A/N: Wow, I am amazed by the reception to this story. I was all nervous to post it, and you guys are just - amazing! I really hope you continue to enjoy this story. Here we go!

The room was dark, but that would not have surprised anyone who knew Kaiba Seto. Tenno Yami ventured further into his cousin's room anyway, knowing that he did not need to worry about tripping over something even though he could hardly see. Seto always kept his room spotless, both because his father demanded it and because that was just the way Seto was. He was naturally organized even when he was trying to relax, and Yami knew that there wouldn't be anything on the floor that might trip him up. That's why he was not expecting to have his shin suddenly ram straight into something that was heavy.

"Fuck!" he blurted out, trying to stop his forward momentum. It was too late. He landed hard on one knee with a breathless grunt and a crash that sounded much too loud considering the time of night. For a moment, he remained perfectly still and just listened hard. No sounds came from the rest of the mansion and he gradually relaxed, only now allowing himself to wince at the pain running up his arms and legs.

"That was graceful." The light was flipped on suddenly, and Bakura folded his arms, smirking, as he leaned casually against the wall.

Yami glared at him. "Shut up, thief," he muttered, glancing behind him. He'd tripped over Seto's desk chair, he realized. It was on its back in the middle of the room, which was extremely unusual and cause for concern. He got up, refusing to flinch in front of Bakura even though his stiffened muscles protested the move, and bent down to grab the chair. "Where's Seto?"

"He got called into an unexpected meeting with Gozaburo," said Bakura, his smirk vanishing. There was nothing to be cheerful about when it came to that man.

"Great," Yami muttered, closing his eyes briefly in a bid for patience he did not have. Nothing tended to irritate Seto more than a meeting with his adopted father. His cousin would be in a bad mood for the next several hours, possibly longer depending on how the meeting went. It also meant that their own meeting would have to wait, as Gozaburo would become suspicious if Seto pushed too hard. He looked back at Bakura and sighed. "I guess our meeting will have to wait."

Bakura's mouth tightened into a thin line, but he said nothing. He wasn't tied here for the same reasons that Yami and Seto were. Yami couldn't stop his eyes from dropping to the thin band that Bakura wore around his right ankle. Revulsion rose in his throat, silencing him momentarily. He loathed the fact that Bakura was forced to wear that band. It was equipped with the best tracking technology in existence and reported a constant stream of information back to Kaiba Corp, and if Bakura misbehaved all it would take was a simple push of a button to cause excruciating pain or even death.

One day, Yami thought not for the first time, he would kill Gozaburo for daring to use such a cruel device on anyone. And it wasn't just because Bakura was his friend, either. There were a lot of things that Gozaburo did that he didn't agree with, but right now Yami wasn't in a position to do anything about it. That was unspeakably frustrating for him. If he only had the Millennium Puzzle - if Bakura had the Ring - if they knew where the yami of the Rod was - if the three of them had their hikaris and Seto had his mate...

It took effort to swallow the bitterness that he wanted to voice. "Alright. We'll talk in the morning before we go to Central Academia," he said at last. He wanted to tell Bakura not to do anything stupid, but he also knew that it would be pointless. If any of them saw their chance they would act regardless of the danger, and Yami would not tell Bakura not to do something that he would do without a second's hesitation.

Bakura gave a sharp nod and turned, disappearing down the hallway. He blended so seamlessly with the shadows that Yami felt slightly envious. He sat down on Seto's bed and sighed, looking around the room. It was the sort of place that would normally belong to a spoiled child, filled with the latest technology and the most expensive furniture. Even the Egyptian cotton sheets on the bed were top quality. But Yami knew that Seto would trade it all for the chance to know that his little brother was safe. That was a luxury Seto had not experienced in years.

His eyes fell on Seto's nightstand, and the photograph that was lying face down. Yami didn't have to look at it to know what - or rather, who the picture would show, but he did anyway. As expected, the photo was of three young boys in front of an orphanage. They looked painfully innocent and naive, considering what he now knew was waiting for them. A part of him strongly wished that he could go back to that day and warn those children about what was coming, but what good would that do? He would have been found out sooner or later, the symbol of Ra on his inner wrist was unmistakable, and he never would have left Seto and Mokuba behind.

"You're daydreaming, Yami."

The unexpected sound of his cousin's voice failed to make Yami jump, which was probably what Seto had been intending. He said, "No, I'm not. I was just thinking about how things might have been different."

Seto stepped into the room and shut the door. In the bright light, he looked tired and old. "You might say that, but I know you wouldn't have wanted things to change even if you had the ability to do it. Kaiba Corp brought you to Bakura, and you might not have met him otherwise."

