Tea woke the next morning, feeling ready to face anything. She heard a strange ringing in her ears. Groaning, she stuffed the pillow over her head and turned over. When the ringing persisted, she realized it was the phone.
"What the hell do you want?!" she snarled angrily into the phone. After all, they deserved it, whoever they were. They did wake her up.
"Tea? It's Yugi. Are you all right?"
"Yugi?" Her sleepy mind was unable to focus properly on the seemingly familiar name. Then, like a slap in the face, it hit her. "Sorry," she apologized, "I just woke up. Do you know what time it is?" She shook her head violently, clearing the sleep from her mind.
"Just woke- Tea, it's 12:45." Yugi sounded a bit worried. She was becoming more like Joey every day...
"Hehe, just tired. So, you called because......" she trailed off.
"We wanted to know if you wanted to come to the beach." Some voices in the background, then scuffling sounds. To her, it sounded like someone tried to grab the phone. Suddenly, Yugi's voice again.
"Joey! That's just sick and totally perverted!"
Giggling, Tea asked, "What is it?"
Yugi sighed, totally exasperated. She could still hear Joey's strange giggling in the background. "He asked if we were going to a nude beach and if you were gonna be wearing the dress code."
"Slap him for me Yugi," Tea replied coolly into the phone. She heard Yugi yell, "Tristan! Slap him for me, will ya?" A loud smack followed by crashing and groaning rang loudly in the background.
"Tea, come here after you're packed up and whatever! Ow! Joey! That hurt! Gotta go!"
Tea sighed. Well, gotta get packing. Half an hour later, they were standing on the beach. No, it was not a nude beach, much to Joey's obvious disappointment. Any ways, they found a nice spot close to the water, just perfect for tanning. So, Tea sat on the blanket and worked on her tan, while Joey and Tristan were competing to see who could build the biggest sand castle. So far, Tristan had a nicely sculpted, structure. Joey's was a lump of sand with a few shells and sticks stuck into it.
"You really suck Joey," Tristan commented.
"Shut up! You have a bucket and a shovel!" he retorted.
"No, you idiot. You have the bucket and the shovel. I have a hoe and a lousy yoghurt cup!" Tristan yelled.
"Since when did you get a ho?" Joey asked curiously. "Is Mai working for free now?"
"A RAKE you idiot! I'm not a perverted moron!" Tristan snapped. "And I win! YOU LOSE, loser!" Not surprisingly, Tristan's sculpture far exceeded Joey's pathetic mound of sand.
Suddenly Tristan's sculpture was reduced to an even sadder mound of sand as a boys feet trampled through it. A boy with long black hair......
"Mokuba!" Tristan and Joey yelled in delight.
"Huh?" Mokuba looked quizzically at the two. Recognition dawned on his face. "Joey! Tristan! Uh, where's Yugi?"
"In the water," Tea answered.
"Hi Tea!" came the enthusiastic greeting. Obviously, the kid was hyper on sugar.
"Help me!" Yugi screamed as a big wave crashed over his short, spiky head.
"Gotcha dude," Tristan yelled as he snatched his friend out of the water.
"Mokuba!" Yugi said. "How's it going?"
"Mokuba," a perfectly composed, all-to-familiar voice said behind them. Seto Kaiba stood behind them, decked out in his usual attire; trench coat, high collar shirt and long pants.
"Uh, don't you ever get hot?" Joey asked.
"Don't you have a brain?" Kaiba sneered.
"Seto-" Mokuba began, in a pleading voice.
"Fine. Let's go back to our spot." Kaiba walked a few steps. "Coming?" he asked his brother. Mokuba was nowhere to be found. Kaiba just raised an eyebrow and stalked off. He would have looked more dramatic if he hadn't been walking so close to the water line and a big wave hadn't been coming in....
The end result was a completely drenched Seto Kaiba. His hair hung limply in his eyes and his trench coat dripped water. Glaring at anyone who even dared to make a sound, he stomped off, leaving a rather wet trail behind him.
Tea failed to notice that another person had just joined them. "Hi Tea," Mokuba said cheerfully.
