A/N: Hello! My deepest apologies for the long wait! Life has been super busy since I've begun studying abroad. Please enjoy this chapter and leave some feedback! Thank you all for sticking around. All my loving!

It was a feeling of loneliness. There was no other way to describe it.

When one door closes, another one opens…or so they always say. Unfortunately, the only door opening for Yugi was one that led to solitude.

A part of him knew he could have searched for his friends. Use the idea of finding his loved ones as a symbol of hope to chase the emptiness away.

However, he didn't have to leave his suite to know that everything had changed.

His heart had already made that obvious. And searching is pointless when you know there is nothing to find.

But in the midst of all this confusion and isolation…

Yugi wasn't depressed. He wasn't angry anymore. There was really nothing left for him to feel. Just alone. The only time that need of attention seemed to be satisfied was when he was with Atem.

Not even the warm sheets Yugi cuddled in could make him feel comfort. His thoughts danced so swiftly that he didn't even feel like he was even laying down. It felt similar to watching himself star in a movie and not know where he would end up next. His only choice being to remain utterly concentrated on his mind, or else he would lose sight of who he was.

That's why Yugi didn't budge when an aggressive knock broke the silence. He was much too focused on his train of thought to pay it any mind.

However, the longer the pounding, the more Yugi eased out of his mental reel.

After a moment of hesitation, Yugi rolled slowly out of bed and dragged himself to the door. Lazily he opened it, quickly greeted with an aggressive strut into his room.

"We need to talk."

"Kaiba?" Yugi rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'm glad you're here," he shrugged. "It means you haven't disappeared yet," he mumbled under his breath.

"I don't intend to, either," Kaiba spat, clearly have hearing. He marched to the middle of the room and groaned slightly.

"Okay." Yugi raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyebrows angrily, glaring at Yugi. "What the fuck is wrong with your friend?"

"My friend?" Yugi questioned unsure. "Atem?"

"Not that delinquent!" Kaiba gestured. "The other one!"

It took a moment of pondering before Yugi could gather an answer.

"Bakura?"

The CEO snapped his fingers in validation. "That's the one!"

Yugi stared blankly. "What about him?"

"He's a psychopath!" Kaiba groaned, gesturing his hands around.

"Look, I'm sorry for his behavior at times," Yugi sighed, "But he is honestly like a child. The fact I have to apologize for him probably makes that clear."

"No."

"No?"

"I'm not talking about the Bakura who I had the displeasure of spending time with the other night. He I could handle. I'm talking about a whole new type of psychotic."

Yugi scratched the back of his head. "I'm afraid I don't follow…"

"Well then, let me make it obvious. Your friend is insane. Something has happened to him."

"What do you mea—"

"I'll tell you what I mean!"

Yugi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Thoughts raced through his mind as he attempted to piece things together.

"He came to my class this morning," Kaiba began, walking past Yugi towards the couch to sit. "It was strange…"

Earlier that Day

People are annoying. Unintelligent. Wasteful in their space. Having to work with them on group projects is nothing but a punishment.

"Um, should I work on the research for this essay?" A shy classmate inquired, dwelling in the awkwardness of having to be Kaiba's partner.

"Listen kid, you just mind your own business and leave the work to me. Were you to even touch this assignment, we would fail immediately."

The student shied away, backing into his corner of shame and remaining silent. Kaiba simply rolled his eyes at his over dramatic retreat and continued to work on his task.

Suddenly, the door swung open, allowing a swift breeze to fill the room and gather everyone's attention.

"Yoo hoo!" A familiar, disturbing voice sang into the room. Kaiba zoomed his eyes towards the entrance, waiting for a face to appear.

On cue, a head peeked into the doorway playfully.

"Knock knock! Is anybody home?"

"Bakura!" The professor snapped, knowing full well who this student was. "How dare you interrupt my classroom in such a disrespectful manner!"

Bakura simply laughed while skipping into the room, paying the professor no mind. His eyes were bloodshot red, perfectly highlighting the intense white hue of his jagged hair and pale skin. It nearly made Kaiba shiver.

Nearly.

The intruder chuckled some more, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his tight black skinny jeans. His eyes searched around the room, as if he was looking for someone. Mechanically he turned his head, landing on each student for a mere second before switching to the next.

Until he stopped on Kaiba.

"Ding ding ding!" He snarled, a full out grin covering his face…proudly exhibiting his pointy pearly whites. "I knew you would be in this class!" He smiled.

