Love's Vessel Chapter Two: The Bitter Man, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Author's Note: Wow, thanks a lot for the wonderful reviews. I was surprised by the sudden rise of reviews and I'm happy to hear that I'm writing much better. I do have to admit though, I was in a bit of a standstill as of lately with how to go on with my stories. You can say a mild case of writer's block, although that did not halt my original stories from being written. I apologize for the delayed update, so here you go!

Thanks again for the reviews!

Summary: (Seto × Shizuka × Pegasus) - After running away from home, Shizuka never thought things could possibly be worse aboard this elegant cruise liner--how wrong she was.

Pairings: Seto × Shizuka × Pegasus, Katsuya × Mai, Anzu × Yuugi, Mokuba × Rebecca

Age Information: Shizuka (17), Kaiba (20), Pegasus (24), Katsuya (19), Mai (21), Yuugi (19), Anzu (18), Mokuba (16), Rebecca (15).

Warning: Suggestive themes, sexual situations, alcohol consumption, language, and mild violence.

Love's Vessel
Electric Fizz

Chapter Two: The Bitter Man
× "This is going to be one long, long cruise." - Jounouchi, Shizuka

Taking a puff of his cigarette, Seto Kaiba pondered about what had gone on earlier today. It was now pretty late in the evening and most of the occupants of this ship had long gone to bed, but here he was having a smoke to calm his nerves. He was still pissed off about how Pegasus had managed to aggravate his nerves. He had only wanted to know who the hell that girl was exactly and why she was on the ship; knowing Pegasus he was up to something. He was always trying to pull some kind of stunt to bring his corporation down. Kaiba knew that he had only invited him in hopes of amending their past issues. Fat chance.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep drag which ended up causing him to cough and drop the burning cigarette into the ocean. He cursed and dug into his pocket to retrieve a replacement. He scowled when he realized he was running low on his nicotine and knew he'd need more if he wanted to survive on this damned cruise. Kaiba snorted. You would think a person on a cruise liner would be happy and relaxed, but Seto Kaiba was anything but that. This cruise so far has driven him mad with anger and now he found self loathing sticking its ugly head out. He hated everything at the moment and it was leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

He counted how many cigarettes were left over, before taking one out of the packet. This was his remedy to fix the foul taste beginning in form in his mouth. He would need to acquire more of this fix this week, since the measly four cigarettes left over would not suffice enough to last until the day after if he had to go undergo all this hell. Placing the fag on his lips, he slid his hand into his pocket once more to retrieve the lighter. Lighting the nicotine stick aflame, he leaned against the ship's railing to flick the lighter on and off; his mild amusement in the dreary night.

Hooded sapphire eyes gazed down at the illuminating glow on the surface of the water, before the gaze became transfixed on the lustrous moon above. His finger ceased its flickering and he let the lighter hang limply between fingers. He sighed, closing his eyes. He was tired and sleeping felt like a wonderful idea at the moment, but the boiling anger in his body that rattled him refused to allow him peace. He drew the cigarette briefly away from his lips to exhale the smoke that gathered his lungs and to inhale the fresh air.

"Why the fuck did I let myself be talked to board this hellhole?" he mused bitterly to himself, while placing the burning bunt back onto his lips. The nicotine was not helping tonight and the more he stood here reflecting on events that had happened, the more he found himself fidgeting to beat the daylights out of someone or something. Plus, it didn't help that he was starting to become resentful about his current life since Mokuba seemed to have changed into someone totally different ever since he had started dating Rebecca.

He snorted. This place was definitely a hellhole.

Shizuka yawned before slowly opening her eyes, only to suddenly dart upright when she realized that she was not in her bedroom. She blinked, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands and while trying to recollect what had happened earlier today. She suddenly realized that she had ran away and had been caught; fortunately though she had not been thrown into some jail cell to rot for trespassing, but instead she was now a welcomed guest. She smiled slightly to herself as she placed her feet onto the wooden floor. Her toes instantly curled up with resentment, once the chill of the floor registered. She shivered and pulled her legs up back into the warmth of the sheets.

Her chill was momentarily forgotten as the grumble from her stomach notified her that she was hungry. Shizuka had forgotten that she had failed to eaten anything since the morning and it was now extremely late, judging by how dark it was outside the small window, regardless of the meek moonlight flowing in. She paused briefly to think if she should look for something to eat or not. Her stomach however decided for her, causing her to wince in pain.

Easing her feet into her sneakers, she grudgingly pulled herself out of bed. She carefully smoothed out any wrinkles on her clothes the best she could and patted down any hairs sticking up on her head. Satisfied, she walked over towards the door to leave the room only to stop when she realized that if she did go looking about the ship it would be quite rude considering Pegasus was kind enough to exempt her for sneaking on.

"But I'm so hungry," she whined, clutching her stomach pitifully. She bit her lip and placed her hand hesitantly on the door handle, before finally deciding that her stomach had to be silenced. Stepping out carefully into the dim hallway, she noted the room number before venturing off to what she presumed was the way to the galley. (1)

Shizuka scowled however, when she ended up outside onto the deck. She sighed and was about to turn around when the corner of her eyes caught something, or rather someone. Eyes widened in alarm and her hand quickly clamped over her mouth to stifle her gasp of surprise. Seto Kaiba was nothing more than a few mere feet away from where she stood and she wished not to reveal her presence. Turning around hurriedly, she ended up bumping into the door and making a small ruckus.

