Author's note: I can't believe this is the last chapter...sniff I pretty much say all I wanna say in the next chapter. I'll keep it short here.
The Heart of Eternity by Shelly
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"Wow...sounds like it was a heck of a duel," Joey replied after Shari had told him about what had happened after she had left them at Yugi's house. "I still don' understand how dat coulda happened. I mean...Makare fusin' wit the Dark Magician like dat? Sounds kinda crazy."
She shrugged her shoulders as she toyed with the food on her plate. It was Monday already, and time to go back to school, although it felt like years instead of just a day since the strange events of which she spoke. "Yes, it does," she agreed with a sigh. "I for one am glad that it's all finally over with. I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder anymore...and I finally feel free to get to know someone without fear of hurting them."
When she looked up, she saw Joey's gaze upon her and smiled. "Joey, I wanted to thank you for being there for me. For being such a good friend to me when I didn't want you to be...I suppose being stubborn has it's good points sometimes," she added with a laugh, which he returned with a blush coloring his cheeks.
"Yea, well, I was glad dat I could help ya," he managed to say around his shyness. He also heard the unspoken words that she didn't say. He had noticed that whenever she came around Kaiba, her eyes would light up in a certain way that he didn't see whenever she looked at him. And to see that Kaiba returned the same feelings told him more clearly than words that they were becoming more than friends. And as much as he tried to hide it, he couldn't help but be a little hurt that she had given her heart to someone who, in his opinion, didn't have one to begin with. But it was his opinion, and if being with Kaiba made her happy then he would just have to deal with that.
He was saved from further embarrassment when Yugi came to join them after finishing off his own lunch. "Boy, am I stuffed," he groaned, sitting back and patting his over-filled stomach.
Shari smiled at him and caught Joey's eye again. "Joey, you mind if I talk to Yugi a minute?"
It was a strange question, but he didn't mind since he knew that they would be around one another only because of Makare and Yami. "No prob," he smiled. "See ya after school den."
Once he had left, she sighed deeply since she wasn't sure how to thank Yugi for what he had done for her. He had helped her just as much as Joey had, and in addition, had helped her find someone who she felt a deep kinship with. She knew that Makare still had a lot to learn about herself, and so did Yami, so she had thought long and hard on a plan to try and give the both of them some time together. "Yugi, I wanted to thank you as well for what you have done for me. And Yami as well...so given the fact that Makare and Yami share a past together, I wanted to ask if there's a way we might could hang out sometime. You know...give them both some time together?" She was a little unsure of how to phrase it since she didn't want Yugi to think that she was interested in him in any other way. Deep inside her necklace, she sensed Makare's amusement at her predicament.
His face brightened suddenly and a smile bloomed upon his face. "That sounds great, Shari," he replied. "I had been thinking along the same lines myself since it appears that Yami becomes a little lonely without her around. And maybe we might both find out some more about them at the same time."
She laughed, her mind already coming up with ways for them to spend time together. And she didn't know if it was a trick of light or just her imagination, but it seemed as if she saw Makare and Yami sitting next to her and Yugi, their eyes filled with happiness as they looked upon one another.
She felt a vibration at her side, and she removed a small compact phone from her side to flip it open. Kaiba had given her this phone yesterday in hopes of preventing something from happening to her...or at the very least give her a way to contact him in case she needed his help. She liked to think that he simply wanted to stay in touch with her since he couldn't physically be with her at times. Yugi saw the smile upon her face and made a silent departure, knowing that her mind was on other things at the moment.
Upon flipping it open, she saw the small screen flicker to life to show her a beautiful bouquet of red roses, the sight bringing an even wider smile to her face. Soon the roses were lowered to show Seto's handsome face, and she had to admit that seeing him always sent her heart pounding that much faster.
"Shari," he spoke, "please do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight. I've left a little something for you in your room...I hope you will like it."
Her interest piqued, she couldn't wait till school let out, and she wouldn't see him till tonight since school ended much earlier for him than it did for her. This wasn't the first time that he had left a little something for her to let her know he was thinking of her...earlier that morning she had found a little note inside her locker that simply said, "I miss you." He had surprised her by being so thoughtful...apparently his reputation for being so remote was just an act. Although she knew there was nothing that would ever come between him and his love for business...and dueling as well.
The time finally came, and she practically flew out of there so fast it was surprising that she didn't leave flying papers in her wake. Normally she waited for Joey and Yugi and the three of them left together, but today she was too excited to find out what surprise Seto had in store for her.
