Chapter 14, people! I'm so proud.... this chapter features poetry written by none other than me! ^_^ I'm not really sure how good it is, but a couple of my friends think it's cool, and I did write it for Joey and Seto, so... yeah, I know I got too much time on my hands. As promised, this chapter is for Starfly. Anyway, on to the thank-you's!

daisy: YAY!!!! LONG REVIEWS!!! does happy dance, throwing confetti and putting party hat on Diamond, who starts growling Hey, you be nice, or daisy'll take back that plushie! Diamond whimpers and moves closer to the plushie That's better... looks at the anti-pet abuse mob Oh, come on, he knows I love him! huggles Diamond Happy? Anyway, back to daisy and nuva ~_^ Yeah, they won't have that much control forever, though. And I don't think Joey wants Seto to "show off" his beauty per se, just realize that he's a damn hot bishie! Catch ya guys later, tell me what you think of this chappie! Diamond, say bye! Diamond licks both daisy and nuva

Ranma Higurashi: sad face Yeah, I know, they're really getting short. I'm sorry! throws herself on the mercy of the court I'm so happy you think it's kawaii, and that you keep reviewing! Laterz, hope it keeps up!

phwee? yami hobo: Aww, you actually cried from my review? How sweet! huggles phwee and her yami I'm glad you love my fic, I enjoyed yours, and for the record, I totally realize that it's fanfiction.net's crummy formatting and not your fault. I'm gonna keep checking for your new story, count on it! Hope you keep reading this one!

Princess Strawberry: Hey, Princess and Yami! Glad your yami's not offended by the comparison to Bakura, and overjoyed you both loved the chappie! I'm hoping that I can keep you both interested for as long as possible, it's a big booster to see your name on the review list more than once! Ja ne, girls!

Lizzie: drools alongside Lizzie Yeah, Seto has a way of doing that to people. Glad you're still reading, hope to hear from you again real soon! BTW, you were my hundredth review!!!! Thank you so much, Lizzie, and in thanks, you can request anything you want as a chappie, and I'll do my best to get it up for you as soon as plot constraints allow! Laterz!

babygurl: Hey, girl! Wow, I think your last review just might be the best I ever got... thankies! Yeah, I love the way Seto turned out, never thought I'd get his character down this good, thanks for recognizing that fact. hangs head in shame Sorry for the mistake, I don't usually get that ditzy when I'm writing, and something that obvious never got past my scanning before.... I promise to work doubly hard to have perfect sentence structure in following chapters! And repeat after me: "I am not a weirdo!" LOL, yay, you like the rest of the chappie! That teacher thing really sucks, glad my teachers are either stupid or functionally blind (or both in some cases). About my age... I'm going to be 17 in a few months, thx for asking! Anyway, I'll catch ya later, and I still have 3 stories left to review... 0_0 Promise to get to it really really soon, okay? Laterz! Oh, and I almost forgot! hands babygurl autographed photo of Guardian and Diamond Thanks for being such a cool person!

PanDora: Glad to hear it! Yeah, I love happy middles, don't you? laughs nervously Anyway, hope you enjoy this chappie, and I'll catch ya on the flip side!

Starfly: I promise you, there will be major focus on R/B, as soon as next chappie! Aww... I'm so glad I got you back into writing! It's fun, but oh so time-consuming... oh well, hope you enjoy this chappie, even though there's no R/B yet. It is yours, after all! Ja ne!

Once again, a big major thank-you to all my readers! I love you guys! Warnings; well, my crappy poetry, FLUFF, OOCness... that's about all!

Disclaimer: Guard-chan doesn't own YGO, but she does own the poem "Beauty on the Fire", although the title belongs to Natalie Imbruglia. All clear? Good, on to the fic!

