Sorry for the late update. School is rough and apathy is rougher! Please enjoy.

He could hardly pay attention to the lesson book that sat in front of him. The kanji kept blurring as his eyes lost focus and the only thing Jonouchi could note was the smell of expensive perfume that teased him from the classmate sitting in front of him.

He was tired. Waking up early to deliver papers sucked when he barely was able to get any sleep. Jonouchi had made a habit of staying up until his father came home, simply to lock the door at night. The man always forgot, never even making it a habit to bring his keys with him, and Jonouchi locking him out was out of the question - his father was just too damn loud. But after their first break-in, Jonouchi decided that there wasn't going to be a second if he could help it. The thieves had just barged right in, no lock to deter them, and Jonouchi had come home to half of their possessions missing.

So he stayed up and waited. It meant usually averaging four hours of sleep per night, but it was a small price to pay for security. But it also meant catching up on sleep at school, sending his grades into a plunge. Not that he'd ever been the best student, but at least he'd managed to get by.

Under normal circumstances, the smell would have been fine - nice, even. Clean, like freshly laundered sheets and the hint of something sweet and floral. Hell if Jonouchi could determine which kind of flower, but it reminded him of spring mornings and sunshine.

But these weren't normal circumstances. All he wanted to do was sleep, and his overtired body somehow kept all his senses set on maximum sensitivity. He could hear every scritch of a pencil across paper, every flip of textbook pages, even the soft skidding of rubber soles upon tile. It bothered him. Jonouchi could tune out one sense with enough effort, but trying for any more than that was impossible. It's not like he could really leave his desk, though, and the last time he'd asked to go to the nurse's office, Chono-sensei had rebuffed his pleas without the barest upward glance at him.

In the back of his mind, Jonouchi knew he should relish this class period. He got to sit behind the most beautiful girl in school - so close that he could breathe in her perfume, the peak opportunity for unbridled observation - even though she didn't talk much to anyone. She'd instantly stolen his attention during their high school entrance ceremony: she stood above the others - literally - but appeared so elegant and strikingly attractive that Jonouchi hadn't been able to look away. He used to (still did, actually) steal glances at her every so often during their shared English class, but their teacher had gotten into the habit of calling on Jonouchi with regularity, making him have to pay attention so he didn't embarrass himself in class. Kaiba always sat in the back of the room, silent except when called on, sometimes disinterested in the lesson and sometimes watching the classroom with a peculiar intensity. The one time she'd caught him staring, Jonouchi had quickly looked away. To this day, he wasn't entirely sure if she had actually noticed or if he'd simply caught her during one of those peculiar moments.

He tried covering his head to block out the scent but abandoned that tactic, since it was too obvious that he was trying to sleep through his study period. Plugging his nose would be too rude - it wasn't a horrible smell by any means, and even though Jonouchi was dumb, he wasn't dumb enough to potentially offend his current crush...who just happened to be one of the most powerful people in Domino.

The smell was sensual and warm.

Groaning loudly, Jonouchi gave up on sleep, stretching his arms and torso across the top of his desk. His arms were long enough that they could graze the back of Kaiba's chair, and he pushed forward just enough to do so just because he could. She didn't seem to notice, so Jonouchi just grinned to himself, so tired that he barely was able to keep a tiny, mischievous cackle to himself.

Kaiba suddenly turned around, dipping down into her backpack to place a bunch of books into one of the spaces before she turned her eyes up at Jonouchi's face. She looked curious, having probably heard the noise Jonouchi had made, and he could already feel his cheeks getting warm under her intensely blue eyes.

"You should see the nurse if it continues," she said neutrally before her lips drew into a slight smirk and she turned away shaking her head.

"Huh?" Jonouchi blinked stupidly. Did Kaiba actually speak to him? He opened his mouth to ask if what continues, but she'd already cracked open a new textbook, head bent over her desk studiously. Jonouchi could feel his cheeks burn absurdly hotter, and he whipped his head around conspiratorially, but no one had seemed to notice their exchange.