The limo ride back to Kaiba's seemed slower than normal, but she endured it peacefully if it meant she would be able to look into his blue eyes once again. Only one day away from him and it had seemed like an eternity. Most would say that it was young love in it's precious first stages...and in some ways she agreed with that. But to her it was beyond that. How else could they have known each other for only a short time and yet feel like they had been together for so much longer?
At times she had to check herself against losing too much control over her emotions around him. How he was able to do that to her scared her a little...but at the same time it thrilled her to experience it.
Finally they arrived at the mansion, and she jumped out of the limo to run inside and dash into her room, suddenly stopping in her tracks when she saw a good-sized box waiting for her on her bed. It was wrapped neatly in gold paper, and in the center of the box was a single red rose with a small card tied to it with gold ribbon. Picking up the rose, she inhaled it's delicate fragrance before opening the card.
"Wear this when next you see me," it read. "I'll be waiting."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Makare's voice jolted her from her stupor.
Shari sighed. "I've been waiting for this all day long...but now that I'm here...I'm a little scared," she admitted.
"What's to be scared about?" the spirit asked her. "Seto's planned an elaborate dinner from the sound of things, nothing more. Just put your thoughts aside and enjoy the evening."
She had to admit that she was being a little stupid to feel scared of a little thing such as this. "As long as you don't eavesdrop, okay?" she teased with a smile. "The last thing I need is for him to see me laughing at something you've said."
"I promise," Makare replied. "Now hurry up and get ready!"
She quickly tore open the paper covering the box and lifted the lid, removing the tissue paper to reveal a gothic black dress that suprisingly matched her look. Taking it out, she saw it had inch-wide straps at the shoulders, and the bodice was solid black except for a swath of red plaid fabric down the middle crisscrossed with black lace ribbon. The black skirt was pleated, and where the pleats parted the same red fabric could be seen. She loved it the moment she set her eyes on it, and it stopped just above her knees when she tried it on. The one thing she was a little shy of was the way it gave her just the right amount of cleavage, being that she had never had an occasion to ever dress like this.
But that wasn't all that was in the box. To her immense joy, she also found a pair of black leather combat boots that came just to mid-calf length. The outfit was very much to her liking, and she had to wonder who had helped him pick it out. He certainly didn't seem the type to like clothing like this; it seemed that he was totally into business attire so she had assumed that it would be something classy.
Now that the outfit was together, all she had to do was style her hair just right, and she opted to fashion a couple of small ponytails on either side of her head, just enough to give her hair a little more body and far back enough so she wouldn't look too silly. Makare complimented her, saying that she looked very nice indeed, and that helped to lift her spirits a little.
A knock at her door however brought the butterflies back to her stomach, and she nervously approached the door to open it slowly as speechlessness suddenly over took her when she saw who was standing there. This definitely wasn't the Seto she knew!
To match the theme of her attire, he had dressed in black pants that were baggy enough to look very stylish on him. A black long sleeve shirt adorned his upper half, and he wore a silver chain around his neck, as well as one around his right wrist. He also wore a pair of boots that could barely be seen under the cuffs of his pants.
His blue eyes sparkled with amusement at her shocked expression. "See, I'm not all about suits and high collars, Shari," he spoke.
She couldn't fight the blush that rose to her cheeks. "I see that," she finally replied, thinking that she had never seen him look more delicious in her life.
Upon seeing that she wasn't going to move, he reached out and took her hand in his to draw her out into the hallway. "You look beautiful," he told her before kissing her lightly upon her cheek.
"You have good taste," she told him when he pulled away. "You look wonderful as well," she added, wanting to tell him a million things but unsure whether to or not. She was still so new to being so open around people since she had been used to hiding all her life. But she knew one thing, and it was that she wanted to start her new life with the person standing here before her.
Seto saw the slight frown upon her lips and the distracted light in her eyes. "You're thinking too hard again, I see," he teased with a light tap on her nose. "Where would you like to go tonight?"
She smiled. "Anywhere you wish to take me," she replied, taking his arm when he offered it to her. And with that they stepped outside in front of the limo that waited patiently for them. But before they got inside, he turned her so that she faced him and slowly lowered his head down to hers, claiming her lips in a soft kiss.
He didn't know what the future had in store for them. There was no way of knowing, and that bothered him to no end to know that he couldn't control the outcome of whatever was developing between them. But he cared for her, that much he did know, and he wanted to make sure she was happy for as long as she would have him. She meant so much to him, that and more, and whatever the future brought them...they would face it together.
Aww...aren't they just too sweet?
The sequel to this will pretty much pick up where this one left off. Makare and Yami's past together will be revealed, and their relationship together begins to grow. Makare's tie to the Dark Magician will also come to light, and Shari and Seto's relationship encounters some rough road ahead. Does this mean trouble for them, and will Joey be there to pick up the peices???
