Summary: Seto Kaiba has a disease called stagnation, which causes him to have seizures whenever he is emotionally unbalanced or is overly active. So what happens when he gets caught up in the most scary experience ever!?

Disclaimer: Setoobsessive-2 does not own Yugioh or anything else that has copyrights to it. NOTE: this will be the only disclaimer for the whole story, just to let everyone know.

Key:

"talking"

'thinking'

Hikari to Yami

Yami to Hikari

flashback

"flashback talking"

Stagnation

By Setoobsessive-2

Seto's POV:

It was no use. I was just too tired. The air around me was buzzing with the laughter and talks of the latest things, but I was unfocused to all of it. My pen just sat there on the desk, next to my clean book and scientific calculator. I suddenly became very interested in the pen. It was like it was calling for me. My hand reached out, and I touched it. And yet it wasn't enough. I picked up the pen and examined it thoughtfully, though I made sure my mouth was still in its straight line. Not like I needed to, since I've spent more time with it that way so it just sort of became natural.

I clicked the pen for a second on the desk, letting my ears become content in the simple 'tap, tap' sound that the pen gave off. If anything, I was being foolish and embarrassing, or perhaps nervous or anxious, since I have never fidgeted with something so unnecessary in my life before. Yet the class was too engaged with their own necessities to bother with my foolish acts. I put the pen down and grabbed my book. The thick material in my hand just simply seemed light, and perhaps it was. My eyes wandered over the cover. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. Truth be told, even though I am one for logic, I have an interest in Vampires and mystical beasts. I enjoy playing MMORPGs and RPGs just for the soul purpose of seeing the fiends.

I put the book back down and my eyes wandered over to the calculator. I was bored, wasn't I? How could I not just get the sudden urge to just take the thing apart and study every small piece and detail before putting it back together again? Or course, maybe it was the fact that I had a near picture-perfect mind. I was able to put the games back together if they were bumped into, and I could always repair a broken machine, knowing the piece which had malfunctioned and were it was.

And it was with that that I am able to remember faces; so many of them, as well. Yugi, and now his other half, Yami, which I have just recently learned about. Jounouchi Katsuya, Anzu Mazaki, Honda Hiroto, Ryou Bakura; all of them, just so easy to recognize. But now I can somewhat appreciate that they leave me alone, so I can just forget about them. Perhaps, if I am lucky, they will just disappear from my mind completely.

Glancing at the clock, while still everyone else goes on, I notice that it is almost time to go home. Well, to work, in my case, for I run a very important business. KaibaCorp is the top leader in holograms and technology. We have our own labs, and though half of what we do is illegal, it is better then what the son-of-a-bitch Gozaburo-sama did to the company. Gozaburo, that is the one picture in my mind I'd wish to get rid of before all of the others; though Maximillion Pegasus comes in a close second.

I packed up my things and waited patiently for the bell to ring. Then I hear it: the sound of sweet freedom that comes to everyone else but me. My life is a cage, just nothing but a cage that is the same everyday. All I ever do is go to work and school and build my deck. No fun. I didn't always have free time ever, and my goals in life were always to be the best.

I packed up my stuff neatly. I waited until most of the room was empty so I could talk without interruption as I pulled out my cellphone. I speed-dialed my limousine driver. For some odd reason, I didn't feel like taking my limousine. My company building was only about two miles from my school and I needed my exercise since I didn't have time for my 5-mile run on the track this morning. That's what I get for working too long. I'll run the three miles later, if I have the time, that is.

I was able to tell him of my plans and then I shut the black sleek portable phone. My eyelids shut and I breathed gently, doing some breathing type exercises that I always did before taking long walks or runs. The Pharaoh and his beign friends interrupted me. The inu was giving me a hard look but I simply just ignored him.

"Would you like to walk us? You have to pass it anyways to get to your company building." Yami explained to me as if I was stupid and didn't realize how to get to my building and what I have to pass. I already know that Yugi put him up for this whole act.

"I'm sure that your assistants will not be necessary." I said with annoyance. My tongue clicked off the roof of my mouth and I was now ignoring the looks that the inu and that Anzu girl were giving me.

Suddenly, nausea swept through me and my vision blurred. I had a huge migraine, so great in the pain that I had to shut my eyes tightly to try and avoid it. It still hurt like hell. Then I remembered, but I had to make sure. I straightened myself as best I could and though I was leaning on the desk, I opened my bag and took out my planner.

I began flipping through the flabby book until I came upon the date. I skimmed through everything, but my vision was still a little fuzzy. I placed the planner on the desk, opened so I could see, and once again began to read it, slower this time.

