I have no idea when they start teaching quadratic equations these days. I don't even remember when I learned them. Just that I hated them. It mostly just gave me an excuse to have Seto do something super sweet and cute. I'm horrible.

Oh and this takes place like a week or so later when they let school back in.

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh. I'm not making any money. Nuff said.

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HIKARI STRONG

Chapter Fourteen

"That is the single most romantic thing I have ever heard," Tea said in a squealing voice once the group was altogether at school again. Joey had called Tea the next day as promised, but the brunette had insisted she tell the story again to the rest of their friends. Joey was a little annoyed because she kind of wanted to keep it to herself, but she figured it would keep her friends from being worried about her.

"Whatever," Tristan said, leaning back in his seat with his arms folded. "I still don't trust the guy."

Everyone rolled their eyes. "Well, it's not you problem, is it, Tris?" Duke told him.

"It'll be all our problem if he hurts Joey," Tristan said defensively.

"Yeah, yeah, Tris, and then ya can kill him and bury 'im in da woods or whateva'," Joey said in irritation. "Until then he's my boyfriend and yer just gonna have ta get ova' it."

Tristan growled. "What's gonna happen if you turn back into a boy?"

Joey frowned. She wanted to believe that if she turned back into a boy nothing would change, but it was hard. "Nothing," she attempted, doing her best to feign confidence. "Now just be my friend and be supportive."

"Well, I'm happy for you Joey," Yugi said, beaming. "For you and for Kaiba."

"Indeed," Ryou agreed.

Joey squeaked when Tea wrapped her into a crushing hug. The blonde struggled against it, but was extremely happy deep down. Tristan was over-protective, yes, but her friends always meant well and would pretty much do anything for her.

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A bottle was thrown against the wall. A mirror crashed to the floor. A desk was over-turned, spilling papers and knickknacks all across the room. How difficult could it be to capture three teenagers who didn't even know how far their hikari powers could go?! Why did Chrysanthemum have to be so stupid as to almost reveal the complete plot about the Gate?! Orpheus Valdis was not stupid. He had spent years researching his past self and the Shadow Games of Ancient Egypt trying to put his plan into play. He would not have it thwarted by Juno's pathetic excuse for a reincarnation.

"Willow!" he called angrily to the girl with the emerald-green braid. She was merely down the hall, tending to the Beacon, offering yet another sacrifice. It infuriated Valdis that the two hikaris he truly needed to open and control the Gate were so elusive. One was in his clutches, but the fact that the little boy was not easily 'persuaded' to give up his powers made things difficult. Then the other kept eluding capture, always helped by her friends. Always tougher than she appeared. She didn't realize how powerful she was! How could it be that two of his best followers failed so horribly?

No matter. He would simply have to stop trusting his followers plans. He would give the order of what Willow would have to do and she would carry it out. I would not be difficult. He had to take care of this now, before Joey Wheeler found out what she was really capable of.

"Yes, Mr. Valdis? Ah!" The girl dodged as a vase was thrown in her direction. She froze in place, looking terrified as she stood before her employer.

"What kept you?!" Valdis demanded.

Willow bit her lip. " I apologize, sir. I attempted to break the boy again but I had give up and choose another hikari to give to the Beacon."

Valdis gave a growl of contempt. He knew they would kill the boy at this rate, and he was no good to him dead. If it weren't for that demon that protected him so, the boy would be dead. Or at least submitted long ago. Valdis looked at Willow, frowning, but now managing to speak more calmly. "I have a new assignment for you."

Willow shifted uncomfortably. She knew what was coming, and feared for her life. Chrysanthemum and Hydrangea had been dealt terrible fates after their failures. "But, Mr. Valdis, the boy-,"

"Don't worry about him!" Valdis snapped. "That demon will not stop protecting him! He will no longer be feed his rations. He will be starved. Sooner of later he will break!"

Willow merely nodded. "Mr. Valdis, have you considered that perhaps...you underestimated this Joey Wheeler?"

Valdis narrowed his eyes. "I have done no such thing. In fact I know what she is capable of. That is why we must take her before she finds out her true power." He approached the emerald-haired girl. "Mention such a thing again, my dear, and it will be your last words."

"Y-yes Mr. Valdis," Willow pleaded, staring at the floor. "Forgive me."

Valdis snorted. "The task is simple. I even have a plan for you. All you have to do is carry it out."

Willow swallowed, nodding shakily. "Yes Mr. Valdis."

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"Seto?" Joey asked cautiously, entering the CEO's home office. "Would ya mind helpin' me wit' somethin'?" It was her math homework of course, and Joey just couldn't figure out how to do these problems. Math really was the route of all evil.

Seto looked up from his laptop sighing. "I'm a little busy, Pup," he told her gently.

"Oh," Joey said, looking at the ground. "Okay. No problem."

She was about to walk out when Seto sighed again. "What is it?"

Joey beamed as she approached his desk, closing the door behind her. "It's the math homework," she said glaring at the paper. "What da hell do quarter-pounder equations gotta do wit' anythin' anyway?"

Seto chuckled. "Do you mean quadratic equations?"

"Ain't dat what I said?" Joey asked. Seto tried his hardest not to laugh. His puppy was too damn cute sometimes.

"Let me see," he said, taking the paper from her. She came around and looked over his shoulder as he checked over her work. "You keep doing the formula wrong," he pointed out.

"Huh?"

"The quadratic formula. Didn't you pay attention class?"

