Chapter 3-Drawing apart

Disclaimers: As usual, I don't own Yu-gi-Oh!

A/N: O-okay, I'm back again… this is the start of the angsty part!! I regret to inform you that in this chapter, Seto and Serenity will be once again, torn apart… I mean, there's no story if there's no problem, right? Anyways, I'm SO SORRY about not replying to the reviews… MY BAD!!! I thought I replied but stupid me, I forgot to check out the quick edit and preview. Anyways, I'll just answer them now…

swt-honey-angel: yup it is the sequel. :) I know, I could have just left Setoand Serenity alone but I just couldn't help it… bwahaha! I'm really evil… anyways, thanks for the review!

VeryShortMidget, lil twin stars, Drago Kai: thanks! Glad you liked the sequel!

Yamiko Yakou: (evil laugh) sort of… :) you'll see… thanks for the review!!!

Drago Kai: actually something bad will happen to them before the wedding… that's why the wedding will have to wait… oh well… my bad…
5:30 A.M., Kaiba Mansion

Kaiba glanced at his watch. It was 5:30 A.M. He peeked into his little brother's room.

He left a note on his bedside table, reminding him to do his homework and all the necessary stuff.

He also went by Serenity's room, hesitating at the door because he thought it was quite rude to barge into a girl's bedroom while she was still sleeping. But he went in anyway because he knew that she wouldn't be seeing him for a week.

He saw Serenity's sleeping figure on the bed. He fought the urge to kiss her goodbye (A/N: You know, he should have done that). Instead he left a note saying that he would be back home in time for their wedding. He took one last glance at her and he left her room, closing the door quietly behind him.

The maids and home staff were up early and they quickly prepared him a cup of coffee and brought his suitcases to the limousine. He nodded curtly to his butler and entered his limo, which was parked in front of the mansion.

His chauffeur drove him to the airport a few minutes later, where he was quite early and he was able to get another cup of coffee at the nearest Starbucks. 'I just hope that this thing will not take more than a week,' Kaiba thought as he took a sip from the cup of coffee he was drinking.


7:02 A.M., Kaiba Mansion

Serenity Wheeler woke up at about 7:00 in the morning. She looked through the window glass and she saw the balls of hail pelting down on it. It was not often that they had a hailstorm. She dressed herself briskly and went to meet Mokuba in the kitchen. The maids had already prepared their morning breakfast.

Mokuba was done eating; he was leafing through the newspaper. "Aren't you supposed to be at school today?" she asked him.

"Nope, they cancelled school because it's a school holiday. It's the last day of our newspaper drive and they thought we deserved a holiday after all the newspapers we collected." Mokuba explained. He folded up the newspaper he was holding and put it on the table where the other papers were.

He flopped on the couch and turned on the TV.

He flicked through the channels while Serenity ate her meal. She was just about to take a sip of hot cocoa when she heard the news channel for the morning.

"The weather is quite bad today, so most of our flights were cancelled. There was one early flight which took off before 6 A.M. this morning, flight 216, from Japan to America." The news reporter announced.

Serenity nearly choked. 'Is this a coincidence? Seto said that his flight leaves before seven, and he's going to America… tell me that he's alright.' She thought worriedly.

"Did you hear that, Serenity?" Mokuba said, echoing the thoughts in her head.

Serenity's lip quivered as she nodded. "Yes." She answered softly. 'Oh God, please let nothing happen to Seto…' she thought weakly.

"We have warned Flight 216 but they were too far already from Japan. We are sorry to report that it may crash."

Mokuba glanced at Serenity, evidently dumbstruck. She looked so pale that she was about to come down with some disease. Mokuba caught her as she fainted.


7:00 A.M., Domino Airport

Seto Kaiba stared grimly at his watch. His flight was delayed, and his plane was supposed to be due in America for about 15 hours. Now he had to wait. All the flights had been delayed, saying that weather reports were firm.

He brought out his laptop so his boredom would diminish.

This was SO damn boring. The hail had delayed his trip. 'I knew I should have taken my private plane. Of all the stupidity!' Kaiba thought angrily.

'Shit. This can't happen to me! Of all the rotten luck.' Kaiba swore in his brain, his temper rising up. 'Stupid hailstorm… Of all the days for it to come.'

He leaned on the airport bench with no comfort at all.


7:15 A.M., Kaiba Mansion

"Serenity? Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes and she discovered that she was lying on the couch.

"You just fainted." Mokuba said grimly. He was bending over her.

"I'm fine." She said as she sat up to listen to the TV.

