Disclaimer: I do not own yugioh.

"talk"

'thoughts'

flashback/dream

...

"W… what?" Tea said, completely baffled at what she had just heard.

"He asked me on a date. I know it's shocking but it's true." Serenity squealed in joy.

"Oh." Tea could not think straight at that moment. She hadn't expect this at all. She had thought that he was going to let her go without so much as a thank you. But he had asked her on a date. Her, Serenity, and not her because he thought it were she who was there with him, and not she. She now regretted her decision to not confront him. If only she had gone and faced him, she would have been the one going out with him and not Serenity. But it was already too late. She had blown her opportunity. She had willingly given it away all because of her cowardice.

Why had she done that? She had never been afraid to face him before. Then why now of all times? She sighed, already knowing the answer. It was because she had developed feelings for him and couldn't bear his harsh words. Well, so much for the harsh words.

"Tea, can you help me get dressed for the date?" Serenity's voice shook her out of her thoughts and she focused on the glowing girl. "I am going to need your help. You know what he likes and you can help me. And can I borrow your perfume too?" Serenity asked, completely oblivious to her friend's inner thoughts. Even though her heart was breaking, Tea managed a smile.

"Sure." Tea said. "You can have my perfume."

'I already gave you my chance at love. A perfume is nothing.' She silently added.

Serenity stood before the mirror, wearing her best dress, which happened to be pink. Tea had told Serenity that Seto wasn't a big fan of pink, but it was the best dress she had, so she wore it anyway. She believed it looked good on her since Duke and Tristen had told her so, which was true. She looked beautiful, and Tea knew that Seto would surely fall for the sweet girl.

As she saw Serenity get ready, regret and envy rose in her heart, but she knew Serenity was not to blame here. It was her fault and her fault alone. She had done this to herself. She had refused to take the risk, thrusting Serenity into a situation she didn't want to be in, and so now all rewards rightfully belonged to Serenity.

"So, how do I look?" Serenity asked Tea.

"You look gorgeous." Tea said honestly.

"I just hope he likes it. I am so excited. And where's your perfume?" Tea handed it to her and she sprayed it liberally.

"Now he'll never know." Tea said smiling sadly.

"Know what?" Serenity asked while inquiring herself in the mirror again.

"Nothing." Tea replied. It seemed like Serenity had forgotten it already.

"Well, I guess I'm ready. Thank you for helping me Tea." Serenity said and Tea smiled weakly. She had to look happy for her, even though on the inside, she was crumbling. She didn't have to put up the facade for long because the doorbell rang.

"It must be him." Serenity squealed. "Can you get it please? I'll be there in a second." Serenity asked, turning back to the mirror to check her makeup.

"Sure." Tea's mouth said but her mind screamed 'no.' She didn't want to see him. Not today, not ever. But she had no choice. She knew she couldn't live the rest of her life avoiding him, especially if he was going to date Serenity for the long term. This thought brought a fresh wave of pain and regret in her heart but she ignored it. She had to be strong. Cowardice had brought her into this situation and she would not be weak any longer.

Her legs carried her to the door. Serenity was getting ready at her house and not at Joey's apartment, because of her brother of course. Tea had told the guys that Serenity was spending the evening with her. This way, they would let her go and she could be with Kaiba.

She took a deep breath, put on a cheerful façade and opened the door. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw. Seto stood there with a nice blue suit. He wasn't wearing a tie, and the top 2 buttons of his shirt were open, showing his chest. He looked positively hot. When he saw who opened the door, a frown appeared on his handsome face.

"Gardner." He said acknowledging her presence.

"Serenity is ready. She'll be down in a minute. You can come inside and wait if you want." Tea said monotonously, and quickly turned around to walk inside, leaving the door open for him.

"No thanks. I'd rather step in dirt." He sneered, and waited for her to retaliate. However, she never did. She didn't even turn around.

Tea felt her heart break even more, if that was possible, at his comment. He really disliked her. After all she had done for him, he still hated her. If only he knew the truth, then he wouldn't be saying such mean things. But he thought that Serenity had done all that, and so he was nice to her. But Tea was still a no good cheerleader and nothing more. She did not deserve his kindness or respect, and the worst part was that she couldn't even yell at him anymore.

Seto was surprised at her behavior. Why was she acting that way? She was a firecracker and was supposed to go boom now. Maybe he didn't put enough fire to light it.

"So this is your house?" He asked, causally glancing around. She didn't answer. Instead, she went to play with the TV remote.

"Figures. It's messy and filthy." This was sure to get her in action, and it did. She turned around with fire burning in her eyes and charged towards him. He stood there, ready and with a smirk in his face. It was always fun teasing her. Among the nerd herd, she was his favorite to mess around with because she could actually come up with decent and intelligent retorts, unlike the rest of the idiots who were quick to resort to physical voilence. Seto always had fun exchanging witty insults with her, and though he was loathe to admit, the victories weren't always his.

