AN: I will be using the Japanese names for most characters. Some characters might be OOC but I will try my best to keep them in character and also fit the story line.

Chapter One: Of Amethysts and Sapphires

Dreams, they are the epitome of our creativity. They are the embodiment of our conscience. They are where our conscious and unconscious minds meet to form answers to a problem, outlets for our stress, and memories once forgotten. Is it a surprise that we have whole sciences devoted to discovering and uncovering the mysteries that are dreams? But when you put aside all of the science and technicalities of dreams, what are they really? Are they visions of the future? The past? Are they some higher power guiding us to where we need to be or where we need to go? Can we ever comprehend just how powerful dreams can be? After all, one dream ruined was the start of a world war, and a dream reached was how we discovered America.

Everything had led to this moment.

Our happenstance meeting.

Our rivalry.

Our falling for one another.

Our crimes.

I realized that everything we had done had led to this inexplicable moment in time. A moment I knew I would never forget.

His piercing cerulean eyes bore into my own crimson ones. I had nothing else to say. I was out of time. Out of those precious seconds that would have helped buy his freedom. I didn't dare say a word for fear of being caught, but I did continue gazing at the fierce sight in front of me.

It didn't matter that it wouldn't help him to be defiant now. He was rebellious until the end and the sight was still as amazing as when I had first laid eyes upon him. I was still in awe of the beauty that was Seto Kaiba.

His strength. His fierce protectiveness. His steadfast loyalty. His arrogant sarcasm. Those are the qualities I fell for. That is the man that I loved; that I was sure loved me just as desperately, if not more. I couldn't tear my gaze away from him. We'd been through everything together, and I did not wish to stop that now.

I knew he saw me in the crowd. I knew that I was the one he had decided to share his life with, however brief a life that may have been. I knew that this beautiful, intense, precious man was who I was meant to be with. My soul mate.

A man hopped onto the platform. "Seto Kaiba, you stand charged of mutiny and sedition." The man's bald head gleamed in the sunlight and I cringed at his words. There was only one punishment for both crimes in these lands. "You are hereby sentenced to death."

Seto stared the man down, daring him to give the order that would end his life. I knew that it was useless and wrong for me to watch, to even be near this place, but I couldn't leave. I wouldn't let him go through this alone.

"Any last words?" The man glared at Kaiba, and I, in turn, glared at the man. Now he was just taunting him. "Say your last words now, or die with them on your tongue."

Seto's gaze found mine again. His brown hair caught in the wind making him look, for the entire world, like the avenging angel he was. I stared at him with love. He broke our eye contact to bare his teeth at the man.

He had said all he'd needed to in those last few moments of our locked gazes. He loved me.

"No? Alright then, you are sentenced to hang by the neck until dead," At this the bald man placed a noose around my beloved's neck. The same neck I'd kissed just hours prior. Had all of this only happened in those short hours of peace?

"Do it." The man commanded the executioner.

Seto's eyes were no longer on the man, but back on me. I mouthed the only words I was capable of registering. "I love you." Kaiba gave me a slight nod, undetectable to anyone not looking for it. His icy gaze softened and for a moment, it was just us. Just our eyes holding a silent conversation of words that had never had a chance to be uttered, and probably never would.

Within the next second there was a creaking sound of rusted gears. Then the sound of cracking bones filled the air. After that, darkness was all I knew.

I sat bolt upright, nocking my head against something hard. I groaned and rubbed my forehead, glaring at whatever it was that I had hit. Large, concerned, violet eyes gazed down at me from a childlike boyish face. As I glared up at the boy, an impish smile graced rose colored audacious lips.

"Sorry Yami," my younger brother stated, nothing close to remorse coloring his tone.

"Yeah, get back to me when you can say it in a convincing tone," I state holding the heel of my palm against my bruising forehead. "Did you even feel that?"

"Nope," Yugi popped the 'p' and punctuated it with a quick shake of his head. He was sixteen yet his mannerisms and appearance begged to differ.

"Didn't think so. You're so hard headed I could take a bat to your skull and you wouldn't feel a thing," I smirked at him and he frowned. His lips curved downward with indignant displeasure.

"Hey! That's mean!" He stated, putting a hand on his hip. I had to resist the urge to ruffle his tri-colored hair.