May 15

6:00am – files due

6:30am – wake Mokuba

8:00am – school

6:00pm – Doctor's Appointment, 81563 Muyi.

8:00pm – Muyi Convention

11:00pm – Head home

I closed my planner and rubbed my eyes. My vision was returning. That was good.

I looked at the faces that the tachi was giving me. Everyone was staring at me; the Pharaoh and his reincarnation giving me thoughtful looks while the inu and the friendship girl and shark haired freak gave me looks of blankness. I will admit that I had gone through some rather abrupt facial appearances and stances—the calm, then pain, then calm once more. It was part of my disease.

"D' appointment?" Jounouchi asked suspiciously. Now why the hell would there be anything suspicious about a doctor's appointment? His face was in mine and his eyes held the beatitude look that I despise so much. I would not recoil easily. I pushed him lightly, yet he overreacted and fell to the ground with a plop noise.

"Iroiri baka (Idiotic Bastard)." I mumbled, placing my planner in the bag again.

"Why is it out of town?" Yugi asked. Domino City was a secluded place. At least one of everything resided here. No one could really dare to go to another place unless on vacation or if they were opening business deals with another country or something extremely important as that.

"I have to see a special doctor." I explained patiently. Speaking of doctor appointment, I guess I would need the limousine. And I guess Mokuba would need a babysitter since Muyi was about three hours away. The babysitter would have to watch him till about one in the morning or so. I never left him alone for that long. I was usually in my home office when he was sleeping and other then that I was at school, where he would be as well. He had a lot of prep schools and after school clubs to keep him busy, but today he would be free, since it was his free day.

"Are you really sick Seto-kun?!" Yugi was now worried. You could tell by the scared tone in his voice. I picked up my cellphone one more from my pocket and looked at him. I studied his pleading face before I spoke.

"Yes." Was all I said. He did not need an essay answer, or an explanation. That was all he would acquire from me unless a symptom appeared.

Perhaps I should tell you more about my illness. It's a very rare disease. I believe I may be the only one in the world who has it. I get seizures a lot due to it. It started the last day I was with Gozaburo. Despite what you may heard, I was very tall by the age of thirteen. 5'11". But when…Gozaburo 'fell' out the window, I went into a bit of a shock and passed out. I awoke a few weeks later. That was when I learned that I had a special disease called 'stagnation'. It causes you to have a seizure or pass out or perhaps even put you in a coma. But when you pass out, you stunt your growth. I should probably be around 6'5", but due to my disease that extra height is waste. But there is a scary part about stagnating. When you pass out, your breathing stops and you sort of become a vegetable. But even with all that machinery, you still can have your heart stop quickly.

"Oh yes, I need a babysitter for Mokuba tonight. I'll pick him up late, probably around one of two, depending on the night traffic in Muyi." I looked around the group. Yugi nodded. "We'll take him!" I dipped my head slightly in thanks.

"You're not going to die, are you?" Jou asked. By the look in his eyes, he was worried, but his body language showed that he did not care. But as they say, your eyes can reveal your very soul. I'm glad I learned to put a wall up.

I was about to respond harshly, but it caught in my throat. Something else came to me. I shook my head and began to walk out. "Do not fear death. Death is always at our side."

The last thing I heard before shutting the door was a loud gasp from Yugi.

.........................................................

It was only about 5:50 when I entered the secluded building. It wasn't known to anyone except for the most important doctors and staff. I first caught site of Megumi, the receptionist for the office. She smiled and waved with one hand. I dipped my head in response and she pointed her index finger towards the room door. I entered the room without a glance back.

I sat on the table in the room for about five minutes before Dr. Kumi came in. His posture slightly relaxed when he saw me.

"You know the routine." He said to me, and I nodded. I stripped down to my plain black boxers and once again sat on the cold metal table. He took his stethoscope and I breathed deeply each time he put the end on my skin.

"Good, good." He murmured after about an hour of checking up on me. I proceeded to put my clothes back on.

"You're very healthy right now Mr. Kaiba. You are eating right, from what you are telling me, and you are sleeping regularly. You exercise and aren't pushing yourself. This may just be the best condition that I've ever seen you." The man told me. He scratched his graybeard and smiled. "But I won't jinx you, for as they say, it is always calmest before the storm."

Dr. Kumi and me shook hands. I felt comfortable around him. He was my doctor for whenever I was with Gozaburo, so he knew all about the scars. He knew all about my illness as well, for he was the only one who would know or ever find out, besides Mokuba.