The results were quite unpredictable. An audible plop was heard signaling something had been dropped into the murky waters, which were soon followed by a string of curses. Shizuka had expected to be caught for her blunder, but instead had received enough stalled time to exit as fast as she had appeared. By the time Kaiba had turned around to see the source of the sound, she had been long gone leaving Kaiba to wonder if he was hearing things and cursing the fact that he dropped his lighter into the ocean.

Oh glorious day.

Shizuka ran as fast as she could back to her room. Knowing Kaiba he would be on her tail in moments, she had no time to stop especially since his long legs enabled him to take longer strides. He could easily catch up to her because of that, so she wasted no time to get into the safety of her quarters, the sounds from her stomach falling to deaf ears.

She swiftly entered her room, locking the door behind her and leaned against the wooden door, trying to catch her breath whilst listening carefully to any signs of the blue-eyed chief executive. Her ears rang and she winced when she felt other aches begin to snake about her. She ignored the feeling of the cold wooden floor, as she allowed herself to sit on the ground with her back against the door. Her stomach growled and she closed her eyes, trying very hard to ignore it.

She would not be able to get any food tonight. She would have to manage and go to bed hungry and wait until morning to actually get something to eat. Listening carefully to any approaching sounds, she let out a sigh of relief when she heard the comfort of silence. Kaiba had not gone after her, so he had not seen her or he just simply chose to ignore her.

Leaning her forehead against her knees, she sighed and closed her eyes. How the hell was she going to survive on this ship if she was constantly paranoid about him? He hadn't seemed to have recognized her anyhow, so why would it matter if he did see her? She pursed her lips; well the real problem was she was still afraid that he would eventually recognize her.

"This is going to be one long, long cruise," she muttered glumly and closed her eyes.

Shizuka groaned as she began to stir from her slumber. She winced however when her body protest to her abuse since she had fallen asleep in an upright position on the floor. Her back ached and she scowled while rubbing at the sore muscles. How in the world had she managed to fall asleep on the cold floor with her stomach beckoning her endlessly for food? She didn't even know, but figured she must have been really tired to have snoozed like this. Her poor body had not appreciated it and was now revolting.

Sighing as she slowly stood up, only to cringe at the sound of her joints cracking from the sudden movement. She however scowled as she eyed the unkempt bed she had left. Not wanting to be rude for the generosity she was receiving, she strolled over to make it. She was a guest on this ship and so the least she could do is give her gratitude in these small forms. Speaking of the ship; she silently wondered where Pegasus was and if he had indeed found a dress for her to wear, since she apparently had to wear one.

A soft knock on the door disrupted her thoughts and instantly her head turned at the sound. She figured it must be Pegasus, so she quickly made her way over towards the door to open it. Shizuka however was surprised to see a familiar blonde girl who smiled at her. Instantly her mind recalled the girl and the color on her face left.

"Hi there!" the girl exclaimed cheerfully as she welcomed herself inside. Shizuka was lost for words, as the freckled girl gave her a warm smile. Her tension reduced at that peaceful movement and the auburn-haired girl gave her a small, slightly nervous, smile back.

What was Mokuba's girlfriend doing here? That was the question that instantly popped into her mind, as she recalled the awkward scenario she had witnessed making her ears burn in shame. The other girl didn't seem to take note, as she was more so focused on taking in the room before abruptly turning her attention back to the older girl.

"You're Shizuka, right?" the girl asked, the warm smile fading as quickly as it had appeared. She didn't seem angry, just bored from the look on her face. Shizuka blinked, trying to register the peculiar personality the blonde seemed to have before nodding her head numbly.

A look of bewilderment crossed Shizuka's face when the smaller girl suddenly grabbed her arm and began dragging her out of the room.

"Where are you taking me?" Shizuka squeaked drawing her arm away from the smaller girl's grip, causing Rebecca to turn her head to glance at her.

"So you're not a mute," she muttered eyeing her, only making the other girl look at her as if she grew another head. She rolled her green eyes and stated matter-of-factly, "To pick out a dress, idiot."

The auburn-haired girl did nothing more than blink in confusion as the Rebecca began walking, before exclaiming, "I'm not doing this for my health, so hurry up."

Instantly, Shizuka followed.

To be continued.

Notes:
(1) - For you scallywags who did not know, the galley is what they call the kitchen on a ship.

Author's Note: I had mild difficulty at figuring out where to end this and how to manage the ending scenes. Where I ended it, may also prove difficult but when I added more it was just pointless, so I apologize! This chapter may seem quite useless, but you'll see as to why I incorporated the lighter scene later, but I do hope you got the first scene with Kaiba seeing as its key for his personality and outtake of this whole trip. Reviews are welcomed, good or bad!

One last note, smoking is bad. Very bad.
Don't do drugs kiddies. :)

Thank you for reading.

This story, or any parts of it, is forbidden to be reproduced.