Notes for the chapter include the ever coveted summer break. In Japan, summer break goes from about July 21 to August 28th. That's five and a half weeks according to my calendar and that's the story I'm sticking with. This isn't mentioned outright, but Mokuba's birthday is July 7th (a point in time that has already passed), which oddly enough would have been my birthday if I had been born at the correct time. You'll also notice that at one point Kaiba uses the Western Standard of given name before family name while the others will still place the family name first. This is not a mistype, as I assume that being the head of a world-known company, Kaiba would address important people in the manner they would be used to. In this case, Atem is addressed by his given name first. I'm not really sure if this is how it works in Egypt, but I'm too lazy do any heavy research on the matter.

Oh, and Atem's last name doesn't really mean anything. At least, I wasn't trying for it to mean something. It just sounded pretty when it slipped out of my mouth, so I went with it.

~Tawnya

Chapter 14—

The light knock on his office door startled Kaiba out of his thoughts. A glance at the clock told him it couldn't be the twins; they would have gone home hours ago. Mokuba always called when he was moving from one location to another, and the last call had been to say he was going home for the night. The building had been closed down for the night and security would have use the intercom. He tensed as the door opened without his permission, hand straying to the open desk drawer beside him and the gun lying inside.

He heaved an audible sigh when a blond head poked in. "What the hell do you want, Jounouchi?" he asked, quietly closing the drawer.

"Um… Can I hang out here for a while?" Jounouchi stepped fully into the room, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I mean, I know you're workin' and everythin', but I really need a place to hang out for a couple more hours…"

Kaiba glanced back down at the clock. Nearly 22:00, which meant he'd been programming for at least four hours straight. He could use a break. He waved the other in and stood up. "Something to drink?"

"Yeah, whatever's fine."

He tossed Jounouchi one of the sparkling juices Mokuba kept before grabbing something a little harder for himself. Glass in hand, he took a seat opposite his impromptu guest. When Jounouchi recoiled back into the couch, Kaiba frowned down at his drink. Even the lightest beer had more alcohol in it that the mix in his glass. One could barely taste anything, let alone smell something.

"Sorry," Jounouchi apologized. "You'd think after all this time, I'd be immune…"

"It's not going to bother you, is it?"

"It's your damn office. Drink whatever you want."

They sat in silence for a while, both content to ponder their drinks without distraction. Slowly, Jounouchi relaxed from whatever tension had been plaguing him, though it was obvious he was still brooding about something. Kaiba waited patiently, taking small sips and watching, until all of the sudden he was at the bottom of his class. With a mental curse, he stood again and retrieved a bottle of juice for himself.

"Is there a reason you're breaking your curfew?" he finally asked after sitting back down. "Or did Mokuba send you after me?"

Jounouchi chuckled. "You're paranoid."

"Keeps me alive another day. And you have no idea how devious Mokuba can be when he wants something."

"I'm sure his teacher was the best," the blond said with a wry grin.

Kaiba snorted and tried to look indignant, which only caused Jounouchi to crack up. Finally seeing him relax enough to laugh brought a small smile to Kaiba's face. He'd missed much of the melodrama since the standoff at the school gate nearly a month ago. After dropping everyone off at the Game Shop, he had gone home and spent the next two weeks catering to almost every whim his little brother had. He'd returned to school just in time for end of semester tests. From there, it had been into overdrive at work for the summer season. Instead of his load lightening because of Mokuba's full-time involvement, it had only gotten worse, so all interactions thus far had been purely professional. This laid-back exchange, he decided, was much better. If someone had told him a year ago he'd willing let Jounouchi not only into his office, but that he would be trying to make the blond smile, Kaiba would have had them hauled off to the nearest mental facility.

When had his perception changed?

They talked about nothing for a little while, teasing every chance that was presented while Kaiba slowly worked his way back around to the question Jounouchi had so deftly sidestepped earlier. "You're not still fighting with Honda and Masaki, are you?" he asked when the timing seemed right. He almost regretted asking, watching the good mood slip away from Jounouchi's face.

"I guess Anzu and I made up. She never did apologize, but she got on Honda's case the other day for badgerin' me, which I suppose is close enough. He's still bein' a prick about it, though."

"Then why are you here, Jounouchi?" he asked softly.