"Where did you come from?" Tea asked. "And where did you get that blanket? And cooler? And umbrella..." She fell silent.
"I moved them. I wanna sit with you guys, 'cause Seto just sits around in his trench coat and it makes me hot just looking at him. Besides, wanna have a sandcastle contest?"
"Oh, it's a little late for that," Tristan commented dryly. Joey just grinned.
"Won't-" Yugi was rudely interrupted.
"MOKUBA!!!" Kaiba's cry reached their ears.
"Uh oh... Oh well. Pop, anyone?" Mokuba held out some cans.
"Sure! Got any Coke?" Joey asked hopefully. Mokuba tossed him the can.
After everyone had their drinks, he had just enough time to prop up the umbrella before Kaiba appeared, his face flushed from anger and heat.
"I'm- gasp- going to- huff- get you!" Kaiba gasped out.
"Long walk their Kaiba?" Joey asked innocently.
"Shut up you little puppy dog!" Kaiba gasped out.
"Please, Seto?" Mokuba asked, putting on his best begging face.
"No," came the reply, cool as ever.
"Did any big waves hit you, Kaiba, baby?" Tristan teased, mimicking somebody's mother. He and Joey collapsed on each other, laughing.
"That's it! Let's GO!" Kaiba snarled.
"I'm not moving again," Mokuba pouted.
"Too bad, kid. Let's go!" Kaiba pulled on Mokuba's arm. Instinctive reactions kicked in and Mokuba sank his teeth into Kaiba's hand without a second thought. With a howl of pain, Kaiba snatched his arms and began to pull. The pathetic game of tug-a-war went on for quite some time before a feebly pulling Kaiba gave up and sat in the corner farthest away from them with his best scowl plastered on his face. So what if his clothes and shoes got sand in them? It was worth staying away from the happy freaks out there. While everyone else had fun in the sun, Kaiba sat in the shade and sulked. When he thought Tea wasn't looking, he kept shooting her hate filled glares.
"Hey Tea," Joey greeted her as he dried himself off. "I just beat Tristan in a race. I think a jellyfish stung me and a fish bit my toe..... But other than that, I showed him that I can kick his butt in swimming!" he stated proudly.
Tea took one look at Joey and burst out laughing.
"What? What?!" Joey asked frantically.
"There's..... a..... jellyfish stuck in your hair!" Tea managed to choke out.
"Oh my god! Get it out! Get it out! Get it OUT!!!" Joey screamed as he ran around in a circle, whipping his head around in frantic circles in a desperate attempt to dislodge the offensive aquatic creature.
Kaiba couldn't help it. This was hilarious! That idiot puppy dog actually thought that whipping his head around would get a jelly fish off? Ha! He was even stupider than he thought! He tried to compress it, but it slipped out.
Joey stopped and stared at a hysterical Kaiba. He was rolling in the sand, laughing his snobby head off. Then, he stared at Tea, who was smacking the ground and laughing just as hard into the blanket.
"GET IT OUT!!!!!!" he screamed. Yugi and Tristan came running up......... and burst out laughing.
And so, a fuming Joey was stuck standing in the middle of a group of hysterical teens. "Goddammit!! This isn't funny!! What the hell's the matter with you people?!!!" He went over to pound some sense into that jackass Kaiba- who does he think he is, laughing at him like that? The guy deserved at least a black eye.
Joey knelt down and was about to throw sand in Kaiba's streaming eyes, but now his hair, (and jellyfish) were level with Kaiba's arms. Kaiba rolled over and reached out for something to support him so he could get up...... and let out a surprise and pain filled scream. For you see, Kaiba had grabbed the jellyfish. Battered, but very much alive, it had stung Kaiba's hand. Ouch.
Tea snapped out of her laughter fit first. She spotted Joey, bent over a Kaiba that was rolling on the ground for a very different reason. Wondering who had screamed, Tea got up and went to Kaiba. His shoulders were quivering uncontrollably, so she thought that he was still laughing. But Joey's concerned babbling told her otherwise. When Kaiba faced her, she could see why.
