Disclaimer: (insert your favorite sarcastic disclaimer here)

A/N: Wow… Just wow… I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. I've gotten nothing but positive responses so far, which really surprised and encouraged me. I hope this chapter and the ones to come can live up to expectations.

Well, here goes round two!

Seto Kaiba stared at his laptop screen, trying to concentrate on his work. A certain redhead was once more refusing to get out of his thoughts.

He wasn't sure how it had happened, really. He remembered the first time he had met her, back during Battle City. He had noticed her only because she had been related to the dog that is Joseph Wheeler, and he had been most unimpressed with what he had seen: a meek, quiet girl, hiding behind her brother and his pitiful friends for comfort and protection. Not only that, but the she-mutt had had the nerve to bow to him when the dweeb patrol was asking for him to land the airship. They had been worried about one of their friends, who was injured and supposedly in need of a hospital, despite the fact that he had the best doctors money could hire already on the ship. He had been disgusted with her, furious at her for groveling at him as if he were some kind of weak fool in need of having his ego appealed to help them save their friend.

He had decided – quite justifiably, he might add – that she wasn't worth his time. He had kept her in his thoughts during Battle City only because, as one of the multitudes of civilians on his blimp, it was his responsibility to see that she made it off safely. As soon as the tournament had ended, he had allowed himself to forget her.

That had been a year ago, and he would have been quite happy to never hear the name "Serenity Wheeler" again.

It wasn't until the first day of the torture that the government forced upon all of the unfortunate underaged beings in the world – otherwise known as school – that he had been reminded of her existence. She had been a freshman, beginning her first year at Domino High. Two years her senior, he had been a junior, and only the fact that he was halfway done with the damn institution kept him from declaring all-out war on the one thing that stood between him and his company.

His day had been progressing quite normally when it had happened. He had been heading to the library, intending to work through his lunch wave, when he had run – almost literally – into the nerd herd. They had been going in the exact opposite direction, towards the cafeteria that he usually shunned.

The midget more commonly known as Yugi Motou had given him that naïve smile he seemed so adept at. "Hi, Kaiba! Good to see you again! Did you have a nice summer?"

"…" He had tried to push past them, not particularly wanting to banter with them just then (or ever, really).

Friendship Girl had stepped in his path. "Come on, Kaiba, can't you not be a jerk for five minutes? Yugi asked you a question."

"Since when do I take orders from you, Gardner?" he had growled. Deciding that he wasn't going to be able to avoid them after all, he had stepped back, setting his briefcase down, observing them. That's when he had noticed someone else had been added to their group.

She was hanging near the back, standing between Dice Boy and Shark Head. Her entire attitude stank of freshman, from the wide-eyed way she took in her surroundings to the way she hung behind her friends. She had seemed vaguely familiar to him, and he soon found out why.

"I see you've recruited a new member into the nerd herd," he drawled, focusing his attention on her. She looked at him as well, then blushed and looked down.

Still giving himthat annoying smile, Yugi had answered him, ignoring the insult. "Yeah… You remember Serenity, don't you?"

He had raised an eyebrow lazily. "Should I?"

"From Battle City? She's Joey's little sister."

His gaze had shifted to Wheeler, taking in the protective way he hovered near the girl. "Ah, of course. How forgetful of me."

He had taken a step towards her. The Mutt, Dice Boy, and Shark Head had glared at him, but he had ignored them. "Stand up straight, girl!" he had snapped. Then, sneeringly, "Stop hiding behind your boyfriends."

Her blush had deepened, embarrassed, but she did as he said. Before he could say anything else, however, the Mutt stepped in front of him.

"Ya listen here, Moneybags. Ya leave my sis alone, got it?" he had growled, waving his fist threateningly.

"Or you'll do what, Mutt?" Suddenly he smirked, his gaze flicking back to Serenity again. "I wonder… If your brother's a mutt… then you must be a she-mutt. Does that make you a bitch?"

There had been gasps around him, and Wheeler had lunged at him, swinging his fist.

He had stepped back, prepared to fight, but Wheeler never made it to him. Something had attached itself – or rather, herself – to the other boy's arm, clinging to him.

"Joey, no! Don't get in a fight on the first day!" his sister had cried.

"B-but Ren! Ya heard what he said!"

"Yes I did, Joey, but that's no reason to start a fight!"

"He's de one who's startin' stuff!"

"Well, then you can be the one to end it!"

Seto had watched the argument in amusement. He had thought that would indeed be the end of it, and was bending down pick up his briefcase in preparation to leave, when Serenity had turned to him.

She had held his gaze, which was the first thing that surprised him. There were not many people who could hold his gaze for long. The second surprise came when she spoke.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Kaiba," she had said. There was no trace of fear or even anger in her voice, only calm determination. "Perhaps I can change your mind someday."

Seto hadn't been sure whether to be amused, annoyed, or something else. He had finally decided on 'something else.'

Still holding her gaze, he had grabbed his briefcase and stood up straight, adjusting the strap of his laptop case on his shoulder. Smirking, he had spoken. "Well, I must admit I'm impressed, Miss Wheeler. It appears you have a spine after all." He thought, but didn't add aloud, Very interesting. I'll be keeping an eye on you. With that, he spun on his heel and left, not saying another word.

Perhaps that was where it all had started, he decided now. She had interested him; he had acknowledged as much. He had indeed watched her, noticing again and again how her hidden fire failed to disappoint him. Somewhere along the way, interest had turned into affection, though he would never have admitted it. And affection, it appeared, had turned into… this.

A crush, his brother called it. He had heard of them before, but never had he expected that he would ever have one.

Setosighed, rubbing his eyes and blinking. He had been staring unseeingly at his screen for too long; he felt stiff.

He reached into his trench coat pocket, pulling out the deck of cards that he was never without. He searched through them for a minute, allowing himself to smile with fondness when he came across one of his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

Finally, he found the card he was looking for. He pulled it free of its comrades and set the rest of the deck aside, staring at his chosen card.

The Crush Card. A virus that, used correctly, would devastate an opponent's deck. Combined with Saggi the Dark Clown, it was one of his best and favorite strategies. It would spread throughout any and all powerful monsters and destroy them, crippling the dueler who depended on them.

He stroked the card absently. A crush? How fitting. It certainly seemed to be crushing him. He wondered briefly if this were how monsters felt when he infected them with his virus, but quickly discarded the idea. Holograms couldn't feel anything, after all.

With a sigh, he set the Crush Card down and exited the document he had been trying to work on. He couldn't concentrate right now.

He opened a game of Minesweeper, but even the addicting puzzle he usually used to relax couldn't help him this time. With sixty-eight mines still on the field, he miscalculated, and the game was over. He stared at the red square that had been his undoing, scowled, and exited the game.

He picked up his deck again, sliding the Crush Card back into the center. He replaced the deck in his coat pocket and shut down his laptop. If he couldn't work, he might as well get some sleep.

A/N: Aw, poor Seto-kun! Leave a review; maybe that'll cheer him up!

Seto: (raises eyebrow) Are you insane, girl?

Tawnykit: Yes. What, is something wrong with that?

Seto: …

Tawnykit: (whispers) I think it really will cheer him up. He just doesn't want to admit it! (furtive nod)