-1Chapter One: Loss

Lapis sat kneeling at the low wooden table, rocking back and forth silently. Her green eyes stared at the gleaming tabletop, but she looked right through it. Her vision swept across the room as the sun slowly set behind the blinds and the roses stood tall in their crystal vases, but she saw none of it. All Lapis could see were the moments, the precious moments she and her Pharaoh spent together here at this table. She could see his brilliant smile as he laughed, the glitter of his deep purple orbs, the straightness of his back as he kneeled erect on his pillow. She could hear his commanding voice beckoning her to his side, hear him talk, ask her to speak to him about her childhood. She could feel the gentleness of his touch as he stroked her hand, pushed back the stray tendrils from her face, feel the warmth radiating from his being. His warmth…..Something flickered across lapis' face as she remembered. Yami….her Yami was gone. His warmth, his light was….gone, stolen, taken from her in an instant. A sob, full of grief and pain, escaped her lips and suddenly she could no longer hold back. Her back lost its straightness as she keeled over in sorrow onto the tabletop. My Pharaoh!, her heart cried out. My love! Yami! Her grief-stricken sobs reverberated throughout the empty house as she replayed earlier events. The car barreling down, the henchmen in black, Yami fighting, running, reaching out for her, all of these things ran through her mind like a bad movie she couldn't shut off.

"Lapis?"

Startled, Lapis sat up quickly to see Yugi standing in the doorway, looking frightened. "Lapis, why are you crying?"

She couldn't answer. Just seeing little Yugi with the same beautiful amethyst eyes and spiked hair made her yearn for her Pharaoh harder. He's not here because of me. Lapis slumped over, bringing her head to hard wood, alarming Yugi more. He rushed over, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Lapis?! Lapis, what's wrong? What has happened? Lapis, where's Yami?"

In a fresh torrent of tears, Lapis explained the entire story, leaving nothing out. She told him of her duty as protector to the Pharaoh, meeting Kaiba for the first time, falling in love with Yami, the significance of yesterday's incident in the diner, all adding up to the kidnapping.

"It's my fault!," she exclaimed to a stunned Yugi. "I didn't protect him from that..that snake, I wasn't there as I should have been. I didn't do my job and now…now, he's gone! Yugi, he's gone!"

"Okay, Lapis, okay," responded the small boy as he slowly came out of his stupor and began putting his brain to work. "It's okay, we'll get him back. We will. Kaiba won't hurt Yami, he's not that evil."

"Isn't he?," spat Lapis.

"No. Kaiba is undoubtedly many things, but a killer? A murderer? I know that he hasn't shown you anything but a selfish and pompous attitude, but he…he isn't all bad."

Lapis found that hard to believe, but Yugi sounded so sure of himself. He sounded as though there was still hope. But how could Kaiba be so cruel? How could he steal away her sun, her light? It was getting dark out and Yugi began clicking on lamps to illuminate the room. Lapis watched without seeing, slowly growing angrier and angrier as she thought about it. How dare he take away someone so precious? How dare he? Curse him! Looking out the window and focusing, she felt slightly defeated that it was indeed night. Realizing she had wasted the entire day in a depression, she cursed her own self. What could she do now?