Note to reviewers:
WolfDaughter – Well, it's my first fanfiction story. The first stories I wrote in high school and college are so bad that you couldn't pay people to read them! For the good of humanity, I won't be posting them. Hope you like the newest chapter.
Kasifya – Glad I could give you a break, and yes, Serenity's got it bad for Seto.
Bluedragonflyofdestiny – Ah, Sailor Moon – I loved that show! I used to rush home to watch it and Gundam Wing, back when Cartoon Network actually had a good lineup in the afternoons.
B.E.W.DwarriorPrincess – Yes, I made up the whole Minoan Game thing, and the secret to it as well, which will be revealed in the last chapter, chapter eight. It's a bit improbable, but oh well. You can get away with a lot in an AU story!
IrethAncalime3791 – Thank you! I think I'm not getting many reviews because I'm unknown in the Yu-gi-oh story section. I usually write Rurouni Kenshin stories, but I've got writer's block right now so I thought I'd post an old story instead. I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Anonymous – Thanks for all your nice compliments! As for the cup size, I'm just figuring Seto's remarkable powers of perception came into play. In other words, he saw, he remembered, and he guessed!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tokyo was a marvel. Serenity and Mokuba spent the drive from the airport glued to the windows of the limo, which was a trifle crowded with Angus and Seto sitting across from them and Dan, the security guard, sharing their seat. Customs was over in a flash. Serenity reflected that it really paid off to be a millionaire with your own jet. Despite the fatigue of travel, she felt as wired as Mokuba.
When they got out at the hotel, she could sense the bustle and excitement. The lobby was crowded with knots of people in tournament t-shirts. Angus' security crew whisked them through before any of them could come up and start a conversation, but Mokuba managed to wave to a few people and call out their names before Angus' stern glare put a stop to that.
In the elevator, Mokuba spoke volubly about his acquaintances.
"Did you see the two guys in glasses I waved to? They're in college!"
Serenity remembered a vague impression of twin boys with olive skinned Mediterranean looks, who'd grinned back at Mokuba in the lobby. "That was Tony and Joe. They come to all the big tournaments. They have newsletter and everything. The dark haired guy with the dice earring was Duke. He invented a whole other version of the game, but I don't understand it. Lots of my friends are here. I didn't see Kenji though. Too bad, I like him. Maybe he'll be at the dinner tonight?" Mokuba tugged at his brother's sleeve.
"Maybe." Seto was noncommittal. Serenity wondered if he'd slept at all on the plane. He looked tired.
Then the elevator was at their floor. Angus and Finn were off first, Dan and another guard, Liam, were following in a different elevator with the luggage. Fergus was still at the car.
They were booked in an enormous suite of rooms. Serenity was amused to discover that she and Mokuba were still sharing a room, the one room with no connecting doors other than the front entrance, but with two queen-sized beds. She'd heard space was at a premium in Tokyo, but this room was like any luxury hotel room in America. Leaving Mokuba to laugh at Japanese TV, she headed for the bathroom and took a shower.
That afternoon, she and Mokuba, accompanied by Dan and Fergus while Angus and another guard stayed with Seto, went sight seeing. At first Serenity was surprised that they'd allow her out in public, until she realized that she was in a foreign land, without her passport, and with no money in her pocket. She assumed Angus still had her passport, since he was the one who'd handed it over to the customs agents in the airport.
Besides, Dan and Fergus watched her too closely to allow her to run away, and they didn't allow chatting. Serenity was a little disappointed not to take the fabled Tokyo mass transport system, but had to admit that riding in a limo had its benefits.
When they returned to the hotel, Mokuba stopped in the lobby to point out an arrogant looking college aged kid in a baseball cap and flannel shirt over a black t-shirt and jeans. Surrounding him were a bevy of excited Japanese girls carrying autograph books.
"That's Bobby Taylor." Said Mokuba, rolling his eyes. "He's a real jerk."
Serenity made a non-committal "Hmm" noise, but couldn't help noticing that the American boy was definitely not someone she'd choose as an ambassador of goodwill. He was only signing the autograph books of the prettiest girls, brushing the plainer ones aside as if they didn't exist.
Across the lobby from them, a short blonde boy with spiky unruly hair walked past the Bobby Taylor entourage. He was speaking animatedly with two taller boys, and a girl.
"Oh! That's Yugi Moto" Mokuba pointed. "He's the toughest opponent in Europe to beat, that's what Seto says."