Chapter 14: Beauty on the Fire

The ride to school was uncharacteristically quiet, with Joey copying his boyfriend's homework faster than Seto would have thought possible, and the brunet himself trying to recover from that morning's 'episode', for lack of a better term. Despite his stoic nature, a fresh wave of bitter longing hit him every time he saw anything that could even be construed as a reminder of his beautiful puppy, and looking at Joey himself... well, let's just say that Seto still hadn't recovered from his body's embarrassing reaction to the last time he'd done that, and it was getting harder and harder (no pun intended ~_^) to hide these things from Joey. (A/N: Seto: You're NOT putting that in. Guardian: Watch me. clicks "Upload Chapter" Seto: Ugh, how mortifying.)

Sighing, Joey tossed the half-done math assignment away and picked up his and Seto's English books. Seto gave the blond a lopsided grin. "Ever think that maybe you should do your own homework?"

Looking very much like an animal, the other boy scratched his head with his pencil. "Nope, never occurred to me," he replied as he started scribbling again.

Upon hearing that comment, Seto chuckled to himself and rolled down the window, letting the wind fill the back seat of the luxury car. Joey growled as he struggled to keep his papers in some sort of order, but said nothing as his love turned his face up to the sky, the breeze whipping his auburn locks around. He looks so... content. I can't disturb him.

The ride was over too soon for Seto, who grudgingly closed the window and rearranged his hair and papers, both of which had been blown around by the wind's violent gusts. Joey left the English half done as well, sliding his pencil back into his pocket and winking at his beloved. "All caught up," he said, raising his nose in the air in mock snobbishness.

Seto slid out of the vehicle gracefully, and Joey wondered if the taller boy was ever clumsy. "Just how many of those answers are correct, pup?" he retorted as he slammed the door shut.

Joey wasn't about to let the other boy get the last word under any circumstances. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he leaned across the roof of the limousine. "All of them. I copied them off you, and you're a genius." Pausing to thank the driver, he walked around the car to lean against his boyfriend. "Not to mention the catch of the millennium." Then, right there on the school grounds, he kissed Seto full on the lips.

The kiss didn't last very long-- a few seconds at most-- but that was more than enough for a good fifteen people to spot the two boys, who were supposedly enemies, engaged in something that enemies definitely didn't do. Most of the girls "aww"-ed, and the guys, their reactions ranging from stunned to disgusted, said absolutely nothing. Either they couldn't believe their eyes or they were too scared of Seto's wrath to court it. The reason made no difference to Seto and Joey, as they were both lost in each other for over half a minute thereafter.

"You do realize that we just basically told the entire school we're together?" the brunet stated when his powers of speech had returned. Joey nodded, and Seto looked over his love's shoulder before breaking out into a grin. "And do you also realize that your friends saw everything, including Tristan?"

The blond glanced over his shoulder and shrugged, "Guess it saves me the trouble of telling him, don't it?" Another of those rich, deep laughs that Joey absolutely lived for. Every day, Seto opened up more and more to him, and the other boy was confident that with a little effort on both their parts, the world would see what he had seen of the billionaire, and what the love they shared had made them become. As his friends advanced, Joey nestled his head in the groove between Seto's neck and shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment. Love can't change people, but it sure can bring out the good in them.

Tristan was the first over, trailing Serenity behind him. "All right, Kaiba, what the hell's going on here? What have you pulled on Joey now? If you've brainwashed him, or tricked him into something, I'll turn that pretty face of yours into mincemeat!"

Serenity grabbed onto her companion's elbow, sighing when he wrenched it free of her grip for what was certainly not the first time in the last two minutes. "You've got it all wrong," she began, massaging her forehead in an effort to remain calm. Yugi and Ryou were keeping their distance, but even they couldn't refrain from eavesdropping on the conversation.

"What's to get wrong?!" Tristan exclaimed, "I know Joey. He wouldn't have a complete turnaround over, of all people, Kaiba!" Frustrated, he threw his hands up in the air. "I'm gone for one day, and the world goes nuts?" One strong hand grasped the blond boy firmly. "Come on, Joey. We're leaving."

Seto growled deep in his throat, and in a flash, his arm was around his boyfriend, holding the boy to him. There was no need for him to disturb himself, though; even quicker, Serenity had Tristan by the shirt collar and actually succeeded in pulling him back a few paces, so that their faces were mere inches apart.

