Shadow: I promised an update, and here it is. The long period (okay, extremely long period) of time this took me gave me plenty of time to research info on psychosis and medicine in general – still, though, as I said last chapter, I'm not a doctor. If you notice something glaringly wrong with what I say, please, point it out, I'll be glad to correct it. Just don't insult me for my lack of knowledge; I'm trying my hardest to make things accurate.

Important notes: The following chapters take place in three different areas of time/space: Then, Now, and Now. They're all marked below, so pay attention to what happens in each. They all tie together as to what happened, and what's happening now because of it.

Yugi and Yami were separate last chapter. They aren't in some of this. Why? Because they're not separated yet. Hence the whole Then, Now and Now thing applying.

I think that's it…so, here's the update!


Meltdown

Chapter 2: A bad start

Then

Lazy morning sunlight spilled into the kitchen of the Mouto residence, Yugi Mouto stifling a yawn as he padded into the room and headed straight for the fridge. Loose, slightly too-big pyjamas trailed about the youth's ankles, golden bangs mussed adorably over drowsy violet eyes.

The Millennium Puzzle swung about Yugi's neck as he pulled open the fridge door, bending down to grab the milk. A brief flash of light glanced over the Item's surface; a chance beam of sunlight to a stranger first observing the piece, but from Yugi it prompted a sleepy smile and a dozy wave to the incorporeal form that was now lounging against the kitchen counter.

"Good morning, aibou." Yami's greeting was full of warmth and affection, the spirit's eyes bright with the kind of wakefulness Yugi could only dream of at that time in the morning.

"…'Morning…" Yugi went back to his morning ritual of preparing breakfast. Okay…so he'd fetched the milk, that meant he needed the cereal and the spoon and the bowl, not to mention a glass for his orange juice and-

Yami was watching him.

Yugi stood up from where he'd been rifling through the cereal cupboard, meeting his guardian's cerise gaze with clear violet. "You're awake."

"Yes." Yami nodded.

"And out of the Puzzle."

"Yes." Another nod.

"Watching me."

"Yes."

Yugi blinked. "Has the cereal got plans of world-domination then? The spoon? 'Cos 'jii-chan did mention he thought the cutlery might rise up against us one day -"

An amused smile curved Yami's lips. "Nothing's wrong, aibou."

Yugi persisted. "So there're no evil megalomaniacs plotting to take over the world in my kitchen, or anything like that? No-one planning to destroy the planet using the might of Coco Pops and Millennium Items combined? I can eat my breakfast in peace?"

Ruby eyes gleamed, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle stretching his muscles and smiling at his lighter half. "One would almost think you don't trust me, hikari."

"Oh, I trust you." Yugi went back to his cereal hunting. "It's the rest of the world and its annoying tendency of disturbing me that I happen to dislike."

His shadowy companion chuckled. "You grow cynical, aibou. Has someone disturbed your breakfast one too many times?"

A soft sigh, the hikari clambering back up to his feet and pouring his chosen cereal and milk into a bowl. "It's just…" He looked at Yami again, "it's just every time it looks as though our problems are over, every time we finish one lot of grief…something new always seems to come along. Isn't there an end to it all?"

"I…don't know, aibou." The pharaoh sounded thoughtful – considering. "I've never really thought about it that way. After a time…things just become habit, I assume, and you cease to question what comes your way. An unbroken chain."

"Yeah well…" Yugi returned to the fridge, bowing down to replace the milk, "I just wish someone would come along and break this little chain of ours for once."

Someone pounded on the kitchen door.

Yugi jumped, hitting his head off one of the fridge's shelves and letting out a curse that would have spoilt his innocent image had any of his classmates overheard it.

Yami grinned, ignoring the glare shot at him by his lighter half. He waved a casual hand at the back door. "You were saying, chibi ichi?"

Sending the best glower he possibly could at the spirit while nursing the lovely bump he could feel coming up on the back of his scalp Yugi went to answer the door, letting the object swing open so one Ryou Bakura could stumble across the threshold.

"Bakura's gone!"

