A/N: This is almost definitely the third to last chapter, unless I can't fit what I need to into the next one. It's full of romance and intrigue, and I think it builds nicely to what will be the emotional climax in the next chapter. Thanks to everyone again who took the time to review, especially those that took the time to give a more detailed review letting me know what especially was good. That's really the only way I know what to do more of.

Disclaimer: Contrary to popular belief, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter Eleven: Caveat

Joey found himself surprisingly unhappy. He had thought that, with Serenity back, he'd be overjoyed but instead he found himself brooding. He was not jealous, certainly not. How could he envy Kaiba for the attention of his own sister? No, he certainly wasn't jealous, rather, he was… concerned. For Serenity. Kaiba was a dangerous man, he knew that. He'd known that from the beginning of the relationship between the two, so why hadn't he done anything? For one, Serenity had seemed to genuinely enjoy her time with Kaiba, and though Joey was protective he wasn't the kind to keep his sister from something she enjoyed.

Well, within reason. This was getting to be too much. Serenity had gone through a lot already simply because of her connection to Kaiba, and Joey was getting worried. He settled that that was the source of his unhappiness. He would lay down the law when his sister got home. She was not to see Kaiba anymore. It was a bad relationship, and one she'd end up hurt by. He wouldn't allow it. He couldn't stop it.

He knew that as soon as he thought it. Shifting on the couch, Joey stared unseeing at the screen of the television. Serenity was her own person, always had been, and he knew that nothing he could do would force her to leave Kaiba. He didn't want to make her unhappy, that was true enough, but still… He was concerned for her, he assured himself again. He just needed to talk his feelings out. He needed a friend. So he picked up the phone and called the person he knew would want to help him most.

"Duke? It's Joey."

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The gunmetal car swung around the corner at an incredible speed. Streaking past its pink and yellow rival it sprang forward as the engine was flooded with nitrous oxide, the speed boost leaving the opponent far in the dust. It flew around the next corner, expertly weaving through traffic and hit the next straightaway in a solid fourth gear. Searing across the pavement fast approaching its top speed, its driver suddenly came to a realization.

Taking his eyes off of the television to glance at Serenity, Kaiba could tell she was getting frustrated. This would be the fifth game she'd lost at to Seto today and he could see that she was losing her fighting spirit. Glancing back at the screen, a grin worked across his usually stoic face. In the interests of sustaining further competition from the girl, it was time to take a dive. Purposely, Kaiba accelerated into the next turn. The car lost its traction and spun out, driving headlong into a wall. There was no way Kaiba could win after such an accident.

Serenity, however, wasn't buying. She knew Kaiba too well to believe that he'd accelerated into that turn for any other reason than to throw the game. "Oh no you don't!" She scolded, forcing her car into a spinout and ploughing headfirst into the wall just behind Seto. "No way I'm letting you take a fall to win brownie points."

Kaiba tried to look as shocked as possible, "Take a fall? I would never-"

"Oh, stuff it." Serenity shot back with a giggle, "You know as well as I do that you're not dumb enough to screw up like that and I'm not dumb enough to buy that."

Again, Kaiba feigned being struck, "Well, I don't think that's anything less than an accusation. I hope you know that I already have one trial on the go, I'm not sure I can handle another."

Serenity stuck her tongue out. She was willing to play along, "Well then it's a good thing that I'm judge, jury and executioner."

Kaiba grinned fiendishly, "Well then, what's my punishment?"

Mounting the brunette in one fluid motion, Serenity began a methodical attack of all usual ticklish points. Kaiba simply continued smirking at the girl. Realizing the uselessness of the assault, Serenity hmph'ed loudly and folded her arms on her chest. "Not fair. You're not ticklish!"

"You are." Kaiba declared and rolled so he was atop the smaller girl. Having had quite a bit of experience tickling from his escapades with Mokuba, Kaiba skilfully attacked the ticklish points sending Serenity into a laughing fit. Her face flushed, her hair spread wildly as she writhed to try to escape from Kaiba. To the handsome CEO, the girl had never looked cuter. Leaning closer to her, he stopped tickling and pressed his lips against hers, leaving his hands on her sides. Serenity gave a pleasant squeal of surprise and slid her hands up his arms and into his hair. They stayed in that embrace for a moment, and the kiss deepened. Serenity carefully slid one hand down his shoulder and onto his chest. A second later, she grabbed his nipple hard and twisted, a trick she'd scene her brother use on Tristan dozens of times.

