So, these were the two choices laid out before him? Accepting the horrifying possibility that he was every bit as insane as he feared over the last few weeks, or cater to the impossibility that Yugi's pyschotic cousin somehow had the ability to reside in his brain. Said pyscho claimed that he had inhabited Seto's mind for quite some time now, and somehow burrowed through Seto's shields like some disgusting parasetic insect that sucked the flesh off the victim, and gorged itself on the pain...

Seto shivered at the mental image, the sickening choices before him. Acceptance of madness, or rejection and a denial he could no longer sustain? Cooperating with the one responsible for this whole debacle his life had become, or continue to battle against the truth, and have certain insanity as his only reward?
If he were alone, Seto would have either downed enough sedatives to drug the problem away, or simply dress, and head to the office a few hours early, in an attempt to work his anguish into submission.

Long, regal fingers drummed against the bedboard in a desperate attempt to maintain his false attempt at nonchalance, even though Yami could see the pale crinkle of shock pinching a white line across Seto's forehead, the troubled glance, and the tremor he could not hide. With a grimance of extreme relunctance, Seto's saphire eyes began their slow, considering slide from the floor, to Yami.

"So, who was that man who looks like my twin? What did you do to piss him off to the point that he tried to hack your head off?" Seto barked, irritably, as Yami swallowed hard at the callous questions.

"His name was Seth." The soft answer came up, as Yami's fingers once again glided along the scars, and his eyes were far away and lost. "He was my cousin, and high priest, one of the most noble men who ever served me, until he fell into corruption. As to why I was tortured and murdered by his hand, I have no answer for that."

Seto's mouth twisted as if he had eaten something nasty, and he chewed the inside of his cheek, uneasily at the bizarre stab of remorse that suddenly rose. That broken look of pain that lit those violet eyes was gut-wrenching.

"Your twisted family relations aside, you still haven't explained anything substantial, or given me any reason to do anything but call the cops and have you locked away."

Yami suddenly jerked as if stabbed, but then raised his narrowed eyes, cooly. " I see little need to explain anything to somebody who willingly refuses to understand. As for your threats of having me locked away, please tolerate me pointing out the very obvious flaws with that plan. I am quite capable of returning to the confines of your mind anytime I please, and I have resided there long enough to gather that you are terrified of insanity. That being duly noted, exactly what is the wisdom in attempting to lock away what will be viewed by the rest of the world as a delusion? I believe you've already seen the consequences of non-belief, and fighting against acceptance of what you know to be true. I know that you were almost broken during your brief incarceration at a mentally unstable individual. What do you think would happen to you if you attempted to force me again?"

Seto paled so quickly, Yami thought the man would faint as Seto's jaw dropped in horror. "It was you. You were the one who nearly killed me, made me look like a fool in front of the world, and then had me actually forced to undergo a pysch evaluation!"

Yami only sighed, regretfully. "Unfortunately, it was my actions...however unwittingly, that made you endure that horror, and for that, I apologize. I never wanted you to be subjected to any of it, I assure you. But, there was no other way for me to break free of your mental barriers. They were very, very strong. You should be reassured to know that they are healing bueatifully." Yami faltered, with an awkward shrug.

Seto snorted. "That's definitely good to know.So, the next time you decide to take a leisurely stroll through my head, I only have to worry about you shattering them completely so I'm left a drooling vegetable?! "

"I have given you my word that I mean you no harm"
"Then you have failed miserably, you bastard!! What the hell do you call nearly destroying somebody's life? Tell me one damn thing that you've done that could ever remotely be considered beneficial"
Seto roared.

"I stopped. I think you are well aware of my powers, and the damage I could inflict upon you, were I really intending you harm. I could have shattered your mind completely. I could have left you mute and paralyzed until you went insane from the fear, or simply murdered you while you were helpless. I know that I have absolutely no evidence to give you that I am anything less than a cruel monster, other than that. But, you can either accept this situation, deal with it, and help me, or you can fight me inch by tortured inch, until I'm forced to do exactly as you fear. You will find that I require very little of you, and I am not interested in stealing your life away. Fight me, if you wish, but you'll suffer for it. Help me, and I'll be out of your life all the quicker. It is your choice, of course. But, I think a prudent form of action would be to satisfy both of our wants. I want to be free, and you want me gone. That's not mutually exclusive. What is your answer?"

