Originally posted: 6/11/05

Can anyone catch the HP reference? I thought it was quite appropriate, considering the circumstances… And also, in the last chapter, I forgot to credit The Simpsons for "The Re-Deadening"… my all-time favorite fictional movie.

If anyone reviews anonymously, can you please leave me your email address? There was one reviewer, Harpiesbro06, who had a lot of questions that I would have answered but I didn't have an email address to reply to!

If anyone finds formatting problems in any chapters (excessive italics, repeated paragraphs, etc.) can you please let me know so I can fix the problem? Thanks!

Hugs and kisses to everyone who reviewed chapter 13! I'm glad to hear from some of you again, and I'm glad to hear from new people as well!

Many people said they didn't like the new title; if you really have a problem with it, email me (blackcrow106 at hotmail dot com) and I can give you a thorough explanation as to why I chose it, and why it's better.

Editing the whole story is very annoying… but it's also a good chance for me to go back and read the stuff I wrote so long ago. I even forgot about some loose threads that need tying up, so in general, I would recommend EVERYONE to give their stories a good edit!

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V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V

island of red flowers

-V-

by sir mocha

V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V

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chapter 14: r e v e l a t i o n

Kaiba woke as the sun shone through the uncurtained window directly onto his face. Glaring at the blinding object, he flipped himself over, hoping that by hiding his face in the couch cushions, he could get back to sleep.

Unfortunately, someone (probably the Mutt) had at one point spilled nacho cheese all over the couch, and though the cheese had long ago been washed away, the odor remained in the fabric, much to Kaiba's disgust.

Confronted with the nauseating smell, he groaned and heaved himself upright. He had the feeling that it was much too early to be up, especially for one who had gotten a grand total of about 15 hours of sleep the whole week. In fact, even sleeping on the cheese-contaminated sofa, he had gotten more sleep this past night than he had the few nights before, put together.

Now that he was up, and would not be going back to sleep, he figured he should at least try to make breakfast, to help out and to start paying for his stay here. He wandered into the kitchen, and found some bread and margarine, and decided that at the very least he should be able to make some toast for the three of them.

He quickly discovered that his skills in the domestic arts were sorely lacking. Now, in addition to being an abysmal piano player, he realized that he was an abominable chef, and tried to contain the fire that had somehow, somehow broken out on the toaster. He had merely put the bread in, and for whatever reason, the damn thing had burst into flames. Perhaps it was an omen.

Serenity, dressed for school, was horrified to see copious amounts of thick black smoke issuing from the kitchen. She ran into the room… and despite the potential danger, she couldn't help bursting out laughing.

Kaiba was standing in the center of the room, fire extinguisher in hand, spraying at the area that contained the toaster. His clothes were disheveled from sleeping in them all night… and his hair! Apparently he hadn't thought to bring a comb with him, and the usual orderly mullet was sticking up in the oddest of places, strongly reminding Serenity of a cross between a tumbleweed and Yami Marik.

Once the fire was under control, Kaiba turned to Serenity. He blinked his soot-darkened eyelids (one must wonder how burnt toast could produce soot, and yet, here was living proof), and scowled at her hysterical giggles.

"You design complicated holographic simulation technology, and you can fly a jet, and yet you don't know how to use a toaster?" she asked once she had gotten her breath back.

He scowled indignantly. "I am certain I did nothing wrong. It was an unfortunate accident."

She smiled. "Yeah, maybe I should have warned you that we haven't used that toaster in months… it had electrical problems, but we never got it fixed, or threw it away. Oops."

He looked at her irately, then stalked off to the bathroom to try to tame his wild appearance.

Twenty minutes later he emerged, smelling strongly of the floral-scented soap he had been forced to use to clean off. He wandered into the kitchen, and spotted a note, addressed to him, written in Serenity's rounded handwriting.

Kaiba, there are a few things you need to do today, please.

Firstly, go to the grocery store and get
-a loaf of bread (whole wheat)
-a box of cereal
-a carton of eggs
-a half-gallon of skim milk
-a 64 pack of diapers (get the store brand, they're the cheapest)
There's money on the table. I expect to get change.

Secondly, go to the library and return this stack of library books, and ask for the ones on hold under "Wheeler, Serenity." My library card is next to the money.

