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

Chapter 18: It's a Miracle!

Common sense suddenly kicked in.

Whoa, Tea, hold your horses. Since when did you become so obsessed? You've been reading WAY too many romance books lately. Be sick with him?

Well, as noble as it sounded, it was out of the question!

One more second with my head in the clouds, and I would have become contaminated! Think through this CLEARLY, Tea. You can't get sick, because you have to help him through this! There are different ways to show and prove your love…which just popped right up this weekend…. Anyway! Take care of him! Make sure he gets better! Be nicer to him, no matter ho much he despises you! It all proves that you love him…and won't put you on the sick list at the same time!

Tea sighed and smiled, resting her head on his frame. It was a good thing her mind had suddenly pulled out of neutral and back into drive. Being locked up in this school was really starting to affect her in more ways than one. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up doing something she would regret.

So, Tea, let's think through how we can help him. I took his temperature…. I'll let him stay asleep. Blanket half on and half off…. His jacket is already discarded; pants rolled up…. He needs a new washcloth for his forehead!

Tea lifted her head gracefully and carefully removed the lukewarm cloth. She went over to the sink and turned it onto its coldest setting. Careful not to wake Seto, she soaked the cloth for a few minutes so that it would become quite cool, and then she wrung out some of the extra water.

Tea walked back over to Seto, knelt by his cot and replaced the washcloth. Was it just her imagination, or did she see a slight flicker of a smile?

She let the ends of her own lips lift. There, see? She could prove her feeling for him in other ways than torturing herself with a fever.

Where had her mind gone in those few minutes?

I'll tell myself that, she thought, almost laughing, down the drain. Romance really does cause the brain to lose all sense of control, doesn't it? If there's one good thing about my uncle, it's this: he made sure Rae, Kari and I had good, solid heads on our shoulders, and pounding the meaning into us that common sense must rule all. And intellect. Intellect too….

Which makes me wonder…. How are they doing? Oh great, here we go again: I'm wondering if they miss me at all. I should just forget about that. Let's see…what can I distract my mind with? She looked around the room and noticed her journal not too far off. Perfect! I have quite a bit to tell, anyway…. And drawing is fun too.

"So…do you really think Tea eloped?" Rae asked her sister in their room.

"Nah, she doesn't seem like that type, you know?" Kari replied, writing down an answer to her math homework. "Besides, she's a little young to be eloping."

"Kari, eloping doesn't necessarily mean that she's gone off to get married! She could have just run off with someone to go date them, or something, you know?"

Kari stopped and looked at her twin squarely in the eye, "Rae: eloping clearly means running off with your lover to marry."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Girls!" their father suddenly burst into the room, "Please be quiet! I'm trying to calm your mother down-"

"KAZ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! FIND HER NOW! OR I WILL KILL YOU!"

Rae and Kari immediately stopped bickering and stared down their father, "What did you do?"

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, ushering them to be quiet, "I'm just in a little no-nonsense trouble-"

"But mom would never said she was going to kill you if you were just in a little trouble," Rae explained. "It must be something big."

"Taxes?" Kari asked.

"The company?" Rae inquired.

"An affair? Mom said to find her, so-"

"Young ladies!" Kaz retorted, "Your mother wants me to find Tea. If you remember, she is missing, currently?"

"Yeah, see…we were trying not to think about that," Kari explained.

"It had our nerves all frazzled," Rae added, "We were going berserk."

"And your mother isn't?" Kaz raised an eyebrow.

"I LOVE Chinese take-out," Noa smiled and fell back against the couch, eating some noodles from a Chinese box.

"Yeah, it is pretty good," Mokuba replied, grabbing the remote and turning the television on. "You know…one good thing about Seto being gone is that we can actually eat in here, and not the kitchen." They were eating in the living room as of late.

"True. I just hope the news has not found out that Seto's gone missing. I can't take anymore of this business work," Noa sighed, "The company is enough as it is. Seto can keep it. I don't know why I wanted it in the first place."

"See? This is why I'm staying vice president, and never anything more. Seto's kids can take the company after him."

"Assuming he ever has any," Noa laughed.

"You never know," Mokuba shrugged, "He could find a girl one day."

The two at in silence for a minute, watching the commercials roll over the screen. Who invented stupid commercials anyway? What a waste of time, they were.

