself in Kaiba's arms, crying into his chest. "I just want to be with you, Seto! That's all I want!"

"You would risk leaving Malik and forever being alone?"

"YES!"

Kaiba pushed Serenity away, staring intensely into her eyes. "Tell me, Serenity, why did you marry Malik? If not for love, then what?"

"I felt sorry for him," she replied.

"Did you? Or is that some lie your consciousness cooked up just to justify your feelings for me?"

"I couldn't stop thinking of you after all these years!"

"So, you married him?"

Serenity snapped. "I married him so I could forget you!" she screamed.

Kaiba sat back, a soft smile curving his lips. Serenity saw the point he just made, and she gasped in realization. "Yes, Serenity," he confirmed. "You married him to forget me. To give your love for me to someone else. It would have worked, but unfortunately it didn't. Why? Because deep down, all that time, you knew that one day I will be coming back." His smile faded. "But next time I leave, I won't be coming back."

He tenderly lifted her chin with his fingers. "Serenity," he breathed. "This is the most painful thing I have ever done. But leave. Go back to Malik. Love him with all your heart as he loves you. He needs you. I don't. You deserve to have children, live a long and happy life with your husband. Loving him will be much easier once I am gone for good."

"You're not going to die, Seto," she cried. "You're not going to die! You're not going to die!!"

He held her close in his arms. "I'm sorry."

Serenity shoved away from him. "No! I won't believe it! You're going to get better. That infection will go away. You'll see. You're going to get well again. Do you hear me! You're going to get well!!"

Her loud commotion caused the doctor to run in. "Miss, I suggest you calm down or I must ask you to leave the room," he chided softly.

Serenity leaped to her feet, her amber eyes blazing with rage. "What the hell kind of disgusting place is this!? Telling people that they're going to die! He's not going to die! Tell Seto that he's not going to die!"

"Miss, please..."

"HE'S NOT GOING TO DIE!!!"

"S-Serenity..." Kaiba pleaded. His breath was coming out in short, ragged breaths now.

"Nurse!" the doctor called, and right on cue, a small woman rushed in to aide the patient by placing an oxygen mask on his face.

Serenity turned and seemed to see Kaiba for the first time. His skin was very pale, almost death-like. The once blazing fires in those azure orbs have now dimmed to mere flickers of light. The cinnamon shine in his hair had vanished to a dull brown. How had she not noticed this before? The evidence of his draining life were all around her this whole time.

She groaned, doubling over and clutching her stomach. It was true. How could she have been so blind? He had been dying before her eyes since he had come back from the States, since his stepfather had whipped him to near-death.

She slipped to her knees, the world becoming completely out of focus. She felt a pair of hands gently help her to feet and lead her out of the room and down the hall.

"How do you feel?" Mokuba asked nervously.

"Like shit," came the reply as Rebecca lay there on the hospital bed, doctors and nurses digging through her guts as they performed the c-section on her body to deliver the triplets. Rebecca herself was so doped up, Mokuba almost didn't need to be there and she wouldn't notice the difference. "Three screaming brats, can you believe it?"

The rest of the gang sat outside, biting at their nails in wait for the news; Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Joey, Mai with Jessica, and Serenity. Kaiba was home, bedridden, waiting by the phone to ring so he could know right away how things went. Soon, they were answered by the sound of not one, but three babies crying loudly, taking their first breaths of life. A cheer went up among the small crowd. Already news reporters were flocked outside, waiting with fevered impatience. The phone in Kaiba's own hospital room on the floor above Rebecca's rang, and Seto smiled through his inner pain at Mokuba's excited voice, congratulating him on being an uncle.

Ten minutes later, a nurse wheeled Kaiba down to the incubators and he was left with Mokuba. "Which three are yours?" he asked softly staring at the tiny faces sleeping peacefully.

"There," Mokuba replied pointing. Sure enough, three babies lain in their incubators side by side two blue tags and a pink tag with the last name 'Kaiba' on them.

"Two boys and a girl, eh?" Seto remarked. He smiled. "You really are going to have your hands full, kid."

Mokuba grinned. "And I couldn't be happier."

Two nurses came out carrying the infants, and a boy was placed in Seto's arms. "That's Kira," Mokuba pointed out. "The other boy is Kevin, and the girl is Kari."