Since Death-T, Jonouchi had tried to do away with his feelings for Kaiba. And when that didn't work, he tried compartmentalizing them, storing them away in hope that he would soon forget. Get over her. But even through her illness, he caught himself stealing glances at her empty seat at school, even going so far as jumping the security wall to Kaiba Mansion. And when he'd finally mustered up the courage to pay her a proper visit at the hospital, she'd been moved, and that had been that.

He kept everything inside. Jonouchi was sure that Yugi at the very least wouldn't ridicule him for it, but he wasn't so sure he could say the same for the rest of his friends. The way he kept holding on despite her horrible treatment of him and his friends was uncomfortable and it made Jonouchi wonder if something was wrong with him in the head. But he wanted to know what had happened. What had made her act the way she did. If she had meant any of it - the good and the bad - at all.

And here now stood Kaiba's little brother, who looked so much like her yet not quite, and Jonouchi suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all - the worry and the anger and the curiosity and the yearning. It clenched at his gut, tightened up to his chest. He could feel his heart accelerating, and all Yugi had done was unmasked a child.

He needed to get control of himself.

"Mokuba, you little weasel," Jonouchi hollered, confronting him as the boy curled up with an ugly look on his face, not letting go of the star chips that were still in his hands, "Give back Yugi's star chips before I make you! I know you stole them, you brat!"

Mokuba scrambled away, his face twisting as his fists got tighter.

"I won't give them back," he screamed, kicking Jonouchi hard in the shin when he made a reach for him, "You can't make me!"

Jonouchi could feel his temper beginning to flare up. His face was burning. Where Mokuba had kicked him was starting to bruise, the flesh aching, and Jonouchi knew he'd be wearing it for a while. The kid kicked him like he was going at a soccer ball, and Jonouchi knew it wasn't a good idea to try grabbing at him again.

"Why, you little bastard," he growled under his breath. He started stalking toward him again, hoping to intimidate him out of his tantrum, but Anzu cut him off.

"Mokuba," spoke Anzu softly, her eyes warm as she turned them on the kid, "Are you still mad at Yugi?"

"Of course I am... It's all his fault."

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. All Yugi's fault... Kaiba was the one who tried to kill them. Kaiba was the one who got herself stuck in coma, who left him behind, and he was blaming Yugi for it? It wasn't Yugi's fault.

And what was the kid doing there in the first place? He wanted to know that answer.

"It's Yugi's fault that my sister is the way she is," Mokuba explained, "She's still in a coma. The doctors don't know what's wrong with her, and I don't know what to do."

Everyone looked unsure of what to say. Yugi's face was impassive, his eyes intense as he stood there with his arms folded.

"But don't get the wrong idea, I'm not trying to get revenge on Yugi," Mokuba started, "You guys aren't as smart as you all think you are. It's bigger than all of you. I bet you guys don't even know why Pegasus started this tournament in the first place? He's trying to steal Kaiba Corporation!"

Yugi's eyes widened and Jonouchi felt his heart skip a beat. Steal Kaiba Corporation? Why on earth? Weren't those two friends? Jonouchi had seen the news interviews before. They did business together. It didn't make any sense. Pegasus had always treated Kaiba like a surrogate daughter in public appearances.

"Pegasus created Duel Monsters and is a technological genius, but he couldn't do any of this without the help of my sister. She's the one who created the Duel Boxes you see all over the island. It was her engineering that created the Solid Vision graphics needed to play the game, not Pegasus. He couldn't do it without her...

"But then, that day she lost to Yugi, Pegasus betrayed her! The company lost its support and the stocks were falling after Nee-sama was hospitalized. He's been trying to throw a coup! Pegasus went behind all our backs to the top five investors, who own sixty percent of the company, and without my sister to stop them, they are trying to give the company up to him.

"But only on the condition that Pegasus can beat Yugi in a Duel. That's why he brought you here! You all know nothing!"

Jonouchi's brain felt like it was a spinning top. None of it made any sense. But the kid was so emphatic, it had to be true - Mokuba was on the verge of tears. And if he was creeping around on the island by himself, stealing star chips to get to Pegasus, then he must be desperate.