Thirdly, take Rei to the park, and feed the ducks. She loves that. There's formula in bottles in the fridge, and her diaper bag is on the chair next to the TV.

Can you make sure that Joey's up by 8:30? Sometimes he sleeps through his alarm, and he needs to be up by 8:30 to get to work on time.

I'll be home by 3:00, but I have to leave shortly after for work. I would ask you to make dinner tonight, but in all honesty, I don't trust you in the kitchen. I think you would manage to burn a salad.

Kaiba detected a small amount of sarcasm in her note, but at the same time, had to marvel at her organizational skills. Everything – money, library card, books – was laid out neatly on the table, and she seemed to have the entire day planned out.

Kaiba glanced over at the clock above the oven. 7:30… that gave him a little while before he had to wake the mutt, and a few hours before he had to run those errands.

He walked a few feet to the couch, and his duffel bag that lay beside it. He rummaged around, pushing aside junk, until he pulled out a sheaf of papers. He brought these over to the kitchen table, and spread them out, intently studying the blueprints for the interior of the downtown Kaiba Corp building.

-V-

Fortunately, Kaiba hadn't needed to venture into the dangerous vortex of filth, otherwise known as Joey's room. The mutt had woken himself up, frightened from nightmares of scary children and murderous rag dolls. Kaiba had heard the audible thump of the blond falling out of his bed, and heard the subsequent series of profanities that resulted from an unpleasant wakeup.

When Joey entered the kitchen/living room area, he stopped dead at the sight of Kaiba. Kaiba could see the other bristling at the invasion of his home by his worst enemy.

Kaiba spoke first. "Wheeler, for your sister's sake, I would like to call a temporary truce to hostilities between us. I realize that I am a guest in your home, and am staying here through your and your sister's good graces, and I would like to make it as pleasant an experience as possible for everyone involved."

Joey blinked, processing Kaiba's words. "Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea, Kaiba. Don't mess with me, and I won't mess with you." He nodded curtly, then strode towards the door, muttering under his breath.

The brunet turned his attention back to the Kaiba Corp plans. He was studying possible entrances or exits into and out of the building, when crying noises emerged from Rei's bedroom.

He rushed in, nervous; Rei did not often cry (last night had been one of the few times), and he was worried that her cries signified that something was wrong. He dashed into the bedroom and looked frantically towards the crib… only to see a happily gurgling Rei.

"I swear," he said to her, "you're mocking me, aren't you? You know I'll drop whatever I'm doing, and come running in, if you start wailing." He smiled; he had been told that, as a baby, he had done the same thing. "Well, at least you're not a moron like certain people who live in this apartment."

Rei looked at him reproachfully as he changed her diaper.

"Ok, ok, I know you like your Uncle. I actually made an agreement not to taunt him anymore. But you won't tell him I said he's a moron, will you?" he asked, in a mock-serious tone.

Rei blew a raspberry at him.

He taped her diaper shut, then hefted her up in the air and held her aloft and stared at her. "Madam, you seemed to have developed quite an attitude in the past few weeks. I think you've been spending too much time with your mother… talk about an attitude…" Kaiba considered Serenity's perpetual cleverness, and her quick retorts, and had to shake his head in admiration. She's almost as good as I am.

"Well," he continued, watching Rei squirm around, eager to get down, "I think you need some fatherly influence time, so I can undo whatever evils Serenity has instilled in you."

He carried her into the kitchen, and strapped her into her high chair at the table. Then he went into the kitchen to microwave a bottle of formula for her breakfast. (He hoped not to have another repeat of the morning's fire incident, and was relieved when the microwave binged successfully.)

He took an apple for himself, then sat down at the table and turned on the television, thinking to see the morning news like usual. He wished he hadn't.

Disgraced CEO Seto Kaiba sells out to major competitor! read a headline on the bottom of the screen. The anchorman was detail the transaction, and the immediate takeover of Kaiba Corp by N-Technologies.

Kaiba put the half-eaten apple down, his appetite gone. He sighed, shook his head, and buried his face in his hands for a moment, absolutely silent.

Rei stopped drinking, and looked at her father. He had come back into her life very suddenly, though she wasn't surprised. She knew Daddy was a good person (well, when he wasn't too stressed he was a good person), and she knew that Mommy was a good person, and she knew that Mommy wouldn't keep Daddy away forever.