"Yes, I think I've heard of him," said Serenity. Joey had spoken of Moto a few times that she recalled, and always with affection and admiration. As she remembered, Yugi had beaten Joey several times, much to his chagrin.
"Oh everyone's heard of him! He was the youngest international champion ever. And those people with him? Those are his friends. They go to all the tournaments together. They're really nice."
They looked nice too, the girl with the short, blonde hair smiling at something Yugi said while a taller brown haired boy spoke with a striking looking kid with hair so blonde it looked silver-white in the lobby's fluorescent lighting. Serenity could easily imagine Joey standing over there with them, laughing and relaxed before the tournament began. She missed him with a fierce pang.
Serenity had paused while Mokuba was talking about the other players. Dan and Fergus took up positions on either side. Behind them another party entered the hotel lobby. Mokuba glanced back, did a double take, cried "Kenji!" and slipped neatly between Dan and Fergus to skid to a stop before a tall, pleasant looking Japanese boy in his twenties or so.
Dan started after Mokuba, but Fergus grabbed his arm and shook his head slightly, then jerked his chin toward Serenity, and followed after Mokuba to stand a few feet away as the boy spoke to Kenji. Serenity got the message loud and clear. She was Dan's headache; Mokuba was Fergus's.
She watched the Japanese boy's eyes lose their preoccupied look and turn to one of pleasure. He dropped unselfconsciously to one knee to speak to Mokuba.
"Ah, I was wondering if you'd come again with your brother this year. I'm still waiting for my re-match." He mentioned a popular video game that Serenity knew Mokuba favored.
Mokuba laughed, "I beat you good last time!"
"You certainly did." agreed Kenji placidly. "But I warn you, I've been practicing."
"So've I! I beat Serenity the last three times I played with her." Seeing Kenji's inquiring look, Mokuba pointed. "That's Serenity."
"Ah," Kenji got back to his feet and Mokuba grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. Over his shoulder, Fergus shot a warning look at Dan, who came to stand closer behind Serenity. 'Message received.' She thought tiredly. She wasn't to say anything. What could she say anyhow with two big hulking men ready to carry her out kicking and screaming if necessary?
Panting slightly, Mokuba came to a halt in front of her, and dropped Kenji's hand.
"This is Serenity." Then he looked at both of them, obviously expecting them to become firm friends on the spot, since they were both his friends.
Kenji extended his hand politely. "I am Kenji Kanazawa. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Serenity took his hand and shook it, noticing that he bowed before stepping back, so she bowed slightly too.
"I'm Serenity Wheeler. It's a pleasure to meet you too."
Kenji's eyes looked puzzled. "Wheeler? Are you then the sister of Joey Wheeler?"
"I…"
"Yes, but you can't talk about him or she'll be sad." Mokuba whispered urgently.
Fergus took charge at that point. "Mokuba, we have to go or we'll be late meeting your brother." He nodded to Dan, who took Serenity's arm and gently but firmly turned her and began walking her to the elevators before she had a chance to say another word.
"Bye Kenji!" Mokuba hollered, and ran to catch up.
o-o-o
"Kanazawa knows who she is." Angus got off the cell phone and reported the fact to Seto, who looked up from where he was working on his laptop computer at the hotel room's spacious desk.
"How?"
"Mokuba introduced them in the lobby," said Angus in disgust.
Seto laughed shortly. "I might have known."
"We shouldn't have let her out of the hotel room." Angus was being mulish again. Seto knew he was probably right, but to let Mokuba out and not Serenity would have led to Mokuba asking questions, loudly, and probably in public about why Serenity couldn't go.
"She's not important to anyone but us. Now that it's known she's with us, whoever was after Wheeler's gamechip will know that we have it. This could work to our benefit, draw them out."
"You're not still thinking of taking her to the dinner tonight?" asked Angus.
"Why not? I'd planned to see who, if anyone, reacted to her presence without knowing her name, but even though Mokuba's scotched that, it still might be interesting to see what happens. Besides, I've already bought her a dress."
Angus' expression hardened. "You're not going soft on her, are you lad? She'll talk, you know. The first chance she gets. Then we're both in the soup."
Seto let his expression go flat. "I gave up 'soft' long ago. As for her talking, she won't, at least not tonight. As for later, let me worry about that.
o-o-o
Room service came while Serenity was in the bathroom. She came out to find Mokuba stuffing himself with French fries at the room's small table. He waved cheerfully at her, and swallowed. There was only one plate on the table.
"Don't I get some?" she asked teasingly.
"Naw, Seto says you're going to the opening dinner."
