At This Moment

Seto x Serenity

By Charismatic Beauty and Falchionne

Chapter 5

Constant Reminders

Mai Valentine was known as an insensitive woman, willing only to act for her own wants and needs. There were very few who saw Mai's caring side and fewer who appreciated it. This was one reason that Mai found herself staying with the Wheeler family. With the stupid brother and caring sister she found true appreciation. She was very protective of her loved ones, and was not ready to forgive anyone who hurt them. Perhaps this was why Mai could never come to like Seto Kaiba. Her pride barely let her respect him as a duelist, but she had no qualms in disliking the rest of him.

One afternoon, as Mai watched Serenity struggle with an end of term project, she decided it was time the girl had some rest and relaxation. She grabbed her phone and searched the Internet, looking for a good vacation spot. With a side glance at Joey as he searched the cupboards for a snack, she figured they could use a break from boys as well. Mai eyed the Domino City spas on her phone and tried to ignore the prices. Not long ago she could have gone to any spa, but she no longer worked in extravagant places and had rich men pining after her.

She decided to text Tea, figuring that that girl knew the nice but cheap places around. Tea seemed happy to help and suggested going to a certain place that Yugi's mom had been talking about. The two made plans for the weekend after Serenity's final exams and couldn't wait to tell her.

Serenity watched as Mai settled into the hot water of the whirlpool. Tea carefully stepped in and let the steam warm her. She sat next to Mai and looked up at Serenity who lingered aside the pool.

"Thank you for this," Serenity smiled as the older girls breathed in the warm air.

"Everyone deserves some time to relax," Mai said, "So stop thanking us and get in already."

Serenity nervously stepped into the water, wincing as the initial touch stung her toes. She was still a bit sore from her massage and wondered how much pain she was supposed to receive when relaxing.

"You can just feel the tension leave your shoulders," Tea sighed.

"No stress, no chores, and no men," Mai smiled.

"Be careful, you sound like an old woman," Tea teased.

Mai ignored the comment and focused on Serenity, who was now about knee deep in the water, "It feels better once you sit and relax."

"Oh, I'm sure, but it takes getting used to," Serenity responded.

Mai eyed the girl as she slowly inched lower, "So, are you still crushing on Kaiba?"

Serenity instantly lowered in surprise, her face going completely red. She stopped herself from jumping out and running away, but looked to Tea for some help.

"What brought that up?" Tea looked from girl to girl.

"Just curious," the older girl said, "plus it got her in the water."

"I'm not 'crushing on him'," Serenity exhaled quickly.

"Good. He's not worth it. That bastard doesn't deserve someone as nice as you."

Serenity wondered how much this had been on Mai's mind. She appreciated her concern but didn't want her to get too emotional. Tea watched but kept quiet. Yugi had been really disappointed that last time she had spoken badly about Kaiba. He reiterated that there was good in the man and speaking ill of him didn't do any to help.

"I wonder if you're right," Serenity frowned. The other two looked at her in surprise. "He is pretty nasty, isn't he?" she kept her eyes on the water, "He really is just like Joey says, selfish and rude."

Mai let out a long sigh and crossed her arms, "It's unfortunate, but there are people like that. Even when you try to love them, all they do is think of themselves."

Serenity and Tea looked down and kept quiet, neither knowing what should be said. Both were having a hard time deciding whether or not they should defend that man.

Realizing the sharpness of her words and the mood they had caused, Mai coughed out, "I mean all men are tough to handle! I could just ramble on about Joey, but we're not here to think about men, or Kaiba!"

Tea let out a small chuckle, "You're right, let's just relax."

In a handsomely adorned banquet hall just outside Domino City, Seto Kaiba let out a small sneeze. He held a small glass of Chablis wine and stared out a wide window that surveyed the city. His corporation stood amongst the tallest buildings, very pronounced with its unique top.

"I do hope you're not catching a cold, dear boy," an old man approached Kaiba. This gentleman was at least thirty years older than Kaiba, yet he was the closest among all of the guests at this particular event. He had met Kaiba not long after Gozabura had adopted the boy, but was one of the rare faces Kaiba didn't hate seeing.

"I don't get sick so easily," Kaiba responded.

"Well, then why is there no lady accompanying such a healthy man as yourself?" the older man retaliated.

"An escort was not required for this event."

