NOTE: Some of you may have noticed the chapter title, yes? Well, MASH is a game (generally girls) like to play. It's just a little thing where you label a bunch of stuff under some headings and "foretell" you future, so to speak. If you know how to play this game, you may skip right ahead to the chapter. If you don't understand the game, I have written some instructions below…though they might not be explained to the best. I'm not very good at explaining things. Anyway, I'm sure if you don't understand it here, you'll get it when you read the story. Directions:

Label MASH at the head of the paper (standing for Mansion-Apartment-Shack-House). Next, put labels down the paper such as: Husband/Wife; Car; Kids; Money; etc. Under these headings, write down a list of people, places, things, etc. Ex: (under Money:) Poor, Wealthy, Middle-Class, Billionaire, etc. Do this under everything, adding not only desirable things, but also non-desirable ideas, just to make the game interesting (such as putting 'Poor' under Money, as I take it no one would like to be poor, though I have yet to be proved wrong….). Lastly, there are two ways to count. The way I shall explain will be used in this chapter. Use your writing utensil to start drawing spirals with your eyes closed and start counting numbers in your head (numerically of course). Have someone else yell stop whenever they want. Using that number, run your utensil against each idea under your topics. When you land on an idea on the last number you have counted to (such as if your number was 4, you would count 1, 2, 3, 4 and stop.). Whatever you land on, you cross off. At the end of the game, you must have one thing circled under each category. Don't forget to use the MASH up top! It determines your house!--------

Yes, lengthy directions, I know, but to heck with it. Also, I DID test this MASH game out that will happen, so don't ask me if I just made this "lucky." It really could happen. I just had to plan it out….. Now, enjoy!

PS: SO SORRY for the late update! I know my promise of "an update a month" but December was a REALLY BUSY MONTH! Let me recap: Exams…Christmas shopping…writing one heck of a Christmas one-shot (just felt I had to)…and vacation (where I was working on other stuff that HAD to come before fanfiction, capice?) Okies? I'm SO SORRY, as I've said, so please forgive, forget and read!

PSS:I know I said you guys would really like this chapter, but…when I looked over it, I saw you might not enjoy it as much as I previously thought…and yeah. The next one SHOULD be a lot better! Oh, and I know you guys were all saying "Mai's supposed to be out of high school!" Well, in all my fics, I make her a high-schooler. It just doesn't seem right for a what? -20-24 year old to be going out or hitting on an 18 year old (coughJoeycough). Okies? Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 12: MASH

Tea lay her head down sleepily on the desk. She was facing the windows, which was exactly where Seto was positioned. And it wasn't the storm outside, with its magnificent lightning that captivated her attention. It was the young man in the room with her.

She had noticed that he was trying to erase all forms of his "softness" around her, and going back to being Seto Kaiba: The Great Popsicle. But, it wasn't completely working. At least, not the way Seto had planned it. Now that he had revealed a part of his true self to Tea, she would never forget it. She had seen how caring Seto could be, and it was all permanently etched in her mind. No matter how hard he tried to hide everything from everybody, Tea would always see through him to where his heart lie.

One could say she just thought more of him that way.

Another could say it was her first step towards achieving great feelings for him.

Me: I like to vouch with this second idea, as I'm sure you readers would too.

She closed her eyes. True, for the past few hours, Seto had barely said anything to her, or even looked at her. He was trying to become a recluse again. But it wouldn't work. Tea wanted to get through to him. She wanted to bring back out that Seto she had found inside of him. Deep down, he was a great person. If only he himself would admit it.

Thinking these thoughts, Tea fell into a deep sleep, and into a world of interesting dreams….

Seto heard Tea shift in her seat a few rows behind him. He turned his head slightly just to see what she was doing.

She was asleep.

There was a peaceful expression on her face. Her dreams must be pleasant, Seto thought. It was relieving to see her back to her normal self, and not the poor girl he had held and comforted (surprisingly) as the victim of some abuse. He liked the 'old' Tea better…not to say that he didn't relate to this new sense of 'Tea' that he had seen. And then, of course, there had been that feeling of being protective of her against this abuse she received.