"I'm what?"
"Yeah, he left that for you." Mokuba pointed with a French fry to the bed he'd designated as hers. On it lay a dress of tangerine colored chiffon with matching shoes, evening bag, and even stockings. And there, next to the shoes was a white paper bag with a distinctive design on the side.
Serenity pounced, and opened it. Makeup!
"I don't know why he wants to go this year. Usually we don't. Seto says it's mostly boring politicians and bigwigs trying to make an impression" Mokuba emphasized the last word by rolling his eyes. "I can't go because it's past my bed time, but you can."
Serenity glanced up from pawing through the foundation, eye shadow and lip liner. "When does the dinner begin?" she asked.
"Half an hour."
With a purely feminine yelp, Serenity grabbed everything off the bed and ran back into the bathroom. Thank goodness she'd had a shower and washed her hair only a few hours before.
In exactly twenty-five minutes later she walked out of the bathroom. She despised herself for putting on the dress and makeup, or at least she should despise herself.
She should really have just waited for Seto to arrive at the door then thrown the dress in his face, but she couldn't. She'd hate herself tomorrow. Tonight she was wearing makeup, and a dress, the most beautiful one she'd ever worn – and that included both her prom dresses from high school and the bridesmaid dress she'd worn to her college room-mate's wedding.
This dress was tight across the bodice, lower than she'd have chosen, but snug so that she didn't have the least fear of it creeping down. Small capped sleeves covered her shoulders, including the scar. Gathered bands of fabric crisscrossed her bosom, leading to a high empire waist where the almost-orange chiffon swirled down in at least three layers over tangerine silk lining. The dress floated around her as she walked. She twirled for Mokuba.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Mokuba, sitting on the edge of his bed, looked up from his book. His eyes got big. He turned the book around so she could see it, and pointed to the picture of Tristan and Isolde, star crossed lovers of the King Arthur story.
"You look like her."
Serenity stepped across the room to see. In the picture Isolde was wearing a long orange gown, and had her hands clasped over her chest, gazing adoringly at her knight. Isolde's gown showed considerably less skin than Serenity's, but the colors were very similar.
She smiled down at Mokuba "I suppose I do."
Serenity felt Seto coming up behind her before she turned her head and saw him. She hadn't even heard the hotel room door open. Seto was dressed formally in a tuxedo. It made him seem taller somehow. He came to a stop and looked over her shoulder at the picture.
"No." he said decisively. "Serenity is much prettier."
Then he took her arm and walked her out of the room and down to the elevator, flanked by Dan and Fergus, also in tuxedos.
Flustered, Serenity stayed silent until the elevator doors closed. Daring to look at him at last she asked,
"Aren't you risking an awful lot by taking me to a dinner? In public?"
Seto looked amused. "In what sense?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell someone you kidnapped me? No one here knows I tried to throw myself out of a window. They might just believe me."
Serenity felt his muscles clench slightly where their arms were linked. As the elevator doors opened he said, "You're welcome to say whatever you like to anyone at our table."
And with that he pulled her out of the elevator and across the foyer to a grand ballroom filled with tables surrounding a dance floor with a long head table on a raised dais. They were just in time. Seto moved her swiftly to a table near the entrance and seated her as a distinguished looking man rose from his seat at the head table and moved to the podium at the center of the table to speak quickly in Japanese and English. The man broke into a speech, welcoming the tournament contestants and extolling the virtues of gamesmanship and Tokyo equally.
"That," whispered Seto in her ear as he pushed her seat in, "Is the mayor of Tokyo."
He sat next to her and didn't say another word until the next two speeches, both given in Japanese, were done. Serenity clapped politely when everyone else did, and didn't understand anything. Instead she watched the people at the head table. The mayor, and the second speaker were intense and serious, but the third, though she didn't understand his words, was charismatic, and had an aura of confident authority. He also had the room smiling several times, and the applause for him was thunderous. He finished and sat down next to a petulant looking young man. Serenity had been curious to note that while everyone else at the head table had smiled, the youngest man hadn't.
"Who is that at the end of the head table?" she asked Seto, nodding at the youngest Japanese man seated on the dais as the waiters began serving the soup.
Seto focused in on the man.
"That is Yoshi Takahashi, son of Nagaoka Takahashi who just spoke. Takahashi senior owns one of the largest electronics firms in the world. Yoshi is competing in the tournament tomorrow."
Then the gentleman to Seto's right said something in Japanese, and Serenity was astounded to hear him answer in the same language.