"You're going to listen to me, and you're going to listen well, because I'm only going to say this once." Her tone was perfectly modulated, but the message was clear; she would not stand for anything getting in the way of anyone she cared about, especially her big brother. "Joey and Seto are in love." The taller of the two opened his mouth to speak, and the brunette jerked his shirt collar again, throwing him off-balance. "You're listening right now. As I said, they're in love. Yes, it's a new development, yes, it came as a surprise, but Joey's your friend, and you had better be there for him now. If you do anything that can even be construed as threatening to either of them, or to their continued happiness, I won't only not be there the next time you have problems of your own, I'll be the one causing them. Understand me?" Stiffly, Tristan nodded. "Good. Now, go congratulate them." She released him, and it took all of the tall boy's concentration to stay upright.

"But Seren'..." A glare from the youngest member of the group silenced him, and with the formality one would use to greet a visiting dignitary, Tristan extended his hand toward the other brunet. "I still don't trust you, Kai---Seto, but Serenity seems to. I trust her judgement, especially with regard to Joey, so I won't get in your way." He offered the ghost of a smile. "I'm sure she's already given you the 'If you ever hurt him..' speech, but let me add my name to the list of people that will be kicking your ass if that eventuality occurs."

A momentary flash of amusement in the azure orbs was all the warning Tristan had before Seto's hand enclosed his in a firm grip, and he found himself looking up at the sky, lying in a nearby pile of dirt. "You wish, Taylor." the billionaire said haughtily as he and Joey went to join Serenity.

"Thanks again, sis," the blond smiled gravely. "For a moment, I thought we were going to have another Tea scene on our hands."

Serenity winked and gave the two teens before her a mock salute. "Happy to help, big brother, but the less I hear of anorexia's poster child, the less nightmares I have about being thinner than a tree branch." Behind them, Yugi and Ryou were pulling Tristan out of the dirt, the sandy grains of dust doing nothing to mask his red-faced anger at being publicly humiliated by Seto Kaiba. One more look from Serenity, and the first bell kept that in check remarkably well, though, and without a word, the brunet rushed off toward the bathroom to clean up a bit before class. Their charge gone, Yugi and Ryou moved up to flank Seto and Joey.

"Want to get going?" the shortest of the five said, gesturing over his shoulder to the students filing in through the school doors.

Joey sighed. "Might as well, I guess." As they started off, though, the blond pulled his sister aside. "Hey, can you do me a favor tonight?"

Serenity nodded cheerfully, and her smile only got wider as Joey detailed his plan to her. Once he was done, she laughed out loud. "You have entirely too much time on your hands to think up these elaborate schemes, that's for sure."

"So you'll do it?" Joey's voice held a hopeful note.

"For sure!" The conspirators exchanged a quick thumbs-up and ran to catch up with their friends.

* * *

For the rest of that day, Seto caught his love scribbling down little notes on scraps of paper and filing them away carefully in a folder. More than once, the taller boy tried to read over his shoulder, but couldn't quite make out Joey's chicken scratch. He wondered if his boyfriend had planned it that way.

Finally, after school, he decided to attempt to satisfy his curiosity. "What have you been doing today?" he demanded good-naturedly.

Joey stuffed a pile of sweaters into his backpack, stained beyond belief, and looked up at Seto quizzically. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

For once, Seto was at a loss for words. "The... the papers, the scribbling... you've been keeping them, so they can't be class notes, since you usually lose those before the period's over if you bother to take them at all. So what are they?"

The blond smiled, enjoying the feeling of keeping his love off-balance. It wasn't one you got to enjoy often when you were with Seto Kaiba. "Just random stuff." Seto looked like he was going to shoot that down, so Joey cut him off first. "Listen, can this wait till I get home? I've got to get to the library."

Library? Joey? My Joey? "Are you feeling all right, puppy? You sure you're not having a relapse?" Gingerly, Seto rested his hand on the blond's forehead, who sighed and let the impromptu examination go on. "Hmm, you don't feel hot. Have you eaten today?"

