Chapter One

So, You Want To Know How We Met

A/N: Let me start by saying that this has been in the works for a LONG time. I've barely started working on it because I felt it wouldn't be good no matter what I wrote. Well, I said, "screw that," and decided now was the time.

First and foremost, this story will be based on the English/Dubbed version because that's what I grew up with. I take creative liberty in mingling my story with the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! does not belong to me. I only own Lizette and other OCs. Any chapter image I used has been found through Google, and I take no credit for it. Everything Yu-Gi-Oh! related rightfully belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

~ oOo ~

We were running for our lives. And I do mean quite literally.

We had just spent, I don't know, how many hours trapped inside a virtual world where we had been on the run for our lives since entering that blasted place. But this was different. Now, I was surrounded by Yugi, Mokuba, and Seto, and we were kicking ass, trying to put as much distance as possible between the base we were on and the missile falling in our direction. The four of us busted out of the mechanical door into the open, where we could finally breathe fresh air. It made no difference because we were immediately on the run. We had about thirty seconds before the missile landed on the target, and we were still far from the blimp.

"Yugi! Hurry up, man!" I could hear Joey in the distance, and as I glanced upward, I could make out the blonde teenager leaning down from the blimp stairs, his hand stretched outward to catch any of us, to save us from our impending death.

"You've got this!" I could hear Tristan. "Let's go!"

"I'm not gonna make it!" Mokuba screamed beside me. I could see his tiny legs wobble as he gradually fell behind, but Seto wouldn't let that happen.

Slowing slightly, Seto grabbed the back of his brother's shirt and yelled, "Guess again!" He tossed him toward the stairs, where Mokuba landed against Tristan and Duke, both of them carefully holding my tiny family member. Just as he tossed Mokuba, Seto jumped to the stairs, landing on the top as he turned toward me. At this point, Joey grabbed Yugi's hand and pulled him upward, meaning they were all safe.

I was the only one left.

"Lizette!" Seto screeched my name. The others moved out of Seto's way as he fell to his knees, arm outstretched toward me as I tried grabbing his. Our fingers brushed against each other, but it wasn't enough to grab tight and hold on. "Fucking push yourself! I'm right here!"

And so, with as much force as I could manage, I slammed my feet into the ground and jumped. My hand was able to grab Seto's as he hauled me into his chest, holding me tightly, but only for a microsecond. We all shoved ourselves into the blimp, closing the door tightly behind us as Seto dropped me to the ground and instantly made his way to the control room.

I didn't care about him dropping me. This blimp was his invention, and he knew what must be done to save us. Instead of running after him, I grabbed Mokuba and held him tightly against my chest. Mokuba's face fell into the crook of my neck as I held him close. I was nearing tears at the thought that I could've lost my brother-in-law.

I could hear screaming from the other room and knew it was Seto. He had decided to use the emergency button to detach the outside blimp material, forcing the internal rocket to take control. By doing so, the rocket would have more speed and agility to safely fly us away from the hazard of the missile's aftermath. I knew he had smashed the button when the rocket's velocity thrusted forward. Nearly all of us fell onto our backsides as we zoomed through the sky, putting as much distance as possible from the missile's target.

Mokuba's fists clenched the back of my shirt tightly, meaning I would never let him go. I don't know how long it had been before the ship stopped shaking, but I only opened my eyes when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Opening my gaze, I saw Seto knelt beside me, his eyes narrowed as he pulled me and his brother into his chest.

"Oh, Seto!" I cried quietly so only his ears could hear me. "I thought I was gonna lose you!"

His initial reaction was to tighten his grip on me. "And I thought I was going to lose you." He dropped several kisses to the crown of my head as he pulled back to cup my cheek. Several tears had fallen, but he used his thumb to erase them from my skin.

Mokuba pulled away from my arms, staring upward at me and his brother. "Seto? Are we safe now?"

Brushing aside loose strands of his brother's hair, Seto said softly, "Yeah, we're safe."

Sighing, Mokuba's goofy smile returned. I don't know what he experienced while we were in the virtual world, but I was thankful his smile was already back. "Geez, I am glad to be out of there!"

I couldn't resist chuckling. "Me too, kiddo, me too." The Kaiba brothers stood as Seto reached out for me to take, which I grabbed. Slowly hauling me to my feet, my legs were shaky as I wobbled back and forth. With his hand on my shoulders, Seto steadied me until I smiled. "I'm alright."

He peered into my eyes. "You sure?"

