Chapter 11

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Everyone stood, stunned at Mokuba's feat. He picked up the pokeball and smiled up to his big brother. Kaiba ruffled his hair and glanced over to where Serenity and the others lay. He wanted to walk over and help her, but decided that now they were reunited, even if the offending parties were asleep, he would distance himself. Yugi Tea and Mai woke the sleeping people and pokemon while Kaiba looked his brother up and down. He had some pretty deep cuts along his leg, but they seemed to have scabbed over well.

"We should probably get out of here." He said as the rest of them woke. "Spearow, find the best way out." The bird took off immediately and started fluttering around the caves, popping in and out of different tunnels.

"What... Happened?" Joey said, barely waking up. He lifted himself and shook his head as Mai smiled at him.

"It's all taken care of. Tea brought it down and Mokuba caught it." Joeys eyes snapped to the little boy.

"That thing could be caught!" He nearly shouted. Mokuba's wide grin answered him and Kaiba's Spearow landed back onto his arm, signaling it had the quickest route.

"Come on, we're getting out of here." Kaiba said, starting towards the cave his bird took off towards. They recalled their pokemon and moved to the exit, emerging atop the mountain. Once a safe flat place was found, they decided to make camp.

"Serenity I'm so happy you're safe." Tristan said, placing himself next to her. She offered him a friendly smile her gaze wandered to Kaiba. He had been looking at her as well, but they both quickly turned away. "You weren't all alone, were you?" He asked worriedly.

"No, Kaiba was... with me." She said slowly, realizing her fault too late.

"What? Kaiba? You were alone with Kaiba?" Joey jumped up. She looked up at the young CEO and he was pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Calm down Joey, I'm fine. We took care of each other. He was really nice." She said trying to stop his freak out. She held on to his arm to keep him from flailing and tried to get him to face her.

"I swear to God, if you touched her-"

"Joey, that's enough! Stop focusing on who you like and who you don't for a second. We need to get home before we get killed. I'm still alive, you're still alive, we all are. Cant we just try to find a way to get home and deal with that later?" She begged. Joey remained glaring at Kaiba, but nodded. Mai moved in front of him, pulling him away and distracting him while tossing Serenity a wink. After he was out of earshot, Serenity moved to Kaiba. "I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking-"

"No, you weren't. Why don't you just stick with the rest of your little group. I've got Mokuba now. I don't need anything else." He couldn't watch as Serenity's expression turned hurt and confused. He marched over to Mokuba and left her there alone. Once he turned back He saw Tea approach her and glare at him.

"I told you. You cant trust him." He heard her say and felt his stomach grow hard. He didn't want to hurt her like that, which was weird for him. He usually didn't care either way. Actually, he was only distancing himself from her to avoid hurting her relationship with her brother, someone he hated. Why was he being so considerate? If he wanted someone, he just took them. So why now was he pulling away? He glanced her over and watched as she started walking away. She turned and looked at him sadly once more and he felt awful.

They looked over their broken and beaten pokemon while resting themselves atop the mountain. The water dragon was in no shape to be ferrying anyone any time soon and the large shelled one wasn't near big enough for the amount of people it would need to carry. He knew Mai had a Starmie, and that was large enough for two, but the weak little seahorse Tea had wasn't strong enough for anyone. He sighed, sure he would have to cover all of them.

Joey and Tristan left to get firewood while Tea Mai and Serenity worked on gathering food. The group was divided again, but at least Kaiba and Mokuba were together, even if Yugi was there too. He glanced at the forest area where Serenity had left to and sighed.

"So, Serenity," Tea said while moving to avoid a large root. "Are you feeling better?" Serenity hadn't quite heard what she said. She was in her own little world, but it wasn't difficult to tell where Tea's mind was at with her.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." She answered quickly. Mai shot them looks and Tea looked up at her.

"She tried to be friends with Kaiba and then he did... that." She said to the blonde, reminding Serenity why she preferred to trust Kaiba over Tea.

"He was probably just over excited. He gets like that when he's excited. You know, the 'I did something I liked, leave me alone' attitude." Mai said shrugging. "He doesn't really understand social interaction very well... his best friend being his laptop." She laughed.

"Are... you defending him?" Tea asked. She was more shocked than anything. She didn't know Mai very well but what she did know was Mai didn't like very many people. She wasn't a bad person, but she wasn't the sort to warm up easily, and Kaiba wasn't easy to warm up to.

"Well, we've spent a lot of time together. My father," Mai paused to gag, " Is one of his biggest investors and we go to all the Kaiba corp galas and Kaiba attends a few of our holiday parties too. I've been making excuses for him to leave and keeping him from strangling people for years now. If anyone knows him, I do. He's really not a bad guy, just an ass sometimes. An unobservant ass." She said with a wink.

"So, you trust him?" Serenity asked quietly. Mai looked at her weirdly.

"Not as far as I can throw him, sweetie. The man doesn't think. He's unobservant and with that comes inconsiderate. It's not that he is mean and cruel, it's that he doesn't think about anyone else. He see's what benefits him and takes that course. So no. I don't trust him. Maybe some day he'll grow up, but as far as I can tell, don't put your eggs in that basket." Serenity felt empty inside. If Mai really knew Kaiba that well...Then it was a game. Maybe a survival attempt. He was kind to her when he needed her and now he didn't.

Her mind reeled and her heart hurt. She was so used to this feeling. Trusting someone and being hurt. Over and over again, she thought she's be smarter about the people she let into her life. She actually caught her self smiling and thinking 'when will I ever grow up?' She had to learn when to just give up on someone. She wouldn't be cruel, but she wasn't going to try to be something that the other person didn't want. Even if it was just as a friend.