The shorter boy laughed out loud. "You should remember; you insisted on feeding me yourself once you heard that Yami had done that for Yugi!" With a grin, he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'll see you back at the mansion. Later, Set." One quick kiss, and he was gone in the direction of the school library, leaving a very confused ex-CEO in his wake.

* * *

Seto and Mokuba couldn't have been home for more than twenty minutes when the doorbell rang, and Annie ushered in Serenity, who had changed out of her school clothes and gotten over to the mansion faster than the elder Kaiba would have believed possible. "To what do we owe this visit, Serenity?" the brunet asked, feeling that this might be tied in with Joey's strange behavior, although he couldn't see where the two of them had had time to plan anything elaborate.

"Well, since it's Tuesday, and movies are really cheap today, I thought we could all go catch a flick! What do you say?" Her smile was so bright, it lit up the room more intensely than the beams of sunlight filtering through the curtains. Innocently enough, she glanced around the living room, up the stairs, and into the kitchen. "Where is Joey anyway?"

"At the library, apparently." Seto stared into her hazel eyes. "Would you know anything about that?"

"Nope. As far as I knew, Joey was coming here after school." Not even a blink. If she was lying, she was very good at it. Or maybe, Seto mused, I'm just too trusting of her. "Anyway, do you want to go?"

The brunet shook his head. "No, I'll stay here and wait for Joey, if it's all the same to you. You and Mokuba can go, if you'd like some company."

Serenity wasn't going to be satisfied with that, though. "Come on, you should get out more often! Even Joey thinks so!" She took him by the arm and led him halfway across the living room. In a nearby corner, Annie allowed herself the faintest of smiles as she dusted the various items in the room. Seto would have protested further had Mokuba not walked in just as he opened his mouth.

"Hey, Serenity, when did you get here?" the younger Kaiba asked. "If you've come over to see Joey, he's still at the school library."

The girl turned to the shortest of the three, kneeling down to give him a hug. "Actually, I wanted to know if you and your brother wanted to come with me to see a movie. Doesn't seem like he really feels like it, though. I guess I'll just go alone. I'd invite you along, but I know time with your brother is at a premium these days." With just the right amount of disappointment, Serenity rose to her feet and shuffled toward the front door.

Oh, she is good, was all Seto had time to think before Mokuba was tugging at his arm, looking at him with wide, teary eyes. (A/N: Chibi Mokuba!! Kawaii!) "Come on, big brother, let's go with Serenity!"

"I can't." The brunet folded his arms and stared out the window. "I've got to wait for Joey."

Mokuba looked crushed as his brother spoke. "But... what we talked about last night, about you spending more time with me? Isn't this the perfect opportunity?" His gaze turned down to the floor. "Are you breaking your word, Seto?" he asked quietly.

The guilt trip took everyone by surprise; Annie's feather duster stopped completely, Serenity held her breath subconsciously, and Seto froze where he was, his mouth half open and his eyes locked in an expression of shock. Behind those glittering sapphires, though, all present could practically see Seto's mind racing, looking for a way out of this mess without hurting his brother's feelings, while still getting to spend every possible moment with his boyfriend. As far as Serenity could see, though, there was none.

Angry at being trapped in a corner, the elder Kaiba snapped up his car keys. "Fine, we'll go. Let me get the car started." Annie went back to her work once he was gone, and Mokuba turned to Serenity, any traces of sadness gone from his face completely.

"Whatever you're up to, I'm only too glad to help out." He winked. "I owe you guys for giving me Seto back." With that, he ran off to join his brother in the garage.

Serenity followed him as far as the foyer before taking her cell phone from her purse, hitting a speed-dial key, and waiting for the answering machine to pick up. "Phase one accomplished," she whispered, and hung up before following the Kaiba brothers herself.

* * *

The group had been gone from the Kaiba mansion about half an hour when Joey snuck in, wearing his street clothes and carrying a very large bag over his shoulder. After saying hello to Annie, the blond went up the main staircase as quickly as he could and slipped into the master bedroom, dropping his bag onto the carpeted floor. Wow, it's so cold and empty without Set. Was this how he felt before we got together? Glancing at the clock on the wall, Joey began unpacking frantically.