Noa suddenly sat up straight, "Mokuba, you just gave me a great idea to benefit us all."

"What?" Mokuba looked over at his brother.

Noa turned to him, "Think about it. Neither of us want the company, right?" Mokuba nodded his head. "But Seto needs the company. In a different sort of meaning, if you get my drift?" Mokuba started nodding his head, but it turned into a vigorous shake halfway through. Noa sighed, "Mokuba! Once Seto gets back, we have to find him a girlfriend!"

Mokuba got it now, "Yeah! That's a good idea. I mean, I guy needs someone in his life, besides family and work, right? And Seto needs to let loose at some point: relax a little, you know?"

"Yeah," Noa nodded, "So, once he gets back, we'll have to find him one, because he isn't going to look for himself any time soon."

"Right: the perfect girl," Mokuba lay back against the couch, "That is a good idea."

"Thank you!" Noa lay back as well, "I still am a genius!"

"Say…if Seto comes back by that time, maybe we can start looking for a girl at that party thingamabob we've got to go to soon."

"Yes! That's the perfect place! Pretty girls in dresses…sometimes really skimpy dresses-"

Mokuba rolled his eyes and muttered, as Noa went on and on, "I thought we were trying to find Seto a girlfriend: not you."

Tea sighed and looked at the time. It was getting late, and she really should be getting some sleep. If she was to stay in here, the floor was as good a place as any. A book could serve as a pillow…. A really hard pillow.

She lay down and sighed, dejectedly. She really hoped Seto's temperature was lower, tomorrow. Otherwise, what was she going to do? Was he going to wait it out a day?

That reminded Tea of something. Tomorrow was their last day to be stuck in this prison! Tomorrow was Monday! She smiled suddenly, thinking, Just think…. In twenty four hours, I'll be only one night away from freedom! Well, freedom from the school. I'm not exactly sure what type of welcome awaits me at home….

Seto turned over in his sleep, and his arm slid off the cot. Tea looked at his dangling hand, and slowly edged hers over. She entwined the two together and let her rather cold hands mix with his warm ones.

Get better, Seto. Please get better….

Seto felt himself wake up, but he didn't open his eyes. He just wanted to rest for now: why should he ruin his chances by opening his eyes? That would only make him fully awake.

But strange enough, he didn't feel as if he needed as much rest as before. Speaking of which; when was before? How long had he been asleep? What time was it?

Must I really open my eyes? He sighed and opened them. The room was pitch black. He looked at the glowing numbers of the clock.

It was about ten o' clock at night. He let his head fall back onto the pillow and felt something slip off. He picked up the washcloth that had fallen and blinked. It felt wetter than it should have been at this hour? Had it been re-soaked?

He looked back and down; faintly seeing the outline of Tea sleeping on the floor next to his cot. And something was holding his hand….

Trying a hard as he could to see, he glimpsed at Tea's hand barely holding his own. Her grip had relaxed in her sleep.

What the heck did she do that for, Seto wanted to know. And why is she in here? I thought I told her to go away….

Still…it was rather considerate of her to dampen the cloth again. My head does feel a lot cooler….

Seto relaxed again, but did not move his hand from its position. All in all, he rather liked the feel of her hand in his.

"Joey, I'm worried. Mrs. Gardner says she still hasn't found Tea yet!" Yugi told his friend down in the game shop.

"Dat's bad news," Joey sighed, "Should we try to look?"

"Don't forget," Tristan added, "Kaiba's missing too."

"Are you tryin' ta suggest somethin'!" Joey looked him straight in the eye, "About our Tea?"

"Of course not!" Tristan back away with an uncertain look on his face. In a mumble, he added, "Just that the two might have run off together…."

"TRISTAN!" Joey tackled him to the floor, "I HEARD DAT! HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT TEA LIKE DAT! SHE'D KILL YA IF SHE WAS HERE! Which is why I'll do that for her now." The two ended up in an all-out brawl out on the floor. Yugi sighed. Those two would never learn.

"Guys, I'm sure wherever Tea is, she is no where near Kaiba, okay?"

Joey stopped his punch at Tristan, whom he was sitting on top of, grabbing his shirt collar, when he looked over at Yugi (Tristan did as well), "Ya really think?"

