Heart of the Blue-Eyes

by Azure Eyes Silver Dragon

When tragedy strikes at KaibaCorp, Téa and the gang rush to the aid of an old acquaintance. Set approximately three to four years after the events of Dark Side of Dimensions.

12. Not Your Time Yet

Happy New Year, my few but faithful! Here is the next installment just special for you to kick off 2023. Thank you for reading! I am grateful for everyone that likes and subscribes to my story. I'm thinking of writing a second fan-fiction if this one continues to get positive reviews, so stay tuned!

- Azure Eyes Silver Dragon

---

Kaiba's gaze was fixed upon Mokuba's name on the stone monument as he absent-mindedly ran his thumbnail along the tines of Téa's blue flower hair comb. It had been two days since Dia had finally come forward and the medical staff had been reinstated at KaibaCorp. Kaiba stood there as the afternoon sun beamed down through the trees, feeling a strange sense of calm for the first time in two months. He didn't feel the need to fight back tears that wouldn't fall, and he no longer felt the empty blackness inside as his eyes lingered on his brother's grave. Kaiba inhaled deeply through his nose and sighed, relieved that he finally felt at peace, and placed Téa's hair comb gently back on Mokuba's monument. He was glad everyone who visited had the good sense to realize it was a tribute and didn't remove it. Perhaps he would ask the mason to chisel out an alcove to protect it from the elements. Kaiba laid his hand on Mokuba's name and leaned his forehead against the cool stone, just as Téa had done the night of the charity ball. He didn't realize his head felt so hot. Maybe he was getting a headache again. Kaiba took his forehead away from the monument and stepped back, regarding the monument for a moment longer before striding back into the building.

When he made it back to his office, he noticed Mayura at his desk, setting a tray upon it. "You have good timing, Mr. Kaiba. I just brought you some lunch." said Mayura, beaming at him.

"Funny, I don't recall asking for lunch." said Kaiba sarcastically as he crossed the room.

Mayura's gaze became concerned. "Come now, Mr. Kaiba, you haven't been eating well lately." she said. "Why, the last time you ate a real meal was when Miss Téa was here a few days ago, and even before then your appetite was subsiding."

"I just haven't been hungry, Mayura. It happens." said Kaiba, as he opened the top drawer of his desk, taking out a bottle of headache meds.

Mayura noted this, saying, "You probably wouldn't have a headache if you ate something."

Kaiba had to resist rolling his eyes as he popped two caplets into his mouth and took a drink from his water glass. "It'll subside." he said simply, returning the bottle to the drawer and changing the subject. "Has Roland dropped by with the network report yet?"

"I haven't seen him yet." Mayura said, watching as Kaiba massaged his forehead with his hand. "Are you sure you should be diving into heavy manuscripts right now?"

"I'll be fine." said Kaiba, controlling his growing ire. He hated repeating himself.

"I'm merely suggesting to wait until the meds kick in at least, dear." said Mayura.

"I was going to." said Kaiba, getting irritated.

Mayura bowed, sensing his irritation, and said, "I'll be in the service corridor if you need me, sir." To Kaiba's great relief, she left the room.

Kaiba sighed and strode towards his living quarters. Standing under the hot shower should help his headache go away. It always did. Kaiba stripped and laid his clothes on the bed, then walked into the bathroom. He closed the glass shower door and turned on the hot water, inhaling deeply through his nose. Already he could feel the tension disappearing from his neck and shoulders, letting the blood flow more easily to his head. He stood under the endless flow of hot water for ten minutes before he finally felt the pain ease from his temples, and he cut the water off and exited the shower. He grabbed a white towel and dried his hair, then started drying the rest of himself. As he bent over to dry his legs and feet, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, along with a burning sensation in the back of his throat. Kaiba moved quickly to the sink and vomited into the basin. He let out a noise of frustration before grabbing the mouthwash, swishing and gargling several times. Kaiba leaned against the sink and released a sigh from his mouth before taking a few more deep breaths to steady himself. Even with the reduction of his appetite, his stomach still found a way to empty itself several times a day the last two days. He coughed and spat into the sink, suppressing a cold shudder. His stomach was doing cartwheels, and Kaiba upturned his palms and saw that they were shaking and sweaty. Kaiba opened a drawer under the sink and rummaged through it, pulling out another medicine bottle, this one of anti-nausea tablets. Hopefully it would work before mid-afternoon or he'd have to cancel some meetings. Not that he really cared; his health, physical or mental, had always came first. The others could deal with it. And it wasn't like getting sick in front of several of the best businessmen in Domino City would be any good for his image anyway.

Kaiba finished drying off and dressed again, walking back out to the office. He looked up to see Roland standing at his desk, a tablet in his hands. "Sorry it took so long, sir." he said.

"What did?" asked Kaiba.

"The network report, sir." said Roland, holding up the tablet. "You asked me to bring you the updates from this morning?"

"Right. Yes, I did." said Kaiba, running a hand through his hair.

Roland's opaque sunglasses hid his eyes as they were supposed to, and his naturally strong brow aided at hiding his expressions to begin with, but Kaiba still had a strong sense that his security chief was watching him carefully. "I can handle it for you if you have…other business to attend to, Mr. Kaiba." he said cautiously.

"The only business I have to attend to is this." said Kaiba curtly, taking the tablet from Roland's hands and avoiding his scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes sir." said Roland. "If you need anything further, you know how to reach me."

Kaiba waved him off, and his security chief bowed deeply before exiting the room.

Kaiba lowered himself into the chair and activated the tablet. There was at least a hundred pages in the report, and Kaiba would have to read through everything word for word and study the diagrams. There was no skimming over network security, especially if he was going to keep the privilege of boasting the best there ever was. Kaiba picked up a stylus to make notations and got to work. The hour ticked by slowly, and he was almost finished when Kaiba started to see black at the corners of his vision. He blinked and refocused, but the blackness crept back into his line of sight, blocking out the report. Kaiba rubbed his eyes for a moment and tried again, but the dark aura was still there. Damn it, his headache was turning into a migraine. Kaiba pressed a button on his desk phone.

"Yes, sir?"

"Cancel my meeting at 3, Jane." he said simply. He never gave his reasons. He didn't have to.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba took his finger off the button and sighed. He was starting to feel dizzy, the backlight of the tablet probably not helping the burning sensation in his eyes, but he was so close to finishing the report. The black aura crept into his vision again, and the code on the tablet was starting to jumble together, looking like nonsense to Kaiba. He sighed and leaned his head on his fist, closing his eyes. He just needed to rest his eyes for a bit, he rationalized. Just for a moment…

"Mr. Kaiba?"

"I'm almost done..." Kaiba heard himself murmur aloud, but his eyes were still closed.

He felt a firm hand on his shoulder and then a quick shake. "Mr. Kaiba, wake up!"

Kaiba jolted awake, looking around. He was still sitting at his desk, the network report before him. Even the stylus was still in his hand. Roland was standing right next to him, and Kaiba looked up at the clock. How on earth did two hours go by?! He had missed yet another meeting and hadn't informed his scheduler about that cancellation, which is probably why Roland had come looking for him. "Mr. Kaiba, if you're not well, then you shouldn't be working." he said.

"I just fell asleep. I'm fine." said Kaiba, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Sir, you never fall asleep sitting up at your desk." said Roland, knowing that was one of the many things Gozaburo had beaten out of Kaiba during his tutoring. "I implore you to at least take a nap, if not to take the day off."

Kaiba was about to protest when he felt a pressure in his throat and a familiar burning sensation coming up from his stomach. He heaved, and Roland jumped out of the way as Kaiba bent over the trash can and coughed violently, his stomach emptying itself once again.

Roland pressed his receiver and said something into his lapel, and a few moments later, a maid came scurrying into the room with a bottle of water and a wet washcloth. Roland took them and waved the maid out of the room before she could stare too long at Kaiba, scanning both items with the hazard scanner before handing them to Kaiba, saying, "Now I really must insist you go lay down, sir. You're not well and you can't deny it now."

Kaiba shuddered, snatching up the water bottle and rinsing his mouth before spitting into the trash can. "I'm fine, really! This has been happening for a while." he insisted.

"It's been happening?!" exclaimed Roland. "For how long?"

"Just a few days." said Kaiba, wiping his mouth with the washcloth.

"Mr. Kaiba, if you've been sick for several days, you need to go to the medical wing." said Roland sternly. "If you leave this unchecked, it could get worse."

"Don't tell me what to do! You're my business advisor, not my father!" said Kaiba, irritated.

"I'm also your medical power of attorney, Mr. Kaiba, for both physical and mental illness." said Roland, becoming serious. "...and you're the one who bestowed that power upon me should the need arise, like now."

Kaiba looked up quickly, his head reeling from the jarring movement as he took the washcloth from his face and glared at Roland. "You wouldn't dare..." warned Kaiba through gritted teeth.

"You ought to know by now that I would indeed dare." warned Roland. "You can either go to bed by your own power or I'll have you do so in the intake wing. The choice is yours, sir. I can take care of the rest of your meetings for today."

Kaiba scowled. His headache was pounding in his skull and neck. He didn't want to deal with this right now. "Fine!" he said, throwing in the towel quite literally as he threw the washcloth on his desk. "Have it your way. I'll turn in early." Kaiba stood slowly, supporting himself on the desk before taking slow steps towards his living quarters. Roland made to grab his arm, but Kaiba shook him away. "I can walk on my own!" he said, but even as those words came out of his mouth, he fell against the bookcase. Roland shook his head at him.

"I don't know who you got that galvanized stubbornness from, Mr. Kaiba, but mark my words, it'll be the death of you." said Roland.

Kaiba ignored him and continued into his room, shutting the door behind him. He managed to make it to the sofa before he leaned against that too, holding his face in his hands. Why was he so dizzy?! This had to be the worst migraine in his entire life, and Kaiba tried to hold back his stomach as it threatened to empty itself again. He managed to drag himself the rest of the way to his bedroom before falling onto his bed. He just barely had the strength to kick off his shoes and roll onto his back, not even bothering to get under the covers. He put his arm over his eyes to block out the light from the bay window, pouring obnoxiously bright natural light into the room. Fine, I'll take a nap. he thought, closing his eyes. Just a small one...only for a little bit...

---

"Big Bro!"

Kaiba stirred, his eyelids twitching.

"Big Bro, wake up!"

"Not now, Mokuba..." groaned Kaiba, putting an arm over his eyes.

"Seto, come on! Get out of bed! You need to get up!"

Kaiba sighed and opened his eyes. His vision swam as he turned his head to look to the side of his bed, where Mokuba stood gazing at him with a concerned look on his face.

"You look awful, Seto." said Mokuba, grabbing Kaiba's hand. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and get you something to drink."

His mouth did feel bone dry, as if he had walked through a desert. He let his brother pull him into a sitting position, and his head spun as he did so. Kaiba clutched his head in his hands and shivered, chills ravaging his body, and yet his skin was flushed and hot. He fumbled at the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off weakly; his limbs felt like leaden weights. He must have stayed in the hot shower for too long. Yeah, that was it.

"Easy." said Mokuba, holding out his hands as if to catch his brother from falling forward. "Go slow, Seto. There's no rush."

"Uh-huh..." said Kaiba, pushing himself off the bed. He stumbled towards the door, gasping for air. Hot. Too hot. Why was he shivering? The air burned heavily in his mouth, like he was in a sauna that was set too high. What was he doing again? Right, water. He needed water.

Kaiba opened his door and stepped out into the kitchen area, groping for the refrigerator handle. He opened it and took out a water bottle, which slipped from his hands and dropped to the floor. He bent to pick it up, then had to grab the refrigerator handle to keep himself from toppling over, his head swimming again. He fumbled with the bottle cap before he finally got it open. Why did he feel so weak? Kaiba upturned the water bottle and guzzled it down, spilling a bit down his chin. The cold water felt so good. He poured some into his hand and rubbed it all over his face and neck, reveling in the cooling sensation. A pain shot through his head, and Kaiba clutched his forehead and groaned. He felt the sudden pressure in his throat, and he cursed before leaning over the sink and heaving up the contents of his stomach once again.

"Ew, gross..." said Mokuba, pulling a face. "You should probably sit back down, Big Bro. You don't look so good."

Kaiba panted over the sink, vomit dripping from his mouth. He fumbled for the faucet, rinsing his mouth and gargling before spitting into the drain. He drank more from the water bottle as he made his way over to the sofa, tripping over the lavelle before collapsing onto the cushions, and Kaiba felt his eyes close as the black aura surrounded his vision again.

"Seto, come on! Snap out of it!"

Kaiba opened his eyes. He was staring at the floor, where his water bottle had dropped from his hand and spilled onto the hardwood floor. He put his hand on the floor, into the puddle of water, before pushing himself upright again. His head spun again, his temples throbbing.

"Good job, genius." said Mokuba, standing off to the side.

Kaiba glared at him, but before he could say anything, he heard another voice, strong and firm. "Don't talk to your brother like that, Mokuba."

Kaiba looked up at a mirror image of himself, the face littered with red stubble under similarly burnished copper hair. "Dad?" said Kaiba. "No, it can't be. You're dead..." He blinked slowly, his vision wavering. Realization dawned on him. "...wait...so is..." He looked over at his brother again. Kaiba swore to himself and stumbled off of the couch, then slipped in the puddle of water and fell to the floor. Everything in his vision started blending together.

"Roland...Fuguta...help..." panted Kaiba weakly. His voice wouldn't carry. His eyes fell on a hidden red button under the lavelle, and he reached out and shoved his hand against it with the rest of his strength. A deafening alarm buzzed overhead, making his ears ring, and Kaiba felt like his head was going to explode. He collapsed on the floor and felt the burning pressure in the back of his throat again, coughing violently before vomiting. He heard the door bang open and four pairs of feet charge into the room, followed by Roland's voice crying, "Mr. Kaiba!"

The alarm was silenced, and Kaiba felt two sets of strong hands grab him under the arms and lift him onto the couch in a sitting position. "Eugh! Mayura, get a washcloth." he heard Fuguta say.

Kaiba's head dipped as he felt dizzy. "Mr. Kaiba, look at me. Can you hear me?" asked Roland, and Kaiba saw a blurry face appear before his. He was starting to see double.

