Don't Forget To Remember Me

Checkmate

"Which tie did you say I should wear again?" Seto asked as he contemplated the two ties he had in his hands.

"The aqua one," Kisara called from the bathroom. "It matches better."

"Can I look yet?" Seto asked as he finished straightening his silk aqua tie.

"Not yet! I'm almost done," she answered. "Just one more second... done!" She stepped out from the bathroom, looking hesitant. She blushed as she said, "I don't think I've ever gotten this dressed up before, not even for prom."

Seto smiled warmly at her, walking over and kissing her rosy cheek as he twisted her bejeweled necklace around his finger.

"I was right that these would look good on you," he commented with a smug grin of satisfaction. Kisara giggled softly.

"That's because you have good taste in more than just women," she replied with a smirk of her own before pulling him down by his tie so that she could tease him with a light kiss. He wanted more but she pulled back and wagged her finger at him.

"Uhn-uh! It'd mess up my lip gloss and then I'd have to reapply it."

"That doesn't take long, right?"

"Oh, it takes ages and ages..."

Her lips just barely touched his as she teased him with her nearness. After a moment of cruel temptation, she pecked his cheek and pulled away to a more respectful distance.

"We need to get going, or we might be late," she said with a twinkle in her eye. He smirked at her and held out his arm to her and she placed her hand in his elbow.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kaiba glowered at the room filled with fine suits and sleek dresses. Leon von Shroeder and Mokuba had run off together, so Seto'd sent Roland to keep an eye on them while Seto and Kisara remained among adult company. That left him with two categories of people to interact with: business partners who were either dull, annoying, or both, to various degrees; or, Yugi and his little friends. He hadn't expected so many of them to be there, actually. Yugi brought Tea as his plus one; Mai Valentine was invited because of her status as a professional duelist, and she brought Wheeler as her plus one; Duke Devlin was there because he created Dungeon Dice Monsters, and he brought Ryou Bakura as his plus one (which made Kaiba wonder if he'd brought him as a friend or as a date, but he honestly didn't care enough to ask about it); and Rebecca Hawkins was present for being the American Duel Monsters champion. Then there was Siegfried.

Kaiba had to suppress his irritation as he glared at the pink-haired German from across the room. Kaiba had known that his long-time enemy would be there, but that didn't make his flamboyant presence any less unpleasant. He'd made Kisara promise that she wouldn't try to make friends with him or talk to him at all, but he wasn't letting her out of his sight all the same. Not if he could help it, that was.

Kisara. He glanced down at her as she spoke with the Hawkins girl in a pleasant, friendly manner. Rebecca seemed content to shun Seto entirely, and since he wasn't paying attention to their conversation, any attempts Kisara might make at including him would be futile.

She was confused at first by Seto's behavior once they entered Pegasus' castle, but she quickly realized that she shouldn't be confused by it at all. This was their first time attending a formal function together, and their first time coming out as a couple in front of so many acquaintances. Sure, he'd taken her to nice restaurants before and things like that, but the people who saw them there were strangers. This was different, though, especially for him.

He was in front of colleagues, enemies, and people he'd once openly scorned. Although his inner self had changed drastically since he and Yugi had last interacted, he didn't know if he wanted to show them as much, let alone how to show them without losing face. Perhaps she'd underestimated how much his pride was wrapped up in his public identity, but she'd hoped that he wouldn't be this stiff and silent. His eyes were scanning the party constantly, and he wouldn't maintain any conversation for more than a few minutes. He was polite with people, but brief with them too. Then again, he'd mostly interacted with business partners so far, entirely avoiding the younger, livelier attendees of the gala. Since he didn't seem to be paying much attention, though, Kisara was edging her way towards Yugi and his friends with Seto in tow, wondering just how much she could get away with.