Well, how long has it been since I updated?? Sorry about that, people. But I have had studies, and at the moment things aren't exactly pretty at home. ACK!!

Anyway, I have been called on one occasion a very evil person for not updating, so here's a chapter! I quite like it, but I must warn you that towards the end, Seto is a bit OOC - just a very clear WARNING.

Other than that, thanks for the constant reviews. All of the support has been really great from you guys. I plan on opening a Livejournal account, so I'll place some replies from reviews there if any of you are still looking for answers.

So, enjoy. Read, review but no flames please. And hopefully chapter 8 won't take as long to write!!

Chapter 7

Seto couldn't sleep that night. So many things were rolling around in his head: his conversation with Yami, his conversation with Mokuba, this thing with his mother. When the hell did thigns get so hectic around here? Gone were the days when his biggest problem was an exam paper. Everything had changed so much. And so quickly.

He rose from the bed. Obviously he want going to get any sleep tonight. He might as well go downstairs and watch TV or something until some mindless drivel pit him to sleep. Seto didn't have a television in his room, opting instead for a computer and a bookshelf. It was very seldom that he channel surfed, and during his school and college years, he was much too busy with his studies to be watching television.

When he got downstairs, he noticed the light on the phone was blinking, indicating that it was storing a message. He frowned. He didn't hear the phone ringing. He pressed the 'play' button on the machine anyway and listened to the message while he searched the TV remote.

There was a long beep, then:

"Seto?"

The said man looked up in shock. It was Yami… but when did he call? He listened, dreading what the other would have been calling for.

"I guess you're not in yet," the voice continued. He sounded tired. "I don't want to discuss anything over the phone, especially when no one is answering me. So if you have an hour or so free today or tomorrow, please meet me at the coffee place. I really need to… want to talk to you. Bye."

There was another long beep then the machine announced that the message had been left at 6:32 PM. Now it was 2:00AM.

Seto closed his eyes and sank down onto the sofa. There went any chances of catching some sleep. His brain, which was now a pile of mush, insisted that Seto sleep. But his conscious begged him to consider Yami's message before he drifted off.

He put his head in his hands and bit back a groan of frustration. What the hell was Yami thinking? Calling him after what he had told him today… well, yesterday now. Then wanting to talk to him again. Frankly, Seto just wanted to forget the whole episode had ever happened. But then another part of him was oddly flattered. This time he did groan into his hands. What the hell was he going to do?!

"Seto?" The young man looked up when he heard his little brother. He had on a red gown over his pyjamas and his hair was mussed up from sleep.

"Why are you awake?" Seto asked Mokuba. He hoped his little brother had just come down to get a drink of water or something. Not that he was being unkind, but he just felt like he needed some alone time.

Mokuba looked down at his slipper clad feet. "I couldn't sleep then I heard a voice down here." He looked around the room briefly as if expecting someone to come out of the shadows and surprise him.

Seto sighed and scrubbed his face. "I was listening to a message, that's all," he said. He glanced at his baby brother, who was still standing, and patted the seat next to him in invitation.

"Who was it?" Mokuba asked when he had snuggled up next to his brother. At Seto's confused frown Mokuba said "who left the message."

"Oh. Um, no one important."

Mokuba said nothing for 2 seconds then, "why do you always do that?"

Seto raised a brow at his brother's harsh tone. "Do what?" he asked, completely at a loss as to what he was supposedly doing.

"You never open up to me," Mokuba replied still in that sharp voice. "Even when I know something is bothering you, like now, you still refuse to tell me anything."

Seto stared at his sibling. "Whoa," he exclaimed. "Since when did our roles reverse? Last time I checked, I was the older brother."

"Exactly," Mokuba shouted back. "Brother being the main word. Shouldn't you be opening up to me more than you are? We're supposed to be there for each other, not just you there for me."

"Mokie, there are some things that you don't understand yet," Seto said. And some things that I just won't tell you, his mind added silently.

Seto looked deep into his brother's eyes, a bit startled by the frown on his face. Never had Mokuba lost his temper with him, and it was a bit unnerving and upsetting to say the least. He expected to find anger, maybe even resent in those eyes, something he wouldn't be able to stand, he knew. But instead he found only concern and unconditional love. Seto sighed. Could he really deny Mokuba something so simple? "Mokie," he said, "I don't want to go into the details because I don't feel comfortable talking about this. But, yes, I have had things on my mind, things that I just want to figure out by myself. Can you understand that, kiddo?"