He felt a wash cloth on his face, and he reflexively jerked away as it passed over his mouth. "Easy, Mr. Kaiba. I'm just cleaning you up." he heard Mayura say.

He felt the back of a hand on his forehead and heard Ivan say, "He's burning up, Roland. His fever's got to be in the hundreds."

Kaiba heaved again, and both Roland and Mayura jumped out of the way as a fresh wave of vomit burst from Kaiba's mouth. "Oh dear, that's blood!" cried Mayura.

A beep, then, "This is Roland. We need a triage team in Mr. Kaiba's room now!"

Kaiba's entire body started shaking violently as he panted, "I don't...feel..." All of a sudden, it was extremely difficult for him to breathe. "I can't..."

"Sweetheart, you have to stay alive." he heard a woman say. "It's not your time yet."

Kaiba looked up, and through the haze, he saw a tall woman with long black hair and dark eyes framed by heavy lashes standing with his father. "...mom?" he asked. "...is that-...?"

His mother's mouth moved, but it was Mayura's voice that cried, "Did he just say mom?!"

Kaiba shook his head violently, jarring his vision, and Mayura came back into focus. "No!" he moaned, pressing his hands into his eyes. He could see swirls of color even behind his eyelids.

"What did you say, sir?" said Roland. "Are you trying to tell us something?"

Roland's voice was drowned out under Mokuba's, who cried, "Don't go, Big Bro! You promised you'd go on living for me!"

Kaiba peered out from behind his hands, and he saw his brother appear in Roland's crouched figure. He was at the same height as Mokuba.

"You're not there." breathed Kaiba, trying to get a grasp on the mind that was playing tricks on him. "...you're not real..."

"Who is he talking to?" asked Ivan.

"We're here with you, Seto." said his father, gripping his shoulder. "Stay strong."

"Don't call him that, Fuguta!" said Roland suddenly.

His dad turned to look at Roland, and Fuguta's face appeared in its place. Kaiba startled at the jarring change and let out a surprised yelp, shoving Fuguta's hand off of his shoulder. Roland, Fuguta, and Ivan quickly grabbed him before he toppled off the couch. Kaiba put his head in his hands, his fingers fisting into his hair as he started to hyperventilate. His body was on fire, his mind a whirlwind of dizziness. "Stop." he pleaded out loud to nothing. "Please stop."

"Mr. Kaiba, tell me what you see." commanded Roland firmly, realizing the seriousness of the situation. "Talk to me, sir. Tell me who all is in the room with you."

"My...guards..." panted Kaiba. "...and Mayura…"

"That's good." assured Roland. "Who else?"

"…and my...parents..."

"Oh dear!" cried Mayura.

"...and Mokuba...they're all here...with me..." added Kaiba, his head starting to dip again.

"He's having fever hallucinations!" exclaimed Ivan. "Where on earth is Rianski?!"

Kaiba's vision blackened at the edges, but this time it didn't go away when he tried to refocus. He felt his hands drop like leaden weights from his head and fall into his lap, his chin falling to his chest.

"Mr. Kaiba, stay with us!" said Roland.

"Seto!" cried Mokuba.

Kaiba felt himself fall forward, and three pairs of hands grabbed him before he hit the floor and slipped out of consciousness as his name echoed in his brain.

---

"What's the reading, Ruth?"

"108.4, Roland, sir."

"108?! He needs to be moved!"

"This is Rianski. Bring a gurney for Mr. Kaiba STAT! Ruth, get a saline line in him!"

Kaiba blinked open his eyes slowly. The light was on, flooding his vision with bright whiteness. He groaned and tried to block out the light with his hand, but his arm felt like lead, and he felt the back of his hand smack into his face as it flopped uselessly back down.

"Mr. Kaiba! Can you hear me?"

Yes, I can hear you, Rianski. Why wouldn't his mouth move? Kaiba felt someone pull his hand away from his face and heard the nurse, Ruth, say, "Mr. Kaiba, if you can hear me, can you squeeze my hand?"

Kaiba tried to do so; he could just barely move his fingers, but he had no strength to tighten them around the nurse's hand. He tried to move his mouth to tell them he could hear them, but no words came out. He felt someone pull up his eyelid and saw another bright light, this one aimed right into his eyeball. Please stop doing that, Rianski. he thought, but only a weak noise escaped his open mouth.

"Pupils are responsive. If he's coherent, he's just barely. We need to get him to the ICU."

Kaiba smelled alcohol, felt someone wipe the top of his hand, then a sharp pinch followed shortly by a glorious cooling sensation going up his arm. He heard a door open and the sound of wheels. He tried to open his eyes again. Something yellow was placed beside him, then four pairs of hands grabbed his limbs and pulled him sideways. The movement was jarring, and Kaiba felt like he was going to be sick again.

"Easy now. On three. One...two...three!"

Kaiba's stomach flew to his throat as he felt himself lifted and set onto the gurney. He coughed as he felt a burning sensation in his throat again. Don't puke, don't puke. He felt something pushed into his nostrils, and he reflexively jerked his head away and lashed out weakly.

"It's alright, Mr. Kaiba. It's just the oxygen line." said Ruth.

Kaiba opened his eyes again. His vision blurred together like a child's watercolor painting, but he could still guess what was there. The white and blue had to be the coats of the doctor and the medical scrubs of the nurses. The black was Roland, and the grey and white smudge was Mayura in her service gown. Kaiba tried to call out to them, but only another weak and muddled noise escaped him. Why couldn't he move his tongue or lips? Kaiba reached out to the grey and white smudge in his vision. His hand groped a bony wrist, his fingers unable to grasp it; his strength was completely sapped from him.

"We have to move him. Let's go everyone!"

His hand slipped off Mayura's wrist as Kaiba felt himself swiftly rolled away. Someone moved his hanging arm back onto the gurney. Kaiba shut his eyes tight against the flashing white lights as the medical team ran the gurney down the hall. He heard doors open, they rolled further away, then halted for a moment. Kaiba heard the whirring of pulleys and gears, then a loud ding. The gurney bounced and rocked slightly over the threshold of the elevator.

"Easy over the thresholds! Don't make him sick again!"

Kaiba opened his eyes again. His chief of security was standing right next to him, the black smudge that was Roland's tux conspicuous among the white and blue. Kaiba only had until the elevator opened. He had to let Roland know. He was the only one who knew. But Kaiba couldn't even form a word, let alone a sentence. He couldn't move his tongue or mouth. He could only just barely move his fingers.

"Ivan, I'll need you to clear the floor for Mr. Kaiba when we get to the wing." said Roland.

"Yes sir." came the curt reply.

Ivan! Kaiba's eyes flew open again. The private eye was in the elevator with them, and he was a master at silent communication. It took all of his strength for Kaiba to reach out and seize Ivan's wrist, startling the guard. He had Ivan's attention, but the exertion made his vision go black at the corners. No! He had to stay awake long enough to give Ivan the message.

"Don't let him mess up that IV!" he heard Rianski say.

Ruth tried pulling Kaiba's hand away, and it shook with the effort of keeping his grip on Ivan's wrist with his last two fingers and thumb while lifting the other two to tap on Ivan's arm.

"No wait, Ruth! Look!" said Mayura.

Kaiba tapped his two fingers on Ivan's arm, then just his forefinger, then his forefinger followed by his middle finger. He paused for a moment before repeating the sequence.

"Is that…Morse Code?" asked Fuguta.

"What's he saying, Ivan?" asked Roland.

"He's just repeating three letters..." came Ivan's voice. "T, E, and A."

"Why on earth is he asking for tea with a high fever?" asked Ruth. "He must be delirious."

Kaiba heard Roland speak. "Téa!" he said in hushed tones, realization hitting him. He heard a familiar beeping noise as Roland pressed the receiver hidden in the lapel of his tux. "Claire, I'm sending out a car for your charge. Go with them."

Relief washed over Kaiba like a wave before his head rolled to the side, and he felt himself lose consciousness once again as he was rushed towards the medical wing.

---

Téa sighed and looked over at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost half past four in the morning and Téa hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. She threw the covers off of her and stood, pacing the room in a thin tank top and sleep shorts. Why did she feel so restless? Téa always got more than enough sleep. She hadn't stayed up hanging out with the guys or Mai and Serenity last night. She had even taken a nice hot bath and tried to wind down by reading before bed, but Téa had been unable to focus on the text. This strange feeling that made her heart ache in her chest and her mind wander tirelessly permeated her entire being for most of the day and persisted throughout the night. Was something wrong with one of the guys? Téa had always shared a bond with Yugi, Joey and Tristan ever since Duelist Kingdom when it was first made evident during Yugi's Shadow Duel with Pegasus, and it had only grown stronger through the years. Even Mai had said a woman's intuition was a thing of gods, and Téa couldn't ignore this feeling that something was amiss. Maybe it was Duke or Bakura? Or Mai or Serenity? They had all been together for long enough that perhaps the bond had extended to them as well. Maybe she should call them to see if they were okay, but none of them were probably awake this early, and she didn't want to be a nuisance...

Téa was startled out of her thoughts at the sound of her doorbell ringing followed by someone knocking frantically on her front door. Who could be here at half past four in the morning?! She threw her bath robe over her in case it was one of the guys and ran down the stairs, shouting, "Be right there!" Téa looked through her peephole in the door and gasped before flinging it open. "Claire?!" she said, shocked to see her guard. "...and Eric!" she said, recognizing the driver who held an umbrella in the pouring rain. "What are you two doing here?"

"Miss Téa, you must come quickly!" said Claire, her voice fraught with worry.

"Roland sent us to come get you for Mr. Kaiba. It's an emergency!" added Eric.

Téa clapped a hand to her mouth. Something must be seriously wrong with Kaiba if it was an emergency. Why else would Roland want her to go to KaibaCorp in the dead of the night?

"I'll be right out!" she told them, running back into the house. She threw a real shirt and a raincoat over her tank top and slid into socks and shoes. She grabbed her purse and keys from her bedside table, stuffing her phone in her coat pocket as she ran back out her door again. Téa returned to the front door in under a minute, locking it behind her before allowing Eric to hold the umbrella over her head as Claire guided her to the car. Eric helped them both into it before running to the driver's side and jumping in, starting the car and taking off towards KaibaCorp.

"What's wrong? Why does Roland want me at KaibaCorp at this time of night?" Téa asked.

Claire shook her head, saying, "I'm sorry, but I honestly have no idea what's going on, Miss Téa. Roland wouldn't give any details...for security reasons, of course."

Téa knew that couldn't be good news, made all the more evident by the waver in Claire's voice. Even if she didn't really know exact details, Téa knew the guard must know something was up if Roland sent her out and said it was an emergency. They approached the looming glass tower, and the gate slid open after Eric swiped a card into the call box. Eric pulled the car around the giant Blue-Eyes statue to the door, and Téa saw another familiar man waiting for her, dressed in a full black suit. It was Fuguta. Claire hopped out of the car in front of Téa, leading her to the old guard. "Miss Téa, come with me. I'll guide you to Mr. Kaiba." he said.

Téa held her hand to her heart, finally realizing what had caused her restlessness. "Something happened to Seto, didn't it?" asked Téa as the three of them walked up the stairs and into the lobby towards the elevator.

Fuguta turned to her. His already sharp brow seemed to scrutinize her further, and Téa noticed Claire's eyes had also widened in shock as she gave Téa a baffled look. She suddenly realized that no one must have ever called Kaiba by his first name. "Claire, return to the security wing." said Fuguta suddenly.

Claire startled out of her trance. "Yes sir." she said to the second-in-command chief before walking into an elevator.

"This way, Miss Téa." said Fuguta, ushering her into the second elevator. He mashed the B1 floor button and scanned a badge, waiting until the doors closed and the elevator started moving before saying, "You are to keep this intel strictly to yourself, Miss Téa. It must not go past the hospital wing without consent from either Roland or Mr. Kaiba himself, do you understand?"

Téa nodded, her mouth suddenly dry, and Fuguta finally said, "Mr. Kaiba has fallen severely ill. He invoked the panic button sometime around four in the morning..."

"A panic button?" asked Téa.

"Mr. Kaiba has emergency switches throughout the building for security reasons, but this time it was a medical one." explained Fuguta.

"What happened?" asked Téa.

"When we found him, Mr. Kaiba had collapsed and vomited blood." said Fuguta, and Téa clapped a hand to her mouth. "He was admitted to the ICU with a fever of 108."

"108?!" cried Téa as the elevator dinged loudly and slid open. "That sounds high!"

"It's dangerously high." affirmed Fuguta as they walked down the hall towards the medical wing. "A temp of 104 is bad enough for hospitalization. People with temperatures much higher than that usually don't make it there."

Téa took a deep breath, suppressing her panic. They approached the entrance to the medical wing, where two guards stood on either side of the door. Téa could see two more guards on the other side through the transparent glass. The two guards nodded to Fuguta before opening the heavy glass doors for him and Téa. "We must be decontaminated before we enter the wing." explained Fuguta.

Téa walked into the small glass walkway before them. The door sealed behind her and Fuguta, the other one still shut, when a bunch of blue UV lights came on all around them and blew cold, pressurized air all over Téa's body. She shut her eyes as it blew through her hair, whilst Fuguta stood unfazed. She heard a computerized voice say, Decontamination complete. You may now enter. before the door in front of her slid open and allowed them into the medical wing. The two guards there also nodded in acknowledgement to Fuguta.

"Miss Téa!" came a familiar voice, and Téa turned to see Mayura approaching her. "Thank goodness you came! This way, my dear! I'll take you to Mr. Kaiba."

"What's wrong with him?" she asked as Mayura led her around several corners to a private area in the back end of the medical wing, Fuguta following closely.

"I'm really not sure, Miss Téa." said the chef, wringing her hands, her worry evident. "The medical staff can give you more accurate information regarding Mr. Kaiba's health."

They approached a metal door, where Ivan and another tall guard with dirty blond hair stood outside. Ivan slid a card into a keypad and punched in some numbers to open it, gesturing Téa inside, and she entered the room with Mayura and Fuguta.

"Here he is." said Mayura, leading her gently by the arm.