Kaiba refused to speak. He simply watched with a stoic expression.

Bakura turned to look at the professor and gestured to the class. "Are you all surprised? Isn't it only fitting that I find the famous Seto Kaiba in a high-level business course? Isn't it only…" he turned back to Kaiba, "perfect?"

"What do you want, Bakura?" Kaiba questioned dryly, unamused by Bakura's entrance.

"I came to deliver you a message, your highness," Bakura curtseyed mockingly.

"Bakura! That is quite enough!" The professor demanded. "You will get out of my classroom this instant! Or else I will get the—"

"Enough," Kaiba stood up, gesturing his hand for the professor to stop speaking. He made his way to the doorway, keeping his head held high and being sure to conceal any emotion. "Excuse me," he muttered to the professor, nodding towards Bakura as a signal for him to leave.

Bakura snickered in acceptance, stepping out of the room and watching as Kaiba followed. The CEO slammed the door behind him.

"What do you want, Bakura?" Kaiba questioned, not even bothering to add the words "the fuck" as per usual.

"Your head on a fucking platter," he grinned, "but we can't always have a five star meal, can we?"

Kaiba simply blinked in response. "Alright, are you planning on wasting my time with your presence, or do you intend to serve a purpose?"

"I know where your friends are, Kaiba. Tell Yugi for me, would yah?" He lowered his obnoxious voice.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, do you want to know?"

Kaiba simply snorted, lifting his head away in annoyance. "I don't care to know. If you have something to say to Yugi, tell him. Not me."

Kaiba turned his back on Bakura, attempting to walk away.

"Oh, I'm afraid that won't work," Bakura hummed.

"Why is that?" He asked, keeping his back on him.

"Wouldn't want to hurt the shrimp's feelings."

"Your point?" He turned to face him.

"If Yugi were to see me now," he hesitated to laugh, "oh man, he'd be quite disappointed in who I have become."

"And who would that be?"

Bakura chuckled, throwing his hands up, "Curious, are we? I can show you, if you'd like." He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I can show you."

"Show me? My apologies, Bakura," Kaiba placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head. "But you mistake me for someone who cares." His mocking demeanor grew serious seconds after. "Turns out you wasted my time after all."

Instead of returning to class, Kaiba pushed past Bakura and journeyed down the hall. He had enough of imbeciles for one day.

"I gotta show someone, sire!" Bakura chuckled. Kaiba mentally cringed at the sound. "And if I can't show you, well, then it'll probably be Yugi."

He wasn't sure how, but Kaiba was almost positive that the statement had sounded like a threat.

Keep walking.

Keep. Walking.

Just. Keep. Walkin-

"And since I was able to find you, it'll be even easier to find him."

He stopped. His instant lack of movement even surprised himself.

Kaiba didn't turn right away. He simply remained. Listened closely to his surroundings. Basked in the uncomfortable tension of the moment. Sighed at the annoyance of this situation.

"Listen here, Bakura. If you lay one fing—" he turned slowly, eyes widening at what laid before him.

Which was nothing. No one.

Where did he go?

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Aw did you come to check on me?"

"No."

"You totally did."

"I will leave right now if you don't shut up."

Yugi couldn't help but smile. "Okay okay," he surrendered. "Well, I will admit. That is rather strange. But, this is Bakura. I wouldn't put anything of the strange vicinity past him."

"No, you don't get it," Kaiba bowed his head slightly. "It was something about the look in his eyes. They were…cruel. Harsh….Empty." He looked up at Yugi. "They weren't like that last night. Something happened to him." He shrugged. "But I don't know what."

"That's…unsettling," Yugi fidgeted in his seat, a grim feeling overcoming him.

"No one realizes anything is wrong. No one is aware of the missing people. Whatever is going on, only we can see it," Kaiba pointed out.

Yugi focused on Kaiba's expressions, watching the numbness tear across his tired face. Shadows dwelled over his eyes, muting the natural gleam of his crystal blue irises.

Suddenly the muscles in his face tightened, and a tiny gasp escaped his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Yugi called out.

"I've got to go." He jumped to his feet and made haste towards the door.

"Where?" Yugi bounced up, following Kaiba anxiously.

"Kaiba Corp. I have got to make sure he's safe."

"Who?"