Daddy looked funny now, though. He was wearing different clothes (not those strange ones anymore), and his hair was messy and his eyes tired. And yet, in some ways, he was exactly the same. Take right now, for example; he was staring at the TV, smiling like he did before he would yell at his workers. It was a funny face.

Kaiba smirked at the TV. So now Harrison's touting himself as CEO of Kaiba Corp? Harrison, old friend, the public will be calling for you to step down very very soon. I'll give you a taste of being CEO… and then I'll ruin you, and before you know it, you'll be in jail and I'll be back.

Seto Kaiba, child prodigy and expert CEO, was planning.

-V-

Though if anyone had been witness to the present scene, they would have doubted the CEO's ability to plot and scheme company takeovers, when he couldn't even handle mundane tasks like grocery shopping.

"Couldn't her directions have been a bit more specific?" lamented Kaiba, as he stared up in despair at the shelves and shelves of whole-wheat breads.

It had been difficult enough even finding the bread aisle; if he had been in charge of the grocery store, he would have come up with a logical method for organizing food. Who on earth put the baked goods between condiments and canned foods?

And why so many different types of the same kind of bread? There were brands left and right, weaving a dizzying spell of colors and words that confused Kaiba to no end.

He was Seto Kaiba, (soon to be) President and CEO of Kaiba Corp. He had people to do this stuff for him.

Finally, he just closed his eyes and tugged one randomly from the shelf. He opened his eyes to see the loaf (Grandma's Stone-Ground All Natural Hearth-Baked) in his hand… and the multitude of loaves at his feet, which his actions had sent tumbling to the floor.

He threw the loaf in the cart, looked around for any observers, and high-tailed it out of the aisle. He didn't want any irate employees to come up and yell at him… again. (He would always carry the scars of the Great Cereal Aisle Fiasco. All those sharp, gaudy boxes… falling… falling… )

He checked the list, and sighed with relief. "It's about time we got out of this hell hole," he informed Rei, and wheeled his way to the cashier.

As she rang up his groceries, the young cashier stared blatantly at Kaiba. He was no fool; he knew that he would attract a lot of attention doing domestic errands in downtown Domino, and of course he was prepared with a knockout disguise…

…Well, if dark sunglasses and a baseball cap constituted a knockout disguise. (The sunglasses were his. He had ventured into the Mutt's room to find the cap, and had checked it thoroughly for fleas before putting it on.)

"You look familiar," said the cashier. "Are you on TV, or something?"

"Uh, no," he said, rising his voice an octave, as he nervously pulled the brim of the cap down to shadow his face.

She stared more intently, then smiled. "Oh, I know! You kinda resemble my old boss; yeah, I used to work at Kaiba Corp, and I was Kaiba's secretary. He was hot, sure, but he was such a jerk! He fired me, and I didn't even do anything!"

Kaiba had to bite back a scathing retort. "Oh, is that so?" he asked. Maybe that is why he fired you… He remembered this particular secretary as extraordinarily creepy. He could stand fans in moderation (after all, he was Seto Kaiba; of course the public would admire him). But this girl proved to be a little too obsessive for comfort. When he had found the pictures in her desk, pictures of his face taped on another man's naked body (the thought made him shudder), he had decided it was time for her to go.

Kaiba paid for his groceries, then snatched up the bag in one arm, Rei in the other, and sprinted for the door. He wouldn't feel comfortable until he was far far away from his neurotic fan.

-V-

Silly creatures, thought Kaiba scornfully. Why do they fight like that for morsels of soggy bread?

Kaiba was sitting on a bench in the park, Rei beside him. This bench was one of several that bordered a small pond, habituated by a population of ducks. At present, the entire flock was in front of their bench, quacking and squawking and honking for the scraps of bread Kaiba was throwing in the lake.

Rei was delighted by the antics of the waterfowl. She was giggling and clapping her hands in jubilation as the ducks pushed and shoved for the free meal. Kaiba watched, slightly envious; how did people find delight in such simple things? He was happy after winning a duel, or firing indolent employees, or working the snarls out of a reluctant computer program. He enjoyed things that set him apart from others, that demanded intellect and prowess.

He tried to see it from the duck watcher perspective. They got to sit for hours – and watch the ducks – watch the ducks flap around like feathered idiots –

The activity was beyond him.

