-Tornado: Hiya peeps! Well, here we are for another chapter! Oh what a chapter it will be! Thanks to all the pple that reviewed! And without further a do, on with the fic…
Seto's POV
It had been indeed interesting fetching Sclera from her high tower, and the girl had been rushing to complete the math homework that she had forgotten the prior night. Now, she was calming her frazzled nerves, or so I presumed, as she stared aimlessly out the window. I too was taking deep breathes trying to force my mask into perfect position to withstand the remarks and looks that my peers would doubtlessly give me.
"How do you think we should handle this whole thing?" the girl breathed nervously. "Should we pretty much make it known to all without any question that we're a 'couple' or just hint at it?"
"Direct will save us time and energy. Although, not so direct that we're making out in the hallway, but enough to let the student body know that we mean 'business,'" I answered.
She sighed. "Does that mean that you're going to be draped over me the entire day?"
"I don't drape myself over anyone, and I don't expect you to be hanging all over me. If you want to then by all means, but I would prefer if you didn't because you don't seem like that kind of girl."
"You never know, it's not often that I have a boyfriend with as much power as you," she answered winking.
"Like you need a rich, powerful boyfriend. I saw that apartment of yours. You probably don't even need that butler you got working for you."
"Henry? Yes, I would be completely lost if it wasn't for him. He does all the domestic stuff that I haven't bothered to learn over the years. The only type of cooking I can do is on the grill."
"I could live off of grilled food. That and Buffalo wings."
"Wow," she stated amazed. "For a minute there, I couldn't tell that you were a millionaire CEO. You sounded like every other guy."
"I wasn't always this rich, so I still have the occasional tendency from my past. Buffalo wings, barbeque ribs, and fried chicken, they're my favorites."
"I guess even the CEO of Kaiba Corps can at least be little bit normal. Ah, shit, we're here," she stated as the car began to pull into the drive.
The car came to a stop, and I gracefully exited the car. I extended a hand to assist in the removal of the remaining passenger. She hesitated a moment.
Sclera's POV
A hand reentered the car, beckoning me to accept the help that it held. I was averse for a moment, pondering the intelligence of the deception that I was about to commit. But then again, was it deception on my part or was I simply using the opportunity as an excuse to live out a fantasy? With another deep, steady breath, I grasped the hand firmly and allowed it to hoist me from the safe confines of the limousine.
There were a lot of people loitering at the entrance to prison. Most of those present had their glued upon the scene that was occurring in front of them. I consciously tugged at my skirt as though that was the source of the problem, but I knew the eyes were boring into my soul, all wondering what the two people, who just yesterday had sworn that there was nothing transpiring romantically between them, were doing exiting the same car.
Seto cast a wary gaze around the onlookers, and with a slight arrogant smirk, gave a small wave to someone in the crowd. There, mouth dropped nearly to the pavement, stood a baffled Alicia Spinet. She suddenly turned angry, and she flipped me off before stomping away. Seto gave a scoff of achievement. I rolled my eyes at the display of juvenile behavior.
"This is why you wanted to get here at seven thirty, wasn't it?" I asked the man to my left.
He gave a guilty smile. I sighed, shaking my head. He gave a gentle push, signaling that it was time we got inside. I gave a slight nod of my head before following. We received the same reception from most of the school. The girls sent hatred-filled glares my way, while the boys gawked enviously at Seto. The school was aflame with gossip.
The gang was in homeroom when Seto and I entered. I spouted off of Seto to join them. Joey gave me a slight punch on the shoulder in greeting while Yugi and Tea smiled. I instantly became engrossed in the conversation, abandoning all thoughts of my scam for the moment, and did not focus on the matter again until some of the more popular girls entered the room.
"Oh, I see how it is, Marshal," a particularly loud blonde stated. "You think that you're such hot shit coming to school with Kaiba, but then he doesn't exist once you're with your friends."
"She doesn't need to be by my side at ever moment of every day," Seto spoke from behind his book. "Actually, I prefer if she gives me my much-needed space."
