*2* Seto *2*

My limo pulled up just outside the memorial for Jounouchi and I just sat there, watching as the other students walked up and said a few words in front of a bench. I wasn't particularly in the mood to even come into school today. I sighed and thought back on this morning when my brother convinced me that I should come, even if Jounouchi and I had never been friends.

My brother, Mokuba, had the uncanny ability to make me do things I didn't want to do. It was weird that our roles would reverse now and then. When we were smaller, I had to act as his mother, father and older brother. I did all I could to give Mokuba the life he deserved. I made sure he could make the right decisions; sometimes he would do the same for me, like today.

I stepped out of my warm limo and stood before the school gates like an idiot. Everyone here knew how I felt about that mutt. Everyone knew how he felt about me. To them, me being here was probably an insult. I took an annoyed breath and walked into the courtyard. I was thinking of trying to stay off to the side, so no one would see me. Thing is, when you are the CEO of a multibillion dollar company, that's not easy to do.

I decided I was being childish and walked straight through the middle of the courtyard. I could feel everyone's eyes on my back as I walked passed them. I had felt those stares before, only this time they were suffocating. I gripped my school bag tightly and continued to walk. I found my class, stood at the end of the crowd and watched the rest of the memorial.

I felt so out of place, and I hadn't felt that way in a long time. I wasn't wanted there. I knew they all thought it was my fault; I could practically hear their thoughts.

Why is he here?

What makes him think he is welcome?

He made Jounouchi leave the classroom.

He probably hired someone to shoot him.

I let out a low growl and forced my body still. I couldn't afford to let these people, people I didn't even care about, get to me. So I stood there ridged, like ice, which is how I needed to feel.

"What are you doing here?"I heard a familiar voice whisper. I turned to see Hiroto, one of Jounouchi's idiotic friends, staring at me. I looked right at him as if he didn't matter to me, and he didn't.

"You don't even have to come to school, why are you here today? This is about him, not you. You should leave." Ha! To leave now would make me look weak. I was staying.

"Hiroto, leave Kaiba alone." It was Yugi this time. Every once in a while he would stand up for me when I needed it, though I'd never admit it out loud. He was very stupid in that regard, I wouldn't give him the time of day even if he asked for it. I would never stand up for him. I didn't even consider us friends. "Even though he and Jounouchi were never close, he has a right to be here. The shooter could have gotten anyone of us," he said.

"Besides," he continued, and then looked at me with those big, purple puppy-dog eyes of his. Those were a weapon, let me tell you. "I am sure Kaiba will miss Jounouchi most of all."

What? "Excuse me?" I said and anger surged through me. "I'd never miss him. Jounouchi ended up exactly where we all knew he eventually would. He was a no-good gangbanger and you are lucky he's gone because now he can't drag you down with him." As soon as the words left my mouth I felt like tossing myself off of my building.

"You don't mean that!" Yugi said, and then burst into tears. Shit. That was a weapon too.

"I can't believe you just said that," Mazaki said, as she wrapped her arms around Yugi, "We all knew you were an ass, but I never thought you would say something like that. This," she gestured to the courtyard and everyone in it, "should never happen to anyone."

"See, Kaiba," Hiroto said, "no one wants you here, and you don't want to be here, so you should just leave."

"I am not leaving," I said, "I am going to go to class and then I am going to go home. Then tomorrow I am going to do the same thing. I am not going to let this matter affect my life. I'm going to move on, and so should all of you," I said. Apparently this statement was worse than the one I had made earlier, because that's when Hiroto grabbed my tie and yanked me closer; he brought a fist up to hit me. I let my gaze fall downward; I wanted him to hit me. I wanted to feel something, something other than regret and this growing numbness.

"Hiroto, Honda!" our Sensei yelled, and Hiroto let me go with a shove. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I am sorry, Sensei, but Kaiba doesn't have the right to be here," Hiroto said. Sensei gave him the coldest look I had ever seen her give anyone; I didn't even know someone could give that look better than I could.

"Yes, he does. I know we are all hurting right now, but that doesn't mean we can go and act like barbarians," she said, "I think it's time we went inside." Best idea ever.

I watched as everyone filed into the school. I certainly had no desire to join them, but after all of this fuss about my not being needed, I decided I would go just to piss off Hiroto.

Back in class I sat down at my desk as Sensei tried to teach, but no one was really paying any attention to her. The shooting was a week ago and the culprit was still a mystery. I don't understand how he could have gotten away. After the shots were fired wouldn't someone have gone out to see? I would have, had the shooting not taken place halfway across the campus.

The other two victims weren't much help, they had been in critical condition for days and when they finally came to they couldn't remember a thing. Morons. If I had been shot and lived through it, I would remember every little detail so that I could get my revenge. The shooter would wish he'd have killed me because I would do everything in my power to make him suffer.

I could feel Hiroto staring me down again, and it was pissing me off. I looked over at him and was startled to see Jounouchi sitting at his desk. What? I looked away, then back again.

There he was.

At his desk.

Was I seeing this right? I blinked. Perhaps the guilt is too much for me to bear, so now my mind is projecting Jounouchi. I didn't know I cared that much. I turned back to my desk and tried to ignore the vision I was seeing. Fuck, if I didn't need a therapist before, I needed one now.

I told myself that for the remainder of the day I would focus on my class work and not look towards Jounouchi's side of the room. I don't know what I'll do if I look over and he's still there. Time was ticking away, but all I could think about was what I had seen.

This is ridiculous. Jounouchi is dead; I know he's dead. I was letting Hiroto get the better of me. I stood up and walked out of the room, despite Sensei's objection to it. I needed air.

Making my way to the courtyard I glanced over at the bench that was dedicated to Jounouchi's memory. It was his fault, he shouldn't have left classroom. We would always fight and never had he once left the room. I glared. I hated him even more now. "You bastard," I said, "even in death you manage to torment me."

"Yeah, well this hasn't exactly been a field day for me either." I wheeled around to see Jounouchi standing there. Now my mind is projecting his voice. "Only good thing is that I can call you names and you have to take it 'cause you can't hear me." Wow, I remembered his accent so well it sounded as if he was really there. "Idiot," He continued, and then started running around me calling me names, "Ooo, there's the vein. It's so scary. We are all scared of the great Seto Kaiba." He was mocking me now. I let out a breath I just realized I was holding.

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, and he stopped.

"Y-You can hear me?" he asked.

"Of course I can hear you, you're a figment of my imagination. I guess I'm a masochist or something."

"Wha?..."

"I have no time for this." I didn't. "I must have eaten something bad." Thing is, I didn't eat anything all day. This wasn't happening. I pulled out my phone and called my limo. I ignored Jounouchi as best I could until the limo came and I got in quickly.

"Where to, Mr. Kaiba?" Roland asked.

"The hospital." I needed a CAT scan, or at the very least drugs to make my mind stop. The shooting wasn't my fault, and I'm not going to let myself think it was.