To pass the time, he decided to study the park. To the left of the pond was a path leading to a close-by fountain. Behind was a large play field, where there were always obnoxious sports teams vying for some insignificant goal or another. To the right was a broad path that lead down a tree-lined boulevard.

"Seto! Seto! Watch me climb this tree!" yelled Mokuba exuberantly to his older brother.

Kaiba stiffened. It seemed such a short time ago that Mokuba would scamper down these paths, oblivious to the dangers of skinned knees in favor of climbing one of the ancient trees, with limbs that would allow him to climb so very high towards the sky.

Mokuba was at the top of the tree, perched precariously on the uppermost branch. He suddenly pitched forward with a little squeak, and Seto sprinted, ready to catch his younger brother. But Mokuba caught himself adeptly, and laughed. "I tricked you!" he said gleefully.

Mokuba had always been the more carefree of the Kaiba brothers. He would have understood this duck watching activity… and he would have taken part with enthusiasm, cheering and laughing as the ducks got their bread.

Kaiba looked over at Rei, imagining Mokuba in her place. Imagining her in Mokuba's place. Imagining her scampering along, running towards the ice cream stand – only to have her life cut painfully short by one savage businessman.

Kaiba could feel his eyes getting hot at the thought of the pain, at the thought of the loss of another innocent life.

He would not allow Harrison a second chance.

"Kaiba!" yelled a voice in the distance. Kaiba turned abruptly to see a figure with long auburn hair strolling down the path.

"Quiet!" he reproached Serenity. "I'm trying to keep a low profile."

"Oh yeah," she laughed, "nothing suspicious about dark sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled down to your chin. Is that Joey's?"

"Would I own a garment like this?" he asked her, indicating the garish baseball cap. "I could care less about foreign sports."

"Well there's no one else around," she replied, "so you can remove the getup. You look ridiculous."

Kaiba scowled, but removed the apparel.

"I take it you got the errands done?" she asked him.

He nodded dumbly, trying to suppress the memory.

"Good," she said, and the conversation descended into awkward silence as the two watched Rei, who was contentedly eating bread.

"I thought you had work?" he asked.

"I do. I just got home, and noticed that neither of you was there. I've got a couple of minutes to spare before I have to go, so I decided to check the park."

He looked over at her black and white waitress uniform. "Ah," he said.

There was another awkward silence, longer than the first. Serenity realized that all she or the CEO ever talked about were Rei, her brother (and his many shortcomings), or mundane topics like current events and the weather. She could never remember having a true conversation with the uptight man.

So it was quite surprising when, out of the blue, Kaiba asked her, "What is the appeal of watching ducks?"

……What this some sort of joke? For that matter, did Kaiba ever joke? She stared at him, but he appeared completely serious, staring into her eyes with his deep blue ones.

She contemplated. "Well, I guess people like watching the ducks because ducks lead simpler lives. Their goals in life are to eat, and to live, and they aren't troubled by all the problems we face. They eat the food at one pond, and then when there's no more they fly away to another one. If they're hungry, they can leave their problems behind and start over easily. They're simple creatures, and they're amusing to watch. Sometimes people just like to relax, and forget the complications of their lives."

Kaiba turned, to stare out over the lake at the ducks, which were rising from it in formation. He watched as they spread their wings, and one by one flew up into the air. "They can leave their problems behind and start over easily." Hah, if only it were that easy.

Suddenly he felt something warm wrap around his shoulders. He instinctively jerked away, and stared down in amazement at Serenity, who was blushing the most luminous shade of red.

"Did you… was that…?" He was at a loss for words.

"I'm so sorry… I really shouldn't have done that. It's just, you looked so sad… you looked like you needed a hug." She jumped up from the bench, as if something had stung her. "I really have to get to work… I'll see you later." And with that, she was out of there like a renegade cannon shot.

This day was just getting stranger and stranger for the confused young man. He was at a total loss for words, and had no idea what to make of Serenity's strange attack. He considered the fact that it was his irresistible charm that had made the girl throw herself at him. (After all, it seemed that none of the girls of Domino were impervious to his good lucks and riches). Women would do the oddest things in his presence.

Then why has she never expressed any desire for me before? he pondered. All those outings, all those meetings, she never once looked at me in any more-than-platonic way? Why not? What is there about her that's so different from other women? Why doesn't she worship me?