My group's eyes were on me questioningly. I gave a long sigh before stating; "You can't rag on me because I didn't see you with your boyfriend wandering the halls this morning."
She seemed to grasp the implication. She stared wildly between Seto and I, shaking her head in disbelief that neither was making any move to deny her assumptions. Tea's mouth was gapping far enough to fit a large orange in it. Joey and Tristan looked completely lost, while Yugi's were wide in disbelief.
"Wait," the blonde began. "Are you saying that you and Kaiba are a couple?"
"What's it to you?" I heard Seto ask.
She screamed and stormed out of the room, attracting the attention of everyone that had not been aware of the conversation. Tea gasped. Joey and Tristan stared at me with extremely dumbfounded looks on their faces along with the rest of the class. I twitched as all eyes bore into Seto and my eyes. They wanted answers, and they wanted them now.
Seto's POV
I saw Sclera twitch as the interest of the class became obsessed with her and I. The mutt shifted his gaze to me, transforming it into a heated glare. I raised an eyebrow gently, as if daring him to say anything stupid in front of the entire class. He began to shake in utter rage and stood up yelling, "Kaiba, what the hell did you do!"
"Nothing. I asked a girl out. The last time I checked, there was no law against that," I answered coldly.
"Yeah, but up 'til now you've been saying that you had no use for a girlfriend. What changed your mind?"
"He's right, Kaiba," Gardener stated. "Even yesterday, the two of you said that you weren't going out. What changed?"
"We lied. Simple as that," Sclera whispered. "Now we've pretty much decided that there's no use hiding it because it will only cause more rumors and dirty glares. Besides, I'm not much of a person for hiding things."
The pointy-haired idiot was staring at me suspiciously. I shifted my gaze to my partner in crime. She was cool, confident. For that, I was thankful. The whispers throughout the class increased by ten fold. No doubt, everyone wanted to know if this was for real or a scandal. We didn't have to endure the scrutiny for much longer. The bell rang, and everyone dashed off to his or her classes, each one dying to leak the latest news in gossip. I sent Sclera a glance before she rose to head to study hall. I followed closely, reluctant to let the girl out of my sight.
"You don't have to act like my bodyguard," she chided. "I can manage myself and any other idiot that thinks he has a chance in defeating me."
"I just want to be close in case anyone has any thoughts of trying your strength," I answered. "I know perfectly well that you can maintain yourself. Unless of course that it be Alicia Spinet that tampers with you."
She gave me a guilty smile. I lightly shoved her to the side. She reacted with a quick punch to my bicep. I was debating whether I should sling her over my shoulder and carry her into the classroom, but thought much better of it. We took our seats on opposite sides of the room. For once, I was glad that we had study hall together, yet cursing the fact that we were no longer in Home Ec. And sat on opposite sides of the room. She winked at me before pulling out her unfinished math homework. I sighed, fiddling with the book in my hands. I wasn't able to concentrate on the plot. My eyes always seemed to meander to the beautiful girl that was seated across the room. She was still engrossed in her work. Her hair, which had been loose and flowing before, was now secured in a bun by two pens. Though it didn't help the several strands of hair that she had missed. My attention was grabbed by feverish whispering coming from behind me.
"Maybe they really are going out," a squeaky feminine voice said. "I mean they did come to school in the same limo, they came into class together, and now Kaiba can't seem to keep his eyes off of her."
I inwardly winced. Was it that obvious? A quick glimpse around the room confirmed it. Yes, it was that obvious. Even the people who didn't pay any mind to me before were curiously looking at Sclera and then me. I almost chuckled at the fact that she had no idea how many pairs of eyes were studying her. A chime sounded, and the student body rose, still giving us backwards glances. Sclera was at my side in seconds.
"Did you finish?" I asked, nodding my head toward the thick book she had clutched at her side.
"Yes. I was surprised. Nobody really seemed to care about what happened this morning."
I chuckled this time. "What's so funny?" she demanded.
"The fact that you have no idea how much attention we attracted," I replied before ushering her into the classroom and turned away.
