That night, he dreamed of Kisara. She stood upon the roof of the temple of Ra, her white hair billowing in the wind. She saw him and smiled, and he felt his heart break all over again. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

In two quick strides, he crossed the rooftop and folded her into his arms. She had a sweet smell, one that he was never able to define. She smelled like…like summer fruit, like incense, like earth and sky and sun and freedom. She smelled like dragons. It was a good smell. She gazed up at him, her blue eyes shining with tears.

"I missed you so much," she whispered, hugging him even more tightly.

"I…I missed you too," Seth said. "When I got to the afterlife, you were not waiting for me."

Her face was full of regret. "When you died, I couldn't reach you. I tried, Seth, I tried, but the spells on your tomb kept me out." She looked pitiful and small, but there was fire there too. Seth wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms forever. But this is only a dream.

Her voice hitched. "You freed me, let me find peace, but you left no peace for yourself." She took a deep breath. "When you returned to the living, I returned to be with you again. But there I'm only a dragon."

"You're not just a dragon," Seth said. "You're my dragon." He bent down and kissed her. For a moment, she resisted. Then she simply melted into his touch. It was sweeter even then her smell. I love her so much.

Abruptly, she was not in his arms, but standing at the edge of the temple, looking out across the desert beyond.

"I thought you would be free too," she said, so softly that he barely heard her. "But you're not. You're chained to that human form, and to the Pharaoh."

"I have a duty to him," Seth said, crossing the roof to stand at her side. "But you command my heart and soul. How can the Pharaoh hope to compete with that?"

She turned to him, her eyes shining. "You mean that?"

He took her hand in his and smiled down at her. "I cannot lie to you."

She smiled too. "Come with me then, Seth. Leave the Pharaoh behind and we can finally be together."

His smile faded. "Kisara, I cannot. I must restore his memories. And his name. He deserves that at least: to remember who he is and what he is. You would not deny him that."

She hesitated for just a moment. "Of course not," she said with a sigh. "But do not wait too long." Her lips brushed against his cheek. He reached out to embrace her…

And awoke alone.

Yugi cautiously opened his door and peeked out onto the landing. Nothing. With a sigh of relief, he tiptoed across the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen. This too, was empty. Yugi let out the breath he was holding, dumped his backpack next to the door, and set about making breakfast.

As he turned from the refrigerator, a carton of milk in his hands, he came face to face with Seth, who had emerged silently from his room and crept downstairs. Yugi jumped back with a cry of surprise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Seth said politely. Yugi thought he saw dark shadows under Seth's eyes.

"That's alright," Yugi replied warily, pouring himself a glass of milk and replacing the carton in the refrigerator without taking his eyes off Seth. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Seth said. "Thank you." There were a few moments of awkward silence. Seth broke it first. "Why is the Pharaoh angry with me?"

"He doesn't trust you," Yugi said. His plate of food was on the counter, but Seth stood in front of the table, and Yugi didn't want to carry it by. "You took us to the Shadow Realm."

"Well of course," Seth said. He sounded so honestly confused that Yugi was puzzled too. "It's the source of our magic."

"It's evil," Yugi insisted. "And the Pharaoh isn't evil."

Seth sat down at the table and rested his elbows upon it. "It is true. Few shadowmancers can avoid the temptation to do evil. But the Pharaoh could, and did, for as long as I knew him. He is still noble."

"Yes, he is." But Yugi was remembering the times he had seen the Pharaoh angry, how he had actually been frightened of him. How the Pharaoh smirked as his opponents fell and how casually he used his powers to hurt his enemies. Yes, there was a darkness in Yami, as much as Yugi wanted to deny it.

Seth was watching his face intently. "The Pharaoh sacrificed himself to seal away the shadows, Yugi. He knew they were evil and so forsook even the power of the Millennium Items. Many thought to harness that power, never counting its cost. He leaned forward as though to emphasize his point. "The Pharaoh is not evil. And neither am I."

Yugi desperately wanted some time to think and to consult with the Pharaoh. "I need to go to school. I'll talk with you later."

Seth made a motion of dismissal. "Yes, go. Just think about what I said."

Yugi headed for the door. To his credit, he did not start running until the end of the block.

Seth was sitting on the floor, deep in meditation, when the door to the shop opened. He heard a familiar pair of footsteps on the stairs and felt the ever-present ache fade away. Even before the door opened, he knew who it was.

"I didn't think you'd come yourself," he said without opening his eyes. "I thought you'd send Roland."

