Author Nonsense: December 29 2006: I don't want any of the few readers I have for this fiction to think that I'm gonna forget about it. I enjoy writing the pair a lot. The Phosphorous story actually happened to me in high school so I thought it was a fun thing to throw in.

-Aura

Chapter 8: A Rival Obsessed

"Hey Kagome!" Mokuba called cheerfully as she got out of the car to let the kid get into the small backseat. "How are you?"

"I'm great Mokuba." Kagome replied, bending down to give the shorter kid a hug with a smile on her face. "How was school?"

He jumped into the back and set his bag on his lap. "It was okay, sort of boring really. Yours?"

"It was the opposite." Kagome laughed. "I got to see…"

A warning glance from Kaiba made her change what she was going to say.

"…them nearly set the ceiling on fire in science class." she finished.

"Whoa…that had to have been a little scary too." Mokuba bought the lie with a shocked expression. "How'd they do that?"

"The teacher was trying to show us what happens when Phosphorous goes into water. It turns into flame." Kagome explained with a smile, remembering the event from the year before at her old school. "Some kids in the class pushed him to throw in more than was safe. So when the larger chunk hit the water it turned into a small fireball and set the roof on fire. He had to rush over and get an extinguisher and put it out but the whole class had to be relocated to the cafeteria."

"Guess I shouldn't mind boring." Mokuba replied.

"So Mokuba, you wanna stay over Friday night? Souta would love it and my mom wouldn't mind." Kagome invited, ignoring the second dirty look from Kaiba.

"That would be great!" Mokuba announced, looking to his brother. "Can I Seto? Please?"

"You are suppose to be grounded." Kaiba returned coldly. "Perhaps another time once you've finished your punishment."

"Aw…okay." the younger brother pouted a bit but otherwise remained quiet.

"I'd forgotten about that…we'll just rain check it if that's okay with Kaiba." Kagome cheered the boy.

"That would be acceptable." Kaiba gave in at his brothers wide eyes. "But no more trying to avoid your punishment."

"Okay." Mokuba agreed seriously, looking out the window.

They traveled in silence most of the rest of the way until they reached the temple steps and Kagome got out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow in home room. Later."

Mokuba crawled into the front seat and chuckled at his brother. "You should ask her out Seto."

"We're going out on Friday." Kaiba answered, resisting the smirk at his younger brother's shock.

"You never go out." Mokuba said after a moment. "Do you have a crush on Kagome?"

"There were odd circumstances. Don't press yourself for further weeks of being grounded."

Mokuba rolled his eyes but looked out the window and left his brother alone.

I don't have a crush on anyone. He huffed mentally. I just take what is mine and I won the date.

"So where are you taking her then?" Mokuba asked, not daring to sound too interested.

"To dinner…that tends to be the usual outlet for such activities." Kaiba replied. "Perhaps something else after or before that."

"Why not a play or something at the theater." Mokuba suggested. "There are always things you are sent invitations too that you don't attend. Maybe she'd like to go to something like that."

"There is an orchestra that will be performing that night." Kaiba remembered the tickets he'd been sent. He got all sort of free invitations from groups or bands hoping he would attend and perhaps bring a little bit of the fame that followed him. He would have to call and let them know he needed a private box…the last thing he wanted to do was deal with other morons trying to get an autograph. "I'll have to send her an appropriate dress for something like that."

"I could go with her and help her pick something out." Mokuba suggested. "That way you can keep where you are taking her a secret."

"I thought I said you should stop trying to get out of your punishment." Kaiba said wryly.

"Do you want to take her to get a dress?" Mokuba asked seriously.

"Mmm, I'll let you win this time." Kaiba relented at that thought. "Don't think you are getting off early for good behavior on this though."

"Okay Seto." Mokuba had to grin at the window…he would find something to make Seto gawk at Kagome enough that he couldn't keep denying his attraction to the nice girl. Plans to set up his brother with his new friends sister in the works in his mind. "I'll give you a letter to give her from me when we get home.

Scene Switch

Dear Kagome,

I want to help you out for my brother cause you'll need a really nice dress for Friday and he figures it's his job to buy you a new one to wear for the occasion. If you aren't busy after school come with him to pick me up and we can go pick something just great to match how pretty you are. He's actually letting me go out of the house for it so I can't wait! See you later.

-Mokuba Kaiba

She looked over the letter Kaiba had given her in homeroom during her last period for the fiftieth time that day. Wondering just what his younger brother was up too or where exactly he was taking her that she needed to buy a new dress, certainly she had something in her closet she could use. If it needed to be nice then she always had things from the dances she never got to attend at her other school. Though she didn't want to deny the younger brother a chance to escape his home for a while. She should have never let this nonsense get this far.

