A LESSON IN LOVE CHAPTER 13: EVERYONE HAS A HEART, EVEN SETO KAIBA

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to YuGiOh

Note: Alas I still have not obtained Word...so gammer and spelling may be um questionable.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, sorry about the wait i really intended to post sooner! There will probably be only one more chapter after this.

Please Enjoy!

She watched him sleep for a long time. It had been a long day, so much had happened so quickly and so unexpectadly. She couldn't help feeling proud of him. She ran her fingers through his soft brown hair.

"You know," she sighed.

"You are a huge pain in the butt... But what you did today... Thankyou," she finished, leaning over and kissing him gently on the forehead.

"Your welcome," he mumbled with a half smirk.

"Seto! Your awake!" She yelped in surprise.

"So it seems," he replied sitting up slowly.

"Hey! How long have you been awake?" She asked helping him sit up. Resting his head against the wall he closed his eyes and replied,

"For a while." He felt her hands wrap suddenly around his waist. At first she was silent but after a few moments he heard small sobs, and could feel her shoulders shake.

"Why are you crying? I'm okay," he asked, very confused over her reaction. Not moving she rested her head on his chest,

"I know. I was really worried about you." After a few moments she became aware of what she was doing and pulled away quickly. She started moving off the bed, trying not to look Seto directly in the eye. Just as she reached the edge she felt his hand close around her arm suddenly. Turning, shocked at the unexpected contact she gave him a questioning look. She stood still and stared at him, not daring to move, he looked as though he wanted to say something. Blinking once, Seto released her arm and shook his head twice before lying down again. Turning, she crept through the room as quietly as possible thinking Seto had fallen asleep. She opened the door and paused looking back at his sleeping form. She hadn't known him for very long, but he was definently acting strange.

"I wonder why," she thought mildly before leaving the room.

He had watched her leave unable to put his feelings into words. The collars had forced them together but there was something else now that he couldn't explain. This realization did not sit well with Seto. It had taken him a long time time to accept that his fate was tied to Serenity for the rest of his life. But now, this was something else entirely. He no longer felt burdened by her presence, but instead found himself craving it. The more time he spent with her the more possessive he became of her, and the more he refered to her as his. In the past he would have blamed these feelings on stress or the collar, but now, he wasn't so sure. A question in his mind plauged him. A question he could not answer.

"Should I tell her how I feel?"

Meanwhile...

"Sorry Joey! I have made up my mind, it's for the best," said a very frustriated Serenity. Her brother had been begging her for the last hour to stay at the cottage for another couple days.

"But sis, you just got here. Hey what about sending Kaiba home and then you can stay!" Said Joey obviously proud of his ingenius solution sure Serenity would agree.

"Sorry big brother I can't leave him," said Serenity with a smile trying to avoid Joey's puppy dog eyes.

"Hmph! It's almost as if you love him or something," said Joey nochalantly causing Serenity to choke on her gum.

"Joey you know. You should talk to him. He did save your butt," she stated trying to get Joey away from the L-word. Joey kicked at the carpet sullenly,

"Eh! Do I have to? I mean it was his fault i tried the hill..." Serenity put her hands on her hips and cut him off pointing to his room,

"He should be awake now! Knock first." Grumbling something profane under his breath Joey walked as if it pained him casting a hesitant look back to Serenity, who just pointed towards the door. Joey walked up to the door and knocked impatiently until he heard a very irritanted shout from within,

"What! Dammit, go away I don't wan't to talk to you Yugi."

"I-it's not Yugi, It's Joey," said Joey accidently shouting the last bit.

"Can I come in. I gotta talk to you." There was a long moment of silence and some grumbling before Seto gave his answer,

"Make it quick." Joey opened the door and walked in to the dark room, only to be greated by a rather irritated looking Kaiba. He closed the door behind him not wanting anyone else hearing his conversation with Kaiba. Deciding he should break the silence and go first, Joey spoke hesitantly,

"So um Kaiba, hows the arm." Grunting with irritation and anger Kaiba replied,

"How do you think. It's broken." Whincing, Joey tried to keep his anger in check. Taking a deep breath Joey continued, trying his best to make it quick.

"Imsorryforwhathappenedthankyou." Turning he opened the door and rushed out of the room expelling the breath he hadn't known he had been holding. Serenity looked up at Joey,

"So how'd it go?"

"Fine," groaned Joey.

"Never thought I'd ever hav'ta apologize to Seto Kaiba," he continued shaking his head trying to comprehend what had just transpired. Looking once again at his sister he walked towards her, taking her aside.

"You know what sis. He hasn't been been all that bad this week. If I didn't know any better I would say he's changed. Oh and sis, Don't even think about telling anyone what I just said." Smiling Serenity nodded in agreement. During her first month with Seto she would have thought Joey was crazy, but now, she found herself agreeing with him. Seto had changed, he almost seemed more lighthearted now.

"Seeyah later sis. Have a safe drive kay! Tell Kaiba we will bring Mokuba back in a week," said Joey bringing Serenity out of her thoughts.

"Thanks Joey. I will go get and Seto and we will be off." Walking back to the room she entered, Seto almost entirely naked except for boxers, was attempting to get a t-shirt on with just one arm. The sight of Mr proper struggling with a t-shirt made Serenity burst out into a fit of giggles. This earned her a glare from Seto as he removed the shirt entirely, throwing it across the room in frustration.

