~O~

The CEO closed the door behind him, perhaps with a bit too much force, for an echo reverberated throughout the hollow mansion. He swore under his breath, knowing that his entrance would end up drawing more unwanted attention to him; if he hurried, then he might be able to get to his room without being bothered by any of the on-duty staff. Despite being so tired and shaken up, Kaiba picked up his pace as he retreated to his room, but he hadn't been quite fast enough, for just as he was about to open the door to his bedroom, he heard Mokuba's voice.

"Seto, what are you doing back early?" the younger brother asked. Kaiba silently cursed himself; of all people to confront, Mokuba was the last on his list. After all, his little brother would only worry himself if he knew that the CEO hadn't been well. So, in order to keep Mokuba from growing too concerned, Kaiba turned around to face his little brother and told him, "The computers were having issues at the office when I got there this morning. Tech support said they should be fixed later this evening, but that wouldn't have left me much time to get anything done, so I opted to take the rest of the day off." Kaiba hated lying to Mokuba, but he hated making his little brother worry even more. Mokuba gave Kaiba a rather skeptical-look, and for a moment, the CEO thought his lie had been seen through.

But when his little brother smiled, all worry vanished from Kaiba. "Then we should totally do something today, Seto. You've rarely had any days off since starting that tournament. It'll be good for you to get out and do something other than work," the younger Kaiba brother said cheerfully. And at that moment, the CEO felt stricken with guilt. He knew he had been neglecting to spend time with his younger brother because of all of the work related to starting the tournament, so any days off were a rarity for Kaiba now. But as much as he would have liked to spend the day with Mokuba, Kaiba just wasn't up for it. The restless nights were taking more of a toll on him, and with the incident at the office, he knew he was reaching the end of his limits with the sleep deprivation.

"I'd love to, Mokuba," Kaiba said with a sigh, "but work has really been hectic lately, and I could really use this chance to catch up on some sleep before I have to start pulling all-nighters for this tournament. You understand, right?" It wasn't a complete lie; he simply omitted certain pieces of information. The thought of Kaiba being tired from work wasn't unbelievable, and it was true that once the tournament started to get further along, he would be in the office for several days straight as he worked through all of the formalities of creating this event.

But all of that still did little to ease the stab of guilt caused by Mokuba's disappointed expression. He then smiled and said, "Of course, Seto. You do what you have to." With that being said, Kaiba hated himself even more. Lying to his little brother, leaving him out of important things in his life, and now neglecting him even further. What other lowly things would Kaiba have to end up doing that day? "Work will eventually die back down, and when that happens and when I can afford to take a day off without falling too far behind, then we can go and do something. I promise," he said to the younger brother. Mokuba nodded with a smile.

"Sounds good to me, Seto. I guess I'll let you go on and get some rest then." Mokuba then turned around and walked down the hallway, eventually vanishing behind a corner. Kaiba let out an exasperated sigh and leaned his back against the wall. That was awful, he thought to himself. He had seen through Mokuba's smile and heard through his words, and it was clear that Kaiba's little brother was extremely hurt. But after what happened back in the office, I can't chance putting myself through too much, or else it could happen again. And he knew if he had another episode like the one earlier while he was around Mokuba, then his little brother would worry himself sick. He's too young to have to deal with that kind of stress.

Kaiba sighed once more, then headed into his room, making sure to close and lock the door behind him so he would not be disturbed. Immediately, the CEO loosened and removed the tie around his neck and tossed it on the back of a chair. He glanced over at his bed, with its freshly cleaned sheets and smooth edges. If the circumstances had been different, then his bed would have looked very inviting, especially given with how tired he was. But as of late, his bed had become a foreign land, a battleground that he fought in with his dreams. He almost dreaded the idea of climbing beneath the sheets and laying down.

Kaiba shook his head. Maybe that dream won't bother me now….Maybe I'm so tired that it won't happen, or I'll sleep through it this time. Kaiba couldn't help but feel like he was lying to himself. When had the dreams not plagued him? When had they not woken him in the middle of his sleep? Kaiba growled in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. His eyes then drifted over to the door to his bathroom, and the idea of a hot shower sounded very appealing to him all of a sudden. Perhaps that would help to ease him enough for him to get some sleep. At this point, Kaiba was up for trying anything if it meant getting more than a few hours of sleep. So, he stepped into his bathroom, locking the door behind him, and turned the shower on. Within a matter of minutes, steam filled the room, fogging the mirrors that lined the wall.

Once the water temperature was to his liking, Kaiba stepped beneath the showerhead and let the scorching hot water hit his face. He could practically feel the water washing away his stress, but it was bittersweet for Kaiba because he knew that this reprieve would be short-lived. I'm going to enjoy it while I can, though. Kaiba ended up standing beneath the steaming hot water for nearly an hour before he even bothered with washing his hair and body.

This was one of the few luxuries he knew he could never live without; endless hot water. He liked being able to take his time and enjoy the way the water burned off the stress of the day. Hopefully it would do the same for that God-forsaken dream that kept plaguing him each time he shut his eyes to sleep. Once the CEO was finished washing off, he reluctantly turned off the water and wrapped himself in a towel he had set aside as he stepped out. The bathroom mirror was completely fogged up with steam, hiding his reflection, which Kaiba was somewhat grateful for; he knew he looked rough, so the last thing he wanted was to be reminded of it.