Jounouchi got a small, sad smile and closed his eyes. "Because two's company and three's a crowd," he finally said, standing. He walked to the windows, throwing away his empty juice bottle as he went. Kaiba just watched, confused, but before he could question, Jounouchi continued. "Atem was the friend Malik brought with him." He let out a course laugh as he glanced back. "Guess reincarnation really does work."

"Impossible," Kaiba responded, feeling something cold sliding into his gut. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Then we're all tripin' pretty hard on somethin' we didn't know we were takin'. Honestly, after the whole mess, nothin' really surprises me anymore."

"Shouldn't you be out celebrating then?" His voice was cooler than he wanted, than he meant, and Jounouchi's expression became sadder.

"We did. That's when Anzu laid into Honda." The blond turned back to the window, leaning against it with a sigh. "I know I could go over there right now and neither of them would bat an eye; they'd be happy to invite me in and include me in whatever they're doin'.

'Really, though, I'd just be in the way. Everyone can make all the jokes they want about 'Yuu-Jou.' The truth is Atem did what I never could: he took away Yugi's loneliness. No matter how hard I tried then, or now, I always come up short. There was never anythin' I could do but sit and wait."

His eyes shifted back to Kaiba, who still felt like someone had slipped a knife between his ribs. "He's not the same guy you fought in Battle City last year. He's got the same looks, the same voice, but a different set of memories. He maybe remembers a third of everythin' that happened with us, names and places and dates…"

"The time paradox you're talking about can't exist," Kaiba insisted. "You can't jump one year in time and have a lifetime worth of memories."

"Except that three years ago, Erdra Atem was involved in a car accident that left him in a coma. Look, I know it doesn't make a lot of sense. It makes my brain hurt and I understand more about this stuff than a lot of people. But if Yugi and Ryou and you were reincarnations, why wouldn't Atem's soul be a candidate when it was finally released?"

"I heard this same line from Isis when she handed over Obelisk. I'm telling you the same-"

"You weren't there!" Jounouchi snapped, the force of emotion behind his voice stilling the CEO. "I saw it, saw you, save that girl that became the Blue-Eyes. Even in a room with a thousand clones, I'd know you." He seemed ready to say more, but clenched his jaw shut instead.

It suddenly occurred to Kaiba that Jounouchi was experiencing the same sickening tilt to the world that he was. They were both uncertain about their positions within the group dynamic, reacting to the threat that was causing the disturbance. The only real difference was that Kaiba knew his reaction was based on unsettled feelings towards the one who'd thrown his whole world into chaos. Jounouchi, who was already dealing with the distrust of the others, now faced the fear of abandonment.

Directly on the heels of that thought was the realization that of every person the blond could have gone to, he had come here. There were very few things Kaiba regretted, but right now, he sincerely regretted ever bringing the subject back up. When he tried to say something, Jounouchi beat him to it.

"I'm sorry. You're busy and I've taken up enough of your time." With very determined steps, Jounouchi strode over to the still open decanter, poured some into Kaiba's discarded glass and drained it in one long gulp. He gave Kaiba's wide-eyed look a sardonic smile. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

The warning bells going off in Kaiba's mind told him he needed to stop the other boy before he got out of the room, out of the building, out of reach. But for the life of him, he couldn't move or make a sound. Just like that first day back from America, something in Jounouchi's eyes shut him down, this time leaving him stunned for a much longer period. He cursed very loudly when he finally got his wits together to call and have security detain Jounouchi when he left, only to be told that no one had walked through the doors since the building shut down earlier that evening.

()~()~()

For three weeks, Jounouchi had fallen off the radar. Kaiba had been the last person to him and Kaiba Corp. surveillance revealed the blond had disabled an alarm on one the fire escapes to make his mysterious entrance and exit into the night. When he had been reported missing to the police, Shibuya and Inoue had resurfaced as well. The former at least seemed earnest in his attempts to gather information. Detective Inoue, on the other hand, seemed to think the dirt under his fingernails was more interesting. It left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, but there was nothing to do for it.

At least, until Yugi got a phone call. It was the middle of the fourth week when he burst into Kaiba's office, trailing a small contingency of security staff. "I need your help, Kaiba-kun," he said breathlessly. "He called me."