That was true, and Yami knew it. He did not remember the previous life that he had apparently lived as Pharaoh, though Bakura did - but he could remember the day that Kaiba Corp guards had brought Bakura in. He'd been snarling and fighting to get away, and he'd sworn viciously at Yami when he first saw him and Seto. It had taken a lot of time and effort to create any semblance of friendship between them, and even now Yami thought that sometimes Bakura looked at him mistrustfully.

He sighed again. "Alright, you might have a point," he conceded reluctantly. If Kaiba Corp hadn't gathered them, who knew whether or not he would have ever found Bakura? He wasn't even certain they would be able to find the third yami and their hikaris if given the chance. "I just wish that I could change things. All this power and I can't do anything with it."

"It's frustrating," Seto agreed quietly, sitting down in his desk chair. He sat with his back straight, chin propped on his hand. "But I get myself through those meetings by imagining the day when you will make things change."

Yami felt chilled, though he tried not to show it. "Seto -"

"I have a lot of work to do, Yami, especially now that Gozaburo has decided he wants me at Central Academia." Seto's lip curled in frustration and he flexed his hands. "Would you mind?"

There was no arguing with Seto when he got like this: work always came first, especially when Mokuba was being used as leverage. Yami nodded silently and stood up as Seto turned back to his computer. He lingered for a moment, wanting to say something comforting. But no words came to mind, and at last he turned and left. What could he say? No matter what the legend said or what the mark on his wrist meant, when it came right down to it he was just a man without a monster, without a hikari, and without the Millennium Puzzle. And as long as he lived under the roof of Kaiba Gozaburo, he would never be able to do anything about it.

AU

Morning dawned brightly and too early, at least as far as Malik was concerned. She crawled out of bed after Isis knocked on her door for the third time, knowing that her sister would only tolerate so much of what Isis termed laziness before she would lose her temper. She got dressed and wandered out into the living room/kitchen. Isis was standing by the sink, murmuring quietly into the phone. There was a bowl of what appeared to be oatmeal on the table, along with a glass of milk. Malik wrinkled her nose. She hated oatmeal, but it was cheap and filling and all they could afford.

"You're sure?" Isis said suddenly, and her voice was so sharp that Malik glanced up at her quizzically. "You think it could be - well yes, I know that Mutou-sama said it would be now and the Tawk agreed, but I wasn't sure - well, alright, you know best. Yes, I've got it hidden away. She's almost found it once or twice, it's like a moth to a flame." A tiny smile crossed Isis's mouth. "And the other one has been given to - okay. Okay. Good-bye."

"Who were you talking to?" Malik asked immediately, interest piqued by the mention of Yuugi's name. She watched her sister closely. There were many secrets that the Ishtar family did not share with the outside world, but very few that she and Isis kept from each other - and by extension, Malik's friends, as there was little that Malik didn't tell them.

Isis laughed. "What have I told you about eavesdropping?" she replied, the fond light in her eyes lessening the weight of the scolding.

"It's not eavesdropping if you're talking about it right in front of me, Nee-san."

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "I suppose you could look at it that way, yes. Malik, you are aware that Yuugi has been working on the Millennium Puzzle, right?"

Malik went still. "Yes," she said slowly.

"Well, Sugoroku believes that she is close to finishing it. I thought that she might be. I had a vision from the Tawk that said everything would be coming together shortly." For just a moment, Isis's eyes went distant. Malik, watching her sister, felt completely separate from her. She didn't know where Isis went when her sister started to look like that. It was as though Isis was seeing something that no one else could see.

"So you do think that Yuugi is the Pharaoh's Hikari, then?" Malik prompted. She'd known for a while that Isis thought that, but it was one of those things that they never talked about. Just like how they did not discuss the Millennium Tawk, which Malik knew for a fact was currently secreted in a hidden safe in Isis's bedroom. Isis never went anywhere without the Tawk; even though she could not openly wear it around her neck, she always had it concealed somewhere on her person. It was incredibly dangerous, but it was a risk Isis felt was necessary and Malik had never begrudged her that.

"You know that she is. There is no thinking about it," Isis replied, blinking rapidly. She looked a little dazed, and she sat down quickly.

"But Yuugi is a girl."

"Gender and sexe have nothing to do with it, Malik. You better than anyone should know that the legend does not specify male or female." Isis's mouth tightened briefly, a silent apology flashing across her face when Malik winced. She remained quiet for a few seconds before adding, "It is only this damnable world that has decided that men are stronger than woman. That is a lie. Male or female, that has nothing to do with the power of someone's soul. I had hoped that you would understand that by now."

"I do," Malik admitted. "I guess - it sounds hard, that's all."

"It will be, make no mistake about that. Yuugi has a very difficult road ahead of her. And so do you."

"Me?"

