Chapter Nine: I Have To Obey My Consciences (Part One)

So, I didn't start off from chapter eight's cliffy either, *avoids garbage being thrown at her* sorry!

But in this chapter...we get to learn about what goes inside the mind of Serenity.

Moonlite Goddess: I promised I'd thank you, didn't I? I am an author of my word, so thank you!

Vendred13: Thank you, and I can see that you like the Kisara parts. Isn't Kisara awesome? I don't know much about her personality, but I'm trying to make her seem like someone who won't be weak. So she really contradicts her Manga form. I hope you and your sister are enjoying this fic! Happy early birthday!

Kikoken: You nearly gave me a heart attack when you said that you couldn't update! I'm so glad that you can, 'cause I have to find out what happens in A Strange Crush, The Serenity Diaries, To Love The Enemy.... Wait, why are you wasting time reading my little fic, continue yours! Thank you!

Serryn: I'll thank you, but can you please tell me what you meant when you said that you didn't like the "downtime" . I'm a bit confused, but thanks for taking the time to review!

v son sayian: Thanks for reading my little fic, and I'll I can tell you about Serenity's alter ego is that her name is Kisara, and she's not an OC. To tell you the truth, I don't even know if I'm supposed to be using her. All other questions will be answered in good time.

Which reminds me, I DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH! 'CAUSE IF I DID, TRISTAN WOULD DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLUS, I DON'T OWN KISARA. SHE IS A COMPLETE CHARACTER IN THE MANGA/EGYPTIAN FLASHBACK THINGY.

Sakura Kaiba: Thank you soooooooo much! Your reviews are always so sweet, and they always make me feel so appreciated. I'm so glad that you think I should continue this story, and I'm so glad that I have such a loyal reviewer like you always there to encourage Really And Truly's writing! Also, Kaiba didn't tell the company that he had a girlfriend...think a few steps higher!

Luthien-Anwaman: Thank you also soooooooo much! I'm so glad that you like this fic!

MusicLover: Thanks for reviewing! :)

AngelEnchantress: What a pretty pen name! Thanks for reviewing! About your guess as to what Kaiba was gonna ask Serenity to do, you guessed well! ^.^

Mystique: Oh you reviewed! Thank you so much! And thanks for adding me to favorites!

kotori*fee: I'm so glad you like this fic! Thanks! ^.^

Sapphire Dragon: Nice pen name. Did you get it from Xiaolin Showdown? I'm soooooooo happy you like this fic! Thanks for reviewing, and hopefully I'm not dead 'cause I did continue this fic!

Angel Blossom 247: Thanks for reviewing!

I'm-A-Shady-Gurl: Calm down, the chapter's here...Thanks for reviewing! ^^

Cara Kaiba: Thank you,; your review made me feel so appreciated.

Hating: Thanks for reviewing! And calm down, the next chapter's here! :P

MistressMoonDemon: Don't go crazy 'cause I have decided to continue this fic...for the time being at least. Thanks!

Mari Star 146: Thank you for liking "Really And Truly"! Thanks for reviewing! ^.^

Cherry Arrow: I'm so happy that you like my little ficcy! Thanks fo reviewing! ( 3

pisces14071: You said that this was one of the best SxS fics on ff.net! You have NO idea how much that means to me! Thanks for reviewing!

Chaos Person: Thanks for liking the chapter and thanks for reviewing!

Kalisin of Conte: Thanks for liking this fic and thanks for adding me to favorites! :)

wblueg210: Thanks for reviewing. And by the way, Kisara is a character in the Manga who has the true ka of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. I just thought that combining Serenity and Kisara was such a cool idea, and I haven't actually seen it done before

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

(AN: I told you I wasn't gonna start with Chapter Eight's cliffhanger...*avoids more garbage*)

Here we find Serenity, in KaibaCorp's basement, digging relentlessly through what we know as a file cabinet. This is a real strange place to find Miss Wheeler at the moment, for as most of you probably know, the basement of a building is a real demotion for a CEO's secretary, for, as I'm sure that most of you already know, the basement of a any company (even KaibaCorp) is a highly filthy place.

So, as we join Serenity here in the basement, searching for some necessary files that her boss asked her to retrieve, we wonder what her mind is telling her.

"Stupid Kaiba, he's trying to scare me," she mumbled as she searched through the M-N cabinet of a very large file holder. "Madison, Maladies, Malarkeys..." she read as she fingered through certain files.

Serenity had no idea what to think of her boss at the moment. First of all, she practically ruined the best deal in his life by assaulting his very important business associate. And no matter how much Mokuba tried to persuade her, that wasn't a good thing. She really shouldn't be mad at her boss, for she could've cost-ok, probably did cost him the BEST FREAKIN DEAL EVER, but she didn't trust the look in his eyes.

There was just something in those flamboyant blue windows when he stared at her intently that sent shivers of fear, curiosity, and unbelievably, anger, down her spine.

//He was staring at you.//

And so said the voice that is always joined by the two slashes (//). This voice seemed to come and go as it pleased, and its topic was usually always about a certain CEO.....

But then again, this voice being Serenity's conscience, we can't blame the poor voice for what Serenity thinks.

//The way his eyes were fixed on you...//

"Machinery, Macro, Macrobiotic Parts...." Serenity said as she continued thumbing through alphabetically-organized files.