But all this, just to duel Yugi… It felt like Death-T all over again.

"Heheheh..."

Jonouchi cranked his head to look at Yugi, who was chuckling to himself. He didn't seem right. Something about him was off.

"Pegasus wants to beat me that badly, huh?"

That kind of attitude... didn't seem like Yugi at all. Where was the kind, considerate friend who bled his heart dry over others? That was just... almost callous.

"Don't laugh, Yugi. You can't beat Pegasus. No one can. Even my sister said he was invincible," said Mokuba in a somber voice, "He created the game. You can't beat the creator..."

He was quiet for a moment before his voice began to shriek again, "I thought if I stole your star chips, you'd be disqualified. Then Pegasus can't beat you! If he can't beat you, I can save KaibaCorp. The deal won't be good. Don't you get it?"

"So, that's why the Big Five brought you here?" asked Yugi.

"No," barked Mokuba loudly, "That's not why. It's because I have the key."

He grinned before continuing. "They barged into our house and were trying to steal company documents from Nee-sama's safe, but they need the key. She gave it to me for safe keeping, and they won't get it. Hehehe, I swallowed the key right in front of them, so they're screwed!"

Jonouchi didn't even know what to say to that. This kid... was just as insane as his sister.

But if what Mokuba said about this Pegasus guy was true... that even Kaiba believed he was unbeatable...then what did that mean for Yugi? Yugi had beaten Kaiba, but…

And if whoever the Big Five were were indeed trying to stage a coup... then Kaiba was in danger. But there was no way she'd just let her little brother run around by himself. As an older sibling, Jonouchi knew this. But Mokuba claimed she was still incapacitated. Just what the hell was happening at Kaiba Corporation?

He felt an overwhelming urge to speak up. Jonouchi could feel his throat catch, and the words were coming despite whatever anxiety he felt about his friends judging him, but before he could speak up, Mokuba continued.

"You guys might believe that my sister is rotten... because she made Death-T to take revenge on you," he said, choking up on tears as he tried wiping his face with the back of his hand, "But that isn't what she was about. My sister had a dream. She was going to make KaibaLand parks all around the world, so kids like us who don't have anything can have a place to go. To have fun. And I'll be dead before I let anyone destroy that dream, Pegasus, or you, or anyone else!"

Anzu walked forward, getting down to Mokuba's level before smiling. "I believe in you, Mokuba."

"You do?"

Mokuba appeared to be hesitant, unsure of what to do. His eyes kept flashing around, looking at everyone and then back at his hand before Yugi spoke up.

"Believe in me, Mokuba. I will defeat Pegasus."

He spoke so full of vigor. His voice was deep and Jonouchi could hardly recognize the Yugi who stood before him, tall and proud, confident. Everything about him was different; it sent chills down his spine. Jonouchi had always thought Yugi was the weak one, the one he needed to take care of and protect, but now, he found himself wanting to believe in him. Wanting to follow him, wherever he'd lead them.

Mokuba wavered. He trembled, his hands shaking, but he extended his grip out, about to let go of the chips in his hand before a big booming voice interrupted them all.

"Stop right there! Exchanging star chips outside of a duel is illegal. One more move and you'll be disqualified!"

It was Saruwatari, Pegasus's guard from before. Mokuba appeared panicked, and even Yugi looked a little anxious. Jonouchi wasn't sure what to do. He took a step forward, in case he needed to get involved.

"There you are, Mokuba," Saruwatari continued, turning his attention to the kid, who tried to run behind Yugi unsuccessfully before getting grabbed by the arm, "Thought you could lead me on a wild goose chase, huh?"

Mokuba screamed and fought, all but biting the man's hand to make him let go. Jonouchi could feel his stomach twist around in his gut. He didn't want to blow his chances in the competition, but he couldn't comfortably stand there and watch a minor get kidnapped before his eyes, either.

