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Serena's eyes were puffed from the excessive crying and she quickly splashed them with some cold water to bring down the swelling. She breathed heavily and nervously began to wash her hands, then stopped. She wasn't going to let this moment define her. She wasn't going to be a victim. She had been scared and she had been wronged, but she wasn't going to let that boy get the best of her. She was finally happy and she wasn't about to lose it. "You're Serena Pegasus and you can do anything." she smiled remembering how she had told herself this everyday until she achieved her goals.

Serena quickly dressed herself in long layers and brushed out her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. The redness in her eyes had begun to fade and the bruises were hidden underneath her long sleeves. She gave a light smile before starting down the staircase. In a way, she felt like this was home. The Kaiba residence seemed warmer and friendlier than her father's manor or the boarding school and she couldn't think of a place she would rather be.

As she entered the kitchen, the two boys looked momentarily surprised before smiling pleasantly. "Hi Serena!" Mokuba chirped " Seto said you were ill, I hope you're better." She gave Seto a sideways glance before responding.

"Yeah, I wasn't feeling too well so your brother really helped me get better. Sorry I couldn't see you last night! Seems like I haven't seen you in days!" She answered and ruffled his hair.

"Two days Serena!" Mokuba laughed as he continued eating his breakfast.

"Would you like anything to eat miss?" a maid asked. Serena shook her head.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Seto gave her a questioning look but said nothing. He thought she should eat something after yesterday's events. With her history and background, Kaiba worried about her. Was it normal to be this calm especially after her break down last night?

Kaiba had stayed with her through the night until she fell asleep. When morning came, he gently left her side to prepare for his day. Pegasus had called earlier for an update and Kaiba had arranged a meeting with a therapist for later that week.

"So, Seto what's on the agenda today? Mokuba and I were thinking of taking a trip to the mall. You really should get some new clothes" she teased lightly before turning back to the tea he had ordered for her. She knew that Seto was confused by her change in demeanor, but it was her way of coping with everything. She didn't want to dwell on what happened to her. She didn't even want to think about her attacker or what could have happened to her if Seto hadn't found her in time. For the first time in years, she felt a spark of happiness and she wasn't willing to let it go because of one bad incident.

Kaiba cleared his throat before answering. " Sure, we can go shopping. Mokuba, why don't you finish up your homework for Monday and we'll leave in an hour." The small boy rushed up the stairs to complete his work and left the two at the breakfast table. An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Serena continued to stare into her cup.

"Serena, about last ni-" he started.

"I don't want to talk about it" she said quickly.

"But you. We-"

"Please. Can we talk about something else? The weather, school, anything. Just- I can't okay I just can't" she said sharply.

"Serena I want to help you" he answered.

"Then help me. Don't say anything! Don't mention it again!Please just pretend it didn't happen. I don't ever want to talk or think about it again."

"Serena, do you really think that you can pretend like nothing happened? We have to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about!" She retorted

"Last night, you were in hysterics! You didn't even know you were hurting yourself. How can you expect me to stand idly and wait until something worse happens! Serena, I care about you and I don't want you to feel as though you have to go through this alone." There was short silence.

"If I think about it. Everything comes back. Every painful memory and thought it all comes at me and I don't know how to... So if you want to help just please stop this." She whispered

Seto didn't know what he could do. Her problems were internal and he didn't know when she'd let him in to help her. The only thing he could do was wait until her appointment the next afternoon.

As the day continued, Serena seemed perfectly normal as she and Mokuba went through the mall picking out clothes and playing games at the arcade. Seto had to get back to Kaibacorp to finish up the new duel disk design and left the two to their fun.

After a few hours of work, Seto cleared his desk and logged onto the network's system. His secretary knocked on the door to alert him of a visitor. He opened the door to find Pegasus. Though he was dressed in his usual pristine crimson suit, he looked disheveled as though he hadn't slept in days.

"Ah Kaiba boy" he greeted with a feigned laugh.

"Pegasus" he returned.

"I just. I have to ask. How is she? Is she okay? Does she need anything?" He asked with a sincerity Seto had never seen. Personally, he was relieved that Pegasus had come. He couldn't understand Serena's actions so maybe Pegasus could.

"I don't know. She acts as if nothing happened. She pretends like everything is fine. I can't understand it."

