A/N: This chapter took me a lot longer than any of the previous chapters, largely because I had no idea what I was going to write. Despite that, I think this is my favourite chapter so far. No action, but the romance finally comes shining through. Kaiba comes across as very OOC in some parts in this chapter, but I like to attribute that to his finally being able to open up to Serenity instead of me being a poor writer.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, despite my most earnest attempts.
Chapter Six: Fates
The rain pounded down in torrents on Kaiba's office window. He had gone to his office to work on conceptualizing the next new ride for Kaiba Corp. three hours ago. Lazily, he glanced at his computer screen. It read: "KC's next ride will be". That was the result of three hours labour. Idly, Kaiba shuffled his duel monsters deck and stared out the window at the pouring rain. Presently, his phone rang.
"Kaiba." He answered, happy for any momentary diversion from his misery.
"Mr. Kaiba? This is Officer Logan down here at Domino Precinct HQ. This call is pertaining the bust you called on gang activity down by the docks yesterday."
"Go on." He replied curtly.
"All together we found eleven of these gang members at the hideout, but we felt you should be aware the one you said you knocked unconscious, the leader, was not there. You should be advised."
"Understood." He said, hanging up the receiver. That was great, that meant that the bastard that had kidnapped his brother was still at large. He would have to call in extra security. He looked over at his Rolodex of phone numbers. Internally, he flinched. It was sitting open to 'W – Wheeler, S.' Irately, he glanced back out the window at the pouring torrent of rain.
"Damn pathetic fallacy." He muttered.
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"Bone Cracker with the sunset flip off of the turnbuckle… OH! That had to hurt. Barnes is stunned; it looks like he may be down for the count. OH! But the referee is out, it looks like Miguel is in the ring now, this is getting cah-razy!"
Joey yawned as he took another mouthful of chips. Lazing on the couch was about the only option he had on days like this. The phone on the table next to him began to ring softly, so he brushed the laundry off of it and grabbed the receiver, mouth still full of chips. "Hefroll?"
"Oh, it's you."
"Kaiba? I guess you want to talk to Serenity, right?"
"No. Just tell her to swing by the mansion this afternoon."
"Okay," Joey said, rolling his eyes, "I'll see if she can make it. That it?"
"No, I also called because I want your shrimp gumbo recipe. Yes, that's it."
"Jeez, harmless question." Joey muttered, hanging up the phone. "Hey, Ren!"
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The rain still hadn't let up. Serenity had been forced to walk the distance, having missed the only bus for two hours, and her umbrella had given out after it'd taken a hard hit from a drainage pipe. Her feet made a shlick shlick noise with every step she took, and she felt as though she had frozen to the bone. Finally, she saw the Kaiba mansion up ahead. Running to the gate, she hit the buzzer to page the house.
"Yes?"
"This is Serenity Wheeler, I was asked to come by earlier." She yelled to be heard over the rain.
"Ah, Miss Serenity!" It was Cecil on the other side; "I'll buzz you through right away."
A moment later the gate swung open and she sprinted to the doorstep, knocking loudly with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon doorknocker and waiting for the reply. It took an annoyingly long time, but eventually the door swung open to reveal a well-dressed Seto Kaiba, decked out in a fully black suit with a cobalt blue dress shirt underneath. He waited for a particularly long moment, before finally stating, "You didn't take the check."
"Is that what this is about?" Serenity asked, exasperated. She was soaked and frozen, and if he had called her all that way to talk about why she hadn't taken payment, she was going to lose it. "I told you, I did it as a favour to a friend. I won't take any payment of yours."
The door closed, and Serenity sighed deeply, a mix of disappointment and anger. A moment later, the door opened again and Kaiba tossed her a towel. "Dry off and come in, we're going to dinner."
Serenity stood gob smacked for a moment, before shuffling through the door and towelling herself off. Kaiba had already left the room, but Cecil found his way in and escorted her to a fitting room on the second floor.