Téa noticed Roland standing in the corner of the room, and he nodded acknowledgement to her as she approached the side of the hospital bed where Kaiba lay shirtless and covered with various wires stuck to his chest and stomach and a few on his arms. A saline IV line was inserted into his hand, giving him hydration, and his mouth and nose was covered with a clear mask that was velcro-ed to his face, pumping oxygen into his lungs. Despite only being covered with a thin sheet over his legs, his skin was flushed red and he was drenched in sweat, but Téa could see Kaiba shivering as if he was actually cold. His chest was heaving faster than normal, and Téa looked up at the screen that showed Kaiba's vital signs. His heart rate was 125 BPM, but otherwise had normal waves. His blood pressure looked dangerously low at 90/65, and a blue O2 symbol read 99 percent. His temperature, however, was still hovering at 106.3.

"Miss Téa." came another familiar voice, and Téa looked up to see Dr. Rianski approach, a nurse closely behind him. "Thank you for coming so early in the morning, Miss Téa."

Téa nodded. "How is he?" she asked, looking back at Kaiba as his eyes started twitching.

"We're working to get his fever down. We've administered antipyretics for it and antiemetics for the nausea and vomiting." said Dr Rianski, checking Kaiba's pulse manually with two fingers and a thumb on his wrist. "We're also running tests to see what could have caused this. Mr. Kaiba rarely falls ill, and never anything this serious."

"The last time he was this ill, he was but a child." said Mayura, and Roland nodded in silent agreement. "He came down with a terrible case of pneumonia when he was twelve years old, but he shook it off pretty fast. This is like nothing I've ever seen in either of the boys."

Kaiba groaned painfully, and Téa watched as his face contorted and his stomach contracted momentarily before his body relaxed again. He took in a rattling breath and exhaled, but Kaiba's eyes remained shut, and he made no other movements.

"The muscle spasms are a result of his fever." said Dr. Rianski, seeing Téa's worried look as she watched Kaiba. "I'm afraid we haven't been able to establish coherency since we brought him into the ICU. He will occasionally move and even open his eyes, but he's unresponsive to our attempts at communicating."

"Can I touch him?" asked Téa, her eyes on Kaiba's face as his eyes twitched again.

The doctor looked momentarily surprised, then exchanged a brief glance with Roland, who nodded wordlessly. "Yes, of course." said Dr Rianski.

Téa laid a hand on Kaiba's arm away from the IV line, feeling his face with the other. His damp skin burned under her touch, but Téa could feel Kaiba trembling. "He's shivering!" she said.

"Yes, fever and chills often go hand in hand." explained Dr. Rianski, looking over at the monitor. "The fast heart rate is normal in this instance, too. His body is making him hyperventilate to try and cool him down. It's the cause that concerns me, but until his blood tests come back, we won't know exactly what that is. We'll just have to monitor him for now."

Kaiba made another noise as Téa ran her thumb across his cheek, and her heart leapt as his eyes fluttered open. "Hey." she said softly, leaning over him. "It's Téa. Can you hear me?"

Téa watched Kaiba's eyelids rise and fall, and she noticed his pupils were swimming side to side and rolling upwards, not focusing on anything in particular. She had never seen Kaiba's gaze so hazy before, and she watched his eyes close and his head roll to the side into her hand.

"He's been like that since he was admitted, I'm afraid." said Dr. Rianski. "It may take him a day or two before his fever goes down enough for him to regain full consciousness. In the meantime, his blood tests should come back in a few hours. Hopefully we'll have an answer by then so we know how to further treat him. I'm sorry we don't have anything more until then, Miss Téa."

Téa sighed and took her hands away from Kaiba, dropping herself into the chair that was in the corner by the side of his bed. The doctor turned to leave when Kaiba took in another rattling breath and suddenly cried out something that sounded like, "Teh!"

Téa jumped, and Dr. Rianski looked back at Kaiba, a startled look on his face.

"That's the first time he's tried to say something!" said Mayura, her eyes wide.

The nurse lifted Kaiba's hand into hers, calling, "Mr. Kaiba, if you can hear me, can you squeeze my hand?"

Téa watched, but Kaiba's hand remained limp in the nurse's. She placed Kaiba's hand gently down on the bed again, shaking her head and saying, "He must just be having fever dreams."

"I'm afraid you may be right." the doctor agreed, his brow furrowed as he gazed at Téa. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on the progress in the blood lab." Dr. Rianski turned again and exited the room.

Téa watched as Kaiba shifted in his sleep again. "Teh…" he murmured.

Roland kept a careful eye on Kaiba, his eyes hidden by his shades. "If you'd like to stay here with him, Miss Téa, you're quite welcome to do so for as long as you please." he said. "I'm sure the medical staff would be more than happy to accommodate you."

The nurse nodded agreement, saying, "Yes, of course. It's not a problem at all."

"I'd like that." said Téa softly, her eyes never leaving Kaiba.

Mayura bowed, saying, "If you'd excuse me, Miss Téa, I'd like to go take a nap. Mr. Kaiba startled me out of a dead slumber and now that the adrenaline has worn off, I'm quite fatigued."

Téa nodded wordlessly, and Mayura watched her a moment before rising and leaving the room. Téa took her eyes from Kaiba to look up at the nurse, who copied the vitals from the monitor onto the clipboard in her hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask what your name is." said Téa.

"Ruth, ma'am." replied the nurse. "I'm the head triage nurse."

"Thank you for taking care of him, Ruth." said Téa.

"Yes, of course." said Ruth with a cheerful smile. "In fact, Miss Téa, I've heard a great deal about you, and I believe I owe you thanks for saving my job and that of the other staff."

"Oh, but really, it was mostly Dia..." said Téa sheepishly.

"That's what she and the doctor said you'd say." said Ruth with another smile.

Téa felt her face coloring as she looked back at Kaiba, who hummed in his sleep.

"I'm going back to the nurse's station, Miss Téa." said Ruth. "If Mr. Kaiba happens to wake up, please alert the nurse's station with this button." Ruth pointed to a blue square button on the side of the hospital bed. "...and if something happens that requires immediate attention, this is the emergency button." She pointed to another square button, this one red. "Hopefully you won't need to use that one. Let us know if you need anything at all, Miss Téa."

Téa nodded, saying, "Thank you, Ruth."

"Of course, Miss Téa." said the maid, bowing again before leaving the room.

Kaiba's eyes screwed shut tighter as he groaned in his sleep, kicking out at something and shifting the sheet a bit. Téa got up from the chair and pulled the sheet up again, rubbing along the groove in his stomach as she shushed quietly to him. Kaiba's face relaxed at her touch and he stopped twitching almost immediately. Roland stayed in place, his stance and gaze never faltering. Téa looked up at him and asked, "You're staying here, too?"

"Always, Miss Téa." replied Roland. "Mr. Kaiba is never far from security protection, even if you don't see us."

Téa nodded, remembering how Kaiba had told her Roland and Fuguta could track him via satellite and that his guards watched him like vultures. "It was good to see Claire again." she said, reminded of her own guard.

Roland's mustache shifted as he smiled at the memory, saying, "You had a hand in saving several people's jobs here, Miss Téa. I trust she's made you more comfortable since last time?"

"Yes, thank you." said Téa. "...and sorry for getting upset. I didn't get to say that the other day."

"Perfectly understandable, Miss Téa." assured Roland. "I'm sure Mr. Kaiba is usually more forth-right with you, so your anger was justified."

Téa hummed agreement and looked back at Kaiba, stroking his hand away from the IV line. His eyelids fluttered in his sleep, but otherwise he made no other movement. She could see Roland watching her carefully from behind her hair. Téa yawned, suddenly realizing she was still tired.

Roland noted her yawn and said, "The chair reclines if you wish to take a nap, Miss Téa. I'll have the medical staff bring you a pillow and some blankets."

"Thank you. I think I will." she responded, sitting back down in the chair and finding the buttons on the side that lifted the legs and reclined the back. Roland put one hand in his suit pocket and pinched his lapel, speaking softly into it, his eyes never leaving Kaiba. He must have some sort of device in his pocket that allowed him to choose who he spoke to, and Téa knew Fuguta was probably still standing right outside the door and could relay the message to the nurses at the station. A nurse came in shortly after and settled a pillow behind Téa's head and covered her with two toasty warm blankets. Téa murmured her thanks to the nurse, who bowed to her and left the room. Téa yawned again and nestled sideways into the chair, feeling herself drift off to sleep under Roland's watchful gaze.

Kaiba jerked violently in his sleep, his eyes screwing shut tighter again and his chest heaving faster. Roland watched as Kaiba opened his eyes, his blue orbs swimming side to side as he looked around, and called, "Teh!"

Roland looked over at Téa, who was sound asleep in the chair.

"Teh!" Kaiba called loudly this time, his tone panicked.

"She's right here, Mr. Kaiba." said Roland, although the guard was sure Kaiba couldn't hear him. He saw Kaiba visibly relax as he sighed, then slowly closed his eyes again. A quieter "...teh..." escaped his lips again before his head rolled to the side towards Téa. Roland's brow furrowed ever so slightly, but he remained where he was, watching both of them carefully.

---

Téa's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around in confusion for a moment before remembering where she was. She looked over at Kaiba, who appeared to be sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling as the monitors beeped out his fast heart rate. She noticed Roland was still standing in the corner, watching them closely. Téa took her phone out of her coat pocket and glanced at the screen. It was almost noon now, and she noticed a few missed call notifications from Mai, Serenity and the guys. She sat up slowly and yawned, stretching her arms over her head and rubbing her eyes. "Has he woken up at all?" she asked Roland.

"No, Miss Téa." said the guard. "He opened his eyes a few times and looked over at you, but he would always go right back to sleep afterwards."

The door opened before Téa could linger for too long on those words, and Ruth entered, carrying her clipboard and a forehead thermometer. "Good afternoon, Miss Téa. Roland." she said before running the thermometer over Kaiba's forehead, the guard nodding to her.

"How's his fever?" asked Téa as the tool gave a long beep.

Ruth looked at the display, shaking her head sadly. "Still hovering around the high end of 104, I'm afraid." she said. "We'll have to administer more anti-pyretics."

"What about his blood-work?" asked Téa. "Has that come back yet?"

Ruth glanced over at Roland, seeking permission to share detailed health information, and she waited until Roland gave her a nod of approval before saying, "Elevated white blood cell count, which is to be expected if he's vomiting blood, and a few inflammatory markers, but nothing that points to any of the usual illnesses. Toxicity test was normal as well. We ran a CT and HIDA scan while you were sleeping to see if we could find anything further, and now we're waiting on the results of those tests."

"What's a HIDA scan?" asked Téa.

"It checks for issues with the gall bladder, bile ducts, and liver." explained Ruth as she wrote Kaiba's updated vitals on the clipboard. "While we don't know exactly what the issue is at the moment, the doctor is confident that it's something gastrointestinal, so we're covering all bases." Ruth finished her notations on the clipboard, then asked, "Did you want the assistants to bring you anything, Miss Téa? Surely you must be hungry by now."

"I'm actually not." said Téa, looking towards Kaiba again. "I'm just worried..."

"I understand, Miss Téa, but please be sure to take care of yourself. We'll figure out what ails Mr. Kaiba soon enough." Ruth bowed slightly, saying, "If you'll excuse me, I'll see if we've gotten anything back from the blood lab." With that, she left the room.

Téa sighed. "Is there somewhere I can make a phone call?" she asked Roland.

"You can use your phone right here, Miss Téa." said Roland. "All of KaibaCorp's medical equipment and other tech is made to resist electrical interference for security purposes."

"Have people tried to do that?!" asked Téa, her eyes wide. "Mess with KaibaCorp's equipment from outside, I mean?"

"There's many things people have tried to do over the years, Miss Téa." said the guard. "Mr. Kaiba unfortunately has many enemies that would love nothing more than to get their hands on ownership of KaibaCorp, and will do so by any means necessary, up to and including threatening Mr. Kaiba's life or that of the ones he cares about. And sabotaging supportive care machines is high on the list of tricks that people have tried. That is why I am here, Miss Téa. Before we would have simply stood outside of the room, but after what happened with Mr. Mokuba, we now keep a vigilant guard with Mr. Kaiba. We cannot allow anything to happen to our CEO now that his brother is no longer here to take his place if needed."

Téa looked down at Kaiba, asking quietly, "What happens if he...what if he doesn't make it?"

"He will, Miss Téa." said Roland. "Seto Kaiba doesn't go down that easily."

"That's what I thought about Mokuba..." said Téa, tears welling up in her eyes.

Roland regarded her for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, Miss Téa. We must be careful with who knows about the inner workings of KaibaCorp, not the least of which is ownership and succession of the company should something happen to Mr. Kaiba."

Téa sniffed, saying, "I heard those girls you evicted at the charity ball say that only a Kaiba heir can inherit the company, per KaibaCorp's by-laws..."

"That is correct, Miss Téa." said Roland. "That is indeed public knowledge."

"...and neither of the Kaiba brothers have any heirs..." she continued.

"That is also true." said Roland, now sounding cautious.

Téa looked down at Kaiba with a solemn look, saying, "He didn't change the rule." It was a statement, not a question. Téa already knew the answer. She knew Seto Kaiba more than well.

Roland was silent for a moment, deliberating, then said, "No, he has not."

Téa picked up Kaiba's hand and held it in both of hers, bowing her head and leaning her forehead against their clasped hands. Please get better. she thought to him, caressing his hand.

Roland watched her silently, his expression hidden. Téa remained in this position for a few moments before something crossed her mind. She furrowed her brow; something didn't make sense to her. She picked her head up and looked at Roland, asking, "Why am I here?"

"Miss?" asked Roland.

"If security is as tight as you say it is around him, especially now..." said Téa, choosing her words carefully. "...then how am I allowed to be near him if I'm not family? How was I even admitted into the wing, let alone his personal room?"

"Mr. Kaiba asked for you to be here, Miss Téa." said Roland.

Téa blinked. "How? I thought he was unconscious this whole time?" she asked.

"He was conscious for but a moment after we found him when he invoked the panic button." said Roland. "Mr. Kaiba managed to spell out your name in Morse Code before he passed out."