Kaiba tried to rub away the headache that was forming. When had the solid oak door of his office turned into a revolving door anyone could walk through? With a curt order, he threw everyone else out and turned to face Yugi, only to be confronted with a dual image. There was only a second of confusion before the differences separated the two enough in his mind that the second wasn't simply a weird trick of his vision.

Like the Matsudera twins, they were almost carbon copies. The "false" Yugi's skin was slightly darker, with a firmer mouth and sterner eyes colored the same dark red-purple as a pomegranate. Like Yugi's hair, which held the same purple tint as his eyes, the second's was red and had the corresponding blond streaks. Hair notwithstanding, they both stood as tall as Kaiba's shoulder (when had Yugi grown?). Kaiba found himself studied in return, their eyes meeting when both were finished. There was a combination of curiosity, acknowledgment, and understanding in those red eyes and he wondered what his own blues reflected.

"Atem Erdra," he said, subconsciously straightening his stance.

Atem straightened, too, chin lifting as if trying to make up for the difference in height. "Kaiba Seto."

They stared at each other for another breath longer as something seemed to click into place for both of them. Jounouchi's words came back to him - He's not the same guy. Something else shifted and the knife was gone. Kaiba focused his attention onto Yugi.

"He did what? Why now?"

Atem stepped forward a little at Kaiba's harsh tone, but Yugi was already babbling on. "I got this call from a number I didn't recognize, so I just let it go to my voice mail. When I was listening to it later, all I could hear was some scuffling and something I couldn't make out, but they definitely said his name at the end!"

While he'd been talking, Yugi's fingers had been busy with his cell phone. He handed it to Kaiba, who obligingly took it and pressed it to his ear. The sound was badly muted, as if the sending phone had been in a pocket or far away, but there was the unmistakable noise of a fight. There was a bit of shouting involved, most of which only sounded garbled to him, a heavy thump, and then, very clearly, "Not playin' fair, Jounouchi" before the message cut off.

Kaiba replayed the message, closing his eyes to better concentrate on what he was hearing. When it finished the second time, he tossed the phone back to its owner as he stripped out of his suit jacket and tie. He hit the intercom on his desk, barking orders to the secretaries while he pulled out his gun. After a quick once over of the weapon, he motioned Yugi and Atem to follow. Neither woman seemed disturbed as their boss walked out of his office with a loaded weapon in his hand and ice in the air around him. Akiko spoke rapidly into the phone as Yukiko appeared with a shoulder holster and a coat that would hide said accessory. He shrugged into both while waiting for the elevator.

"Kuroda-sama will meet you there!" Akiko sang out, slapping the phone down long enough to reset the line before dialing another number.

Yukiko hand over two extra clips as the three stepped into the elevator. "Bring him back, Seto-sama."

Kaiba nodded as the door closed and picked up his own cell phone. "Mokuba, are you still at Development?"

"Yeah, we haven't-"

"Are the satellites still down?"

"That's what I just tried to-"

"Good. Keep them that way. Get some techs together, ones you trust. I'm going to need sound analysts and a cell phone trace. We'll be there in ten."

"Hai, nii-sama."

"Kaiba-kun…" Yugi said nervously.

Kaiba finally looked back to the two with him and sighed, leaning against the wall. "I'm the one who let him go. He came to me and I let him walk out when I knew I shouldn't."

"No one blames you," Atem said.

"They don't have to," Kaiba responded as the elevator stopped on the ground floor. They stepped out into a small crowd of men and women in black suits, who all fell into step as they made their way to the front doors and the cars waiting beyond. The ride was quick and quiet, and when they reached the building that proudly proclaimed to be Kaiba Corporation's Research and Development Headquarters, Mokuba was waiting with another small mob of black suits. Only one of those suits followed back inside.

They all crammed into a room that looked like it had been forgotten. On the back wall was a large screen. Two desks flanked it, each with three separate computer set-ups. The rest of the space was taken up with metal shelves, filled with different computer parts. While Mokuba was filled in on the situation and listened to the message, his older brother began booting all the usable machines.

"Sound analysis is going to take a while, nii-sama," he said as he jacked in the phone. "It's pretty messed up."

"Location first," Kaiba replied. "Then we can worry about who did what."

Mokuba frowned. "Are we really going to need all four bots?" he asked. Kaiba just looked at him. "Right. Speed, not finesse."

