A/N: Without further delay…here it is as promised. I do not own any of these characters, only my little plot. Who do I see about writing a romance for them to actually play out on the show? I would love to volunteer to take over that area in Yu-gi-oh… until then, I shall be here!
Thank you Iris Omega for editing!
Chapter 13Murphy or Kaiba's Law?
Serenity woke to the obnoxious sounds of her alarm clock. Had she honestly set it for that early in the morning? Looking around the room, she realized that it was still dark. Just great... Yawning and stretching, she climbed out of bed and slapped the beeping sound off. What a joke. After hardly sleeping, thanks to a certain man's actions that now haunted her, here she was struggling to get moving.
A half-hour and a quick shower later, she found herself wandering around her living room—coffee in hand. It was like a Christmas village, much like Mokuba had said. She plopped onto the rocking chair and stared up at the ceiling. The crystal snowflakes were her favorite; one was more lovely and intricate than the next. Kaiba had mentioned that he chose them. Was it possible... could he really be this romantic? He kissed well... better than well... her cheeks blushed at the memory.
It was time to snap back to reality. She had Christmas shopping to do; a lunch date to keep, and possibly—just possibly—she might see him later. Why did the last thought cause her heart to beat so erratically? Nothing else did that to her. When she thought of Tristan or Duke, it was blasé, but when she thought of Seto Kaiba... it changed, drastically.
I like him.
It was the scariest realization she had ever made. What now? Laugh at him on Christmas Eve? She had to be sure he was in this for the right reasons—not for the thrill of winning this game, not for the glory, not to rub it in her face. He had to want her, and she had to be sure. The question was... how?
"Oh well," she said to no one in particular. "I'll just have to spend more time with him, and then wait and see..." She smirked at her thoughts. What torture—more time.
Snow was beginning to fall again; it looked magical. She remembered the sleigh ride and sighed. Where was Seto Kaiba when she needed him? She had a cozy apartment and the falling snow... and all she needed was... him?
"How much to rent this... establishment?" Seto looked around at the 'hole' of a restaurant. He was more interested in places that catered to refined tastes, not 'assembly line' kitchens.
"Rent?" The hostess looked at him with shocked eyes. It wasn't his question that threw her, but who it was coming from. Seto Kaiba... she was one of many who crushed on this man, and, now, here he was—standing before her. The dark blue shirt he wore, accompanied by a tight pair of jeans, complimented his eyes in a way that should have been deemed illegal. He was beautiful. "Uh... um... I... uh..."
"Obviously, I'm getting nowhere with your incompetence. Is there a manager I can speak with? Preferably one who can complete thoughts and use complex sentences?" Kaiba was getting utterly frustrated. He didn't want to cause a scene, and this girl was doing just that. His eyes narrowed on her, turning a glacial blue. The girl nearly blanched and accidentally dropped a stack of menus before racing off.
Kaiba looked down at the scattered mess. This was ridiculous. At least he had the decency to take Serenity to places befitting a proper date. Restaurants like this were a dime a dozen. Oh, how he hoped the manager was a male—not some dippy fan. He smirked, dangerously, when he thought of the fiery girl who mocked him openly. He didn't want a lovesick fool fawning over him. He liked a challenge, and Serenity was just that and more.
"Can I help you, sir?" an older gentleman asked. He recognized Seto Kaiba immediately. The stuttering of the girl had sort of resembled his name, but here was the proof.
"I want to 'rent' this place for the afternoon." Kaiba hated repeating himself—however, now he knew he would get somewhere.
"Well, sir," the manager responded. "Generally, renting takes time."
"How about money?" Kaiba whipped out his checkbook, and quirked an eyebrow. "Surely you know that Kaiba Corp. is capable of such a feat... of any magnitude you'd prefer."
"This is the Christmas rush, sir, and, as much as I would like to help, closing the restaurant down to the busy shoppers would be akin to marketing suicide... surely you understand." He was stammering; he knew that Seto Kaiba was a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully the man would not obliterate him because of this.
"I have no intention of shutting you down," Kaiba countered. "In fact, I want you to run business as usual... with one minor exception."
"Business as usual? I don't understand." The older man looked quite confused. At this point, his team of waitresses had gathered around—all staring and giggling at the CEO.