This's going to be perfect! he grinned. Now, let's just hope that Seren' can just keep Set out of the house long enough... While he had faith in his sister, he knew all too well how intransigent Seto Kaiba could get when he wanted something, and once he made up his mind to come home, not even Serenity would be able to stand in his way. Let's hope she can pull this one off. Without a moment to spare, Joey went about implementing his plans.

* * *

Joey needn't have worried; with Mokuba's help, Serenity managed to keep Seto out of the house for a good hour or so after the movie was over. The younger Kaiba had insisted they go to the mall for ice cream, then check out the new video game store, and once there, had taken absolutely forever to pick one he liked, since he had to try them all first. It was only once Seto realized that it was going on six o'clock that he would tolerate no more delays, piled them in the car, and sped back to the mansion, stopping only to drop Serenity off at her house. As she waved good-bye, the brunette hoped she'd given her brother enough of an opportunity to get everything set up.

Mokuba knew enough of the plan to realize that it required him to be out of the way, so the moment that Seto opened the front door, he scampered up to his room, saying that he wasn't hungry and that he wanted to play his new game. Seto didn't bother admonishing his little brother to do his homework; Mokuba was generally very mature about such things. Besides, he had to see if Joey was back yet.

A quick glance into the hall closet told the billionaire all he needed to know; Joey's green jacket was carelessly thrown inside. Hanging it up so that Annie wouldn't go into a spastic fit on his boyfriend, the brunet made a point of searching through each room in the mansion systematically. At length, he came to the dining room doors. It's a long shot, but might as well.... Impatiently, Seto threw the double doors open, but his blind rush was curbed totally by the scene before him.

Candles were all that illuminated the room, and there must have been over a hundred of them, their flames all dancing in the draft from the open doors. Almost reverently, Seto stepped into the dining room and closed the doors behind him, feeling them latch. Flowers, obviously fresh-cut, were everywhere, the candlelight flickering off their rainbow-colored petals giving the illusion of multicolored beams of light criss-crossing the chamber. A veritable feast was spread out on the great table, and in the middle of it all, Joey stood, a triumphant grin on his sublime face. Seto's boyfriend wore a white dress shirt and beige pants, which captured the rainbow light perfectly, making him look like an angel in an ancient painting. His hair looked to be freshly washed, but it still retained that defiant quality that Seto found so endearing.

"Welcome back, love." Joey said, his voice like silk in the near-darkness. At those three words, Seto felt his heart torn to shreds, then put back together just as quickly. Recognizing the wave of paralyzing emotion that had engulfed the brunet, the shorter boy seemingly glided over, kissing his boyfriend deeply, yet sweetly, as he led him to the head of the table and sat him down. "First course," he stated, taking the lid off a steaming bowl of soup. Seto recalled the scent immediately; Serenity's chicken soup. Must be a Wheeler family recipe, he thought as he ate. Whatever it is, it's damn good!

The meal went on in this way through four courses and dessert, Seto digging into the delicious spread like a starving man, and Joey eating only sparingly, preferring instead to spend his time gazing at his beloved. The candles had burned down to half by the time Joey moved his chair next to Seto's and allowed the brunet to rest against his shoulder.

"You're a good cook." Seto muttered at length.

"You knew it was me?" Joey was surprised. Yes, he'd cooked a four-course meal alone, but he'd never expected his love to notice.

Against his chest, the taller of the two nodded. "Our cook should take lessons from you. I think I'll fire him." The quick exhale that penetrated the thin shirt was enough to tell the blond that Seto was just kidding. "Thank you." he said gravely as he claimed Joey's lips in a languid motion, his hands playing over his boyfriend's defined chest through the dress shirt.

They always said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, the blond laughed to himself as he slid from Seto's embrace to stand up. "It's not over yet. Put this on." He held out a strip of cloth that Seto presumed to be a blindfold, and the brunet, too tired to argue, did as he was bid. Happily, Joey led him upstairs, pausing every now and then to trail teasing phantom kisses across Seto's face, always pulling away before the other boy could reciprocate.

