ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

Elenion: Ok. I don't have any great excuse for my absence. I'm REALLY SORRY, ok? Anyways, I do not own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or anything associated with it.

Yamiko Yakou- Hikari Marik never really struck me as some nice kid, either. Not as bad as his Yami, of course, but still an ass. I will read and review your stories pronto! My apologies! I really missed them.

Peneia Teke- About Mokuba: yes he will be in the story, but not a major part. Of course, that's what I say now… May change. And yes, Mr. Ice does meet Serenity this chapter. I can here Beethoven's Fifth playing now.

Walis- I've been gone too long, so forgive me, but what exactly is a C2 Community? I'm so lost… But thanks, and I see you updated 'Ghost' while I was gone! Fun fun! Gotta love good old pain-in-the-ass Kaiba.

Kikoken- I totally know what you mean about the whole dragon thing. I mean, it just fits him so well. He practically IS a dragon. Can't wait to see the stuff you've updated!

pink-strawberries- Sorry to make you wait. Heh…

Jieli- Amazingly, my dad got me the Fruits Basket anime for Xmas. Yay! I haven't watched it yet, but I will, and then I'll get back to you on that. All my friends (who are into it) have decided whether they prefer Kyo or Yuki. I'm kinda wavering in the middle right now… I'm sure I'll decide sometime.

Eternity's Angel- High school sucks. It's like a huge prison or something with no compliments for creativity. Unfortunately, it's illegal not to go. Hope you can keep reading!

ThePianoFiend- Thanks so much. Nice name, by the way.

krNKyutEe- No problem. And the start of the SxS begins this chapter… It won't go super-fast or anything, but it begins.

ashley- I've been feeling guilty lately about my chapter lengths… I will try to make them longer, really I will. And about Mai and Joey- that will be told soon.

PinkStarz- Thanks soooo much! I feel so happy! Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations…

Serendy4evr- Yes, our dear friend Kaiba will confuse poor Serenity quite a bit, I'm afraid. And about Joey and Mai, you'll see.

GlitterKitten- Wow, thank you. You're much too kind. So sorry to keep you waiting.

ChildlikeEmpress- You know, I was actually thinking how this seems like the French Revolution. Funny, huh? I wanted to ask, did you form your name from 'The Neverending Story' or is that just a coincidence?

Elenion: Once again, I beg for your forgiveness in my lateness. Happy Winter Break (trying to be PC here)! Oh, yes, here enters Mokuba, our little voice of reason.

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Chapter 8

A rustle.

A blur.

Two honey eyes slowly flickered open as if it was their first time. But she was only greeted with dark. Everything was quiet and still. She closed her eyes again.

No sound. No movement. No light.

Serenity swallowed, not fully understanding. All the puzzle pieces of her memory were not quite piecing themselves together. And to top it all off, any movement was pained and sloppy. Her eyes closed again. All alone in the dark somewhere, the petite girl began to hear echoing voices resounding from jogging pieces of her memory.

"C'mon, sis! What're ya waitin' for?"

"Serenity? What are you doing, hon?"

"Ren! C'mon! We're gonna leave dis place!"

And then it all came crashing down again. The ship, the dock, the explosion, the voices calling her name, the laughing… It all came back, and it was overwhelming. Tears stung behind her cemented eyelids and soon leaked out down her cheeks.

So where were Joey and Mai now? Where was she? Was she dead?

It took the small girl some minutes before she even realized that her weepy eyes were open again. It was all dark, and for a few moments, Serenity possessed the wonderful thought that maybe- just maybe- it had all been a hallucination or nightmare. Maybe Joey was waiting for her in the other room- with an empty stomach as usual. Maybe all the sounds, pain, and fear- maybe they were all just manifestations of her subconscious.

But then her eyes adjusted, and all those hopes went to hell.

A heart-wrenching moan escaped her lips as she painfully curled into a fetal position and hugged her knees to her chest comfortingly. That was her typical response to anything traumatic- the first day her father hit her, the day her mother died, and now… this.

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Seto Kaiba looked at his two pilots with some disdain. Protectively, as would a dragon guarding his lair, Kaiba stood before the door of his private office with crossed arms. He bore a condescending light in his eyes as he read their names straight out of his impossibly fast memory.

"Pilots Keisuke and Midou, correct?"

The one with the nasty scar- Midou- nodded silently, casting a glance at his shoes. Anything was better than to brave the cold of that man's eyes.

