Terry stood tall in the hallway, shoulders squared and back. There was an obvious air of accomplishment about her, like an athlete about to be awarded the gold after the long and arduous battle to the top. The passing students and faculty looked at the bewildering sight of her in the hall, each group coming up with their own story as to what led to this foreign student to be standing there today. No doubt that a particularly infamous tri-color haired punk had to be involved with this duo of trouble that always followed behind.

"Do I want to ask why you're standing out here like you've just won some prestigious award for unsurmountable stupidity no doubt?" A familiar smug tone spoke up, Terry's head turning up to see none other than the rich boy Seto Kaiba himself.

"I don't think me being here is because of something stupid…I was just helping someone out." She shrugged her shoulders as if it was the simplest conclusion. With her, he without a doubt, knew that was a very common conclusion.

"Right," he scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "To think, there was another idiot out in the world." He muttered more to himself. "Does self-preservation not mean anything to you?" He snapped, his cynical response a natural reaction to such blatant optimism and heroism. He waited for the argument back, a small count down ticking in his head for the inevitable self-defense triggered in her by his harsh reality check. And zero. He opened his eyes to look at her and found himself stunned. She just stood there with a simple smile but was far to dazzling that the sun suddenly seemed like a dim bulb that needed to be changed soon.

"Self-preservation is always important…but maybe because I'm just human, a human that is moved by what's in front of her. I just can't abandon what's there, no matter how small or irrelevant or how inconsequential to the bigger scheme of things. I want to protect everything I can. I know that what's irrelevant to others is relevant to someone else…so much so that it could be the very motivation for living."

The words echoed in his mind, the image of his dear younger brother filling with ever word that is repeated within. A strange suffocating feeling began to fill his chest. What was this? Do I…am I, Seto Kaiba, actually being swayed by such sophomoric idiocy? He wondered as he stared at her slightly wide eyed, a stretch of silence hung between them. "I can't stand here any longer, you're idiocy is probably contagious!" He snapped in irritation, walking in to the classroom as if nothing had transpired. If anything, to the rest of the class it was as if he had not seen her at all. However, his conscious was hardly cooperative at the moment as it replayed her words like a song stuck in his head. More like an annoying broken record…yes, that is more like it. Nuisance is all it is. Reality is hardly so kind. He steeled his mind as he took his seat, but noted that someone was a lot closer than usual in the seating arrangements. One of his brows quirked in curiosity, but he said nothing as he simply slipped in to class as if he had always been there.

At the end of class Terry was allowed back in once more, the teacher scolding her for cause her part of the small scene. She eagerly took the scolding, knowing full well the teacher was frustrated as everyone else that had to deal with such a mess. The constant agreement and acceptance from her baffled the teacher, but with a small concluding nod and final warning she was let back in and Jonouchi instantly came up to her along with their other friends.

"That was totally unfair to you! You weren't doing anything bad at all!" Minako huffed, her cheeks puffed in anger for Terry.

"It wasn't really fair, yes…but I get where the teacher was going with it. I mean, I doubt reprimanding has actually helped with those two from the looks of it…ever that is." The thought of how disrespectful they were being with others did not sit well with Terry, in fact it made her want to confront them and have a hand and possibly straightening them out. At the least I could get them to quit some of it. She frowned to herself as she looked at Kyouhei and Anzu who glared back at her. Her stern gaze levelled with the both of theirs, a silent exchange that was an acceptance of the unspoken challenge. She was not about to bow to the likes of them so readily.

"Yo, earth to Terry!" Jonouchi's voice came shouting in to her ear, the sudden loud sound causing her body to jump visibly in response. "Way to ignore me. Here I am, worried for your ass, and you're just up and ignoring me? That really hurts." He pouted, arms crossed over his chest.

"Sorry Jo-jo, I was just thinking about something important." She quickly responded, admitting to not listening to a word that had come from anyone.

"Oh? And what was that?" Honda inquired as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, however that was quickly removed followed by some cries of pain from the perpetrator. Jonouchi was clearly still very alert though upset.

"My books…and if I should let Atem keep my seat for a while. Maybe I can ask him if he wanted to swap."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on! Time out! You want to not only let him sit in your seat today, but want to SWAP seats with him for the rest of the term?" Jonouchi repeated, clearly displeased by this thought from the way his brows knit together.

"It's just for a little while and it would keep those two pretty quiet too. I mean how much could they actually attempt to do? And if they do, I'll just put a stop to it." Terry argued her point.

"You don't get them at all! They will make you time in class a living hell! You can't just sacrifice yourself for someone!" Ryuji frowned along with the others.

"Guys, it will be ok. I promise. I'm strong, I've dealt with way worse I'm sure." She laughed.

"Yeah, but nothing quite like them." The little back and forth between them and her went on for some time until it became painfully obvious that she had made up her mind. Minako sighed in resignation. "If you need anything, we're right here for you ok?"

"Yeah, literally seats away." Honda added. "Don't think we're afraid of those to punks. We got your back."

"You better come to me at the first sight of trouble that is out of your league." Jonouchi said firmly, Terry's heart warmed by the love and care of her friends. Smiling, she agreed with all the insistence and promised to be safe and to signal them if she needed backup. They all smiled at her acceptance, though it was obvious they were very concerned for her wellbeing. Seto had watched the exchange much like everyone else, though less obvious than their classmates that stared at them like some unfolding drama.

She has to have lost her mind or some brain cells…probably from being underground or something when on those digs or those traps. He thought as he rolled his eyes once more before he focused on his 'light' reading he brought with him. However his eyes stopped on the back of his friend that obviously had something to do with all this. He had no idea what had transpired, and normally he did not care. It had nothing to do with him, and yet here he was curious and could be…concerned? Ha, hardly. Human curiosity, I clearly caught her idiocy in the short time with her in the hallway. He brushed it off. He would ask the source later, for now the next teacher had stepped in and Terry took her seat at the only empty desk without an ounce of hesitation.