Pegasus was silent for a moment before continuing "has she seen someone yet?"

"No, I've set an appointment for tomorrow. But she hasn't spoken about it to anyone."

Pegasus had a sad smile on his face. " She certainly takes after her father." Seto stared at him with a confused expression. " After Cecelia passed, I was reclusive as Serena may have mentioned. When I sent her away to school, I pretended as if life was perfectly normal, but it was a facade. I thought by clearing away everything that was connected to Cecelia I could forget what happened. It wasn't until I confronted my problems that I was finally able to live."

With that, Pegasus took his leave to see if his security team had any news of yesterday's events. After he finished the rest of his work, Kaiba made his way back to the house. The manor was dark when he entered the living room. Seto glance at the clock as it struck midnight and slowly prepared himself for bed after checking in on his sleeping brother and Serena.

Seto awoke with a slight shake to his arm. "Seto! Seto! wake up!" he heard. He opened his eyes to find Serena and Mokuba towering over him and glanced at his clock. It was 5:30 in the morning, what could they possibly want? He rubbed his eyes before speaking.

"What's going on?" he questioned.

"Well, Mokuba and I had an early night because we were tired from running about yesterday and well, we woke up early" she started.

"So, Serena and I were on the computer and I thought we might as well see what was going at Kaibacorp…" Mokuba said.

"But, when we logged on, someone was already on the server. I reinforced the firewall and programmed several defense programs, but I think you need to take a look." she said.

Seto sprang from his bed and quickly seated himself on his desk chair and logged into the system. Kaibacorp files were under the most secure system in the world. He had designed it himself. No one could breach his system. His fingers moved quickly across the keypad. His eyes widened. Serena was right, someone had managed to crack through his first line of defense. In his entire career as CEO, no one had managed to do this. Seto scanned over the codes that Serena created and was relieved. She was good-maybe even better than he was. Within an hour, she managed to stop the hacker and trap him or her in the system. The person was cornered and the only way to get out of Serena's defense system was to destroy the computer or erase the work that had been done. In addition, she managed to plant the virus in the hacker's own system to corrupt and delete their entire database.

He looked at her in disbelief. She had managed to create a system that both protected his data and ruined the hacker's internal system. "I'm sorry Seto. I should have asked before going into your system…" she apologized.

"Serena, you might have just saved Kaibacorp. Thank you." he said sincerely. Serena gave a small smile before sitting next to him and taking over the keyboard.

"I installed 17 firewalls into the system. I don't know if you want to add anything else but I think the cyberattack may have started around four this morning which only gave the attacker a half hour. I don't think the person even made it past the second wall, so your files should be secure…"

Seto didn't know what to say. Without her help, Kaibacorp may have been breached in the middle of the night. "Kaibacorp is my life's work and it means so much to me. Thank you for saving it."

"You don't have to thank me Seto. You've done so much for me in this past month. Both you and Mokuba are like family. You've helped me in so many ways and I'm glad I could finally help you." It was true. He had helped her through so much in these past two months and she was so thankful to have the Kaiba brothers by her side. Seto was her protector and Mokuba was a reminder that happiness could exist. Honestly, she didn't know what she would have done if Kaiba hadn't caught her that morning at school.

In some ways, Seto was able to fill the void that was left from her childhood. He made her feel emotions. Even yesterday, he had been so good to her. No one had been able to stop her when she was too wrapped up with the dark thoughts in her head until he came along.

At seven, the three began to get ready for school, donned their respective uniforms and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading off. As soon as the two stepped into the school, whispers began to fill the halls from both the girls and boys. Many had noticed that the two teens spent a considerable amount of time together, but no one had actual proof that they were a couple until that weekend.

"Why are they whispering" Serena asked quietly as they went towards their lockers.

"Gossip. Ignore it." he said simply as he handed Serena her notebooks.

"Serena! Hey Serena!" Serena looked up to see Yugi and her friends walking over to her. Seto sighed but didn't say anything.

"Hi guys!" she said with a smile "how was your weekend?"

"It was great" Yugi answered before being interrupted by Joey.

"Yeah, thanks for telling us about the game room. We missed ya though. Where'd ya go Serena?"

Serena stiffened before a strong voice answered for her. "Not that it's any of your business Wheeler, but Serena wasn't feeling well and needed some fresh air" Seto replied. Luckily, the bell rang before the two could continue their squabble.