His hand had jellyfish stingers attached to them. Not to mention the fact that it was red and inflamed. Tears streamed down Kaiba's face, and his teeth were gritted together. He shook with pain and an obvious effort not to scream again. He still had his pride, however shattered that may be. Tea ran to where the oblivious Yugi and Tristan were. When they ignored her, she kicked Tristan sharply in the side. Yugi got a bucket full of sand dumped on his head.
"Call an ambulance!" Yugi yelled. Tristan took off like an arrow from a bow.
"Joey! Find a lifeguard! See what they know and bring him here!" Joey nodded and ran around the crowded beach, jellyfish hanging onto his head in an insane grip. No one else seemed to notice the small group of people huddled around the figure that was solely dressed in a long blue trench coat.
Kaiba struggled to remain conscious. His hand hurt, and not like a dull ache. Deep pulsing pain right down to his very core emitted from those trailing tentacles. He could feel the poison beginning to take effect. He wanted to scream and scream until his throat was shredded and raw and he passed out. But Joey, that little puppy dog was here and there was NO way that would happen. At least, not while in public......
"Big brother?" a child's voice echoed crazily around in his mind, the source unknown. Mokuba shook Kaiba, his head lolling from side to side like a broken doll's. Kaiba managed to quickly glimpse Mokuba's worried face before his tired and venom-filled mind flicked the world off.
"Don't worry Mokuba. He's still alive. Look," Tea reassured him. "Put your hand on his chest if you don't believe me. He's still breathing."
"Um, Tea? Is he supposed to be still?" Mokuba's naive child's voice added to the growing alarm in her.
"What do you mean "still?" Tea asked, slightly confused.
"Well, aren't people supposed to breathe?"
"!??!! Oh my GOD!!" Tea placed a hand on Kaiba's chest. He was right, Kaiba wasn't breathing. He had apparently gone into shock, at least, that was what Tea hoped had happened.
"Mokuba, move out of the way!" Yugi gently guided a very worried and frightened Mokuba away from Kaiba's still form.
"Crap, crap, crap!" Tea thought. Only one option left; CPR. The fact that Kaiba might die was not what she was worried about. Thinking "Why me?" she placed Kaiba on his back, opened his airway and began.
"One! Two! Three!" she counted as she pushed on his chest.
"One! Two! BREATHE!!"
She continued, thinking nasty things she would do to Kaiba, as soon as he regained conciousness. "Don't think like that," Tea thought savagely.
"One! Two! BREATHE YOU GODDAMN INGRATE!!!" she screamed as she continued to push feverishly on his chest.
A lifeguard and ambulance arrived on the scene. They immediately put Kaiba on the stretcher and Joey in a second ambulance. Isn't it funny what one little jellyfish can do?
Tristan drove himself and Mokuba to the hospital. Yugi went with Joey and Tea.... The weird thing that Tea would never understand was that the paramedics thought that Tea was Kaiba's sister. She had brown hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a locket with a picture of him in it. Kaiba's locket of Mokuba was visible as it had slipped out from under his shirt. Mokuba was completely ignored as Tea when she tried to tell them that she had absolutely no relation to Kaiba and that she would rather kill herself. None of them would believe that Mokuba was Kaiba's only real relative.
Also, it appeared that the jellyfish that had an insane liking for Joey's head was actually quite poisonous and would need to be removed immediately. Yugi just said that he was Joey's kid brother and that he was into dyeing his hair.
Kaiba awoke to a stinging pain in his left arm. An IV was lodged quite firmly into the big vein in his wrist. Where was he anywise? Why wasn't he at the beach? He frowned and sat up. He noticed that his right hand was also thickly bandaged.
"You're quite lucky," a voice said that made Kaiba jump. It was a nurse. "Good thing your sister knew how to perform CPR or you would have died."
"Sister?" Kaiba thought. "I don't have a- NO!" He stopped as a sudden image came to mind. Brown hair, blue eyes, the only person on that beach that could possibly be mistaken for a relative was..... Tea!
"What happened?" he asked the nurse, feeling quite sick.
"It seems that a jellyfish stung you. At first, no one knew how the jellyfish managed to sting you as you were fully clothed and they live in the water. But then, you were soaked, so why you were in the water ruining that lovely trench coat is besides me," the nurse explained.
