A/N: Very much in the spirit of the old version, but like every chapter this has been completely re-written from the bottom up. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters belong to Konami and are the creative property of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a work of fanfiction.

Ghost

Chapter 2

Kaiba had wasted half the day on a park bench, staring blankly at the occasional passerby. He hadn't made much mental progress since that moment on the front steps of his company, where the enormity of his very real situation struck him violently like the very gunshot that had done him in.

Death.

The finality echoed in his head. It was not that he was unfamiliar with the concept; in fact he was far from it. In a young life filled with tragedy and abuse and rounded off with adventure and excitement, he could say he was quite the expert. It was just that like many people his age, his good health and vitality allowed him to feel almost immortal. Death was for old people and lunatic adoptive fathers. He had not been preoccupied by such morbid thoughts in many years.

Kaiba could hear shrine bells jingle periodically. Revelers offered prayers for protection, fortune, and love. He knew of a small cemetery somewhere nearby, but he thought little of it as he loitered in his perpetual daze. He was not aware he had company until a throat cleared next to him on the bench. Snapping out of his reverie, Seto looked up to acknowledge an old man comfortably taking up residence on the empty space next to him.

"Don't think I've seen you around these parts before. Are you new?" the old man asked delicately.

Kaiba blinked twice before realizing that a response was warranted. "Yeah," he said hoarsely. Then, after a moment, "You can see me?"

"Oh, certainly. Like you, I am no longer a member of the living," the old man answered solemnly, much to Kaiba's shock. He continued by gesturing off toward the city. "My wife and I ran a shop nearby. She still comes to visit me every day at lunchtime - even brings me a delicious rice ball each time, bless her heart. Can't exactly eat it, of course, but I love her all the more for it." His gaze wandered off toward the cemetery, temporarily lost in his memories. It was here that Kaiba noticed a certain translucence to the old man. He suppressed a shiver.

"How long have you been waiting for her?" Kaiba asked, abruptly returning the elderly ghost to the present.

"Oh, some time now, I'm sure. I can't really tell anymore. Time seems to mean less and less the longer I wait. I think it will be soon now, though." There was a tenderness to his look that offset the morbid nature of the conversation.

With his wits returning to him, Kaiba ventured to ask the old man an important question. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he demanded, "Listen, Gramps. Tell me what you know about 'Ka'." At the old man's blank stare, he prodded further, handing him the brochure he had rediscovered inside his coat pocket. "Someone explained to me that it's like a person's inner nature, given form." At his continued bewilderment, Kaiba offered, "It looks like a Duel Monster."

Comprehension dawned on the old man's face at this last fact.

"Oh, sure! Is that what they're called?" Kaiba perked up at the potential lead. "I always called them 'Dream Guardians'," he said wistfully. "Don't you think that has more pizzazz?"

"How do I see them?" he said, ignoring the question and firing off one of his own. What step was Kaiba missing? He had yet to see a single one of these soul Duel Monsters, and he was now eager to learn as much as he could. Hell sounded very uncomfortable.

"Oh, that's easy! Just wait until they fall asleep," the old man said matter-of-factly. He then pursed his lips in annoyance. "You should hear this place at night. With everyone asleep at the same time, they make quite the racket! I normally hide by my gravestone when that happens, but goodness does it get rowdy."

Kaiba's interest in what was being said waned as his mind raced to formulate a plan of action. He would obviously be going to see Mokuba first, and hopefully his journey would end there. His brother was the only person in the world that meant anything to him, past incarnations be damned. He could not imagine finding what he was looking for with anyone else. Seto, mind made, stood up from the bench abruptly and began striding away.

"W-wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find my brother. I've got an assignment," was his cryptic response.

"Stop!" Kaiba halted, rolling his eyes in annoyance. The old man lifted himself off the bench and shuffled over to Seto. "You almost forgot this." He returned the brochure to Seto's hand, patting it with fatherly affection as it closed around the paper. Kaiba delivered a grateful nod before turning around and continuing off purposefully.