Howling in pain, Kaiba pulled away instantly, clutching his bruising chest. Shocked, he looked up at his aggressor. Serenity folded her arms over her chest, satisfied. "Justice is served." She stated flatly, and then stuck her tongue out at him.

Kaiba fell back onto his butt, still grabbing the nipple. His face contorted slightly in pain, flushing red, he blinked at the girl, "What do you even call that?" He asked, his voice thick with surprise.

"It's a purple nerple." She answered, "Boy have you missed out on having siblings. I guess you and Mokuba don't do things like that."

Shrugging, Kaiba relaxed a bit. "A little. I'm familiar with the noogie, the wedgie, the awful waffle…"

"Awful waffle?" Serenity cut in, raising an eyebrow and giggling.

"Sure." Kaiba answered, "You've never heard of it?"

Serenity shook her head, "Please, explain."

Shrugging, Kaiba thought about how to explain it. "Do you know what a pink-belly is?"

A shake of the head was her reply.

"A pink-belly is when you pull someone's shirt up to expose their stomach, then slap it until it turns pink, hence the name. An awful waffle is basically the same thing except you apply syrup to the stomach first. Makes your hands stick and slurp and makes the entire procedure all the more unpleasant."

Serenity shook her head and laughed. She wasn't sure which was funnier, the actual procedure or the way in which Kaiba, Seto Kaiba, was explaining it to her. Her entire body shook with laughter as she took in the scene, causing Kaiba to raise an eyebrow at the girl.

"What?" He asked, still rubbing his injured chest.

The auburn haired girl shook her head again, calming down slightly, "I never figured you for the prank type. You tend to seem aloof of such things."

Kaiba nodded his agreement, "True enough. Cecil taught Mokuba to noogie, and it escalated from there." He admitted, running his free hand through his hair, "Not falling into that ambush again," he added under his breath.

Serenity laughed aloud, "Cecil! Cecil taught Mokuba to pull pranks?"

Giving a grim nod, Kaiba seemed less amused, "He said that I needed to lighten up about things, and thought that was a good way to do it. This… purple nerple is a new one on me, though."

Smiling broadly, Serenity crawled over to where Kaiba sat, "Oh, there, there, princess, I'm sure it'll be alright."

Kaiba scooped the small girl into his arms and stared into her eyes for a moment. Serenity gazed back, nearly falling into Kaiba's beautiful blue orbs. Finally, Kaiba cracked a genuine smile, "Why can't I stay mad at you?" he asked, pulling the girl against himself.

"Oh, you know." Serenity answered, grinning at the brunette.

Nodding slowly, Kaiba pressed his forehead against Serenity's. In a defeated voice, he muttered, "It's because I'm in love with you, isn't it?"

Serenity smiled broadly and nodded, moving Kaiba's head as a result, "You bet. It's unavoidable now. If it's any consolation, I love you too."

"Well, if I'm going to suffer…" Kaiba thought aloud with a smile, "At least I'm not suffering alone." With that, he drew the girl in for another kiss.

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Serenity stepped through the door and declared that she was home. Apparently, Joey was not. She and Joey had lived together for only a few months now but it was the best, and simultaneously the messiest, home she'd ever had. In fact, they'd been living together since Joey was old enough to get the lease. The building they lived in was cheap and their home may have qualified as a slum but it was better than living with either of her parents.

Plopping herself down on the couch, Serenity threw her feet up onto the milk crate coffee table in front of it. Instantly, she retracted her feet and picked up the rotting pear that had been there since her kidnapping almost a week earlier and rising to deposit it in the garbage. Joey was such a slob. He'd probably gone off to defile Yugi's house. Well, it gave her a few minutes to herself and that was tolerable. Kaiba had insisted that she be escorted home in the limo. Since she'd told him who her attacker was, he'd been almost as protective of her as her brother usually was.

That thought brought her back to Joey. She'd have to thank him when he got home. She'd never expected him to be so cool about this whole Kaiba thing, especially when their relationship had first gone beyond mere friendship. She had certainly never expected the sort of armistice they'd formed after the encounter with Vex. Her brother had surprised her, and pleasantly so. Kaiba had surprised her too, but less so. He was the kind of person to be able to suppress his impulses at will.

She felt a squish as she returned to the couch and found a cola-soaked pizza box under the cushion. In that capacity, her brother had not surprised her. The man was simply a slob.

