Tornado: Hiya, peeps! Thanx to all the people who reviewed in the last chapter. On with the fic.

Seto's POV

I was dragging myself out of bed before I knew that it was even Sunday evening. I had worked mostly through the night. There were things that I had refused to do for several months that I had needed to do. Once again, I had lost track of time.

Mokuba scolded me for not getting the appropriate amount of rest. I gave him an exasperated look as he darted out the car, giggling. I dozed for the remainder of the ride to the school. I gazed out of the window, searching for anyone that would be a threat to my plan to sleep for the remainder of the period before homeroom.

I staggered along the hallway, desperately attempting not fall down from exhaustion. I heard a female voice calling my name. I turned around, ready to launch a brutal attack on whomever dared to disturb me. I found a pair of kind, bright blue eyes staring at me in concern.

"Are you okay? You look like shit," the girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, I, um, didn't get much sleep last night. I had a shit load of odd jobs that I've been putting off for a good three months. I finally got caught up last night."

"What were you planning to do? Sleep in homeroom?"

"Something like that, but I'll be thrilled if I make it as far as my homeroom. I'm about ready to fall down."

"I'll help you get that far if you want."

I graciously accepted her offer. She walked quietly beside me as we made our way down the corridor. There were several times that she had to stabilize my stance before I finally took my seat. I slumped in my chair, sighing heavily.

"Three months ago, I could have had a night like last night without any problems the next day, but holy shit, now I can hardly stand up. I need to get more rest. I'm getting too old for this."

"I thought you said you were tired. Why are you still talking?" she questioned from behind the book that she was reading. "Get some rest. I'll wake you up if too many people come in. Don't want to ruin your image."

"I think I already did that with the new haircut. Hey, did I seem really hostile yesterday?"

"You were fine. Until Mai showed up that is."

"Did she tell you about us?" She nodded. "Kind of weird huh."

"Why should I care? I thought you were tired."

I smiled slightly. My head was so heavy that it fell to the desk with a light clunk. The lids of my eyes slowly slid shut as sleep overcame me.

Sclera's POV

I glanced over at my companion, wondering why it had gotten so quiet. The man was finally resting. He looked like an angel. Serenity was plastered all over his countenance. A lock of chestnut hair shaded his left eye. I gently brushed the lock aside.

People began filing in, and I nudged him awake. His eyes shot open as though he had never really been asleep. He groggily asked what time it was. I told him that it was just before homeroom was about to start. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey," he whispered. "Is it just me or is everyone staring at me?"

"I think it's because of the drool that is running down your chin," I teased.

"That's not funny."

"As you said earlier, the new haircut is attracting attention."

"Hey, Kaiba!" a classmate called. "There's a rumor going around that you turned down Alicia and are going to Frost King with Marshal."

I felt my mouth drop to the ground. The blonde boy's comment attracted the attention of the entire class. Yugi and the gang just walked in and were staring open-mouthed at me. I buried my head in my arms, trying to make the awareness of the class disappear. Thankfully, Kaiba took control.

"Who did you hear that from, Alicia? She's just jealous that I turned her down. As for the latter part, I have no idea where you got the idea that I was interested in her, but it's false."

"Oh, yeah? Then why was she in you arms that day when she ran into you in the hallway?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, face paling slightly.

"Sure you don't."

"Hey!" Joey yelled. "He said he don't know what you're talking about, so he don't know what you're talking about."

"I never thought I'd see the day when you defended Kaiba," the boy stated amused.

"I'm not. The thought of Lera being lumped together with that jerk."

"Thanks, Joey," I mumbled.

The homeroom teacher walked in, and I re-engulfed in the book, praying that homeroom would come to an end. Neither Seto nor I said a word to the other. I refused to meet his desperate attempts to catch my eyes. I could tell that he wanted to explain what exactly had inspired the attention-drawing comments. I scribbled a note down on a small piece of paper saying, "We'll talk at lunch." I slipped it to him as the chimes of the bell clanged. He agreed with a nod as he walked out the door.

I gripped my head as I strode through the hallway. I could have sworn that I heard whispers echoing through the corridor. There were fingers pointing at me. Glares were directed at me. I was now the enemy of the school. The girls glowered while the boys scrutinized. The news had spread through school like wild fire.