"Do- you- need- help?" She managed to choke out between giggles. Growling Seto stalked towards her,

"No, I don't need help? I was just going to take it off anyway," he replied with a sneer trying to cross his arms.

"Uh huh. Well then," she said with a seductive smile as she moved closer, her hands running up his abs and underneith the band of his boxers, teasingly close to his member. Gasping with the sudden boldness of her actions, Seto closed his eyes arching towards her. The sight of him almost naked had turned her on a great deal. She was sure the collars where the cause of this intense desire with in her. Her body burned with the need to feel him inside her. He put his free hand on the back of her neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss. The kind of kiss that leaves you breathless and wanting more. Pulling away suddenly he left her gasping, every inch of her body aching for his touch. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up into his eyes, seeing her lust mirrored back in his eyes. Bringing her hands up to his neck she pulled him into a rough kiss, then pushed him backwards with her towards the bed. Along the way she removed her clothing (socks included) and the remainder of his clothing. She pushed him onto the bed careful of his arm. She took in the view of him before joining him. Something about the thought of him being hers sent shivers up her spine. Climbing ontop of him and straddling him, she kissed him deeply, positiong him at her entrance. They both gasped with pleasure as she moved, pulling him deeper within her. The moaned quietly together, never wanting the moment to end, and when it did Serenity collapsed beside Seto stealing kisses in between ragged breaths. After about ten minutes Serenity sat up and proceeded to put on her clothes.

"You'd better get dressed, we need to leave now if we are to make it back to Domino before dark," said Serenity as she picked his boxers up off the floor, letting them drop on his chest. Nodding Seto attempted to clothe himself with one arm. Fifteen minutes of Serenity's avid protests to Seto dressing himself had led to Serenity helping Seto into pants and a t-shirt. The same shirt he had previously thrown across the room.

An hour later and many tearful good-byes Serenity and Seto were on their way back to Domino.

The trip back to the mansion was both long and tiring, all Serenity and Seto wanted to do when they got back to mansion was sleep. But alas, as soon as they walked through the front doors, a very flustered maid litterly ran up to Seto and told him he was needed urgently at Kaiba Corp.

"Can't this wait," grumbled Seto, evidently fatiqued.

"N-No Sir! They say it's urgent!" she squeaked, afraid of what might happened to her. He was known the be the kill the messanger type. Glancing briefly at Serenity he let out a sigh,

"Tell them I'm on my way. And if they waste my time, they are all fired."

"Y-yes sir," she squeaked before rushing out of the room. Thinking all the while about how he was so much nicer with Serenity around.

Kaiba Corp...

"What! Are you sure your data is correct?" asked a surprised Kaiba now in the technology department of his company. He had assigned this group of scientists with the sole purpose of working on a way of removing the collars.

"Y-yes sir, we are sure. We checked and rechecked everything. The collars have been inactive for a little over a month. The battery supply was only good until about a month ago. We noticed a change in power flow when we took out last readings," stated a very timid scientist fearing that Kaiba was about to rip him in half. Instead Kaiba proceeded to pace the room a million thoughts running through his head. He brought his hand up to the collar and paused briefly. His thoughts wandering to Serenity.

"If the collar hasn't been working for the last month, then why...why have I been having all of these feelings? Why?" He thought desperatly searching his brain for the answers.

"If it wasn't the collar the caused my actions, then what was it," he continued trying to reason out an answer in his head. Suddenly realizing the scientist was still there he turned to him,

"When can you remove them?"

"Whenever you want," he replied quickly.

"Tomarrow I will return with Ser- Miss Wheeler," he stated, walking quickly out of the room. He needed to ponder this new development alone. Walking to the elevater he took it to the roof where he stood watching the sunset and the people milling about below, going about there lives. His mind reeled unable to cope with the idea that the thoughts and desires and feelings he had experience were his own.

"My own feelings," his mind echoed.

"What do I feel?" he asked himself. He thought back to the most recent event, the cottage, when a relization hit him. He had already shown himself he had feelings for her the moment he risked himself for her happiness.

"Why didn't I realize it sooner," he asked himself. Even though the concept of love and caring for someone not of the same blood was still a foreign idea to him. Even though forced to be with him, and give up almost everything Serenity still showed concern for him.

"By all rights she should hate me," he concluded.

Suddenly a thought dawned on him,

"When the collar is removed, she will leave." The idea of her leaving him bothered him more then idea that it bothered him that she would leave. For the first time in his life he would be honest with himself and admit he had feelings for Serenity and that he didn't want her to leave. It had taken him this long to realize he had genuine feelings for her, and he wasn't about to let her slip away from him. How this had happened was beyond him.

Turning he walked back to the elevator taking it down to the ground floor. He walked briskly out of Kaiba Corp. confident in his descisions.

The ride to the mansion was exceptionally long. He kept going through the details in his head, what exactly he would tell her. The thing the worried him the most was if she said no, and she would leave.

Stopping at the front door he climbed out of his car and hurried into the mansion and up to their room. Inside he saw Serenity waiting on the couch for him, she turned her head and smilied as soon as he walked in.

"Hey, your back! How'd it go? You didn't fire anyone did you?" She asked with laugh. Shaking his head no he crossed the room quickly and sat down on the couch next to her, his face void of emotion.

"Serenity..." he paused.

"I have something important to tell you..."