"Such harsh thoughts! Why, my wife would be appalled if she was only welcome when she was 'required'. Or perhaps you have no lady to escort."

"I do not wish to hear you rattle on about the possible woman I could be with."

"No, no, I just want to know how you're doing."

Kaiba looked back out over the city, "Things are fine. People are happy now that the weather is warming. It's a good time for sales."

"There are a lot of events now, too. A lot of weddings especially," The man spoke nonchalantly.

Kaiba sighed.

"It's nice having a little sleep over now and then!" Mai exhaled as she lounged on one the beds in the girls' hotel room. She looked over at Serenity, who was kneeling on the neighboring bed. The girl licked her lips and grabbed a slice of pizza from the box next to her. Though she didn't show it, Serenity liked food just as much as her brother and always ate happily. Tea stood next to the bed and flipped through the channels on the television. She hit the button over and over, not really focusing on what she was doing. Such small actions from the both of them made Mai happy. The two didn't put up a front around Mai; they didn't try to impress her or show her up, they just acted normal. Mai smiled, "You two are really great…"

Serenity looked up from her food, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"There doesn't seem to be much on TV right now," Tea spoke suddenly, "Aren't there any movies on?"

"Maybe if you stopped on a channel for a second you'd see something," Mai retorted.

"Wasn't there one of those Agatha Christie romances on there?" Serenity chimed in.

"Jane Austen," Tea rolled her eyes, "You mean a Jane Austen romance. I'm not really in the mood for that."

"What, you got too much romance in your life?" Mai smirked, "How is Yugi these days?"

Tea turned off the television, "We're, uh, taking another step…"

Mai shot up, "What do you mean?"

"We're, uh… He asked me…" Tea started to fiddle with the remote, passing it from hand to hand, "He asked me to marry him."

"What!? What did you say?"

The girl started to smile as her face turned red, "I said yes, of course!"

Serenity squealed with delight, "Congratulations!" She reached out and gave Tea a hug.

"Way to go! I'm happy you guys finally got engaged!" Mai walked over to her friend and patted her shoulder.

"Thank you," Tea looked at her smiling friends, "I mean, I'm still kind of nervous. You know, this is kind of a big step…"

"Do you think you're ready for it?" Serenity asked.

Mai laughed, "It's not like he asked you to marry him this week, or something. It'll feel better once you get used to the idea."

"I suppose," Tea let her smile drop a second.

"Besides, Yugi is patient," Serenity jumped in, "He's loved you for a long time, and he wants what's best for you foremost."

"That's true," Tea's face softened. Yugi had always done his best for her. He had even been willing to give her up if it meant she would be happier, but now he had had the courage to propose.

Serenity looked at all the emotions appearing on her friends face. She watched her change from troubled to happy and then from calm to excited. Such faces had appeared on Mai plenty of times as she talked about Joey. Although she felt a little jealous, Serenity was glad that her friends could have such nice relationships.

After the relentless notions about him finding a girl, Seto was relieved to have some space from his acquaintance. He sat down at one of the round dinner tables in the hall and looked around as others did the same. The tables had cream tablecloths and were adorned with simple floral centerpieces. A lanky gentleman stood at a podium near the back of the hall and announced that dinner would be served shortly, followed by a quick presentation from the organization hosting the event.

The tables filled quickly with many chattering groups. The few reluctant attendees who joined his table tried to politely ignore him and talked amongst themselves. Seto preferred this to them trying to schmooze him or sneak in snide comments about him – both of which he had experienced numerous times before.

The hall became a little quieter as the first course was served and guests started to eat. The faint instrumental music in the background created an almost romantic feel to the room. It was almost as if there wasn't tactical networking being murmured around the room.

"Excuse me, sir," a sweet voice rang beside Seto's ear. He looked over to see a smiling waitress with a small plate of salad. She slid the plate onto the table and lightly touched his shoulder.

"Thank you," the man responded curtly.

The waitress ran a couple of fingers through the bottom of his hair, lightly touching his neck. "Please enjoy," she sang.

Seto grabbed her arm and forced her face down towards his. With her ear just aside his mouth he whispered, "Do that again and I'll have you fired."

The lady gave a little huff but kept herself composed as she went to serve the next table.

His neck felt uncomfortable, but Seto stopped himself from rubbing it. He lightly shook his head and looked down at the leafy vegetables in front of him. As he grabbed his fork he wondered why he even bothered to come to these events.