"Master Kaiba determined your measurements from the security videos of you and compiled a wardrobe to suit your tastes. You may select a dress from any of those." He said, motioning to a large dresser filled with various dress gowns. Serenity undressed and selected a blue one she felt would match Kaiba's suit nicely. Still unsure of what was going on, she slipped on the gown and made her way back down stairs. Kaiba was fixing Mokuba's collar, who was also wearing a suit, although it was a navy blue one with a white dress shirt. His hair was the same mess it always was.
Kaiba nodded towards her. "Nice choice. You look good." He said, and then walked off toward the garage. Mokuba motioned for Serenity to follow. The threesome clambered into the back of Kaiba's limousine, and Kaiba told the destination to the driver. A moment later, they were off.
"If you had told me we were going to a fancy dinner I would've brought my own dress." Serenity ventured cautiously.
"I know." Kaiba said, "But the expression on your face was worth the expense. Besides, when I called you I wasn't sure we were going."
Serenity nodded. The comment about the money had been a test, then. That was fine, she didn't mind Kaiba testing her. She was just relieved that she'd passed. Assuming that the testing was over, and she had passed.
"Besides," Kaiba added a moment later, "You might've gotten wet. It's raining pretty hard out there, you know." He stated matter-of-factly, a smirk on his face.
Finally, they reached their destination. The chauffeur hopped out of the front seat and readied an umbrella as the trio exited the limo, escorting them to the door of the restaurant. As Serenity stepped through the doors, she couldn't help but give a gasp of surprise.
The entrance to the restaurant was lined on either side with green marble waterfalls. Guests walked over a broad marble bridge to enter into the restaurant proper through a pair of sandblasted glass doors. Inside, the ambience of the restaurant was one of dignity and refinement: the kind of dignity and refinement that one purchased in order to prove that you were suitably refined. A waiter met them just inside the doors, and smiled toward the trio.
"Mr. Kaiba, a table for three tonight, I see. Who is the guest?"
"A friend of mine," Kaiba said deliberately, "I'll have the usual table, assuming the tenth floor is open tonight."
"For you, Mr. Kaiba, it is always open." The waiter said with a smile and escorted the group to the elevator. Serenity could only smile at the trite cliché'dness of the entire restaurant. She had a feeling she and Joey couldn't have eaten here for what a month's rent cost them.
The tenth floor was, in fact, significantly smaller that the other floors and had only six tables spread loosely around a raised central platform where a small orchestra performed. The table they were led to suited two best, but could easily accommodate a third person facing the wall, which was nothing but glass around the room. Kaiba took one of the side seats, Mokuba facing him, leaving Serenity with the seat facing the window, a spectacular view, but mildly disconcerting.
Both Kaibas began to glance through the drink menu, so Serenity grabbed her own and flipped through the list of beverages. Skipping over the alcoholic beverages –she was too young to drink- she finally settled on a drink, about the time the waiter arrived.
"Usual." Kaiba said.
"Usual." Mokuba said.
"Er… I'll have a chocolate milkshake, thank you." Serenity ventured.
The waiter nodded, "A lemonade, no sugar, and two chocolate milkshakes. Here's the dinner menu, I'll be back momentarily."
Mokuba grinned at Serenity, who couldn't help but giggle. A moment later she realized the Kaibas were now scanning the dinner menu, so she grabbed hers. It was seven pages thick, quite large and had fairly fine print. She guessed there were over two hundred items on the menu. None of them had a marked price. She supposed that if you had to ask, you couldn't afford it. Slowly, she began to sift through what she wanted. A moment later the waiter had returned.
"Usual." Kaiba said.
"Usual." Mokuba said.
Serenity was still sifting through the menu, having gotten past sandwiches and now beginning the page on soup.
"Were you planning to order food, or is not eating the secret to how you stay so thin?" Kaiba sneered when his patience ran out a moment later.
"Oh… sorry. I'll just have what Mokuba's having. He's got good taste in beverages, after all." She giggled.
The waiter nodded, obviously not particularly amused, and recited, "Steak, medium rare and two chicken quesidillas. I'll return with your food in a moment."
Serenity waited till the waiter was out of earshot before muttering, "Jeez, is that waiter a robot or something?"