Seto shook his head. This was not the way to go. If he kept up thoughts like this, he would soon be thinking about her, not only in the regular day, but all day, everyday and even in his dreams too. That was not a pleasant thought.

At the moment, at least.

Hours later, Tea woke up. She stretched and sighed. What to do now? She looked at the clock. It was past noon. Strangely enough, she wasn't very hungry for any sort of lunch. And, of course, they had to stock up on food in order to survive this weekend, so her absence of hunger did help. How would she pass at least some of the afternoon away?

It suddenly popped into Tea's head.

Why not play a game of MASH? That was always fun in times of boredom!

Tea dug out a sheet of paper and a pen from her backpack. She remembered the time she and her cousins had played about six of these games in a row. They had taken turns with each person about twice, and had quite a laugh at the outcomes.

And, of course, as of now, those outcomes truly had not happened.

But it was all just for fun anyway.

As Tea set the sheet of paper on her desk, she looked over at Seto, just to see what he was doing. He seemed asleep. She smiled: first she dozes off, and then he follows suit.

Let's see… Tea thought out; first have to label the paper. She headed out the "word" MASH at the top.

Now, who should I list under…husband, she giggled. It was always fun to make out this part. Her friends started coming to mind. Well, just to make the game "fair," as in putting down people I have no intention whatsoever of marrying, I ought to jot down Kaiba…and then we'll go with my friends: Joey, then maybe…Duke…interesting…and Tristan…oh, Yugi! And lastly, we'll go with…ah, Ryou!

Tea looked at her sheet. What an outcome….

Next…kids! Tea decided to scramble around some numbers, instead of simply labeling it one to ten. Five, eight, two, ten, nine, six, three, one, four, seven. Well, she laughed, I can't wait to see how many kids come out of this…. That'll really show just how much this "husband of mine" and I "love" each other. She laughed quietly to herself at the thought.

Next, she listed car types. Hmm…a limo is what everyone puts down…just for fun. And…I really like those SUVs…best to put done "none" just to make the game "fair"…and I'll put down a "Used Van." There. Even.

Now…monetary units…. Middle Class, of course…then we'll go with the Poor… and the Extravagantly Rich…and lastly: just plain Wealthy. There.

Okay…I'll have fun with wedding dress types now! Umm…a strapless I guess: not bad, but not my favorite…and a really elegant and expensive one: that would work! Um…simple and conservative: not my favorite choice; and…sleeveless. There we go!

Next: career type. Ha! I'll put down cashier just for laughs. A news caster too! That would be funny! Umm…jobless, or none, I suppose for the next one. It is possible…. And we'll jot down artist and dancer for the last two: stuff I like to do.

Lastly: my life. This must be the most foretelling question of all. Dare I write it…tragic? My life seems to already be like that. Can it get any worse? Well, what about a quiet and laid-back life? Or busy and hectic? Maybe I'll just have a pleasant life with only a couple of problems here and there: thus normal.

There. Tea eyed her paper. Part one of three was done. Part two was very simple and short. But how would she get a number to count with?

Tea started tapping her pencil on the desk, to think.

"Gardner, would you cut that out? It's most irritating…" Seto suddenly spoke up.

"Oh? You're awake?" Tea looked up.

"Yes," he replied simply, "though I was trying to get some rest."

"Well…before you do that…could you just count in your head for a sec until I tell you to stop? Then…tell me the number you landed on? Please?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I asked you too…politely, I might add."

Seto rolled his eyes, "Hardly an excuse."

"Oh shut up and start counting, will you? I'm trying to pass the time here…."

"Doing what?"

"A game."

"What sort of game?"

"None of your business. Just start counting."

"I'm not "counting" until you tell me what you are doing."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I like to pester you."

"Pray tell why that's a fun hobby."

"You're fun to tease. The aftermath is always especially gratifying to see," Seto laughed a tad.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Just count, will you?"