Serenity bit her lip as she gripped the couch's pillow tightly. She was still listening for more news of flight 216, which she was pretty sure that Seto was in.

'Seto, please be all right,' she thought silently. She didn't know when she would burst to tears, but she was successful in holding them back for now.

Mokuba came near her and patted her back. "Don't worry Serenity; my brother's tough. He won't let a stupid plane crash bother him." He said, his voice quivering slightly.

"O-okay…" Serenity answered faintly, her voice quivering.

She shivered under the blanket that Mokuba had provided her. "Oh, Mokuba… I just can't bear it if he… if he… died." Serenity said, getting the words out of her mouth.

"I don't think I can, either. Let's just wait and hope for the best. Perhaps the guy up there will be kind as to not let Seto be killed." Mokuba said reassuringly.


8:30 A.M., Flight 218 Japanese Airlines

Kaiba was so killed by boredom and by the time he got on the plane, he had absolutely nothing to do. 'Damn… should have known… I'm going to get a book from the bookstore. It'll kill this dumb boredom.' He thought moodily. He brought his book on board the plane and started to read.


10:00 A.M., Kaiba Mansion…

"We are sorry to inform you that Flight 216 has crashed. Please stay tuned for more news."

The news made Serenity hardly believe her ears. It crashed? But it can't be…

Mokuba stiffened and blinked back several tears. 'Mokuba's… crying?' she thought, blinking through her own tears.

"Serenity…" Mokuba moaned, and she enveloped him in a hug.

Seto just couldn't be dead… it was nearly impossible. Yet it was also possible.

9:00 P.M., Kaiba Mansion, Serenity's room

That night Serenity hadn't the heart to talk to anyone, but the phone was ringing like crazy. "For you, Miss Serenity," called the maid, giving her the cordless. "I'm sorry, I can't talk to anyone right now." She said softly, tears emblazoned on her eyes. She knew that it was her friends, but she didn't want to hear all those sympathetic words and pitiful voices. She didn't want to be pitied. She just needed some time alone.

Couldn't anyone understand that?


10:00 A.M., the Wheelers' apartment…

"Joey!!! Listen, something bad has happened!" Tea practically shouted on the phone.

"What?" Joey said impatiently. He didn't have the time to listen to any news. "You call me on the phone only to shout in my ear that there's something not right?"

"Yes, there IS something wrong! I know it sounds a bit impossible, but… Kaiba's dead!"

Joey snorted. Something was not right in Tea's head. Why the hell would he care if Kaiba was dead? He even kind of wished it last night, that Kaiba was dead and the wedding didn't have to go on, and Serenity would come back to live with him again. Too bad that it was only a dream. A mere thought. "Am I supposed to cry, or something?" he asked in a calm, annoyed voice.

Tea sighed. "Hello, Joey! I know that he's your enemy and all, but do you care about Serenity?" she asked exasperatedly.

"What's that got to do with Serenity?" he asked suspiciously.

"Duh! Didn't you hear that they were getting married this week?"

"Yeah, and so?"

"Joey!! You're so dense. Serenity's obviously crying! I mean, which person wants to lose her fiancé right before their wedding? I mean, I thought that as a brother you ought to comfort her!"

Joey yelped. He totally forgot about Serenity's feelings about this. He regretted thinking that Kaiba was dead.

But he was. He just plain was.

"How did he die?"

"Didn't you watch the news?"

"Obviously not! Why would I be asking you if I knew the whole story?"

"Oh, fine then, his plane to America crashed. I just heard it right now. I think it is his plane. I'm just not sure."

"Oh shit. Fuck my ass if Kaiba hadn't survived that." Joey swore.

"What are you waiting for? Call Serenity!" Tea demanded.

"Okay, I'm going to." Joey said and hung the phone up. He immediately dialed the Kaiba's residence.

"Hello? Kaiba residence."

"'Lo, can I speak to Serenity Wheeler?" he inquired.

"Hold on a second."

Joey played with the cord of the phone, hoping that Serenity would talk to him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Serenity says that she doesn't wish to talk to anyone. Would you like to leave a message?"

"No thanks. Just tell her that… her brother called." Joey said, then hung up dismally. He would have to pay a visit to the Kaiba Mansion tomorrow.


Next day, Kaiba Mansion

Serenity didn't sleep a wink. She kept thinking about Seto, and how difficult it was to let go of the subject. She didn't need anyone's sympathy-she just needed her time alone. Can't they leave her at peace?

She had eye bags under her eyes when she came to breakfast the next day. Mokuba was also teary-eyed, much to her surprise. She rarely saw boys cry, but she knew that poor Mokuba loved Seto very much, as much as she did.