I mean, wasn't it bad enough that she was working for him? Wait, why was she working for him again?

"Right-mom, and college money-" she told herself between the files Magnates and Magnum Opuses.

Honestly, she didn't even remember thinking about ever working at KaibaCorp, nor did she remember seeing that ad in the newspaper for the job. She had not the slightest trace of memory of the bus ride to KaibaCorp....but she remembered when Mokuba called her name in the middle of all the girls, and she sort of woke up from a daydream, that she didn't even remember beginning.

//What do you think his stares were for?//

"Mailing, Maims..." Serenity continued glancing at all these papers, not once finding the ones she was assigned to look for.

Wasn't it bad enough that she was working for him? But no........she ends up screwing the future of his company by attacking that Bolidaman.

//She deserved it.//

Then, possibly in a more cruelly, and more sickening way to get revenge on her, Kaiba gives her his version of the Evil Eye, which, quite honestly, can leave a person in a mist of darkness and insanity .

"Natal Parts, National Business Parties," she read once again.

"Hey," she realized, she had already entered the N's! A bad thing for Serenity, for the file she was to retrieve was in M's, and she really and truly wanted to get those files to her boss as quickly as possible, for she really and truly didn't want to upset him-again.

So here she was, degraded from being the CEO's secretary, to rummaging for a petty file in the basement, like a hardly minimum wage-paid assistant.

Serenity, rummaging through files for Kaiba, just like a dog.

Rummaging for a stupid file, like a dog, bringing her boss's vindictive similes to life for a stupid file that she couldn't even find.

Serenity rolled her eyes in a huff of anger, cursing Kaiba and his childish similes.

//Don't you get it? There are no files with that name. He sent you down here on a false mission so he could have time to stall.//

"I already passed Mass-Production," she said as she skimmed through the files backwards.

Keep looking, Serenity. I don't know why I'm not just making you quit, but keep continuing on your little hunt....

//Are you ignoring me?// The voice asked, with a bit of anger gliding in her words.

Serenity continued looking through the files. Perhaps that stupid file was in another file cabinet.

//At least humor me.// The voice asked as Serenity scanned through Managers and Main Accessibility Options.

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$

So now we join Serenity-ok, a part of Serenity in the only place where I'd write strictly in only italics.

Here we are in this aura of purply smoke. This echoic zone where Serenity confides her deepest, darkest secrets.

//Ugh! She won't listen to me!// a very familiar voice complained as it crossed its arms through the purply smoke. //Doesn't she know that what I tell her can only benefit her?!//

"That's because she's a good girl," another voice answered. "And she knows that you're a crooked worm that has a school-girl crush on Seto Kaiba," it said as the voice got louder and louder.

//Not you again...// the voice groaned, turning around to face the only other responding figment that could've been possibly been in this region.

A version of Serenity, dressed strictly in a crisp and clean school uniform, with her hair hanging perfectly without a single split-end, appeared through the purply-pink haze.

"I have always told Serenity to do what's right, and you, you little parasite, won't take that reputation that I've persuaded so much to build away from me!" The strict Serenity made clear, as her perfect ponytail swayed viciously.

//I don't want to ruin Serenity's reputation, really,// the voice started as it pulled up the hood on its back to make sure that this real figment of Serenity couldn't see her face, //I'm trying to-//

"YOU'RE RUINING HER! RUINING HER! RUINING HER!" The voice shrieked, sounding much like Bolidaman. "AND I'LL MAKE IT CLEAR RIGHT HERE THAT-"

The hooded figment gave the babbling voice a strict look, despite the hood over her head, that practically petrified the yelling imaginary being.

//It is time that you learn to control that pestering tongue of yours.// the hooded figure declared like a true hero.

"I-owww....WI--ll- what did you do to my voice?!" The restricted voice asked in a very slithery and hoarse whisper, as it grabbed its neck to make sure everything was in place.

The cloaked figure watched in sheer amusement as the raspy-voiced being succumbed its hands around its neck.

The poor raucous-toned organism tried to soothe its neck, but all efforts were futile, for the being felt as if a crab was squeezing its pincers on her neck.

//What is the matter?// the hooded figure asked in innocent amusement, //Bastet got your tongue?// (AN: Bastet is the Egyptian word for cat)

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

"Ohhhhhh...." Serenity suddenly gasped as she lifted her head from the deep file cabinet.

Serenity started to feel dizzy-not dizzy, more disheveled.

Something felt too powerful, and something felt like it didn't have enough power.

Something, something important, it seemed, had been taken away...

Serenity blinked her eyes a few times, and started staring at the files again.

MISCHIEF! MISCHIEF! MISCHIEF!

Serenity really wanted to do something bad....something that nobody would even think to consider that she would do....

//Aren't you supposed to be looking for something?//

"Right," Serenity said, squinting her eyes for some unknown reason.... "I have to find that..."

DISOBEDIENCE! NAUGHTYNESS! TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!

Ohhhhhh, someone's conscience has been disconnected.

Feeling a bit light-headed again, Serenity? Remember, girl, you're on a search for something....

//File// the voice reminded.

"Right-find the file," she told herself.

Keep your focus straight girl!

So here we find poor Serenity searching and searching, futilely.

Now, why do I say that her search is futile?