Kaiba rolled his baby-blues at the attention; he honestly didn't see what the fuss was about. He hated the stares and the admiration. These girls were behaving foolishly. He wanted the one who defied him, instigated him, goaded him, and then... kissed him. Serenity... damn! He could not get her out of his head!
Kaiba walked away from the gathering of giggling girls and motioned for the manager to follow. Slowly, they made their way to a table where Kaiba's guards ensured privacy.
"Today a couple will dine here and I want their date to be memorable... to say the least." Two women were waiting outside the restaurant—Kaiba pointed them out to the man. "They are employees of mine. I want them to 'wait' on the special couple. How much compensation would that require?"
"They have no training or anything, sir... it would be highly unusual..." the man tried, but was silenced by a quickly raised hand.
"Rest assured—they are both trained in this field. The date I am interested in must go very wrong, and that is where your help would come in."
After a few minutes of convincing and reaching a compensation amount, the men shook hands.
"One more thing." Kaiba smirked. "I want them to be at the worst table in the place, and I wish to be able to see them without being seen." He looked at the man. "Accommodate that as well."
All was ready. The trap was set and waited for its prey.
Kaiba went back to the limo, sat inside for a moment, and then pulled on the baseball cap Mokuba suggested that he wear. After that, he pulled on a simple jacket—very non-Kaibaish—and zipped it to his neck. He just had to remember to walk with his head down, not with his nose up. Mokuba instructed him that, if he wanted to follow Serenity around (and, naturally, he did), he would have to be subtle about it. Subtlety was not his strongpoint. However, he was determined to win her heart, so he would have to be illusive and inconspicuous.
Serenity raced from store to store—bucking the crowds and wishing she were dead. Nothing was going right. Everything she wanted was out of stock or the lines at stores were so long that she just wanted to rip her hair out. Children from her class were all around; and—with great exasperation—she peeled a second gummy lollipop from her coat. She loved the hugs, but hated it when they left their treats attached to her. Was this one of Dante's circles of hell, or what?
With great reluctance, she entered Victoria's Secret—for Mai, naturally. Skimming through the racks, she came across a cute nightgown that was just Mai's style. She held it up against herself and missed the widening blue eyes that watched her from the window. She giggled as she looked in the mirror. It was hardly her PJ bottoms and long T-shirts. She never wore frilly things like this... but it was cute. She twirled around, with it against her, and struck a playful pose... imagining Kaiba's jaw dropping.
Oops... did he just invade her thoughts in a bad way again? She mentally chastised herself. He would never see her in a nightie like this. Quickly, she made her way to the counter as a certain CEO tried to think of nonsexual things in an attempt to calm himself. Maybe he should make his way to a refreshment stand and order a drink... LOTS of ice, and hold the soda.
After she ducked out of the store, he walked in and approached the saleswoman behind the counter.
"The red-head who just left... what size would you say she is?" he asked, careful to look towards the entrance, just in case Serenity doubled back.
The saleswoman regarded him skeptically.
"I'm not a stalker, I assure you." He realized how ridiculous he must look—standing in a lingerie store, asking about a patron's size... Serenity was unknown to him as far as this woman was concerned.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked, venom seething through her voice. He knew he was two steps from being escorted out of the mall by security. What a scandal that would make... he could see the headline already: "CEO caught stalking innocent young girl in underwear store."
"I'm her boyfriend." He couldn't believe how easy it was to make that statement. He had never uttered the words before, and was quite shocked at how it made him feel.
The woman broke into a sweet smile. "You don't know your girlfriend's size?"
He shook his head 'no.' Maybe it was the makeshift disguise, but he felt quite awkward—a feeling he wasn't used to nor comfortable with.
"It looks to me as if she's a three or a four. In fact, I would bank on a three if I were you. Most stores will have that size split, so you should be fine." She noticed his blush and figured it was due to the type of store he was standing in. "Cutting it a bit close to Christmas, aren't you?" She smirked.
"A bit." He thanked her and swiftly left. He had to find Serenity again. Flipping his cell-phone open, he made a quick call and barked some instructions to an unknown entity on the answering end.
Serenity kept checking her watch; she felt as if doomsday were quickly approaching. It was almost time to meet Duke. Reluctantly, she made her way to the restaurant he had selected. Hopefully, the time would pass quickly and she could finish up her shopping.