Sclera's POV
Seto had been absolutely correct when he said that I was clueless. All of my classes were filled with inquisitive glances and hushed voices. The teachers were even staring at me oddly. I was very tempted to stand up and shout, "Yes, I'm going out with Seto Kaiba, so fuck off!"
I didn't encounter Seto again until lunch. He was waiting patiently for me outside of my classroom. He greeted me with an award-winning smirk. I rolled my eyes, looping my arm around his waist.
"So, now you decide to get clingy. I never thought that you were the type," he stated mischievously.
"Oh, shut up. You're the one that's practically escorting me to all my classes. How many classes have you been on time to?"
"All the ones that I didn't have to come pick your ass up for."
"I never said that I wanted a bodyguard."
"Well, too bad because it comes with the package."
I laughed, ruffling his black-streaked hair. He gave me a don't-mess-with-the-hair look. I juvenilely stuck out my tongue. He shook his head, immediately tensing. My eyebrows involuntarily furrowed. His ocean eyes never left whatever they were targeted. He formed a glass-shattering grip on my shoulders. I tore my eyes away from the emotionless display before me to find a large group of jocks and preps forming around the entrance to the cafeteria.
"Why's nobody going in?" I asked. "Is there a dead body in there or something?"
"I think that this is the price we pay for our actions," his voice murmured in my ear; the wind sending shivers down my spine.
The heads of numerous bodies in the group refocused their precious attention on us. Several of the gazes held nothing but jealousy and hatred. I returned the hostility with an arctic glare. Through the unfamiliar hate, I spotted a semi-welcoming friend. Tea was also huddled into the crowed, and the rest of the gang was not too far away. I smiled warmly, offering peace to them with a wave. The girl turned around and grabbed the two unwilling companions by the ears, dragging them to us. I felt Seto tense even more, sending his own hostility to two being drug. Yugi approached with a big grin on his face.
"Hey, you two!" he greeted warmly.
"Hey, yourself," I responded, quickly forgetting all the anger. "What's up?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to sit with us at lunch. I didn't know if you were going to since… you know… you and Kaiba…"
I turned to Seto. He was avoiding my gaze. I continued to stare at the side of his head with the best puppy-dog face that I could muster. After a few minutes, he broke the silence, "Fine, but the two mutts have to behave themselves."
"They will, but you better be on your best behavior as well," I insisted.
He growled a bit. A small giggle gushed from my mouth before I could consider the action. He glared, but a ghost expression flittered across his face. It was a smile. Or at least its ghost, but it was better than anything that he had done so far. If I had been a light bulb, I would have been a hundred watts.
Seto's POV
I couldn't even begin to fathom how she had convinced me to sit with her and the geeks. As far as I was concerned, it was pure torture. And though I will adamantly deny it to anyone that asks, seeing that smile on her face was worth every minute of this hell. Not to mention that giggle. That was cute too. Immediately, I began assaulting my mind. Why are you thinking stupid things like that? Since when is the word 'cute' in your vocabulary in a comment that was not sarcastic? Damn these thoughts. I swore that I was going to start trying to recover from all the damage that had been done since my parents' deaths. The conscience takes much longer to adjust than the mind, I guess.
"Seto?" a female voice asked.
"What?" I demanded agitatedly. Has she called me Seto before?
"I just wanted to make sure you were still with us. You've been very quiet."
"I'm fine," I hissed.
I kicked myself for being so aggravated. People are going to wonder how she can put up with me. I need to get these stupid automatic reflexes under control. The rest of the meal passed without me being constrained into the conversation. Sclera and I left a few minutes ahead of the bell. She was silent as we trudged down the hallway. In fact, she refused to allow her eyes to move a centimeter from the floor.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing," she sighed. "I just realized that as long as this charade is going on, I won't be able to sit with my friends. You guys don't exactly get along."
"You don't have to sit with me every day. I'd prefer it if you didn't. Even you have your dignity, and clinging to guys like your life depends on it does not seem to suit you."