It's simple, really, for that voice that is always associated with the two slashes (//) was actually right about one thing: Kaiba sent Serenity on a false mission.

Yes, Serenity's boss, better known as Seto Kaiba sent that poor girl on a false mission. Why? Obviously to stall and get her out of the room for something.

But I'm typing too much now...

Now, I suppose you're gonna ask me what is so important for Serenity not to hear that Kaiba sent her on a false mission...

*Most readers shake their heads*

Ok, but I'll tell you anyway:

(Don't worry, I'll get to Kaiba in a minute....)

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$

But let's check in with poor Joey first.......

Remember where we last left Joey?

People, it was in the last chapter.

So while most readers go back to *remember* what happened, let's recap:

Joey and serenity, outside KaibaCorp parking lot, Joey locked door, Serenity couldn't get out, Joey wanted to talk, Serenity refused, Serenity tries to leave, all attempts all useless, Serenity gives up, Joey watches as she falls asleep, Joey listens as Serenity talks to "herself", Serenity says she needs somebody, the car door "magically" opens, Serenity runs for her life into KaibaCorp, and Joey is left staring after Serenity, questioning Tristan's mechanic skills....

That was a pretty big run-on.

So now, we reintroduce Joey-

Who's pretty mad.

Mad? You ask, of who?

If I honestly have to answer that question...

Of course, half of you readers are at the moment, skipping over this part and getting to Kaiba, but okay...

Joey's mad at Serenity, of course.

So right now, Joey's pacing in his living room, because first of all: Serenity and Kaiba, and both those names used in the same sentence pissed him off. And another thing, he had Serenity cornered, as in 'You have no way out 'cause you're locked in a car with me and I won't let you leave' type of cornered. But, due to Tristan's mechanic "skills", Serenity got away.

But we mustn't forget where Serenity got away to...

Anywhere but there, in Joey's opinion...

And another thing that got Joey really, really, (and I mean REALLY) frustrated was the fact that he left Yugi to housesit his house, of course, but on Joey's drive home, (of course, after he had his car fixed) he found Yugi, at a bus stop, eating an ice cream cone.

So, after Joey practically threw Yugi in his car, and threw away poor Yugi's ice cream, he nearly had an accident *driving* home.

So, here we find Yugi and Joey in Joey's living room.

Joey-pacing, Yugi-sitting on Joey's couch, wondering about his ice cream. That was good ice cream Joey threw away.

"DO YA BELIE' DA NEVE OF DAT GIRL???????!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed at Yugi, while he was pacing, bringing Yugi out of his ice cream trance. "KAIBA HAS GOT HER UNDA' SUM SORTA SPELL AND DAT'S WHY SHE WON'T LISTEN TA ME!!!"

Yugi looked up at Joey. First he gave him a look of "You threw my ice cream away," but then he gave Joey a look that read "You are an over-protective idiot."

"Joey," Yugi assured, "She's not in love with him or anything. You know she only works there 'cause she gets good money, and that money goes to a good cause."

"There are otha' ways ta make money," Joey reminded as he continued this annoying pacing.

"Joey," Yugi started in a 'Duh!' voice, "She's the CEO's direct secretary. Sure there are 'other' ways to make money, but can you think of a job that gives you more money than a multi-billion dollar company's CEO's secretary without a college education? I'm surprised Kaiba even found her qualified enough..."

Joey stopped pacing for a moment.

What Yugi had to say did make sense....

Why would Kaiba, of all people, choose Serenity as a secretary?

He had all of the female population of Domino City at his fingertips, but he chose Serenity.

And not just any Serenity, Serenity Wheeler...

So the question is, why did Kaiba find Serenity as in Serenity Wheeler, sister of Joey Wheeler, Kaiba's "pet-dog", qualified enough to become his, as in Kaiba's, secretary.

"Why did he find her 'qualified enough'?" Joey asked, slowly, coming closer to Yugi.

Yugi, who was thinking about his creamy chocolate-chip and cookie dough ice-cream cone, snapped back into reality for a second, and was a bit frightened to see what he saw next.

Joey was nearly protruding into Yugi's personal space with his face.

Eye-to-eye, Joey was nonverbally interrogating Yugi. Yugi pressed his back harder into the couch.

"Joey," Yugi said calmly, "My face needs its space."

"Why aren't ya worried?" Joey asked, backing away, a bit.

"About what?" Yugi asked, trying to keep his mind off of that ice-cream cone, as rich and creamy as it was with its luscious cholesterol goodness.

"You seem so sure that Serenity is fine with Kaiba," Joey said, enunciating and speaking very softly.

"And she wouldn't be because...."

Joey, who was now lingering his head over Yugi's, could not, and I mean could not believe what he was hearing.

Joey started shaking his hands frantically. Clenching his fists, he tried oh so very hard not to smack Yugi.

Yugi at first simply stared at Joey vehemently vibrating his hands.

Then Yugi, who was a very brave kid, simply pressed his back harder into the couch, relaxed, and smirked at Joey. Thus, challenging Joey to hit him.

Yugi wasn't really worried at all, for he knew that whenever anyone tried to attack him, his millennium spirit would protect him....but that wasn't such a good strategy.

Your Millennium Puzzle can do a lot of things, Yugi, but never, and I mean never rely on your Yami as a form of self-defense.