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Duke Devlin was on a mission. He and Joey had been discussing the situation with Serenity and neither was pleased. Duke, however, was a good deal smarter than Joey. No large feat, but it led to a distinct difference in the way they intended to handle the situation. Finally, Joey had given up his insistence on a good beating and agreed to let Duke handle it his own way. The black-haired businessman had gotten to know Kaiba fairly well from their limited business interactions, and he figured he'd be able to manipulate Kaiba enough to achieve his goals.

After all, Kaiba may have been a cunning duellist and an expert businessman, but the man was essentially socially inept. Yes, this would be easy. He made his way to the gate of the mansion and buzzed the main house. Realizing who it was, Cecil released the gate. He'd learned to let Duke in whenever he showed up, as he frequently showed up for impromptu meetings when larger deals were going on between the two teen's companies.

Duke reached the main door and let himself in, stopping to ask Cecil where Kaiba was. "In the garden, in the red section. Follow the red markers to find your way there." Cecil answered, busily cleaning the nearby living room.

It took Duke almost half an hour to find Kaiba. When he found the young brunette, he was sitting under a willow tree reading. He glanced up at Duke and nodded, taking the time to finish the section, he closed the book and rose. "What is it, Devlin?" He asked impatiently, eying the path back to his mansion.

"I came to talk to you about Serenity," Duke declared confidently, not taking his gaze off of the billionaire.

"Then you're wasting your time," Kaiba replied, moving to step past Duke.

Duke stepped into Kaiba's way, matching his determined gaze with one of his own. "This is important," he stated forcefully.

Kaiba stared at Duke for a few moments, taking a measure of the black-haired teen. Finally, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Well?"

"I think you ought to leave her alone." Duke asserted.

"And so ends another excellent conversation with Duke Devlin." Kaiba stated dryly and strode passed Duke, forcing him aside with his superior muscle.

"You're a selfish bastard, you know that?" Duke called after Kaiba.

That caught his attention, and Kaiba turned to face Devlin, "What?"

"Don't you think her life's hard enough without you screwing it up even more?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not screwing up her life-" Kaiba started, but Duke cut him off.

"Maybe not on purpose, but consider this: since she started her relationship with you she has been kidnapped twice by no fault of her own, pursued by someone who hates you, poisoned into a coma… Yeah, word travels fast. I know who hurt her, and I know that it's your fault she got hurt. If he has a vendetta against you, you should keep Serenity out of it." Duke finished emphatically, placing his hands on his hips and glaring at Kaiba.

"I'm not responsible for that." Kaiba replied. He had that on Serenity's authority.

"Who the hell are you kidding?" Duke shot back, "Listen, Serenity's life is hard enough already. She has two terrible parents and a deadbeat brother; you know that as well as I do. Do you think she needs the added trouble of dating a guy that her only close relative hates, who has so many enemies that she's attacked three times in less than a month? If you gave one goddamn about her," he continued, carefully choosing the same words Serenity had said to Kaiba, "you'd realize that the only reasons you have for keeping her around are selfish."

"It's her choice to be around me. I assume that means she knows the risks." The retort sounded lame even as he said it.

"You love her, don't you?" Devlin asked, trying earnestly to sound sincere.

Kaiba didn't say anything for a few moments, and then finally he averted his gaze from Duke's face. "Of course I do."

"Then why the hell would you risk her life over your selfish desires? Do you even know what love is? If you care about her, you have to let her alone because your presence in her life is doing nothing but screwing the hell out of it."

Seto opened his mouth as if to say something, and then shut it again. He could find no reply, but he hated every word of what Devlin had said. He hated it the most because something inside him told him that Duke was right. Serenity had been in very real danger three times in only recent memory. One of those had been because of Joey but the other two had been because of her proximity to the Kaibas.

"I trust you'll do the right thing." Duke stated, finality clear in his tone. Saying that, he strode off into the morass to try and navigate his way to the exit.

Kaiba walked back to the willow and sat against the trunk again. He glanced at the book in his hand. It was a book of Shakespearean love sonnets that Serenity had suggested. It seemed he'd barely started, but now he found that he wouldn't be able to go any deeper into the book. He didn't have the stomach for it. He loved Serenity. She had told him as much, and he wasn't one to argue with her over that. Still, he had this pervasive sick feeling welling in his stomach. Duke was right, and he hated him for it.

Rising to his feet, Kaiba glanced at the book again. He tossed it into the irrigation system and walked back to the mansion.

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Serenity was awakened from her nap by a knock on her door. She was lying back on the couch, yet another repeat of something or other playing quietly on the television. Quickly, she rose to her feet and made her way to the door, placing one hand on the bat she had left beside the frame. It was probably Joey, having lost his keys again. She really meant to have a peephole installed. She pressed the door open.

