A/n: okay ! I bow down to readers request; I was going have this as a crazy upmanship, but…..like I said.

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh!™ such a fine cast it is. End disclaimer.

Day 12: Not As They Seem

"Seto Kaiba's dead. I don't believe it. Search all the islands. One by one......"

"Yes, sir."

" The guy's had more attempts on his life than Saddam Hussien." Teeth glinted while they were picked at with a deadly sharp toothpick, "I want to make sure he's dead. If he's not, YOU make sure. Go look. Remember this guy has more lives than a cat."

"Yes. You can leave it to me, sir."

"Make sure you 'take care' of him." An ominous click.

&&&&

"I can't---I can't---Hic---I can't----"

"Joey, you can't think like that," Yugi said earnestly, comforting his disconsolate friend through his loud hiccups. "You have to believe she somewhere peaceful, and happy. That she misses you, but she knows you'll see her again someday. You have to believe that, too."

A loud runny sniff. "Yeah……she would miss m-me b-by now, wouldn't she….."

"Yeah," said Tea. "Or else, she's with Kaiba, having the time of her life, on a white sandy beach!" There was a pause as the four friends exchanged glances

They all laughed. "Yeah right, like that would ever happen!"

&&&&&&& Meanwhile &&&&&&

"That is our next task, Serenity."

Serenity followed where he was looking at upwards towards the tall palms. By squinting and putting her hands to cover over her eyes, (it was an unusually bright day) she could make out two reddish-brown orbs nestled in the thick, heavy fronds. "All the way up there?" she said as he moved forward.

It was true they were desperately out of food, and matches to cook it with. Comestibles that were non-perishable, like the crackers and dried canned fruit were best saved until later, and fire could be made another way. Or so he said; she had no idea how, though.

"You take this one, and I'll take another," he said, going to another palm. The sea rushed, a bird cawed out a lone tune.

"Easy for you to say; all you have to do to reach up," she mumbled. Being vertically challenged, getting to those coconuts would be like climbing up a glass mountain. Plus which, there were no branches or footholds on it; the 20 foot tan colored trunk wasn't going to yield easily.

"Very funny. That's why," he said, taking the trunk by the shoulders--if trunks had shoulders---and giving it a good shake. "You have to shake them out." The hairy round balls trembled violently, but did not move downwards.

"You're going to---" Suddenly, one did fall. "--get hit." She winced, but he managed to quickly move out of the way, it seemed, just in time. It would been bad, since those things were heavy, running at 25 mph on impact. Serenity saw the sand actually fly up as the coconut hit the sand with a plop; it rose nearly six feet. Jeez.

"Damn sand….." he muttered, rubbing his face as he knelt to pick up his prize. "….got in my eye…!" He heard a snicker, a single snicker, and turned to her, surprise. "Did you just laugh?" he accused.

"No." She studied her tree, her back turned, suspiciously, towards him. She couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking, though. He dodged the deadly coconut, only to get hit in the eye by sand of all things? It was too funny. She heard his footsteps, muffled by the soft sand.

"I'm, uh, thinking…..of how to get mine down, since I'm not strong enough to shake them," she explained, covering her mouth casually and not looking at him.

"Riiight. What's so amusing?"

"Well," she said looking up at him finally, although barely able to see because her cheeks were bunched up from smiling. "I….just saw you dodge the coconut, and it got you back….by hitting you with sand. It was funny. I know, I'm silly…." She felt her cheeks burn and it wasn't from the sun.

"You're right. You're silly. Why don't you try shaking them? It might work." He flashed her a smile, and went back to shake his own tree some more.

She tried, but she just wasn't strong enough. Plus, after getting hit on the air supply pack, she realized it was a halfhearted approach. I don't think I'll be able to dodge so fast….

He watched, knowing she wasn't strong enough, and that's why he'd suggested it. The last thing they needed was another injury. Brushing at his still stinging eye, he cracked the coconut on a sharp rock, causing a split. Another thrash, and it opened like a book. He quickly drank it, after only a quick inspection. There was no need to be picky.

I remember how I used to turn up my nose if my food wasn't warm enough…..now look at me, he thought ruefully. Scavenging around like a rodent……oh well, there's no one here to see me, anyway.

Except for her…. he looked up as there was an "Eeeep!" suddenly, followed by a sudden crash.

"Serenity!" he exclaimed, hoisting to his feet and running over to her aid.

A palm frond, big as a surfboard, had fallen, nearly on top of her. And she had the sense to close her eyes against the kicking sand. But it had scared her and she was shaking.

After seeing she was shaken but not stirred, he said, "Well….you're supposed to get the food, not the fan….."

"Fan?!" she said, stammering, looking down at it. A big hairy brown thing was attached. "Me, fan you……?!?!?!" He grinned, but she pointed down in fear. "There's something there! Seto!"