(AN: Pay attention, 'cause if I decide to further write this story, that fact comes in handy much, much, much later...)

Joey, who believed in not picking on smaller kids *Yugi*, still shaking his hands, turned sharply around to avoid Yugi's exigent smile.

"Yugi," Joey started, walking farther and farther away from Yugi, "you know Kaiba."

"Yes, I do, but you seem to think that that's a bad thing," Yugi practically shot at Joey.

"Yugi," Joey started once again, trying so very, very hard not to raise his blood pressure with more of this topic, "it is a bad thing."

"Joey-"

"Listen, Kaiba does not like me, and he knows that I care for ma sista' with all my heart, and he uses that to his advantage..."

"What advantage? Serenity never complains about her job! Now then-"

"She came home mo' then one time complanin' about him! Remember the pizza parlor?!!!"

"We were all there, Joey, and we all know what happened."

"Really? Tell me, Yugi, why was Kaiba starin' at ma sista'?"

Now Yugi fell silent for a moment.

Yugi, maybe it's time to tell Joey.

But...never mind; Joey's not ready to know anyway.

Joey, victoriously turned around, to find Yugi twiddling with his thumbs, shoulders hunched, mentally debating something.

"I got you there, didn't I?" Joey asked, triumphantly showing off his not-yet-won victory.

Just like a Wheeler, asking about their victories, when they haven't officially won yet...

"But Joey-" Yugi started once again, coming to a decision, but this time he was cut off by the door being kicked open.

And might I mention that the door was kicked open with a BANG! As in, a huge thundering sound that caused Yugi and Joey to visibly jump, and turn their backs to the doorway.

Yugi cowardly took a pillow from the couch, and hid his face behind it.

Joey, who was acting more of a coward than Yugi, stole the pillow from Yugi's hands, leaving poor Yugi defenseless, from whoever was the source of that BANG! was...

Both boys shivered with fear, each secretly hoping that whoever was behind the door would take the other boy first.

"Hey," said a familiar voice, angrily...

"What the..." the two boys whispered.

Hearing the familiar, yet angry voice, Yugi and Joey carefully turned around.

Inch by inch, they started turning their bodies.

Slowly, their eyes furtively started looking towards the doorway.

Joey and Yugi peeked at the doorway....

Tristan Taylor stood angrily in the doorway.

Joey and Yugi, who were scared half-to-death for they thought it was a burglar on the other side of the door, stared angrily at Tristan.

Joey lowered his eyes like, Tristan's at Tristan.

"You're payin' fo' dat!" Joey clarified as he saw the hinge on the door go loose.

"Couldn't you knock?!" Yugi asked, heatedly, not having enjoyed being scared like that, as he stood up with his arms impatiently folded across his chest.

"I heard about Serenity," Tristan said with his eyebrows lowered in a threatening manner. (You know, when his eyes are all menacingly darkened.)

"How?" Joey asked.

You see, after Joey had his car fixed, (AN: There's a whole story behind that, but that'll come much later, if I decide to continue this fic!) he drove straight home, of course only to find Yugi eating an ice-cream cone, but never made a phone call in between, especially to Tristan...

"We've got connections," Duke Devlin explained as he appeared behind Tristan, with the same sadistically clouded eyes.

"You two are obsessed," Yugi said, noticing the fact Devlin and Tristan looked like mafia members ready to shoot a dozen or two people to death with their eyes shaded like that.

Yugi sat down quickly onto the couch. With his back pressed hardly into the sofa, he awaited quietly the explanation that Duke and Tristan had to give.

"So you know about-" Joey started, walking slowly to the beaten down door.

"Yes," the two responded in unison.

When Joey reached the two "obsessed ones", Devlin and Tristan gave Joey sharp looks. With Devlin's vivid emerald eyes crossed, and Tristan's eyes severely squinted.

Joey responded by giving the two a raised eyebrow.

The two nodded simultaneously.

Joey lowered his eyes, then flickered them twice.

The two, in response, harmoniously squinted their eyes.

Joey nodded.

Yugi started twitching his eyes: It's scary seeing a few of your good friends having a mental conversation.

Of course, Yugi wasn't sure whether or not the trio was conversing, or just making-up stupid eye and head movements.

In response to Joey's nod, Tristan and Duke lowered one eye, and widened the other one.

Joey bit his lip, closed his left eye and darted his right eye to the left.

"So it's all Kaiba's fault!" all three of them exclaimed.

Yugi widened his eyes at the three.

He widened his eyes wide like he couldn't decide whether the three were idiots, or simply underestimated for their communication abilities.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Yugi exclaimed as he stood off of the couch, hung his mouth opened, and watched the eye and hand gestures come and go.

After the three exclaimed Kaiba's wrong doing, Tristan darted his eyeballs from side to side.

Duke twisted his head to the right, and started rolling his eyes.

Joey put his hand on his chin, and observed this very closely.

So as they continued this "conversation", Yugi rolled his eyes.

Joey wasn't ready to know....

And about the topic of Serenity's safety with Kaiba....

Yugi knew that Serenity would be alright.

Call it a hunch...

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$$*$*

"Seto...." Mokuba whined, "Where'd you send Serenity. She's been gone for nearly 45 minutes!"

Mokuba, who was now playing in the swivel chair across from his brother, awaited an answer, impatiently.