Téa was momentarily shocked. First spoken languages, then computer code, now Morse Code? Was there no end to Kaiba's linguistical intellect? She looked over at Kaiba, whose eyes remained closed and made no movements except for the occasion twitch of his eyelids.

"I don't know why he asked specifically for you." said Roland, as if hearing her unspoken question. "Perhaps your name was merely the easiest for him to relay in the moment. But I do know one thing: that he would allow you here during his most vulnerable moment speaks volumes of Mr. Kaiba's trust in you, Miss Téa."

Téa felt a strange swelling sensation in her chest at those words, and was once again reminded of Kaiba's outburst the other day. She swallowed to control her wavering voice as she said, "I'm going to make a call now if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Miss Téa, just put it on speaker if you would." said the guard.

Téa nodded understandably and pulled out her phone, hitting the redial button over Mai's name before hitting the speaker button and laying her phone on the bed. It had barely rang once before Mai answered, her voice fraught with worry. "Well, it's about time! Where are you?!" she demanded. "Both me and Yugi went looking for you at your house and you were nowhere to be seen! We were supposed to bring Serenity to the dance hall at noon!"

"Yeah, what's da big idea, ditchin' my sista like dat?!" came Joey's voice, and Téa knew Mai probably had her on speaker so the whole group could hear her.

"Joey, be nice! I'm sure she had a good reason!" came Serenity's voice.

"Yeah, Téa doesn't just drop it like it's hot, dude, especially her friends! Cut her some slack!" That was Duke, who was still on the tail end of his own medical leave to heal his hands. It seemed the whole gang was there, or at least most of them.

"I'm sorry, guys, but we'll have to move the dance hall to another day." said Téa. "Kaiba's-..." She paused, looking up at Roland for permission, remembering Fuguta's words.

"You may tell Mr. Kaiba's friends what happened, Miss Téa, so long as they keep it between themselves." said Roland, seeing her inquisitive look. "We try not to panic the staff at KaibaCorp or the general public. You know how the tabloids can be, I'm sure."

"Is that Roland?" asked Yugi, hearing the guard's voice. "Téa, what are you doing over at KaibaCorp? Is everything okay?"

"Are you guys somewhere private?" asked Téa.

"Yeah, we're all at Joey's house." came Duke's voice. "What's wrong with Kaiba?"

"He's terribly sick, you guys." said Téa. "He's in the ICU at KaibaCorp."

"The ICU?!" cried Yugi. "What happened? Is he alright?"

"The doctors don't know what's wrong with him yet." answered Téa. "They're waiting for some tests to come back, but in the meantime, he has a dangerously high fever and he hasn't woken up. Roland found him unconscious in his room after he had thrown up."

"Ew, TMI." said Mai.

"Oh no! I sure hope he's alright!" said Serenity.

"Yeah, I didn't think the big guy ever got sick, or at least that's what he told us." said Duke. "Whatever this is must be pretty bad."

"Don't you worry, Téa, Kaiba's got the best medical team and tech money can buy." said Yugi reassuringly, and Roland nodded in silent agreement. "I'm sure they'll figure it out in no time and have him in top shape soon!"

"I hope you're right." said Téa.

"So are ya stayin' over dere 'til Kaiba wakes up or sumthin'?" asked Joey.

"Yeah, apparently Kaiba asked Roland to get me before he passed out." said Téa.

"Really? Interesting." said Mai, and Téa heard the teasing tone in her voice and ignored it.

"I don't want to leave him in case something happens." said Téa quickly.

"I don't blame you." said Yugi. "I've rarely seen Kaiba break a sweat, let alone in a full fever. I hope it's not related to what happened to Moku-..."

Téa jumped as Kaiba's prone figure suddenly sprung to life, coughing violently. She gasped as he made a gurgling noise, and his mask filled with vomit. Roland jumped to action, and Serenity's alarmed voice cried, "What was that?!"

"I'll call you back, guys! Something's happening with Kaiba!" said Téa as she reached over and mashed the red emergency button, hanging up the phone simultaneously. Roland swiftly rolled Kaiba onto his side and tore off the mask, the rancid smelling fluid dripping from the mask and down Kaiba's face and neck as he continued to cough violently, expelling more vomit.

Ruth charged into the room with two men wearing scrubs in tow, and Téa and Roland moved out of the way as they surrounded Kaiba. Téa watched as Ruth stuck a suction tube in Kaiba's mouth, and the two men grabbed Kaiba's wrists as he started to flail, lashing out reflexively as Ruth pushed the tube further down his throat. Kaiba's knee jerked up and caught one of the men in the groin, and he gasped and fell to the ground, holding his middle. His wrist free again, Kaiba brought his hand towards his mouth, yanking out the suction tube. The other assistant grabbed his hand and squeezed, making Kaiba release the tube, but he flailed his hand out of the assistant's and punched out blindly. The assistant moved to take the hit on his shoulder for Ruth, throwing his entire weight onto Kaiba's other arm as he almost lost his grip on that one, too.

"Hold him down! He'll aspirate if we don't get this tube in!" cried Ruth, but the other assistant was still groaning on the floor. Roland moved quickly to the end of the bed and held down Kaiba's flailing legs while Téa threw herself onto Kaiba's free arm, trying to avoid the IV, though some of the EKG wires popped off.

"Seto, stop!" she called.

To Ruth and the assistant's utter shock, Kaiba froze and immediately relaxed, his chest heaving from the exertion. Ruth took that moment to stick the suction tube back in his mouth, and Kaiba tried to turn his head away again, groaning. Téa ran her fingers through his hair soothingly, whispering near his ear, "It's okay. Don't move. Ruth is just cleaning out your mouth."

Téa kept talking to him in this manner, though she hadn't the slightest idea if Kaiba could hear her at all. He stopped moving his head, but still coughed violently as the tube moved towards the back of his throat. Roland watched her carefully, and this time a small line that appeared between his already furrowed brow gave away his expression to Téa. Ruth finished the job and pulled the suction tube out of Kaiba's mouth, wiping it and his neck with a wet cloth to clean up the vomit, and Roland and the other assistant took their hands off of Kaiba. The other assistant finally managed to get to his feet, still holding his middle. The other one asked if he was okay, receiving a wincing nod. Ruth gave her go ahead for them to exit, and the injured one leaned on the other as he was helped towards the door and out of the room. Ruth pulled a clean mask from a nearby drawer, disposing of the soiled one in a biohazard container. She set the new mask onto the respirator and placed it back over Kaiba's mouth and nose, securing the velcro around the back of his head. "Thank you for your assistance, Miss Téa, and most especially for utilizing the emergency button." said Ruth as Téa took her weight off Kaiba's arm.

Téa nodded, her breathing settling back to normal as her panic eased. "How did this happen?" she asked Ruth as the nurse reattached the EKG wires on Kaiba's arm and shoulders. "I thought the doctor gave him anti-nausea meds?"

"He did, Miss Téa, but they seemed to have run their course before the next dose time." said Ruth, looking concerned as she turned Kaiba flat onto his back again.

"Is that normal?" asked Téa, watching as Kaiba's eyes opened and rolled sideways in her direction before fluttering shut again. "The meds not working, I mean?"

"Normally it's very unusual for this strength of medicine, but Mr. Kaiba does have a faster than average metabolism." said Ruth, her and Roland's attention also caught by Kaiba's momentary glance. "That may be a factor in making him burn up medication more quickly than normal. His brother was the same way. I imagine it's genetic..."

Kaiba's eyes opened slowly, his hazy gaze turning towards Téa once more. He seemed to be fighting to keep his eyelids from closing, and Téa asked Ruth, "Are you sure he's not awake?"

"It's possible that Mr. Kaiba recognizes the sound of your voice, Miss Téa." said Ruth, taking Kaiba's hand to see if he would squeeze it this time. "He may even be able to see you. But until he can establish communication to let us know he can hear us clearly, he's considered incoherent. His blinking is too inconsistent, so he has to either speak or squeeze our hands, and he may very well not have the strength for either of those, especially after all that exertion. He's already exhausted from hyperventilating to satisfy his body's demand for air."

Kaiba reached out his free hand towards Téa's face, but it fell weakly to her collarbone. She grabbed it before it could slide further downward, watching his face carefully.

"Seto?" she asked softly, hopefully.

Kaiba's eyelids finally weakened, and his eyes closed once more, but still his hand didn't move an inch. Téa sighed, holding Kaiba's hand in both of hers to her chest as she tried not to cry. She wished Kaiba would wake up completely and tell her that he was alright, that she didn't have to worry. Ruth watched her solemnly, saying, "I'm sorry, Miss Téa. I'm afraid we can't do much else until we have the results of the tests..."

Right on cue, Dr Rianski walked into the room, followed closely by Mayura. Téa's heart leapt. "Did his imaging tests come back?" she asked the doctor.

"Yes, Miss Téa, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room for that. For patient confidentiality reasons, you understand." said Dr. Rianski.

Apparently Téa's panic was evident on her face, because Roland asked the doctor, "Is his condition critical?"

Dr. Rianski glanced at Téa, but addressed Roland as he said, "Not severely."

"Then you may say so in front of Miss Téa." said Roland, and Téa gave him a grateful smile.

"Yes sir." said Dr. Rianski. "The HIDA scan was clear, however the CT scan showed signs of stomach and duodenal lesions, which is likely what's causing his bloody vomiting."

"The small intestine?" asked Téa, vaguely recalling her high school anatomy classes.

"Yes ma'am." said the doctor.

"How bad?" asked Roland.

"They look fairly recent, so not terrible." said Dr. Rianski. "No obstructions, either. Mr. Kaiba's lack of appetite may have actually saved him in that regard."

"Have you discovered the root cause?" asked Roland.

Dr. Rianski shook his head, saying, "It could be anything. Gastric lesions are common, but if left untreated can cause severe complications, namely perforations, internal bleeding, and sepsis."

"What usually causes them?" asked Téa, hoping she might discover a clue with more information.

"They occur when the protective mucosal lining has been eroded, usually by NSAIDs or a poor diet, most especially too much spicy foods." explained Dr. Rianski.

Mayura shook her head, saying, "I can attest that Mr. Kaiba isn't a big fan of spicy food, but he does take those pain-killers for his headaches."

"I'll need confirmation that it's an NSAID pain reliever. If so, we can add a proton pump inhibitor to his treatment." said Dr. Rianski to Roland. "It'll help protect the lining of his GI tracts from any further damage. Have them check for any other medicine bottles as well. The more information we have that points to a cause, the better."

"I'll have the guards do a room sweep." affirmed Roland, putting his hand in his pocket and the other to his lapel as he gave the orders.

Dr. Rianski looked over at Ruth, asking, "Has he showed any signs of coherency yet?"

"Nothing definitive, Doctor." said Ruth. "He seems to be trying to focus his eyesight, but still no establishment of communication. He did vomit again, I'm afraid."

"Is that so?" said Dr. Rianski, his brow furrowing. "In that case, we'll have to actively monitor him in case it happens again. He's at the maximum dose of anti-nausea medication..."

Kaiba's stomach contracted, his eyes twitching. One of his legs flailed, kicking the sheet partially off and exposing a sharply protruding hip-bone and part of his thigh. Téa reached for the sheet to pull it back up and stopped, her eyes catching something red underneath Kaiba. "What's that?!" she asked, pointing.

Roland and the doctor looked where Téa was pointing. "Excuse me, Miss Téa..." said Dr. Rianski, walking quickly forward, his hand going underneath Kaiba's knee and lifting his leg. Téa gasped, her hand going to her mouth as she stared at the bloodstain underneath Kaiba.

"Oh dear!" said Mayura, her hand also going to her mouth.

Dr. Rianski's brow furrowed only momentarily before he said, "No need to panic. It's a relatively small amount of blood. We'll still have to test it, of course, but it shouldn't be anything serious." Téa had a feeling the doctor was just saying that to make her feel better. He lowered Kaiba's leg and replaced the sheet, saying, "Mr. Kaiba may be here for a while until we figure out the cause of this, Miss Téa..."

"I'll stay here." said Téa, predicting his words. "Please keep me updated, if you can."

The doctor glanced at Roland, who nodded. "Of course." said Dr Rianski. "If you could leave the room for a minute, Miss Téa, we need to collect a sample..."

Téa nodded, rising and walking towards Mayura's outstretched arm, which settled soothingly around Téa's shoulders as she led her out of the room, the door sliding shut behind them. Téa took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves.

"Have you eaten yet, Miss Téa?" asked Mayura, taking Téa's shaking hand in hers.

"No, I'm not hungry..." she replied.

"Come now, my dear, you should eat something. Come to the dining hall with me." coaxed Mayura. "Roland and the nurses will keep an eye on Mr. Kaiba. You needn't worry about him."

"I want to stay here." said Téa sadly, glancing over her shoulder at the door. "I don't want to leave him."

"At least permit me to bring you something to eat, Miss Téa." insisted the chef. "You need your strength as well."

Téa sighed and murmured her consent, even though she really wasn't in the mood for eating.

"What can I get for you, dear?" asked Mayura. "A bowl of soup? Perhaps some warm tea? It may help calm your nerves."

"That sounds lovely." Téa said half-heartedly, sinking into a chair near the nurse's station, and Mayura gave her a solemn look before walking off.

Téa sighed again and leaned forward, resting her chin on her fists and her elbows on her knees as she gazed at nothing in particular. She was too worried about Kaiba to even think, let alone eat, and she tried to shake the memory of seeing his blood on the sheets out of her head.

"Um...excuse me, Miss?" came a female voice, and Téa blinked and looked up at two medical assistants, both girls.

"Oh hi." said Téa quickly, looking at their name tags, which read Elise and Marie. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you, I'm not exactly in the best of moods."

"We understand, ma'am." said Elise reassuringly, and Téa noticed that there was a whole group of other medical staff workers clustered around the nurse's station, some of them working (or at least pretending to) while others stared at her openly.

"We're sorry to bother you while you're not in good spirits." said Marie, fumbling with her tag nervously. "...and we apologize for overhearing but-..."

"We heard Mrs. Mayura call you Miss Téa." said Elise, her eyes wide and hopeful. "Are you perhaps the lady that got Mr. Kaiba to reinstate the entire medical staff and allowed Dia to stay here at KaibaCorp, even after her confession?"