"You gotta give those star chips back," Jonouchi demanded as he scrambled to think of something to say, "Two of them belong to him!"

"Well that's too bad," laughed Saruwatari, "You can only duel to get star chips. You all know the rules."

"Fine," said Yugi in a low voice. His face was dark, his bangs hiding his eyes before he lifted his head and his violet eyes shone, making Jonouchi feel chilled as a smirk appeared on his face. "Then let's duel."

"Sorry, but I don't play games," snickered Saruwatari as he tried dragging Mokuba closer to his side, "but I have a challenger to play in my stead. Someone you are very familiar with. Over there!"

He pointed far out to a close by Duel Box, where a slim figure in the shadow sat in the corner, appearing to be waiting for a challenger.

"That's who you must play to get your star chips back!" boomed Saruwatari as his voice turned into a hearty laugh, yanking Mokuba around the wrist before grinning at Yugi's confused face.

Everyone approached the Duel Box with trepidation, the shadows receding from the mysterious opponent with every step. The challenger sat unmoving, her face turned down, but she looked up as they all arrived.

Jonouchi would have recognized those eyes anywhere. Except something was off about them - they seemed vacant, like the lights had been shut off. It looked like Kaiba, but it couldn't be her. What happened? Did Saruwatari do something to her?

Or maybe Pegasus. Pegasus hadn't caught Kaiba, had he? What did he do to her?

"Meet your opponent, Yugi!" roared Saruwatari, "Kaiba Seto, back from the grave. Pegasus brought back her corpse just for you to duel."

There was a collective gasp as Saruwatari continued to laugh, his grip on Mokuba becoming tighter as the child struggled within his massive arms. "I don't think you will need any introductions. Although I must say, Yugi, that you won't stand a ghost of a chance against your opponent, since she is a ghost."

"I'm not lying," Saruwatari said against Mokuba's venomous tirade. "We have witnesses who saw Kaiba meet her doom in the very same way her predecessor took his. She couldn't handle losing the company because of losing during that fateful duel. Now all that's left of her is a ghost out for revenge," his eyes flashed maliciously, "against you, Yugi."

It couldn't be true. Kaiba, taking her life, over something like that? Jonouchi hadn't even known she'd woken up, and from Mokuba's screams, it sounded like he didn't, either. Even if it was true, such drastic measures... she could always get the company back. Kaiba was a fighter. It didn't sound like her at all…

So who was this girl in front of them?

The entire idea of some zombie look-a-like standing up there propped by Pegasus for Yugi to fight was beyond creepy. Jonouchi felt positively spooked and immediately wanted to get to the bottom of what really had happened to Kaiba, but trying to call out Saruwatari as a liar wouldn't get them anywhere.

It still left a sinking, uncomfortable feeling in his chest though, each time Jonouchi's eyes traced over the "Kaiba" look-a-like who was grinning over them all from just a few feet away.

Yugi walked over confidently to the box, not blinking before going inside. The woman who sat before him just smiled, her arms folded across her chest, one leg crossed over the other.

"Hello, Yugi."

Everything about her looked the same except for her eyes. Her eyes weren't right. Even though Kaiba always appeared withdrawn and a little melancholy during class when Jonouchi used to sneak peeks at her, there was still a light behind them. Whenever she caught his gaze, they twinkled a little before Jonouchi would shy away in embarrassment.

Now, they looked completely empty. The color was right, but nothing else about them was the same.

"That's not her, Yugi" yelled out Jonouchi, "don't let that fake psych you out!"

Yugi looked over and grinned at Jonouchi before taking his own seat.

"Hello," Yugi greeted as he began cutting his deck, also crossing his legs before fighting back a smile, "although I can't call you Kaiba. You might look like her, but you certainly are not the real Kaiba I've faced before."

"Is that so?" The woman before him just smirked. "I've come back from hell just to see you. And behold, I have my deck."

She drew the top card off her deck before flipping it to reveal a Blue Eyes-White Dragon. There was no way she was faking Kaiba's deck.

"Am I still not the original?"