"What you see here is the last remnants of Kaiba Corp.'s arms dealing days," the remaining black suit explained quietly once the two brothers had settled into their work. "Hajimimashite. Head of Kaiba-sama's personal security, Kuroda Takeo," he said with a smile that somehow managed to be disarming and hostile at the same time. He probably stood about as tall as the elder Kaiba with coal black eyes and equally dark hair that ran down almost to his waist. Unlike several of the others who were noticeably muscular despite the well-tailored clothes they wore, nothing about Kuroda's body type was noticeable other than his height. Yugi and Atem introduced themselves as well. "Douzo yoroshiku."

"Cell phone was bought a month ago, disposable, cash," Mokuba said, fingers tapping at the same speed as his brother. "It's only been used a couple of time, only one out going call. Tracing that call…"

"It's not responding. Probably broken and trashed," Kaiba responded, sliding his chair to the next computer in line. "Tracing incoming calls…"

"There's five towers that picked up calls from disposable phones matching ours." Mokuba turned and pointed his mouse at the large screens. It blinked on, showing a map of Domino and the corresponding cell towers.

Kaiba paused and looked up. "No background noise in the message."

"Good-bye downtown and harbor. Three left."

"Low population areas, otherwise someone would have found him already," Kuroda supplied. Another marker disappeared. "And both the industrial area and the warehouse district have enough abandoned buildings that he could be anywhere."

"Hirutani used an old machine shop," Yugi piped up. "It's been abandoned for a while. The roof was in shambles and there was a lot of rusting metal barrels and scrap there."

"But there's no guarantee," Kuroda said. "Especially if it's a known location. Forgive me for saying so, but it's been almost a full month. Whoever took Jounouchi-san is not going to ransom him off; they're going to kill him. The fact that he's not dead now is because there's probably something they want from him relatively desperately. We storm the wrong location, we could tip them off. They could move him anywhere any number of times and we'd never find him, provided they don't kill him out right somewhere along the way. Even splitting our force, it's too much territory to cover."

Everyone looked at Kaiba, who focused on the computer screen in front of him, trying to process everything. He finally looked at Yugi. "How sure are you that Hirutani was the one who took him?"

Yugi hesitated, obviously going through all the information again. He nervously played with the chain around his neck. When he finally met and held Kaiba's gaze, there was no trace of doubt. "Hirutani took him. He's not behind this, but he definitely took Jounouchi-kun."

"Then take us there." Kaiba stood and addressed Mokuba. "If one of the bots goes off, you pull the plug. Until then, keep tracing the incoming calls and working on the message. Call if you get anything."

Mokuba nodded and latched onto him with a tight hug. "Be careful, nii-sama."

Kaiba returned the hug, ruffling his brother's hair. "I'll call in an hour."

Another black suited guard took up a position in the room when they left. Yugi explained the route to Kuroda, who then translated it into a plan for the rest of the cars. Seven cars left from Research and Development, but only two arrived together in the industrial zone. The other five had peeled off at different points. Kuroda stopped the cars a good several blocks from the suspected building and looked at his watch. "Two minutes until everyone's in position." He turned in his seat and looked at Yugi and Atem.

"They're coming," Kaiba said before Kuroda opened his mouth. Kuroda gave a small nod.

"You two stay behind Kaiba-sama; that's where you'll be safest," he said. "Follow any instructions my people may give you without hesitation. In a minute, we're going to sweep the area towards the building. You wait until someone says 'Clear' at least twice before going anywhere. Understood?" Both teens nodded. "Good. On your mark, Kaiba-sama."

Kaiba nodded and got out of the car. Everyone else followed. Two guards from the second car stayed behind while Kuroda lead the rest forward. The entire area was silent.

"A bit excessive?" Atem finally said, still looking after the others.

"Unknown enemy type and number is not something to be underestimated," one of the guards said. "Like bringing a knife to a gun fight…you'll only end up looking like swiss cheese."

Yugi's nervous look had returned when Kaiba pulled out his gun again, checking it once more. "I do know how to use this," he said, trying to be reassuring.

"Yeah, every Wednesday night he kicks our asses at the range," the other guard said. "The only one who's a better shot is Kuroda-senpai."

"You're not going to actually shoot someone, are you?" Yugi blurted out.