Mokuba didn't say anything for a moment, but then he nodded both in comprehension and acceptance.

Seto knew this wasn't the answer that Mokuba wanted, but he hoped the raven haired boy would understand what a big step his brother was taking by even admitting to having anything on his mind.

They were silent for a few long minutes, both siblings caught in his own thoughts. Then Mokuba yawned widely. "I'm going upstairs again, Seto," he said. "I'm sleepy."

Seto smiled at his brother and nodded. Mokuba leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek before saying goodnight.

The brunette's mind inevitably led him back to a certain crimson eyed man when Mokuba left. What was he going to do? Seto played Yami's message one last time before he lay down on the sofa. The last thing he heard before he slept was Yami's tired voice telling him goodbye.

Sunlight licked Seto's skin a few hours later and he woke feeling a tad disorientated before he realised he had slept on the sofa. The brunette squinted at the wall clock. It was 7 AM. No wonder he still felt like crap. He had only been asleep for 5 hours.

"Hello, sweetheart."

The voice startled Seto and he looked up to see his mother standing at the foot of the sofa. When did she get here?

"Morning," he replied. At a loss as to what else to say, he murmured, "Mokuba's home."

She sat next to him. "I know. I heard you two talking down here last night." She looked at her son and put an arm around his shoulders. He didn't have the energy to shrug her off. He wondered if she had heard anything in detail last night. "You know I'm here for you, don't you, Seto? If you want to talk I mean." Well that answered that question. She obviously heard enough to know that she should be worried. Seto just snorted still staring straight ahead. He didn't need her sympathy or her shoulder to cry on.

She sighed but only patted his shoulder then went into the kitchen without another word.

The rest of the day was uneventful. The family had sat down to a nice breakfast and lunch together. They talked about nothing that had happened during the past week. Mokuba talked about school and his friends and didn't once bring up the subject of his father.

Almost like nothing has happened, Seto thought. He was surprised that he felt a bit bitter at the thought. He knew that his mother didn't want to upset neither him or Mokuba, but surely their father, his mother's husband, deserved some acknowledgement?

At 4PM, Seto found himself in his room, making small notes on his father's - now his - company. It was still taking time to sink in that Seto actually owned a business. But with everything that was happening, this, too, still felt like a dream.

One part of his brain was faintly aware that he was looking at some kind of finance sheet that he had found with his father's discarded notes. Another part of his brain was thinking about where he should be right now. His whole day had been free to do as he pleased, but he had been avoiding the option he had been given last night.

Seto was ripped in two over the issue with Yami. Some part of him wanted to pretend that nothing had ever happened between them, that they had neer even been reunited just a few days ago. He was sure he could get on perfectly well without the wild haired man. After all, he had done so for half his life, hadn't he?

But then another part told him that what he was doing now - ignoring Yami, wanting to pretend that nothing had ever happened - was ridiculous. This was the part of him that was telling him to embrace this now. He wouldn't be hurt by Yami, he wasn't meant to get hurt when Yami left - Yami had explained all of that. And, that part of him mentioned as an afterthought, Yami had told him everything, most importantly why he had left, at Seto's request. Yami had wanted to wait until they were more comfortable around each other, but Seto had pushed him to tell him.

The blue eyed man was so lost in his thoughts that he quiet knock on his bedroom door almost went unnoticed. Thinking it to be Mokuba, Seto distractedly told him to come in.

When his little brother didn't say anything, Seto turned round in his chair, only to find that it wasn't Mokuba at all. It was Yami.

"Hi," the shorter male said quietly, hesitantly.

Seto's blue eyes narrowed. How dare Yami come into his room like this, as if he had been invited. "What the hell are you doing here?" he snarled. "How did you got in?" He felt a strange mix of satisfaction and pain when Yami flinched ever so slightly at his tone.

Then Yami's pride evidently took over, for he stood a little straighter even when Seto stood up, trying to intimidate him with his height. The crimson eyed man shrugged nonchalantly. "You didn't come to the coffee place. So I came here. And your mother let me in."