There he was, on time as always, in front of the restaurant. She rolled her eyes and slowed her pace—she couldn't seem eager. She cringed when she saw the pink lilies in his hand... not another bouquet. How could one girl get so darn lucky?
"Good afternoon, Serenity," he whispered as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. He tried to pull her closer, for a hug or a kiss—she wasn't sure which. However, she stood her ground and resisted. Instead, she simply smiled coyly at him and then walked into the busy restaurant.
"Hello, Duke," she said when they arrived at the hostess's stand. They were quickly guided to a table near a door. The man who escorted them there held a chair out for her, which she took quickly and thanked him. Duke's back was to the door. It was a cramped little table—kind of in the dark, and hardly appealing... but, with the mad rush, what could one expect?
Kaiba sat at his table, with a great view of theirs and smirked—let the games begin. A man joined Kaiba, to make him less suspicious and to create a shield.
"Want something to drink?" A waitress asked, tapping her pad impatiently.
"A diet Pepsi please," Serenity smiled at her.
"A regular Pepsi," Duke smiled at Serenity as she pulled her menu up to cover her face. This was already annoying; she had to find something quick, the smell of the flowers were already getting to her.
Duke tugged at the top of her menu, pulling it down to see her.
"I've missed you, I bought you more flowers to go with yesterday's. I should just fill your apartment with them—beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman." Duke winked at her.
"You shouldn't have," she smiled as sweetly as possible.
Please don't.
She thought about how amazing her apartment looked; she didn't want Duke to spoil it. These nasty flowers, although pretty, exuded a smell akin to skunk. She liked the holly and fir tree fragrances, even the slight cinnamon scent mingled nicely. These would kill it all.
Duke reached out and grabbed her hand gently, and yet firmly.
Kaiba's knuckles were turning white; his hands were balled into very tight fists. How dare Duke touch her? It took every ounce of self-control he had not to put an end to the date. However, he knew the date would end soon enough.
Suddenly the door behind Duke opened wide and smacked the back of his chair, scrunching him a bit and forcing him forward. He let go of Serenity's hand and she took the opportunity to grasp her menu again, this time pulling it in closer. Funny, it was the kitchen door—Serenity was thankful for the interruption.
"Are you all right?" She asked, hoping she sounded genuine.
"Fine," he lifted his eyes to hers. He then proceeded to tell her all about what he had been doing, how he was doing it, what an amazing businessman he was. Blah, blah, blah. He went on and on. Serenity was growing weary of his talking about himself. Had she said two words since the start of this date? She doubted it was more than ten.
The waitress put the drinks down and whipped out her pad again.
"What do you want," she asked, sounding aggravated, her eyes trained on Duke.
"I'll start with the vegetable soup, and then I'll have a filet mignon. The lady will have the same." Duke smirked towards Serenity.
"Actually," Serenity piped up, "I'll have the grilled chicken salad, the small one."
She wanted something quick, and she hated when Duke tried to take control. He always did that.
"I thought you liked when I ordered for you." Duke looked shocked.
"You like ordering for me—I never said I liked it." She shrugged. It was a bit upsetting when her menu was yanked away, by Duke, of course. Now what was she suppose to do with her hands?
He whistled at the waitress, before she went into the kitchen, "You forgot these babe."
Could he be more obnoxious?
The kitchen door slammed open and shoved Duke into the table again. Serenity stifled a giggle. Kaiba smiled crookedly, the date was going quite well. He liked that her hands were folded in her lap, and that she looked bored. Quite possibly, with Duke doing all the talking, he would ruin this date of his own accord.
Duke took a sip of his soda, and then made a sour face, "this is diet." He groaned.
"Maybe she switched them by accident," Serenity tasted hers, but it was diet as well. "I guess she made an honest mistake, it is busy here."
"I hate diet soda," he griped. "You know I hate it, I specifically said regular. Is she dense? This will reflect heavily on her tip." Then he fluffed his hair a bit. Serenity quirked and eyebrow at him, he was so vain.
The door hit Duke's chair and the waitress plopped his soup in front of him, then quickly rushed away before he could complain.
Duke was beginning to get annoyed, it seemed no waiter or waitress came near the table at all. He picked up his spoon and began eating his soup. During the second spoonful he spit the soup out and started waving his hand frantically in front of his open mouth.