Téa blinked, saying, "Um...well, yes...but I really didn't-..."

"I knew it!" said Elise happily, and she turned to the group of medical workers, saying, "It is her! Everyone, this is Miss Téa!"

Téa shrunk back in her chair a bit as the medical staff around the nurse's station bombarded her with thanks and adoring phrases, some of them bowing deeply to her. "Oh, please, you all don't need to do that!" she cried, feeling her cheeks grow warm at the sudden attention upon her.

"Dia told us all about you, Miss Téa!" said Marie. "You're the reason she was able to stay on as an intern, even if it wasn't in triage. The medical assistants all miss her being here, but we understand Mr. Kaiba's decision, of course. It could have been much worse, after all. We're all honestly shocked he didn't let Dia go after her confession."

Téa sighed. "I appreciate all of you letting me share the credit with Dia, but I honestly don't think I had anything to do with Kaiba's decision." she said.

"I highly doubt that, Miss Téa!" said another nearby assistant. "Mr. Kaiba has fired people for much smaller offenses in the past, especially if he's caught in a bad mood. His got an epic temper and everyone around here knows full well about it."

The other medical employees nodded and murmured agreement. Marie's eyes sparkled in admiration as she looked upon Téa. "You're a legend around KaibaCorp, Miss Téa!" she said. "No one's ever had the gall to stand up to Mr. Kaiba when he's in a good mood. They'd never think of crossing him when he's in the midst of a rage."

"Yeah, even Mrs. Mayura and Mr. Roland, who practically raised Mr. Kaiba under Gozaburo's roof, both don't have the grit that you do, Miss Téa." agreed Elise.

Téa felt herself coloring, and she shrugged wordlessly. What could she say to that? She couldn't say she'd known Kaiba since high school, or that she was around him a lot while Yugi and Joey dueled their way to the top, and she especially couldn't mention their other-worldly experiences together. Mayura and Roland had her beat on all but the last one, albeit Roland witnessing a few Shadow Duels during Battle City and a few instances during Dartz's takeover of KaibaCorp and Alistair attempting to crash Kaiba's plane, but for all she knew, Roland was as skeptical or in denial of what happened as Kaiba had pretended to be all these years.

"So is it true that Mr. Kaiba asked for you to come here, Miss Téa?" asked Marie, shaking Téa out of her thoughts and leaning forward in curiosity. "You couldn't be here otherwise. It would be breaking healthcare confidentiality for anyone but Mr. Kaiba's immediate family or his advocate to be here. Even Mrs. Mayura had to get permission to come check on him."

"Oh, um...then I suppose so..." said Téa, unsure if she was supposed to admit that to the staff. Roland was still in the other room, stalwartly guarding Kaiba, where she couldn't glance at him to subtly ask permission of what she could and could not relay about Kaiba.

"You suppose so?" asked Elise, and Téa noticed the assistant's eyes drop to her hand. "He would've had to. The only other people who could be here are children or spouses."

"You're not Mr. Kaiba's fiancée, are you, Miss Téa?" asked Marie outright, and Téa felt herself flush to her roots as the entire nurse's station turned their attention to her again, their curiosities peaking. "We didn't hear any announcements about his engagement."

"Marie!" cried Elise, giving her colleague a baffled look, as if she couldn't believe Marie would actually have the gall to ask Téa such a direct inquiry.

"No, it's alright." assured Téa quickly. "You did say it's normally spouses, after all."

"Yes of course, Miss Téa, but never you mind Marie." said Elise, glaring at the other assistant. "She's just being nosy."

"I'm being nosy?!" cried Marie, bristling as she rounded on her colleague. "You're the one who was wondering if Mr. Kaiba had taken a wife!"

"For privacy purposes!" insisted Elise, blushing furiously.

"Sure you were!" retorted Marie. "I saw you look for a ring! You're not fooling anybody!"

"Alright, that's quite enough out of you two!" came Mayura's stern voice as she finally returned, startling the assistants, and Téa couldn't help but feel relieved at the chef's return. "Go on, back to work with you all and stop pestering Miss Téa! You're flustering the poor woman!"

"Yes, ma'am!" said the assistants in unison, bowing to Téa and apologizing profusely before scurrying back to the nurse's station, and Téa noticed the other medical staff jump back to attention to their work. She looked up at Mayura, who was carrying a tray with a small bowl of soup with mushrooms, seaweed and soft tofu, along with two small balls of onigiri on the side and a short cup of steaming green tea.

"Here you are, my dear..." said the maid, indicating the tray with a nod of her head. "...and I beg your pardon for the assistants' atrocious behavior towards you."

"Oh no, it's fine." said Téa quickly, glancing over at the nurse's station to make sure they heard and knew she wasn't mad at them. "They had professional reasons for asking."

"I'm sure." said Mayura, shooting a look towards the nurse's station.

The door to Kaiba's room finally opened again, and Dr. Rianski exited along with Ruth, saying, "Mr. Kaiba is all cleaned up now, and we've collected the samples we needed for more tests. You may return to him if you wish, Miss Téa."

Téa nodded, thanking the doctor and nurse, and entered Kaiba's room again, Mayura following her. Téa noticed Kaiba's sheets had been changed, as they were a slightly darker shade of white. Roland stood stalwart as ever, and he nodded to Téa as she lowered herself into the chair again. Mayura pulled a metal rolling cart over to the front of the chair and set the tray on it before Téa, who murmured soft thanks to the chef and dipped the spoon in the soup, sipping it slowly. It was perfectly hot without burning her mouth, and it settled warmly in her stomach and did indeed help her feel better.

Mayura watched Téa for a moment, standing with her hands clasped in front of her. She noted Téa's glances over at Kaiba, who appeared to be resting again, his chest still heaving as he hyper-ventilated, and said, "Don't you worry, my dear. Mr. Kaiba is a strong young man. He'll power through this like everything else he does. Mark my words."

"I hope you're right." said Téa softly. "I've never seen him like this before."

"I know, dear." said Mayura, patting Téa's shoulder. "Mr. Kaiba goes through great pains to keep his private life that way. He'd never be caught dead in the public eye. Unfortunately, that means he can be quite stubborn when it comes to his health."

Téa nodded as she slowly spooned the soup broth into her mouth. She couldn't bring herself to eat the rice noodles, even though that was always her favorite part.

"Has he stirred at all, Roland?" Mayura asked her husband.

"Not much." answered Roland. "Mr. Kaiba was quite complacent in being moved this time. No more punching and kicking, thankfully."

"He probably prefers laying in clean linens over having a suction tube shoved down his throat." said Téa with a smile, trying to cheer herself up with her dry humor, and Mayura chuckled.

"Yes, indeed he does, Miss Téa." she agreed. "Mr. Kaiba can be quite reflexive when he thinks he's being threatened. I suppose he's always on edge for all the people who've tried to come after him, his brother, and his company."

"Yeah." said Téa, remembering how she and Mokuba had been kidnapped by Marik's Rare Hunters during Battle City, and Pegasus before then. "It was almost always Mokuba."

Roland nodded solemnly, saying, "Too many times. That was the only way the competition knew how to get under Mr. Kaiba's skin to persuade him to do what they wanted, unfortunately."

Realization came over her, and Téa looked over at Kaiba's face, asking, "Is that why Kaiba never wanted any friends? Because he knew people might come after them, too?"

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit, Miss Téa." said Roland. "It's likely why he never had a relationship, either. It's the oldest manipulation trick in the book, and sadly it always works. I've seen other companies driven into complete ruin because the competition got a hold of the CEO's family and got them to throw away everything they had for their loved ones, most especially spouses and small children. The heirs to the company are always the biggest targets."

Téa held her hand to her heart, remembering when Noah forced Kaiba to choose between striking Mokuba and winning the duel, or losing and forfeiting control of KaibaCorp to Noah. Kaiba had chosen his brother without a second thought. "Kaiba would've done it, too." said Téa, her eyes brimming with tears. "He'd do anything for Mokuba."

"Yes, he certainly did, Miss Téa." said Roland, watching her carefully. "Anything and everything. But his brother's gone now. They've got nothing to hold over Mr. Kaiba anymore."

"Yeah, I suppose." said Téa, turning her attention back to her soup. She didn't notice Roland and Mayura exchange glances.

Téa's phone rang in her pocket, and she pulled it out and glanced at the display that read Mai's name before answering it and putting it on speaker. "Hey guys. What's up?" asked Téa.

"How's Kaiba? Is he alright?" asked Serenity, sounding worried.

"Yeah, ya took a bit dere ta call back, so we wanted ta check up on yous guys." said Joey.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, he's fine now." said Téa, rubbing her forehead and becoming aware of her cloudy mind. "I mean, he's not entirely fine. He's still ill, of course, and the doctor didn't find anything on the tests he ran, so they had to run a few more."

"He's in good hands, my dear." said Mayura, assuring both Téa and the group over the phone.

"Hey Mayura! Good to hear from you again!" came Tristan's voice as he recognized Mayura's.

"The same to you, Mr. Tristan." said Mayura, smiling at the phone.

"So the doctors still don't have any idea what could be wrong with Kaiba?" asked Duke, re-centering the topic.

"Not a clue." said Téa, looking sullen again. "Like I said, they're supposed to be running more tests to try and figure it out, but so far they've got nothing."

"Is that all he has is a really bad fever and an upset stomach?" asked Bakura.

"He's also got chills, cold sweats, muscle spasms, and now apparently bloody waste." said Téa.

"Seriously, Téa, TMI." said Mai, sounding disgusted.

"Yikes, that sounds pretty bad." said Yugi.

"Yeah, that almost sounds like what Joey went through after he ate at that Chinese food place a few years back, remember that Joe?" said Tristan.

"Minus da blood, yeah. Dat was da worst Kung Pao shrimp I eva had." grumbled Joey.

"You ate the crab rangoon, too." added Tristan. "I swear it's always the shellfish..."

Téa suddenly gasped as her memory hit her like a bolt of lightning. "The clam!" she cried out suddenly, and even Roland startled and stared over at her, Mayura holding a hand to her heart and giving Téa a matching baffled look.

Everyone made a collective noise of realization over the phone, and Téa heard Serenity say, "That's right! My brother dared Kaiba to eat an uncooked clam straight out of the lake!"

"What?!" cried Mayura in disbelief.

"...and he did it?!" asked Roland, staring at the phone.

"Yeah he did." laughed Duke. "It probably took the cake for most disgusting thing on the whole camping trip. Maybe even broke a record somewhere."

"That must be what made Kaiba ill." said Bakura. "It certainly made me lose my dinner, and I'm not even the one who ingested it."

"Aw man, d'ya really think dat's what dis is?!" asked Joey, sounding distressed. "Did I make Kaiba give 'imself a severe case o' food poisonin'?!"

Mayura looked up at Roland, saying, "Get Dr. Rianski in here quickly! He must be informed."

Roland nodded and put his hand in his pocket, pinching his lapel and speaking into it. "Fuguta, fetch Rianski STAT! Tell him we may have discovered what's wrong with Mr. Kaiba."

Yes sir! came Fuguta's voice from over the receiver.

Téa waited only a few moments before the door slid open, and Dr. Rianski ran into the room, followed closely by Ruth. "What is it, sir?" the doctor asked Roland. "Fuguta said something about the possible cause of Mr. Kaiba's illness?"

"It was a clam!" said Téa, and the doctor made a hum of inquiry and looked over at her. "Kaiba ate a raw clam on our camping trip!"

"What?! A clam?!" said Dr. Rianski, becoming serious. "...and you say it was totally raw?!"

"Yeah, Doc! He plucked it out of the lake and ate it straight out of the shell!" said Tristan, and the doctor stared over at the phone, a baffled look on his face. "He was gonna cook it on the fire pit first, but Joey dared him to eat it raw, and he did!"

"Did Mr. Kaiba clean it first?" said Dr. Rianski, his eyes wide.

"Not at all. Just cracked it open and dumped it right into his mouth." said Mai. "Oh gosh, I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it again."

Dr. Rianski turned to Ruth, saying, "Get another vial of Mr. Kaiba's blood and have it tested for vibrio vulnificus!"

"Yes sir!" said the nurse, hurrying to a drawer and pulling out a butterfly needle, a long tube, and a tourniquet along with a pair of gloves and an alcohol swab.

"Vi-whatsis?" asked Joey, as clueless as ever.

"It's a serious bacterial infection from eating undercooked shellfish, most especially clams." explained the doctor as Ruth put on her gloves and tied the tourniquet tightly around Kaiba's forearm, and Téa saw him wince, his eyes twitching at the pinch of the tourniquet. "It creates lesions in the GI tract, and if left untreated, it could cause organ necrosis and even death."

"Aw man, so Kaiba got something worse than food poisoning?!" asked Duke.

"It appears so. It fits all of Mr. Kaiba's symptoms." replied Dr. Rianski. "Do any of you happen to remember how long ago this happened?"

"About a week ago." Yugi responded.

"That must be it, then. That's roughly how long symptoms of vibriosis take to manifest for someone of Mr. Kaiba's stamina." said Dr. Rianski.

Ruth cleaned the top of Kaiba's hand with an alcohol swab before puncturing his prominent veins with the needle. Kaiba's eyes twitched again, and Téa grabbed his forearm quickly before Kaiba could jerk his hand away. Ruth nodded her thanks before inserting the tube and twisting it into the vacuum chamber, which sucked Kaiba's dark red blood into the tube. She removed the tourniquet and tossed it into the trash can, then removed the tube from the vacuum chamber and turned it upside down and back again a few times before handing it to the doctor. Ruth pressed a gauze pad against Kaiba's hand over the needle and removed it, snapping the needle into the butterfly with a click of a button and dropping it into the biohazard container. Finally Ruth wrapped adhesive bandage around Kaiba's hand and gently massaged the area with her thumb before placing his hand back on the bed. Téa watched, but Kaiba didn't open his eyes or make any other movements, so he must still be asleep. She was surprised Kaiba was still so responsive even in a dead slumber.

"We'll let you know the results, Miss Téa." said Dr. Rianski once the nurse was finished with her work. "One test should only take a few minutes. But based on what everyone's telling me, it sounds like this could be exactly what's ailing Mr. Kaiba."