Kaiba wrapped his hand around the knob and flung the door open. It happened too fast. Yugi didn't know what to say.

Before exiting, the CEO stopped, if only for a moment, to say "Be careful, Yugi." He swung the door shut behind him.

Easier said than done, perhaps.

()()()()()()()()()

Kaiba wasn't one for sorting out emotions, but he definitely was aware when one tugged at him. This one was unsettling. Anxiety ridden. He feared for someone. Many. Perhaps it was the realization that people were actually disappearing, and whoever was behind it was not asking for consent.

He stopped at his room with the intent to gather a few necessities, one being the flash drive that he and Otogi always worked on. If Mokuba ended up being safe, he'd need some work to keep him busy at the office.

"Where is it?" He mumbled to himself, brushing objects around his desk to clear space. He groaned once realizing that Otogi probably had it. Unfortunate- if there was one person he didn't want to deal with, it was him.

Kaiba couldn't take him seriously anymore. Not since that night.

~ A smile curled upon Kaiba's face. He had finally completed the body of the program. Everything for the game was complete. All that was left was the aesthetic factor that Otogi would be in control of. Kaiba had promised him that he would give it to him when he had finished, just as long as Otogi would run over the aesthetics with him once he completed it. It was one in the morning on a Thursday night, one day earlier than planned to pass off the flash drive to Otogi. However, Kaiba couldn't wait. The sooner they could finish, the sooner they could release the game to Kaiba Corp.

Kaiba grabbed the flash drive and exited his room. He walked across the hall, preparing to knock to get Otogi's attention.

Preparing. He never did.

He was distracted by the sound of his name, from a voice that damn well wasn't Otogi.

"Kaiba's not that heartless," the voice slurred.

Yes I am, the CEO thought.

"Yeah he is," Otogi moaned in exhaustion.

"Okay, so maybe he is. But you oughtta tell him. Telling me won't solve anything."

Tell me what? Kaiba raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Telling him will only make things worse," Otogi's voice grew softer, causing Kaiba to press his ear harder against the door.

"Worse than you feel now?"

"I don't know, Honda. Maybe. It's just not worth it. Why ruin a good thing?"

"Can you even call it good? You two haven't been getting along so well lately."

"It's Yugi…he's been getting in the way." A gulping noise began. "I know you two are friends, and I consider me and him friends too…but, have you noticed how well they've been getting along? What does Yugi have that I don't? I envy that kid."

"Lord knows," Honda responded. "I don't really seem 'em together all that much. I think you're overthinking it, Otogi."

"Maybe. I don't know." He paused. "I just miss his attention. I never noticed how much I craved it before. It's fucking weird. I hate it. I hate feeling like I have to compete for his attention. I hate feeling this way about hi—"

Kaiba backed away from the door, shock in his eyes. He shook his head in denial and slowly backed away. Whatever else Otogi had to say, Kaiba didn't want to hear it.

Some secrets should remain unspoken. ~

*Knock Knock*

The door opened, as one would expect that it would.

But what he wasn't expecting was some no named dork in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Kaiba demanded.

"Umm…shouldn't I be the one asking that?" The random dirty blond student questioned.

"No. You shouldn't be. Where is Otogi?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Where is he? You're in his room. Get him out or I'm coming in."

"Dude…calm down, I don't know who you're tal—"

Kaiba pushed past him and forced himself into Otogi's room.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" The student growled.

He kept yelling some things at Kaiba, but he couldn't hear them. He was too busy staring down Otogi's room….and how different it looked.

"Shit," Kaiba cursed. "It's gone. It's all gone."

"What are you going on about, man?"

"He's gone."

Kaiba moaned in anger, marching back towards the door and exiting aggressively. He trudged down the hall with fists balled at his sides. He could feel anger pulsate through him, anger and something else….

Something else that he would never admit to.

()()()()()()

"Isono, boy am I glad to see you."

"Oh…wow, it's an honor, Kaiba-sama," he bowed in respect. "Is everything okay?"

"Bring me to Kaiba Corp."

"As you wish."

They piled into the limo and the driver took off.

Kaiba sat perfectly postured in the middle of the back seat. He kept his eyes glued straight ahead of him. Not a single bone in his body twitched. Most people shiver…fidget when they are concerned. Not Kaiba. He remained completely still and lost in thought.