Tea was beyond angry. She was already hurt and sad and then he made it worst by insulting her. Love or not, she couldn't let him push her around. She tried to slap some sense into him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't you dare touch me with your dirty hands Gardner." He growled, masking his surprise at her actions. She had tried to physically attack him. He had said worse things to her in the past but it had never gotten her this angry. Clearly something else was bothering her.

'These are them same hands that touched you many times before.' Her mind yelled, but no words came out of her mouth.

Seto didn't let go of her wrist. The sensation of holding her tiny wrist was awfully familiar, as if her had felt her skin before. It was soft and smooth, just like her. But Tea couldn't be her. It was impossible. But then again, she did possess many qualities as her. He met her eyes and instead of finding anger and hatred, he found sadness and longing. For some reason, he couldn't stop staring. There was some unknown force that was attracting him to her. Unconsciously, he brushed his thumb against her smooth skin, still gazing into her oceanic blue eyes. Her expression changed to-.

"What is happening here?" Serenity's voice broke the magic that had been created. Tea quickly freed her arm and turned around to face her. Seto also turned to stare at his date. She was wearing pink, much to his dislike. During his recovery, he had imagined her to like subdued colors, but there she was, wearing pink. Her hair had been tied in a bun and she looked much more older and mature.

Funny, he remembered her to have short hair. He had run his fingers through her silky locks and he could swear they were shoulder length, much like Gardener's. His attention turned back to Tea. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, just baby blue pajamas, even though it was pretty early in the evening. But even in those, he was finding her attractive. He shook his head to clear such ridiculous thoughts. He couldn't find Tea attractive. She was just a cheerleader who knew nothing better then to cheer from sidelines.

Serenity descended down the stairs with as much grace as she could muster, without showing her nervousness. Seto stepped forward and took her hand. He could swear she just fainted for a second.

"Let's go." He said and led her to the door.

"Thanks Tea. I'll see you later. Bye." Serenity yelled over her shoulder and walked out. Before leaving, Seto took one last look at Tea. She looked defeated and depressed. Seto knew there was something definitely wrong with her.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked Serenity.

"N… nothing." She said.

"Why did you thank her?" He asked again, eyeing her intently as they walked towards the limo.

"She told Joey that I'm with her so he wouldn't ask any questions. And … so I can … be… with you." She added shyly, a blush adorning her face.

"Hmm. So she must has lied for you many times before." He concluded. It seemed logical. Tea must have lied to Wheeler and the others to cover for Serenity's absence while she visited his mansion.

"No. This is the first time." Serenity said without thinking.

"Then what did you tell your brother during those days?" He asked.

"What days?" She asked him confused, not catching on to what he was referring to. Seto raised an eyebrow. Did she forget already or did she not know at all?

"When you stayed at my mansion to take care of me." He clarified. Her eyes went wide with realization.

"Oh yeah. She… she lied for me then too. Silly me…. I forgot." She said laughing nervously. Seto frowned in suspicion.

During the limo ride, she kept fiddling with the hem of her dress and never said a word to him, sneaking glances at him like a shy fangirl. Her behaviour struck as odd to him. When he was blinded, she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She had been an energetic and talkative person, always teasing him about one thing or another. Infact, he remembered her to be very social, and quite feisty, muck like Tea.

Again, her image flashed in his mind. Why had she behaved so oddly? She seemed like she had lost someone. But who? She had her friends and her parents with-. Actually, he hadn't seen her parents in the house. Were they out of town? Maybe that's why she was so sad. But now that he thought about it, he realized that he had never seen them at all. He had never even heard of them. During the meetings at the school, Yugi's grampa would talk to the teachers about her progress. He never paid any attention to that before but now, it seemed important, like it had some significance in his life. Before he could think on it a bit more, the driver opened the door.

"We're here master Kaiba." He said. Seto nodded and got out. He offered his hand to Serenity who accepted it and stepped out as well. She gasped at the beauty of his mansion. Seto wanted to have his first date in his mansion, for some reasons.

"Wow, it's so huge and beautiful." She said as she stared with wide eyes.

Seto turned to stare at her. She was acting like she had never seen it before, but she had spent the last two weeks there. Was she acting? Somehow he doubted that. The look on her face told him she really had never seen anything like it before. He noted that in his mind and walked inside. She behaved the same inside as well, scanning the area and gasping at the beauty. It did seem like it was her first time inside. Seto's suspicion arose.

Unknown to Seto, it was Serenity's first time in his mansion, well, second time if one counted her first meeting with him when he removed his bandages. But she had been to nervous and afraid to look at anything. Now she curiously looked around, amazed at its grandeur and beauty. She knew he was rich, but she hadn't expected all this. She had only seen these kind of mansions on TV and had never even dreamed of being in one. But here she was. She could almost squeal in excitement.