Lunch could not have come any sooner. Seto was leaning against the wall outside, glaring at anyone who dared to even send a glance his way. I almost ran to his side and slapped the living daylights out of him. A long sigh gushed across his lips. I could inference that he had gone through the same hell that I had been going through.

"You need to know what the hell is going on," he grumbled. "If your day was anything like mine, you've already been to hell and back."

Seto's POV

I watched the girl approach. She was stressed. There was a group of girls behind her sniggering. A cold glare caused them to scurry the other way. I had been through an interesting morning of inquiries and questioning glances. There was no doubt in my mind that she had been the object of more than just inquiries and glances but also jokes and banters.

"You need to know what the hell is going on. If your day was anything like mine, you've already been to hell and back."

"It would be nice to know why everyone was staring at me as though I'd been convicted of treason," she replied heavily.

"Well, we might want to take a walk to get away from prying eyes. It's best if I tell the tale while you're sitting down."

We strolled away from the entrance to the cafeteria. There were hardly any souls wandering the halls as we made our way to the rooftop. I had chosen the spot because of the lack of people that seek refuge in the place during the lunches while they could be fraternizing with friends. She opened the door for me when we arrived at the portal to the outside world. The frigid air instantly frosted my body, but the blessed sun shed a fraction of warmth. Sclera leaned against the railing, absorbing the winter through closed eyes.

"This whole thing started last week when Spinet asked me to accompany her to Frost King. Of course, I said no because I don't like her and refuse to be seen in public in the company of such a slut. Well, you walked by and gave an acknowledging nod, and she translated that to mean that I liked you. So now, apparently, she blabbed her big mouth and spread it all over the school."

"Why would she get the idea that you liked me? C'mon, you haven't been anything but cold to me while we were in the presence of others."

"Obviously, someone saw us that day you were being chased by Taylor and the mutt because that was mentioned by that kid this morning. Maybe someone saw us at the mall or another time that we're not thinking of. Hell, for all I know, someone could have seen us together in your store that night."

"Something's wrong if we can name this many occasions that we could have been spotted," she stated.

I fell silent. There was a lot of truth to that statement. A realization dawned on me. This was the perfect excuse to ask her out. Of course, se had to agree to the machination, and we had to convince people that we weren't just doing it for the publicity, but the only ones I was worried about was the mutt and Taylor. I saw the familiar expression of scheming surfacing on the girl's face as well.

Sclera's POV

The mischievous expression on his face broadcasted his hypothesis. I was thinking, or at least hoping, that the inner mutineer would awaken from its eternal slumber. A large, demonic smile flittered across my face. Our eyes met for the first time since we had escaped into the winter wonderland. This was the ominous glance that was foreshadowing the erection or demise of the little we had accomplished.

"Are you thinking about giving the school what everyone is talking about?" I inquired slyly.

"You know how I hate to disappoint," came his reply. "We could at least last until Frost King, which is only two weeks away."

"That we could. So, what, starting tomorrow, let's say?"

"Tomorrow would be the opportune time."

We made the pact and scrambled down the stairwell as the bell rang. A nod was exchanged as we agreed to discuss the subject more in homeroom that afternoon. I was dashing to math class, huffing and puffing with the ten-pound load that was stashed under my arm. Ryou was openly staring at me as I darted through the closing door. His eyebrows were unequal in height, seeing as one was much higher than the other. I plopped into the chair beside him, attempting to catch my breath.

"The rumor mill has been going crazy since this morning. It seems that you and Kaiba are the newest celebrity couple. So, what really is going on?" he asked as the teacher began to instruct.

"As of when the rumors started, nothing. As of now, we're planning on scamming the entire school into thinking we're a couple," I answered smugly.

"Do you really think that's wise? I mean god only knows what could happen between the two of you. You've been off and on since you met, which was the first day you were here."

"And in that time span, there's nothing that we've really accomplished to destroy, so I'm confident that we'll be just fine."

"Personally, I think that Kaiba has got feelings for you that he doesn't want to admit."

"What makes you say that?"

"Why else would he agree to go along with this scheme? He doesn't give a hoot about his classmates' thoughts, so why would he want to stir up trouble?"

"It was a joint plan, not just mine."

"Which only proves my point more. Why are you bothering to fight this? You suddenly are concerned that he has feelings for you rather than being thrilled to death? Sometimes I wonder about you."

