Chapter 2 is finally up… I was going to post it earlier, but things change and I got stuck fixing the chapter for a whole day. Also, standardized testing for me is next week, so it may be a while until the next one is posted.

Thanks for the reviews! They make me so happy!

Sorceress Vanessa: So here's the chapter you've been waiting for…I'm still trying to get all of my updates posted as soon as possible, but it's still hard to update more often.

Anonymous reviewer (though I know who you are) from April 26, 2005: Yeah, I know I sort of over-did the part where Serenity was wondering where Mokuba was, but I had to build up a bit of tension. Maybe I didn't do such a good job on it. Thanks for the tip, though!

Anonymous reviewer from April 29, 2005: You think you like the story? How can you not be sure? Just kidding. Again, here's the second chapter, and I'm trying to update as fast as I can.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, and certainly not the song "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch. But enough blabbering. Here's the story!

"Where are we going?" Serenity asked tentatively as Kaiba turned out of the parking lot. She was hugging her backpack before her, not knowing if she should put it down or not.

He kept his eyes on the road. "To search for my brother." He glanced quickly at the girl sitting by him and saw a look of incomprehension on her face. "We can't just assume that he was kidnapped. What good would it do if we called the city officials and found Mokuba around the corner? I don't know what you're thinking of, but I'm looking around the city for him. If you don't want to do that, then you can get out of my car."

Serenity was bewildered for a second. "Oh, I didn't mean that. I just wasn't sure of what you were doing." He looked like he hadn't heard and didn't answer. She didn't bother to say it again, not wanting to sound foolish in front of a man she knew almost nothing about.

They stayed quiet for a while, the only sound coming from outside the vehicle. Serenity turned to watch the view outside the window. Cars drove by, lights changed, people wove around each other, and buildings flashed past. Outside, nothing looked different from what would have happened any day. The daily bustle of rush hour was as crazy as always. People chattered with each other as they walked down the sidewalks. Inside the car was a different story. The two occupants were silent, and at least one of them was uncomfortable with where she was. She looked lost and a bit out of sorts.

"Um, Kaiba?" she asked quietly. He merely grunted in response. "Is it okay if I turn on the radio?"

He glanced at her momentarily, then nodded. "You know, I'm not a person that needs everything in perfect condition," he said, turning his glance back to the road in front of him. "You can put your backpack on the back seat if you want."

She quickly did as he suggested with a bit of difficulty, then turned towards the front once more to turn on the radio. Her eyes were met with a bunch of buttons and dials. After looking over all of them and not knowing what any of them did, she ventured quietly, "How do I turn it on?"

Kaiba didn't answer for a moment. When he stopped at a red light, he reached over to one that looked like every other one, except for the fact that it was set in a spot next to the preset buttons and had a volume dial next to it. "What station?" he asked flatly.

"It doesn't matter," she answered, feeling a little stupid at the simplicity that she had so obviously overlooked. He simply left it at what it was on.

Serenity was surprised at what station he had left it on. She never really thought that Kaiba would listen to pop music. His type of character seemed to be the type to listen to…she didn't know, classical or some type of quiet music, maybe none at all. It could have been possible that Mokuba had been the last one to listen to the stereo, but she still had a feeling that Kaiba had preset the stations and was the one who had left it there. She hummed the current song, "All You Wanted", quietly to herself.

"I'm going to the park first," a voice said, bringing Serenity back to the matters at hand and putting a halt to her humming. "Are you still going to help me?"

She blinked a few times. "Of course I'm going to help. Mokuba's my best friend."

"Good. We're going to the search the park to see if he's there, then we'll search the streets and all of the shops around the area to see if he's there. We'll split up and ask people questions, and meet up by the fountain in the center in half an hour, at around four. That should be enough time. You have a watch or a cell phone or something with a clock on it, don't you?" She nodded. He answered by turning into a parking space and turning off the engine.

Serenity searched the streets and shops around her, trying not to run into the bustle. Most of the shops were still open, so that only meant more to search. She checked her watch. Fifteen more minutes. She had already checked the park and about three blocks, and still had to check at least two more in the same direction and five more coming back.

She hurried in and out of every door and down two more streets without any success. It took her a total of ten minutes to do so, and she was tired from rushing around so much. She was only a few blocks from the school, now. If she could, she would have stopped by a café and ordered something small to enjoy for a while, then go back to searching. It was impossible to do so, though, especially because she was already behind schedule and because she was too worried about her friend to be able to enjoy anything. Maybe Kaiba had already found him and was waiting for her, and she would be able to go back to their meeting spot without anymore searching. She knew before she even completed the thought that it was highly unlikely. With a sigh, she crossed the street and went back to her sweep of the city.