Kaiba felt a smirk form on his features. He easily towered over them- both in physical and mental stature. The best part was that they both knew it. "You both may go," then he added as a 'generous' afterthought, "Be sure that the secretary puts a significant zero on the end of your paycheck."

Midou took a breath, preparing to walk out of Kaiba Corp unscathed with a fair- if not guilty- reward. He wouldn't have asked any questions… But his companion just had to go and ruin it.

"What are you going to do with her?"

Kaiba stopped in mid-turn, frozen there for a second, allowing just enough time for the unwitting pilot to realize the possible consequences of his actions. He was a master of timing- that and scaring the shit out of people. Slowly, in that menacing way which gave many the chills, the icy-eyed man turned and fixed the accuser with an unyielding cobalt stare. "I believe…"

Keisuke straightened his back in a semblance of bravery.

"… that you have forgotten you're place, pilot."

Midou tensed, concerned for the well-being of his fellow pilot. Anyone who dared cross Seto Kaiba was usually psychologically cut down and thrown out on the streets. The scarred pilot ground his teeth together painfully. But to his surprise the dangerous CEO chuckled- albeit, darkly- but it wasn't what anyone would have expected.

"You're a fool," the icy-eyed man growled, amused, "But you're a brave fool."

That seemed to be the cue to leave, as Kaiba turned abruptly once more to return to his dimly lit sanctuary. Midou grabbed his companion roughly by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out of the building without so much as a word. He was only following the golden rule of Kaiba Corp: What you don't know, don't ask.

Kaiba whipped the door open and paused, finding a surprise.

Someone was in his way…

A certain, honey-eyed someone.

There was a long silence- both slightly shocked- although the girl more so than the other. The dragon suppressed all emotions from his face as the petite girl stared straight into his intimidating eyes. It was obvious that she so desperately wanted to ask him one hundred questions, but no words were coming. Internally, Kaiba was having a strange struggle of emotions. Why had he risked his neck? What on earth had possessed him to do that? And then, the infamous CEO wondered how she was even conscious let alone walking around.

Finally, her mouth remembered its purpose. "Why?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Partly, because there was no real answer.

Her face was streaked with tearstains, but she'd quite obviously calmed herself down somehow. Suddenly, she snapped her head down to stare at her bare feet. "Why…?" she whispered more- to herself this time.

Why was she here? Why had the dock been blown to bits? Why had she woken up in a dark room with carefully laid bandages? Why had that room led into another with a laptop? Why was she facing Seto Kaiba once more? And most importantly, why could she do nothing but ask 'why'?

Frustration swept in and stinging tears welled up once again. Her face scrunched up and her fists balled while her auburn hair hung limply in her eyes.

Kaiba stared at the girl as she lost and then regained control of her emotions. He felt a flicker of something inside of him. It was an emotion that he was unaccustomed to using, something that he had not felt since he'd uttered the word "checkmate" on that cursed day… But the flicker was dominated by his business instincts.

"You're in my way," he barked, perhaps more harshly than he had intended. And yet, his pocketed hand could not stop grasping that locket of hers.

The small girl's head whipped up, startled and hurt, as he pushed her aside. To her, it felt like a rough movement, but to him, it was rather gentle- or as gentle as he was capable of being.

The dragon walked past her towards his laptop, but the sound of her voice stopped him. And it was not all weepy like he had expected. Rather, it was fiery and harsh.

"Well, I'm so sorry that I'm inconveniencing you, but my life was just ripped apart!"

Kaiba's cold eyes snapped up, showing little of the confusion and surprise that was plaguing his mind. Rather, his eyes were like blue stone. Or perhaps mirrors, reflecting other people but never showing what was behind. "Go rest. You're hurt."

"How is this happening!" she screamed at him from the other side of the room.

"You shouldn't be using all your energy," Kaiba growled, turning his gaze back to his computer. It was logical- she should rest now, ask questions later.

Frustrated at being treated like some little afterthought that he knew like the palm of hand, Serenity suddenly shouted at him. Her voice pounced upon him like a tigress. "You don't know anything about me! You don't even know my last name!"

Ice blue met turmoiled honey. "Serenity Wheeler. Age 16. Height 5'1". Weight 115. Hair Color Auburn. Eye Color Hazel. Both your parents are deceased. Your only living relative is a brother, Joseph Wheeler. You have no permanent household. You recently were sent to negotiate with Marik Ishtar to save your sorry rebel-asses from his wrath- which ultimately didn't work, I might add. Am I right so far?"

Serenity's were wide, and she found herself speechless. It just didn't make sense that he knew so much. He was rattling off her entire life like he was a European history teacher, in that same monotone voice. He sounded like he was reading the stock market numbers. "H-how d-did-?"

