Chapter 4 Part II: Suicidally Stubborn
I realized that perhaps I needed to break up some chapters. I'm guessing that you all prefer chapters that are shorter. So "Lowering the Shields" is now two chapters. Furthermore, I should mention that Yugi Muto has command of at least two languages, English and Japanese. Also, due to the fact that in my version of the Yugi-verse, he is the great-grandson of a rabbi, Yugi also may know a little Hebrew. I don't want anyone to think I'm just tossing in random Japanese words; I'm enjoying the proverbial "melting pot" of my country.
Author's note, five years later: I had to make some minor changes to this chapter.
Recap: Lisa and Seto had to take care of a rather sick Mokuba and found themselves learning a bit more about each other. Team Yugi showed up to say hi, and Seto found himself actually being civil, to his fascinated horror. So what's next?
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I just own this story and Lisa, and what I've imagined about the characters.
At 6:45 AM, Seto woke up after only four and three-quarter hours of sleep and dragged himself out of bed, feeling like his stomach had turned against him. He took his shower, got dressed, went downstairs and got a piece of toast, went back upstairs, brushed his teeth and checked on his brother. Lisa, to his surprise, was up, dressed and taking Mokuba's temperature. "Good morning, Seto," she said cheerfully, and then noticing his pallor asked, "are you feeling all right?"
"I was just up late again last night," he answered somewhat groggily, "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine," she countered softly.
Mokuba chose this moment to wake up. "Good morning, Lisa. Good morning, big brother," he said, looking a lot better.
"Hey, Mokuba," Seto greeted. "Lisa, I have to go to class today."
"Morning, Mokuba. I have to check your temp, sweetie." She glanced at Mokuba's temperature and said, "You're down to 100°, sweetie. You're on the mend."
"I feel better. Seto, are you okay?" Mokuba asked, looking alarmed.
"I'm okay, little brother," Seto said, "I've just got to go to school. I'll see you later." He gave Mokuba a hug goodbye, and bidding them both goodbye, left.
"Is he okay?" the small boy asked his doctor.
"He's being stubborn," she answered, frowning.
Seto arrived at school in time to get to his locker, grab his books and get to class just as the tardy bell rang. His first class was American Government, and two of his classmates could tell that something was very wrong with him. Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler exchanged glances as the teen CEO entered class, looking out of it. It became very clear just how out of it he was halfway through class. The discussion was about American presidents, and Seto thought he was doing a good job of paying attention until he realized that the teacher had been calling on him.
"Mr. Kaiba!" shouted Ms. Howson.
"William Henry Harrison," he answered, and the class, except for Yugi and Joey, snickered.
"William Henry Harrison was the longest-serving president? Mr. Wheeler, do you have the correct answer?" Ms. Howson asked doubtfully.
"Yes, ma'am. The longest-servin' president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt."
Ordinarily, Joey would've been thrilled to one-up his nemesis, but he'd seen how pale and tired Kaiba was. Contrary to his public image, Joey wasn't that obtuse. He knew Mokuba must still be feeling sick and the young, kind doctor must still be at the mansion. "Yuge," the blonde boy said after class, "Kaiba's not lookin' too good."
"No, Joey, he doesn't. I think he's sick," Yugi responded.
"Yeah. He ain't one to admit it, though."
"Admit what?" Teá asked, coming to the lockers after her AP World Literature class.
"Teá, we think Kaiba's sick," Yugi said.
"Yeah, Teá, he missed a question that I got," Joey added.
"Must've been 'What country are you in right now?'" Tristan joked as he came from his Tai-Chi class.
"Why you-!" Joey growled, good-naturedly charging his sparring partner. "Actually, it was a question about the longest-servin' president, but that's not the point!" The "geek squad," as Seto called Yugi and his cadre, kept an eye on the teen multi-billionaire throughout the school day. At lunch, he looked a little green as he sat down to his lunch tray, but it was obvious to Team Yugi that Kaiba would fight through the day. However, after lunch, disaster struck.
Yugi, as it happened had World History with Seto after lunch.
Aibou, I wouldn't ask him, Yami cautioned.