His gaze dropped down in surprise. "Oh, so you did get one. Congratulations." He reached for the coconut, but then it wriggled, Surprised, he snatched his hand back.

"Ooh, Ooh! Eee, Eee!" The furball screeched at him angrily, wriggling to get free, before leaping out. At him. Thanking God for quick reflexes, he swiped at it to scare it off. It worked.

"What was that thing?!" Serenity said wide-eyed, though she already knew.

"A bad tempered monkey," he answered anyway. "probably has rabies. That was close." Seto checked his hand to make sure the thing hadn't bitten him. That would be bad.

"Ooh, ooh! Eee, eee!" The monkey didn't like to be called bad-tempered, especially by the likes of him. It had returned with a vengeance! This time, it went directly at Serenity! Seto tried to swipe at it again to scare it, but it was too late….

"eee, eee!" She stiffened as the monkey hugged her around the neck, little anime hearts floating around it's face. Great. A boy monkey.

"Huhh…..huhh…" She tried not to breathe, or even move. Her eyes shot up pleadingly to Seto, who stared, feeling a case of de ja vu for some reason. "Get. Him. Off!"

Oh, yeah. "Don't move," he ordered her, again unnecessarily. He was afraid the thing would bite. "Here, furball. Want some yummy coconut?"

"Monkeys.....eat......bananas....." she breathed, holding her arms away as far as possible from it.

"Yeah, well, we don't have any....." the monkey accepted the coconut, releasing her and running up a tree nimbly, to eat it and peer at them with beady monkey eyes.

" 'Yummy?' " She raised an eyebrow as the creature disappeared. "Must be really good?"

"It is." He handed her a piece, and she washed down the coconut milk with some crackers, wishing hamburgers grew on trees. "Right?"

"Huh?"

"It's good, right?"

"Oh….yeah. Thank you." She gave him a smile and raised it in thanks. "You think…..we could catch some fish to eat as well?"

"Need a rod," he said shortly, looking towards the direction of the sea. It was as blue as his eyes, causing almost no reflection.

"Millennium Rod," she mumbled to herself as she walked away to shake the tree some more.

"Hm?"

Serenity ducked her head. "Nothing."

&&&&& Later &&&&&

Later, as the red hot sun dipped into the cool blue horizon, making steam rise. It was did really a bit muggy, and humid, as Serenity took off her windbreaker jacket, figuring it was better to cook than freeze in this ever-changing tropical weather. She went to the pond to stare at her reflection, and make sure she didn't have any funky stuff on her face. Outside, she had on a lilac colored tank top and kind of capri shorts. At least, that's what she figured them to be. It was hard to tell, they were two sizes too big and always on the verge of falling. She was a lot thinner now.

She found him scooping something from the sand, and found it was sea turtle eggs. Yuck……She didn't mind eggs, but…turtle eggs? Still, since he was obviously going through all this trouble……

Still, he caught her look---the look of when her nose crinkled, and she backed away. Seeing him seeing her, she quickly fixed her expression into one of polite interest. "Too late," he said abruptly, with a grin. "I saw it. You like turtle a la egg?"

"Turtle a la egg?" She repeated with a blink, the sunset colors painting her face as she swatted at mosquitoes, coming closer. They weren't as bad near the shore, when he gave a nod over his shoulder. "Shouldn't it be…..'egg a la turtle?' " she ventured. "Since…"

"Just sit down. Over there," he pointed to a bowing palm with the leaves pointing down. She heard him grumble, "Egg a la turtle…..ridiculous." It is 'turtle a la egg!'…….Isn't it?

"Yessir." She looked down, a big red lobster lay motionless, it's shell gleaming. Butter-and-bluish clams scattered with shiny mussels; she noticed that they were all stacked in a pile. A neat pile. Even the sand was swept painstakingly level. She touched one, and the lobster snapped at her hand!

"Ah!" she said, as he turned around. "Ah…..I'm going to get some water." A freshwater spring was right next to the bathing pond, he'd set some 'canteens' out to catch the water from the rain, also, really tin cans. "Be right back….."

"No. Stay. It's too dark already to go in the woods." He ordered over his shoulder, starting the fire up.

"Ummmm. Technically, Seto, they're not woods. There're no woods on an island…." He shot her a look and she immediately fell silent. "Okay, I'll stay!"

Throughout his protestations, she managed to cook up the eggs, folding them neatly like omelets---mmm, cheese, she thought longingly--- and he took care of the lobster. But when it started to look black, she suggested that maybe he ought to take it out. Very politely and helpfully way. And with the strap of her sleeveless shirt falling off one shoulder. So, no wonder he didn't listen. So, he had to eat black lobster (luckily, though, the meat inside wasn't too badly burned) and luckily, that wretched monkey didn't return. He would have to cook it, too, since they were both starving, and he didn't think she would take to that.