"Thanks, Seto," she muttered with a small smile. "Oh, would you prefer it if I called you 'Kaiba?'"
"No."
"Ok, just checking."
"You must be in a pretty good mood today. All you seem to do is smile and giggle like a little girl."
"Well, it's not everyday that you get to masquerade as the hottest-guy-in-school's girlfriend and rub it into the majority of the schools face."
I scoffed. "That's a very selfish reason."
"Can't be perfect," she answered as the bell rang. "Well, I'm here, so I guess I'll see you in homeroom."
"I'll see you at the end of your last class. Bye"
"Bye," she replied, giving my hand a squeeze and me a smile.
This is going to be hard. I have to pretend to be this girl's boyfriend and keep myself from getting too emotionally involved. It wasn't going to be hard. It was already a lost cause. There was no real point to what we were doing other than piss the school off. All that was left was my own selfish reason. But what about her reason? Why did she agree to this? She had said that it was for shits and giggles, but off the top of my head, I can't think of anybody that is this good of an actor. She did kiss me, but that was months ago. Maybe, just maybe, somewhere in the back of that mysterious and beautiful mind of hers, she cares for me. Maybe…
Sclera's POV
I was living on cloud nine. Seto was behaving like a human being and not constantly pushing me away. I was also glad that the gang had accepted his presence so well. Joey and Tristan were reasonably wary of him still, but hopefully, as time wore on, I would be able to put that rivalry to rest as well.
Ryou sat in the usual spot in math, impatiently twiddling his thumbs. His chocolate eyes immediately shot up when I entered the room. Whether it had been my footsteps that had warned him or the long breath of hisses and sighs that accompanied me, I knew not. His face was grave; something rarely seen when encountering him. No doubt he would have many words of wisdom to those that he that were making a mistake.
"Do you really think that it is wise doing this?" he asked calmly. "Do you really understand what you are meddling with?"
"Yes, I know what I'm doing," I answered, remembering the conversation that I had with Henry the night before.
"I just want you to realize that you're not only toying with your own emotions but Kaiba's as well. Remember that when you go to end this charade. He is not as strong as he once was, and is beginning to fail rapidly with every second that you drag him into your life."
"You make it sound like I'm seducing him or something."
"In a way you are. I'm not saying that you need to stop, but I want you to tread cautiously when you're dealing with him. If you continue on the path that you have set, you will undoubtedly break what little remains of both of your hearts."
The conviction in his voice was overpowering. I futilely attempted to understand what all he meant, but I knew that only time would tell. There were some things that no one could predict.
After that, he refused to talk to me. I tried to ignore the glances that were being passed my way from the students. Ryou was mad at me for doing this though I didn't quite know why. Without him, my favorite class held nothing but pure, hellish torment. My mind deviated to Seto. I had long since given up on trying to decipher his motives, and my own had lost their significance somewhere along the line as well. Thoughts that began in "why" or "what if" were being tossed haphazardly to the side. They no longer mattered. There was no chance to withdraw and concede any more. This I realized. I had already almost made it through my first day: the hardest one. In time, we would become old news; a thought that brought me much needed relief.
The sweet chime of the bell wretched me from reverie. A hand gently danced across my shoulder. I glimpsed a hint of chocolate before the hand's owner strolled out the door. Maybe he isn't mad at me. Maybe he's just worried. He always wants what's best for me. I sighed, hoisting the pile of books into my arms, scampering into the crowded hallway.
It wasn't long before I was strolling out of my last class nearly ramming my body into Seto. With a greeting of elevated eyebrows, he silently escorted me to homeroom. We received the same greeting that we had all day long, cold stares and whispering. Of course, by now the acceptance of such things had become natural. We took ours seats, and my gang journeyed back to visit. Joey, grinning like a Cheshire cat, plopped down next to me, tossing an arm over my shoulder. His face turned disgruntled at the lack of reaction from Seto. He did not allow this to go unnoticed.
"So, Kaiba, I don't know if I trust you dating Sclera. I mean, you hate me, and here I am just randomly tossing my arm over your girl's shoulder, and you do nothing," he jabbed, glaring at his rival.