Seto quickly dried off and changed into a fresh set of clothes, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a plain shirt, the usual attire he wore whenever he was within the confines of his own home. After all, the prying eyes of the media couldn't see him through the walls of the mansion, so he had no reason to keep up with his usual appearance like he had to at work or whenever he decided to go out. At his own home, he could dress as comfortably as he liked. However, it was a rare thing for him because he seldom ever spent much time at home, except before he left to go to work, and when he got back. But that perhaps only amounted to a few hours.

In the mornings, he barely had enough time to grab breakfast, and whenever he returned from work, he usually had just enough energy to reheat dinner, only to finish any work he brought back with him. Once that was done, he usually retired to his bed after midnight. So, without the dreams plaguing him every night, Kaiba had already been losing sleep, but he had been getting more than he was currently since the dreams started. The CEO then let out a yawn as he body let him know just how fatigued he was, and he came to the conclusion that, regardless of his worry of having that dream again, he didn't have it in him to stay awake much longer.

So, he left the bathroom and stepped back into his own room, where he stared at his neatly-made bed, hesitant of climbing in. He knew the moment he laid down and shut his eyes, he would instantly fall asleep, and the chances of him having that dream again were exceptionally high. But I need rest….Maybe I'm tired enough to sleep through it this time….With his options limited, Kaiba gave in and approached his bed. The pillow and comforter beckoned for him, promising rest, but he knew better. Deep down, Seto knew that whatever sleep he did manage to get, it wouldn't nearly be enough for him to recover from the month of rest he had lost.

No, that would take time, a lot more time than just a few hours or a single night. Possibly weeks, maybe even longer. But in the meantime, Kaiba would gladly take whatever rest he could salvage out of this. Instead of simply climbing beneath the blankets and laying down, he fell against the bed with a thud and felt his muscles relax. Seto let out a sigh of relief and already felt himself drifting off. He didn't bother to grab a pillow, or to even wrap up in the blankets to keep from getting cold. Seto was simply just too tired to care. So, he ended up falling asleep right there across his bed.

~O~

It didn't take Kaiba very long to realize he had fallen victim to his dream again. It started like it usually did, with him floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. Then, a light began to radiate in the distance. This light, which shone with a brilliant blue hue, always seemed to beckon to him. It called to him without uttering his name, but he could hear the voice in his thoughts. "This way," it begged. And as per usual, Kaiba gave into the voice's request, even though every time he reached the owner of the voice, he never saw her face. And just like all the times before, he wondered if this time would be different.

After all, as the dreams continued, he had seen more and more of this mystery woman. She had gone from a shrouded figure to a more physical entity. However, she was still an enigma to the CEO. Kaiba was now nearing the glowing light, and the closer he got, the more the strange sense of familiarity grew within him. I'm certain I've met her somewhere, but the question is where and when….If only I could see her face, then maybe I would know….Kaiba now stood before the glowing orb of pale blue light, and like in his previous dreams, he reached out and touched the light.

A calming warmth traveled up his through his arm and warmed his body. The light then engulfed him, transforming the surrounding darkness into a world of blinding light, one that Kaiba always had to shield his eyes from. But once they adjusted, he found the mysterious woman standing before him, her back facing him. Seto took in the sight of her and the odd paleness of her skin, and the way her white hair fell into cascades past her shoulders. The woman then turned slightly, revealing the profile of her face, but between her hair and the blinding light that surrounded them, Kaiba still couldn't make out any of her facial features.

However, the only thing he could make out for the first time, were her eyes. They glowed with a brilliant blue, a shade that struck him down with familiarity. They're….They're the same color as my Blue-Eyes….he realized. "Tell me who you are!" Kaiba shouted, "What business do you have with me!? Why have you been haunting my dreams?! Tell me!" But the woman didn't answer. Instead, she turned her back to him, and the blinding light that surrounded them engulfed her. Kaiba shielded his eyes from the assault of the brightness.

The CEO then heard something that made his blood run cold; it was the roar of the Blue-Eyes. With his eyes nearly squint shut, Kaiba looked up and found that the woman was gone, and in her place, stood the blinding silhouette of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, its eyes glowing with the same sapphire hue as the woman's. The dragon then threw its head back and let out another roar, then vanished in a burst of light. Kaiba cried out as the explosion of brightness consumed him, and next thing he knew, he found himself on the floor of his room, trembling and covered in sweat.

The CEO looked around frantically as he struggled to process where he was at, but once he did, he managed to calm himself enough to cease his shaking, but he hadn't quite managed to calm his racing heart. Seto sat up and leaned against his bed as he continued to take in slow, deep breaths. "What does Blue-Eyes have to do with any of this?..." he quietly asked himself. His eyes then scanned over to the nightstand beside his bed and focused in on the deck of cards that rested on top of the small table.

Kaiba reached out and took the deck in his still-trembling hands and began to thumb through it until he found one of his Blue-Eyes cards. He sat there on the floor and held the card in his hands, taking in every fine detail of the monster that had won him so many duels. But there was one thing on the dragon that he kept coming back to, and that was the shiny blue eye, the one that had the same hue as the mystery woman's. Seto closed his eyes and brought the card to his forehead, then quietly asked himself, "What's happening?..."


It's been a little while since I have gotten a chance to write anymore on this story. I actually had about half of this chapter written but just recently had the time and inspiration to finish it up. I also have a better idea of the direction of this story to go in and all that good stuff, so maybe I'll keep having some more ideas for future chapters. Anywho, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! It definitely is scary to write in a new fandom, so being received so well by everyone and getting to read your kind reviews definitely made this transition a lot less daunting. I hope you all liked this chapter, and please continue to read and review! ~Copperpelt~