Oh, the agony!!!
The Heart of Eternity by Shelly
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"Wow...sounds like it was a heck of a duel," Joey replied after Shari had told him about what had happened after she had left them at Yugi's house. "I still don' understand how dat coulda happened. I mean...Makare fusin' wit the Dark Magician like dat? Sounds kinda crazy."
She shrugged her shoulders as she toyed with the food on her plate. It was Monday already, and time to go back to school, although it felt like years instead of just a day since the strange events of which she spoke. "Yes, it does," she agreed with a sigh. "I for one am glad that it's all finally over with. I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder anymore...and I finally feel free to get to know someone without fear of hurting them."
When she looked up, she saw Joey's gaze upon her and smiled. "Joey, I wanted to thank you for being there for me. For being such a good friend to me when I didn't want you to be...I suppose being stubborn has it's good points sometimes," she added with a laugh, which he returned with a blush coloring his cheeks.
"Yea, well, I was glad dat I could help ya," he managed to say around his shyness. He also heard the unspoken words that she didn't say. He had noticed that whenever she came around Kaiba, her eyes would light up in a certain way that he didn't see whenever she looked at him. And to see that Kaiba returned the same feelings told him more clearly than words that they were becoming more than friends. And as much as he tried to hide it, he couldn't help but be a little hurt that she had given her heart to someone who, in his opinion, didn't have one to begin with. But it was his opinion, and if being with Kaiba made her happy then he would just have to deal with that.
He was saved from further embarrassment when Yugi came to join them after finishing off his own lunch. "Boy, am I stuffed," he groaned, sitting back and patting his over-filled stomach.
Shari smiled at him and caught Joey's eye again. "Joey, you mind if I talk to Yugi a minute?"
It was a strange question, but he didn't mind since he knew that they would be around one another only because of Makare and Yami. "No prob," he smiled. "See ya after school den."
Once he had left, she sighed deeply since she wasn't sure how to thank Yugi for what he had done for her. He had helped her just as much as Joey had, and in addition, had helped her find someone who she felt a deep kinship with. She knew that Makare still had a lot to learn about herself, and so did Yami, so she had thought long and hard on a plan to try and give the both of them some time together. "Yugi, I wanted to thank you as well for what you have done for me. And Yami as well...so given the fact that Makare and Yami share a past together, I wanted to ask if there's a way we might could hang out sometime. You know...give them both some time together?" She was a little unsure of how to phrase it since she didn't want Yugi to think that she was interested in him in any other way. Deep inside her necklace, she sensed Makare's amusement at her predicament.
His face brightened suddenly and a smile bloomed upon his face. "That sounds great, Shari," he replied. "I had been thinking along the same lines myself since it appears that Yami becomes a little lonely without her around. And maybe we might both find out some more about them at the same time."
She laughed, her mind already coming up with ways for them to spend time together. And she didn't know if it was a trick of light or just her imagination, but it seemed as if she saw Makare and Yami sitting next to her and Yugi, their eyes filled with happiness as they looked upon one another.
She felt a vibration at her side, and she removed a small compact phone from her side to flip it open. Kaiba had given her this phone yesterday in hopes of preventing something from happening to her...or at the very least give her a way to contact him in case she needed his help. She liked to think that he simply wanted to stay in touch with her since he couldn't physically be with her at times. Yugi saw the smile upon her face and made a silent departure, knowing that her mind was on other things at the moment.
Upon flipping it open, she saw the small screen flicker to life to show her a beautiful bouquet of red roses, the sight bringing an even wider smile to her face. Soon the roses were lowered to show Seto's handsome face, and she had to admit that seeing him always sent her heart pounding that much faster.
"Shari," he spoke, "please do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight. I've left a little something for you in your room...I hope you will like it."
Her interest piqued, she couldn't wait till school let out, and she wouldn't see him till tonight since school ended much earlier for him than it did for her. This wasn't the first time that he had left a little something for her to let her know he was thinking of her...earlier that morning she had found a little note inside her locker that simply said, "I miss you." He had surprised her by being so thoughtful...apparently his reputation for being so remote was just an act. Although she knew there was nothing that would ever come between him and his love for business...and dueling as well.
The time finally came, and she practically flew out of there so fast it was surprising that she didn't leave flying papers in her wake. Normally she waited for Joey and Yugi and the three of them left together, but today she was too excited to find out what surprise Seto had in store for her.
The limo ride back to Kaiba's seemed slower than normal, but she endured it peacefully if it meant she would be able to look into his blue eyes once again. Only one day away from him and it had seemed like an eternity. Most would say that it was young love in it's precious first stages...and in some ways she agreed with that. But to her it was beyond that. How else could they have known each other for only a short time and yet feel like they had been together for so much longer?