He couldn't get over the fact that Otogi was gone. A part of him wanted to believe that the only people disappearing were the ones who had strong connections with Yugi. Though Otogi and Yugi were acquainted, Otogi's disappearance proved that the victims could be anyone. Knowing that brought him even more anxiety when wondering about Mokuba.

He could only pray that his little brother would be safe.

()()()()()()()

"Kaiba-sama, a visitor is waiting for you in your office."

"Tell him to wait; there is something I need to do." Isono held the door open for him as he slid out on the limo.

"My apologies, Kaiba-sama, but this person cannot wait any longer. It's highly important."

Kaiba groaned in annoyance. "Who is it?"

Isono hesitated for a moment. "He claims to be your father."

My father? The words rang like an obnoxious bell in his mind. "How dare you let some fake into my office! My father is dead, Isono!"

"On the contrary, Kaiba-sama, this person seems to know a lot about you. We ran multiple background tests. Whether he's your father or not, he's most definitely some type of relative."

Kaiba glared at Isono. After a few seconds of silence, he caved in.

"Fine. Let me debunk this imposter. I want you to find Mokuba and call me when you know his whereabouts. I want to speak with him."

"Yes sir."

It wasn't until Kaiba was around ten steps away from his office when he realized how strange today was. Particularly, how random it was for someone to be allowed into his office just because they claimed that they were his father. Gozaburo committed suicide not long after discovering that his son took over his corporation. His real father had died in a car crash when he was just a young boy. Therefore, none of this made sense.

Although he could feel the hesitation in his hands as he reached to grab the knob, he pushed past his worries and was able to open the door with ease.

In the distance Kaiba's swivel chair faced towards the large glass windows that overlooked the city. Arms peeked out on the armrests.

"You better have a good reason for sitting on my chair," Kaiba stated clearly, watching with intense eyes.

The mysterious person remained silent, tapping their fingers against the plastic of the armrest.

"In fact, I can't think of any justifiable reason in the world that would grant you the access to be in my office, at my desk, without my permission."

A tiny creak emerged as the chair swiveled slightly from left to right. The shadowed cheeks of the person flashed for the quickest of moments.

Kaiba furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. "In fact, not even my own brother is allowed to be where you are now. So tell me, who do you think you are?"

It began subtly- the deep, sinful, chuckle of the unnamed person. He continued to sway his chair rhythmically to his own atrocious laughter.

"Seto, I'm disappointed in you," the gruff voice scolded. "You go as far as to forbid your own brother from something as simple and cheap as a chair? I'm ashamed in you, truly."

A nerving squeak caught Kaiba's attention, considering the man slowly began turning towards him.

However, upon seeing him, Kaiba was more confused than ever.

"Who are you?" He snarled, more confused by the fact that he did not even recognize the man before him.

The elder wore a rustic, off white tunic that covered the length of his body. A leather belt strapped around his waist and a hood fastened around his head, shadowing his face in whole. The only noticeable features were his soulless, slithering, green eyes and dirty white facial hair.

"I'm your father," he shrugged simply, intertwining his fingers and laying his chin on them.

"Are you insane, old man?" Kaiba snapped, staring at him with impatient eyes. "Who let you in? I'll fire them."

"Seto, Seto…please," he put up a hand to gesture. "Let's not be hasty."

"Hasty? You have invaded my privacy and now attempt to make a fool of me?"

The tension caused Kaiba's fingers to curl, signaling for the rest of his muscles to tighten. The longer he stared into those deceptive eyes, the more fury pulsated through his body.

"You're wasting my time," Kaiba exhaled, trying to cool himself down. He pulled out his cellphone in preparation to call Isono. "Wouldn't be the first time today."

"Seto," the man stood up slowly, keeping in place. "Before you call for help, since you can't deal with unexpected situations, why don't you hear me out?"

Kaiba grasped the phone in his hand, staring at the man intensely…after a few seconds, he lowered the phone back into his pocket. "Humor me."

"I have come here for one purpose and one purpose only," the man informed. He turned half way to look at the window, giving a side-glance to Kaiba before turning his attention to the city outside. "I want to show you who I have become."

"Show me who you have become? Are you mad? I'm still trying to figure out how you got in my fucking office, forget figuring out who you have become!"

"Oh Seto, you don't mean that." He took in a deep breath, keeping track of the city with his gaze. "Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sounds like something I've heard before…something I heard today.

"My apologies," he hummed dryly, feeling a de-ja-vu moment arise. "But you mistake me with someone who cares."