"I once threatened to see if I could peg his Buick with his lifeless body from here because he got impatient with Mokuba and since then he's lost a bit of his colour." Kaiba muttered back, browsing the desert menu idly.
"Wow, do you have this effect on everyone you meet?" Serenity asked, smirking at the CEO.
"Just the ones who are insolent." Kaiba muttered without batting an eye.
Serenity chuckled to herself and tried to enjoy the view. The side of the floor they were sitting on faced the sea and the lights from a few scattered ships could be seen from the water below. She sighed slightly. It was nice to be back in Kaiba's confidence, but he clearly lacked some of the zeal he had had a few days prior. He'd yet to comment on how she'd voiced her feeling toward him earlier. It was either besides he hadn't picked up on them, which would make him incredibly dense, or that he didn't reciprocate in which case she preferred him being dense.
The waiter broke the awkward silence by bringing their meals. He handed each their meal and asked if there was anything else. Kaiba brushed him off and then dug into his meal. The silence resumed. "So… how'd that motion simulator project work out?" She ventured.
"Fine." Kaiba stated, "We implement it next Thursday."
Another moment passed, and she tried again, "So Cecil is nice."
"He's been working there since long before I was… before I moved there. He was one of the few people in that mansion I could stand growing up. He's a rare breed, the kind that enjoys being a servant. I don't understand it myself." Kaiba said flatly, continuing his meal quietly.
Serenity sighed a little. The food was good, the company could use a bit of work. Still, she guessed it was awkward for both of them. "Any new tournaments coming up?" She asked, smiling brightly.
"You've gotten better at this." Kaiba replied, off-topic.
"Huh?" Serenity asked.
"Small talk. You've come a long way since I've met you. I seem to recall you asking me about school in early July." Kaiba smirked.
"You should talk, Seto." Mokuba smirked back at his older brother. "You who went nine days without talking to me when you were working on your new virtual game."
"What's wrong with that?" Kaiba asked, mocking hurt.
"How can you go nine days without talking to someone who lives in the same house as you?" Serenity interjected.
"In my defence, it's a big house." Kaiba stated.
"Really, you can tell? You only ever go back and forth from your bedroom to your office to the garage!" Mokuba teased.
"Now that's just not true, I go to the kitchen and the living room and from time to time I even go…"
Serenity could only laugh as the brothers began squabbling. These were the Kaiba brothers she remembered, she thought to herself with a chuckle.
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"So, anyway, I got Joey the new Harry Potter book for his birthday, right…" Serenity explained as the headed into the living room.
"Oh God, what is it this time?" Kaiba interrupted, "Harry Potter and the Mass Produced, Cookie-Cutter, Morally-Whitewashed Literary Drivel?" He said, rolling his eyes and finding his way to the couches.
"Oh come on, they're not that bad!" Serenity shot back, "I mean, it's not Tolkien, but at least they get kids reading."
"Fine." Kaiba grumbled, "For every Harry Potter kid that goes on to read Thus Spake Zarathustra or Crime and Punishment I'll give it a little bit of credit."
"You like Crime and Punishment?" Serenity asked, finding a seat next to Kaiba. "I never had you figured for the happy ending type."
"Happy ending? He goes to jail in Siberia!" Kaiba shot back.
"Oh come on, you can't argue that the ending isn't happy." She retorted.
"What, you mean the whole bit about the 'untold story of the gradual regeneration of a man…' or however he puts it?" Blue-eyes asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You say it like it's not the whole point of the book!" Serenity shouted, rolling her eyes at the stubborn Kaiba.
"Sure, I guess it's possible." He said, smirking, "The gradual regeneration of a man. Sometimes all it takes is the right woman."
Serenity raised an eyebrow and blushed. Was he teasing her? Or had he really not picked up on what she felt? "W-well…"
"Or perhaps there are no Sofya Semyonovnas." He said, smirking at her and getting up to rack the balls on his pool table.
"You play?" Serenity asked, making her way to the table.
"Occasionally." Kaiba replied.
Serenity shook her head disdainfully at the handsome CEO. "You must be the only occasional player in the world that owns a full sized table."
Kaiba shrugged, "Want to break?"