Yami, I have to find out if he needs help. "Hey, Kaiba, are you okay?" Yugi asked his rival as they entered class with Mr. Ridge.
"I'm fine, Yugi, back off!" Seto snapped. But within tem minutes, everyone in the class knew otherwise.
"Mr. Kaiba," asked the teacher, "in approximately what year did noblewomen start embroidery on the Bayeux Tapestry?" The teen CEO stood to answer and felt both dizzy and nauseous. "Mr. Kaiba, are you all right?" Seto made the grave error of opening his mouth and, for the first time since he was in kindergarten, threw up in class.
Mr. Ridge quickly removed everyone from the class and asked, "Could someone please escort Mr. Kaiba to the infirmary?" Yugi raised his hand. "Okay, Mr. Muto. In the meantime, when I was a boy, I wanted to join the CIA…"
Here he goes again, Yugi thought wryly. "Kaiba, why didn't you say you were sick?" he asked as he escorted his rival.
"Couldn't miss… ack," Seto began to answer, gagged and raced into the bathroom.
Yugi could hear him retching violently, and after five minutes asked, "Kaiba, should I get somebody?" But Seto Kaiba staggered from the bathroom stall shortly thereafter and had to lean on the shorter boy to hold his balance.
The nurse was waiting at the infirmary door when the two boys arrived. "Hello, Yugi. Here, Mr. Kaiba." Nurse Clarke got the taller boy to lean on her for support, and got him to a cot. Yugi followed them, and sat down in a chair in a corner. "You've got a rather nasty fever, Mr. Kaiba, and you need to lie down," Clarke said firmly. Seto was really too weak to try to disagree with her. "Yugi, may I ask why you're still here?" the nurse asked.
"Kaiba's my friend," he answered softly. Seto Kaiba was far too weak to argue the point and drifted off to sleep.
By the end of the period, the news that Seto Kaiba had puked all over Mr. Ridge's classroom had spread through the school. Naturally, Yugi's three best friends were at the infirmary to find out what had happened. "So Moneybags blew chunks?" Joey asked his friend, all of them standing outside the school infirmary. "Man, he's sicker than we thought!"
"Yeah," Tristan added, "so he just..?"
"Yeah," Yugi confirmed, "and I'm staying here. Mr. Ridge's class isn't cleaned up yet, and I have him next period, so he'll keep talking about the CIA. I have time."
"Yugi, it's not like he'll appreciate this," Teá pointed out.
"Teá, I want to be his friend, and if you've taught me anything, it's that you don't abandon your friends even when they're not grateful for your help."
"Touché," she said, saluting him. "I guess we'll have to bring them their homework again."
Just then, the principal, a short gray-haired man with a usually infectious grin walked up to them looking very serious. "Afternoon, kids," he greeted in a Queens, New York accent.
"Hi, Mr. Darby," the teens chorused.
"This young lady needs to talk to you for a few minutes," he said, gesturing to Lisa Hammond who'd come up behind him.
"Hey, guys," Lisa said.
"What's up, Leese?" Joey asked.
"I'm here to pick up Mr. Kaiba. Now all of you, if you come over tonight, don't bring his homework. This is really important."
"How come?" Teá asked.
"He has a tendency to push himself too hard, and doing that will greatly impede his recovery. So can you all do that?" Everyone nodded.
"We might come over later, if it's okay," Yugi said.
"Thanks, guys," the doctor said, stepping into the infirmary.
Team Yugi headed back to class, and Yugi found himself hoping Lisa knew how to handle the teen CEO, because an angry and sick Seto Kaiba was rather scary to contemplate.
Yes, I know what you're thinking…Seto James Kaiba would not throw up in class. I, however, think he would be that stubborn. He's proven he's a stubborn individual, so I'm taking that to the next level. Oh, what will happen now? Thanks to Ivory Goddess of Ebony Heart for telling me what's too long for a chapter! And thanks to Mr. Dark Side for telling me in another fic that I had a Mary Sue on my hands! Said fic is down and under reconstruction! Read and review this tale, my friends! I'd really like to know how I'm doing!