"Memorizing is one of my strong points," Kaiba rumbled with a smirk, touching his fingertips together.

The poor girl's pained head was reeling. "Wh-what?"

"Your strong points are mental. You have no experience with violence, but you're very talented at avoiding conflicts. Ultimately, you're good negotiating material, but your looks are categorized as being potentially a threat to your health."

"Excuse me?"

Kaiba just barged on through her data. "You were born one month premature, which supposedly explains your small bone structure. You had poor eyesight as a child, which was eventually corrected. Now, you are believed to have 20/20 vision. Before they died, your parents had separated. Your father was an alcoholic in his later years and known for beating his family. Would you like me to go on?"

There he paused. It had been so easy to memorize her file.

"I… but… how…"

Those piercing eyes bore straight through her. "I'll say it again: Would you like me to go on?"

Serenity's mouth opened slightly, as if she were about to try to speak up for herself. But instead, she stared at her feet and shook her head. "N-no."

"Then don't tell me that I don't know anything about you." And just like that, Kaiba reverted his attention to his laptop.

Honey eyes staring at the nicely carpeted floor, Serenity felt like curling up into a small ball and sobbing her eyes out. He had apparently rescued her… so why, oh gods, why was he treating her like some dog that was unfit to be in his presence. Liquid swam into her eyes as she realized that she was back to where she started- with 'why'.

Kaiba grit his teeth together silently. Not that the awkward silence bothered him, oh no, he was much too accustomed to those. But it was her question. Why? That one little word was biting him in the ass. And he didn't like it. All in all, he was completely oblivious to the sudden streams of tears streaming down the cheeks of the girl standing opposite his desk. Until, of course, a wailing sob escaped her little throat. Her knees crumpled to the floor as if they were made of thin sheets of paper.

Kaiba watched with an apparently emotionless face as the little thing cried on her knees before him. And then there was that little flicker of estranged emotion poking at the back of his mind- for the second time that day. And for the second time that day, he was able to push that feeling aside.

But then, through her wretched sobs, Serenity whispered possibly the only thing that could have connected with Kaiba's ice-covered heart:

"Big brother…"

Everything within Kaiba's whirring, analytical mind froze. His eyes stared with slight awe at the petite little girl he'd inexplicably saved from a gruesome death. And, in that moment at least, he wasn't alone. For the first time since he'd sent his own little brother across to Great Britain two years ago, he didn't feel utterly alone.

But the moment passed, and the businessman he'd become came back.

Oblivious to all, Serenity slowly began to get a hold upon her own emotions.

"You won't find him here."

The honey-eyed girl's head shot up, suddenly. She numbly wiped her eyes with her hand. "W-what?"

"A certain Joseph Wheeler and Mai Valentine have been reported-"

"Stop!" The word ripped out of Serenity's throat in an animal-like wail. "Stop! They're dead! I know that! Just leave me be and STOP MOCKING ME!" Tears anew broke threw her eyes and flowed down her reddened cheeks.

"I never said that," Kaiba said gruffly, both annoyed and strangely soft.

Serenity choked down a sob and looked up at him, finding his intimidating eyes somehow different. This time, she found that she wasn't afraid. "Wh-what?"

"Are you going to let me finish my godamn sentence?" the impatient CEO growled menacingly.

The petite girl hiccupped slightly but was able to nod her head. Not once did she break eye contact.

"Joseph Wheeler and Mai Valentine have been reported to have registered with the Russian government as refugees from Japan," Kaiba finished with one raised eyebrow, matter-of-factly.

All time seemed to stop for one small, auburn-haired girl.

It was too amazing. It was too shocking. But by the gods, it was praiseworthy.

'They're alive!' Serenity's mind screamed in jubilation. 'My big brother is alive!'

Unbeknownst to her, two cobalt eyes watched with unreadable expression as a series of emotions and thoughts took hold of her. Kaiba stared as shock dawned, then a beautiful smile shown through her previous misery. If he had been some sort of pansy-poet, he would have said that her smile lit the room with an irreplaceable golden light. Then, to Kaiba's astonishment, the little female began crying all over again, this time with a smile on her face.

Before he knew it, the little whirlwind of a girl had thrown her slender arms around his neck and was sobbing into his fine cotton shirt collar. He froze, but for some reason didn't have the heart to push her off.

"I… I c-can't… I can't b-believe it!" she gasped between gleeful sobs, somewhat muffled into his shirt. "Th-thank you. Th-thank you s-so m-much!"