All at once, Kaiba realized that he was a bit hurt by the idea. Before he had brushed off his hoards of admirers as an annoyance, but now he was, dare he even think it, upset because he failed to catch the eye of one girl? He didn't know why he was taking it so personally; this was Wheeler, sister of the Mutt! She was nothing special to him! Why should he care!

Well, she's not like most bimbos her age, he had to admit. While he saw too many a gaggle of giggling girls swarming the streets of Domino, gossiping and wasting time shopping and staring at guys, Kaiba knew that Serenity attended school half the day, then went straight to her job and did not get home until late at night. And of course, once she was home she had to take care of her brother (who could not possibly fend for himself, or so Kaiba assumed) and Rei. She worked almost as hard as he did, and yet she still managed to be bright and cheerful, which he would never achieve.

And she was a good mother, too. He thought back to the previous night, when she had taken Rei so gently into her arms, and held her there so lovingly… the moonlight spilling though the window over the two, reflecting off Serenity's auburn hair and giving it an ethereal look. Her lips, as she murmured good night, round and red and perfect in the pale light… her small nose, and her large eyes, framed by long lashes…

And all at once Kaiba understood. He had read about such cases, of course, but had never experienced the condition for himself, preferring to bury himself in his work and avoid exposure to the pathogen. He had contracted it so suddenly, it caught him completely off guard. But he refused to lie to himself when he knew the truth.

He had, for lack of a better word, a crush on Serenity.

NO! protested his panicked brain. I don't like her! She's a Wheeler! She's probably as bad as her brother! She's probably worse!

But Kaiba knew that wasn't true. He sifted through his memories with her; going to the zoo and watching her make faces at the hippos, strolling though the park watching her push the stroller while talking about her brother's latest duel monsters endeavors, sitting with her on the desert island while building a sand castle for Rei…

YOU IDIOT! raged the voice in his head. You're an absolute moron, you hear me? How could you, completely out of the blue, fall head over heels for some girl! Huh? HUH? You're Seto Kaiba, President and CEO of Kaiba Corp! You're a businessman now, not some hopeless teenager with overactive hormones! You hate the Mutt, and you hate anything to do with the Mutt! Don't be stupid, and DON'T think you're "in love". You're incapable of love!

That's not true, Kaiba realized thunderstruck. I have ALWAYS loved Mokuba, and I love Rei! He paused, and realized, Maybe if I can love them… I can love others too. Maybe I really AM in love…

Rei shrieked, bringing Kaiba out of his reverie. She stared at him, with an expression he suspected was mocking amusement.

"Ok, ok, Miss Smarty," he said impatiently. "I know you're so much more intelligent than I am, but I really do need to figure this out."

"Da da da," she said reproachfully.

"It's just… why, right now, why all of a sudden do I realize this? Is it supposed to happen this quickly?" Kaiba mused.

She stared up at him blankly.

"Of course, of course, you're a baby. Still, you have as much experience as I do in matters like these. I could use all the help I can get." He sorely wished there was a book somewhere that would tell him how to go about deciding whether or not these spontaneous notions were an indicator of true underlying feelings, or if it was just some biological fluke in his brain that a good night's sleep would take care of.

Damn Wheeler. This is all her fault. That "hug" of hers was the catalyst that started all these problems… maybe she should just keep her hands to herself.

Mutely, Kaiba realized that this was the last thing he wanted.

And then he realized, maybe the hug signified that Serenity felt affection for him too.

-V-

Kaiba was sitting at the table, tracing over the Kaiba Corp blueprints with a pencil and making notes. He got up and walked into the kitchen to pour himself another mug of tea – and thought he could hear the sounds of the door creaking open, as if the enterer did not want herself to be heard.

He turned abruptly, and saw Serenity in the act of tiptoeing across the room, heading for the hall. She caught his eye, and turned a magnificent shade of scarlet. He remembered her embarrassment that afternoon, and felt his face warm slightly as well.

He held up the teapot, and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

She nodded minutely, then inched towards the table and took a seat opposite Kaiba's. He returned and set her favorite mug down in front of her, which she quickly grasped and brought up to her lips, drawing the tea into her mouth through her two cherry lips…

Shaking his head to rid himself of such foolishness (though the action was in vain), he sat down opposite with his own mug and drank, staring over the rim at the object of his affections.