Standing in her doorway was Seto Kaiba, a stern look of determination on his face. "I need to talk to you," he said forcefully.

Serenity nodded and motioned for Kaiba to enter the apartment. She already didn't like where this was going. "What is it, Seto?" she asked quietly.

Kaiba didn't turn to face her. He kept his eyes firmly planted on their couch. He'd already resolved not to tell her the true reason for his decision. Though he had no desire to lie to the girl, he knew she wouldn't accept his reasoning, and he knew that that would only make things more difficult. Eyes still glued to the couch, he finally explained the purpose of his visit, "This has got to end. This is ending. It's over."

Raising an eyebrow, Serenity digested what Kaiba had just said. "What's over?" she asked finally, staring intently at the back of Kaiba's head.

The brunette turned to gauge the girl's response. "This relationship. It's over."

Serenity staggered back, as if she were struck by something. Her eyes began to tear up and her bottom lip began to quiver. "Why?" she rasped, her voice so quiet as to be almost inaudible.

Trying not to be shaken by the show of emotion, Kaiba stuck to his battle plan, "It's too complicated and I don't have time for it in my life. It's better for both of us that I end it before we start hating each other." That was almost true.

Shaking her head, Serenity gave a monosyllabic reply, "No."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow toward the younger Wheeler, "What do you mean, 'no'? I'm not leaving it up to you."

"No." Serenity said again, channelling her sadness into anger, "No, I'm not going to let you throw this relationship away, because I can see you're only doing it because you're terrified of being close to someone. If you won't fight for this relationship, I will."

This was not the reaction Kaiba had been expecting. In a way, her reasoning was right. He was afraid, but for her sake. He was a dangerous man, even to be close to. He had to remind himself that this was for her own good. "There's nothing to fight for, Serenity. I don't want this relationship, so I'm ending it."

"Do you love me?" she asked suddenly.

Kaiba paused. On this, he couldn't lie. But if he told her the truth, it would make the break-up almost impossible. Searching for an answer, he finally settled on dodging the actual question, "I meant what I said when I told you I loved you. I mean what I'm saying now. It's over, Serenity. Goodbye."

Kaiba strode past Serenity through the door. "I'll come by the mansion tomorrow," Serenity called after him.

"I'll tell Cecil not to let you in," Kaiba called back.

"He still will," Serenity warned, then settled back on the couch.

Kaiba stormed down the stairs to the car below. The damn girl was right, of course. Well, it didn't matter. This was one subject on which he refused to bend. He could hear the sound of tears behind him as the door remained slightly ajar. How he hated himself at that moment!

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He glanced at the sabre in his hand. Since he had been separated from his weapon of choice during the whole affair with Kaiba he had been searching for a suitable replacement. This sabre, stolen from an unexpecting shopkeeper presently making the acquaintance of quite a few sewer rats, would serve his cause. He expected Kaiba would be unarmed, unless you counted the steel briefcase he'd have undoubtedly replaced by now. That meant that he'd be vulnerable, and when he went for him he would win. He was confident in that.

But first, to the matter at hand. Mokuba never seemed to leave the mansion unless in a limousine and his noted lack of a rocket propelled grenade launcher kept him from attacking a motorcade. Perhaps if he could find a place in the Domino area that sold an RPG launcher… no. He had to be patient. He could wait; after all, he had all the time in the world. Mokuba would leave on foot, and he would do it sometime in the foreseeable future. When he did, he would end the younger Kaiba's life and this time there would be no chance of failure. He'd spill every single drop of the orphan's blue blood.

Dawn was breaking over the industrial district of Domino and the early morning rays of light streaked through the sky and struck the Kaiba mansion, bathing it in a soft morning glow. Perhaps today would be the day. He allowed his mind to shift into a mere semi-consciousness, still watching the door but barely aware of anything else. Shifting back to look at his past, he couldn't help but think how much potential he had had. Where did he go wrong? He seemed to have done everything he should have… and now, here he was, a walking dead man seeking nothing but vengeance. So be it. If vengeance was all he had, he would take it, and he would savour it. After vengeance… Ra only knew.

A/N: So there you have it. The beginning of the end, so to speak. It's a little bit shorter than the rest of the chapters to date, but I promise that next chapter will be a long one. Or two ones, if it gets that long. If you liked it, please take a few moments to let me know what you liked. If you didn't, please take a few moments to let me know what you didn't. Thanks much.