The man chuckled, avoiding eye contact with Seto as he limped back to the chair and sat down. He swirled it towards the window, to the same position he was in when Kaiba first entered.

"But I have to tell someone. And if I can't tell you, then it'd have to be Mokuba."

A weird taste soaked in Kaiba's mouth, the type that's so bizarre and nonsensical that it proves that something wrong is in the midst.

Just the word "Mokuba" brought anger seething through the CEO's body. It's a sacred name, in his eyes, and if it's not used with upmost respect, than it shouldn't be used at all.

"If you so much as lay a fin—"

"I used to be a man of good will," the man began with an airy voice. "One who wanted the best for everyone. I'd do anything in my power to protect those I loved, even if it meant abandoning them."

Kaiba anchored his feet into the ground, watching the chair that faced away from him where the man sat.

"However, in trying to save the ones I loved, I hurt those whom I did not."

What is this guy's problem?

"I didn't want to, truly I didn't. Unfortunately, there just seemed to be no other way. I had to protect you, Seto. You, your family, and the extended group of people who cared so much about you….about us."

He cleared his throat and proceeded to sigh in loss. "A lot of innocents were hurt. And what's worse—I tried to hide my deeds. It didn't really happen if nobody knows, right? I didn't realize how wrong it truly was. Sure, they were no names, but isn't everyone just as insignificant in the grand scheme of life?"

"What's your point, old man?"

"My point, Seto, is that I'm not so "good willed" anymore. I'm not so pure, so innocent…I've changed. I've done awful things and used the excuse of helping good people in its stead. But the secret is, Seto, it doesn't matter if you're behind closed doors when doing a misdeed. As long as you know what you've done, you're already guilty…stained…tainted…"

"I don't know who you are or how you got in here, but it's time for you to go."

"Seto, don't make the same mistakes as me. Don't let the demon of guilt eat you alive. It only breeds from there…until it consumes you."

"Get out of my office!" Kaiba strutted angrily towards his desk.

"Until you don't even remember who you really were."

Kaiba smacked his hand on the chair and spun him around…

Gasping in shock when he finally did and jumping backwards in response.

"Ba-bakura?!" He heaved, eyes widening all the while.

"I told you that I'd show you," Bakura's pasty grin emerged. "I told you I would."

()()()()()()()()

"Kaiba-sama? Umm…Kaiba-sama?"

"Is he asleep? Should we poke him?" A voice whispered.

"No, we do not touch Kaiba-sama," a familiar voice responded in a hushed tone. "Kaiba-sama? Are you okay? Do you require assist—"

"I'm fine," Kaiba dryly responded while flashing his eyes open. The moment he realized that he was in a limo, he was able to conjure up what just happened and put the pieces together.

"We have arrived, sir," Isono informed. The chauffer quickly turned back to face the road.

"Good, I was banking on it," Kaiba remarked,

The CEO slipped out of the limo, thoughts running through his head that he tried desperately to weed out. Unwanted images of Bakura and that elder man swarmed his mind as he tried to focus on the path before him.

"Anything I can do for you?" Isono questioned, following Kaiba by the distance of his trench coat in the wind.

If he wasn't the slightest bit creeped out by the visual dream that overcame him, Kaiba would have ordered Isono to contact Mokuba and get an update on him to make sure he was okay.

But now, he wasn't willing to put up with the response. He'd look for him on his own.

"Make yourself useful elsewhere, I've got business to take care of."

Isono nodded in respect, disappearing into the distance not long after.

Kaiba huffed in tiresome as he approached his corporation tower. He tried so hard to empty his mind of overwhelming thoughts…but he couldn't. All he could think about is how he would do anything for Mokuba. He'd do anything for the one family member that he left.

He would trade every person in existence for Mokuba's safety. It was vital to him that his brother was safe.

But after all of the nonsense that had been happening…all of the disappearances and lucid dreams….Kaiba could not be sure of anything anymore.

He couldn't be sure of who he would see again. He couldn't be sure if Otogi was truly gone, along with his other peers. He couldn't be sure if this would all go away like a bad dream. He couldn't be sure if he would disappear, or even worse, his brother.

All his life, Kaiba was always sure of everything. He had everything planned and in order.

But now, he was sure of nothing.

And the most he could do was wish himself luck as he entered Kaiba Corp, praying that maybe, just maybe…

His brother would be safe.