"She has made no move to protest the arrangement; therefore, one would assume that she is comfortable, and you, mutt, should be thankful because if she did, I would not hesitate in tearing one of your precious limbs from you," the man hissed, ice eyes aflame with guarded defensiveness.
My gaze flickered, demanding silence from them both. Neither seemed to pay me any heed. They simply went on in their quest to out do the other in a staring contest. I heard a scoff emit from Tea's lips, and Yugi and Tristan were a bit sweat dropped from the threat. I extracted a book, burying myself into the land of faeries, but a shadow was soon cast over my page. I looked up to discover a large amount of students crowding the desk. Instinct required that I jerked backwards to escape the daunting figures.
"So then," demanded the voice of snooty girl. "The rumors are true? The two of you are a pair?"
"Explain to me what this has to do with your life," Seto demanded.
"School gossip is my life," the girl replied, nose thrust in hubris, hailing the ceiling.
"Then yes," he returned, after a large show of eye-rolling. "We are a pair, couple, item, or whatever other name that you want to label us as."
"Why her?" came another's, a male, voice.
"Again explain to me what that has to do with your life."
There arose a great deal of grumbling, and shouts echoed throughout the room. In a flash of panic, I felt the near over-powering urge to crawl behind Seto, who, had managed to remain clam until the mob had left. With a sharp scold, I planted myself to the seat, savoring the unpleasant attention being delivered to me.
"That's enough," the teachers voice demanded, causing silence to conquer. "I know we would all like to express our… opinions about the school's newest couple, but those could be delivered in a manner less intimidating then this massive mob. But before the usual order is restored, I would like to say congratulations to the two of you and good luck. All right! Now, since you can't behave like high school students, back in your seats, homework out, and NO talking!"
There were even more grumbles as the mass disapated, much in the manner of nuns after their daily service. I shook off the feeling that had crept into my heart, staining the taste of bitter memories on my tongue. Seto was unscathed and collected as seemed to be the incessant exterior. I once again thrust myself to the other world.
Seto's POV
Homeroom had been the worst part of the day. There was simply no other time when I had been mobbed and accused with such vindication. Well, all except the encounter with Alicia Spinet, which had occurred not long after I had left Sclera at math. She had cried, yelled, even cursed me to hell a few times. Homeroom was also the first time I saw Sclera really looked like she was trapped. It was hard to believe that this was the same girl who had verbally demolished Keith, me, and the school councilor all in the same day.
Once outside of the wretched prison, an enormous weight seemed to be removed from my shoulders. The first day of our scheme had passed without major incident, but there were still many "first" trails to encounter. Like Sclera's first business ball, which would be one that would require me to be in close proximity to her at all times. As well as the first time she met my brother, first time she attended a school function with me, and an ongoing list of other ridiculous situations that would undoubtedly curse us.
She was bidding her friends good-bye, the mutt's gang as well as another groups, all of whose members were anonymous in my eyes. Being raised as a gentleman, I opened the door of the sleek limousine for her, observing the way she practically tossed her body into the seat. I gracefully eased beside her, snapping the door closed behind me. There were many long minutes of comfortable, eerie silence.
"I'm tired," she mumbled, words obstructed by the car seat.
I spared her a glance. She was sprawled facedown, hair haphazardly cascading over her cranium and neck. Her skirt had flipped itself up, revealing more then I should have known was uncovered. I quickly averted my gaze, a bit ashamed that I had even glimpsed what lie beneath. Thankfully, she didn't notice.
We arrived at her apartment without words or touches. She rose as the car slowed, gathering herself and belongings. I accompanied her to the elevator, lightly contacting her shoulder as I did so. She faced my, eyes fatigued and dull.
"Rest. You'll need every bit that you can get."
She nodded, face becoming obscured by the elevator doors.
Tornado: I'm very sorry it took so long guys. Hopefully I'll be on a roll over X-mas break, but then again I might be studying for my driver's test or driving :)