She downed the entire mug, then said, "Kaiba, about earlier today… I- I don't know, exactly, why I –"

"It's ok," he interrupted.

"I – uh, what?"

"It's ok," he repeated. "It's understandable. You are taking care of a child, and have maternal instincts to help those in distress. You thought I was upset, so, naturally, you treated me in a compassionate way as any mother would have an inclination to do."

"Oh… ok, then," she replied a bit uneasily. "Uh… speaking of Rei, did you put her to sleep?"

"Your brother gave her a bath, then put her to sleep," he replied. "That was an hour ago. Then he left; he said he was going over to Yugi's house."

"Um… he said, or he yelled?" she asked teasingly. "I somehow don't see the two of you having a civil conversation about his evening plans."

"We have declared a truce," he explained. "We are trying to remain on cordial terms with each other."

"Hah, I'll believe THAT when I see it!" she retorted, smiling her brilliant smile at him.

Kaiba faltered, looking at that smile, and her amused face. She gazed back at him, and the two sat that way for a moment, staring at each other and the unreadable expressions on each other's faces. Then, suddenly, Serenity jumped up and babbled, "I really have to get to bed – I mean, I have to go to sleep because I have to get up early tomorrow. You know, school and all." For the second time that day, she scurried away from him, and Kaiba could tell that she was embarrassed.

"Good night," he said after her.

"Good night, Kaiba," she replied from down the hall.

Kaiba realized that after drinking several mugs of caffeinated tea, he wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon. He decided that he would finish his plan that night, and broach it to Serenity tomorrow. Well, he would broach it to her if the two could sit down for more than a few minutes without being embarrassed in each other's presence, that is.

An hour later, he stared down at the building blueprints covered in pencil marks, and smiled at his ingenuity. Even for him it was a remarkable plan, and it would be especially remarkable if he could successfully pull it off. He was confident in the technical aspect of the plan, but one obstacle remained… he had to convince Serenity to help him. Her role was crucial if he wanted to get in the building, and she needed to pull it off flawlessly if he wanted to regain his company.

Would she help him? It was not too long ago that she despised him, and was happy to see his fall from power. But more recently, she had allowed him to stay in her home, and had hugged him when he looked sad. He had a pretty good feeling that her opinion of him was improving, and maybe she would be willing to help him regain his fortune, if not for him then at least for Rei.

Impulsively, he got up from the table and padded softly down the hall. He saw her bedroom door ajar, and pushed it open ever so slightly, peering into the moonlit chamber. He saw her lying on her side, with her blankets pulled up snugly under her chin. Her hair streamed out behind her, but a few strands framed her face, graced by an expression of tranquility. In this moment, Kaiba realized that Serenity was a perfect name; she lay on her bed, utterly serene, with a poignant beauty far surpassing the physical.

Kaiba shut the door, feeling like an intruder into her personal realm. What right did he have to impose on her happiness, to ask her to risk herself on his behalf?

The voice in his mind piped up, offering startling encouragement. You saw the way she looked at you earlier. You know she likes you, at least a little. You should use that knowledge and manipulate her into helping you.

Kaiba wandered back into the kitchen. Manipulating Serenity into helping him was the last thing he wanted to do. He held the girl in high esteem, and respected her. If she was going to assist him, he wanted it to be because she truly wanted to help him. That way, he would know that she liked him. It would mean that he had a chance with her.

He lay down on the couch. I've come to terms with the fact that maybe I like her. What do I do now? He was up most of the night, pondering that question.

-

V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V

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In general I like this (unusually long) chapter, but I think it has some serious flaws. I think I made Kaiba OOC, and I think I made his romantic revelation too sudden. The problem was, I realized that I should have been building up the romance for a while now, but I couldn't find any good opportunities.

At any rate, Kaiba now knows that he has a crush on Serenity, and so far we can guess that she has one on him too. (Yeah, I'm guessing too because I don't really know yet ;-) ).

I'm anticipating five more chapters, though depending on how much I put in each chapter, there could be more or fewer. There's also going to be an epilogue that will tie up things nicely.

I want to be done with this story by the end of summer. I'm hoping for some regular updates (with school out of the way!) and as long as I update about twice a month (which shouldn't be too hard) this story will be done before September. Gasp… I've never successfully finished a fanfic (sigh) so it should be a major accomplishment.

Reviews would be highly appreciated!