"Yeah, I do," Yugi nodded.

"Wait," Tristan got another idea, "What if…you know, Marik is back or something!"

"You dimwit!" Joey knocked his fist into his head, "Marik's our friend now! And he's still in Egypt! Didn't Yug read you the letter he got a week ago from him? They keep in touch, ya know!"

Tristan tried another tactic, and thus put his arms in front of his face, ready for any assault, "Dartz, or those guys?"

"He's off on some big trip with his kid and his dad, you twit!" Joey socked him again.

"Well, what about the others? Valon? Alister? Raphael?"

Joey sighed and held up a fist, "I'm getting tired of punchin' ya! Yug, you tell him."

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Tristan, does everything we tell you go in one ear and out the other?"

"Depends," Tristan cowered beneath Joey, "if there's food in front of me…or Serenity," he added in a mutter, and got a serious glare from Joey, "Then, yes."

Yugi started again, "Valon's back in Australia for the time being; Alister is…well…I don't know where he is, but he's fine now! And Raphael is…fine too…. He turned good again, remember?"

"Yes, but we still don't know about Alister!" Tristan replied, waiting for the next hit.

Joey halted, "You know, Yug…he's got a point."

"A point about what!" Yugi erupted.

"About Alister," Joey lowered his fist and put it up to his chin, stroking it, "I mean, there are two possibilities: Alister kidnapped Tea; OR, Tea eloped with Alister."

"GUYS! DO YOU KNOW HOW STUPID YOU TWO SOUND!" Yugi yelled at them.

Joey and Tristan looked at each other and both replied simultaneously, "Sounds logical to me…."

Yugi threw his hands up into the air and walked to the back of the store to the kitchen. He glanced out a window as he did so, and saw the torrential rainfall, and heard the pound of the thunder outside. Wherever you are, Tea, he said, taking a bag and putting some ice and water in it, I hope you're alright, and we find you soon.

Yugi walked pack with Tristan's icepack, for the boy was going to need it, and saw the two at it again as he walked back in.

"WE ALREADY DISCUSSED KAIBA IN THIS PICTURE, YOU NUMSKULL!" Joey roared.

"IT COULD STILL HAPPEN!" Tristan snapped back hotly.

"OV'A MY DEAD BODY!" Joey exclaimed, shaking the life out of the boy, "DER IS NO WAY TEA WOULD HAVE RUN OFF WIT' DAT GUY! NO KAIBA HEIRS WILL COME ALONG FROM HER AS LONG AS I'M ALIVE!"

Yugi's eye twitched when he heard the comment. This is going to be a LONG Monday….

Tea clenched her hands as she woke. She curled up a little more on the floor, and noticed something on her.

Blearily peering down her form, she saw a blanket on her body. Surprise ran through her veins. She was surprised because not only had she not but this blanket on herself last night; but this was Kaiba's blanket: that he had been using.

She sat up immediately and looked to her side. Her mouth formed an "o" in amazement.

Seto sat on the cot with his left leg raised up, and his arm draped over his knee. He was looking out into the drizzly world outside.

Tea felt herself blush immediately. The pose was perfect for him: he looked like a god! A handsome, perfectly sculpted god….

Seto noticed her staring and turned his head around to look at her. A soft smiled played on his lips when he saw her expression.

"I told you it would pass this morning."

Tea blinked, "Your…your temperature-"

"Is exactly ninety-eight point six," Seto replied, the smile immediately turning into a knowing smirk, "I checked it only ten minutes ago."

Tea felt a wave of happiness suddenly crash down upon her. Without thinking, she threw herself onto him and hugged his neck tightly, "You're healthy again! You're okay!"

Seto was thoroughly stunned by the action, and slightly stuttered back in reply, "Y-Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be? I'm-"

"Seto Kaiba, I know," Tea sighed happily, still hugging him. She was so glad he was alright! It was a miracle! He was perfectly normal again!

And it felt so good to be up against him like this….

Seto looked down at the girl wrapped around him. He knew she was joyous and peppy a lot, but was she always this outgoing? Not once could he remember her ever running and hugging people she didn't know so well, or got along with. What had happened while he was delirious? Something major, obviously….

