This chapter was surprisingly difficult to get down - I had a few ideas on how the conversations would play out, and I think this is the best of my three (yes, three) drafts. I hope you like it!

Chapter 11 : Sleeping In

Despite knowing he was awake, he felt similar to when he first woke up in the hospital, as if he wasn't really all there. His head was spinning, his stomach reeling. A slight shiver went down his spine, and he pulled the blanket closer to him. He could hear Yuki's purring next to him, and he smiled slightly before reaching out and petting her. "Hey kitty," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. She meowed at him. He had half a mind to open his eyes but thought better of it. His body felt like it was on fire, yet something told him the blanket was doing more good than harm. He let it remain, ignoring his sweat. He felt a mess and suddenly wanted a hot bath. The idea of getting up, however, kept him from calling out for Irika's help.

"Bring it in here. I'm going to wake him up for dinner."

Seto frowned. "Who is that…?"

He listened as footsteps echoed down the hallway. "He has to eat something, even if it's small. I'm not letting him starve tonight."

Seto opened his eyes upon recognizing the voice. "Mokuba?!" He shot up and immediately regretted it. His stomach knotted, and for a split second, he thought he was going to vomit. He wrapped his arms around his waist and leaned to the side against the cushions. Yuki, disturbed by his movements, stretched before looking up at him with wide eyes. He glanced over, frowned, and shook his head. "Why do I feel like shit, Yuki?" he questioned. The cat meowed again.

"Seto?"

Turning to look at the entrance into the study, Seto saw his younger brother standing with Irika. He weakly waved over to them. "What are you doing home, Mokuba?" he asked, wiping another bead of sweat from his face.

Mokuba chuckled. "School only lasts so long, Seto."

He frowned and glanced at the clock. His eyes widened in horror when he recognized the time. "6:45?!" "But I told Anzu..."

"Anzu made the chief decision to let you sleep in," Mokuba explained as he walked over towards the sofa. Slinking down into Seto's wheelchair, he helped Irika slide a footrest over to serve as a makeshift table. Seto watched as she placed a tray of sushi similar to the one he had for lunch in front of them. "I figured a light dinner would be good for you, Big Bro. You may feel sick, but you gotta eat something."

"Thanks..." Seto muttered. "Though she should have woken me up."

"She said she tried to once, but you were out cold."

"I don't think cold is the right word..."

Mokuba nodded in understanding. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, he handed another over to Seto before taking a bite of white tuna.

"So...how was school?" Seto asked. Despite his stomach lurching inside, he felt the slight pang of hunger and picked up a piece of shrimp.

"Boring, as usual. Mrs. Ikio didn't like my paper in American history, and Mr. Nomina told me I was the quickest student he ever had in chemistry. I turned in my art assignment today for Mr. Bika as well, and he said he was very impressed with my work."

Seto nodded to indicate he was listening as he slowly chewed on the piece of shrimp. His mouth felt dry, and swallowing was a painful process, but he ate it anyway.

"Otherwise, it was just a typical day. At least until coming home."

Seto frowned. "If I woke up as I should have, I would have called you ahead of time to let you know how I was feeling."

Mokuba waved his hand. "It's okay. I would much rather you sleep than wake up just to call me. Though watching Anzu freak out was pretty interesting."

Seto's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" he asked, grabbing another piece of sushi as he did so. Irika had since returned bearing two cups of cool green tea, and she set them down in front of them before exiting the room once more.

"When I came home, she was looking all over the place for a phone book," Mokuba explained, chewing a bit of rice before continuing. "Apparently she had called her friend who helps with physical therapy at the dance studio, and she and her friend came to the conclusion that the doctors are forcing you into recovery rather than helping you. Anzu thinks they're trying to prove something by getting you to recover faster than normal, probably to make a name for themselves or something. But when I got here, she was livid."

"Why would she care so much about it? She's just here to keep me company."

"If you had seen yourself earlier, I think you'd understand."

Seto scoffed. "I know how I feel; I don't need to see myself in a mirror."

"Then you get it. She said you all but passed out on the sofa and that you barely touched lunch. When she had Irika take your temperature, you were nearly 101. She didn't know if she wanted to take you back to the doctor's since they were the ones who caused it, and I think talking with her friend kinda worked her up."

"You don't really think the doctors gave me a fever, do you?"

Mokuba shrugged. "You don't normally get sick," he pointed out. "And I do think those doctors are pushing you a little too hard. She mentioned over the phone how they put you on a treadmill."