"It's not that I don't want it to be true. It's just that I know it isn't true and I don't want to get my hopes up."

He let the situation dissipate. I was thankful. I wasn't even sure anymore how to judge Seto's actions. There was just too much change going on. It was almost as if he was trying to regain part of himself or something like that. That was when it hit. What if that was exactly what he was trying to do?

Seto's POV

Tomorrow will be an interesting day, I thought walking to homeroom. There was much more to be discussed about our scam before it could be considered infallible. After this morning's encounter with whatever that nobody's name was, it was sure to be common knowledge that we had denied any affiliation with one another, although anyone that saw us meandering from prying eyes during lunch knew that we had lied. So that was the cover story: we lied.

Sclera was already collapsed in her chair. Yugi and the rest of the gang were crowding her, pressing for the details of her day. Taylor shot me a venomous look before returning to comforting the exhausted form beside him. She announced that she was going to sleep through the rest of homeroom, and they instantly diffused. She laid her head down on her folded-arm pillow, causing me to reminisce about the morning when it had been I that was barely conscious.

"So, what else do we need to discuss?" she breathed so that no one but me could depict her words.

"To what extent are we going to take this? IS this just going to be a school thing or are we going to extend this to the real world?" I inquired from behind my book, mimicking her tone.

"How many of these snot-nosed groupies of yours are the daughters of wealthy business men that you know?"

"About twenty-five percent. I guess that means this will have to extend into our personal lives as well or at least business functions."

"You don't go out on Saturday or Friday nights do you?"

"Not unless I have a business dinner, which I'm due for one some time in the next week or two."

"All right, just as long as we are together during school gatherings we should be fine. Were you planning on going to Frost King?"

"No, why?"

"Well, you are now cause I'm already committed to going. I hope you own a spiffy suit or two."

"Please, I'm practically required to own at least two of those things. So, I guess I'm forced to degrade myself to the entirety of the social butterflies that make up the student body."

"That also means that you have to dance with me at least once. That's all I require."

"I can do that. You're buying my ticket though."

"You're a hell of a lot richer than me, so why do I have to buy your ticket?"

"Because you're the reason that I have to go to this thing, so fair is fair. I have a charity ball coming up next week anyway, so I'll compensate for that, and you're required to go to that one. The who's-who of businessmen and their daughters are going to be there. A lot of them come from this school, like your friend, Mai. Spinet will be there to so you know no pressure."

"Grand. Does that mean you're paying for my dress?"

"If you really insist, yes, I will, but I'd prefer not to."

"I was just kidding. I think I've got a dress or two that will work. Oh man, how many of these social thingy's am I going to have to go to?"

"Just be glad you're not going to the dinners."

"I've waited on you idiots during one of those things, I don't want to be there for the entire conversation."

"You're right about that. The bell's going to ring soon. I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven thirty."

"Okay, High Tower Penthouses, apartment L8. Top floor, its the only apartment on that floor. Do you need directions?"

"No, I'm sure that On Star can find it," I answered as the bell rang. "Get a good nights rest. You'll need it tomorrow."

She nodded to me before dashing off to join the gang that she fraternized with. A backwards glance was passed as she was ushered out of the door. I nodded. Yes, tomorrow would be an interesting day. So many people, so much opportunity. I knew that the probability of me screwing this scheme up was much higher than that of the one that we'd be the talk of the school tomorrow, which was nearly one hundred percent. I was practically guaranteed to do something that would not only destroy the hidden goals that I had but also the goals that my partner-in-crime had. It was worth the risk.

I pondered if I should include my younger sibling in on the plot as well. He was bound to figure it out sooner or later anyway, so I might as well not keep anything from him. He'll get his feelings hurt if I don't tell him. As I had suspected, the moment he entered the car he asked if something was wrong. I replied that it was nothing. He continued to pester, knowing that in good time I would have no choice but to surrender to his wishes. I did quickly to eliminate the post-disclosure argument. His face contorted into a countenance of shock and erudition. He smirked.

"I know what you're doing. You're using the public scam excuse to cover for the fact that you want to be in a relationship with her. Why bother? Why not just come out and say it?"

"Because, knowing me, either way I'll fuck it up. This way I can shrug and say that I made a mistake and go on with my life while, hopefully, remaining friends with her."

"Did you just call her your friend?"

