Author Note: This was my second story for this website (actually, my second story I've ever written), published and completed in 2003. As such, it is not very good at all, in my opinion. Please keep that in mind if you read this. I am only keeping it up as a reminder to me of where I began in writing, and how much encouragement I received from so many people on this website. That being said, if you still read on, you have been reminded that this has not been beta-read (I briefly checked for errors in 2005), nor do I consider this to be good writing. To give this story some credit, I do like some of the chapters (they still make me laugh), and I might even "re-vamp" the entire story sometime to make it more to my expectations. Thank you,

~Lynn - 06-01-09

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of particular value in this story.

A Week Left to Live

By: Lynn

It was Monday. Early in the morning, Seto Kaiba got up ready for another "wonderful" day of school, having to deal with Mokuba's overactive hyper attitude, having to deal with Yugi and Co., having to deal with angry teachers about him needing to have more friends, and having to deal with co-workers that wanted something done their way, and not his way. He was the CEO for heaven's sake!

When he got to school, there were the insults that he shot at Joey, and Yugi's,

"Hi, Kaiba! How was your day?"

"Leave me alone, Yugi," was the indistinguishable answer he would always give.

And of course, there were the friendship lessons from Tea that would always give him a headache. Tea would natter on and on, and he would try to ignore her as best he could. Luckily, Tristan and Bakura had some common sense in them to stay out of his way.

At work, the same arguments, and the same answers from him.

Will these guys ever let up? This hear headache that Tea gave me is agonizing! I need an aspirin.

Finally, the staff gave found a conclusion to their problem, and Seto got to go home.

As he drove home, he thought about the day's events.

Why on earth am I even here? All this stress is going to kill me someday.

Breaking out of his thoughts, he swerved just in time to avoid an on-coming car. As he looked up quickly, he realized he was the one in the wrong lane, and as he turned, he plowed straight into a stop sign.

I hate my life.

He got home, feeling a slight pain in his chest, and took an aspirin. But later on as he was finishing up some work, the pain got worse.

Hold on a second, this isn't a heart attack! I'm not sixty-seven! I think I'll check with my doctor.

Seto called a cab to get to his doctor.

After waiting for an eternity in the waiting room (he made a mental note to switch hospitals as soon as this was over), he finally got to see his doctor, who only told him to wait in an office chair.

I feel terrible. What's wrong with me?

When the doctor came back and did the routinal check-ups on him, the look of shock on his face made Seto slightly nervous.

"Well, what's wrong with me?" He almost didn't want to know, by the grave expression on the doctor's face.

"...we need some D.N.A. scans, Mr. Kaiba."

Seto gave a confused look. "Why?"

The doctor sighed. "Mr. Kaiba, I think something's seriously wrong with you, and I want to give a few more tests before I give my verdict."

Seto, even more confused and nervous, gave his approval and then waited as the tests were completed.

The minutes flew by. Seto felt his heart beating faster and then leap as the doctor's footsteps could be heard coming back to his room. Seto stood, his fists clenched.

"Tell me right out what's wrong with me. I want to know."

The doctor hesitated before speaking. "All right, Mr. Kaiba. I'll be frank with D.N.A. scans that I took from you weren't right. They were all twisted and warped." Silence, then the doctor sighed. "Mr. Kaiba, you only have a week left to live."

"WHAT?"

"Maybe less." He started rambling."You see, we would perform an operation or do something, but...it would take more than a week..." The doctor stuttered as he saw the expression on Seto's face. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Kaiba. You see, we really would do all we can, but this particular disease is...well...incurable. Another doctor said it's hereditary, but it only affects the first-born child. That is you, is it not?"

"Yes." Seto was too shocked to say anything more. He already felt lifeless as he fell back in the chair. He wanted to scream, to yell, to shake the doctor and tell him he was fired just like his associates at KaibaCorp when they told him something he didn't want to hear. But, no, this was different. It wasn't the doctor's fault for delivering this piece of news, it was his own body.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Kaiba-" The doctor would have gone on, but suddenly a nurse shot into the room.

"Doctor! Doctor!" she was almost screaming. "It's Room 608! We need every available pair of hands possible! The patient in the room is dying!"

"I'll be there right away," The doctor nodded. As he walked out, he sent an apologetic glance towards Kaiba.

"I am sorry..."

Seto slumped back into the chair, his face in his hands. Thoughts swarmed through his mind, confused him, made him dizzy. Why did it have to end like this? What will happen to Mokuba now? All I've worked for, and strained for, gone! Everything I had fought for, my own life, my brother's life, my company, gone! All in one crazed disease. I don't even know what I'm dying of!

Suddenly, a simple conclusion came to him.

He stood up, and walked out of the doctor's office, acting as if nothing wrong had ever happened. He resolved only to tell Mokuba when the time was right. He would make the best out of his last days on earth.