"As much pleasure as that would bring me," Kaiba said, clicking the safety off, "I don't want it to come to that. We get Jounouchi, we grab anyone who may be involved, we go home. In that order."

"Yes, sir!" The guards saluted smartly, earning a mildly irritated look. Kaiba then turned and began walking in the direction Kuroda had disappeared.

It was a leisurely pace. If it wasn't for the tension and the scenery, they may as well been wandering through a park. They only paused once when someone shouted, "Stop!" and a shot was fired. The sound of feet running away could be heard, along with several other people's shouts. One of the female guards then approached them and reported that the building was clear and that several subjects had been subdued. Kuroda met them at the shop entrance.

"We encountered four individuals on premise, three more on the way in. One rabbited; A and C are pursuing now." He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Kaiba-sama, we found no one matching Jounouchi Katsuya's description."

Though he was obviously trying to keep that news between the two of them, Yugi apparently overheard something because he suddenly bolted into the building, Atem not far behind. With a curse, Kaiba and Kuroda followed.

Guards had been posted at every viable means of entry while several more watched over a whining cluster of people off to one side. Others were carefully going over the entire area. A few startled at the unexpected entrance, but settled back as soon as Kuroda waved them off. Yugi stood in the middle of the floor, whirling wildly as he looked about. Atem finally caught a hold of him, saying something softly.

"No!" Yugi said, tears in his voice. "No. He has to be here! He has to be! I…" Whatever Atem said next brought the tears out and Yugi crumpled to the floor, sobbing into the chest of the one who held him. Kaiba turned away from the private moment and noticed many of the other guards do the same. Some even moved to become a human wall against the captives' prying eyes. Kaiba took a deep breath himself, closing his eyes as he tried to figure out the next move. However, the dull ache in his chest would not be ignored. Kuroda was right; there would be no second chance. He'd given up secrecy for power and, once again, power had failed him. A mistake he was apparently doomed to make no matter what he tried.

A loud disturbance outside crashed into his thoughts. Hog-tied and being carried by four of the larger men was a man who could only be Hirutani. He matched Yugi's description as well as the voice on the message, even though the only thing that came out of his mouth now was terribly unimaginative cursing. Finally growing tired of some form of "fuck" every third word, the woman leading turned and cuffed him hard on the back of his head. Hirutani was then unceremoniously dropped.

"Fuckin' bitch," he wheezed.

She gave him a swift kick in the ribs and then dug her heel into a spot between his shoulder blades. "That's Miss Bitch to you, ass wipe."

"Don't kill him before he can answer our questions, Asahina," Kuroda said, though it wasn't the least bit authoritative or scolding. She ground her boot one more time to make her point before stalking off. Kuroda motioned to the men still standing by. They picked Hirutani back up, adjusting the bonds so that he was still retrained, yet could sit up on his knees without assistance.

"You the asshole in charge?" Hirutani demanded as soon as he saw Kaiba. "You fucked up big time comin' here. When we get done with you-" He cut off abruptly when Kaiba's gun pressed to his forehead.

"This will be our only meeting," Kaiba said coldly. "I have killed more powerful men than you over far less. So you either tell me what I want to know and you leave Domino in one piece. Or you don't, and Asahina takes you apart so thoroughly that you simply disappear from existence." He pulled the hammer back with deliberate slowness. "Now where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Jounouchi Katsuya. Where is he?"

Hirutani grinned, showing that he was missing several teeth. "You're never gonna find him, not a roach like that." He laughed, but still flinched when the gun fired. The round had been shot between his knees. Kaiba pressed the hot metal tip back to Hirutani's forehead.

"The next one's in the balls, since that's the part that seems to think for you." Kaiba cocked the gun again. "Where is he?"

"In hell, where he belongs."

"Kaiba!" Atem shouted before he had the chance to pull the trigger a second time. With a disgusted look at Hirutani, Kaiba lowered and disengaged the gun. Atem waved him over to a pile of junk Yugi was inspecting. "The entire place is too clean," he said when Kaiba was close. "And they are not the types to play house."

"Point. Now."

"This pile of junk is too neat," Yugi said. "Everything else was dumped. This was placed. And I remember there being a door over here somewhere."