"The phone? Who was she talking to?"

"Dr. Kota."

Seto nearly dropped his chopsticks. Sighing heavily, he placed his head in his hand. "She really called the doctor over this?"

Mokuba chuckled. "She more shouted at him than called him, but yeah, I let her call."

"You let her call?"

"Yeah." He continued chuckling as he took a sip of his drink. "And it was pretty funny. She was all like, "He can barely walk, and you put him on a treadmill?! How is that going to help him recover?! How is giving him a fever helping anyone in this situation?!" Oh man, was she angry."

"My physical therapy is none of her damn business," Seto remarked harshly. "Why she felt the need to get involved is-"

"She was just worried about you, Seto," Mokuba countered. "And quite frankly, I wouldn't have let her call Dr. Kota unless I thought she meant well. Plus her friend had some good points concerning your physical therapy."

"Even so, I'm going to be the one to pay the price tomorrow."

Mokuba smirked. "Oh, I doubt that. I don't know which threat is more real to the doctors right now: the threat of you flipping out on them, or the threat of Anzu doing the same."

Glancing back over at the sushi, Seto shook his head before grabbing another piece of sushi, this one being salmon. "I just don't get why she cares."

"She just wants to see you healthy again, Seto. We all do."

"Yes, but I was rude to her and haven't talked to her in years."

"Yeah, but you also helped her a couple times. Remember Battle City?"

Seto growled. "I wish I could forget."

"Well, at any rate, you helped her a few times, and she's always been a caring person."

Seto rolled his eyes. "I don't get it..." Mokuba shrugged before taking a bite of sushi. The two sat in silence for a moment before Seto muttered, "I suppose I still have to pay her. I keep forgetting to do so."

"How much are you going to pay her?"

Seto frowned. "I don't know..."

"She is taking most of her day up to watch over you, Big Bro. Don't forget. That's a big deal when she spends most of her night dancing, too."

Seto frowned. "What does she normally do during the day that I'm keeping her from?"

"Exercise. Practice. She told me she's usually outside doing something."

"Why?"

Mokuba frowned slightly. "She doesn't live in a very good neighborhood. Her apartment isn't the best, so she likes spending her time away."

Seto sat for a minute, taking in the information as he sipped his drink. It felt cool in his hand and seemed to be helping, along with the sushi, to clear some of his mind. "Whatever happened to her gang of friends?" he inquired. "Where are they? I can't imagine Yugi letting Anzu live in someplace dangerous."

"It's not so much dangerous as just run-down. She had to move out with the little money she had after high school."

"Why?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't ask." Smirking, he added, "You can ask her tomorrow, if you want."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever..."

"But seriously, pay her well. This is a big favor she's doing for us, after all."

"I know... Though she still should be minding her own damn business."

Mokuba chuckled. "I'm telling you, Big Brother, you should have seen her. She was super pissed. Oh, and she's picking you up tomorrow instead of Roland."

Seto's head shot up at that. "What? Why? Who made that decision?"

"Anzu and I," Mokuba answered casually. "She wanted to come early to make sure they weren't pushing you."

Seto sighed in defeat. "She does know she's not my mother, right? Her job is to watch me here, not follow me through the whole day."

Mokuba again shrugged. "I didn't see a problem with it."

Seto had to bite his tongue back. "Of course you don't. You're friends with her. Which is fine, I don't care, but she's not my friend. She's here to make sure I don't fall and die on the floor. Not to get involved in things that are none of her concern."

Setting his chopsticks down, Mokuba yawned and stretched his arms. "I'm gonna go do some homework," he explained. "I also want to draw some designs for marketing our game. I think I've come up with some cool things during art class today."

Seto smiled, remembering the game. "It's working well so far," he stated. "I played some of it yesterday, and it's running quite smoothly."

Mokuba's smile widened. "That's awesome!" he exclaimed. "Man, I can't wait to see it! We should play some now!"

Seto's smile faded slightly. He felt a little better, but he knew an oculus rift virtual reality simulator would make him vomit within seconds. "Let's wait until I'm not feeling sick," Seto said. "Besides, you have homework, and I need to take a bath. I feel like I'm drenched in sweat."

Mokuba nodded in understanding. Standing, he glanced over and asked, "Seto...are you angry that I let Anzu call Dr. Kota?"

Seto sighed. "You'll find out tomorrow." When Mokuba's eyebrows rose in confusion, Seto added, "If I'm put on that treadmill again, you're hearing all about it."