Nodding, Serenity dusted her cue. "Eight ball?" She asked, glancing momentarily at Kaiba.
Kaiba nodded back. "Sure. I think I know that one."
Serenity rolled her eyes in disgust and broke, sinking the one and the three right off the bat. "Looks like I'm solids." She stated simply. Effortlessly, she sunk the two, the five and the seven on her next three shots.
Raising an eyebrow, Kaiba commented, "I suppose you play more than occasionally?"
A chuckle escaped from Serenity, and she shrugged, "My dad used to 'baby-sit' me in a bar near where we lived back when I lived with him. I played pool with the guys to amuse myself. I got pretty good at it." Her next shot missed, and it was finally Kaiba's turn.
"Sounds like a spectacular father." He muttered sarcastically, dusting his cue.
"He wasn't all that bad. You didn't know him." She stated simply.
Kaiba raised an eyebrow at her before finally taking his shot. He sunk the nine and the thirteen. On his next shot, he sunk the fifteen. Then the eleven. Next he sunk the ten. On the shot after that, he sunk the twelve.
"Occasionally?" Serenity asked sceptically.
"Yeah." Kaiba said frankly. "Simple physics, really. Angle of incidence is equal to angle of reflection, you can calculate the trajectory of the object ball by the position of the impact with the cue ball and thus calculate the trajectory post impact of the cue ball by the same principle. Then it's just a matter of the appropriate amount of force."
Serenity just shook her head and laughed.
Kaiba's next shot pocketed the fourteen ball. He finished with the eight. "Good game, though. Want to try something else?"
Serenity raised an eyebrow, "What did you have in mind?"
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"Ah! No fair, you cheat!" Serenity exclaimed as she lost her fifteenth straight game of Soul Calibur 2. "No way I can't hit you like that unless you cheat."
"I'm just good at it. You can't blame me for being better than you." Kaiba retorted.
"You should let me win some." Serenity replied haughtily.
"Why?"
"Because," Serenity explained, "I'm a girl."
"Oh come on, you believe in that chivalry crap in this day and age?" Kaiba asked incredulously.
"Of course!" She answered, "You would too if you weren't on the losing end."
Kaiba hit the start button to begin their next fight. Rolling his eyes, he began his attack on Serenity. "It's demeaning and chauvinistic."
"Ah-no-hey-c'mon-…" Serenity complained as she watched her life bar drain down. "That's it, handicap!" She called, hopping on top of Kaiba.
"Hey! That's cheating, I can't see the screen!" Kaiba called, muffled by Serenity's hair in his face.
"Can't hear you!" The red head called back, quickly executing every hit she could think of on Kaiba's motionless character.
Finally, Kaiba linked his arms underneath Serenity's knees and hefted her backward over his head. Landing upside down on the couch, Serenity quickly regained her composure and leapt atop Kaiba's back. Kaiba sprawled to his feet and lurched forward, easily managing the weight of Serenity on his back, but still seriously off balance. A hand drove into his scalp, and Serenity began to ruthlessly noogie the off-balance Kaiba.
"Ugh! Not fair! I can't hit back!" He protested.
"I thought you didn't believe in chivalry!" She called from her perch on the CEO's shoulders.
"It's not that," Kaiba groaned, "You're hanging by my arms!"
"You've earned it for cheating!" She shot back and renewed her assault.
Sprawling forward, Kaiba's shins connected with the couch in front of him and he fell forward, sending Serenity flying into the leather above him, upside-down again. A gleam shone in Kaiba's eye as his counter attack formed in his head. Sliding his hands on to Serenity's sides, his eyes locked with hers for a moment. Her face was only a few inches away from his, and she began to blush fiercely as their breaths mingled. Suddenly, a smirk crossed Kaiba's face, and he began to tickle the small girl.
"Ah! No! Not fair! You can't do this! Kaibaaaaaaa!" She wailed as she thrashed under the assault.
Kaiba laughed a heartfelt laugh as he watched the girl try to escape from him. Her face was turning red from lack of breath and she viciously tried to bat his hands away from her. Focussing on the attack, he didn't even see Serenity spring her own plan into action.