The last time he had seen Serenity, she had just finished bringing Seto his coffee.

He couldn't really have eavesdropped on the conversation, for there were hardly any words used while she was in that room...

All he remembered hearing were the small squeaks coming from Serenity's mouth, but other than that, he had nothing.

But then again, those squeaks seemed to come from a voice trembling with fear.

She must've--or rather, he must've done something terribly wrong.

He remembered how she obediently rushed out of the office soon after...

Kaiba, who had the chair's back turned to Mokuba, sharply turned around, revealing his deep in thought eyes, with a dark aura surrounding them. His fingers pressed upon one another, and his head disturbingly lowered.

Seeing this, Mokuba felt shivers all about his neck and back, but quickly erased this fear of his own sibling.

"Where'd you send Serenity?" Mokuba asked, forgetting who he was talking to, with a quiver of anger in his voice.

Seto Kaiba, who was terribly amused by Mokuba's liking of the girl, decided to play with Mokuba a little....

"I sent the Wheeler....somewhere," he replied, all to sneakily.

Mokuba's eyes widened with alarming horror.

"Where did you send her?" Mokuba asked, jumping out of his chair and leaning over the desk.

Judging by Mokuba's voice....he was not in the mood for a joke.

"When...is...she...gonna....come...back?" Mokuba very steadily asked.

This was too much fun for Kaiba!

"If she does what I asked her to do right, she won't be back," Kaiba explained. loving the look his brother was giving him, which was much like Tristan and Duke's darkened eyes.

"You...yo-you didn't..." Mokuba said, backing away from his brother's desk. He was nearly about to cry, for if Serenity was fired, then his plans would really and truly be ruined...

"Go on," Kaiba tantalized, "If you run really fast, you can still catch her."

And this, my loyal readers, was Mokuba's breaking point.

Mokuba started to slip away from the desk, and he grabbed the chair for support. All his plans, his wonderful plans, they were ruined!!! All the times he complimented one in front of the other, hoping to build some interest. All his wonderful daydreams about headlines that read about a wedding between Seto Kaiba and Serenity Wheeler....Ruined!

"YOU FIRED HER?!!!!!!!!!" he wailed.

Now, this was sheer pleasure for the elder Kaiba brother.

He knew that Mokuba had a crush on Serenity, but this was too much...

Although he hated to see his brother in such sadness, it was pure amusement to see him weep over the Wheeler girl...

So that's when Seto Kaiba had a good laugh. Seeing Mokuba practically having a heart attack, and over Joey's sister, was the cracking point, my loyal readers.

At first, it started with a smile, a simple smile of amusement, but then it became a chuckle-nah, not a chuckle, 'cause Kaiba doesn't look right chuckling. It was more of a snigger, with a lot of added emphasis. But after another glance at his wailing brother, it became a full, evil, this is what bad guys do for sinister pleasure, type of bellowing laugh.

Kaiba laughed so hard he had to grab his stomach in pain; he had to brush away tears from his eyes.

It was so amusing to him, he nearly fell out of his chair...nearly.

Mokuba, who was now leaning on the chair opposite to his brother, stared thunder-struck at Seto. "H-how c-can you laugh?" he asked with watery eyes, "All my plans have been diminished..." he said in a small, weeping, voice.

Ok, this caught Kaiba's attention.

Despite the fact that he was in a deep mirth stage, he had heard Mokuba very clearly.

Kaiba, who had tears welled up in his eyes, tried to cease his laughter.

It took a couple of tries, but he eventually got it...

Anyway, he lowered his eyes at Mokuba, "What plans?"

Mokuba wiped the disappointed tears from his eyes, "Never mind; you wouldn't care anyway."

Kaiba straightened himself up, and pressed hardly into the chair. "If I told you that she wasn't fired, will you tell me what 'plans' you have?" he asked, wondering what his younger sibling could possibly concoct, that obviously had to do with Serenity.

Man, I love you Kaiba, but sometimes you're oblivious....

Mokuba, who felt like heaven had sent hope inside of him, brightened significantly, "S-she's not fired?!"

"She's retrieving a file for me in the basement," Kaiba explained, now itching with curiosity as to what Mokuba was up to.

Mokuba scowled, "But all the junky files are in the basement. They're nothing but old soft-cover tear-outs. What *important* file could she possibly be getting out of there?"

Kaiba closed his eyes, and simply said to Mokuba, "I've already answered one of your questions, now, what about mine?"

Mokuba thought for a second. It would be a fool to tell Kaiba the real plan...

"Well, you see, a kid in my class, Hyun, didn't believe me when I said that Joey Wheeler, as in one of the top five duelists in the world, well, he didn't believe me when I said that Joey Wheeler's sister was working for me-or you, I mean," He explained rather quickly, ignoring his brother's rolled eyes.

"Is that so?" Kaiba asked, immediately realizing Mokuba's white lie.

But Kaiba didn't care about this white lie, for remember, he told one himself.

And white lies are all the more interesting when they slowly develop into reality....

So, for the moment, Kaiba was going to ignore Mokuba's lie, and he would later excavate it when it became more deep, and more interesting....

"But tell me, Seto, what's she doing down there?" Mokuba asked, desperately trying to change topics.

"I needed time," Kaiba responded all too quickly.

"What? For what?"

"I needed time to think things over..."