"Um…" Yugi could only stare as Ryou went into a spiel of incomprehensible rambling, he and Yami blinking in confusion as the usually calm Brit completely lost his cool in front of them and eventually collapsed, crying, in a chair, burying his head in his arms on the table.

Hesitantly Yugi approached him, laying a soothing hand on his friend's shoulder. "There…it'll be alright Ryou, I'm sure of it. Bakura's disappeared before – you know him, he always comes back, even when you don't want him to."

"And don't I know it." Yami grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yugi rolled his eyes heavenward, but returned his attentions to the still-sobbing Ryou. "When did he disappear?"

"Last week…" The gentle albino drew himself up, wiping away the tears that stained his pale cheeks. His voice was hoarse. "I…I didn't worry about it before…as you said…he always comes back." A trembling glance at Yugi. "But…last night…I-there was a – a pain. It felt as though someone had just reached inside my chest and sliced me and – and when I tried to go along my link with B-Bakura I just…"

"You just what?" Yugi's voice was soft.

"I just fell." Ryou shuddered, his words laced with deep horror. "Oh Yugi…it was empty. The place where Bakura is – inside…deep, deep inside – it had been cut away and there was nothing but nothing and I fell and I-" The boy was weeping again. "He's gone, Yugi. He's gone, and the place where he was hurts inside."


Now

Yami wasn't speaking to anyone. He'd woken up, earlier that morning, to find spring sunshine shining in through the windows of his private room and onto his face. Before even really thinking about it he'd requested the curtains be drawn slightly so the light wasn't shining in his eyes, and had been pleasantly surprised when a man dressed in white had obliged. They'd talked quietly together for a while, Yami really still too sleepy to notice what the man was asking him, the once-spirit only really taking note when he finally cottoned on to the fact the man was a doctor, and he was writing Yami's answers down.

Anger had shot through him then and he'd struggled to sit up, Yami taking great offence at being taken advantage of while still under the effects of sleep and drugs. The doctor – Ra eternally curse him – had simply put something in the drip attached to his arm again, and Yami had went back to sleep.

He was really beginning to hate sedatives.


When Yami came to the second time, he carefully let his mind emerge from slumber before even thinking of opening his eyes, hiding ruby eyes under his naturally dark lashes while he listened, silent, to the low buzz of conversation that was going on just outside his room. How did he know the voices were outside of his room when he had his eyes shut? They were quiet, and they were muffled. If they'd been inside his room, obviously they would've been louder.

"…Doctor, I really don't understand. Is our son mad, or isn't he?" It was that guy – the one who'd claimed to be his father the day before. He had a pleasant enough voice, Yami supposed, the sort a young child would long for to wrap them up in strong arms and carry them away from nightmares.

"Mr. Mouto -" Yami stifled a growl. That was the doctor. The rude, arrogant- Yami had to sharply remind himself to listen to the conversation that was going on – he could internally rant at the liar who'd duped him that morning later.

"Mr. Mouto, Yami isn't 'mad', per say. Yes…we believe he is suffering from psychosis, but this is to be in no way confused with insanity. Psychosis is a general term we use in psychology to describe a patient whose thoughts and perceptions are impaired. Psychosis covers hallucinations, delusions, personality changes…it's really quite a vague term."

"Then can't you be any more specific?" That was worry, laced with annoyance. Yami inwardly cheered at the last emotion he heard in his 'father's' voice – if he were him he'd quite happily punch the bumbling prat of a professoriate. "Will Yami get better?"

"Most patients do." The doctor sounded soothing. "Mr. Mouto, Mrs. Mouto…your son has just woken up from an extraodoniarily long sleep. He's been 'out of it' for a long time, and dreaming. He's lost touch with reality for a while; it may take some time to ground him again."

"How long?" These two words were whispered so low Yami barely caught them, and by a woman. They sounded so heartbreakingly sad…it could only be the woman who had said she was his mother the other day. A twinge of guilt sparked to life inside of Yami then, but the former spirit pushed the unwelcome emotion away. It wasn't his fault he wasn't the woman's son, why should he pretend he was and lie to himself?