She understood what Mokuba felt. The meal was outright silent, both Mokuba and Serenity ate without another distraction.

"I'm going to find work." She told Mokuba discreetly and closed the door behind her.

The people on the street were pure torture. One kid was saying to his mom, "Hey, isn't that the nice girl who was going to be married to Mr. Kaiba?" he asked. She almost wanted to snap at the kid, "Please mind your own business!" but she guessed her conscience went against her.

As she rode on the subway train to find some occupation, a work she could do… she flicked the newspapers to the advertisements.

'Wanted, a secretary for Grover's Corporation… very much appreciated, a girl who can plant trees and grow them, here at Domino Gardens. Wanted, an interior designer with a good sense of style, Interior designing corp.' Serenity read as she glanced from page to page, reading her eyes out.

"Hey Serenity!" said a kind voice. She spun towards the direction where the voice came from. It was her old friend, Duke Devlin. She had not forfeited their friendship ever since, and it was a long time since she last saw him.

"Hey," Serenity answered quietly, afraid that she might burst into tears on the spot. He reminded her so much of Kaiba. Dark hair, good looks, and a style of his own. (A/N: By the way, I am not a fan of DukeXSerenity. SETOXSERENITY FOREVER!!!)

Duke twirled a strand of his dark hair around his finger. He was cute, for Serenity, but she missed Kaiba even more when she started looking at him. Her heart started hammering in her chest as she remembered her deceased fiancé.

"Is everything alright?" Duke asked, apparently concerned.

"Ye-no." Serenity answered reluctantly. She felt weird, about to tell Duke Devlin the whole story on a train. Duke Devlin, of all the damned people. She couldn't even talk to her best friends about it. She knew that they would just sympathize about her situation. 'Who wouldn't? They always do that. I do NOT need anyone's advice or sympathy. Who turns up everyday with a dead lover?' she thought horridly. She knew she was being unfair to everyone, but she couldn't stand it, nor could she help her attitude.

So she told Duke Devlin about it.


"Tea!!! HELP ME!" Joey practically shouted to the phone.

"What?" Tea answered impatiently.

"It's about Serenity! What if she was so caught up with the creep and KILLED herself??? Tristan mentioned it to me a while ago and I'm beginning to think it's true!!! I called the bastard's mansion a while ago and asked for Serenity, but she wasn't there!!!" Joey screamed.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, Joey! Calm down! I'm pretty sure Serenity didn't kill herself; she's too sensible for something stupid like that. But I warn you Joey, if she really did love Kaiba that much, she might do it. Stop being so pathetic, Joey, it's not manlike to whimper." Tea said calmly.

Joey couldn't help whimpering. If Serenity killed herself, he would never forgive himself. He was supposed to take care of his little sister, and if anything happened to her, he'd be responsible. Oh, he knew something like this would happen. He KNEW that Serenity shouldn't have let Serenity marry that jerk!

He would just break her heart. And… he just did. 'Damn him! Damn that fucker! Fuck him!' Joey fumed. (A/N: Hey, I don't swear that often like Joey does, okay? It just fits with the story. I only swear when I really know that something is just, I don't know, DAMNED. Okay, bye)

"Joey! Are you still there? Don't tell me YOU killed YOURSELF!" Tea said, sounding horrified.

"NO! I didn't, I was just thinking, damn it! Can't I think about it?" Joey snapped.

"Look, Joey, she really loves Kaiba, and you were right in letting her marry him. She LOVES him. You can't stop that. Okay? You did the right thing. It's up to Serenity to realize if she wants to hang on to him still or find a new guy. Leave her alone for a while. I know how she feels." Tea advised.

"Okay. Fine, whatever… See ya." Joey almost slammed the phone back in the receiver. He had to find a way to tell Serenity that Kaiba was a no-good sucker. But she didn't want to talk to him! How would have convince her?

'Kaiba, damn it, come back from the graveyard and go back to Serenity! Whatever, just make her happy!' Joey thought.


A/N: Ooh… man, my writing sucks!!!! I actually let Serenity and Mokuba think that Seto is dead??? How evil can I get??? Oh man… but I think Kaiba can communicate with Serenity and Mokuba right? He's rich after all… I guess it's in the next chapter. That's all… please review! Thanks for the reviews in the last chapter! :) Flames and any kind of review is greatly welcomed. Any comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Okay, that's all for now, I g2g… by the way sorry for not being able to update for a REALLY long time… sorry about that!!! Hope I can update soon…