As she looked around the table she quickly realized that they all spoke Japanese, and only Japanese. When the elderly gentleman to her left tried to strike up a conversation with her, all she could do was shrug helplessly and tell him she only spoke English. He smiled back, said "I no English" and gave up.
At least, Serenity reflected, the food was good. She ate very slowly to kill time, and people watched, as Seto carried on conversations around the table. Finally dinner was over. Music, which had been a low backdrop to the food, swelled, and couples – mostly older ones – got up to dance. This was not the wild rock of prom night, but old-fashioned dance music, slow and stately. Two of the couples at Serenity and Seto's table got up to dance, including the one on Serenity's side. Seto continued to talk to the last couple for another ten minutes or so until they left. Then it was just the two of them alone at the table.
She looked at him. "You win. You thought of everything. You knew everyone at the table spoke only Japanese, didn't you?"
"I did," he admitted.
It was like they were back on the airplane, this feeling of being totally alone and isolated though they really weren't.
"Why did you bring me here?" She asked softly. "You don't need what I know to win some tournament. Why am I here?"
For a brief moment, she thought he was really going to answer her seriously, then his eyes shuttered. "To dance, of course." He rose. "Shall we?"
She stared stupidly at the hand he held out to her and began shaking her head apologetically. "I don't know how to dance. Not this type anyway."
"It's a waltz, not the Chinese water torture. I step forward, you step back."
She placed her hand in his and stood. "Retreating" she mused. "I'm good at that."
Somehow it wasn't as witty out loud as it had been when she thought of saying it. He ignored her remark and led her to the dance floor.
It was a bit more complicated than he'd made it sound, but Seto managed to guide her around the room without too many mishaps. By the third or fourth dance, she actually got the hang of it. She even managed to forget, after the first nerve-racking circuit of the room, that the last time he'd touched her he'd been searching her for the game chip. He danced the way he did everything else, with calm, self-confident precision.
After a while she began to feel secure enough in his arms to stop looking down at her feet, and to look at him. His eyes were just so incredibly clear blue. It wasn't fair that a man should end up with such beautiful eyes, she thought to herself bemusedly.
Then his cell phone rang. Seto stopped dancing immediately, and pulled her to the side of the dance floor with one hand, as he took his phone out of his pocket with the other. He kept hold of her elbow as he answered it.
"Kaiba here. What do you mean floating? In the Hudson where? When was he killed? Understood. No, just help the family make the arrangements after the coroner releases the body. Be helpful, but don't volunteer anything. You don't know if I can be reached. Tell them once the tournament starts I don't take messages, and remind them I'll be back in less than a week. I'm counting on you to deal with it."
Serenity was horrified at what she was overhearing. The minute Seto hung up she asked, "Who died?"
Seto shot her a look that chilled her. At first she thought he wasn't going to answer then he said, "Murphy, one of my security guards who went missing before we left. Come on, we're done here."
The name was familiar, but Serenity couldn't remember which of the guard's faces went with that name. She'd heard him mentioned recently, but the memory just wasn't coming, and then the guards at the doorway of the ballroom joined them. Angus came up to meet them in the elevator. He nodded to Dan and Fergus as he stepped inside.
As soon as the doors closed Seto spoke to Angus. "The police found Murphy's body today floating in the Hudson River. He'd been shot."
"What?" thundered Angus.
"Evidently whoever paid him off decided he was disposable," said Seto evenly. "I want you to double up and put Dan on Mokuba with Fergus tonight. Finn and Liam can take over when their shift is done."
"And what about you, lad? Who'll be guarding you?"
"You of course."
"I'm flattered, but my rule is two men on you at all times."
"I'll be fine. Mokuba needs more protection than I do. Besides, who better to look after me than my chief of security?"
The elevator doors opened just then and Seto managed to escort Serenity out before Angus could come up with a retort. He even walked her right up to Mokuba's door, more to avoid arguing with Angus than any real desire to see her to the door, thought Serenity. Still, she was touched by his concern for his brother - touched and a little frightened.
How many more people would have to die? Who had killed Seto's security guard, and why? Did Seto's doubling of the guard mean that Mokuba was in danger, or was he just being cautious? With all these questions roiling around in her brain, Serenity almost let Seto open the door for her without speaking, but as his hand touched the doorknob, she opened her mouth and spoke.
"Seto."
Surprised, he stopped to look at her. "Yes?"
"About tonight. The dancing I mean. Thank you." She said softly.
"It was nothing."
