Chapter 5 An act of kindness

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

Yeah, uh, this is one of my longer chapters. Three pages. It may not seem like much, but I'm used to only writing like . . . two. Anyway, please read and review!

Saturday evening, Serenity twirled around in her beautiful dress, marveling at the way the material swept around her figure, showing off her curves, yet not giving her that uncomfortable feeling that she was dressing to impress. She was just dressing the way she wanted to, and she looked good. Mai had, of course, selected the dress. It was light. pink, and fell into layers sweeping her knees. She wore light pink high heels with it and a pink necklace that sparkled. Makeup, (which she usually didn't care to apply) was light, but still noticeable.

When she spun around for Joey, (who looked very handsome in his white tux that he borrowed from Tristan) his breath caught. "Serenity . . . you look beautiful . . . you look like . . . an adult . . . " He seemed to be having trouble finding the right words.

"Thank you Joey, you look nice too."

He took her arm and they left the house to drive to the Plaza hotel, where the party was being held. It was beautiful, a white building decorated with soft glowing lights and a fountain in the front. They arrived fashionable late, but everyone was already preoccupied with their own business. Serenity had to admit, Yugi looked quite dashing in his black tux. He smiled at her, and they talked for a bit.

"You look nice, Serenity." He said, a smile crossing his face, giving him a young boyish look. She smiled back.

"Thanks, you do to."

"Hey, is there any food? I'm starving!" Joey announced. Yugi nodded towards an extravagant bar that had a mountain of delights. For Joey, it was like he'd died and gone to heaven, only without the dying part. He grinned and rushed over, piling a plate with everything he could get his hands on. Serenity smiled at him and rolled her eyes. He certainly didn't care what anyone thought of him.

"Where're you going?" Yugi asked as she started to turn away.

"I'm going to go sit down now." She said, walking away.

It was a pretty nice party. There was slow music playing, and a few couples were dancing. Serenity sat down on a velvet futon and stared out the window. The moon was full and yellow, and she could see the stars clearly. It was a beautiful night.

"Is this seat taken?" A familiar voice asked. She looked up. Seto sat down next to her.

"I...I didn't know you were going to be here." She said, blushing a little. God, he looked good. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants and a black trench coat. (He has so many, he must have a black one somewhere.) Serenity looked down.

"I didn't either, until tonight. Mokuba found the invitation that I was stupid enough to leave laying around and wanted to come. Unfortunately, he couldn't show up without me, so here I am."

She smiled. "You know, you look very menacing in this trench coat. Do you realize you're the only one who isn't wearing a tux?"

"...So?" He asked, shrugging. "It doesn't matter. I didn't even want to be here, why should I wear a tuxedo in a place I don't want to be. It's not like I'm going to see any of these people again."

"Yeah, but still, don't you feel weird with everyone else dressed up?"

"...This is dressed up. This is my...uh...special occasions outfits. I have a tux, but I'd rather not wear it. I think I look ridiculous in it...Mokuba, on the other hand..." He said, nodding towards his younger brother, who was wearing a small, black tuxedo. "...Doesn't realize that when he's wearing it, he looks like a penguin. He thinks he looks . . . modish."

"...Modish?"

"Uh, yeah. You know, handsome, stylish."

"...You're like a walking thesaurus." She shook her head. He shrugged again.

"I take pride in my diction.

"Yeah, well couldn't you just-" Her breath caught and her face paled under her makeup. Seto looked from her to the black-haired youth she was staring at. He recognized him as Duke Devlin, the young gamer who was almost as rich as he was. "...It's Duke..." She whispered.

"Devlin?" He asked. "Wait a minute! Is he the one that you went on that date with?"

She nodded, her eyes remaining glued to Duke's sea colored eyes. He smirked and began walking over to them. Seto looked back at him, and she grabbed his arm urgently. "Hide me . . . please!" She whispered, her grip tightening in fear.

"It's too late, he's already seen you." Seto muttered in her ear as Duke crossed the room towards them. He glanced at her. She looked positively terrified. He had to help her, somehow. Duke was halfway across the room now, and drawing closer to them with every second. 'I could fight him off . . . wait, no, I couldn't. I hardly even know this girl, I'm not going to fight for her. Jeeze, I wish the Goddamned music would stop playing so I could think." Suddenly, an idea dawned on him, and he stood up. He took her had in his and Serenity, looking startled, stared up at him. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, taking a sweeping bow..

"What?"

"Would you like to dance?" He repeated, glancing towards Devlin, who had stopped and was looking curiously at them. Serenity smiled, suddenly realizing what he was doing for her.

"I'd love to, Seto." She said, standing up with him. They walked toward the middle of the floor.

"Do you know how to dance?" Seto whispered.

"Not really." She said, slightly embarrassed.

"Neither do I, but I suppose we can wing it." He said with a slight smile. He then took her hand in his and laced their fingers. Goosbumps ran up her arms when he placed his hand on her hip. The music, as it had been ever since she had arrived, remained slow and melodic, an enchanting tune in which flutes and violins played a melody. They began to dance, and she closed her eyes and leaned against him, letting him guide her.

To tell the truth, they didn't do that bad, really. Sure, they weren't waltzing all over the floor, but they did manage to stay off each other's feet. The song ended almost too soon. "Seto . . . " Serenity whispered. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." He tugged at the collar of his shirt a little. "Would you like to step outside for some fresh air? I feel caged here with all these people around."

"Sure." She whispered. He held the door open for her and they walked outside together. There was a pool, with pool lights shining beside it. Serenity walked over to it and peered in. Seto watched her, mesmerized. No woman had ever had this effect on him. What was it about this . . . this Wheeler girl that made him feel this way?

"Serenity . . . " He walked over to her. She faced him and stared up into his azure eyes. The moonlight shown down upon them, and she knew at that moment that she had never seen a more desirable man in all her life. He traced a finger down her fair cheek realizing just how much he wanted to kiss her, to run his fingers through her soft hair.

"Well well well...isn't this sweet. But how is your brother going to feel about this?" They both turned quickly to find Duke smirking at them from the doorframe.

Yep...another cliffhanger. Sorry

To my readers: I'm really sorry about ranting in my last chapter. Do you guys hate me? Reading Unknown Reviewer's review made me realize how hateful I was being. (And don't worry, Unknown Reviewer. I wasn't offended. You speak the truth. Please don't be angry at me for singling you out. There were others that told me I was being greedy in their own way, but it was your review that made me realize how true this was. Thanks for this helpful bit of criticism, and don't be afraid to say other things about me or my story, like if I'm getting to be a monster again. Don't worry, I won't get angry. :) I'm sorry, and I promise not to rant again. I'm still going to strive for twenty reviews. (Despite how greedy it may be. Lol) The reason I was so upset was because I was afraid that people were losing interest with my story. That scared me out of my mind! And despite all the hateful things I said in my last chapter, I would be nothing without my reviewers. You, each and every one of you, are one of the main reasons I write on fanfiction, and if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't write these stories at all. I love you guys, and I hope you still love me!

-Lover of Seto Kaiba

(a.k.a. LoSK)