I nodded, but my attention turned to Mokuba. I watched as he moved to the window and looked outside. Moving behind him, I could see that he was staring into the vessel's wreckage that had held us captive for the last several hours. I couldn't believe everything that he had just experienced. What from fighting the Big Five to the ordeal with Noah and then discovering that Gozaburo Kaiba was still alive? I didn't want to believe all of that had been real. We had put these individuals onto the backbone of our memories, and there they would remain.

My body shivered just remembering how Gozaburo had tried to take my husband's body for his own. Taking Seto's hand, I squeezed his fingers. I just wanted him to know that I was still here, that the three of us were ok. His response was to squeeze his fingers, slowly turning his head to meet my gaze.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Peering upward at my husband, I raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine, why?"

"I must stay up front and watch the controls until we reach the island. Will you be ok by yourself?"

My head nodded, smiling at his sweet nature. Seto had always been looking out for me ever since we met. "I've got Mokuba, don't worry about me."

He smirked as if knowing that was the answer I would give him. Kneeling, Seto took hold of Mokuba's shoulder. "And what about you? Will you be ok without me?"

Mokuba took hold of my hand and reiterated what I had just said. "I've got Liz with me. I'll be ok."

Seto rolled his eyes. "I should've known you'd both say the same thing. Still, I'll be upfront if you need me." Standing, he dropped another kiss on my head before disappearing to the front control room, probably debriefing Roland on where we had been for the last several hours.

I watched as Seto's back disappeared from view. Heaving a heavy sigh, I glanced down at Mokuba, who, sensing I was staring at him, glanced upward at me. "I…think I'm gonna head to our room. You want to stay here?"

He shook his head. "No, I want to make sure you're ok."

I smiled at this tiny human. Making our way through the aircraft, we maneuvered down the halls to mine and Seto's designated rooms. Upon entering, I immediately claimed the bed, but Mokuba slumped into one of the chairs. Heaving another sigh, I rolled over, suddenly needing the comfort something soft brought me.

I don't know why I was so distraught. I mean, we did end up fighting for our lives. Out of everything, I didn't appreciate the notion that Seto's enemies came back to haunt us from the grave. We thought the Big Five had been dealt with and Gozaburo had long been dead. Granted, I had never met Seto's adopted father, but upon hearing the stories he had eventually explained to me about his childhood, I never wanted to. The man could rot in his digital grave for all I cared about. Gozaburo had brought nothing but pain and misery to my husband; he deserved nothing but the worst.

But…we had overcome the impossible. We survived the virtual world and were now back in reality. We were flying on the KaibaCorps aircraft toward the last location, which was holding the final area of the Battle City Tournament. Myself, Seto, Yugi, Joey, and Marik would all battle against one another to see who would reign supreme. It was just…in the moment, I didn't care. I wanted to go home and put behind me what had happened.

Growling, I sat up and placed my feet on the floor, curling my hair over a shoulder. There was no point in overthinking and developing anxiety over what happened. What's done is done, and I can put it in the past where it belongs. The Big Five, Noah, or even Gozaburo cannot hurt me or my family. That much is certain.

"…Liz?" Head tilting upward, I glanced at Mokuba. "Everything's gonna be ok, right?"

I immediately stood and wrapped my arms around this little bundle of light. Smoothing his hair, I kissed Mokuba's temple. "Of course we will be, sweetie. If not, your brother will always pop in and save you; you know that."

Mokuba's instant response was to chuckle. "Don't forget yourself. He'd save you in a heartbeat."

"No," I said sternly. Kneeling before Mokuba, I cupped his childish face. "Seto would save both of us. Never forget that, little one."

Huffing, Mokuba nodded. "I can never win against you, can I?"

"I'm just older," I smugly stated. "Comes with the territory. Grow up, and you might win against me in a few years."

There was a sudden knock on the door. Knowing it wasn't Seto - because it's his room, he'd barge right in - I questioned who it could be. I bet that it was Ishizu. However, my surprise was evident that Yugi and his friends were before me. Stepping aside, I let them in without saying anything. Unlike Seto, I liked Yugi and his friends. They may have been teenagers, but they reminded me and my friends when I was their age. The circumstances were different, but their appreciation for friendship was something I greatly respected.

Once they were all inside, I closed the door. "What're you guys here for?"

"We just wanted to check in on you," Tea said as she stood beside Yugi. Joey huffed as he claimed one of the other chairs while the others stood. There wasn't much available seating in our room, and I felt slightly bad that most of them had to stand. You seemed a little, I dunno…off," she said calmly.

Yugi stepped forward. "You are ok, right?"