"Shut up!" I snapped, unable to come up with a real come back.

He laughed hysterically. I almost found myself laughing with him. Almost.

Sclera's POV

I nearly skipped into my apartment. Henry shot me a questioning glance before shaking his head in disbelief. I quickly changed into an outfit that I could relax in. I heard several clanks coming from the kitchen and wandered out to see what the dinner meal was going to consist of. There were two rather large fillet mignons on a plate on the counter as well as two potatoes that Henry was preparing to be baked. I silently grabbed the steaks and my personally adored selection of seasonings (garlic salt and chili powder.) The glass door to the balcony slid open with the push of a button, clearing my passage to the grill, which was the only type of cooking that I was decent at. Ironic for a person that owned restaurants.

Henry joined me shortly after I had commenced my cooking. He sighed as he leaned against the frigid railing. I stood beside him, gazing at the cityscape. A large smile crossed my face as I spotted the towering form of a certain boy's company. It quickly turned into a smirk.

"So what's got you in such a good mood? Has school suddenly taken a turn for the best?" Henry asked.

"You could say that. School was both horrible and awesome today. Shitty morning, but a lot better after lunch. I guess now I technically have a boyfriend."

"Okay, what happened and what are you planning on doing?"

I explained the rumors that had been circulating the school and what Seto and I had planned to do about it. He listened quietly, nodding and shaking his head on numerous occasions. When I had finished my tale, he gave me his gravest look.

"Do you know what you're meddling with, Sclera? This is your best friend that you're scheming with. The same best friend that you ran away from and have feelings for. Do you really think its wise?"

"Henry, I appreciate your concern, but trust me, I can handle myself. This is one area I don't have a problem in."

"Well, then," he sighed. "I suppose your mind is made up and there's no telling you otherwise. Just be careful."

"I will," I answered strongly.

He sighed as he walked back inside. I returned my attention to the meat, which lye sizzling above the flames. Five minutes later, a head popped out the door, stating that dinner could be served. I removed the meal from the inferno, making sure to turn off the fire-maker. We ate in silence, neither knowing what to say to the other one.

I, upon finishing my meal, immediately ventured into the den, which was located just to the right of Henry's room and housed the household computer. A quick e-mail check confirmed that Phillip had followed my instructions and put out a job-broadcast looking for waitresses. There were the files of several applicants included in the message. I printed them and settled into the large, welcoming black leather couch that was positioned against the wall.

It was about midnight I guess when Henry informed me that he was going to bed and that I should consider the action. I stretched, tossing the files haphazardly on the sofa to remind me to finish my elimination process tomorrow. I hadn't realized how fatigued I was during the duration of the time that I had been engulfed in my work, but as I lurched to the bedroom, it was inevitable. I collapsed onto the bed without changing and allowed sleep to override my body.

I awoke when I hit the floor. The moment I opened my eyes, they involuntarily snapped shut again. The lights were blinding to those that had been dead to the world only moments before. I felt a pair of arms drag me across the floor, and a voice commanded that I get ready before I was late for school. I groaned as I unsteadily rose. One glance in the mirror was all it took to confirm that I needed to get a shower and actually make an effort to look decent.

The hot water washed away all of my dreariness. Henry had attempted to energize me by playing one of my albums over the speaker system. It worked. There was a uniform and a coffee waiting for me in the bedroom, and the door had been closed for privacy. My ritual was completed, and I trekked into the kitchen to socialize. Henry was waiting.

"I was afraid that you'd be late. You looked dead tired last night. Don't worry you've got time to spare. Did you do your math homework? Thought not. Well, hurry you haven't got all day," he fired off in rapid succession.

I dutifully did as he had said and began pouring myself into the work. The doorbell rang when I had gotten half way done. Henry rose to get it and let out a small yelp of surprise. I checked my watch, crying out as well. I threw my stuff into my backpack while saying, "Henry is that Kaiba? Oh, shit I lost track of time! Don't worry about taking me to school I got a ride. I'll call you later bye!"

I scrambled to the door where Seto stood with his eyebrow raised in an uncharacteristically odd manner. I murmured my apologies. He shrugged.

"I'm a little early actually. Are you ready?"

I nodded, and he led the way to the elevator. I took a deep breath. Let the day begin.

Tornado: Yeah it's finished. R&R.