Little Kira stirred in Seto's arms, and opened his eyes, which were as a vivid blue as his uncle's. He stretched, his tiny mouth opened in a yawn and he scooted closer to Kaiba's warmth to go back to sleep. Seto held him delicately, staring down at the tiny babe, a rage of emotions surging within him. A tiny tear slipped involuntarily down his face. He would never have children, hold them in his arms like this. He would never see his niece and nephews grow up with the undying Kaiba spirit. And yet...holding Kira in his arms was far more than he could ever ask for. The deepest feeling of peace and contentment washed over him. Despite the many mistakes he had made, the many regrets he had, he did indeed, in this single moment, lived a full life.

"Something wrong, Seto?" Mokuba inquired.

Seto looked up at Mokuba and the two brothers smiled at each other. Mokuba did not need to be told in words. He knew that his brother was dying and would die at any given moment. It was the deep brotherly bond that they shared, and Mokuba honored his brother by not saying a word.

Here's a toast

To all those who hear me all too well

Here's to the nights we felt alive

Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry

Here's to goodbye

Tomorrow's gonna come too soon

Too soon

"I'm not sure what to call it," Serenity admitted as she sat on the park bench staring up at the falling cherry blossoms swirling around her like snow. "Or even if it is a boy or a girl."

"I'm sure a name will come to you soon," Kaiba replied as he sat beside her. He was in a wheelchair, too weak to walk. Something that irked him to no end, but there was really nothing he could do about it. Unless he wanted to consistently crash face-first to the ground every two steps.

"Do you have any ideas?" she inquired, her head tilted curiously.

Seto shrugged, smirking. "You could name it after me."

Her hand ran over her swelling womb holding the babe within. "And if it's a girl?"

"Setoian?" he suggested with a grin.

She crinkled up her nose playfully. "What a terrible name."

"I think it's original," he defended poorly. "What does Malik say?"

Her playful spirit vanished. "Well, he says it's up to me. As you know, we've been separated for the past several months now."

"Are you getting a divorce?"

"I don't know."

They continued to watch the cherry blossoms dance upon the wind as the last rays of the sun shone behind them. The breeze was starting to become chilly, so Serenity scooted as close to Seto as she could. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her forehead a tender kiss. "I love you, Serenity," Seto whispered softly as she began to doze on his shoulder. "Always."

"Mmm.." Serenity murmured as she began to sink in blissful dreams of her beloved Seto.

Here's to the nights we felt alive

Here's the tears you knew you'd cry

Here's to goodbye

Tomorrow's gonna come too soon

Serenity slowly awoke when she felt chilly. The sun was barely a golden line behind he mountains. Crap, how long had she been asleep? Well, she would have to go home, now. Joey and Mai would be worried. "We'd better go, Seto," she announced. He didn't reply. He was leaning against her and sleeping as well. She smiled. Oh, right, that narcolepsy thing. According to Seto and how deep he slept, he would be out for the rest of the night. Good thing he was in a wheelchair. He could sleep on without disturbance. Looks like she'll have to call up Mokuba to come get them.

Her amber eyes shining with love, she brushed a strand of brown hair from his face. She frowned a moment later when her nerves picked up on something that wasn't right. "Seto, your skin feels so cold," she remarked. She would have to get him a blanket or something. He shouldn't be out here if it made him...

Wait...

Her fingers brushed against his icy lips, but instead of feeling breath on her skin, she felt nothing. His chest did not move, as he was no longer breathing. Her fingers drifted down the still skin to rest over his heart, but no beat could she feel against her palm. "S-Seto..." she breathed but she knew that he would not answer. Narcolepsy was not what had struck him this time.

A tear dropped on his lifeless hand from her eye. She clung to the still fingers as another tear escaped and made a trail down the empty flesh. A slight breeze stirred, the deceased strands of once vibrant cinnamon hair dancing on the zephyr, but only caused by the wind, not because of the life that once stirred within.

The wind grew, and it felt as though an invisible hand was wiping her tears away. She turned her amber eyes up at the swirling cherry blossoms. Amongst the petals, she could almost see his smiling face, gracing her for one last time, before they raced up into the atmosphere and vanished from view. In their stead, there was a cloud illuminated with the red and gold of the last rays of the sun, the cloud itself resembling the shape of a dragon, it's wings spread and neck stretched out as if it were taking off into flight.

"G-goodbye, Seto," she whispered, then took his body in her arms, mourning softly as she held him for one last time, the blossoms continuing to rain softly in a silent requiem around them.

Not the end....