Author's Notes:
This may come as a bit of a shock, but this chapter was written three days ago...as opposed to three weeks ago. There's a chance I'm actually out of touch with this story now. Guess we'll see.

I think I'm going just a bit crazy. Between becoming the sudden go-to girl for far too much at work, trying to pick a grad school to apply to, and trying to finally put together a sort of resume for my website, I'm finding myself fighting off stress-related illnesses and injuries. Send hugs and plushies! Heh!

You may also notice that I'm posting this on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. I've decided to not post on Sundays any more. Between network problems and account problems, it just seems safer not to post on Sundays.

(Edit: This is a repost. Chapter 15 will come next week. I haven't had time to focus on writing this week, and I just found the most delightful beta reader who helped whip this chapter into shape! Enjoy the new and improved Chapter 14!)

Chapter 14

Serenity casually twisted her long auburn locks into a loose French twist and shoved a pencil through it. Things were slowly going back to normal, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Nearly a week had passed since she told Kaiba to leave her alone, and she hadn't seen him outside of gym class. He never acknowledged her presence. At first, she was grateful, but now she felt like a routine had been disrupted.

Humming lightly to herself, she wiped down the bar and went to prepare samples for the evening. She loved this time of day, the hours right after shcool. It was always dead, and she had plenty of time to work on various projects around the coffee shop. She told herself that she really just enjoyed being busy, but deep inside, she knew she was just avoiding thinking about Kaiba.

"Serenity, dear, why don't you take a break? The regulars will be coming in soon." It often amazed the woman that of all her employees, Serenity never asked for breaks. She always had to be needled into them.

"I'll take one as soon as I finish this," the redhead agreed. She put the last of the samples on a plate and set them out on the counter. Then, she started making herself a drink, a hot chocolate with extra sprinkles. She couldn't imagine why she had made it, not usually one for sweet drinks.

Except she knew exactly why she had made it. It was just one more routine that had been disrupted over the past few days. She debated a moment longer whether to drink the sweet, creamy concoction or to dump it out and make something closer to her normal tastes. With a heavy sigh, she decided to give the heavy drink a try. If Mokuba enjoyed it, then it couldn't be all bad, right?

She removed her apron and sat down at one of the tables. As she rolled the cup between her hands, she tried to convince herself that she made the cocoa because it was familiar. She refused to admit it had anything to do with the fact she was missing Kaiba.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" Junko asked gently.

"Hmm?" Serenity looked at her, surprised. The supervisor motioned toward the cup. It wasn't like Serenity to contemplate her drinks so much. The girl now looked at the cup, too. No...there was nothing wrong...just a desire to get her life back, to get both Kaibas out of it. She smiled softly at the older woman, "No, I'm just tired."

Junko didn't believe it for a moment. "If you say so. Since it's so quiet, feel free to take a longer break."

"I couldn't!" Serenity started, but Junko held up a hand. Realizing she wouldn't win the argument, Serenity settled back in the chair and took a large sip of cocoa.

It was a mistake, she realized quickly. How can Mokuba drink this? The drink was very sweet and very dense. It took all of Serenity's will power not to spit it out. She pushed the cup to the other side of the table. No, she definitely would not be trying that again. With a sigh, she put her apron back on and set about to restocking the bar.

The night turned out to be a fairly slow one, leaving Serenity with far too much time to contemplate cocoa and Kaibas.

"Hey, Serenity, I was thinking about checking out that new action movie this weekend. Want to come?"

Serenity smiled, "I'd love to, Tristan. Thanks!" She'd never admit how much she enjoyed spending time with her brother's dark-haired friend. Tristan was a great friend- polite, protective, thoughtful. She thought back to when they first arrived in Battle City to watch Joey and Yugi duel. Tristan had done a great job taking care of her when she couldn't take care of herself.

Over the past few days, Tristan had been spending more time around her, although Serenity couldn't help but notice he only did it when Joey wasn't around. The two were great friends, but Joey had made it perfectly clear he didn't want the brunette anywhere near his little sister. Serenity had decided Joey was just being overprotective. Tristan was simply a friend, and she didn't need her older brother controlling her life.

Tristan smiled, "Great. We can figure out the details Friday." The girl just smiled and nodded. The rest of the conversation dwindled into idle chatter.

Several feet away, a pair of blue eyes darkened. The past couple of weeks had been rough on him, and he was gruffer than usual. He knew Tristan Taylor was friends with both of the Wheelers, but why in God's name did he have to ask out Serenity. Didn't he understand Serenity was out of his league?

An angry sigh escaped his lips as he turned his back on the friendly scene. Mokuba had begged him to try again to repair things with Serenity, but he just couldn't do it. He wasn't even sure he could look her in the eyes right now. Mokuba had tried to drag him to the coffee shop, but Kaiba responded by making it off-limits. As much as he wanted to see her, it was easier to pretend he hadn't fallen hard and fast for her if he didn't have to see her.

He turned to look at her one more time, but she was no longer where she had been sitting. She and Tristan were walking away; he was carrying her books.

If she had moved on, he would, too.

Then again, had there really been anything to move on from?

That evening, Mokuba Kaiba appeared in the coffee shop. Serenity felt her stomach tighten as she watched him make the way to the counter. He was never very far from his older brother, and she was still fairly certain she was in no mood to deal with Seto Kaiba.

Mokuba apparently was wise enough to understand why his friend looked so uncomfortable. He asked quietly for his cocoa, and thanked Serenity when she handed it to him. Then he seated himself at a table and sipped his drink. Somehow, this younger brother of the most powerful man in Japan's gaming industry looked smaller and more pathetic than just about anything Serenity had ever seen.

After much debate, she finally made herself a cup of peppermint tea and seated herself across from the raven-haired boy. He looked up at her, smiling in surprise before going back to his drink. They sat there in silence for several minutes.

It was Mokuba who finally spoke, "The mansion feels different without you around."

The girl stared at her tea, swirling the cup a couple of times. She had spent maybe three or four days at the Kaiba mansion. She couldn't imagine that she had in any way affected anything there. Lost for words, she just smiled graciously at the younger Kaiba.

"Seriously, Serenity! Seto was almost in a good mood, and I liked hanging out with you! You should come over again," the little boy seemed certain he could persuade the redhead to visit the manor.

She stared even deeper into her tea, wishing for some sort of response. "I'm sorry, Mokuba. I...," she faltered.

He jumped up from his chair and ran around to her side of the table, wrapping her in a big hug. "I'm sorry! I just... I just wanted to get to spend time with you again, but Seto's..." Serenity tensed involuntarily at the mention of the elder Kaiba's name. Quickly realizing he was doing more harm than good, Mokuba all but ran back to his seat.

Serenity sat in her chair for another long moment before her sadness forced her to abandon her mug and disappear into the back of the store.

When Mokuba left a few minutes later, he still hadn't seen her come out of the back room. It broke his heart. A week ago, he started to feel like the brother he'd known as a small child was returning to him. Now, he was sadly watching as the person he loved most slipped back into his old ways, snapping frequently and shutting out everyone.

It might take a while, but Mokuba was determined to see his brother happy, and he was certain his best chance for that was Serenity Wheeler.

"Where were you?"

Mokuba's heart fell. His brother's bad mood was steadily getting worse, and he knew that he had probably just blown any chance of fixing it soon. "I was visiting a friend," he responded vaguely.

He could tell from his brother's tone that the younger boy had been at a certain off-limits coffee shop. With a sigh, he stormed off toward his office to contemplate what damage Mokuba had done to whatever existed between himself and Serenity Wheeler.

Many thanks to GenericHero for being my hero!