Presence

By SMYGO4EVA

The Battle City Ship was still in the sky, the Duel Tower Seto Kaiba had built years earlier just ahead. Anticipation and fear filled the bystanders and the duelists who were waiting for the Blimp to land. The finalists were Yuugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Seto Kaiba and Marik Ishtar, each one of them filled with the confidence needed to duel their best out there, because who won the tournament would have the Battle City Crown.

In a hallway, Yuugi, Téa, Joey, Serenity, Tristan and Duke were standing and talking, awaiting the arrival to the KaibaCorp Duel Tower.

"So, are we all ready for the finals?" Yuugi asked everyone.

"You bet! We'll make sure you have as much support from all of us." Téa assured him as she gave him as thumbs-up.

"An' don't forget me too! I'll duel so many circles around Kaiba, he wouldn' know wat hit em."

"I'll make sure to keep an eye on Mai for you while she's resting, Joey." Serenity said to him with a small smile on her face.

The blonde's golden eyes twinkled at her, and he smiled slightly. "Thanks, Serenity. I appreciate that."

"Oh, shoot! I forgot my necklace! You know, the one you gave me for my birthday before we sort of…you know…. separated?" Serenity replied, antsy at her own foolishness.

Joey bit his lip at that memory, which was very nostalgic and it was a long time. Back when they were little kids.

"You guys go ahead! I'll be right here if you need me. " Joey stopped her with…

"Wait…Serenity?" He said, looking a little anxious.

"Yes, Joey?" Serenity asked.

Joey went on. "Just be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Aww…" Serenity went back and gave her brother a gentle hug. "I'll be OK, don't you worry!" With that, she gave him a peck on the cheek and went off, leaving three surprised companions on their way.

"Now where could it be?" Serenity said out loud, when she finally got back to her quarters. The place was a tad messy, with a suitcase open, all of its contents unveiled.

Serenity looked around for a bit, cursing herself for being such a nitwit. The necklace Joey gave her was very important to herself and to him, and she shouldn't lose it so easily. She finally found it under a few of her shirts. She put it on and was just about to leave when she heard an all too familiar dark chuckle coming from the doorway. Her eyes widened and she slowly turned her form so she would if it was just her imagination.

Definitely not.

"It's fortunate for you that I didn't get here first. Otherwise, the Semi-Finals would have been over before they even get started." Marik said, his tenor voice ringing in Serenity's ears.

Still sitting on the floor, hazel eyes grew wide in fear and resentment. It's Marik…the one Joey's going to duel in the finals…what's he doing here? She turned away so Marik could only see her back.

"What do you want?" Serenity asked with a mix of trepidation and firmness in her voice.

"Straight to the point, aren't we?" Marik stated, seductive malice dripping from every word. "Originally, I came to take your confidence for your big brother away, but now my plans seem to have changed."

He walked toward Serenity's stagnant figure, and stooped to her level.

"Right now, I'm looking for something else to occupy my time," he said, toying with his victim's reddish-brown hair, lacing it with his right hand. "Something much more enticing than anything else I've been doing here…"

Leaving the sentence to hang in the air, the hand that was playing with her hair went lower and lower until his fingers met her spine. He began stroking it in an almost erotic way, leaving only but chills to the girl's nerve endings. He then brushed his lips against the shell of her ear, and she shuddered as she felt his tongue leave its slick trail on her neck.

Serenity clenched her fists tightly, biting her lip so she would keep her composure intact. Before she knew it, Marik began to kiss her neck softly, almost playfully, his hands leaving quivers on her arms, shifting to her chest area. She whimpered at the feel, shocks running up her spine before she felt his hands under her shirt and underneath her brassiere, playing with the soft skin and teasing her nipples with his index fingers. A shocked gasp escaped her lips and he chuckled in a low voice, inhaling the smell of her hair.

"As much as I would love to finish up and rob you of your purity, I like to twist and bend my victim's sanity even more." Marik said, his lips brushing against Serenity's right ear. He stood up and ambled to the doorway.

"So, I'm going to go and complete something else: getting rid of your friends one by one and taking your brother and the pharaoh apart piece by piece, my dear." He walked out of the room, already forming new and insane ideas in his head, with a wicked grin playing on his lips.

Serenity stayed in her position, many questions swirling in her cluttered mind. Dread and foreboding filled her as she cautiously stood up and walked out of her quarters. Unbeknownst to her, rivers of water trailed down her face and marking her as a victim in one of Marik's mind games. Her lip quivered and she clenched her fists.

I'm sorry…I couldn't keep my promise…

Owari