When she arrived at Kaibacorp headquarters, she saw the boy waiting for her in front of the building. Something in her snapped. She wasn't going to be the scared little girl anymore. She didn't want to be that person anymore. Her anger fumed, no way was she going to allow him to expose her to the world. She was Serena Pegasus and she was not going down without a fight. She was stronger than she had been in the past and the things she had done did not define her. She was finally home after all these years and there was no way some big-shot gaming mogul was going to take that away from her.

Kaiba looked up when he saw her car drive into headquarters. 'Finally' he thought to himself though she had only arrived 3 minutes after him. Serena marched up to him. "Why didn't you tell me you were Seto Kaiba" she seethed "and why would you accept my offer!? As a child prodigy, why even bother with me!" Kaiba rolled his eyes and allowed her rant to continue. "You have everything! And you know what, you can't control me. Whatever you know or think you know, I really don't care! " she fumed. Just as she was about to leave, Kaiba grabbed her arm. She grimaced and he immediately let go.

"Sorry" he apologized as he saw his firm grip had reopened her fresh wound. The gash was starting to flow freely again and in a way it felt good. All the stress she had tied together felt as if it were being set free. She didn't want him to know, but the pain made her feel something. When she was all alone in that boarding school, it was the only way she could connect. It was the only way she knew she wouldn't disappear. Her mother was gone and her father never came to visit. She didn't mean for it to happen. It just...

Seto allowed her to collect herself before offering to treat her arm. She nodded curtly before allowing him to lead her to his office. She wanted to leave, but there was no way she was going to explain it to the staff or worse if her father was home. Her sleeve was beginning to darken with blood and she knew she would have to accept his help.

Kaiba brought her to his office and sat her down on the couch. She stiffened at his touch. No words were exchanged as he gently peeled back her sleeve. Seto's eyes widened as he saw several scars adorned her pale skin. Some had looked as if they had been torn recently while others looked years old and were beginning to fade. Serena kept her head down as Kaiba carefully bandaged her arm and cleaned the wound.

"Why" he asked simply. She didn't answer. If she did, it would be out. She couldn't take it back. So she stayed silent. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt you or judge you. Just tell me what happened" His eyes looked so sincere that Serena began to speak.

Memory POV

She had just turned four when her mother died of disease. She didn't remember much from that time, only that is had been the best days of her life. Everyone was happy back then. He father would smile and swing her around the house as her mother scolded them to be careful. To her, he was daddy. The best man to protect her from the scary monsters and big kids. And her mother would teach her how to sing and pick flowers from the garden.

Then everything changed. Suddenly, her mother was gone. There were dark clouds and a small funeral and then he was gone as well. After Cecelia's death, she never saw her father anymore. He had locked himself in the west wing and wouldn't come out. After a few months of wandering the halls by herself, Serena found herself shipped off to boarding school. For years she tried to understand why her father had done this to her. For years, she spent her hours studying and dueling to win back her father's affection. It was all for him.

But none of that worked. She had devoted her life to pleasing him. When it failed, Serena stopped trying. She gave up being the "perfect girl." She was so tired and it was the only thing that made her feel anything anymore. When she was all alone, the familiar prick helped and comforted her through these dark times.

End of memory

"What was I supposed to do? I didn't have anyone. People either hated me or wanted to use me. I didn't know what to do." Serena hid her face as the tears began to fall. She had already revealed so many details of her pathetic life. Did she really want him to see her cry.

Seto took a moment to comprehend everything he had just heard. He had just wanted to duel her. To see just how good she actually was. Sure, her programs were good and he did wonder when she'd reveal her next project, but something in her eyes made him forget her titles and accomplishments. Under the pretty face was a shattered girl who had been cast off at an early age. She was broken and scared. Not unfixable. He thought back to his own painful childhood and empathized with her hardships. For the first time in his life, Seto felt sorry for the girl and wanted to protect her. She wasn't gone and he was going to be the one to bring her back.