Seto snarled. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing that will be too painful, I promise. What is your name?" Seto's eyebrow shot high. "You've been in my skull for the past few weeks, and you don't know my own name?"

"And what need would you have to repeat your name to yourself over and over again if you are aware of who you are? Does that not strike you as being idiotic?"

Seto huffed in annoyance, then, in bitter surrender, spat, "Seto. Seto Kaiba. But don't get any cute ideas about giving me any stupid nicknames. I'll answer to Seto, or Kaiba, or sir, but nothing else. Got it?"

Yami said nothing, only snorted.

Seto stared at him with his cold eyes narrowed. "Let's get moving. The quicker we get this over with, the quicker you're out of my life. We've wasted enough time with pointless chit-chat."

Yami nodded, solemnly. "Your haste in addressing this is most refreshing. We will start by you assisting me finding a young man named Yugi Moto. You came into his grandfather's game shop a few weeks ago, and called him by name, so I assume you are familiar with him?"

Seto ran a long finger down the length of his nose, gave Yami a bitter glare. "You assalted me in that pathetic game shop. How could I forget?!"

Yami winced at the memory. "I apologize for that. I know now that my actions were cruel, and uncalled for. You are not Seth, I know that now."

Kaiba only smirked in answer. "Don't be getting any bright ideas of beating me into submission. It won't work."

Yami shook his head, ignored the barbed comment. It wouldn't do to get into a battle of wills with this character over something so petty, especially when his own face throbbed in memory at Kaiba's fists colliding with it. He did not especially crave another one. Seto shrugged in dismissal.

"What does that Moto runt have to do with any of this? And, how exactly did you ...get into my mind, if that's what's really happening?"

Yami hesitated, his hand venturing to his injured rib, and blanched at the interested focus of Seto's eyes on the wound. Oh, yes, he had happened to jab it earlier, and was responsible for provoking an extremely painful reaction.

"Would you prefer that I tell you, or show you? I noticed that you were slightly unnerved by my attempt to show you through the memories themselves, and I-"

"Excuse me all the hell for not being used to having flashbacks that aren't my own running through my head. Screw that. Just tell me and save me the headache." Seto yawned, as he cupped a chin in one hand, and stared down at Yami, who began to define what he could not even begin to fathom, in the hopes that maybe his disbelieving listener would accept some of it.

The Puzzle was still cradled in his trembling fingers, and he had been twisting it from palm to palm, running them over the intricant designs with seeking hands, slashing his blood over the points, in some atonement, in some vague hope that it would ressurect the one he murdered. The Puzzle's muted gold was still the same dead bronze that it had been for the last few hours, dead as the body that was still draped in the sheets in the living room. Yugi had fallen into some benumbed stupor, where time just froze into a trickling, searing river that swept him further and further away from everything he held dear...

And now that he was coming back to himself, some vague, instinctive awareness, and not that imprisoning malice that he was previously snared in...he had no defense against the absolute horror and guilt that Yami had suffered so much at his own hands, only to bleed and die...

Yugi was not sure if he was insane, or if anything but insanity would drive him to anything besides suicide. He shivered again, gripping his hands against his arms in a futile embrace against the pain.

He was interrupted by the abrupt crack of his bedroom door being flung open, and his grandfather's pale, burning face, numbingly white as the old man only choked and lurched like a puppet being jerked by the string. With a fleshy hand, he gestured downstairs, his eyes sparkling with some mirth that seemed mad, given the circumstances.

"Yugi, get up! I don't know how it's possible, but Seto Kaiba just brought Yami to the shop! He's alive, my boy!"