My eyes rolled. I could hear Seto's voice saying noisy brats, but I brushed that thought aside. "I just…have some stuff on my mind, but I'll be alright." I leaned against the doorframe. "But I appreciate the sentiment all the same."

"Are ya sure? Cause you kinda look beat, if ya ask me," Joey stated honestly, earning a slap upside the head from Tea and Serenity. "Yo!" He rubbed the back of his head. "What the crap, guys?!"

"Agh, so rude!" Tea commented as she crossed her arms.

Their exchange had me laughing. Waving off their concerns, I said with slight tears in my eyes, "Don't worry about me, guys. There's just a lot on my mind right now, and being in that virtual world didn't help." Their eyes seemed to soften at that.

"Um…Lizette?" Serenity stepped forward, her arms held lightly against her chest.

I stepped forward to the younger female. "What is it, Serenity?"

"Can I…ask you something personal?" I wasn't expecting that, but I nodded all the same. "How long have you and Mr. Kaiba been in a relationship?"

"Woah, woah! Serenity!" Joey quickly stood and grabbed his sister's shoulder. "You-You can't jus' suddenly ask people those questions outa the blue like dat!"

The lid containing that type of conservation burst forward as they all began talking with one another. It was a cacophony of teenage voices. Joey, Tristan, and Duke were all lightly scolding Serenity for asking a personal question; Serenity had no idea what she had done wrong; Tea held Serenity's arm and tried to defend her friend; and Yugi merely glanced between his friends before finally landing on me. Between them, I caught Mokuba's eyes, who was openly laughing while he shook his head.

The conversation grew slightly heated as I stepped forward, trying to calm them down. "Guys…guys!" Their voices halted; six pairs of eyes stared up at me. "Guys, don't bother Serenity for asking such a question. I don't mind at all."

"I mean…she's kinda asking a question that we've wondered all this time." Everyone turned to Tristan as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Then it was Duke's turn to sigh. "He's not wrong." Peering at me, the young duelist said, "It's just…in the time we've known Kaiba, it doesn't seem like he would, ya know…get married?"

"Hey!" Mokuba stood, face reddened with anger. "Don't talk about my brother like that!"

Duke and Tristan raised their hands in defense. Stepping beside Mokuba, I placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Mokuba, they mean no harm." Smiling at them, I said, "So…what do you want to know?"

All six stared across at one another. I could see they were contemplating different questions when Yugi was the one who spoke. "Well, I'm most curious how you two met." Everyone glanced down at their short friend. "I mean, there was some information we learned while in the virtual world that needs some explanation."

Tea nodded. "I agree.'

"Me too."

"Yeah, I wanna know as well!"

Heaving a collected sigh, I walked toward the door. I didn't mind entertaining them with a story. If they were curious about the story between me and Seto, I would gladly explain it. Maybe it would shed some light on the mysterious Seto Kaiba, and they wouldn't hold so much disdain for him.

"Alright," I agreed. "But if it's a story you want, we need more chairs. Let's grab some from the cafeteria real quick."

We quickly grabbed the correct number of chairs and returned to my room in several minutes. We circled the chairs around the room and took our seats. Mokuba sat beside me, and as I glanced around toward those staring back at me, I took a deep breath.

"I…guess this is kind of a long story, so buckle up." Crossing my arms, I tilted my head from side to side. "Now, the question is…where should I start?" I thought back on the last several years I shared with Seto. What would be the starting point? How far back should I go? What details did I need to refrain from explaining?

"Start with the day Seto fired Ms. Rourke," Mokuba stated beside me.

I chuckled at the memory. "That is a good place to start. I mean, that is technically the first day I met you."

Joey tilted his head. "Ya mean, ya met Mokuba before ya met Kaiba?"

"That's right. It was a brief encounter, but I still met him first." Smiling, I said, "Let me start by saying this. I won't divulge everything that has happened between me and Seto. There are many things I will keep secret, so don't get mad if I don't tell you everything." They all nodded, knowing not to cross what I was saying. "Good, now that we've got that out of the way. Let's see…" I took another deep breath.

"I remember like it was yesterday. I was in college, having just finished my first year of my Master's Program. As I said, I technically met Mokuba first, but it was by chance. However, I met Seto several weeks later. He was looking for a new personal assistant, and I was looking for a new job. My last job had ended a few months prior, and I needed something that would pay the bills. I thought working for a large corporation like KaibaCorp would open plenty of doors for me in the future, so I applied. Lo and behold, I landed an interview. What I didn't expect…was to be interviewed by none of than Seto himself."

~ oOo ~

As always, feedback is most appreciated.

DragonGoddess629