"I didn't go in the water," he said slowly. So how did he get wet? Distant memories of stalking off the beach, reason unknown still, and getting hit with a huge wave. That explained it. But how did the jellyfish get so far upland? Upland? A sudden image of Joey with a jellyfish in his hair answered that.
"I'll kill him," he growled.
"Who?" a puzzled glance was shot his way as the nurse continued on her routine.
"Did another person come here with jellyfish injuries?" Kaiba asked a now thoroughly confused nurse.
"Yes. Now that you mention it, another person did come here with jellyfish, uh, problems." Suddenly, she smothered a giggle. "A quite hilarious case actually. A young man had a very poisonous jellyfish stuck in his hair."
"Joey. Yeah, that's who I'm gonna kill," Kaiba snarled.
There was a knock on the door, interrupting Kaiba's dark thoughts. "It appears you have a visitor," the nurse commented.
"Mokuba!" Kaiba exclaimed.
"Oh, Seto! I've been so worried. You stopped breathing and Tea did CPR and you breathed and an ambulance came but the lifeguard almost made Tea stop so he could do it 'cause he wanted to look like a hero and an old woman hit him and told him to stop being so stupid 'cause it was obvious she knew what she was doing-" Mokuba left off, trying to talk and breathe at the same time. His breathing came in short gasps.
"Calm down kid," Kaiba smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Seto, can you call your parents?" the nurse asked. "We've tried calling home and we can't reach them. They just need to sign a few forms, nothing serious and I'm sure that they want to know that you've been stung."
Seeing the young man wince whenever she mentioned his parents, she asked, "What's wrong? Are you fighting with them? They certainly won't blame you for your injury, if that's what you're worried about."
"No, it's nothing like that. There's no one to fight with...." Kaiba said softly to himself. Looking up, he stated flatly, "No. It's just that my parents are dead, so of course you can't reach them."
A look of shock crossed the nurses face, followed by a quick flash of sympathy. So fast, he almost missed it, but years of dealing with people who had the same look on their faces when they heard the truth gave him sharp eyes with an attention for detail. "Oh, well, who looks after you?"
"Myself and a baby-sitter for Mokuba when I'm in the meetings."
"Meetings?" The confused look on the nurses face was back in place.
"Well, you can't run a company without meetings," Kaiba was going to snarl the words, but changed it at the last second to a softer tone when he realized that the nurse wasn't poking fun at him. No, she actually cared. Seeing the confused expression on her face, he added rather guiltily, "I own and am president of Kaiba Corp."
"Oh." The confusion melted off the nurses face as she continued to work, leaving Kaiba to continue to chat with Mokuba.
On the other end of the hall, Tea, Tristan and Yugi were visiting Joey. They walked in , took one look at Joey, and burst out laughing. His hair had to be cut to get the evil fish out. Apparently, a stupid haircut was the least of the doctors worries. So now, Joey modelled the Seto Kaiba hairstyle, just shorter in the back. Joey screamed, pretended to faint and started to laugh. Soon, the halls rang with laughter and happy chatter.
"Can I call you Seto?" Tea asked, giggles interrupting her speech.
"NO!! What a weird and retarded name," Joey laughed.
"How about Joey Kaiba? You could be his blond brother!" Tristan was laughing so hard he could barely speak.
"Yeah! The brains had to go to one of them! Guess which one's hair colour is proof of that?" Tea added.
"Shut up! That stupid fish would never have been on my head if you didn't want to have your stupid race!" Joey retorted.
"Oh, so now it's all the fish's fault? By the way, YOU LOST! AGAIN! You suck," Tristan laughed.
"DID NOT!" Joey screamed in denial.
"Did too!"
"Come on, children," Yugi said, seeing that this juvenile argument was going no where fast. "Let's leave Joto alone."
"Joto?" Tea asked.
"Yeah. Seto plus Joey equals the one and only Joto!" Yugi replied.
"Not funny!" Joey shot back. The teens continued to laugh and make fun of Joey.
"I'm wearing a hat for a LONG time....." Joey thought darkly.
