Kaiba had gotten up the next morning and drove to town. After all it had worked SO well the last time. He still didn’t have a reason for going, it was just for the sake of going somewhere...

He parked and walked into one of the burger shacks that people seemed to like so much. He just went and sat in a secluded corner looking at all the people coming in and out ordering their greasy beef products while he got a cup of coffee in one of those nice Styrofoam cups they always give out. One group of people that came in gave him a special interest. Of course it just HAD to be Yugi and all his friends coming into THIS deli on THIS day... awe well, can’t do anything about it now. So he just sat and watched them go sit at a table and joke with each other.

Kaiba couldn’t hear what they were saying, so he just watched body language and their expressions. Tristan and Joey were, as usual, beating up on one another while Yugi talked to Tea. She was laughing at almost everything the little monster was saying and smiling like crazy at the little dwarf... oh how much Kaiba wanted to go over there and wring his neck out. He didn’t know especially why, but he did, he really did.

A pain suddenly went through his hand and he looked down. Well, so much for his coffee... He had accidentally crushed the thing and the hot liquid was burning his hand. This was a good sort of pain though. He looked up at Tea. THAT wasn’t. He retreated back into the recesses of his mind. ‘This is why you don’t need anybody Kaiba. They’re all out to get you, they all want to hurt you. Why were you stupid enough to even THINK about getting close to one of them. Your such an idiot Kaiba, a stupid, stupid idiot...’

Leaving his coffee dripping all over the table he quickly got up and left the restaurant. Tea saw him leave and looked at him curiously as he stomped out. What was Kaiba doing here? She shrugged. Nothing to worry about, he probably just got something to eat and finished. And so she went back to talking with Yugi in her friendly way. Little did she know that he had seen her being friendly, as being flirty...

**********************

Kaiba had left the restaurant with a hot head, and it was far from cooling down. He slammed his car door and screeched off towards home. When he got there he stomped through the kitchen grabbing a knife and was about to go upstairs when he saw Mokuba staring at him from the table...

“Hey Seto.”

“Hey Mokuba...”

“Whatcha doin?”

Kaiba looked around him frantically and picked up and apple before heading towards the stairs, “Just getting some fruit... see ya.” He ran up the stairs and went to sit in his room. He chucked the apple and watched it smash into the wall with satisfaction. The apple had felt pain, now it was his turn. He picked up the knife and rolled up his sleeve staring at his arm. Pain was what he lived with, he’d become accustomed to it, it was always the same, it hurts then goes away, always true, pain was his friend...

******************

School was the next day as usual. Tea moaned as she walked into class. ‘Monday...’ She went and plopped down in her seat behind Joey and Yugi and slouched over her desk. Another day of boring school. She watched everyone coming into class and file into their seats. Most were sulking about the day just like Tea was. The last person to come into the room was Kaiba. She looked him over, despite how indifferent she may have seemed, she was still worried that Kaiba was hurting himself more. She looked at his leg, no blood... probably got a Band-Aid or something by now. She looked at his face, he had a bruise on his cheek, ‘Probably from when I slapped him.’ she admitted weakly. The rest of him looked fine, the thing that bugged her was how that he wasn’t moving his arms that much. They just seemed to hang by his sides as he tried to avoid anyone from touching them. Tea didn’t have much time to wonder about this before the bell rang and class began.

At lunchtime Tea sat with Yugi and everyone, but she tried to keep a close look on Kaiba. He went and sat in the very corner all by himself. He had a lunch but he just chucked it into the trash without even opening it. Telling the guys she’d be right back Tea headed over to where Kaiba was sitting.

“So what’s up Kaiba?”

He just looked at her blankly.

“Anything wrong?”

“.......”

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

“.........”

“Uh, thanks for getting the car and stuff...”

“.........”

“Hey come on, you can at least talk to me.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and watched him wince before he looked away from her and muttered under his breath.

“Go away...”

“What’d I do?”

“Just go away...” He turned his head and glared at her hand on his shoulder.

“Come on Kaiba... What’d I do?” She took her hand off and cocked her head to the side.

“Just leave...”

Tea was starting to get annoyed with Kaiba. “Oh come on. It can’t be THAT bad, whatever it is. Come on, come sit with the rest of the gang...” She grabbed his arms and started to yank him up. Tea looked at him worriedly when it seemed he was grimacing in pain. She let go of his arms and look at his sleeves where she had been grabbing. There were dark stains where her hands had been but Kaiba quickly pulled them under the table. Tea wasn’t going to let him get away that easy though. She pulled one of his arms back on top of the table and pulled up his sleeve before shrieking, “OH MY GOD KAIBA! WHAT’D YOU DO?”

He yanked his arm back and covered it again. Darting his glance around to see everyone staring at him and Tea. Why’d she have to shout like that? He stood and walked out in the silence that followed without looking at anyone.

The room started to go back to normal as Tea went and sat with Yugi again. All her friends stared at her. Joey’s curiosity got the better of him and he was the first to speak, “What was it Tea?”

She blinked at him before speaking shakily, “Oh... oh, nothing...”

Yugi cocked and eyebrow at her. This was so unlike Tea, why wasn’t she telling them? He shrugged it off and went back to eating his sandwich. He’d ask Tea about it after school...

***********

Kaiba hadn’t wanted Tea to see his arms. So there were a few, ok, maybe a lot... of little cuts on his arm. Well, maybe not so little either... but that was still no reason to go shouting about it! He yanked down his sleeve and winced as the gashes open and shut with each movement. Pain was a good thing though, he needed pain... He pulled up his sleeve slightly and looked at one of the many X’s that he had made with that knife he had had. Well... at least he hadn’t cut his wrists... if you wanted to be optimistic about it. He looked at the blood seeping out and covered the cut with his shirt sleeve again.

He continued walking until he got to his car. He opened the door and grunted slightly, any movement of his arms was painful. As he got in the car and started driving home a smile grew onto his face. Maybe Kaiba was just going insane, his arms were killing him, his leg felt like heck, he still had a REALLY bad headache, what else could go wrong? Things couldn’t possibly get any worse... of course, as always, whenever anybody in the entire history of anything says that... things get worse. And of course, Kaiba was no exception.

Just as Kaiba was pulling out onto the road on his way home after deciding quite plainly to ditch the rest of school the almighty hand of Murphy ((ya know, Murphy's law right?)) came down to play with little Kaiba.

Beep! Beep! Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! CRUNCH!