Chapter 26 Winning

Disclaimer: Well...this is it....the big one. The grand tamale of all disclaimers. The one disclaimer to rule them all. This is like...disclaimer-zillah! Wait, I take that back. This is disclaimer-zillah's mother! I, Lover of Seto Kaiba, the writer on the website that is known as fanfiction, do solemnly swear that, in no way, in this dimension or the next, despite any rumors you may have heard, do not, I repeat DO NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, and in no way am I getting paid for this. (Although I'd like to be)

"And neither do I!"-Helios

Even before she opened her eyes, Serenity knew she was in a hospital. It had that oh-so distinct hospital smell, and she could hear the beeping sounds of the heart monitor. She slowly opened her eyes, and, sure enough, she was in the white walled, heavy monitored room. She tried to move her right arm until she realized there was a needle in it pumping orange liquid into it. (IV 'shudders' Oh, how I hate them!)

She looked around and wondered how she had gotten there. At first, she wondered if everything about Seto had been a dream, and she had really just gotten out of her eye surgery, but she immediately dismissed this thought. "That's just the medicine talking" She said to herself. Then, her eyes rested on a brown headed teen sitting in the corner, his head in his hands. Why would someone so young and handsome look so miserable? She sat up. His head snapped up, and Serenity realized that there were unshed tears in his eyes.

"...Seto...what's wrong? What happed? I thought-"

He stood up and rushed to her. "Serenity," He said, leaning down next to her. "Serenity, I'm so sorry!" He cried. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have made you choose!"

"What happened?" She asked groggily. Seto traced his finger down her cheek.

"You passed out..." he stated. She smiled.

"I know that. But why?"

Seto sighed and his eyes dropped to the ground. "It's all my fault. I pressured you to come. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be in this condition. I'm sorry, and if i could do it over, I would..."

"Seto...what's wrong with me?"

"You were...er...what's the word I'm looking for...I guess...overcome by the circumstances. Tell me Serenity, were you feeling well before you left?" He asked. She could tell by his eyes he was concerned for her.

"Actually, I was feeling a little weak..." She said thoughtfully.

"And I just made it worse. Serenity, I pressured you into coming, and when it was raining, too! I'm so sorry, Serenity! It's all my fault.! I just-" At that moment, the door flew open, and an enraged Joey stormed into the room, his mother behind him, shivering.

"Okay! What happened?!" He asked taking Seto by the collar. "What did you do to my sister?! The hospital called and said you brought her in unconscious! Now speak up, what did you do?!"

Their mother had sunk into quiet sobs beside Serenity. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I was so worry, baby! What happened? Why did you leave the house? You knew it was storming, why? Why put yourself at risk, darling?"

"She drove to my house." Seto said, breaking out of Joey's grip. "We were-"

"No," Serenity stood up, wavering a little. Seto rushed to her side. "They're my family. I'll tell them. Mom, Joey, Seto and I were planning to run away together." Her mother paled, and Joey just gaped at them. "You just don't understand! And I don't think you ever will! I love Seto, and he loves me, and there's nothing you can do to stop us."

"So, what? Do you want me to forget everything he's done to me in the past? The way he tried to kill me?"

"Oh, you had to bring that up..." Seto said, rolling his eyes.

"...Or when he called me a dog? I'll never forget that! What about all the times we had to save his ass and that ungrateful jerk just sneered and told us off? I can't ever forgive him."

"Joey..." Serenity sighed. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No..."

"That's what's going to happen if you don't butt-out of our relationship. I choose to be with Seto, Joey. It's my choice...and I choose him." She said, taking Seto's hand.

"Er..." Joey's face was of utter shock. "Serenity....you...you're..." he couldn't seem to be able to make a complete sentence. "I..." he took a deep breath. "How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me..."

"Joey, I do!" She pleaded. "But you need to understand that I love Seto, too. And think about it this way: Wouldn't you have done the same thing for Mai?"