Suddenly she pulled away, hugging herself tightly as she sobbed with that lovely smile upon her face. Her honey-colored eyes were cemented shut as she just kept repeating, "I can't believe it," over and over again to no one in particular. Her disbelief was absolutely adorable, purely innocent.

Although the Kaiba Corp CEO had seen many, many drop-dead gorgeous women, they had all been the same. Each one had worn sleek, sophisticated suits with done-up hair and crimson lipstick. Each one had tried so ridiculously hard to seduce the billionaire. And none had so much as created a dent on his hard shell.

But this one was different. He couldn't openly admit that to himself, but it was still deeply imbedded in his subconscious.

The CEO just continued to stare at her, thinking nothing in particular, as she sobbed. He stroked the sleek silver of her locket, wondering. Of course, he knew all her general information, but it was a far cry from knowing everything. Such as… where had she gotten the silver locket that had become just as important as his cell phone? If he could just focus on questions like that, then maybe he'd never have to answer the dreaded 'why' ones.

Ring!

With that automatic flick of the wrist, his cell phone snapped open. "Kaiba."

"Mr. Kaiba, you-" There was a pause, where the man on the other line was probably attempting to piece together what the sound of a woman sobbing in the background meant. But he obviously decided not to ask. "You have an incoming call."

"Didn't I specifically tell you not to bother me with any calls, today?" Kaiba snapped into the small metallic object in his hand.

"W-well, yes, sir. But it's your brother, sir-"

The man didn't have to say one more word. "I'll be right there."

The powerful businessman flicked the cell phone closed and glided to his feet, towering easily over the only other person in the room. His hard eyes looked at her, wondering what to do about her. Leaving her in his personal office, while she was awake, was definitely not a good idea. And he certainly couldn't give her free reign in the KC building, especially considering her condition.

But he had an idea.

"You!" Kaiba snapped sharply, nodding in her direction.

Serenity just smiled serenely, tear-free at him, despite his harsh words and actions. By no means was it the best day of her life, but, to her, her brother had come back from the dead. Nothing was going to bring down her spirits.

"Come with me, kid."

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All the secretaries in the large room swiveled their heads as their intimidating, yet incredibly sexy boss walked through the door. He swept into the room with hard, cobalt eyes. Small whispers began to rush through the room accompanied by little smiles. A rather roughed-up looking girl was in tow, following his heels in wonder.

The petite girl was cute, quite innocent-looking. Undoubtedly a pretty little thing. Her hair was quite long, although a bit disheveled, and her face showed recent tear streaks. But her liquidy, honey eyes had wonder and an inherent happiness glowing within them.

"Kohaku Hideki?" the CEO barked over the heads of KC's computer-managing secretaries.

"Here, sir," called back a deep, feminine voice. She was fairly nondescript as far as features and personality went, but she wasn't some airhead.

Kaiba whirled to face a somewhat awed Serenity. "Stay here, kid, until I get back." He, then, turned to stare icily at the level-headed secretary. "Watch this one, Hideki. I don't want to come back to find her missing."

"Yes, sir," Kohaku Hideki replied coolly, nodding her head in assent. Her eyes focused warmly on the confused girl that Kaiba left in his sweeping wake. The petite girl's eyes were watching the blue-eyed man walk easily out of the room. Kohaku smiled at her. "Seto Kaiba even puts that American, Bill Gates, to shame. What's your name?"

Serenity's honey eyes snapped over to focus on the secretary's black ones. "Serenity Wheeler."

"Serenity…" the secretary said as if testing the name upon her tongue, "I'm…"

"Kohaku Hideki," Serenity finished politely.

Of course, Kohaku wanted to ask a million questions. Like who she was, and why Kaiba was looking out for her. But she followed KC's golden rule, like every good employee. But there was one question. "Are you the girl that Keisuke brought in?"

Confusion broiled in Serenity's eyes. "Keisuke?"

Kohaku shook her head. "I suppose you may not remember. Never mind."

A small silence set in, in which the tapping of the other secretaries' computer keys was the only audible sound. Then Serenity spoke.

"Could I… uh… use your computer?"

"Of course."

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Kaiba's slender fingers tapped in a few passwords on the sleek computer module, then he stood back, impatiently watching the computer screen as his brother's face swam into view.

"Seto!" the raven-haired boy shouted happily.

"Mokuba," Kaiba replied in as warm a tone as was possible.

The chilly eyes didn't faze Mokuba in the least. Instead, his gray eyes sparkled. "I haven't been able to get a hold of you for weeks!"