He led her to a room where a table for two had been set. They seated themselves. Serenity studied the room while Seto studied her and her behavior. Just then, very faint footsteps were heard. Seto knew who it was and knew he was trying to walk without being noticed.

"Mokuba." He called. The footsteps stopped and then approached them.

"What is it?" Mokuba asked in a monotonous tone.

"Aren't you going to say 'hi' to Serenity?" Seto asked, eyeing the kid. Mokuba turned to Serenity and muttered.

"Hi." It sounded like it came from a robot. Seto frowned. "Can I go now?" Mokuba asked, but didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he walked out of the room. This only made Seto even more suspicious then he already was. Mokuba hadn't been very thrilled at his idea of asking Serenity on a date.

(Flashback)

"You're going to do what?" Mokuba nearly screamed in shock and rage.

"I already did. I asked Serenity on a date." Seto said calmly.

"But why? She is Joey Wheeler's sister. How could you?" Mokuba asked with anger in his eyes. Seto stared at his brother in confusion.

"She took care of me, Mokuba. She helped me, and I want to do something for her in return." Seto explained. He couldn't understand Mokuba's objection. He thought his brother would be happy at his decision.

"Why can't you just offer her some money, or buy her flowers? Why ask her on a date?" Mokuba huffed. Seto was genuinely shocked at his response. What was wrong with his brother? Why was he so ticked off at him asking Serenity on a date?

Mokuba was different then Seto. While Seto believed that any problem could be solved with money, Mokuba thought otherwise. He believed in the power of hearfelt deeds over monetary rewards. But now, when Seto was showing his heart, Mokuba was talking about money. This wasn't like his brother at all.

"Why are you against this?" Seto asked his brother.

"Because I don't like her." Mokuba replied with a distasteful frown. "If you really want to go on a date, why not with someone like Tea?" At this, Seto sneered.

"Because I don't like her." Mokuba's face fell, and Seto saw sadness in his usually cheerful eyes. Why was he so sad? Surely he knew about Seto's dislike for all the permanent members of the geek squad.

"Do whatever you want." Mokuba finally said and turned around to leave. Seto just stood there, more confused than ever at his brother's behaviour.

(End flashback)

Mokuba had said he didn't like Serenity, but when Seto was temporarily blinded, Mokuba had loved her. There were many occasions when both Mokuba and her would team up on him, mostly when he would refuse to take his medicine. They would laugh together and make stupid jokes. Then why the sudden change in attitude? Seto knew Mokuba hadn't changed. He was still the same. And that left only one possibility.

The servants brought food for them. Seto noticed she was avoiding eye contact with him. Even earlier, whenever he asked her anything, she would look away when answering.

"So, you lied to me." He said, carefully watching her. Her face suddenly went pale, as if she was caught doing a crime.

"L… lied? What… are you … saying?" She stuttered, and Seto was sure he could see her hands shake slightly.

"About your parents." He said. She seemed lost for a moment.

"What… exactly did I say?" She asked sheepishly, and he frowned.

"You said they were lost or dead."

Oh yeah. I… I lied about that." She said after thinking for a moment. Seto frowned. When she had told him that before, she had seemed dead serious, and it felt like the truth. She had sounded so sad when she had told him that. Was she acting then or wass she acting now?

"And about your uncle too?" He inquired. Again, she thought for a moment, as if carefully considering her answer.

"Umm, yeah." She said, hoping it really was a lie. She didn't know what Tea had told him, but she hoped it was all a lie.

"And about church too?" He asked causally, but his eyes were alert.

"Yes. Everything I told you was a lie, because I didn't want you to find out." Serenity said, trying to change the topic of conversation. She should have asked Tea for more information before coming here.

"And about what you thought of Wheeler?" Seto pressed.

"What did I say about jJoey?" She asked, clearly curious, and Seto's frown deepened.

"You said you found him attractive."

"What? Eww. No. He's my brother. I'd never say that." Serenity replied immediately without thinking, a disgusted look on her face.

"I thought as much." Seto said causally with an expressionless face.

"Excuse me." She got up. "I…. Where's the… bathroom?" She asked, her face crimson with embarrassment.

"Don't you remember?" He said with a smirk on his face, recalling the blissful make-out session he had shared with her.

"I… I forgot." She finally said.

"I can tell." He replied. "Third door." He said and went back to eating. But she just stood there, like an idiot. Seto sighed, trying not to let his frustration show.

"Elise, take her to the bathroom." He told his maid who was nearby, and she came to take Serenity away.

When she disappeared out of sight, Seto rubbed his temples. She had forgotten where was the bathroom. She had behaved like she had never seen his mansion before, even though she had spent a lot of time there. She said she had lied about everything. But somehow he refused to believe that. As he recalled their conversation, he knew she had been telling the truth, even though he couldn't see her face. And Mokuba's behavior was a clear indication as well. Everything made it all too obvious.

Serenity wasn't her.

But then who was she?

...

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