As tempted as he was to say a pile of junk, by definition, could not be neat, Kaiba cast a glance at the other things that had been left behind. The formation did seem more organized, but not overly so. The more cynical part of him wanted to say Yugi was just grasping at thin air now, desperate for something to give him hope. Instead, he pointed to a group that was just standing around. "Move it," he ordered.

After all, he was grasping at air, too.

With so many to help, the blockage was soon cleared, revealing the door Yugi had mentioned. Everyone went back into guardian mode as Kuroda checked the door, which was locked. Impatience set in as the lock was broken and the guards swept in. Finally, the pre-requisite two "clear!"s came through. Kaiba swallowed his heart back down and entered.

The room was dark, hot, and reeked of blood and sweat. What little light there was leaked in through gaps in the boarded windows, casting everything in a dingy half-light. It may have been a break room once, or a storage locker. Thieves had long ago stripped out anything of value. Flashlights were handed out as the room was given a thorough check.

"Definitely signs of a fight here," Kuroda said, shining his light onto a particularly large patch of blood. "It's all over the place. But here's the weird thing…" The light slid over to a half-eaten container of food. Kaiba frowned. Why feed a prisoner they were trying to kill?

A sudden cry of alarm was answered with several curses and guns being drawn. All of the flashlights honed onto a figure that had appeared seemingly from nowhere. Kaiba lowered his weapon in surprise, giving him enough time to catch Yugi as the boy tried to dash by.

"Katsuya!"

Jounouchi stood perfectly still, fists curled tightly at his sides, every muscle tensed for action. His clothes, or what was left of them, were the same as when he'd left Kaiba Corp so long ago. His jeans were ripped and stained to the point they could barely be called pants anymore. The shirt was gone, probably stripped into pieces to bind wounds, and his bare feet which had only a few pieces of cloth to protect his instep. Gruesome looking bruises and abrasions were only half-visible under the sweat-streaked grime and dirt covering pale skin. Kaiba blinked when he recognized the low sound humming in his ears was Jounouchi growling. He looked absolutely feral with his teeth slightly bared, hazy eyes glaring out from under messy bangs-

It clicked. They weren't trying to kill him, they were trying to stress him into blind rage…and they were succeeding.

"Drop your weapons," he hissed. "Now!" he ordered when the suits hesitated.

"Kaiba-sama-"

"Get out," he interrupted. "Quietly, slowly, and don't turn our back to him. Leave us the flashlights." The half dozen guards did as they were told, carefully exiting. Jounouchi stopped growling, but didn't relax. Kaiba eased his grip on Yugi. "Be careful. They've been trying to recreate his berserker reaction." Yugi gave him a horrified look, but Kaiba kept his eyes on the blond. He had only a vague idea of what to expect, but knew that his own presence was probably more of a hindrance than a help. Many things he was, a passive, comforting presence he knew wasn't one of them.

They stood there for a while, watching, waiting. Atem moved first. He stepped forward smoothly, no tension or aggressive overtones in his posture. His face and eyes were carefully neutral, though he still radiated that overwhelming self-confidence that made him a game master. Jounouchi's attention focused in on him. Kaiba noticed Atem purposefully stayed away from the food and just far enough to the side so that the blond had no problems keeping all three of them in view. He advanced until Jounouchi started growling again.

"Katsuya," he said softly, holding very still without being tense. The growling stopped. "Katsuya, you told me that no matter what, we would always be friends. It didn't matter who I was, where I was from, or where I was going. You called me you friend until the end of all things. Even when I doubted, or wanted to give up, your spirit moved me forward." He extended a hand. "Come back now with me, Katsuya, my closest friend. Come back into the light you gave me."

For as sappy as the words were, they were having the desire effect. The blank hostility in Jounouchi's dark gold eyes melted away, as did the rigidity in his body. It was obvious that adrenaline had been the only thing holding him upright. Trembling violently, he barely managed half a step before collapsing. Somehow, Atem caught him, and then Yugi appeared beside him. Jounouchi clung to them, body heaving as he breath became sobs. Yugi and Atem took in the pain, wrapping themselves around their friend.

At length, Kaiba moved forward as well, his gun left behind and his coat in hand. Carefully, he draped it over the three huddled together. He let his hand rest lightly on Jounouchi's hair. "Take as long as you need," he said gently. "We're not going anywhere."

To be continued.