"For what?" Mokuba asked.

"To think about something thoroughly, because it most definitely will affect my future."

"What will?"

"Something that will change KaibaCorp forever."

"WHAT WILL?!" Mokuba asked, knowing that this had something to with Seto Kaiba, and Serenity Wheeler-together.

"My, my, aren't we pushy?" Kaiba teased, turning his chair around.

"Tell me, Seto, pleeeeeeasssssssssseeeeeeeeee!"

Seto turned his chair around once again to stare intently at Mokuba.

Seto stared skeptically at the child who found eavesdropping a fun and entertaining hobby.

Trust, although they were brothers, was an issue here.

But come one, Kaiba! What can't you explain to Mokuba!

Oh yeah....that....

"Well," he started, "let's just say that I have a proposition to devise..."

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

Serenity angrily closed the door of the file cabinet, and I mean angrily.

You see, Serenity had wasted a fine amount of her time uselessly rummaging and living out her boss's very cruel, canine similes.

She secretly started cursing out her boss.

Normally, Serenity's conscience would never allow her to speak a single four-letter curse word, but if you guys can remember, her conscience had no right to say anything at the moment.

Now, although it took about seven shuffles of the M-N file department, she realized something:

Her boss sent her out on a terribly frustrating, false mission.

'The nerve of that...man. I search, and I search, and I search some more, but, all the while I'm looking for something that doesn't even exist!'

//I could have told you that, and I did, in case you do not remember.//

And so we hear from this rather powerful umm....being again.

As you readers can probably guess by now, Serenity is desperately trying to rid this voice from the corridors of her mind that it haunts.

Serenity stared at the darn file cabinet for a second, wondering that if she kicked it *rather viciously*, would the file cabinet form a voodoo-like bond with Kaiba so that Kaiba would be the one getting hurt instead.

//Oh now don't think such terrible things about your boss, Kaiba, who is, as you said, the real "supplier" of all your money.//

Kaiba That name was sending terrible visions into little Serenity's mind of hate and cruelty.

Her boss was a torturer to her brother....

An evil slave-holder over poor Serenity herself...

A false superior to Yugi...

And to everybody else, an evil, snobbish CEO that had such an inflated ego that Serenity could hardly figure out how he possibly kept that freakin, overblown head straight on his body.

Serenity had a good mind to quit at the moment.

Yes, that's what she was gonna do.

She had enough of her torture-loving boss.

It was no problem to her.

After all, there were hundreds of places that she could work at.

//No place will give you enough money that your current job gives you without a formal college education...//

Serenity stared evilly at the file cabinet, and then crossed her arms in an extreme huff of anger, acting much like a five-year-old that didn't get her way.

"Well," she annoyingly snapped, "Screw you 'cause I have plenty of time before college starts; there's no rush-"

//Does your mother have time?// The voice interrupted.

This, my loyal readers, was Serenity's breaking point.

Serenity started scanning the contents of her mind, just so she could see whether or not she heard right.

//Does your mother have time?// the voice asked, a bit irritated.

"My...m-mother?" Serenity asked quietly as the word triggered some fond memories.

//Did I stutter?// the voice asked impatiently.

Serenity slowly uncrossed her arms, and slowly her conscience started coming back to her.

//You told me that you needed money for your mother; that she had become the real reason you were working here, not your education.//

Serenity's eyes released their tense position, and they softly started to flutter.

The mysterious voice (//) took this as a sign to move on, so she did so.

//I do not mean to sound or be rude, but,// the voice started saying with an added emphasis, //you did break out of your brother's car just so you could attend this job. I thought that that meant this job had some importance to you//

Now, if you were to see Serenity at that moment, you'd be confused. She was hanging with her mouth slightly opened, and her eyes were rolling up, as if she were bored. BUT, we all know that right now was a very emotional time for her...

Serenity slowly started backing up, despite her spaced-out appearance, and she started taking zombie-like steps backwards, towards the wall that was directly adjacent to the file cabinet.

Other errand-runners who happened to glance up at Serenity in the basement, were severely baffled. Seeing a girl looking up to the ceiling with a scared yet clueless/bored expression on, and, all the while backing up, left a few of the passers-by to look tentatively up at the ceiling.

Some thought Serenity saw signs of Apocalypse; others thought she saw signs of Lucifer, and others thought she noticed some sort of stain on the roof.

Disappointed when they looked up at the ceiling and saw nothing, the onlookers looked skeptically at the girl who was, currently, talking to herself (again).

"You're right," Serenity barely breathed as she pressed her back strictly against the wall.

A few of Serenity's curious viewers eyed each other nervously, and the question as to why the CEO's secretary was demoted down to the basement was erased.

"O-kay...." one staff member said as he started whistling innocently and returned to delivering a document to his desk.

//Now that you've admitted the obvious, don't you think you should do something about our viewers?// the voice asked.

What viewers? Serenity thought, although she thought she spoke.

//Snap back into reality, my dear, and look ahead of you,// The voice instructed.

Serenity, a bit confused, rolled down her eyes.

Serenity did not enjoy seeing nearly fifteen people staring at her as if she had lost all sanity, so she a bit forcefully asked, "What?"

The little audience quickly realized that Serenity was pretty sane again since she was darting her eyes questionably at them, so they quickly started continuing their work and pretended like nothing happened. Whistling innocently all the while.