Again Seto snarled. "So you just assumed that seeing as I wouldn't come to you at your beck and call, you would just invite yourself to my home."

Yami's eyes softened. "Seto," he murmured quietly. He didn't say anything else but took a step forward.

Seto didn't step back, but he did cross his arms over his chest as if to protect himself from any emotions by cutting off access to his heart. He just glared at Yami, knowing all the while that no amount of hostility would affect him. Yami was just as stubborn as Seto, so he knew that neither would back down while the other was still standing.

"I need to talk to you," Yami said. "About what happened yesterday."

"What is there to talk about, Yami?" Seto asked nastily. "I thought you said all you wanted to yesterday." He didn't want to be so unkind to Yami, but it was the only way that he could shield himself from being hurt again. If Yami got angry or upset with him then he would Seto alone. It was a pitiful attempt, he knew, but he was so desperate to prevent anything happening between them.

"No, I didn't because you ran off before I could say anything else." yami didn't seen in the least wounded by Seto's remark. He was either really good at keeping his emotions in check or was a very good actor.

Seto snorted in reponse. "I did not run off, Yami." The other just stared at him with that unwavering crimson gaze. Seto looked away first. "So. What else do you have to say?" he asked coldly.

Yami sighed tiredly. "Seto, if you remember correctly, you not only asked me why I left, you almost forced me. You left me no choice but to confess, and when I did…" he trailed off and Seto saw him shake his head. "I'm not going to apologise for what I told you."

After a while, Seto lowered his arms and rubbed his face with his hands. Did the world hate him? Everything was pushing down on him and he was too tired to respond with his usual ice. "Yami," he said finally, "what did you expect me to do?" When Yami narrowed his beautiful eyes, Seto shook his head. "No, I'm seriously asking you. Yami, please tell me what it was that you expected from me."

Soul searching crimson orbs looked into weary blue. But Seto did not allow himself to look away. Yami must have found what he was searching for because then he started talking. "Of course I didn't expect you to profess undying love or anything. But I also didn't expect you to walk out on me either."

"You mean like you did to me?" As soon as Seto had said the words, he wished he hadn't. Pain flashed briefly in Yami's eyes.

"Is this what this is about?" he whispered. Even though the question should have been asked harshly, it wasn't. "Is this all about what happened when we were children?"

Seto kicked himself mentally. He didn't want to get into this argument again. "No," he said. "I didn't mean to say that, Yami. I'm sorry."

Yami nodded in acceptance. "Seto?" he began talking again, timidly. "Can I ask you… have you ever loved me?"

Seto looked at him for a while. "I did when we were kids," he said, then continued hurriedly when the other's eyes widened in hope. He didn't want him to get the wrong idea. "But it was platonic. We were best friends. That was all I felt for you back then."

Yami nodded again then took a deep breath, as if psyching himself up for something big. "And do you love me now?" he asked.

Seto's eyes widened when Yami posed the question so boldly. "You can't ask me that!" he exclaimed in shock, "I mean, its too soon for me to be thinking anything like that. And, with everything happening at home right now, I can hardly think straight anymore. Yami, I cant answer that."

Yami looked at him sadly. "You're right," he said quietly, nodding. "Of course you're right." He sighed heavily. "Well, I suppose you want me to go." He turned to leave, and suddenly Seto couldn't let him go like this.

"Wait," he said. Yami turned back to face him again. Seto didn't do anything, not knowing what to say.

The crimson eyed man smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "Seto, I understand what you told me. Family always comes first. I, too, wouldn't have it any other way. No, I understand that you need to concentrate on your family first and foremost, and I don't reproach you for that." Seto nodded. Then Yami continued to talk. "But I want you to promise me, Seto, that if ever you need anything, you will come to me." When Seto's gaze wavered, Yami pressed him. "Promise me, Seto."

Seto stared at his childhood friend. Why was Yami saying this? But he couldn't deny him. "I promise," he said.

Yami smiled at him again and walked out of the room. Seto closed the door behind him and leant his forehead against it. He replayed Yami's last question: "And do you love me now?"

Seto breathed the answer so quietly: "Yes."