"And Ryou," Isis said, nodding. "You must have realized this was coming, Malik."

Malik bit her lip and instinctively touched her lower belly. She had to be careful with the pants and skirts that she wore, just in case someone caught sight of the eye of Ra that was imprinted on her pubic bone just below and to the right of her belly button. "Nee-san…"

"I know you've never really asked me about the Millennium Items. Frankly, when you were younger I was glad of it. There were so many answers I never dared to give you. But now that Yuugi is going to solve the Puzzle, things will start happening very quickly. You will be meeting your yami soon, and for that you'll need -"

"Whoa, hold on!" Malik held up a hand, feeling breathless. She'd wondered, sometimes, but she'd never really dared to think... "I don't even have a partner monster."

"Yes you do," Isis replied calmly, obviously having anticipated the rebuttal. "You know that everyone does. But you also know that hikaris have less of a connection to the Shadow Realm than everyone else, while yamis have more of one. It is a delicate balancing act." She paused before adding, "Much like soul mates, you won't be able to summon your partner monster until you have met your yami. And even then you may have difficulty. Your magic works differently, that's all."

"Well it sucks," Malik muttered sulkily, shoving her bowl of oatmeal away. She felt even less inclined to eat it now than she had before. "What if I don't want this, Nee-san? I thought that when we started living on the surface, I wouldn't have to have put up with anyone trying to plot my life out for me anymore."

"No one is trying to plot your life out, Malik. But this is just one of those things that is inevitable." Isis reached out and, in an uncustomary show of affection, took her younger sister's hand. "No matter what choices you made, whether we'd stayed with the clan or moved across the world or whatever, you would still find the Millennium Rod and your yami. The two of you are two halves that make up one perfect whole. Even if there wasn't the legend to think about, I would still want that for you."

What could she say to that? Nothing, Malik realized with an unhappy frown. She eyed Isis suspiciously, realizing that she had just essentially been backed into a corner. "How long have you been preparing this speech?"

"Long enough for you to know when you're beaten," Isis said smugly. "Look, I know that this isn't what you would have planned for yourself. I'm sure that Yuugi, Ryou and Jou will feel the same way. But -"

"Jou?" Malik interrupted, her head rising. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Jou has a dragon mark."

"Just because she has a dragon mark doesn't mean she has to be dragged into this, unless..." Malik stood up. "You've been hiding things from me!" she cried, stung. Apparently she and her sister didn't share as much as she'd thought.

Isis sighed. "Honestly, Malik. I've told you before that I can't tell you everything that the Tawk shows me. My visions are often disorienting. It takes time and effort to determine what they're actually about. Some of the time, I can't even be sure that I've interpreted them correctly. What good would it do either of us to tell you about a handful of fragmented images that make no sense?" She pushed her chair back and rose. "Besides, if you knew what was going to happen you would be tempted to change it. It takes a lot of self control to avoid interfering in the future, you know."

Malik stared at her and didn't say anything for a minute. She wondered if Isis even realized that she had just implied that Malik lacked discipline. "What does Jou have to do with this?" she asked again.

"I can't be certain, but I know that Jou's mate is very close to the Pharaoh. There is a reason, after all, that Jou fits in with the three of you as well as she does."

And of course it couldn't be just because we're friends, Malik felt like saying. Common sense had her biting back the remark at the last second. She knew that Isis wouldn't have taken it well, and it probably wasn't the best idea to annoy her sister any more than she already was. Isis had something of a temper when pressed too far. She settled for crossing her arms and scowling. "I don't like this."

"You don't have to like it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's going to happen regardless. As soon as Yuugi solves the Millennium Puzzle, I'm going to give you the Rod. You won't have to wait much longer than an hour or so, I think. And then we're going to put our plan into place." Isis's smile held more than a hint of satisfaction. "Before the year is out, Kaiba Corp will fall."

She walked out of the room, leaving Malik behind staring down at the table and congealing bowl of oatmeal that had been left behind. It was alright, though, because Malik couldn't have eaten even if there had been a six course meal laid out in front of her. Isis had always tried to do what was best for the both of them. Malik had never doubted that. But she was also very aware that Isis was struggling in the current world, chafing under the strict rules of Kaiba Corp that were often unfair and biased towards women. This was exactly why they had left their clan behind in the first place.

Or was it? For the first time, Malik found herself questioning whether or not Isis really had her best interests at heart. From the sound of it, Isis and her friends had been planning this for quite some time. Regardless of whether Malik, Yuugi, Ryou and Jou wanted to be a part of it, this was going to be happening and they were going to be right in the middle of it. She had to admit that this whole rotten situation was leaving a bad taste in her mouth - and she wasn't at all confident that things were going to turn out as well as Isis was expecting them to.

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