With those words, Dr. Rianski left to test the blood, Ruth following closely behind him.

"Is it okay if we wait on the phone if it'll only take a few minutes?" asked Tristan, half to Mai whose phone they were using and half to Téa.

"Fine by me, I've got my charger with me." replied Mai.

"Yeah, none of us are going anywhere, and we want to make sure Kaiba's okay!" agreed Bakura.

"Thanks guys." said Téa. "You're helping to calm my nerves."

"Aw, don't be nervous, Téa!" came Serenity's voice. "I'm sure we really did figure it out! The doctor sounded certain, too, so that's a good thing. No need to worry yourself!"

"Indeed." said Mayura, noticing Téa's trembling hands. "You should finish your soup, Miss Téa. You're still quite shaky."

"Is she not eating?" asked Yugi. "She always does that when she's worried sick."

"So I noticed, Mr. Muto." said Mayura politely, giving Téa a reassuring look. "Please eat, Miss Téa. We'll have the results of the test soon enough."

Téa took a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth to calm her nerves, and she nodded as she picked up her spoon again and drank more of the broth. She would just have to be patient. Dr. Rianski had said it would only take a few minutes.

Téa and the others waited for what seemed like an eternity before the door finally slid open, startling her. Ruth returned with two infusion bags in her hands as she entered Kaiba's room. She beamed at them all triumphantly, saying, "You were right, Miss Téa! It's vibriosis! We're running a course of antibiotics and steroids to clear out the infection, which should make his fever go down the rest of the way. If all goes well, Mr. Kaiba should be awake and alert by tomorrow morning!"

Téa breathed a sigh of relief she had been holding in along with the others, whose voices echoed over the phone, and Mayura said, "That's great news!"

"It's excellent news, Mrs. Mayura! You could all have very well just saved Mr. Kaiba's life!" said Ruth as she hung the two extra infusion bags on the hook opposite from the saline bag, plugging the lines into an extension in the saline IV in Kaiba's hand. "As the doctor said, had we waited any longer, he would have become septic and possibly even died."

"Aw no! I can't believe I was stupid enough ta challenge 'im wit' sumthin' like dat!" came Joey's panicked voice.

"Yeah, well Kaiba was stupid enough to go through with it." said Mai.

"I agree, don't blame yourself, Joey." said Roland. "Mr. Kaiba should have known better."

Mayura nodded agreement, and Yugi suddenly asked, "Can we see him when he's better, Roland?"

"So long as Mr. Kaiba is okay with it, but he probably won't be awake until sometime tomorrow." said Roland when Ruth looked to him. "I'm afraid we can't crowd Mr. Kaiba with everyone in the room just yet. Too many people will get in the way of the medical staff."

"That's alright, we'd rather see him when he's awake anyway." replied Yugi. "Why don't we go first thing in the morning, guys? He should be awake by then, right?"

"If all goes well, then yes sir." replied Ruth.

"Thank you for calling, guys!" said Téa. "...and thank you, Tristan!" She heard Tristan hum inquisitively at her, and Téa said, "I probably wouldn't have remembered the clam incident if you hadn't said anything about Joey's food poisoning."

"Aw, Téa, that was just good memory on my part; you were the one that did the real detective work that helped Kaiba." replied Tristan, sounding sheepish.

"We'll see you tomorrow, hun." said Mai. "Look after the big guy for us."

"I will." Téa responded. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Téa! Good luck!" said Yugi before Mai hung up the phone.

Téa breathed a sigh of relief, picking up the chopsticks and setting to work on the rest of her soup, slurping down the noodles with renewed gusto. Mayura smiled at her, relieved to see Téa in good spirits enough to eat again, and said, "I should return to the service staff if you don't mind, Miss Téa. They can get quite speculative and chatty if they noticed Mr. Kaiba's absence."

"Of course. I understand." said Téa through a mouthful of noodles, and she swallowed quickly and smiled sheepishly, murmuring an apology.

"No need to apologize, Miss Téa. I'm just glad to see you in better spirits." said Mayura, and she reached out a hand to take Téa's bowl and utensils when she finished her soup, bowing before saying, "If you'd excuse me." before she turned and exited the room with Ruth.

Téa looked at her phone again. It was an hour and a half past noon. Téa looked in her purse for a small novel she always kept on her to pass the time in doctor's offices, airports, the subway, and other places where she would be waiting a while. She settled herself into the armchair in the corner and opened the book, occasionally glancing up at Kaiba to make sure he was alright, but remained by his side for the next few hours, reading silently as Roland watched them both.

---

Téa closed her book, finally finishing it, and yawned. She glanced down at her phone again, reading 6:30 at night on the display. Wow, the time had flown! Téa looked up at the vitals monitor, relieved to see Kaiba's blood pressure rising back to normal levels and his fever lowered several degrees. Téa sighed in relief. Ruth and the medical assistants had walked in every hour or so to check on Kaiba and record his vitals. Kaiba's infusion bags with the antibiotics and the steroids had long since emptied, and now only his saline bag remained, maintaining his hydration while he rested. Kaiba also appeared to not be hyperventilating quite as much, the heaving of his chest slower than before, and his skin was no longer completely flushed red, although his forehead and cheeks still looked pink. He still occasionally made noises and moved in his sleep, but his restlessness and convulsions seemed to have subsided.

Téa heard the door open, and she recognized one of the male assistants from earlier as he walked in, carrying what looked like a giant packet of hospital grade skin wipes.

"Good evening, Miss Téa." he said, pulling out a cloth. "I was going to wash down Mr. Kaiba to help reduce his fever and bathe him a bit. Would you like to help me with that?"

"I'd love to." said Téa, taking a cloth from him, and she set to work on his head and chest while the assistant attended to Kaiba's lower extremities. He moaned appreciatively in his sleep, especially when Téa held the cloth to his forehead and temples and around his neck. He actually turned his face into the cloth a couple times, and Téa smiled and focused the cloth around Kaiba's head and neck. Roland watched her carefully.

"I bet he'll have quite the headache when he wakes up." said the assistant, lifting one of Kaiba's legs and scrubbed under his knee. "Mr. Kaiba is quite prone to tension headaches and sometimes even migraines. Overworks himself, I suppose."

Téa nodded agreement. "What's your name?" she asked the assistant.

"Todd, Miss Téa." said the assistant, switching to Kaiba's other leg. "...and my partner, the one Mr. Kaiba injured earlier, that's Stephan. We're medical assistants. We mostly help Ruth and the other nurses with the heavy lifting and take vitals."

"Thank you for helping earlier, Todd." said Téa.

"No, thank you, Miss Téa!" said Todd cheerfully. "You've got quite the sturdy hold for such a small frame, if you don't mind me saying. There's not a whole lot of us that can hold down Mr. Kaiba, especially when his adrenaline is fired up. It usually takes two or three of us at once."

Téa blushed as she moved the cloth down Kaiba's neck and towards his chest, and she tried not to stare at his abdomen in front of the medical assistant and Roland.

"By the way, I wanted to personally thank you for what you did for Dia and the rest of us." said Todd, keeping a firm hold on Kaiba's ankle in case he kicked out while the assistant washed his feet. "Dia's one of my closest friends."

"You're all going to keep insisting it was me and not Dia that persuaded Kaiba into making his decision, aren't you?" asked Téa with a smile to hide her exasperation.

Todd looked up at her, a serious look in his eyes as he said, "Your pardon, Miss Téa, but you obviously don't know the extent of Mr. Kaiba's power and influence, or how intimidating he is to people. Presidents and monarchs alike bow to Mr. Kaiba."

Téa's eyes widened, and she looked over at Roland and asked, "Is that true?"

"It's true, Miss Téa." affirmed Roland. "Mr. Kaiba commands respect from everyone, even people several years his senior. They dare not catch themselves in a bad light before the man who owns the world's technology, and even that of outer space."

"That's why everyone at KaibaCorp is in such awe of you, Miss Téa!" said Todd, returning his serious gaze to Téa. "No one in the entire universe would dare cross Mr. Kaiba's path, let alone stand before him as boldly as you did the day Mr. Mokuba left us and again when Dia made her confession! You've done so not just once, but twice, and Mr. Kaiba respects you all the same! If it had been anyone else, Mr. Kaiba would have destroyed their livelihoods, shamed and shunned them, and would make sure the whole world did the same to them for the rest of eternity, and he'd have done so without a passing thought!"

Téa's eyes were huge as she remembered all too well that Kaiba had indeed done so to Zigfried Von Schroeder in front of the entire world during the KC Grand Championship, and she wondered who else had earned the scorn of Seto Kaiba. She glanced over at Kaiba, whose eyes were still closed even after being washed down. Todd watched her face carefully as Téa's eyes remained rooted on Kaiba's face. He cleared his throat and stood, disposing of the cloths in a nearby trash can before suddenly asking, "Do you want me to get you anything, Miss Téa? Water, maybe? Or a soda? Keep your sugar up?"

They must have seen my lack of appetite, too. thought Téa. "Do you have ginger ale?" she asked.

"Of course, Miss Téa. Did you need anything, Roland?" Todd added to the guard.

"I'm good, thanks." said Roland.

"Then I'll be right back." said Todd, leaving the room. He returned a moment later, handing Téa an ice-cold can and a straw. "Here you are. Let us know if you need anything else. We're more than happy to help!"

"Thank you." said Téa, and Todd bowed again and left the room.

Téa popped open the can and twisted the tab around, the loud noise making Kaiba startle slightly, his eyes twitching. Roland watched as Kaiba opened his eyes and gazed over at Téa.

"Sorry." Téa said softly to Kaiba, rubbing his arm. She tore the paper off the straw and slipped it into the tab hole, bending the straw and tossing the paper into the trash. She put the straw to her lips and sipped the ginger ale, and the bubbly drink felt refreshing on the back of Téa's throat.

Kaiba watched her, his dark blue eyes still swimming a bit. Téa smiled at him, reaching over and taking his hand. "The doctor said you should be better by tomorrow." she told him, stroking her thumb along the back of his fingers. She knew Kaiba couldn't respond, but Téa talked to him as if he could. "It was that clam you ate on the camping trip. You got some sort of infection from it...vibriosis, I think he said. I bet you won't be doing that again anytime soon, huh?"

Kaiba's hand tightened around hers, his grip firm but gentle.

Roland stared at their clasped hands, saying, "Did he just-...?"

Téa's eyes became huge. "Can you hear me?!" she asked Kaiba, and he squeezed her hand again, his blue eyes never leaving hers. Téa reached over and hit the blue call light, calling, "Ruth! Ruth, come quickly!"

The door slid open, and Ruth ran into the room, a worried look on her face. "What is it, Miss Téa?!" she asked, her eyes looking for something wrong with Kaiba.

"He's awake!" said Téa, turning back to Kaiba. "Kaiba, squeeze my hand again!"

Kaiba did so, and Ruth stared at their hands, saying, "Could it be? Did the combo work that quickly?!" She held up a finger, watching Kaiba's face, and said, "Mr. Kaiba, can you follow my finger?" Kaiba's eyes still swam a bit, but they followed Ruth's finger right, left, up, down and center again. She pulled the thermometer out of a drawer nearby, running it across his forehead and looking at the display after it beeped. "100.2." she said. "Still a bit high, but it's much better than before. That's amazing, truly amazing! I've never seen someone recover so fast from a fever that bad! I must tell Dr. Rianski at once!" She bowed to deeply to Kaiba, then also slightly to Téa, saying, "Thank you for letting me know, Miss Téa! This is wonderful news! Please excuse me while I go inform the doctor and everyone else."

"Of course." said Téa, and Ruth left the room. Téa turned her gaze back to Kaiba, who watched Ruth leave before sliding his eyes back over to Téa. "Can you talk?" she asked him.

Roland watched carefully as Kaiba opened his mouth, but all that came out was a gravely, "...ah." His brow furrowed, and he swallowed, trying again, but he still couldn't form a word. He sighed, closing his mouth again. Téa rubbed his forearm soothingly, saying, "You probably just need to rest. Get your strength back. I bet you didn't really sleep soundly while your fever was high. Not to mention you haven't been able to eat anything."

Kaiba made a rumble in his throat, opening his eyes and staring down at Téa's ginger ale.

"I'll ask." she said, seeing where Kaiba's attention was riveted and reading his thoughts. She pressed the call light again, and a different woman walked in, still wearing nurse's scrubs. It was the one that had brought Téa the pillows and sheets when she first got to the hospital.

"Yes, Miss Téa?" asked the nurse politely.

"Oh hi...um..." started Téa, looking for a badge.

"Juliana, Miss Téa." said the nurse, realizing what Téa was doing.

"Juliana...can Kaiba have a ginger ale, too? I think he's thirsty." said Téa, and the nurse looked at Kaiba, who was still eyeing Téa's can.

"That's perfectly fine." said Juliana. "It will help settle his stomach, and he could most definitely use the calories and the glucose. I'll be right back." She left the room a moment, then returned with another can and straw, handing them to Roland. Téa watched as the guard visually inspected both for tampering and ran a handheld device with a green scan light along the can before nodded his approval and returning it to the nurse, who handed it to Téa. "Be sure to sit him up before he drinks it. The incline and recline buttons are these two right here." She tapped two fingers on a pair of buttons near the call light, one showing a figure lying flat and the other bent at a 45 degree angle with an arrow curving upwards.

"Thank you, Juliana." said Téa, and the nurse bowed before leaving the room. Kaiba watched her as she opened the can and stuck in the straw, reaching over him for the incline button.

"Going up." she told him before holding down the button, and the hospital bed buzzed quietly as the top end raised Kaiba towards her. He reached up a shaking hand, groping at his oxygen mask and trying to pull it down and off his face. "I got you." said Téa, sitting next to him on the bed and pulling the velcro apart before taking off the mask. She set it aside and held the straw to his mouth, and Kaiba sipped greedily at the drink. She looked up at Roland and said, "Can I ask what that green light thing does?"

"It checks for contact or liquid poisons, both outside and inside the object being scanned." said Roland. "Even within the walls of KaibaCorp, we always double check Mr. Kaiba's food."