He was so adorable when he was upset. Most of the time I had to remind myself that he wasn't the little kid I had raised, but a teenager that was almost an adult. I guess I felt old though, because I had raised him. I'd given up my childhood to make sure my brother had one, not that I was complaining. Yugi was the most precious gift I could ever have. But at nineteen, I felt like I had already lived a full life in raising him.

I kicked my legs over the side of my cot, and stood stretching. Looking back at him, I smirked evilly before saying "You know, you're too cute for your own good!" I easily dodged the pillow that had made my face its target.

Yugi followed me as I made my way down the short hallway, and into the cramped kitchen. I looked in the fridge, grabbing the jug of orange juice I saw, and set it on the bar, just as Yugi sat on his stool on the opposite side of the bar. I leant my hip against the small stove (if you could call it that) and crossed my arms.

"What do you want for breakfast little one?" He hated that term of endearment, yet he would always be my little one. My light.

Frowning he said "Pancakes."

"We had pancakes yesterday."

"So?"

"So wouldn't you like something new for a change?"

"No."

"I think it's time to try something different."

"And I think it's always time for pancakes!" Yugi exclaimed hopping off his stool with the force of his excitement. I rolled my eyes at his antics. I never understood my brother's fascination with my pancakes, but since the moment I'd made them, he'd fallen in love with the golden batter.

"Whatever. What kind do you want today?" I made several different types of pancakes, walnut, blueberry, chocolate. Yugis' favorite was butterscotch, but it was so hard to come by, so I only made it for him on special occasions.

"I think blueberry today," he stated, hope filling his large eyes. Damn, he was using that face. The one I could never say no to.

"Alright, go get ready for school, and they'll be done when you're finished."

Yugi raced off to get everything together. I shook my head, a grin spreading across my lips. Yugi was definitely a handful. A ball of pure joy and enthusiasm, excited over the littlest of things. I had fought long and hard to keep him that way. My grin faded as I thought about how we had gotten here, to this tiny house on the outskirts of the upper west side of Domino city.

I'd been three when my parents had brought Yugi home from the hospital. My mother had sat me on her lap and slowly rested the sleeping babe in mine. I had held him how she'd showed me, his head raised on my arm (it was too heavy for him to lift on his own.) I had looked up at her as she began to talk to me in a low murmur.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Her voice was a melodic soprano. I had frowned in confusion.

"He's all wrinkly. How is that beautiful?" She had laughed at my question, but soon stopped as the baby twitched in my arms; roused by the sound of his mother's voice.

Honestly, how had she thought this thing in my arms was even remotely cute? It had a shock of tri-colored hair on the top of his head and his skin was wrinkled like all newly born babes are. If anything he had looked like an alien. Then his eyes had opened, and for the first time I understood.

In his eyes I could see wonder and curiosity. They were the most unique eye's I'd ever seen. Violet with flecks of sapphire stared up at me with innocence and tranquility. I instantly loved him. I knew from that moment on that I'd do anything for my baby brother. I'd give up everything for his happiness. He became my world, and my world's name was Yugi.

A year after that day my parents were coming home from the local convenience store when a drunk driver ran them off the road and into a nearby lamppost. Our mother survived being in the passenger seat, but our father had been killed instantly. The air bag had worked a little too well and had snapped his neck.

After the accident, our mother fell under a deep depression. She began taking up bad habits like smoking and drinking. Our family was never the same. Three years after that, the night before my seventh birthday, my mother went out to buy my birthday cake. She didn't come home that night, but I waited up for her way into the morning.

Yugi had long sense learned to walk and could speak full sentences, so when he woke, he came running out of the bedroom we shared, shirking his glee for my new age. He found me sitting on the stone steps of our front porch, looking down the driveway. I took care of Yugi that day, not knowing it was the first of many. By the time night came again, I knew with certainty what had happened. My mother had either left us or was dead in a ditch somewhere. Either way she had abandoned us.

From then on I knew it was my job to take care of my innocent baby brother. I took jobs where I could, but I'd only been seven and didn't have much by the way of money. For a few weeks we lived in the house like normal. Yugi still believed mom was out buying my cake; his childish innocence had not comprehended our misfortune. In his mind we were having fun and playing games until mom came home.

When the repossessing people arrived to find us living in the house, they had called child services, but I knew if they put us in a home, we'd eventually be separated. So we took to the streets. We lived on the streets for about two years; I really don't recall the exact amount of time. Out on the streets, it's a constant fight for survival, and things as trivial as time was not something I had paid close attention to. The only thing on my mind then was to have a safe and warm place to sleep at night and to have food in Yugi's stomach.