Yugi revealed his own smirk, putting his deck in place as he waited patiently for his opponent to be ready. "No. You are not."

"You'll see," Kaiba announced, sing-song. "I'll bet three star chips."

"Fine. I'm all-in, then."

And so the Duel began. Jonouchi watched from the sidelines, nervous and detached. There was no way in hell this was Kaiba. But if Yugi lost, that meant it all was over. And although he wanted to believe in his friend, how could he win against the Blue-Eyes White Dragon without Exodia?

Monsters danced across the tabletop, Yugi's Dark Magician barely avoiding the burst streams from the imposter's dragon. Just when Jonouchi thought Yugi had the imposter pinned, one Blue-Eyes down, another surged forth and incinerated Yugi's wizard, dropping him to a mere 500 life points.

With only one weak monster left on his side of the field and another Blue-Eyes lurking within the imposter's deck, how could Yugi possibly win? Even Yugi himself seemed to waver against that reality, and Jonouchi felt himself break out in a cold sweat. It was over. Jonouchi didn't want to consider it, but maybe Saruwatari was telling the truth and Kaiba really was gone.

This was the end of the road for them. For Yugi's grandfather, for Jonouchi's sister… Had they come all this way, just to fail before even getting to the castle doors?

But right as the imposter commanded the final blow, the summoned Blue-Eyes White Dragon remained still. If refused to move, simply hovering in place.

"I said attack!" screamed the ghost duelist, her eyes wild as she slammed her fists onto the table. "You useless monster! You will obey my commands!"

The dragon continued to disregard her orders. And then, strangely, it began to dissolve, peeling away into ribbons of light before vanishing like smoke.

Jonouchi had never even seen something like that happen before. Did the cards take a life of their own? Had Blue-Eyes White Dragon just... No, cards couldn't just quit duels like that. It couldn't be possible. They were just playing a game.

The fake Kaiba became visibly unhinged as she watched her monster fade away, her eyes filling with darkness as her face twisted with fury. Jonouchi watched her transformation, unable to speak, but he knew in that instant that his gut had been right. She wasn't Kaiba. Even at Kaiba's worst, he'd never seen her like that. She'd never insult her own deck.

"And now we can finally see your true face," spoke Yugi as he sat there with a smug expression planted over his mouth, "for now you and I both know, along with everyone else around us, that you are not the real Kaiba Seto."

"Maybe not completely, but I'm a part of her," smiled the fiend, "isn't that enough?"

Her face was pale and sweaty and her eyes looked misshapen. Hair stuck out wildly and her shape was no longer pleasing to look at. Everything that could be wrong with her, was. The woman was a shadow of Kaiba, if she could even be called that. The resemblance was haunting, but not quite alike to be a twin any longer.

"Then Kaiba is alive?" questioned Yugi confidently.

"Maybe, maybe not. Not for long, anyway."

Yugi narrowed his eyes. "You're a false master. That's why Kaiba's dragons won't listen to you. Her heart's still in that deck." He adjusted the cards in his hand. "Let's continue."

The Duel went on. Yugi set up a powerful line of defense, but Jonouchi found himself worrying over the fake-Kaiba's face-down cards. The Blue-Eyes had spared Yugi one time, but would he be so fortunate again?

And then it appeared: the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon in all its glory. Yugi managed to force the imposter to nullify its attack through a series of trap cards, and then there were two Blue-Eyes on the field, one on either side. Combined with Yugi's Mystical Elf, Yugi's dragon slew the other, and the fake was defeated. It had all happened so fast that Jonouchi had forgotten to breathe, and he sucked in a deep breath at the end, feeling light-headed.

He was still getting his wits about him, so all Jonouchi had heard was the scream. Yugi had lunged forward, grabbing the stack of cards out of the imposter's hands, and she was tearing at her face, long nails digging into and dragging across cheeks. And then the most peculiar thing happened: Yugi pointed at her, and she instantly went limp, lifeless. Just like the dragon before her, she seemed to disintegrate, turning into dust in the wind.

So then, where was the real Kaiba?