"Duke…what's wrong?" Serenity asked with concern.
"Hot!" He managed.
He had no choice but to drink his soda…as much as the taste disgusted him.
Kaiba watched in amusement. The idiot didn't realize that spicy food required bread or crackers to draw out the heat—liquid simply spread the heat, especially when it was coming from Habanera peppers.
Duke's mouth was being seared from the intensity of the soup. Serenity watched helplessly as he finished his soda, then moved onto her's.
"Is it that hot? Suck an ice cube." She suggested, trying to flag down a waitress. Finally one approached. "Miss, we need refills, his soup seems to be very hot."
"Spicy," Duke croaked out.
"The vegetable soup spicy?" The waitress asked, confused. She took a quick taste herself, knowing full well about the peppers, and shook her head, "sorry sir, it seems fine to me." The waitress took it away and into the kitchen, naturally hitting Duke's chair.
She came back with another bowl, and placed it before him. Serenity rolled her eyes, the waitress seemed fine after she had tried the soup, and yet Duke was acting like a two-year-old.
"I'm not eating this crap," Duke croaked. Serenity reached over and pulled it closer. A quick taste proved it was delicious.
"I think your antics are a bit childish," Serenity shrugged, "it tastes great to me."
Duke looked surprised and pulled it close to him. A quick slurp proved her right.
"This one is fine, the other must have been tampered with." He tried to explain.
"Are you implying someone here is out to get you?" Serenity giggled. "Paranoid much?"
Duke smiled, his mouth was calming down. The waitress returned with two new glasses, filled.
The girl took the soup away; Duke refused it.
Between the door hitting Duke's chair, the waitress being down right rude, and Duke's glowing words about himself, poor Serenity began counting items on the wall. Anything would have been better than this. Duke leaned in closer to her, realizing her mind was wandering, and tilted her chin up with his finger.
"Are you ok?" He smiled, licking his lips. Serenity pulled back, away from his mouth, she didn't want to be kissed, not by him anyway.
"Fine, just aggravated by the crowds and the people. Christmas shopping is so annoying, especially when I had to…"
Duke interrupted with a 'that reminds me of me…' story. Off he went again, talking about himself and his work, and the games he was creating. He reached across the table to grab her hand again when their meals came. The waitress plopped the hot plate down on Duke's hand. He yelped, jumped, and caused the food to fly everywhere. Serenity jumped as the sodas spilled over and flooded the table.
Kaiba's evil grin increased as he watched the pandemonium ensue. Money well spent, he thought to himself.
"Great!" Serenity shouted, "Now I have to shop wet…thanks Duke."
"It wasn't my fault!" Duke tried, "She put that hot plate down on my hand! It's all her fault!"
"You know," Serenity began. "I have sat here and listened to you sing praises about yourself, complain about everything, make up false allegations about bad food... Why was your hand there anyway? Enjoy your lunch, I'm done." Serenity stormed off. Duke attempted to follow, but was stopped by the manager demanding payment. Surprisingly, his wallet was gone…Serenity was able to make a clean get away. His waitress recovered the wallet, not long afterwards. Unfortunately for Duke, Serenity was long gone, as well as a certain audience member.
Seto Kaiba gave Serenity a minute or two to leave, and then quickly followed her. She was breathtakingly angry, muttering very unlady-like words under her breath. Quickly she finished up her shopping and, thankfully was able to head out to the parking lot.
The snow that had started falling this morning had only added to her problems. There were close to six fresh new inches on the ground. Great. Now she would have to dig her car out as well. Could this day get any worse?
The universe decided to take her up on her challenge…she slipped on a patch of ice, hidden by snow, and plopped into a deep puddle of salt –melted ice. The contents of her bags scattered every which way and she slapped the puddle, causing it to splash her again.
"Damn this!" She growled, her eyes on fire, clothes soaked clear to her undergarments. It was freezing, she was wet, her treasures could be trash and…when did the tears start to fall?
She regained her feet. Instead of continuing to cry in frustration, she started scooping up her things, stuffing the gifts into the one bag that hadn't torn. She wiped at her eyes, wishing she had worn gloves, and muffled a sob. This was the worst day. She was soaked, annoyed, and now crying.