The doctor was speaking again. "I talked to your son this morning, Mrs. Mouto; he was just waking up from the sedatives we gave him yesterday. I don't think he quite awake when I questioned him, but I managed to withdraw some interesting answers." A long pause. "According to Yami, he's been living in a city called Domino, in Japan, for the last four years."

"Japan?" The woman sounded incredulous. "But we've never been to Japan! In fact, we've never left the EU except to go to Egypt!"

Egypt...?

"Yes, well…" Papers shuffling, "Yami seemed quite determined he lived there. With his brother, Yugi – you remember he mentioned him yesterday? -, and grandfather, a Mr. Solomon Mouto."

"There is no-one in our family of that name." His 'father' was speaking again. "And Yami has no brother! A sister yes, and cousins that have been his friend since early childhood-"

"Why would Yami insist he has a brother?" The man's wife spoke. "He never showed any wish for another sibling…Doctor, Yami was always such a content child, you must believe me. His sister and he were the sweetest children any mother could wish for, and they played happily together and with their cousins. Never, never did my son express a wish for a brother."

The doctor pondered for a few moments. "Perhaps he never did. Maybe in Yami's subconscious one of his cousins exchanged a role and became as a brother to him…is there any particular one cousin Yami has always been close to?"

"Well…" Mrs. Mouto thought, "There's Seth. He and Yami were always tumbling about and arguing, but they were so close it was unbelievable! Sometimes, when they were little and you caught them unawares, you'd find them cuddling like two little lost kittens."

Seth?! Oh no, I do not – Yami pulled a face. Oh, sweet Nut…I beg you this woman isn't talking about who I think she might be. And if she is- the former pharaoh repressed a shudder; he would never replace Yugi to me!

"Seth?" There was the sound of scribbling. "I'll have to question Yami some more about that later. But for now…Mrs. Mouto, Mr. Mouto, I believe your son is suffering from the more delusional aspects of psychosis. From what your son said this morning the delusions seem to be a mixture of primary and secondary – meaning some arise from nowhere, and are not comprehensible in terms with Yami's usual thinking, and others have links to your son's background and beliefs. It is impossible to say right now though; we'll need to do a more thorough check on Yami's background. His overall delusion does not seem to fit in with any of the preset types we classify such disorders in, so he will simply fall under the 'unspecified' type, or at least until we can get some more answers out of him. Your son was…not too pleased this morning, when he became lucid enough to comprehend what I was actually asking."

"Yami was always a private boy." Mrs. Mouto's voice was quiet. "He always talked to us though, if there was a problem, but otherwise we respected his privacy."

"Hm." The doctor sounded only vaguely interested. "Well for now Mrs. Mouto, I'd suggest you and your husband go home. There really is nothing you can do here – as you can see, Yami is still asleep, and I do not recommend disturbing him. When he wakes up and speaks to us…then we'll see. It may be the case we'll have to call in his friends and other close family, try to shock a response from his mind."

"Right…" That was Mr. Mouto, again. "Can we at least go in and check on Yami, before we go? Since he's asleep?"

"Feel free to."

There was the sound of people moving, and the quiet creak of a door being pushed open. Yami hastily closed his eyes a little more – they'd strayed open, somewhat – and evened out his breathing, trying to look as not awake as physically possible.

Footsteps padded to the foot of his bed.

"…He looks so peaceful…" A muffled sob – oh, the lady wasn't crying again, was she? Guilt returned to poke Yami pointedly with its vengeful stick, right in the gut.

"Shh…" That was his 'father', quietly trying to soothe away his wife's tears. "He's not in a coma anymore Maria, we can be thankful for that."

"But he doesn't recognise us-!"

"He's alive, though." Bittersweet words. "He's walking, talking, breathing…he's not a vegetable anymore – he's awake! Maria, I frankly don't care if Yami never recognises us ever again, I'm just glad our son's alive again."

"I…guess…" Trembling silence, then a little more determined. "Yes, you're right. But…I still can't dare but hope…"

"Only fools live in despair."