Serena squeezed Seto's hand lightly to show her thanks as they entered homeroom. They passed through the class as usual despite the stares that the two received. Serena seemed oblivious to the whispers after an hour as the gang talked endlessly about the upcoming duel monsters tournament.

She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat until Seto motioned for her to follow him.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"You don't have to worry about dueling in the tournament."

"What do you mean? Daddy was very firm in his decision. Seto, I think I have to…"

"I talked to him and after" he paused before rephrasing "everything that's happened, he decided it's best to let you choose whether you want to duel in the tournament."

She turned quiet and absorbed the information before fully understanding what he was telling her. "You talked to my father" she spoke to herself. Seto looked at her uncertainly until she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you" she said sincerely. A weight was lifted from her shoulders as the pressure to please her father was alleviated.

She could finally breathe and be there for Seto. While she enjoyed dueling, she wasn't as passionate about the game as he was. The years she spent training for duel monsters were devoted to getting her father's attention above all else. She was relieved. For weeks, she worried about how to rebuild her deck and how she could duel against her friends and Seto. She loved him more than anything but was confused. She didn't know how to act or what to do around him. Whenever she saw him, butterflies filled her stomach. He knew how to talk to her and exactly what to say. He was her protector since her move to Domino and though it had only been a few months, she felt as if she had known him her entire life.

Kaiba was slightly nervous as he readied himself to tell her the next bit of information. He remembered her reaction when he had hired a therapist for her disorder a few months back. Seto hoped she'd be willing to see the doctor. He worried about her. Serena had been through so much in her life that she needed to someone who could understand her pain and create a plan for her recovery.

He broke away from her embrace and gently held both of her hands in his. 'Serena' he said seriously looking into her eyes 'I know you don't want to talk about what happened or your past but I'm worried about you. I feel like you need to talk to someone about everything. I know that you're beginning to get comfortable with me and I love that but you need discuss what happened in order to heal.'

Serena trusted him completely but was still apprehensive of his suggestion as she worried who could find out about her secrets if they ever got out. Her bottom lip quivered involuntarily but nodded her consent.

Later that day, after Kaiba had finished work, he and Serena made their way to the therapist's office. Though Serena was usually shy, Seto noticed how uncharacteristically silent she was being throughout their entire trip.

Serena didn't really listen during her session and instead chose to twirl her foot on the carpet for the first half hour until Kaiba was brought in to answer some of questions about recent events and her past. He spoke in soft whispers in order to hide their conversation but she heard every word.

After an hour, her session was over and she was instructed to return for weekly half hour appointments to see how she was doing. Both the doctor and Seto praised her for doing so well. Serena couldn't help but scoff internally at their words. She wasn't brave or courageous. In truth, she was only doing this to appease her father and Seto. As a perfectionist, she would have rated her participation as a complete failure seeing as she didn't say a word.

In the following weeks, Kaiba became extremely careful with Serena. He walked her to every class and even waited outside the girl's locker room. Serena had brushed it off at first thinking he would lower his guard after a few weeks, but even after two months Seto continued this routine.

Even when she kissed him, he would quickly break away and hold her hand instead. It was as if he were scared that the slightest touch would send her over the edge. In truth, Serena was beginning to heal and wanted to put the entire incident behind her and was beginning to tire of Kaiba's overbearing protection. He escorted her everywhere at school and when he had to work, he always sent a small team of security guards to patrol. She hadn't noticed at first but when Serena began to see the same few men constantly, she asked him. She tried to persuade him to stop the madness, but he refused and instead tried to convince her of the safety benefits of his system.

For weeks, this continued and Serena couldn't stand it. He treated her differently after the incident as if she were glass that could be easily broken. At first, she had attributed his behavior to what had happened. But she was tired of him treading on eggshells and wanted to feel alive. Instead, she was constantly reminded of her past.

As they drove near the Domino suburbs, she suddenly shouted. 'Can you drop me off at Tea's house?'

Seto looked up from his laptop surprised by her voice. Besides the occasional nod or word, this was the longest sentence she had spoken in a month.

He quickly told Roland to change directions. She rushed out of the car while telling him she'd be spending the night there.