//Save yourself the humiliation, and hurry yourself upstairs,// the voice suggested.

Right Serenity thought to herself Get back upstairs! She chanted mentally to herself as she ignored the fact that she failed to get that file.

Whether or not she had retrieved that file was not of much importance, as Serenity would learn in a little while.

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

"I miss my ice cream," Yugi said yet again.

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

Serenity quickened her pace as she hastily ran down the hallway.

Since Serenity did not get that file, she didn't want to stall and get into more trouble, so she wanted to get to her boss's office as quickly as possible.

//I thought that we agreed that the file that you were to deliver to your boss was fake,// the voice reminded.

Serenity ignored this statement. Why, oh why did the elevator have to be broken the day I needed to climb practically a hundred flights of stairs? she heatedly questioned.

Serenity nearly tripped at her pace, for she accelerated with nearly every step she took. I swear she cursed to herself that these hallways get longer and longer everyday!

//Never mind,// the voice sighed, //just get to the office as fast as you can.//

Serenity did just that, with her rapid steps, and her leaving-smoky-trails feet burning grooves in the ground.

"Be careful!" called a voice from way behind Serenity rather playfully, "You'll fall if you take another step."

I know that voice... Serenity thought to herself.

Serenity, in order to contradict what the voice said, took another step at her accelerating pace just to see if she would actually fall, which she didn't.

But after Serenity proved that the voice was wrong with predicting Serenity's falling, she turned around.

And when she saw who called to her, Serenity smiled.

"Good afternoon, Serenity!" Serenity saw Marie call from a great distance.

"Good afternoon to you too, Marie," Serenity nearly yelled in reply until she noticed that Marie hastened her way over to Serenity (a good ten meters) in the matter of seconds it took for Serenity to turn around and greet her.

Marie, Serenity's good acquaintance who she often ran into when retrieving her boss's coffee, and Marie was the one who thought her that sucking-up went far.

Marie and Serenity shared a great hatred for Calista Bolidaman.

"You got here, err...fast," Serenity said as she sweatdropped and saw her friend come right in front of her.

Marie rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she somewhat mumbled.

Serenity smiled at her friend, and she repeated "Hello, Marie," many times, but, Serenity was on a mission to get somewhere...

"Gomen, Marie," Serenity quickly muttered as she realized that she was running late.

Marie looked confusedly at Serenity.

Serenity once again greeted Marie, and then she started to slightly turn on angle. Almost as if she were ready to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Marie asked as she grabbed one of Serenity's arms. Just in time, because Serenity was more than ready to hurry up and get to her boss's office.

Serenity smiled weakly at her friend. "Marie, I'd love to talk, but at the moment, I'm on a very tight schedule. I really have to get-"

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Marie simply interrupted.

"Marie..." Serenity started to say, looking at Marie crossly. All the while trying to move away from Marie's seize over her arm.

Marie returned the cross stare, but more menacingly.

"Yes-it's lovely," Serenity desperately sighed as she tried to budge from Marie's friendly yet tight grasp.

"Do you know why it's so lovely?" she asked with a huge smile on her face.

Serenity sighed, "Please, Marie," she started to say yet again.

"Serenity," Marie threatened as her eyes went menacingly low, and her grasp over Serenity's arm slightly increased.

"Why is it so lovely, Marie?" Serenity asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Because you got rid of Bolidaman!" Marie exclaimed happily.

//She knows about that?//

"She knows about that?"

She knows about that?

"You know about THAT!" Serenity questioned with her mouth's hinges hanging open.

Marie simply smiled and nodded her head like a bobble head doll.

"How'd you---I mean how did you possibly....Mokuba!" Serenity mumbled under her breath.

Ohhhhhh man..... Serenity's mind kept repeating.

"Ummm..." Serenity squeaked as she suddenly got the strength to take her hand back from Marie.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Marie said. "Mokuba didn't tell me anything: I saw Bolidaman leaving through the main entrance, swearing revenge on The Big Cheese's secretary. The secretary being you, of course," she explained as she clasped her hands together happily, releasing Serenity's arm.

Serenity quickly drew back her arm. "Marie," she enlightened, "getting rid of Bolidaman is nothing to be proud about. Do you know what I did? It's not important, but-"

"Nonsense!" Marie cut off, "What you did has all the importance of the world-" Marie was about to say something until someone else cut her off as well...

"Marie, Marie, Marie," a male's voice said bitterly from down the hall.

Marie looked behind her only to a man walking closer and closer, inch by inch, to Serenity and Marie.

"Awwww #@*~!" Marie cursed as she saw this man walk closer and closer.

The man got closer and closer.

"Marie listen," Serenity said impatiently, "I really have to get going," Serenity said as she tried to take advantage of the moment Marie lost her concentration.

And closer and closer...

"Not now," Marie muttered as the man finally approached them.

"I've got to get going," Serenity said as she turned quickly and started to leave.

"No," Marie hissed, "you're staying here with me!" she explained to Serenity as she grabbed Serenity's arm forcefully yet again.

You've gotta be kidding me! Serenity's mind exclaimed as she rolled her eyes in anger.

"Now, Marie," said the man as he was about a good foot from Serenity and Marie's faces. "You were late for your after-lunch post in about....or make that exactly 18 minutes!" he declared angrily, tapping his watch.