The girls made it back to the camp before the boys and they all wondered what was taking so long. Serenity started off towards the direction they came from when a voice stopped her.

"Going alone is just going to kill you. Bring someone else, dammit." Kaiba said pushing a stick into the ground and stirring up the dust atop the stone ground. Serenity sighed, knowing what he said was true and Tea moved to accompany her. Mai, on the other hand decided to stay, glancing between Kaiba and Serenity. She smiled as she moved next to him.

"Let's take a walk." She said down to him. He glanced up with a raised eyebrow, but she gave him a look that said she wanted to talk business. He rose and followed her into a secluded place where she spun and eyes him with amusement.

"Well?" He asked, kind of annoyed, but he knew how she worked. She had something on him and it was important to get it out of her as soon as possible so he could devise a way of neutralizing it.

"What are you in a rush for? Anyways... isn't it against your personal beliefs to fall for the enemies assets?" She asked. Kaiba was completely confused. The woman had a way with words that eluded even him. "Like... his sister?" Kaiba's eyes immediately widened and he took a step back. How did she know? He was being mean and distant. How could she have possible... wait... Tea... Tea saw him being kind to her... but hadn't she thought it was an act? Then... "Oh please. 'Going alone is just going to kill you, bring someone else'" She said mockingly. "That might work on people who aren't used to you, but not me. You had nothing to benefit from saying that. You've been avoiding eye contact, but shooting looks when she wasn't aware, you've been cleaning up her messes, and looking like a hurt puppy every time her eyes water. You're so easy to read." He moved towards her quickly and covered her mouth, looking back at where their camp was.

"Shut up. You cant tell anyone." His eyes returned to her and she had a full look of amused shock on her face as she pulled his hand from it.

"Oh really? Why is that?" She was really getting to him now.

"Be... Because." He paused for a moment, sighing. "Because it couldn't happen and I know that. Even being friends-"

"Oh! You want to be more than friends?" She said surprised. How could he be that careless? He mentally kicked himself for the slip and growled.

"Listen! If Wheeler finds out how I feel what do you think it'll do? He'll confront her, and she'll admit it. Then they'll fight and argue and I don't want to be the cause of that." He snapped angrily.

"So... you are considerate..." She pondered out loud and he wondered if she understood what he had just said. "What does she mean to you?" It was hopeless. It didn't matter what he said, she would do what she wanted, and he knew Mai was a sucker for conflict. "Come on, cause if I don't get the answer, you know I'm going to turn to other forms of amusement."

"She... She's special. She trusts me." The color in Mai's face faded. Her previous conversation with Serenity rang into her mind and she felt horrible. "Don't tell... What do you want? A new car? Clothes? Makeup?" He tried. He was really desperate. She felt a pang of guilt as she looked at him.

"No, none of that." She said, and he paled as she had before. "Listen, this information is going to get out. I'm not going to have to tell. You're slipping. And don't think you can hide behind making fun of her and picking on her, because if I have to rub a crying Serenity's back one more time because of you, I'm going to tell her." She watched his gaze lower to the ground as she spoke. She was exaggerating, but he didn't have to know that. "Joey's going to find out. It's going to happen. But it'll be easier for him to accept if it comes from you." His eyes shot up to hers in an incredulous look.

"Think about it. You coming to him and admitting feelings for his sister. What could you possibly think? It cant be a joke or a prank, because there's no punch line. If you wanted to hurt him like that, you'd take his little sister and turn her against him or something. You gain nothing by telling him this, other than a better chance at him accepting you. Coming to him and showing vulnerability will only disarm him. He may not accept you right away, I mean, you've kind of treated him like shit, but if you do as he asks, I'm sure he'll see the truth.

"Oh! And don't tell Serenity you're doing this. If she begs him it'll seem like you've already... 'corrupted' her. If he wants to tell her, it's his choice. To win this, you'll have to give up your control over the situation." Kaiba sunk into himself. He hated the idea. It was an awful one. Give up his control... He needed control. He couldn't trust anyone else with it. No, he couldn't. "Or... you can just give up on ever seeing her again. Because when it does come out and it's not you saying it, he'll ban her from the light of day if he has to to keep you away." She finished with her warning. It was true. He really hated him that much. Serenity... he had lived without her before. Surely he could do it again, right?

"Then... I'll just have to deal with not seeing her." He decided. Mai scowled at him.

"You selfish brat." He glared up at her, waiting for her to elaborate her outburst. "If you being in control and being seen as invulnerable is more important than that girl... that special girl who trusted you, then you don't deserve her." She stormed back to the group, leaving him frozen in place. Was she worth it? He thought back to his time with her on the island, then in the cave. She had cared for him and trusted him, not asking anything in return. Never demanding and only giving. His opposite. Warm and sweet, with compassion and love. Where had his compassion gone? His love? Was it really dead?

After rejoining the group at the camp, he noticed Serenity had returned, her brother and friends in tow. Joey was bragging about being attacked by some fire pokemon and capturing it, but Kaiba wasn't really paying attention. Serenity was looking up at her brother, smiling and congratulating him. As Mai sat next to her Kaiba's blood ran cold, but she said nothing. Brief eye contact between him and the blond sent his gaze towards the ground and he found interest in the little rocks and plants that made up the stony floor. He was still unsure of the actions he wanted to take. This was proving to be a challenge inside of another challenge.

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