She sighed in relief when he didn't question her and allowed her to go through with her plan. The truth was Serena felt suffocated and over the past few months, she and Tea had grown closer. Tea was like the sister she never had. Whenever Kaiba was needed at work, Serena found a semblance of normality with her new friends.

She knocked on the door and Tea's mother answered. 'Serena' she greeted warmly 'would you like anything to eat or drink my dear? You're too thin!'

Serena smiled at the motherly figure before declining. She gave the young girl a look of faux annoyance before motioning her to go upstairs.

Tea had just finished dance rehearsal and had just taken a shower when Serena knocked timidly at the door.

'Serena' she said momentarily shocked before bringing her into a hug. 'What's wrong?' She asked taking in her appearance. Tea had gotten used to Serena's glum demeanor at school attributing it to stress from school work as she had always seemed happy and alive when they hung out after school.

'Can I tell you something?' She asked. Tea nodded though she was shaken by Serena's tone. 'And you have to promise not to tell anyone! Not Yugi or even your mom. You can't tell anybody okay!'

Tea nodded and agreed to her terms. She told Tea everything from the cutting to the assault watching as her eyes ranged from sad sympathy to anger.

'I mean it's helping you know? The doctors visits force me to see what happened and that it wasn't my fault but everyone who knows about this thinks I'm three seconds from falling apart.'

'My dad listens and stays home more than usual in case I want to talk and Seto, who's been so supportive, is too careful around me as if I'm porcelain and I can't handle it anymore!'

'He's my first boyfriend and that kind of love is supposed to be magical and passionate but instead all he sees is a damaged thing to be pitied! Tea, I love him but how can I pretend like everything is okay if he hides everything from me?'

'Serena, you know he's only doing this to protect you. With everything that's happened to you, can you blame him? I understand how you feel but I think you need to tell Kaiba how you feel. He won't know what's wrong until you explain.' Tea told her

Serena nodded. 'Can I stay here tonight? I just need to know what to say before I see him again...'

Tea nodded and the two began to get ready for bed.

The next morning, Serena found Roland waiting to drive her and Tea to school. She declined and asked Roland to tell Seto she needed to speak with him later.

The group walked together while Serena trailed behind them. When the first bell began to chime, all the students began to run towards the building.

Serena stayed in the empty hallways trying to elongate her time when she recognized tall figure leaning on her locker.

She wanted to run in the opposite direction but stopped when he called to her. Serena returned.

'I have to get to class' she explained trying to move past him. Seto blocked her way.

'Serena, what's going on? For months you've iced me out and now you're avoiding me? I don't understand what I've done to make you hate me?' He asked

'I don't hate you Seto. I-I love you. Meeting you was honestly the best thing that happened to me but...' She mumbled.

'But what Serena?' He questioned lightly while analyzing her words. Half of her statement made him feel things that were completely new while the other half scared him.

Serena bit her lip nervously not wanting to ripple their already high profile and complicated relationship.

'Serena, please just tell me what you have to say.' He said placing his hand lightly on her shoulder.

'That's what I'm upset about Seto' she burst out motioning to his arm ' you act as if I'm this fragile thing that's going to break any second! And I'm sick of the sympathy! I want a love that is all consuming, passionate and everything a first love is supposed to be! Your carefulness, your calculated gestures and your refusal to even touch me constantly reminds me of what happened and I-I just- it hurts me!'

Kaiba was unsure of how to handle the situation. He didn't know that she felt that way. In truth, all he wanted to do was to see her shy blushes and feel the warmth of her skin. But, he was scared. He had been alone for so long that he didn't want to push her away with his cool exterior or go too far.

For the first time, Seto didn't think and simply let his actions speak. Her back was pressed against the locker wall as he held her small face. He pressed his lips against hers and began to show her how he felt about her.

Serena was breathless when Seto finally broke their kiss. Both were flushed and slightly embarrassed. 'Did you enjoy that?' He asked with his signature smirk.

She answered him with a kiss of her own. Her hands roamed through his brunette hair as his hands graced her petite waist. Seto broke away. This had been the closest they'd been in months and he didn't want to let that go. 'Do you want to get out of here?' he asked.

'Ditch school?' she questioned with a small smile 'never thought I'd hear those words from Seto Kaiba. I accept'

He smirked, grabbed her hand and sprinted down the hallway to his car.