Eventually, they arrived at the master bedroom, and the blond untied the blindfold, allowing Seto a moment to get his bearings. Once he did, though, he nearly broke down. More flowers, mostly roses, were strewn around the entire room, carelessly. There were only six candles, three on either side of the bed, and in the center of said king-size bed lay two roses, one red and one blue, tied with a white ribbon that carried traces of black in it. Atop the two flowers lay an envelope, upon which 'Seto' was inscribed in Joey's messy hand. As if in a dream, the brunet knelt down on the bed, brushing his fingers across the rose petals, and down their stems, minding the thorns that Joey had obviously made a point of leaving on. His hands traced the ribbon, and finally, he lifted the envelope.

The bed shifted, and Joey whispered in his ear, "Open it," before giving his earlobe a soft nip.

Silently, Seto did as Joey asked. He didn't trust his own voice at the moment. Inside the envelope there was a single sheet of plain white paper, upon which were written eighteen lines in the blond's finest handwriting. It's a poem. His hands shaking, the brunet began to read.

Beauty on the Fire, by Joseph Wheeler

You wear a cloak of blackest night,

yet it is insufficient to mask your light.

Your eyes, as cold as ice's pyre,

Still carry the passionate nature of fire.

Your perfect face, its casual grin,

Remains indifferent to your hidden delusions of sin.

The classically handsome Harlequin's standard,

Presumably dim as the village dullard.

You shatter their deceptions, their shields, their lies,

Simply by existing, with each new tear you cry.

Yes, you are beautiful, but do not fit the word.

What you are can't be classified by any I've heard.

Roses have thorns, and the reverse rings true.

If opposites attract, then who for me but you?

You are my life, my love, my soul,

And trite as it is, your love keeps me whole.

Acknowledge your gifts before you arrive at your pyre,

Lest your beauty should follow you into the fire.

Overcome, Seto didn't speak for a moment, only stared at his puppy with tears in his eyes. He did all this for me. He genuinely loves me. Oh, Joey. The full force of his passion broke free just then, and he threw Joey to the bed, kissing him anywhere that wasn't covered by clothing. Once the blond was sporting numerous love bites on his throat and face, Seto practically tore off his shirt and graced every part of his love's chest with feather-light kisses that had Joey practically crazed with pleasure before returning to his mouth, allowing their tongues to dance together as their hands roved over each other's bodies. A few minutes later, they parted with a great, communal gasp, and Seto crushed Joey to him so firmly that he was afraid he'd rip the shorter boy in two.

"I don't deserve you," he began, and Joey rolled over to run his hands through the billionaire's hair.

"Will you stop with the self-deprecating thing, already?" he sighed. "That's what tonight was about. I wanted you to see yourself as I see you, not as you see yourself right now." Resting his hands on either of his love's cheeks, Joey held Seto's gaze with his as he spoke. "I love you, Seto Kaiba, and if it takes all my life, I'll make you believe that. You are the most beautiful person in the universe to me, inside and out. I would give my life, everything I am and ever will be, to you in an instant, without question. Doubt anything you choose but my love for you. In time, I hope that you will learn to love yourself half as much as I do." With that, Joey laid his head on Seto's breastbone, and the brunet could feel his breath slowing down.

"Joey..." he said, but couldn't seem to find the words. "My love, I... I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything till you're sure," mumbled the blond. "Sleep now, Set. It's been a long day."

Seto chuckled. "That it has, puppy." Moving the roses and the poem safely out of the way, he slumped down to the pillows, taking Joey with him, and they fell asleep at once.

* * *

Wow, my fluffiest scene yet! Okay, I really, really want to know what everyone thinks of "Beauty on the Fire"! I wrote it in half an hour in English class because I was totally bored, and I want to know whether anyone thinks it's good, or whether you all hated it! Please R/R as well; even though I've received over 100, each one still means as much as they did when I had none. Thank you to anyone who bothered to read this, and I'll catch ya all when Chappie 15 comes around!