There wasn't much to do besides hide in the woods once Kaiba got herself together. Her deck was still up in the house, out of reach. Guards stalked the grounds all over, and she wasn't sure if they thought she was dead or not. It was better to be safe than sorry, and by herself, Kaiba knew she was going to be facing an uphill battle, especially if she was found by someone.

Still, she'd have to try and do something.

It didn't help that the house was so far away from any city; the entire property was surrounded by woods. Kaiba had no idea where Mokuba was even at, it was unlikely that he'd be at Kaiba Mansion or Kaiba Corporation. The only person Kaiba trusted to care for Mokuba was Isono, but who knew if he even had the capabilities to protect him when the guards had defected.

Kaiba was on her own.

It wasn't anything she hadn't already been through before, though.

At least she had her Duel Disk prototypes. Safely nestled in her briefcase, Kaiba glanced down at the metal, sighing before looking back up towards the house. If Pegasus had gotten ahold of them, who knew where she'd be. The technology was brand-new, and Kaiba prided herself in having created it on her own. Industrial Illusions lacked the creativity and know-how to make something so advanced, and while Pegasus himself was quite intelligent, he was not a genius. Not like Kaiba was.

She smirked before crossing her arms, watching as several guards got into a black car and drove off from the front gate. Hiding amongst the trees, she thanked herself for choosing the most drab clothes from her closet: a long black and grey-mottled trench coat and the plain black pants and dress shirt combo she wore when she was trying to remain inconspicuous. In the woods, it would keep her relatively undetectable. Usually Kaiba liked dressing the part, but at that moment in time, fashion wasn't her main priority.

It occurred to her that she'd need to find a way to confront Pegasus. Duelist Kingdom was in the Pacific Ocean, at least a day's trip away from mainland Japan by boat. Kaiba could take a helicopter there on her own; she knew how to fly military-grade vehicles thanks to the training given by the old staff back when Kaiba Corporation was still a weapons developer.

There was a helipad on the property, at least a quarter of a mile away from the house. Setting her mind to the task, Kaiba reached down and snatched her briefcase. It would take at least all night to get to the islands off Yokohama, to reach where Pegasus' castle was located.

And Mokuba.

He had to be suffering without her.

The walk wasn't that long, but it was rough cutting through the underbrush of the woods and having to navigate over creeks and streams. Kaiba grumbled all through it, not a lover of getting close to nature. There was something serene about the wilderness, but she was perfectly comfortable staying out of it and watching from a distance. Crawling through the woods, cutting up her face with tree branches, and getting shit in her hair were the last things she expected to do, but so was jumping out of a window...and getting shot at.

Once she reached the helipad, Kaiba typed in her security code to access, but as predicted, it was locked.

"Cute."

As if someone of her technical skills couldn't just hack into the system. She was about to begin, taking off the cover of the typing pad when she heard men's voices getting closer. There wasn't really anywhere to run but back into the woods, and needing to get inside to operate the helicopter, Kaiba decided to take a chance. What was the worst they could do? Try shooting at her again?

There were two men, one of them dressed like a guard. She kept her face neutral, not allowing the rapid beating of her heart betray her to the men, and they both stared at each other unblinkingly before Kaiba spoke first.

"I need a ride to Duelist Kingdom."

Both men stared for a second, their faces passive before the guard bowed just slightly. "Of course Kaiba-sama," he answered, "we'll be ready to leave the ground in just a few minutes."

"We need to be there by nightfall."

The man dressed like a driver unlocked the security door, going into the hangar bay and preparing the equipment for operation as the guard watched Kaiba watch him.

It wasn't likely that the men were on her side. She'd have to play it cool to get what she needed out of them, until they eventually turned on her. No doubt, at least the guard would have a gun on him. That would make things trickier, but not impossible. Isono had taught her how to deal with those kinds of situations.

Kaiba smiled to herself. Mokuba wouldn't have to wait long. Nothing on earth would stop her from getting to him, even if that meant killing the two men herself to reach him.

It wasn't something she hadn't done before...