"How did you know it was me?" Seto Kaiba asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Seth smiled. "No ache," he said, opening his eyes at last to look up at Seto. "And I know my own footsteps." Seto did not look pleased.

"I brought the ingredients; they're downstairs."

"Thank you." Seth waited patiently. Seto didn't elaborate. Seth got to his feet. "I'll get started on the preparations right away." Seto still lingered.

"If you're curious," Seth said with a smirk, "You're welcome to stay and watch."

"What makes you think I'm curious?" Seto asked disdainfully.

"Because you're still here."

Seto didn't answer, but he followed Seth downstairs all the same. A small pile of spell ingredients was on the kitchen table. Seth rifled through them, a familiar burst of excitement flooding his veins. He could feel the warm glow from the Millennium Rod against his skin as it picked up on his emotions.

"I'll leave you to your magic," Seto said, turning to go.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stay," Seth said, looking up, a snakeskin and a bag of herbs in his hand. "I'd rather not have to cast spells while exhausted and achy."

Eyebrows raised, Seto sat down stiffly in a kitchen chair. "I have a board meeting in an hour," he warned his double.

"You hate board meetings," Seth said distractedly, picking up another bag of herbs. "You think that listening to a bunch of blathering fools discuss company policy is a complete waste of time and resources."

"That reminds me," Seto said, leaning forward and snatching the bag out of Seth's hands. "These ingredients have a price." Seth looked up at him, eyes narrowed and wary. "You have to teach me to close my mind to you."

Seth hesitated. His ability to know exactly what Seto was thinking was one of his greatest weapons, and if he had learned anything in the Pharaoh's court, it was to never discard a weapon.

Seto read his hesitation. "Do it, or there's no deal."

I'll teach him something basic. I should still be able to get through. "Alright then. The trick to keeping me out of your head is to keep the surface of your thoughts blank. It's a difficult technique to master, but with practice…"

Seto stared at him with narrowed eyes. "That's it?"

Seth nodded, keeping his own mind and face blank. "Simple."

Seto stood up and took a step towards his double. "I doubt it. Instead, I think that you're teaching me a faulty technique so you can still get into my head. You'll just make it less obvious."

Seth stared him down without flinching. "And what is the basis for this accusation?"

Seto gave him a sickly sweet smile. "It's what I would have done. And as you're so fond of reminding me, 'we share the same soul.'" He took another step so that the doubles were almost nose to nose. "Don't try and play me, priest. One more chance, or I take the ingredients back."

Seth did not move. But in Kaiba's eyes he could see the steely determination, and he knew even without reading the other's mind that Seto would be as good as his word. He sighed. "Keeping the surface of your mind blank is the foundation, but you also need to imagine an impenetrable wall around your thoughts. Any uncontrolled emotion will put holes in it, so developing a calm center is essential, no matter what you may be feeling. In time, you will be able to use even anger to strengthen the wall."

Kaiba was not satisfied. "And what do I use to build this wall?"

"Concentration and practice. And imagination, of course. Focusing on a certain object or person often helps to erect the wall. It will become natural with practice." Seth lifted his chin. "And that is the true technique, Seto. I have not lied."

"No," said Kaiba after a moment, looking into Seth's eyes. "I don't think you have." He stepped away from the table. He was still for a moment, eyes focused intently on the countertop. Then he smiled and sat down again.

Tentatively, Seth probed Kaiba's mind. And there he met a wall, so smooth and strong that even with the High Priest's expertise, he could find no chink or crevice to gain access into Kaiba's mind. When he tested it, he caught a brief glimpse of Mokuba's face. He's using the image of his brother as a power base. A pity that I ever tried to reconcile them. He slammed his magic against it. The Millennium Rod glowed, but to no avail. He was not as strong as he once was, even with the Rod's power, and he could not smash the wall. He imagined leaping over it, but a roof made of thick metal met him. Seto's thoughts were completely encased in mental steel.

Seto apparently saw Seth's shock and confusion. "I've spent a long time learning to conceal my emotions. Thoughts aren't that different."

Seth smoothed his face into an expressionless mask. "It seems that you have forgiven Mokuba."

Instead of getting angry, Seto merely smiled. "Ashamed of your own handiwork, Seth?"

No. It was the right thing to do. "More than you know."

And ignoring his double, Seth went to work, mixing ingredients and whispering half-forgotten prayers. And strengthening his own mental shields, just in case.