At times she had to check herself against losing too much control over her emotions around him. How he was able to do that to her scared her a little...but at the same time it thrilled her to experience it.
Finally they arrived at the mansion, and she jumped out of the limo to run inside and dash into her room, suddenly stopping in her tracks when she saw a good-sized box waiting for her on her bed. It was wrapped neatly in gold paper, and in the center of the box was a single red rose with a small card tied to it with gold ribbon. Picking up the rose, she inhaled it's delicate fragrance before opening the card.
"Wear this when next you see me," it read. "I'll be waiting."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Makare's voice jolted her from her stupor.
Shari sighed. "I've been waiting for this all day long...but now that I'm here...I'm a little scared," she admitted.
"What's to be scared about?" the spirit asked her. "Seto's planned an elaborate dinner from the sound of things, nothing more. Just put your thoughts aside and enjoy the evening."
She had to admit that she was being a little stupid to feel scared of a little thing such as this. "As long as you don't eavesdrop, okay?" she teased with a smile. "The last thing I need is for him to see me laughing at something you've said."
"I promise," Makare replied. "Now hurry up and get ready!"
She quickly tore open the paper covering the box and lifted the lid, removing the tissue paper to reveal a gothic black dress that suprisingly matched her look. Taking it out, she saw it had inch-wide straps at the shoulders, and the bodice was solid black except for a swath of red plaid fabric down the middle crisscrossed with black lace ribbon. The black skirt was pleated, and where the pleats parted the same red fabric could be seen. She loved it the moment she set her eyes on it, and it stopped just above her knees when she tried it on. The one thing she was a little shy of was the way it gave her just the right amount of cleavage, being that she had never had an occasion to ever dress like this.
But that wasn't all that was in the box. To her immense joy, she also found a pair of black leather combat boots that came just to mid-calf length. The outfit was very much to her liking, and she had to wonder who had helped him pick it out. He certainly didn't seem the type to like clothing like this; it seemed that he was totally into business attire so she had assumed that it would be something classy.
Now that the outfit was together, all she had to do was style her hair just right, and she opted to fashion a couple of small ponytails on either side of her head, just enough to give her hair a little more body and far back enough so she wouldn't look too silly. Makare complimented her, saying that she looked very nice indeed, and that helped to lift her spirits a little.
A knock at her door however brought the butterflies back to her stomach, and she nervously approached the door to open it slowly as speechlessness suddenly over took her when she saw who was standing there. This definitely wasn't the Seto she knew!
To match the theme of her attire, he had dressed in black pants that were baggy enough to look very stylish on him. A black long sleeve shirt adorned his upper half, and he wore a silver chain around his neck, as well as one around his right wrist. He also wore a pair of boots that could barely be seen under the cuffs of his pants.
His blue eyes sparkled with amusement at her shocked expression. "See, I'm not all about suits and high collars, Shari," he spoke.
She couldn't fight the blush that rose to her cheeks. "I see that," she finally replied, thinking that she had never seen him look more delicious in her life.
Upon seeing that she wasn't going to move, he reached out and took her hand in his to draw her out into the hallway. "You look beautiful," he told her before kissing her lightly upon her cheek.
"You have good taste," she told him when he pulled away. "You look wonderful as well," she added, wanting to tell him a million things but unsure whether to or not. She was still so new to being so open around people since she had been used to hiding all her life. But she knew one thing, and it was that she wanted to start her new life with the person standing here before her.
Seto saw the slight frown upon her lips and the distracted light in her eyes. "You're thinking too hard again, I see," he teased with a light tap on her nose. "Where would you like to go tonight?"
She smiled. "Anywhere you wish to take me," she replied, taking his arm when he offered it to her. And with that they stepped outside in front of the limo that waited patiently for them. But before they got inside, he turned her so that she faced him and slowly lowered his head down to hers, claiming her lips in a soft kiss.
He didn't know what the future had in store for them. There was no way of knowing, and that bothered him to no end to know that he couldn't control the outcome of whatever was developing between them. But he cared for her, that much he did know, and he wanted to make sure she was happy for as long as she would have him. She meant so much to him, that and more, and whatever the future brought them...they would face it together.
Aww...aren't they just too sweet?
The sequel to this will pretty much pick up where this one left off. Makare and Yami's past together will be revealed, and their relationship together begins to grow. Makare's tie to the Dark Magician will also come to light, and Shari and Seto's relationship encounters some rough road ahead. Does this mean trouble for them, and will Joey be there to pick up the peices???
Oh, the agony!!!