It was then that the nuclear war with the other countries started. The streets were chaos during the day and it was even worse at night. The war lasted for a while, I'm not sure how long, but when it was over, the world was a different place.

Everything was technologically enhanced and new. And the cities had changed and had become their own governing countries because half the human population had died during the war, whether by fighting or just casualties, I'm not completely sure. Back then all I'd really needed to know was how to provide for Yugi.

I'd been a year late in enrolling Yugi into kindergarten (I'd needed to save up the money) but I finally had enough for him to go to school. I'd never really thought about school for myself, I barely had a second grade education, but I had common sense and street smarts, and really, that's all I'd needed to supply Yugi with the necessities.

"-dream?" Yugi's voice broke me out of my memories and I realized that I was burning one of the pancakes. I grabbed the spatula and put it onto a plate before turning to my brother to give him my full attention.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"When I woke you up. Were you having a bad dream?" Yugi sat on the stool in his blue school uniform, looking like an angel.

"I can't remember," I said honestly, turning back to the stove. I'd nearly forgotten the dream, but as I thought about it, it fluttered in the back of my mind; hazy images appeared but they were fading fast.

I shrugged and put the last pancake on Yugi's plate. If it was important, it would come to me eventually. "Eat up kiddo, you're running late."

"Aren't you having some?" Yugi looked at me with his wide eyes and I rolled my eyes.

I snatched a piece of his and walked down the hallway as he shouted "That's not what I meant!"

I snickered and went to change from my pajama bottoms, into a pair of faded jeans and a threadbare, red, long-sleeved shirt. I paired the ensemble with a studded leather cuff bracelet, and studded biker boots with a series of studded belts slung around my hips: my normal outfit. When I went back into the kitchen Yugi was rinsing his plate in the small sink.

"Ready?"

"Yep!"

"Alright, grab the helmet and I'll lockup."

"Okay!"

We were outside in no time, me with the keys to my motorcycle and Yugi with the only helmet I had. I never let him ride unless he had one on. I got on the bike and started it as Yugi swung on behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist for balance. I took off down the road to Domino High, to drop Yugi off. When we were at the front gates I stopped and let him off. He handed me my helmet and I smiled at him reassuringly. It was his first day as a freshman.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," I told him ruffling his hair.

I think it was in our genes to have gravity defying spiky hair. Yugis' hair was black with violet tips, and blonde bangs. My brother was 5"3 but with his hair he looked about 5"5. My hair was the same way, only I had red tips and blonde streaks going through the black. I was normally 5"6 but my hair style also made me look taller.

Most people thought we were twins upon first glance and we were often mistaken for one another, but where Yugi was all innocent and carefree, I came off cold and distant.

My eyes, to go with my natural tri-colored hair, were crimson red and almond shaped. My skin was naturally tanner than Yugi's as well. I took after our Egyptian father with my features. Yugi took after our Asian mother in the coloring department.

"I'll see you later Yami," Yugi said giving me a nervous hug. I smiled.

"I might run late picking you up. I have a job interview in the afternoon," I frowned not wanting to make him stress over it.

"Another job? Don't you have two already?" Yugi asked me. I smiled.

"Someone has to pay the bills around here," I joked. Yugi smiled and hugged me again.

"Love you," he said then ran off and disappeared into the building. My smile grew.

This second job wasn't really for the bills. Yugi had said a while ago that he needed a few new clothes, and with things as tight as they were, I needed another job to pay for his school supplies and cloths. Also, I thought he would enjoy having some extra spending money for outings with his friends. And he deserved it all to. He was the best kid I knew, and if it was up to me I would give him everything he asked for. Also I needed a bit more money for his college fund, so it was really a win-win situation.

I pulled away from the curb, smile still on my face as I headed to my first job of the day.

AN: So this is my second FF...I hope you like it! The main pairings include: YamiXKaiba, Yami BakuraXMarik, RyouXMalik, YugiXAnzu. I don't know the pairing names...:) Message me if you have suggestions on how to change it to be more in character or pairing names. This was just and Idea I had and I just went with it...so yeah. LOL. If you don't have anything constructive to say then please don't message me. Because I can take you disagreeing with me and then pointing out mistakes and ways to fix them. But an "I hate this" or "This sucks" is in no way helpful to me.