After the final bell rang, three students remained in the classroom. Kaiba stayed in the back of the room as Joey and Yugi sat down near the teacher's desk.

"So will this take long? I've got things to do," Kaiba said bringing everyone's eyes to him. The teacher looked up from whatever she was working on and looked at the three boys.

"Oh, I totally forgot. Yugi, you can go. Just don't let it happen again," she said. Yugi gave her a confused look but left regardless. " Kaiba, it'd be easier if you came closer." She stood up and closed the door. Kaiba rolled his eyes and moved to the front of the class but remained standing.

"What's this about?" Joey asked, still unsure of why he was there. "Did I do somethin' wrong? Is this about what I said before? Because I was only kiddin' with him. I don't think it would hurt him even if I wasn't but I still didn't mean anything."

"No, that's...surprisingly, not it. I'm concerned about the last chapter of the play. The queen poisons you and the only way to wake you up is to be kissed by someone who loves you."

"Someone has to kiss me? That's..." and then it hit him. "Kaiba? No way. Can't we just take that part out?"

"That's why I asked you here. I could take the part out, maybe change it a little. I wanted to see what..."

"It's actually the whole essence of the play. Without it, it would be pointless," Kaiba spoke up. Joey looked at him in disbelief.

"What? This is..."

"It's just a play. Or maybe you're not mature enough for such a scene." Kaiba raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"I'm more mature then you are, Kaiba. I just don't like the idea that eight classes of little kids will be watchin' that. You know, your brother's one of them kids." The mention of Mokuba did make Kaiba stop a minute but in order to figure out what was happening inside of him, he needed to go through with this.

"Okay. I have a preposition," Kaiba stated. Joey rolled his eyes.

"When don't you?"

"What is it?" the teacher ignored Joey.

"Wheeler and I will say yes to the scene now, but if at any time either of us feels uncomfortable or thinks we can't handle it, we reserve the right to ask to change it."

"I feel un..." Kaiba shot him a deadly look. "I'm perfectly fine with that idea, it's great." Joey smiled nervously and stuck up his thumb in agreement.

"So are we agreed?" Kaiba turned back to the teacher. She nodded.

"Alright. I suggest...maybe that you go over the scene a few times together before we get too in depth in this though. It'll be hard to change if we get to close to the end. I plan of having this whole thing together in three weeks." Kaiba nodded in answer. "Okay then, you boys can go." They exited the classroom and the teacher went back to her work.

"Who are you to say that I'm okay with this?" Joey yelled once they were far enough away. Kaiba just kept walking. "And why would you want to..."

"Don't ever tell me that I'm afraid of something again," Kaiba said simply. Joey stopped walking and watched him leave the school and get into the limo that was waiting for him. Yugi peaked his head in the door and then walked up to Joey.

"So what was that about?" he asked.

"I have to kiss Kaiba," Joey said distantly. He couldn't tell whether he was angry or upset, or neither. He didn't know how he felt anymore.

"Well what did Kaiba say about it? I bet he..."

"No. Actually he..." Joey broke out of his trance. "He's trying to get back at me for making fun of him," he said intensely. "He thinks I'll be the one to back down. Well you know what, Joey Wheeler doesn't back down from any challenge. Bring it on Kaiba. I'll show you who's mature around here." Joey raised a fist in challenge.

"You mean you're actually going to do it?" Yugi looked up at him bewildered.

"You bet I am. I'll make sure that he's the first one to break."

"But what if he doesn't." Joey looked down at his friend.

"He will. There's no way he'd let anyone see him kiss me. Even if it is just a play."

Later that night

' I can't believe I'm so obsessed with this. It's just a stupid play. Somebody's idea of how love is supposed to be. Love. Just another silly emotion that people think will make them happy. It should be thrown out with every other pointless emotion. Emotions only hold you back. Keep you from being...'

"What are you working on big brother?" Mokuba interrupted from the doorway. He crossed his brother's bedroom over to where the older Kaiba was seated at his desk. Seto slipped the script away and looked at him.

"Nothing important. Why aren't you in bed?" Mokuba climbed onto his lap.

"I couldn't sleep. I had another nightmare," he said rubbing at his eyes sleepily. Seto held his brother close. The boy was asleep within seconds. Seto sighed and carried his brother over to his bed, being careful not to wake him as he let him go. He glanced at where he'd hidden the script and shook his head, before turning the light out and crawling in beside his brother.

At the Wheeler house

"I wish I could but I was only supposed to be here for a few weeks. My mother's..."

"Serenity, could you please get off the phone," Joey came in the room. " You'll see him tomorrow after school anyway." Serenity looked up at her brother but showed no signs of giving up the phone. Joey grabbed it from her. "She'll call you back," he said to the reciever and hung up. Serenity crossed her arms.

"That wasn't very nice Joey," she pouted. He was already dialing another number and walking out of the room. Before he could hit the last number in the sequence, he hung it up.

"Why do I feel so stupid about this? I'm just calling him to ask him when he wants us to meet to do this 'practice' thing," he paused and held the phone up to his forehead in frustration. "Maybe because I'm afraid he'll actually WANT to practice. This is so stupid." He started to dial the number again but hung up just like before. Serenity came out of her room.

"I want you to apologize," she said. He gave her back the phone.

"Sorry. I didn't know what I was thinking." He walked into his room and closed the door.

At Yugi's house

"Do you think that Kaiba will back down like Joey said?" Yugi asked Yami, who was sitting on his bed while he did his homework at his desk.

"I'm not sure yet. Kaiba's intentions aren't really clear at this point."

"Kaiba's intentions are never clear. I just don't want Joey setting himself up for trouble."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Yami said standing up. "You have other things to worry about." He walked up behind Yugi and wrapped his arms around Yugi's chest and the chair. Yugi looked at him over his shoulder.

"Do you think I should tell them about us?" Yugi asked. Yami withdrew a bit, resigning to just leaning on the back of the chair.

"I think that's entirely up to you," he said.