She made her way to her car, only to discover a tire was flat. She knew she had picked up a nail in it, but figured she had time to have it repaired. She was wrong. She kicked the tire and then slumped against her car. She checked her watch; all of her friends were at work. Who would she call? She didn't want to go back into the mall-not soaked like this. Her options had run out.
A car slowed and then came to a stop. Great, now she had a spectator. The window rolled down. A pair of very familiar blue eyes looked her up and down, noting her condition. He opened the door and stood. She bit her bottom lip and wished she were dead. Was crawling under the car still an option?
"What happened to you?" Kaiba asked, as he approached. One of his fingers stroked a tear off her cheek. His eyes narrowed quickly and flashed a formidable blue. "Did Duke do something to you?" He glanced around the semi-deserted lot.
"No, I left him awhile ago. I fell in that puddle," she pointed to it. "Then my bags ripped and my stuff fell in the snow. It wouldn't be that bad if my tire wasn't flat." She pointed down in hopelessness.
"Do you have a spare?" He asked, in a gentle tone.
"No, I was suppose to get the nail repaired, but I've been so busy…" More tears spilled down her cheeks, as she sniffled.
Kaiba took her hand, and guided her to the passenger side of his car. He handed her his handkerchief and opened the door for her. She didn't resist, instead, slid in and waited.
He placed her bags in the back and then got in. "I'll have someone come and take care of this for you."
"Thank you," she squeaked out, wiping her eyes. She pulled down the visor and was happy to discover there was a mirror. She looked at her face and nearly died. Her make-up was streaming down her cheeks. "Oh gosh! I look like hell!"
"Yes you do," Kaiba agreed with a smirk.
"You didn't have to agree so quickly," she murmured.
"You want me to lie?" There was silence after his question.
"Thank you…Seto." She looked out the window. It was the first time she used his name, uncoaxed, she like how it felt on her lips. She tried to clean her face as best she could. "Where are we going?" She asked, when she realized they just passed her street.
"To my place. You promised me a dinner and I intend to hold you to it." He glanced at her when they stopped at a red light.
"But, I'm a mess…really a mess." She looked at her mud and water stained jeans, her sneakers were ruined, socks soaked, everything was destroyed. She blushed, hating that he was seeing her at her worst.
"It's all part of my rescue plot." He smiled at her. "I save you from the mess you got yourself into and maybe you'll repay me."
"Repay you?" She frowned. "Can't we go back to my place so I can change?"
"And have you find an excuse not to come back out with me? I'm not a stupid man Serenity. I know you would figure something out, and then your company would be lost to me."
She had no intention of that, but couldn't let him know it. Her only defense was that he believed she wasn't interested. She had to keep up her ploy.
"I'll find you something to change into, and you can clean up. Then we'll have dinner, my chef has been planning something for your visit."
"You were plotting all along to have me for dinner?" She was confused.
"Actually for dessert," he paused, waiting for his statement to sink in. "I don't know what we're having for dinner…" He smirked.
"You, Kaiba, are incorrigible!" She giggled even as she said it.
"Back to Kaiba, am I?" He leaned in closer.
"After that statement, yes you are." She swallowed, but leaned in towards him as well.
"So if I kiss you will I remain Kaiba, or will you call me Seto again?" He licked his lips and stared at her mouth.
"I'm a mess, are you sure you want to kiss a mess?" She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, nervously.
"You're right-you are hardly up to my standards at this point. I'm very into fashion models, and at the moment you look rag-dollish."
"Fine," she leaned back. "I didn't want to kiss you anyway." She folded her arms across her chest and heard herself squish back in the seat. She was so wet; she hoped she didn't ruin his leather seats.
"Good, because I expect women who try to romance me to be clean and at least presentable." He settled back into his seat and continued his drive to the mansion.
"I'll never romance you Kaiba." She growled.
"Then I'll romance you, but be warned Serenity, I'll be irresistible after mere minutes." He chuckled at her silence.
He already was…she thought with amusement.
A/N: So, did you all enjoy the date? I hope so. I wonder if her date with Seto at the mansion will go better… I guess you'll all have to wait and see. Any suggestions as to what dinner should be? Just curious. Please read and review. Thanks for all the marvelous ones so far—I'm so glad the story is so enjoyable to you all!
And to all my readers who lurk in shadows and don't review (sometimes I have no idea what to say either), I hope you are enjoying this as well!