"That's pretty neat." said Téa, and she looked back at Kaiba, who was still guzzling his drink. She pulled the straw away, saying, "Slow down! You'll give yourself a stomach ache."

Kaiba opened his eyes and looked over at her, his eyes narrowing weakly.

"Don't give me that look." said Téa sternly. "I'm not taking the blame if you vomit again. The nurses won't let you touch anything else of sustenance."

Roland looked over at Téa, his face never betraying his thoughts, but Téa could still sense that the guard was probably amazed at the way she spoke to Kaiba so boldly. Kaiba blinked slowly, his brow relaxing again. His pleading eyes lingered on the can again, and Téa put the straw back to his lips. Kaiba sipped slower this time, breathing through his nose. He started to cough, and Téa pulled the straw away from his lips again. Kaiba's breathing through his mouth sounded pinched as he continued to cough, and Téa quickly grabbed the oxygen mask and held it to his face again. He inhaled through his mouth, sucking down the oxygen, and his coughing subsided. Kaiba opened his eyes again, gazing gratefully over at Téa. She sighed, saying, "What would you do without me?"

Kaiba's amused half-smile flashed behind the oxygen mask, and Téa's heart fluttered at the sight of it. She'd missed that fleeting expression of his. A thought came over her, and she asked him, "That's why you wanted me here, isn't it? You knew what was wrong with you, but you couldn't tell them. You knew I could tell the medical staff what happened on the camping trip."

Roland looked over at Kaiba, who flashed his smile again. Téa also smiled, then held up the can of ginger ale, asking, "Wanna try again?"

He blinked slowly at her, and Téa removed the oxygen mask and held the straw to Kaiba's lips again. He managed to finish the entire can before he started coughing again, and Téa put the mask back on his face, securing the velcro around his head. She tossed the can into the trash and settled back onto the bed, asking him, "Do you want to lay down again or stay sitting up?"

Kaiba flashed two fingers from his lap, so Téa didn't touch the buttons. She yawned, suddenly realizing how tired she was, and rubbed her eyes with one hand. Kaiba reached over and laid a hand on her other arm, gazing at her face, and Téa smiled at him, saying, "I'm just tired."

"If you need, Miss Téa, now that Mr. Kaiba's awake, I can call a car for you to take you home so you-..." started Roland, but before he could finish his sentence, Kaiba's grip tightened on Téa's arm as he glared over at Roland. Roland saw the gesture and bowed deeply, saying, "As you wish, Mr. Kaiba."

"You still want me to stay?" asked Téa, and Kaiba's expression softened as he looked over at her, blinking slowly. Téa smiled and rubbed his hand, which was still gripping her arm, and said, "Okay, I will."

Kaiba's grip eased, and Téa saw him visibly relax, his shoulders unsquaring themselves. Téa patted his hand, saying, "I'm still tired, though, so either let me get back into the chair or you're becoming my pillow."

His amused smile flashed again, and Kaiba slid his hand off of her arm. Téa rose from the bed and moved the blankets before sitting back in the chair and reclining it, wrapping the blankets around her and adjusting the pillow. Kaiba watched Téa as she settled into the chair, and she smiled over at him, saying, "Goodnight."

He blinked slowly at her, and Téa closed her eyes and drifted off into a restful slumber, relieved to know that Kaiba was going to be okay.

---

Téa's eyes fluttered open. She glanced down at her phone on the armrest, which read 11:30 AM. How on earth did she sleep for so long? She must have exhausted herself worrying about Kaiba, and she hadn't slept well the night before to begin with. Téa sat up and yawned, rubbing her eyes. She opened them sleepily, her eyes catching something, and she blinked and looked up. Kaiba's hospital bed had been lowered back to flat again, but he was sitting up on his own. His oxygen mask and EKG wires were gone, and he was dressed in loose black pants and a long-sleeved white shirt that was untucked and only halfway buttoned. He had one leg folded up on the bed with him, his opposite foot on the floor, and his arm rested on his knee. He was gazing over at Téa, and she wondered how long he had been watching her. She caught his eyes and watched as his amused half-smile appeared, and Kaiba said, "Well it's about time you woke up."

Téa's heart fluttered to hear that smooth, deep voice of his ringing out strong and clear once more, and she hopped off the chair without even bothering to set it upright again and threw her arms around Kaiba's shoulders. He blinked, his arms frozen to the sides for a split second before they wrapped cautiously around her back, and Téa noticed at that moment that Roland was still in the room. She buried her face into Kaiba's shoulder, biting her lip hard to hold back her tears. Relief washed over her as Kaiba's strong arms held her in a firm but gentle embrace, his strength completely returned to normal. She sniffed, her hand going to her mouth to stifle a sob.

"Stop that." Kaiba said softly, pulling her upright and glancing at her. "You look pitiful."

Téa's hand flew into his bare chest, making a resounding whack. Caught completely off guard, Kaiba let out a stifled grunt through pressed lips, fighting to keep his eyes from screwing shut.

"Miss Téa!" cried Roland from behind them, his shock evident.

"It's alright, Roland." winced Kaiba, his voice slightly pinched. "Give us a minute."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba." said Roland, bowing deeply before exiting the room.

Kaiba waited until the door was closed before rubbing his chest, saying, "I was just kidding."

"Mayura told me you kept denying you were ill." said Téa, glaring at him through her tear-stained lashes. "Next time tell them what's going on before it gets this bad, knucklehead!"

"It wasn't that ba-..." started Kaiba, and this time he caught her wrist before her hand made contact with his chest again.

"Don't you start with that line of crap!" scolded Téa. "The doctor said you were almost septic! I was too worried to even think straight! If the others hadn't helped to remind me about the clam, you could have gotten worse, and if something had happened to you when I had the answer all along and it was too late to save you, I don't know what I would've..."

"Téa, I'm fi-..."

"Seto Kaiba, don't you dare say fine!" cried Téa, her voice cracking. "You had me and everyone else in a panic because you almost died, and you have the gall to act like it was nothing!"

Kaiba's blue eyes met Téa's, his smile gone as a wave of guilt washed over him at the sight of her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry." he said softly.

"You'd better be sorry, you bull-headed twit!" whimpered Téa, burying her face in his shoulder to stifle another sob and wrapping her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. This time Kaiba didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, one hand going to her head as he ran his fingers gently through her hair, just as his mother had done to him as a child. He didn't know what else to do; he was still speechless that Téa even cared that much about him, and his heart ached strangely as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I made you worry." he said, his voice gentle. "Stop crying, Téa, please. You don't need to waste your tears on me."

Téa hiccupped and pulled away from his shoulder, running a hand across her eyes as she sniffed. "You're not a waste, Seto..." she said, becoming serious again. "...and you need to stop treating yourself like you are. Stop brushing off everything until it becomes catastrophic."

Kaiba met her gaze. "Okay." he said. "I will."

Téa sighed and rested her chin on his shoulder as she hugged him again. Kaiba closed his eyes as she nuzzled his cheek, a strange warmth coursing through him and making his hands move up and down the curvature of Téa's spine soothingly. She hummed appreciatively, and Kaiba felt her fingers comb through the hair at the nape of his neck. All of a sudden, his head was weighed down with dizzying thoughts, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning his head against hers.

"Thank you for staying with me." he murmured near her ear, his eyes still closed.

He heard Téa's amused hum. "Thank you for wanting me to." she replied softly.

"I always want you to." whispered Kaiba.

He felt Téa turn her head to look at him, and Kaiba realized that he had once again let his mouth work faster than his brain, but this time he didn't care. His spar with near-death emboldened him, awakened his old confidence once more, and Kaiba turned to meet her eyes, letting her know he meant every word. Téa's lips parted with her soft intake of breath as their foreheads touched, and Kaiba's eyes lowered to those lips. All he had to do was close the distance…

The door beeped twice, and Téa and Kaiba jumped apart just before it slid open. The entire gang stood there, flanked by Roland and Fuguta. "Alright, he's awake!" said Tristan, leading the others into the room and clapping Kaiba on the shoulder. "How you doing, bud?"

"Much better, thanks to you and Téa's quick thinking." said Kaiba, and Téa was given an opportunity and an excuse to hide her blush behind her hair.

"Aw, but really, it was mostly Téa." said Tristan with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It's good to see you up and about again, dude!" said Duke. "We thought you were a goner!"

"Yeah, they wouldn't let us all in to see you, but the nurse told us you were almost at Death's door!" said Yugi, his eyes wide. "We're glad you were able to fight it off!"

"Yes, please no more repeats." said Mai. "You had us all worried sick, especially Joey."

Kaiba turned his gaze to Joey, saying, "Is that so?"

Joey's face was painted with guilt, and he suddenly let out a loud noise of frustration as he rustled his hair aggressively. "I'm sorry, Kaiba! I shouldn'ta made you eat dat clam!" he practically yelled. "It almost killed ya, an' it woulda been my fault! I'm such an idiot!"

"You didn't make me do anything, Joey." said Kaiba, and Téa blinked in surprise. She was so used to Kaiba using Joey's surname in lieu of his first. "...and it most certainly would not have been your fault. Both my actions and the consequences from it were all on me. I could have refused the dare just as easily, and I knew when you told me not to cook it that I should have then and there. For once I was the one being the idiot, not you, so don't blame yourself."

"Rngh..." muttered Joey, straightening his hair one-handedly. "I still feel bad..."

"Just consider it payback for all the times I was a jerk to you and we'll call it even." said Kaiba.

Joey sighed. "Well, when ya put it dat way, fine den." he said. "...but I ain't doin' anythin' so stupid to ya eva again, pal! I oughta know afta all dese years dat yer too thick-headed to eva back down from a challenge, even if it puts yer life in danger."

"You know it." said Kaiba with an inclination of his head, and Téa giggled.

"In fact, I'm gonna make it up ta ya, Kaiba!" said Joey, his fist clenching affirmatively. "Next time we all go out, I'm payin' fer yer dinna! Whateva ya want! An' don't ya tell me no or ya can easily afford it yerself!" he added quickly at Kaiba's look. "I don't care if ya got endless coffahs compared ta me, rich boy! I owe ya a propah meal dat don't land ya in da hospital! At least lemme do dat much!"

Kaiba allowed himself to sigh, saying, "Fine. If you insist."

"I do insist!" said Joey, turning to look at the others. "How 'bout it, guys? Rain check on da dance hall? An' dis time Kaiba can come wit' us!"

"You bet, Joey!" said Yugi excitedly. "What do you say, Kaiba?"

"Alright, but I'm not dancing even if somebody dares me." replied Kaiba, and the others laughed.

"How about if we win another bet against you?" asked Duke with a knowing grin.

"Very funny, Devlin, but I mean it. You could not get me drunk enough." said Kaiba with a pointed look at Duke, who had imbibed the most alcohol on the camping trip.

"I don't know, that sounds like a challenge to me." joked Tristan, and Kaiba rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smirk as everyone else laughed again.

Téa hummed as her giggle subsided, gazing at Kaiba. She was so relieved that he was back to good health again, and her heart filled with warmth as she watched him laugh and joke with the others, though it was still racing from Kaiba's close proximity. She too was suddenly filled with that same strange, insistent necessity.

---

Téa stood off to the side and watched as Dr. Rianski removed the stethoscope from Kaiba's chest and hooked it around his neck again before palpitating the CEO's stomach with his fingers, nodding his approval when Kaiba showed no signs of tenderness or discomfort. "Truly it amazes me how swiftly you defeated that fever, Mr. Kaiba." said the doctor, stepping back and allowing Kaiba to sit up in the hospital bed. "However, don't think that means I'll have you jumping right back into your regular regimen. You'll have to tone down your sessions with Clyde a bit, and take it easy in the tech lab. We can't have you bending and twisting your midsection when you're still healing those lesions. And absolutely no high-speed air travel. The pressure differential could rupture your lesions."

Kaiba's mouth became a thin line, betraying his displeasure. "How long?" he asked.

"I'd say no less than a week, but ideally two." replied the doctor.

Kaiba let out a noise of frustration and ran his hand through his hair, something Téa was sure he would have never allowed himself to do in front of his staff had he received proper sleep and nutrition. She understood his irritation, though; two weeks might as well be two months when it came to business productivity, and Claire had told her Kaiba wasn't one to take a day off even on what was supposed to be his actual days off.

"I'd advise you to use acetaminophen instead of NSAID pain relievers should you have headaches or any other pain." added Dr. Rianski. "I'm prescribing a cytoprotective agent and an H2 blocker in addition to your proton pump inhibitor to help speed the healing process. I'll also have Mayura make some adjustments to your diet for a few weeks so as to not irritate the lining of your GI tract any further."

"Speaking of which, I would really like to get something to eat before I get a headache." said Kaiba as he massaged his temples, as if already getting one. "Is there anything else?"

"Just one more thing. In two weeks, we'll perform a barium swallow and a capsule endoscopy to make sure everything's healed smoothly." answered Dr. Rianski. "If all goes well after that, you may return to your regular regimen. I believe I've covered everything now. Do you have any questions for me, Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba shook his head wordlessly, and Dr. Rianski bowed to Kaiba as he said, "Then I shall take my leave. Good day to you, sir…Miss Téa."

Téa gave him a warm smile, and the doctor left the room, admitting Yugi and the others again as he did so. They had left the room both for healthcare confidentiality reasons and to give the doctor more space to examine Kaiba. "All clear?" asked Yugi.

"We'll have to monitor him for a little bit longer before he's completely cleared." said Roland. "But he's much better than he was."

Tristan shook his head in amazement, saying, "Dang Kaiba, you've got a god-like immune system. Something of that magnitude would have laid me out for a week or two."

"You mean he has god-like stubbornness." said Téa, giving Kaiba a hard sideways glance. "He was sick for several days and just didn't tell anyone until it got this bad."

"I'm sorry, mother, it won't happen again." deadpanned Kaiba.

The others chuckled at the remark, and Téa sighed, saying, "It had better not, or you'll be sorry."

"Well, now that we know you're up and about again, Kaiba, I suppose we should leave you be." said Bakura. "I'm sure you could do with some real food and a good, solid nap."

"Yeah, I bet you didn't enjoy your saline diet for the past two or three days." added Duke.