More questions were asked, more shops and stores were looked through, and more streets were covered. She was so into her work that she failed to notice that it was already time to be at the fountain. The work continued down the sidewalks, and not one place was missed. It was not until she saw the park before her that she realized that she was late.

Serenity waited anxiously to cross the street then ran over to center of the park. Even running, it took her a few minutes to get to the fountain. Kaiba was already there, looking irritated and very impatient.

"What took you so long?" he asked heatedly as she approached. "You're ten minutes late."

She took a while to answer, out of breath from her run. "I'm sorry. I—"

"I don't want to hear your excuse. You're forgiven this time," he snapped, interrupting her. "I don't suppose you've found Mokuba?"

"No."

He did not say anything. Instead, he turned around angrily and headed towards the parking lot without a glance back. She had to run to catch up with him, and she could barely keep up with him when she did. It was hard to match his long strides. Even when he saw that she was having trouble not to fall behind, he did not slow down. Eventually, she did fall behind, still breathing heavily. He had already started the car when it came into view. It was almost a surprise when he didn't drive off without her.

"Can't you walk just a bit slower?" she asked as she literally fell into the seat. She leaned back into the chair gratefully, letting the music from the car's radio wash over her.

"I have something important to do, unlike you. I don't have time to waste by spending it walking at a leisurely pace."

She sat up indignantly, forgetting the music at once. "I wasn't walking at a leisurely pace! I just ran down a bunch of streets, and I'm tired! Plus, my legs aren't as long as yours are. And I already told you, I want to help find Mokuba too, so why would I want to slack off?"

His voice was dry and a hint angry when he answered. "Don't forget, I went down the same amount of streets you did, and still finished before you did. I suppose those are your excuses for coming late, too?"

Serenity fumed in her seat. She hated the way he always made her feel so foolish. A nasty reply rested on her tongue, but she held it in, not wanting to be embarrassed again with some quick answer. Instead, she muttered, "Okay, sheesh. You don't have to get angry with me. At least I searched everywhere for your brother instead of leaving the few streets alone."

Kaiba once again gave no sign that he had heard. Instead, he rolled down his window and put his elbow on it. His chin rested on a lightly clenched fist. Anger still lined his face. Driving in silence once more, he looked as distant as always.

Seeing him like that, Serenity immediately forgot her anger. She couldn't help it; that was just her nature. She said softly, "Why do you always have to be so independent and act so cold towards other people that want to be your friends? Why don't you let anyone into your life other than Mokuba?" She ignored the sharp glance directed at her, but the intensity of the gaze made her look down at her hands. "You act like you have to be the best in the world, and that your way is the only way to achieve that goal. Life doesn't have to be like that, you know. Those that have a content life make it that way without trying to be the best, but by trying to do their best for themselves and others. Just because your past was terrible, it doesn't mean you should try to forget it by pushing yourself so hard and by shutting everything else out. Does it really make you content to live that way?"

He growled dangerously. "You don't want to go there." His eyes were kept straight on the road, keeping the sight of the great anger burning in his eyes hidden. However, it was written all over his face, as much as he tried to hide it.

"There's a famous saying that goes, 'Live life to the fullest.' How do you live a full and satisfied life with no one to share it with? Like a friend, or someone you care about. What's left in life with coldness and no happiness other than the pain you store there?"

He looked her way to see her looking with nothing but kindness in her eyes, innocent and bright. He almost said, "My life is none of your damn business. Hell, just leave me alone." Seeing such kindness, though, made him hold it back. Even a person like him couldn't be so heartless as to turn a back onto someone that had such a big heart. He riveted his eyes back to the road once more. "What would a girl like you know about a tough life? You've probably never had to support yourself and a younger brother alone in your life, never had to make all of the tough decisions yourself with no one to tell you whether it's right or wrong. What's it to you, anyway, how I live my life and if I'm satisfied with it or not?" His tone became bitter. "Why do you care what my life is filled with, when the choice has been mine on what to do with it? Does it really matter to you if I want to be wrapped in my own feelings and not the openhearted feelings everyone else has?"

She turned towards her window. "I've lived a tough life myself, Kaiba. I know at least a little bit of how you feel. My parents divorced when I was little, and now my brother is all I have. Sometimes, it's up to me to keep us two going. Even when my eyesight was bad, I had to force myself to go on, many times by myself. I know what it's like to have to find your own way around. But it never crossed my mind to do so alone and keep all of my troubles bottled up inside. In fact, I never knew it was possible to survive alone that way until I met you.

"And I'm not the only one who cares. Your brother cares about you. Though he may not show it, my brother and his friends also do. We don't want to see someone so lonely and cold, filling the rest of his life in misery and uselessness."

"Do you call money uselessness? The very thing that supports you? And sacrificing everything for someone you care for? What about that?" Challenge mingled with the bitterness and anger, making his voice seem as if it was spitting out ice shards.