The tiny redhead pounced on Kaiba, knocking him off the couch and back onto the floor, pinning his arms with her own and his knees with her feet, she glared at him, a fiendish smile on her face. Gazing into his cobalt eyes, Serenity's gaze softened. He was smirking back at her, defiant as ever. For a moment she lost herself. It was then that Cecil chose to make his appearance.
"Master Kaiba, Morgan would like to know whether he is to drive Miss Serenity home or if she will be staying the night." Cecil asked, an amused smile on his face.
Kaiba freed his arms and lifted Serenity off of him, then checked his watch. It was a quarter to one. "Hmm, I must have lost track of time. Perhaps you should stay for the evening." He offered, glancing at Serenity.
"Oh… sure. Just let me call to let Joey know. He's probably freaking out about where I am by now." She realized. Standing, she ran off to find a phone.
"Prepare a guest room for her, Cecil, and tell Morgan to get some rest. He won't be needed again this evening."
"Of course, sir. And, if I might say, it's nice to have Miss Serenity back in the mansion. I hope it's not too much to say that I think she brings out the best in you, sir." Cecil said, offering a smile to the still prone Kaiba.
Kaiba nodded slowly. "Mokuba says the same thing. I'll admit I had more fun tonight than I've had in a while." He confessed, rising to his feet.
"So did we all, Mr. Kaiba, so did we all." Cecil said with a grin, and left Kaiba to his thoughts.
Seto turned off the PS2 and flicked off the lights in his living room. Sitting atop his pool table, he thought back to the day's events. He still wasn't sure why he found it impossible to stay mad at the young redhead. Or why he shivered ever so slightly every time she touched him. Two days earlier he would have been certain that he could explain exactly their relationship. Now… well, things changed, he supposed. He would have to do what he always did, use that change to his best advantage. Lying back on the pool table, he sighed audibly. He had a lot of thinking to do.
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Serenity found her way to the kitchen the next morning. She was still wearing the silk pyjamas she'd found laid out for her the previous evening. With a bad case of bed head and some serious morning breath, she didn't exactly feel like a princess, but she was happy. Mokuba was eating a bowl of Froot Loops and idly flipping through the pages of his latest Newtype magazine. Kaiba was munching on his usual breakfast, and nodded to her the moment she entered.
"Serenity. May I speak to you on the veranda?" He asked, motioning to a pair of double doors in the adjoining dining room.
"Oh… sure." She said cautiously and made her way out to through the indicated doors. The veranda overlooked the garden in the back, a veritable labyrinth of assorted vegetation that required four permanent staff members to maintain. The garden also boasted dozens of water features, from a prominent artificial waterfall at the back to an entire network of streams that irrigated the better part of the garden. The garden served a double purpose by obscuring the view of the servant's house in the back.
Kaiba slipped through the doors and stood beside her, overlooking his garden and seeming reluctant to speak. Finally, Serenity couldn't bear the silence anymore and asked, "What was it you wanted to speak to me about?"
Running a hand through his hair, Kaiba let out a tense sigh and muttered, "This isn't going to be easy," to himself before turning to Serenity.
"Listen, Serenity, I've been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday. I… Admittedly, I enjoyed myself, but… the fact of the matter is… I don't want to be your friend." He said, trying to gauge her reaction.
Serenity looked shock. She stammered for a moment, a dozen different questions all popping into her head at one time. An instant later Kaiba had wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her against him, pressing his lips against hers. Serenity was shocked, but only for a moment, and then slid her hands to Kaiba's face, resting one on his cheek and sliding the other into his hair. Kaiba's free hand had found it's way into her hair by now and the two stood motionlessly in their embrace for some time, until Kaiba gently pushed Serenity away.
Still having one hand in her hair, he slid it down to rest on her cheek. Affection shone through the brunette's cobalt orbs, and a smile crossed his face. "I could never settle for being your friend." He finished, and leaned close for another brief kiss.
"Now," Kaiba said, turning to head back into the house, "Go brush your teeth."
A/N: Heh. I like that chapter. Please, give it a review and let me know what you think. Good, bad, ugly, etc. I appreciate every review I get.