"No, I certainly didn't." agreed Kaiba, looking with disdain at his bandaged hand where the IV line had been. "I feel like I could out-eat Joey right now."

"Oh, trust me bud, if there's one thing Joey Wheeler will always have you beat on, it's the amount of food he can pack down in one sitting without getting sick." said Tristan, and Joey actually beamed with pride at this realization.

"Or fat." added Serenity with a cheerful smile.

"Ugh, tell me about it. It is so not fair." said Mai with a roll of her eyes.

"Heh, well, I guess we'll see you around, Kaiba." said Yugi, holding out a fist, and Kaiba's amused half-smirk flashed before he actually returned the fist-bump.

"Yes, and next time you invite us over, please let it not be to give you Last Rites." said Bakura.

"Took da words right out o' my mouth." said Joey. "You comin' wit', Téa?"

"Um…yeah, I guess I should." said Téa, glancing sideways at Kaiba with an apologetic look in her eyes, but Kaiba gave her a smile and a slight incline of his head.

"Take care of yourself, Kaiba!" said Serenity, reaching forward and squeezing Kaiba's non-bandaged hand with both of hers, and Kaiba gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return.

"See you later, big guy." said Mai.

"Don't work too hard, boss man." added Tristan, clapping Kaiba on the shoulder. "Téa, I'll wait for you outside on my bike, whenever you're ready."

"Thanks, Tristan." said Téa, and Tristan gave her a sly wink before following the others as they left the room.

Téa watched as Kaiba rubbed the back of his neck, squeezing to relieve the tension.

"Do you need headache medication, sir?" asked Roland.

"I'd rather just take a hot shower. I've had enough medications pumped into me to last me a lifetime." replied Kaiba, rising from the bed.

"Mr. Kaiba, perhaps you should wait to take a shower until the nurses bring a chair…" started Roland uneasily, walking forward and reaching for Kaiba's arm.

"I can stand just fine." snapped Kaiba, waving him away. "I had a fever, not broken legs."

"Seto, go easy on him." said Téa gently, touching his arm. "You passed out in front of him and had to be wheeled away on a stretcher. He has a right to be worried."

It was hard to say whether Roland was more surprised at Téa's candid remark to Kaiba or the way he took it without argument. "I just think it would be good for me to stretch my legs and move around." said Kaiba with a more civil tone.

"At least permit me or a medical assistant to stand in the room with you, Mr. Kaiba." said Roland. "Dr. Rianski would want you to be closely monitored for the next few days, especially with hot water after suffering a fever. Not to mention you've been bedridden for a while."

"Okay, fine." said Kaiba, trying to contain his irritation. He preferred privacy, but realized he wasn't going to get that right away. "But sooner than later, please."

"Right away, sir. I'll be right back." said Roland, bowing before leaving the room.

"Seriously, no chair or I'll dock your pay." called Kaiba after him before the door closed.

Téa let out a sigh, saying, "Good to see you back to your old self."

Kaiba's amused half-smirk flashed. "I was just kidding." he said. "Mostly." he added in an undertone as he seated himself on the hospital bed again.

Téa scoffed in amusement, shaking her head at him and smiling. "I'm sure you'll feel a lot better after a real shower and not a cloth bath." she said.

There was a very obvious twinkle in Kaiba's blue eyes accompanying the smirk that spread across his face as he said, "It wasn't that bad."

All of a sudden, Téa felt a violent fluttering in her stomach, like an entire swarm of butterflies. "Y-you were awake for that?!" she asked, blushing darkly.

"Awake for what?" asked Kaiba, his innocent look being ruined by the mischievous half-smirk. Before Téa could respond, Kaiba interjected, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, was that you with your hands all over me?" His gaze pointed unabashedly at her as he added, "You seem to like doing that, don't you?"

Téa bit her lip and smacked him in the chest, saying, "You liked it, too. Admit it."

"Make me." said Kaiba, his blue eyes twinkling.

"I will." said Téa, and she suddenly shoved her hands against his chest, catching him off guard and pushing him down on the bed. Téa quickly climbed on top of him, straddling his stomach and clamping her hands down on his forearms.

"What are you doing?" asked Kaiba, blinking up at her.

"Holding you down until you confess." said Téa simply. "Which you should do fairly quickly if you don't want your right-hand man walking in on us like this."

"Aha..." said Kaiba. "You do realize the problem with your kinky interrogation tactics, right?"

Téa bit back a surprised giggle at his choice of words. "What's that?" she asked.

"Two things, actually." said Kaiba. "One, your center of gravity is angled incorrectly for effectively holding me down."

"Nerd." quipped Téa, but leaned further forward so she was putting more of her weight down on Kaiba's arms and less on his stomach.

"That's better." said Kaiba. "Two, I'm stronger than you."

A tiny noise of surprise escaped Téa's mouth as Kaiba easily sat up while simultaneously pushing his forearms against her hands, and Téa reflexively threw her arms around his shoulders as she felt herself starting to fall backwards, but Kaiba wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her from falling off the bed. And just for good measure, he stood up from the bed, lifting her off of him and setting her on her feet before him. "Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Téa..." he said. "...but no confession from me today."

Téa's hands slid from his shoulders down the length of his arms. "Truly you amaze me, Seto Kaiba." she said, following the path of her hands with her eyes.

"Yeah?" said Kaiba, upturning his hands as Téa's slid down to grasp them. "How so?"

"You went from barely able to lift a finger to this, all in short order." said Téa, squeezing his hands. "You really are a swift healer. I'm glad."

Kaiba watched her carefully, his blue eyes taking on that gentle shimmer as he said, "You really were worried about me, weren't you?"

Téa bit her lip and nodded before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his middle, squeezing him tightly, and Kaiba returned the embrace. Téa turned her head and leaned her ear against his chest, and she listened to Kaiba's heartbeat and the flow of air in his lungs; it was a very soothing sound.

"You don't have to leave, you know." said Kaiba, stroking her back gently. "You're welcome to stay. Roland told me you didn't eat or sleep well while you were here."

Téa closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of Kaiba's touch. "I'm better now that you're awake." she said. "...and I shouldn't leave Tristan waiting for nothing."

Kaiba watched her carefully. "I just want to make sure that you're okay." he said.

Téa blinked and looked up at him. "That I'm okay?" she said in disbelief. "Seto, you're the one that was deathly ill."

"I know." said Kaiba, meeting her gaze. "…and I know that I scared you because of it."

Téa lowered her eyes. He was right; she had been terrified from the moment Claire and Eric had knocked on her door. Even now that Kaiba was awake and walking around under his own power, Téa couldn't shake the horrible realization that she had almost lost him just like that.

"Téa…" said Kaiba, putting a gentle finger under her chin and lifting her head so that their eyes met again. "When I told you that I was fine and that this whole ordeal wasn't that bad, I wasn't saying that to downplay your feelings. I was just trying to alleviate some of your anguish. I know what it's like to watch as someone's life slips away from them."

Téa's breath caught in her throat. She knew that Kaiba wasn't talking about Mokuba this time because he hadn't been there at the time of his death. There were only two other people she knew of who it could be. "One of your parents?" she asked fearfully.

Kaiba met her gaze. "Both of them." he said.

Téa's hand went to her mouth, her wide blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears, and she could feel the crushing weight in her heart for him.

"That's why I want to make sure that you're okay, Téa." said Kaiba, caressing her arms. "I never meant to make you feel helpless and terrified. I just wanted you here with me."

Téa's blue eyes met Kaiba's. She had known for a long time that Kaiba's parents had died in his youth, but it never crossed her mind that he may well have been right there to witness it. She remembered Kaiba telling her that his mother, the first one to go, had died when he was seven years old. While Téa had been playing in sandboxes making castles from buckets and picking wildflowers to blow their petals away as she made a wish, Kaiba had watched the person who had given him life have hers taken away from her. It was far beyond Téa's comprehension as to how little seven-year-old Seto Kaiba must have felt in that moment, and yet Kaiba seemed to have summed it up succinctly in two words: helpless and terrified. It was the same way she had felt when she watched him battle for his life these past couple of days, except she had the benefit of relief when he recovered. Kaiba had endured the opposite not once, not twice, but three times.

Téa swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and buried her face into Kaiba's chest, squeezing him tightly. "I'm okay." she said quietly. "I'm okay now that you are. I don't know how I would have been if you didn't recover." She shoved her mouth into his shirt, hoping it would help muffle the crack in her voice as she added, "I don't know how you do it."

Kaiba stared down at her. It was the first time that someone acknowledged that he carried a heavy burden his entire life. He let out a soft exhale from his nose and wrapped his arms around her, caressing her back gently. "Me neither, to be honest." he said at last. "I don't think I could handle losing a loved one a fourth time."

Téa's eyes opened slowly as she realized what he was saying. All of a sudden, she remembered his words from their fight not too long ago:

I won't let them kill anyone else I love!

Téa picked her head off of Kaiba's chest and looked up at him, and he lowered his gaze to hers. She met those unfathomably deep eyes of his, the dark blue reminding her of the ocean that forever weathered the relentless storms that battered it. How could she have ever thought that those eyes were cold as ice and unfeeling?

Before either of them could say anything further, the door beeped twice, giving the two of them the warning they needed to jump away from each other as the door opened and in walked Roland, carrying a towel, washcloth and toiletries. "Here you are, Mr. Kaiba." he said, indicating to the items in his hand. "My apologies it took so long."

Kaiba let out a humph, and Téa hid her blush with her hair, saying, "Well, I should, um…I should probably go now. Tristan's waiting for me. And I'm sure you want to freshen up."

"Right." said Kaiba, who started to unbutton his dress shirt.

"Mr. Kaiba!" cried Roland, looking uneasily towards Téa.

"Oh, lighten up, Roland! She's already seen me almost naked, let alone shirtless." snapped Kaiba as he opened his shirt all the way.

Téa smothered her giggle with a hand, though she could feel her cheeks getting warmer as she tried her best not to admire Kaiba's sculpted torso. She put her hand on his arm, saying, "Take care of yourself, Seto."

Kaiba patted her hand in return, saying, "I will."

Téa inclined her head, then turned and hurried out of the room, saying her goodbyes to Roland before closing the door behind her. Roland waited a moment before turning to look back at Kaiba. "First name basis, I see." he said. "Still just a friend?"

"Oh, save it!" snapped Kaiba, snatching the body wash out of Roland's hand and about-facing to the shower room. Roland's mustache curled with his sly smile as he followed.

---

Icy-blue eyes honed in on Yugi and the group leaving KaibaCorp tower, memorizing each face, composure, gait, and mannerisms. Terrance lowered the binoculars from those scrutinizing eyes of his, smiling his sickly grin before saying, "That's a nice-sized group of acquaintances he's aquired. So many choices to pick from. This ought to be exciting."

"Terra, if I may be so bold to ask…" said Mateo, who stood off to the side looking as impatient as ever. "Why are you just watching the others instead of actually doing something to them?"

"See, this is why you stayed in mechanics and never moved up to reconnaissance, Mateo." said Terrance, his tone that of an older brother talking down to his younger. "You never strike without knowing the exact right moment to do so."

"Enlighten me, then." said Mateo. "How would you know when the right moment to strike is?"

"Let's see if you can figure it out." said Terrance, handing the binoculars sideways to Mateo. "Look there. What do you see?"

Mateo took the binoculars from Terrance and put them to his eyes, doing a quick sweep over the group. "That group of nobodies is leaving KaibaCorp." he answered. "What of it?"

"You're a regular Sherlock Holmes." growled Terrance. "How about focusing on the forest instead of the trees."

Mateo swallowed nervously and put the binoculars back to his eyes. "Well…" he said, pausing to think about his answer carefully. "They were all obviously just visiting Seto Kaiba."

"Now you're getting somewhere." said Terrance. "Now tell me, Mateo. Do you ever recall Seto Kaiba being a sociable individual?"

"Quite the contrary." said Mateo, relieved to be able to offer information actually knew.

"So why is it, do you think, that a large group of recent acquaintances would suddenly rush into Kaiba's headquarters all at once, as if on emergency circumstances?" added Terrance with heavy emphasis so Mateo would hopefully get to the point quickly.

Mateo picked his head up suddenly as the light finally came on. "Are you suggesting Kaiba may have been lain out?"

"Bingo." said Terrance, unsheathing his dagger and sharpening it on a stone built into his belt. "I trust I don't have to tell you what that means for us?"

Mateo's eyes flitted to the dagger. "It's our time to strike!" he said.

"Very good." crooned Terrance, as if talking down to a small child.

"…and we can go straight for Seto Kaiba since he's in a weakened state!" added Mateo.

Terrance clapped Mateo upside the head. "No, you idiot! We go after the others!" he snapped.

"What?!" cried Mateo. "…but Kaiba is our target, and he-…!"

"Will be surrounded by his guards for the next forseeable future." said Terrance. "They'll be more focused on protecting their vulnerable CEO, not his companions. As you so astutely put, they're nobodies compared to him."

"Right." said Mateo, rubbing the back of his head. "Of course, I knew that."

"Now it's my turn to ask you something, Mateo." said Terrance. "Who would you pick as the ideal target?"

Mateo did another quick sweep of the group, watching as they got into their vehicles and started driving off, saying, "If she weren't so well-guarded by her brother and those two boys that fawn after her, I'd say Serenity Wheeler. If it were just her, it would almost be too easy."

"For once, I agree with you." said Terrance. "After all, I'm a man who enjoys a challenge. What say you if we were to get three birds with one stone?"

"Three birds?!" asked Mateo, not liking the eerie tone in Terrance's voice. "…and who would be the other birds, exactly?"

"Why, the other girls, of course." said Terrance with a grin.

"What?!" exclaimed Mateo. "But Terra, Mai Valentine is part of that group! We've already established that she's too high-profile!"

"Is she though?" asked Terrance. "Out of eight finalists in the Battle City Tournament, she came in second-to-last place, and she's been out of the spot-light for years. You really call that high-profile? Please. The everyday person couldn't pick her out of a cereal box, let alone a crowd."

"If you say so…" said Mateo, looking uneasy.

"Have a little faith in your old friend, won't you, Mateo?" said Terrance, his sickly grin spreading across his face. "Trust me, there's a method to my madness."