She folded the note in half and shoved it into her history book to mark the page before she closed it and shoved it into a bag, the final hour had seemed to drag on. She was wondering if school had always felt so long when a girl came along and slammed her locker closed rather violently, strong enough that it didn't even click, just bounced back out and left a shocked Kagome to face a livid girl that was staring at her as if she planned to deck the priestess next.

"Whoa…what's your problem?" Kagome asked, getting a little irritated now that the initial surprise was wearing off. She didn't even recognize the woman that was so angry at her.

If it wasn't for the slightly puffy eyes - apparently from recent tears, and the snarl her lips had curled into she would have been exceptionally pretty. Porcelain skin beneath silken black locks, rare green eyes narrowed dangerously above a perfect nose and high cheeks, full lips painted red above teeth that looked like she belonged on a toothpaste commercial. She was wearing a simple aquamarine sweater set over a sandy colored pair of slacks and short heels that matched the pants, a simple silver necklace and matching studs were her only jewelry though she had a dress watch on her right hand.

"What is wrong?" her voice was strained but didn't crack, Kagome wondered if a vein was going to start protruding from her forehead. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong you little whore! You are going after my boyfriend! Seto Kaiba is mine, and you dare to touch him more or less look at him? What's wrong is a new little bitch thinks she can just do whatever she wants?"

"Excuse me?" Kagome laughed aloud. "You need to get your head examined. I can't see Seto appreciating anyone saying that they owned him. I never went after anything and the newspaper was something that Karen just made up. If you believe that nonsense you are stupid. Would you go away so I could get my things?"

She didn't want to be so mean, but she had no patience left for this nonsense. She ducked away as the other girl swung at her and didn't manage to dodge her grabbing her hair.

"You'll regret that." the girl shrieked as she starting pulling Kagome's hair.

Kagome had been through too many attempted kidnappings and other battle experiences in the feudal era to put up with that and she gritted her teeth while she felt her scalp protesting to kick the other girl in the stomach, coming up with a fist to knock her in the nose. Causing enough damage in the two strikes to cause her to back a couple steps.

"Get off me!" Kagome protested, looking at her wide-eyed. Ducking away as the girl tried to lunge at her again - allowing her to slam her head into the open locker before two teachers came over to 'pull' them apart. Kagome didn't resist at all while it took an extra teacher to hold down the obsessed fan while she hissed and spited like an enraged feline.

"What is going on here!?" the principle walked through the crowd, his loud voice making it disperse. "Nicole…what in the world happened? Why are you two fighting."

At the voice the girl's whole demeanor degenerated into instant sobs and wails, her body suddenly going limp so the teachers had to help hold her up.

"What did you do to her?" the principle turned to Kagome with a stern look after eyeing the preppy girl that had started the whole thing.

"I defended myself after she tried to punch me and started pulling my hair." Kagome said, still breathing a little heavy after the short skirmish. "I kicked her and punched her to get her away and then she came at me a second time so I ducked to the side and she slammed her head into my locker. Everyone here saw it."

"Well?" the principle asked the people and they seemed suddenly uncomfortable to step forward and aid her. When no one said anything he turned back. "Nicole, care to tell your story?"

The girl sniffed and made a show of seeming brave, letting her lip quiver a moment before she nodded. "I'll try."

"Take your time." the man said kindly, Kagome noting the difference in treatment.

"I asked her why she was asking out my boyfriend, I thought maybe cause she was new that she wouldn't know that I was dating him. She told me that he wouldn't be mine anymore and I asked her if we could just be civil and she kicked me in the stomach and called me…a…well something very unkind. A female dog." The girl had turned into a demur little wimp in a split second that was a masterful liar Kagome had to stare in disbelief at the acting she was witnessing. "Then she punched me in the eye and told me that I should give her my jewelry as I wasn't pretty enough to wear it. I told her where she could get the set on sale and was going to find the address to the store when she grabbed my head and slammed it into the locker."

"Oh come on…" Kagome rolled her eyes. "You can't believe that."

"Quiet." The principle corrected with a frown. "Don't try to intimidate her into lying to protect you. Just because you are new doesn't mean you can bully the kids here."

"I didn't bully anyone." Kagome ground her teeth to try to adjust to what the hell was going on and keep her temper in check. "She came up cursing at me when I was getting my things together and she attacked me. Everyone here saw it…"

"Don't try to get others to protect you either…at least fess up to your own mistakes." the principle continued. "I'd like to see you in my office Ms. Higurashi."