"Just a word of advice, boy: walking through walls is easier than it looks!" Kaiba just waved his hand dismissively, not even bothering to turn around and look at him.

"Sure thing, old man." The old ghost just smiled at his retreating back.

"Cocky young kid. Hope he makes it."

.

Finding his way home was not as difficult as it was tedious. Kaiba knew very well where it was, but getting to that side of town proved a challenge. After nervously mastering movement through solid barriers, Kaiba used every form of transportation at his disposal in order to get to the mansion. Three public bus routes, two taxi cab rides, and one harrowing hitchhike on the back of a scooter later, he was finally at the imposing front gates to the estate. Looking up, Seto acknowledged that nighttime had already descended on the city. He mentally celebrated his luck, believing that he might finally catch a glimpse of this 'Ka'.

Strolling straight through the gates and across the expansive lawns, Kaiba managed to enter the home through the wall along the billiards room. Elegant dark wood framed hundreds of books on the shelves surrounding the pool table - Kaiba sometimes liked to get up and shoot when he encountered a particularly ponderous issue while working in here. As expected, the room was immaculate, from the Persian rug beneath his translucent feet to the gleaming bottles of expensive liquor lining the shelves at the bar on the far side of the space. Seto headed for the open door to the rest of the house.

Following the home's veritable maze of hallways, Kaiba soon found himself at the base of a grand staircase. He ascended, turning right once he reached the top. A few turns later and he had finally reached Mokuba's room. He hesitated when he heard voices, then scoffed at himself. He was a ghost - to hell with other people's privacy. This day had lasted too long, already, and it was not terribly likely that Mokuba had much to hide from him, anyway. He walked through the closed door.

"-and you heard how optimistic that one nurse sounded, Sir!" An older maid bustled about the room, putting clothes in the closet and rearranging trinkets on dressers. Seto recognized the mess as a neurotic habit of Mokuba's: he tended to ransack his own belongings when he was frustrated for no other reason than to create a mess. Drawers were open everywhere, and clean socks and boxer shorts were scattered all over. The teenager in question was lying horizontally on his bed, face-down and with his feet dangling over the side. He wasn't moving.

"Master Mokuba, you know better than anyone that your brother is the most stubborn man on the face of the planet." She shut a drawer before adjusting her apron and approaching the side of the bed. She sat down delicately on its edge before continuing. "I'm positive that things will work themselves out. In the meantime, you need to keep your head up." Seto bristled in fury on the sidelines. Let the kid mourn, for crying out loud! His gaze shifted to Mokuba when the boy used his arms to slowly push himself up from the bed and into a sitting position. Kaiba's gaze immediately softened at the empty, tortured look on the younger brother's face. He had clearly been crying a few hours ago. Oh, God, Mokuba. I'm sorry.

"What time is tomorrow's press conference at?" Mokuba's voice was a tired monotone, and he continued to stare at the far wall, seeing nothing. "I want to head straight to the hospital after that." Seto was not quite following. If he had died, then why would Mokuba still be paying him a visit at the hospital? Were more people hurt?

"Of course. Eight o'clock, Sir. At the Grand Hotel ballroom C. Roland says most of the major networks have confirmed attendance so far. You know there'll be more, of course." Mokuba did not react to the update, but he did move to lie down. The maid stood up and left him to his devices. Teenagers tucked themselves in, no matter what her motherly instincts screamed.

"Master Kaiba will be up and running again in no time. You'll see," she said softly and with a gentle smile. He turned his back to her wordlessly as she left through the door with a soft, "Goodnight, Sir." The door clicked shut behind her as the room was shrouded in darkness.

Kaiba heard a single shuddering breath from his brother in the bed before all was silent again. He was still rooted in place, however, mind swirling with questions after overhearing the conversation between his brother and the maid. What could it have meant? It was impossible for his body to still be alive while his vessel-less soul wandered the city in search of a myth. Wasn't it?

Despite the distracting news, it did not escape his notice when minutes later Mokuba's body was enshrouded in a faint glow. The glimmer bathed the entire room and seemed to add layers and new dimension to the darkness surrounding them.