Why was he so hard to read? It was like he was playing poker and determined not to give anything away.
"Still, I appreciate it. I don't think I'd ever have learned how to waltz if you hadn't shown me how." She took a breath and stepped in closer, lowering her voice. "And I promise you, I'll look after Mokuba too. I won't let anything happen to him."
Seto stared into her eyes for a long moment, then nodded curtly and pushed open the door. The door stopped midway through its swing. Serenity had already started to pass Seto as the door opened, so she saw it first. There, on the ground lay Finn. The door had hit him in the side as it opened. He moaned through the duct tape on his mouth. Shocked, Serenity saw that he was bound with electrical cord, hands and ankles, and there was a bloody wound on his temple. Seto instantly swung his arm around to push her back, but she ducked under it and ran into the room.
"Mokuba? Mokuba!" She called, though she knew in her heart that it was too late.
Mokuba's bed was empty. She ran to the bathroom and threw open the door. He wasn't there either. Behind her, she heard Seto speaking urgently to Angus and the other two guards. She came back into the room. Dan was kneeling over Finn, and rolling him onto his back, feeling for the pulse in the prone security guard's neck.
"He's alive, he…" Dan broke off and pulled out a sheet of paper that was sticking out of the lapel of Finn's suit.
Angus snatched it up and read it out loud.
"We have the boy. Bring Serenity Wheeler to the tournament hall at midnight tonight or he dies. Tell the police and he dies. Come alone."
Seto swore, quietly, viciously for a few seconds, and then looked up at Serenity, who stared back at him, appalled.
Angus passed the paper to him. "What do you want to do?"
Finn yelped.
Everyone stopped to look at him and Dan, who was holding the strip of duct tape that had covered Finn's mouth. Angus dropped to his knees immediately and pulled Finn to a seated position on the floor.
"What happened?" He barked.
Finn put his hand to his head and pulled it away bloody. "I'm not sure really. I was posted in here. Liam came in to ask if I wanted anything from the soda machine, and then everything went black."
Angus growled deep in his throat. "Looks like Murphy wasn't our only traitor."
Finn looked at him, "You mean Liam…?"
"Aye laddie. Now go with Fergus and get that head wound cleaned up."
Fergus pulled Finn's arm around his own shoulders and supported him out of the room. Dan started to follow, but Angus motioned him to stay. "Two men on Kaiba at all times." He barked.
Chastened, Dan nodded and moved to the door, to guard it.
"Forget that. Mokuba's the important one and he's gone." Seto walked over to Dan. "Go get the security tapes for this floor from Hotel Security. Make up a story, anything but the truth. No one can know about Mokuba."
"I understand, sir." Dan left.
"Is that wise, lad?" Angus asked. "Liam might not be the last traitor in our ranks, and I thought you didn't trust that one anyway."
Seto turned. "I don't trust anyone but you in this situation. Let him run errands. It will get him out of the way while we make our plans."
Angus lowered his head and said gruffly, "I don't know why you should trust me, lad. Two of my boys turned traitor and I missed it."
"Never mind." Seto's face was bleak. Serenity wondered how she could ever have thought him expressionless. "We only have little more than an hour until the deadline. We have to get Mokuba back. You remember the last time? We'll do the same."
"The last time," said Angus heavily, "we had three times the men we do now. Finn's wounded and won't be able to help. Fergus I'd bet my life on, but Dan's an unknown, and I won't trust Mokuba's life to a wild card."
"Agreed. But we'll just have to make do. Whoever they are, Fergus will have to circle around behind them, let them know that they'll be caught in a crossfire if they don't hand Mokuba over. With you and I, we can make it work. We'll have to. Come on. We've got the hotel plan from when you did the security sweep here three years ago. It's on my laptop. When Dan gets back I'll think of another errand to get rid of him."
He left sharply, leaving Serenity standing, staring after him. Angus followed but turned back at the door, and pointed a finger at her.
"You try to leave this room," he growled, "And I'll hunt you down myself." With that he closed the door.
A few seconds later she heard the sound of a chair being placed under the doorknob outside the door. Her legs suddenly went weak on her, and she collapsed to the floor by the bed, grabbed her knees, and concentrated very hard on not falling to pieces, or crying.
That was how they found her an hour later. As the door opened, Serenity lifted her chin from where it rested on her knees.
"Come." Seto walked across the room to her and extended his hand.
She looked at it stupidly for a second, until she realized he was offering to help her up. She grabbed his hand and let him pull her to her feet, then walked by him and out the door without a word.