"That isn't necessary." Mai said with a frown. "Kagome's telling the truth, the girl jumped her first and all the rest of the students are just too afraid you'll never admit to a problem with your own daughter and won't defend her out of fear of you punishing them."

"Ms. Valentine. Tell me what you heard and saw." The principle turned his eyes to the new entry to the whole event.

"I wasn't close enough to hear most of it, but I did hear cursing that sounded like your daughter not Kagome so it might be better just to overlook it overall as it can't be proved either way who was doing it. But I saw your daughter swing at Kagome first and start pulling her hair. All Kagome did was try to defend herself and Nicole tripped over herself and slammed her own head into the locker. I'm tired of her thinking she can be a tyrant just because you spawned her." Mai explained bitterly. "I see a law suit with my dad volunteering if you try to press punishment on Kagome for your daughter's poor behavior."

"Fighting isn't acceptable in any definition." the principle said. "and you watch your tone Ms. Valentine or you'll be joining them in whatever punishment is decided upon. I'll just have to come up with a project they can do together sense they need to learn to get along."

"But…" the girl sniffed. "I didn't do anything."

"Take the results of your actions with grace." the principle ordered. "Are either of you hurt?"

"No." Kagome answered with a shrug. "A small headache but some Tylenol will fix it."

"Good," the school's leader nodded and looked at his apparent daughter.

"I think I should see a doctor." She started crying again. "I just didn't want her to steal my boyfriend."

Most of the crowd had already fell off, not caring to see the girl whine about what happened, the rumors already starting to spread around her. Kagome winced as she pulled out a brush and straightened back out the tangle's the psycho had caused, finishing and picking up her bag to head for the door. Hoping she didn't miss Kaiba completely with the commotion and that they hadn't detained her longer.

She grinned when she saw the bright red sports car and waved to the waiting Seto, running over to it. "Sorry I'm late…there was a little…um…problem inside. Do you know a girl named Nicole?"

Kaiba closed his eyes and sighed. "The stalker returns, what did she do to you? You seem fairly unscathed compared to most."

"She tried to attack me…I think I'm in trouble for defending myself." Kagome blushed a little and got into the car after he reached across to open her door.

"Don't worry about it, she won't be back once I talk to the police. She can't legally attend school where I do. I'll set up a restraining order for you and your family when I speak to them. I can't actually have her arrested unless she breaks a legal one that's set into paperwork." Kaiba explained as he pulled from the curb. "What did you do to her?"

"I um, kicked and punched her to get her to stop pulling my hair and then I dodged her once and she slammed her head into the side of my locker." Kagome bit her lip. "I didn't want to hurt her but I won't just let someone hurt me either."

Kaiba actually laughed, it was alien but pleasant and made her smile a little more. "I have to salute you for that. She generally tries to beat up anyone that so much as mentions my name, if I could have moved her out of the country I would have."

"Doesn't help me though. I don't think I'm going to do well if the principle hates me cause of his daughter." Kagome sighed. "I should have made mom send me to a cheaper school."

"I wouldn't be too concerned." Kaiba replied. "He won't risk his job, even for his daughter. You seem tough enough to survive a couple weeks of scrutiny."
"Thanks."

"No problem. I'm just dropping you off at Mokuba's school, a limo should be waiting as he wanted to drag you out for a dress for Friday evening. Don't concern yourself with price, I am a more traditional member of my sex…it's my responsibility to take care of the needs for out little date. Mokuba will be a good judge of what is appropriate. Don't go getting a black eye between then and now." Kaiba said with a serious voice and resisted his urge to smile.

"You really are an ass." Kagome snapped and got out when he pulled over, huffing her way to the limo that was waiting with his younger brother. He waited until he knew she couldn't see him to break out into a smile and drive off. He knew Mokuba would do well with her and he needed to go and make some calls to the police about the problem that was Nicole.

Kagome was cheered quickly enough by Mokuba and was taken by the limo with him toward where she'd be shopping with the younger Kaiba brother for her 'date' with him in two days.

End Chapter

I had a lot of fun in this chapter, opening up a few more drama laden details with the Nicole character and her insane jealousy of Kagome and obsession with Seto. I think a stalker for Kaiba makes a lot of sense so I had to put one in. I figure shopping with Mokuba might be a fun chapter and though it might be a surprise to just wait and show it when the two go out I'm not sure yet if I'll do it. The dress will of course be blue ;).

-Aura

To my reviewers: Well I'd normally put responses here but I haven't gotten any new reviews recently so nothing to respond to. Makes me sad.