Kaiba sighed and rubbed his temples. "I've been busy lately."

There was an awkward pause. All the unsaid things seemed to be passing painfully between them. Like how Mokuba hated it that he'd been shipped out of the country without his elder brother to accompany him. But things like that were no longer said.

Finally, Mokuba decided to speak, trying to keep the conversation going. "When are you going to come over to visit?"

"There's a bit of a British accent in your Japanese, Mokuba," Kaiba stated, cleanly avoiding his younger brother's question.

But Mokuba wasn't fooled, and he certainly wasn't afraid of the Great Seto Kaiba like so many other people. "Are you ever going to visit?"

Kaiba's long fingers returned to his temples. "Mokuba, I've already told you. I need to keep my business in line."

Something snapped inside of the normally cheerful Mokuba. "Your business? You mean, the business that's responsible for the deaths of half of Japan?!"

"Mokuba, I'm not responsible for what people decide to do with Kaiba Corp's products. I merely sell them," Kaiba responded, emotionless.

The Kaiba brothers glared at one another from their identical computer screens, which had direct contact with one another. They were twin computers built solely for the purpose of communication between the two brothers.

"You've grown too cold." The boy sounded somewhat like his older brother when he used that chilling tone.

"People change, Mokuba."

"But not you, big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed, sounding desperate. This was not the response he'd been expecting. "You would never want this. Don't you see how many people are being hurt?"

"That's not my problem," Kaiba responded coolly, crossing his powerful arms over his chest.

"But Seto! What if it was me?"

"But it's not, Mokuba."

"What if-"

"Mokuba, hypothetical questions mean nothing to me."

There was long, painful pause. Gray eyes stared right into cobalt blue. Neither side seemed willing to waver, until the pair of gray eyes looked away. Mokuba's face now bore a saddened expression, an expression that had graced his features many a time since they had inherited the name 'Kaiba' from their amazingly heartless stepfather.

"Take care of yourself, big brother. I just hope you aren't becoming the person that you most hated."

Before Kaiba could so much as think of a reply, the screen went blank. Pale hands clenched into balled fists. Once again, he'd managed to upset his brother. "Mokuba!" he growled. With all his boiling anger and self-loathing, Kaiba pounded his fist into the wall, letting the pain of it seep into his system. "Godammit!"

Ring!

Kaiba growled gruffly, all his muscles tensed. He didn't need any more imbeciles fucking with his mind and his company.

Ring!

It was inevitable.

Ring!

"Kaiba."

"Mr. Kaiba, I thought you might want to know that Mr. Ishtar is here."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Why the fuck did you let him in?"

The voice on the other line was obviously nervous now. "Well, he, uh, said that you had business dealings to go over…"

"Marik Ishtar," Kaiba began in a voice that could have frozen boiling water, "is the biggest fucking liar in all of Japan. Do not listen to him, you fool."

"S-sorry, Mr. Kaiba. I-"

"No. Don't try to help. Where is the filthy bastard?" Kaiba felt a massive migraine settling in to stay for a very long while. That had been happening a lot lately.

"He tried to break into your office, sir, but he was unsuccessful. Right now, he's on the fifth floor."

Kaiba grit his teeth. "The fifth floor?"

"Yes, sir."

"Fuck."

"Is there a problem, Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba snapped angrily into his cell phone. "Yes, there is a problem! I don't want him let into the secretaries' room on the fifth floor, do you understand?"

"Y-yes, sir. I'll tell them."

Click.

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Serenity couldn't keep the smile off of her face. The online records were staring her in the face. Kaiba had been telling the truth, not that she had really doubted him. There was something obviously honest in his usual words. But, now she had seen it for herself. Joey and Mai had made it. Somehow.

Kohaku watched her new companion's face. She had taken a liking to the sweet little thing. Suddenly, she heard a voice coming through her earpiece.

"Kohaku? Hey, Kohaku? I need you to make sure Marik Ishtar doesn't make it into your room. Kaiba's orders."

The nondescript secretary's brow furrowed. That was definitely unusual.

It had to be about the new girl. It just had to. What else could it be? "Serenity, you may want to-"

But Serenity wasn't listening. Instead, she was staring, in fixed horror at something at the other side of the room. Kohaku's brow furrowed even further, and she followed the younger girl's line of sight. Then she gasped.

She knew those sharp lavender eyes and champagne blonde hair anywhere.

This was going to be a close shave.

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Elenion: Hey, guys. So sorry to leave you with a minor cliffie. Don't worry. The gap will be nothing like last time!