Full for the first time in a long time, they both fell against the bowing palm tree while she said, "Guess you liked that lobster, huh?"

"Not really." His hand touched his teeth. "I like eating blowfish better."

Her eyes widened. "The poisonous fish?!"

He looked over with a small smile of impression. "I see you've been watching Discovery Channel. Yeah, that's right. But it's only poisonous if you don't cook it right. Soon, I daresay I'll be getting sick of seafood, however."

'Daresay?' She leaned back out of sight. "I don't--don't have cable, actually. It's from…..the Nature Channel."

"What's so funny now……?" Her voice was trembling with laughter, he heard it.

"Nothing. I'm just nervous. You know," she sat up straighter, looking up at him. "Sometimes you're a real hard person to figure out sometimes."

"I cold say the same for you," he shot back, suddenly, watching how the trees made patterns all around her lower leg and calf.

"What....do you mean?" she was shocked.

"Remember the first time, when I rescued you from the water?" he pointed up, and she saw the canopy of leaves. This was where they had met, about a week earlier. "Remember what you said?"

"I-I …….oh." She cringed, chagrined. "Oh, boy....." Embarrassed laughter fell out, and he rather liked it. Her laugh, that was.

"Hm, what was it again? From Wheeler's 'sweet' little sister?" he said, pretending to think. " 'What the fuck', was it?"

Slowly, she met his gaze. It was obvious how full of shame she felt about that. "Well……you scared me……Back. Then!"

"What?!"

Face burning, she went on, "I thought you were……my brother, t-that's who!"

"So that's how you greet your family. Hm. Sounds like mine."

"Oh……" She tossed some sand, dusting his feet. "Stuff some sand in it! You know it's not like that."

"So that's why I don't think you're as sweet as you look," he concluded, not about to be waylaid, while looking up at the glimmer on the horizon. The sky was a brilliant pink, a few dark outlines of birds flew straight out towards the bright yellow sun.

"That wasn't fair……" She sighed and yawned, a little tired from the days' events. "And you……you act all tough, but it's just an act. The first night, we were here, you gave me a blanket in the middle of the night….."

"You were shivering like crazy." He stated it like if it were a simple fact.

"So it's because of your shiver-phobia, eh?" she said teasingly. "Never heard of that phobia before…..plus you were crying when sand hit your eye…….how is it, anyway?" she questioned, getting up on her knees to get a closer look.

"All right……….and I wasn't crying." he scoffed suddenly. "It just hurt…..for a while….then it passed…..um." Her little outline was illuminated by the nearby firelight as she came closer to get a better look. He leaned back automatically, a bit unsure, but didn't tell her to get off.

"It's a little red." Serenity nodded and shrugged. "You should you wash it out with some water."

"Just what I need," he murmured sarcastically, drinking a sip out of his coconut shell. "Salt water in my eye…..what next..... lemon juice?"

"I meant, fresh water, silly!" Suddenly, she realized how close they were, and how everything was still and quiet. "I guess…..we're both right. Things aren't always what they seem; and that goes for people…..as well."

He watched her lean back again, and put her hand in her coconut shell. "I guess."

The light from the fire dipped lower, nearly bathing them total darkness. Only the glimmer from reflected moonlight off the water was left. He could see her wipe off her hand on her shirt and the lovely, pale skin of her face come closer, visible even in the dark. Her large, dark eyes looked at him with pure concern in them, and he thought he'd never sawn anything like it before, or the way it made him feel. Then she stumbled a little, falling to the side, when crawling over, to get closer.

"You okay?" He had gripped her arm to stop her fall.

"Yeah......I just stepped on something really hard." She rubbed her bruised knee; it wasn't exactly stepping, more like kneeing, but was too nervous to correct herself. He knew what she meant, anyway! Right? There was a short silence, then he replied with something.

"It was my coconut." It was hard to understand, because his voice came out so husky, and the ocean was rolling and crashing loudly, to the left, looking like liquid midnight milky sky.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She said, quickly backing off, putting out her hands behind her to stop from going in the sand with a stricken expression.

A puzzled look crossed his face, then it quickly cleared. "No, no......." Quickly, he explained.

She blushed a fiery red; the darkness turned red. "Ohh......I knew that." A soft snicker escaped, it was hard to tell who, most likely from Seto, and soon they were both laughing and chuckling, as the fire between them died down to embers, sending identical gleams off their faces' smiles.

& To Be Continued &


A/n: Heh, I never knew this couple could be so funny. I was going to write more, but to keep y'all in suspense...... is better !Okay, maybe this will be an upmanship. Yep, I'm so mean.

Review, will you? :)