"What are you "playing?""

"…MASH, okay?"

"…What's that?"

"A "fortune-telling" game. You wouldn't like it. It has too much to do with "the future"…and "fate"…" Tea ended off, snickering.

Seto scowled, "Funny. You're a comedian."

"Alright, alright already. Let's just stop-"

"Four."

Tea stopped, "Excuse me?"

"You said to count until you said to stop. I counted to four. It's that simple," Seto smirked.

Tea sighed, and shook her head, "You're hopeless." Nevertheless, she wrote "four" in the corner of her paper.

"Am I?"

Tea preferred not to answer that question.

And then Tea started her MASH game. She ran across three ideas, and crossed out the third one each time. Here's how it went:

Alright…cross out HOUSE. Next is…Tristan. Well, that's a relief! Okay…cross out eight kids. That's good. I'm not sure if I want that many…. Next to go is six kids…thank the Lord. Seven afterwards…. A Used Van gets crossed off afterwards…. And then Wealthy is taken off. A sleeveless wedding dress has now been booted from the list. And so has Artist…. And it seems I won't be living the quiet life. Pity…I think.

Second round through…. There goes the APARTMENT. And next to go is…Duke! So I really am not destined for the rich guys… (She had momentarily forgotten that Seto was on the list…or she just figured she would cross him off soon enough.) And I won't have two kids…or an only child. Well, I will definitely have a car (she had just crossed out "none" on her list under the category). My dress will not be strapless. I can live with that! I won't be a news caster later in life. I'll probably have a useful job…like a dancer! Yeah! But I won't lead a normal life. Well, that seems very logical….

Round three…. The SHACK is out! So…I get to live in a MANSION? How cool is that! Well…if I'm to be a dancer, then I suppose that could be right… Oh, and I won't marry Ryou either? I suppose that's how life works. And three kids are out of the question…. I'm starting to get worried now with all of these large numbers appearing…. I won't be in the middle class. Not a simple-conservative dress or a tragic life! Neat! I wish this thing really DID tell the future! I'm not marrying Joey (good: he's with Mai, I'm positive) and I won't have nine kids. I won't be poor or lead a busy life. So…I'm going to be extravagantly rich! Neato! I really do believe I will be a famous dancer! Let us see…. Ten kids are off the list…meaning I still have five children later. Not bad, not bad. Not marrying Yugi…yadda, yadda, ya…and, WHAT! I'm…I'm…I'M? NOT A DANCER! Oh well, I'm over-reacting. This thing can't tell the truth anyway. Otherwise, I would be marrying-

Tea scanned back up the page to see whom exactly she was "marrying," as she had forgotten to look earlier. I would marry…KAIBA!

Tea crumpled the paper up, "Okay, this thing is officially a piece of crap," she accidentally said aloud.

She heard Seto sigh with impatience. "I believe I asked you to keep quiet Gardner…."

"Sorry," she threw out. Tea tossed the ball of paper towards the garbage can. It missed. …By a lot. It was Tea's turn to sigh as she stood up to go throw it away.

She picked up the crumpled ball, and was about to drop it in, when a thought suddenly hit her.

Wait a second…. She was starting to recall everything that she had landed on in her "fortune."

Tea unfolded the paper and looked at what she had circled:

Home: Mansion

Marrying: Seto Kaiba

Children: 5

Car: Limo

Monetary Lifestyle: Extravagantly rich

Wedding Dress: Most elegant and expensive

Job: None

Lifestyle: Pleasant and pretty normal

Oh my gosh…how did this happen? Practically all of it would make sense! Were I to…good Lord…marry Kaiba…he IS really prosperous, does own limos, lives in a mansion, an expensive dress would be in order; I suppose…I wouldn't exactly NEED a job…. It's just the kids and the lifestyle that confuse me. Kids don't matter on his…but lifestyle? I'm pretty sure he doesn't lead a normal life…. On the other hand….