Joey stopped. It was true, he would give up everything for Mai in a heartbeat. "Serenity...do you really love him that much?"

"Yes, Joey, I do. I love him deeper than I've loved anyone in the world. He's so wonderful to me..."

"Well..." Joey looked at Seto. "Do you really love my sister?"

"More than anyone..." he said.

"Okay..." Joey's eyes darkened. "But if you break her heart, I'll break your face." (Some kind of Wonderful. I don't own it! Great movie, though!)

"Joey!" Serenity said, exasperated.

"Fine...fine. Kai- uh...Seto..." Okay readers, this is the part where you all gasp in amazement and say 'he used Kaiba's first name!' "I guess...I guess if you really love her...you can date her. I still don't like you all that much...but you know....I guess it's okay."

Serenity sighed with relief. Seto kissed her on the lips, but Joey broke them apart. "Hey hey hey! None of that!"

Seto glared at him for a moment, but then rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I suppose I can live with that...for now." He turned to Serenity. "I love you so much...."

"I love you, too." She said, hugging him. Her mom pulled on Joey's sleeve.

"Let's give them a moment." She said, starting to leave the room. When they were gone, Seto pulled Serenity into a deep kiss. And this time no one was there to interrupt them. They would be together forever. This is the end of my story, and I leave you with one last remark: Even when things seem their darkest, you can still win. Don't believe me? Just ask Mrs. Serenity Kaiba.

The end.

This is the end. No, really, it is. I'm serious, it is! Stop looking at me like that! Stop! It's over! Well, unless you want to read my alternate ending. I'm thinking of posting it, but I'll warn you here and now: It's a tragedy. I'll let you vote on it. It's really sad, though. My aunt was like "I'm going to kill you." When I read it to her. (She really liked my story. I mentioned her in my thanks. Oh! Thanks! Here we go!

I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who supported me while I wrote this story. I couldn't have made it without the following:

Thanks to:

1. My mom. She was always saying that I needed to complete a story, and when I told her I was going to finish this one, she supported me all the way through. Thank you so much.

2. My Aunt Robin. She was the one who I could read my chapters to and not worry about boring her to death. She took time to listen to my story, and she told me she loved it. Thanks for being there to listen.

3. My friend Nikki and Abbey. They talked it out with me and told me what I should or shouldn't add to my story. Thanks, girls! You rule!

4. My cousins Ty, Clay, (the two male ones who made the rifle comment) and Ashley (she supported my on the Disney trip.) Thanks, cuz's

5. The creator of Yu-Gi-Oh, Kazuki Takahashi, because if it weren't for his brilliant manga and now anime series, this story wouldn't be here. You are a true genius., although I highly doubt you're reading my boring little story right now.

6.My younger sister, Tori. She's six years old and my inspiration. Thank you, Tori. Even though we may argue sometimes, I still love you.

7. Finally, I'd like to thank...you! If it weren't for all my loyal readers out there, I wouldn't have continued this. I know it was kind of boring there for a while, but we still pulled through, and in the end, I'm pleased with the results. Anyway, thank you everyone for reviewing. I love you all.

I will be writing more Seto x Serenity stories, in fact, here's a preview for the one I'm planning on working on next:

After a repulsive date with the famous Duke Devlin, Serenity finds herself soaking wet, alone, and stranded without a ride home. That is, until she meets Seto Kaiba, the rich, arrogant CEO of Kaiba Corp. Will love bloom? Will hatred? And what about Duke? Is he really out of the picture? Don't count on it! The answer to all these questions and more can be found in my newest story.

K, I haven't really thought of a name for it yet, but it'll come to me when I start writing it. But no matter how many stories I write, this will always be my first. I never thought I would get this attached to a story, but now that it's over, I'm sort of sad. You'll probably think I'm a complete idiot, but I almost cried when I finished it. Well, Anyway, thank you everyone for you support, and I love you all. Thank you so much. Goodbye for now.

Your authoress,

Lover of Seto Kaiba

Aka, Morgan.