There was a few more moments of still, and then the sound of footsteps walking away again, and the door clicked shut.

Ruby eyes finally flickered open, and stared troubled into the dimness of his private room.


Then

Ryou was inconsolable. Yugi felt guilty as he sat there, vainly trying to comfort his sobbing friend, for even daring to still feel hungry – he hadn't actually eaten his breakfast after all, and now his cereal looked all soggy -, and for still having his yami settled comfortably within the Puzzle.

And then Ryou had stopped crying, and the kitchen had fallen deathly still.

"Ryou…" The albino didn't respond when Yugi laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Ryou, please talk to me."

A husky mumble from somewhere within the albino's arm's. "I don't want to talk."

"Ryou…please." Yugi was pleading. "You're worrying me."

"Go away."

Yugi flinched at the rebuke, but removed his hand. "Maybe if you talk to Yami and I, we can help. Isn't that why you came around here?"

"He doesn't quite know why he came around here himself shrimp, so it's pointless asking him."

Yugi stifled a gasp, jumping to his feet as a pale hand lazily pushed open the kitchen door he hadn't quite got around to closing, and a familiar personality strode in – recognisable even with its new body.

"Bakura!"

Yugi's yell did two things almost instantly. The first, Ryou sat up and stared with abject hope in his expression. The second, Yami immediately swapped places with Yugi in the body they shared, glaring at the thief with all his considerable strength.

A languid smirk settled itself across Bakura's features – Yugi just didn't want to know how Bakura had managed to secure a body for himself -, and the tomb-robber gave an exaggerated bow to Yami.

"Your Majesty." His tone dripped with sarcasm. "How magnificent your illustrious self looks in your courtly attire. May I inquire as to the maker?"

A faint tinge of red crept into Yami's cheeks – he was still clad in Yugi's pyjamas. Before he could let loose with a stinging retort though, Ryou had jumped to his feet and slapped the thief across the cheek.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

Bakura looked just as stunned as Yami.

"What?"

Normally docile brown eyes were murderous. "Where have you been?!" Ryou was beyond angry. "Have you any idea how worried I've been?!"

"I've been busy!" Bakura snapped. "What, you think all it took for me to stand here before you was snapping my fingers, a hop, skip and a jump?!"

"You could have told me!"

"No I could not! I was busy, yadounshi; I needed to concentrate!"

All the strength seemed to sag out of Ryou and he swayed, his yami catching him about the forearms and steadying him. "But the Ring…" His voice was quiet, "the Ring's been dead…all that time…"

Bakura smirked. "Oh I can solve that easily…" Long, pale fingers brushed over the gold hanging around Ryou's neck, and the Item instantly began to glow.

Three sets of eyes, two from the kitchen, one from a soulroom, looked up to stare at the former tomb-robber.

Ryou shook his head mournfully. "At times yami, I think I hate you."


Now

"Seto? Seto-nii?"

Mokuba…?

Groaning, lashes flickered, sapphire eyes on the point of opening.

"Nii-sama?" It was a young boy's voice, heartbreakingly hopeful, his tone hesitant, almost afraid. "Seto?"

Another groan, changing rapidly into a hiss when cobalt orbs finally fluttered open, light burning away into delicate retinas. The eyes shut again, long lashes shutting out the terrible brightness for a few more precious seconds, before flickering open again, this time prepared for the daylight that met them.

Kaiba blinked, his vision still somewhat blurry, only to have it obscured nigh completely when something threw itself on his chest, arms wrapping tightly around the young CEO's neck.

"Seto!"

Kaiba gratefully buried his face into fluffy hair, black as a raven's wing, a half-smile touching the corner of his lips. "…Hello Mokuba."

A sigh of relief against his chest, the slender body entwined around his upper torso slackening with relief, then suddenly-

"What did you go and do that for?!" Mokuba pulled away, worried anger shining brightly in his blue-grey eyes. "I thought you were dead Seto and the doctor said that you were critically injured – I heard him say that nii-san so you can't deny it – and operated on you and you never told me where you were going that night and when Tea phoned I was-was- and then the hospital-" Mokuba drew in a shaky breath, tears glittering at the corner of his eyes. "They said you were fine but you might never-never ever- like Yugi and- oh Seto I've been so worried!" The near-teen flung his arms around his brother's neck again, sobbing openly into the hospital gown the elder Kaiba wore.