Tea threw down the paper in frustration. Oh, never mind! Stupid piece of junk! Making me think this really IS going to happen! I swear: I'm never going to play this game again! Die!

She picked up the paper and walked back to her seat, completely forgetting the trash can, and shoved the blasted paper into her backpack.

Yes…stay there and rot for eternity, darned tree fragment!

One could say that Tea was really over-worked over this minor thing….

She stomped out of the room before really knowing where she was going. But that didn't' matter. She just wanted to take a walk of sorts.

Seto waited a moment after she had left. For some reason, he was quite curious over the little paper game she was so upset over. What could possibly make her upset with it?

He walked over to the desk she had been sitting at and sat down. He waited another second, just to make sure she really was leaving for the time being. Then, he dipped down, and felt through her open backpack.

Why am I really curious about this? I should just forget it…. Who cares what made her really upset? I probably won't understand it anyway…no matter how intelligent I may be. Intelligence won't help me on such pitiful excuses for games.

Nevertheless, he found a crumpled ball of paper and pulled it out. When he opened it, he frowned.

This isn't a game….

It was that picture he had sworn she had thrown out yesterday. The picture he had caught her drawing.

The picture of them kissing.

"And I wonder why she still has this…?" Seto felt a smirk tugging at the end of his lips. This was too good. Why else would Tea keep a picture like this unless she…well, liked him of course!

And what better blackmail to use than that?

"She won't miss it," he told himself, stuffing it into his pocket. He wasn't keeping it for his own personal wanting. He was keeping it to use against Tea. What fun this would be….

Now, for that other paper…. He began fishing around once more, for who knows what reasons.

At last, he felt a crumpled sheet of paper and grabbed onto it. However, in the process, he also clamped onto the spiral of a notebook. He accidentally brought up both. Rolling his eyes, he placed the notebook on the edge of the desk, going to put it back later.

Then, he opened the paper ball.

Using the small light from the windows, he could just barely read out the letters. However, he stood up and faced the window, just so he could see a little better.

His eyes scanned over the various names and objects. He was quite confused.

"What the heck is this?" he said to himself once more.

The paper was snatched out of his hand, "Nothing of your concern, snoop!"

Seto jumped ever so slightly. He hadn't heard Tea coming back.

"How dare you go through my things!" she yelled at him, "Kaiba, I never thought you of all people would do such a thing! You…you, argh!" she stamped the ground and accidentally hit Seto's hurt foot. He winced and fell backward onto the desk, knocking over her notebook. It landed open on the floor. Tea quickly began running over to the other side of the desk isle to retrieve her notebook.

Just as she was about to pick it up, Seto's hand landed there first, and picked it up for her. He was just closing the book, ready to hand it back to her, when some words on each of the two pages caught his eye- "-gone and hurt me again-".

He stopped and squinted, but Tea snatched the notebook away from him before he could read anything else.

"Humph," she retorted, throwing the things into her backpack and zipping it up, "Maybe that will teach you not to look through other people's things! I doubt you like it very much," she glared.

Seto found that she was right. He didn't like it.

He only wanted to know what made her so upset.

Why he wanted to know was beyond him though.

It was then that Seto felt a strange fluttering in his chest. He froze.

Fluttering?

Worrying?

Since when did this happen to Seto Kaiba!

And a small voice way back in the deepest, darkest corner of his mind whispered:

Since you started REALLY, REALLY caring and liking her, doofus!

To put it simply: the voice was telling that he, Seto Kaiba-

Was falling in love.

I'm really sorry. That was a worse chapter than I had hoped it to be. It really stunk. I'll apologize now then: I'm seeing this story going really downhill. You all said it was GREAT in the beginning, and now I don't see all that happening. I really don't have much plot or secrets anymore. I'm trying to bring out the romance…but it's not working too well…. Hopefully, this idea I have for next chapter will be much better for the story, but I really don't know…. Pray that I am hit with a bolt of inspiration! But…I really ought to go take a bike ride…. I'll do that this weekend…. Anywho, PLEASE REVIEW!