"So?" asked Marie as calmly as she could, taking out her anger on poor Serenity's arm. "It's not like you've never been late before! And don't give me that attitude 'cause I'm your co-worker, giving you NO superiority over me!"

Owwwwwww! Serenity moaned as Marie pressed her delicate arm hardly with her shiny, manicured nails.

"Marie, please," Serenity complained, trying to jerk her arm away from Marie's grasp. "I've really gotta go. I don't want to get you into more trouble."

"You should listen to the girl, Marie," said the man in reply to both the girls.

Marie scowled, "Well, I was simply escorting my friend, Serenity Wheeler, the head honcho's secretary, to the next floor."

"That's gotta be the lamest excuse-"

"Marie, please!" Serenity begged as she now tried to trudge and pull her arm away from her friend's unbelievably tight grasp.

"I (I)-was (am)-escorting (going) -you (to)-to (let)-the (your)-next (arm)-landing (go)--right (in)-Serenity (a minute!)?" Marie asked through a false smile and gritted teeth.

Serenity stopped acting like a fly caught in a spider web, and she stared at her friend with some sort of angered fascination in her eyes.

"Fine," Serenity said, knowing Marie's real meaning. All the while desperately just trying to get up the stairs.

Serenity stopped trying to run away from Marie.

"Well then, you heard the girl; I have to escort her to the next floor," Marie clarified, acting as if she were going on a date with royalty.

The man gave a vicious look in both Marie and Serenity's direction.

Marie beamed at her victory, and then she turned to her friend, "Shall we go?" she simply asked.

"Yes, let's," Serenity snapped back way too bitterly.

Serenity started pulling Marie's hands, not really caring what she was doing as long as she was able to get to the next landing, and then get herself to the Big Office...

Marie started following Serenity's pull, smirking just a bit.

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

About forty seconds later, the pair of women were still walking in the hallway. Serenity, of course, leading the other with her hands dragging poor Marie.

Serenity could've let Marie's arm go, but she had a word to speak with her "friend".

"You rock," Marie thanked, still being dragged by Serenity, recalling Serenity's part in playing along with the cover-up.

Serenity, on the other hand, was not interested in any thank-you the other girl had to offer her.

"Now," Serenity said, "Marie, you really shouldn't have done that," she explained angrily.

Marie tried opening her mouth to say something, but Serenity cut her off.

"I really could've and probably DID get into a bunch of trouble with your persistence!" she rejoindered.

Obviously, Serenity was in a really crappy mood...

"Well, don't blame me; blame him," Marie tried forcing the blame onto another, much like a little kid.

Serenity pressed her hands harder into Marie's arm.

Marie was much stronger than Serenity, and all too easily could she have broken away from Serenity's grasp. But, being the good and loyal friend that Marie was, she felt that she had an obligation to explain herself to Serenity.

"He's a real pompous jerk. He's always being a real-" Marie nearly immediately cut herself off, a smile waltzing with her lips..."Despite his flaws, he's cute, isn't he?" she asked mischievously.

"Huh?" Serenity asked, clueless, as she heard Marie say something. Serenity was too busy wondering what Kaiba would do to her when he saw that she had no files in her hands, AND that she took her time and stalled in reporting back to him.

Serenity turned her head around to face her friend.

"He's cute, isn't he?" Marie asked again, looking Serenity straight in the eyes.

"Him...I guess," Serenity simply replied for she found the question useless, and she didn't even get a good look at the guy.

She looked at Marie and shrugged her shoulders.

//But not as cute as Kaiba.//

"But not as cute as Kaiba," Serenity repeated, with her eyes half-opened, and her voice in a dreamy state.

Don't repeat that in public! And ix yourself up: You look like you're in love with the guy the way you're blushing like that.

'I didn't mean to say that, honest! And, am I really blushing?'

Never mind that, just clean yourself up and try to cover-up for what you said!!!!!

"I didn't know you liked Kaiba," Marie said suspiciously, eyebrows raised.

I don't! Serenity's mind told her to say. Seto Kaiba is the worst man I ever met! Say you don't like him! Say you don't like him! SAY YOU DON'T LIKE HIM!!!

//Well, I do.//

"Well, I do," Serenity clarified.

Less than a half of a spilt-second later, Serenity released Marie's arm, and clasped her hands tightly over her mouth. Hardly leaving any room for air to pass through.

"No wonder you hate Bolidaman so much..." Marie realized as she trailed off, crossing her recently-freed arms over her chest.

//*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*//

"I gotta go!" Serenity mumbled through her hands.

Quickly, as in less than half of half of a quarter of a second later, Serenity was dashing off, not caring about whatever it was that Marie wanted to say.

$*

Marie was left staring in an utter state of confusion.

"What the he-"

"MARIE!!!" came the male's voice from behind her.

Marie looked back and smiled evilly at the male who was more than 15 meters away from her, "Shut up! I'm coming!"

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$

Well, that went rather fast. Literally, that was only the first half of the chapter! But, I didn't wanna bombard you wonderful readers with too much to read.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Preview:

"Now then, Serenity, don't make a sound, and everything will go by much more easily...."

Enjoy the next chapter: I Have To Obey My Consciences Part Two

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*Tootles,

$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*$*Celestial Night