Tea suddenly realized how weird this must feel to him, so she backed up off the cot and looked away, reddening slightly, "Sorry about that. I was just…glad you were…alright."

If only he knew how she had cried over him that previous night.

But something inside Seto pretty much told him that information.

After weighing the circumstances, Tea jumped into his arms again and hugged him once more, "You're okay…" she whispered happily.

Seto's arms weren't touching her, as she had leapt onto him without any explanation –again-, but slowly and rather instinctively, his arms lightly closed around her.

"Hungry, sir?" Tea asked slipping into the kitchen via the serving window.

"Famished," he replied at the counter, "After almost two days of nothing, I must say I have quite the hunger."

"And to think we slept until noon," Tea thought aloud, rather randomly.

"You woke up at noon-"

"And you woke up ten minutes earlier," Tea replied, "So I rounded, what's the big deal?"

The conversation ended and Seto looked away. The silence, for once, was not welcoming. He wanted to actually talk to her, for some reason, of which he was not quite sure. He had a feeling he knew why…but he did not want to explore those boundaries.

Yet.

"So…what have you dined on these past few meals?" he asked casually, wondering what was left in the pantry.

"Nothing much, really. I haven't been very hungry," she answered truthfully, coming to the window to set down some instruments. Hearing this, Seto intuitively put a hand up to her forehead and asked:

"Are you ill?"

Tea felt herself reddening under his touch. Why was he so concerned all of the sudden? "Well, not literally," she struggled to keep her emotions down, "But…sort of."

Seto took his hand away, realizing that his actions looked like he really did care.

Perhaps he did?

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?" he inquired, curious.

"Worried-sick, I guess," Tea turned away to go get more things.

"Worried about what?" Seto inquired, rather stupidly.

Tea stopped; her back turned to him. She slowly turned her head so that he could see her profile and said quietly, "You. I was worried about you."

Seto was shocked speechless.

She had been worried…about him? After their crude relationship and the way he treated her and her friends? How was it possible?

This shocking news actually kept him quiet as Tea prepared the rest of their simple breakfast. She put some in front of him as she finished it and told him blankly, "Go on. Eat it. I'm positive it's not poisoned, " she added a bit of dry humor to the silence in the cafeteria.

They ate in silence. Seto was still pondering over what she had said.

Was there a hidden meaning? Motive? Or was she just naturally, Tea-ish-ly concerned? He had to find out, somehow….

When she had finished breakfast, Tea slid out through the window, past Seto, who watched her with conflicting emotions crossing his features, and walked out of the room. She was walking down the hallway back to the nurse's office to grab her things when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Tea stopped and looked around, rather surprised that Seto had taken her like that.

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"What did you mean by it?"

"Excuse me?"

"What did you mean when you said you were worried about me?" he expressed, more quietly. He came a step closer to her, and she backed up out of instinct.

"Just what I said: I was worried about you. About your health. I…wanted you to get better-"

"Why?"

Tea thought that was a stupid question to ask, "Why? Why else! You were sick, and I wanted you to get better! People want that when others are ill!"

"And hating me has no conflict with those feelings?" he inquired. She was now up against the wall.

"Hate you? When did I say that? I don't hate you, S-Kaiba," she replied.

"Since when?" he replied, leaning closer to her to make a point. He wanted to be eye level with her.

"I-…. Since never! I've never hated you. I just…rather disliked you immensely before."

"Before?" he narrowed his eyes slightly, "Well then, what about now?" he whispered, leaning in slightly closer, not wanting to miss what she said.

And maybe for another reason as well….

"I…I I've taken a li-" she couldn't talk anymore. Her voice was caught in her throat. He was so close…. As were his lips. Couldn't she just…kiss them?

Seto seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

Tea closed her eyes and felt a slight contact with Seto's lips-

A shrill, yet slightly muffled, piercing siren broke through their thoughts and actions.

"W-What's that?" Tea asked, breathing harder than usual.

Seto's face had gone pale.

"What? What is it?"

He looked at her seriously, "That is the new tsunami warning siren. Domino is in danger of being hit."

Tea's eyes widened in horror.

How could they escape if they were trapped in the school?

Hey! Sorry for the long wait! Hope you liked the chapter though! Seto is all better! Be happy! PLEASE REVIEW! Two chapters left…WAH!