Kaiba held him quietly, stroking the black hair nestled under his chin and murmuring 'shh' again and again to the sobbing boy till the tears stopped and Mokuba pulled away, the brunette's gown now a sodden mess.

Mokuba swallowed. "…What happened, Seto? Why did you go there that night?"

"I-" Kaiba ran a hand through his chocolate hair distractedly, blue eyes travelling around the room he was in, searching for any form of a distraction - curtains, a t.v, flowers, bedside cabinet, strong smell of disinfectant, a drip, bandages, clipboard, door, chatter of people moving to and fro in a corridor outside; not to mention the hideously uncomfortable white gown he was wearing…- and suddenly sharpened. "What am I doing in a hospital?" Barely contained anger was evident in the last word, Kaiba's knuckles' going unnaturally white as he fisted the sheets of his bed – which, the CEO suddenly noted with distaste, crackled in that distinctly 'hospitally' fashion starched hospital – and only hospital – sheets have.

Mokuba swallowed again. "Seto, I know you don't like hospitals but you were really ill and-" the black-haired boy had to stop for a moment, a lump rising in his throat, his voice husky when he spoke again, the earlier tears beginning to return again, "-they thought you were going to die. Yami-"

"Good morning, Kaiba-san." A cheery, female doctor breezed into the room, stethoscope round her neck and clipboard perched expertly in one hand. "How are you feeling after your return to civilisation?"

Blue eyes stared at her stonily.

The doctor ignored the glare, continuing her approach to Kaiba's bed. "…Hello Mokuba. Didn't I tell you he'd be fine?" The question was directed at the boy, and Mokuba nodded, if a tad reluctantly.

"…Yeah…"

"Then you know I'll always keep my word." A pleased nod, and the woman turned her attentions back to Seto. "How's your head, Kaiba-san? You took rather a nasty bump…"

Still, the icy expression in Kaiba's eyes remained. "You're the doctor. You tell me. Isn't that what you're paid to do?"

Mokuba winced, but the doctor didn't so much as bat an eyelid, in fact, she smiled. "I see your wonderful temperament has returned then, Kaiba-san." She lifted the patient's notes that were kept at the bottom of the brunette's bed, running a practised eye over them quickly. "You've got to have regular doses of ibuprofen and other painkillers every day for the next few weeks – though we won't have to keep you in hospital that long." Another smile, this one directed firmly at Kaiba. "Something you'll be pleased to hear – no? You should be able to be discharged at the end of the week, as long as there are no more problems."

"When is 'at the end of the week'? That's rather a vague term from a professoriate." Kaiba's tone was still cold, but at least he was talking.

"Hmm…" The female thought. "Probably Saturday, though I can't say for sure." She deposited his notes at the bed's foot again. "Really, Kaiba-san, you've been quite lucky, considering the extent of your injuries. Many, many others would never have recovered from the wounds you sustained, or if they did, not half as quickly as you have done." She quickly scribbled something down on her clipboard. "I see no problems here." She paused, glancing up suddenly. "Oh! I almost forgot. You may leave this room to visit your friends if you wish, Kaiba-san; I trust you know not to overexert yourself." A last smile graced the woman's lips, and she turned smoothly and left.

"…'Friends'…?" sapphire eyes turned to Mokuba.

The pre-teen threaded his hands nervously in his lap, blue-grey eyes refusing to look up at his older brother. "…Nii-san…I…you weren't the only one injured that night."


Shadow: I…simply cannot believe I updated this so effortlessly. I sat down, I researched, and I wrote. Like that. I'd click my fingers, but I can't actually do that… I'm…I think I'm speechless. (gapes) I also finally came up with a plot I actually like for this… (head spins) I mustn't be feeling well…