She turned back to him, even though it scared her to do so. "No, I'm not saying that. But what are more important, money and others' opinions about the way that you act, or how you feel and how that one person you care for looks up to you? Mokuba sometimes tells me that he wishes you wouldn't sacrifice everything you have for him to be happy and content and to make a good reputation for him. He says that it makes him sad to know that you risk losing everything in the world just for him; he wants you to have some fun in life and not leave all of it for him. He hates it that you have to carry so much pain for him, and then cast everything out because there's no room left for anything else."

It was quiet for a moment. Serenity could tell what she had just had gone deep down and struck something. Finally, Kaiba said, "I know he feels that way." The bitterness had left his voice, making it sound hollow. "What else can I do, though? He's all I have left. If I lost him, then I really would loose everything I have."

She looked him straight in the eyes. "We just want you to think about it. Why not try a friend or someone else to talk to, to share your burdens? Maybe opening up a bit will ease it. Saving room for a bit of happiness won't do anything but good."

They said no more about the topic. Kaiba let himself drift off, not wanting to think about what she had just said. In truth, he didn't want to discuss things like this because it always hurt him. Thinking about such things made the pain he kept to himself hurt more. He would rather have life the way it was now than to face the realities. Admittance of what he was really doing to himself was still to far for him to reach for. He still was not ready to face it.

The two teens ended up searching for Mokuba until five o'clock. Every hangout was searched, all of his favorite places were combed inside out, and any other place imaginable was gone through. They split up again to cover more ground. Questions were asked once more, and their reasons were either an "Oh, we got separated by the crowds coming from a café" from Serenity, or "I have a meeting to get to. Just tell me," from Kaiba. Just to make sure that their stories would not sound suspicious when compared—it was a possibility—Kaiba would say that his little brother was with a friend, a girl with auburn hair named Serenity.

Unfortunately, neither of them found anything about the raven-haired boy at the end of any of their searches. None of the places they had searched had anybody that even remotely resembled the younger Kaiba, and no one they had asked had seen him either. Every search had ended this way.

For the last time, they got into Kaiba's car. They had formed an awkward but comfortable relationship for now, quiet but perfectly understandable. Whether it had been formed from the talk that they had or from the similar cause of finding Mokuba, they now understood each other enough to know how much distance and quiet the other needed. Right now, the radio was still on, but there was very little talk, especially small talk. There was absolutely none on the previous topic.

They were a few blocks from the school when Kaiba broke the silence. "Do you want me to drop you off at school or at your house?"

It took a while for Serenity to realize that he was talking to her. She had been so used to the silence from him that his voice was a bit of a surprise. "Huh? Oh, you can just drop me off at school. Joey will probably be waiting for me there." She hesitated, then asked, "So what will you be doing now about Mokuba's absence?"

"I don't know," he answered shortly.

She let him be, already used to him being blunt and on the point. However, her mind did not give her any of the peace that she gave to Kaiba. It still wondered and fretted unceasingly about Mokuba. Were they ever going to find him? Was he already dead? Worse, was he being hurt somewhere and begging for them or death, unheard? As maddening as the thoughts were, she could not dispel them anymore than she could make her best friend appear before them like magic. That's what she wished she had right now—magic. It would make things so much easier.

Once again, Seto Kaiba interrupted her thoughts. She was glad of it, though. "It looks like your brother and the rest of the geek squad are out by the front gates," he commented plainly as he drove into the street adjacent to the school.

What he had just said took a while to dawn on her. "Oh no! I totally forgot about telling my brother where I was! He's probably been so worried about me!"

Kaiba sighed. "Look, you forgot and that's all there is to it. You're already within shouting distance of him. What difference will it make if you keep worrying about it? You can't do anything about it now. Just let him fret if he wants. You'll be with him and his little friends in a minute, anyway."

Another thought came to her just as he ended. "But…" she trailed off, not daring to mention what was on her mind. She bit her lip in agitation.

"You're in my car," he finished dryly. "I almost forgot the puppy hated me and wouldn't let you in anyone's car but his, especially not one that's owned by a detested stranger like me." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Serenity sighed, not wanting to argue with Kaiba. Even though she knew she should defend her brother and their friends, she was too tired to do so. She watched the small group before the school as they came nearer and nearer. "How am I going to explain this to them?" she muttered to herself.

"You'll do it because you have to," Kaiba answered, knowing that she did not expect a reply. "Don't even bother trying that innocent act and make me explain for you. They may fall for that, but I don't."

If anything, those words from that voice only made her more agitated. She watched with nervousness as they pulled into the parking lot.

So that's it for chapter 2! Anyone want to guess what'll happen when they get out of the car? It should be kinda obvious, but who knows? I might add a little twist… Chapter 3 will be up soon! Please review!