"Yes, I did, thank you!" Joey barked. "I just...have trouble rememberin' stuff sometimes."

Seto smiled softly, pulling out a blank sheet of paper from his printer. "How about I show you a way that you'll always remember this formula? Would you like that?"

Joey grinned. "That would be awesome!"

Seto chuckled again. Joey's enthusiasm was terribly contagious. "Okay," Seto said, taking out a pencil and putting it to the paper. "Now watch and listen carefully." To Joey's surprise, Seto started singing as he wrote the equation down to the tune of 'Pop Goes the Weasel.' "X is equal to negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared minus four AC, all over two A." He looked up at Joey, who was suddenly started laughing. "What?"

"Sometimes, Seto, yer freakin' adorable," she said, taking the paper with the formula and pecking the brunet on the lips. "Thanks, babe."

Seto rolled his eyes, disliking being called 'adorable'. He was a cut-throat CEO of a billion-dollar company. The complete opposite of adorable. He glanced back at the blonde beside him, who was still beaming happily, and supposed that just Joey finding him adorable would be alright.

"Do ya mind if I hang out in here and do my homework?" Joey asked, shifting nervously. "Ya know, just in case I need more help? I mean, I'll try not ta bother ya."

Seto sighed. "Sure. I don't mind helping you if you need it." Then he smirked. "And you're not a bother. Just a bit of a distraction."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Is that all you think about?" Joey asked.

"How could I not think about that when you look so sexy all the time?" he teased.

Joey blushed, grumbling inaudibly as she flopped down on the couch.

Seto stared at her as she situated herself, swallowing at the site. He desperately tried to return to his work, but Joey made it difficult. She may have just been a t-shirt and jeans, but Seto had decided he liked her best that way. He watched her for a bit, noticing how her hair flared out beautifully as her head laid on the armrest of the couch. How her t-shirt inched up a bit when she adjusted her position, showing off the smallest bit of midriff. How she held her pencil in her mouth as she looked at her homework thoughtfully. Seto growled in the back of his throat. Joey really shouldn't have been laying like that.

Suddenly, a smirk appeared across Joey's features, and she looked at Seto out of the corner of her eye. She took the pencil out of her mouth before saying. "I couldn't possibly be temptin' ya could I?"

Apparently, that had been all the invitation the brunet had needed. He slammed his laptop shut with a loud snap and made his way over to Joey, grabbing her homework and tossing it across the room.

"You bastard," Joey said only half-seriously as the CEO climbed on top of her. "Dat's due tomorra'."

"You brought this upon yourself," Seto told her, kissing her passionately, his hands groping her sides.

Joey reached up and pulled Seto's trench coat off, breaking the kiss only to say, "It really doesn't take much for ya does it?" She gasped as Seto nearly ripped her shirt off, throwing it over his shoulder. Joey decided to even the playing field by removing his shirt as well.

"You're a sneaky puppy," Seto said huskily, his hands trailing down to Joey's jeans. "I should punish you." He grinded against her, earning him a heated moan.

In their lust clouded state, the two didn't hear the door to the office open. "Hey, Joey this came for - Oh my God my eyes!"

Joey and Seto jumped away from each other, Joey turning a dark cherry red. She scrambled to locate her shirt.

"Mokuba!" Seto scolded. "What have I told you about knocking?!"

"Why didn't you lock the door! Sheesh!" Mokuba retorted, his back turned. "Are you decent, now?"

Joey pulled her shirt back on and Seto went ahead and did the same. "Yes," the older Kaiba said in irritation. "Now what is so damn important?"

Mokuba turned around and handed Joey a brown shipping envelope. "This came for you today."

Seto frowned as Joey took the envelope. "There's no return address," he said suspiciously. "Who delivered this, Mokuba?"

Mokuba shrugged. "The UPS guy? We put it through the scanners. They didn't find anything dangerous."

Seto still wasn't convince as Joey gingerly opened the envelope. She tipped it over and a VHS tap fell into her hand.

"They still make those?" Mokuba asked.

Joey shrugged, turning to Seto. "Ya got somethin' ta play this?" she asked. There was a softness to her voice. She was worried. Seto brush some blonde hair behind her ear and kissed the side of her head.

"I'll be right back," he promised, getting up and leaving the room.

"You don't think it's gonna be that tape that kills you in seven days, do you?" Mokuba asked.

Joey didn't answer as she continued to stare at the tape. As far as she knew, only her friends and the Kaiba brothers knew she was living at the mansion, but none of them would scare her by sending her some random tape with no return address. Seto returned with a dusty VHS player, seeming to regard it with distaste. He sat it over in front of the T.V and hooked it up, then turned everything on. He turned to Joey, who handed him the tape to put in. At first the screen was filled with static, before a woman with long emerald hair tied into a braid appeared.

"Hello, Josephine," she said smirking. Joey narrowed her eyes. "We haven't met, and we probably never will, but my employer is becoming extremely impatient. He simply cannot wait another moment to meet you." She giggled. "So, we decided a bit of incentive was in order. We have something you want. Something we won't harm in anyway...as long as you agree to our terms."

She backed away from the screen, revealing what looked like a small room decorated in an ugly shade of dusty pink. The woman also revealed the something that would be Joey's incentive. A girl sat on her knees in the middle of the room, bound and blind-folded. Joey would always remember that auburn hair.

"Joey?" the girl sobbed desperately.

Joey's world crumbled in that instant. "Serenity."

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OMG I'm such a jerk! Gah!