A shimmering ray burst forth from his forehead, reminiscent of the special effects he used to summon monsters with his dueling projection technology. All speculation left Kaiba's mind as he watched, dumbfounded by the sight before him.

The light shifted, suddenly and distinctly alive as it began to take form. Rays of eerie blue light ignored the laws of optics as they curled in around themselves and solidified, the glow dying down as a massive shape revealed itself to Kaiba. He could not keep his jaw shut as the revelation was complete, because there, floating leisurely above the sleeping form of his little brother, was a...

"Ryu-Kishin Powered," Kaiba whispered, recalling the monster from the countless cards he owned.

The red bodied, dragon-like fiend took up half the room as it stretched its jaw in a yawn, its enormous black talons clicking against each other as it spread its finger-like appendages. The gargoyle hung suspended in the air, bored like a beast in an enclosure. It scratched its own side, grunting low in its throat like a rhinoceros while casually observing its familiar surroundings.

Kaiba stood perfectly still, just staring at the terrifying monster and taking in all the organic details that his technologies could not yet hope to mimic.

Suddenly, the translucent creature stiffened, its entire body rigid. Seto's feet were glued to the floor as it raised its massive head and took several loud sniffs, sensing something in the air. Curious, Kaiba craned his neck forward. He did not expect the gargoyle's head to snap and face him, the beady little yellow eyes narrowing as they zoned in on him.

Crap! It can see me? Kaiba went cold with shock as he sensed the panic settle in. Fight or flight alarms were jangling in his head when all hell finally broke loose.

The beast opened its mouth to expose its serrated teeth. Ryu-Kishin Powered let loose a tremendous bellow that shook Kaiba to his figurative bones. The monster positioned itself, coiling its body as if ready to spring.

"Shit!" Kaiba found the feeling in his extremities again as he spun around and sprinted through the closed door of Mokuba's bedroom, dashing through the hallways as fast as his long legs would carry him. He turned to look behind him only to see the monster come charging through the door, skidding on its claws as it gained traction to continue its pursuit. Snarling menacingly, it came flying at him, closing the distance between the two very quickly. Kaiba was not sure what the creature could do to him since he was already dead, but he was not ready to find out. He sped on, panting furiously. Kaiba could hear the thundering wails of the murderous creature behind him, and he only pushed harder. Upon finally making it to the ground floor, he sprinted madly for the front entrance.

Almost there... he thought as he neared the front doors. The beast let out a harsh snarl only a few feet from Kaiba's back.

He finally plowed through the front doors and across the ornamental lawn. Without stopping, he burst through the front gates, running across the street before he dared to spare a glance behind. The pursuit seemed to have remarkably come to an end. Ryu-Kishin Powered had stopped its chase at the gates of the property, roaring menacingly at the evicted Kaiba. It did not seem to want to go any farther, but would not relent in noisily getting its point across. Kaiba, meanwhile, leaned on a vending machine as he caught his breath and glared hatefully at the monster.

It seemed the mystery of Ka had been solved.

Apparently finished with its business, the monster spread its wing-like protrusions and soared back into the house. As Kaiba continued his recovery, he rubbed his hand across his face. Just perfect.

Who else could claim to have been chased out of his own house at breakneck speed by something that literally popped out of his little brother's head?

Frustrated, winded, and more than a little overwhelmed by the situation, Seto decided to resort to wandering in order to collect himself. He recalled the conversation with the cherub yesterday evening and snorted in a very unsophisticated manner.

That stupid little nicotine-addicted toddler made this whole thing sound like it was going to be a piece of cake. What exactly did I sign myself up for? Hands in his pockets, he meandered his way down the street. If his objective was to find a Ka that might prove significant to him, he was rather thrilled to conclude that the raging fiend of Mokuba's held no real special meaning. Kaiba had no idea how he could be expected to protect the boy if that thingwould consistently run him down whenever he crossed the property line.

I swear, if I ever hear anyone say, "Life sucks," I'll make them eat their words.

Kaiba continued on into the night.