Seto had once heard a subordinate complain that the cold-eyed billionaire made her feel "ill at ease," because she could

not understand how he could even consider himself human. Seto had fired her outright, for no reason other than his pissy mood,

and he relished the power from her helpless tears. It was strange how that insignificant memory seemed to haunt him now.

Strange, indeed, how many times his habits of cruelty, and deliberate disregard for all he considered inferior-and he cringed

at the number, now, came back and tormented him, once more. It was no more than what he deserved, he was humble enough

to admit that, now. Mistakes he could not make right. Words he could not take back. Wounds he had inflicted for the hell of it, and with

a bitter swallow of his tea, Seto acknowledged with a wince, lives he had carelessly destroyed along the way. All of the pain he had

inflicted, coming back now, that he had to figure out a way to atone for, or live with. He had made his peace with it, once he realized that

there was nothing to be done but pray, and give it up, or else deal with the unnecessary torture he could no longer bear. Indeed, he realized

with sickening awareness...in one rare, brave moment, he allowed himself to drift back to his desperate, and thankfully, unsuccessful

suicide attempt, and realized that it was the hopelessness, and not the actual knowledge of his death that drove him to it in the first place.

Indeed, he mused, bitterly. If death was what made him so stupidly terrorized, it was hardly a smart move to do anything that would hasten

it along.

Atonement...Seto's characteristic scowl had deepened considerably, when he considered the task he had taken upon himself...ending the

awkward distance between him and Yami. He figured he owed Yami that much, after enduring so much without complaint, except for the occasional

martyr's speech, and those well-aimed barbs that prodded Seto into painful, but necessary realizations that he would not get anywhere else.

It was Yami who saved his life, it was Yami who helped break that silent wall between him and Mokuba, and ...here, Seto's cheeks flamed at the horrible memory...it was Yami who found him covered in vomit, and did nothing to wound him more, but mop up the considerable amount of puke, and respect Seto's boundaries. After the brutal shouting match with Yugi, and Seto's cruel dismissal at his apology, Yami had, of course, stayed away, as well.

Seto wasn't sure if Yami misunderstood that Seto wasn't blaming him for Yugi's actions, or that he had taken Yugi's side. All Seto knew was that

given his limited time, he didn't want to leave that bitterness unattended to. He did not trouble himself to wonder if either one of them would miss him,

or even bother to attend his funeral. If they did, he hoped that it was honest grief and not social obligation that rendered their appearance. He allowed a bitter chuckle. Surely he was worth more to a few people than token appearances.

So, it was with that reasoning, that Seto, for the first time, extended the awkwardly offered olive branch, by begrudgingly asking Mokuba to casually

inquire if Yami might be available to bring Yugi over..yet again...to the Kaiba mansion, for nothing more than a casual lunch. Instinctively, Seto knew that Yami was most likely brooding over the rift, and torn between his loyalty to Yugi, and his odd friendship with Kaiba, even if neither admitted to it, or called each other that. Seto preferred the terms of "mutual tolerance," or "acceptable level of a higher comfort zone," but aside from Mokuba, Yami was the only one he outright trusted with his illness, and the only one he could have complete honesty with.

Mokuba, to Seto's suprise, had exercised a remarkable amount of charitable forgivness. He did not speak of whatever conversation had transpired between him and Yugi, and he did not feel like it was his place to probe. Mokuba never asked what was spoken to Yami, either, only accepted and welcomed the duelist into their private circle because he had won Seto's acceptance, and had proven to be worthy of it, time and time again.

The bickering between the two of them might have been amusing, had the verbal blades they flung at each other not cut so deeply. It was rare, indeed, for Yugi to disagree with Yami, but it was even rarer to see Yugi's usual cheer fade into brooding, bitter, narrowed-eyed coldness when he had adamantly refused to visit Kaiba.

Yami was at a loss, himself. He knew that Yugi was still mightily irritated, if not wounded from his last encounter, but the refusal to forgive was so outlandish from his normally saintly partner, that he found Yugi's harsh dismissal harder to understand than Kaiba's tentative invitation to talk.

"Talk?! Talk?! Yami, what does that haunty, cold-hearted, arrogant, rich bastard possibly want from me? From us?! Maybe you can allow him to play on your guilt and your sense of obligation to keep you chained to his beck and call, but I'm done with the whole thing, and done with him, Yami. If you want to go over there, fine. Just leave me out of it, alright?" Yugi had spat irritably with a resolute crossing of his arms, and an even more unforgiving scowl.

Yami's face nearly crumbled in shock, and Yugi flinched with old empathy when he saw Yami slump. "Look, Yami." Yugi's voice was soft, as he lay a

comforting hand on Yami's shoulder.

"I'm not telling you what to do, and I'm not going to keep you from visiting, if that's what you want. I just wonder why."

Yami only heaved a weary sigh, as he crossed his arms, and sank back slowly into the couch, lowering his head, and biting his lip.

"I mean, think about it, Yami. You saved his life after his suicide attempt, you nursed Mokuba through that whole episode, and you've been there for him through all of this, and I have yet to see the high and mighty Kaiba say so much as a thank you to you. You don't owe him a damn thing, and you're not going to change anything."

Yami's searing eyes slid up to his, as he slowly shook his head, giving Yugi a kindly condensending smile.

"And, what would you do, Yugi, if you were in Kaiba's situation? How would you want to be treated?"

Yugi only shook his head sadly. "Flipping things around like this won't work with me, Yami. I don't know how I would react, honestly, but I would still hope I wouldn't act like Kaiba. What I'm not understanding is why you're suddenly so questioning of my treatment of Kaiba-which, by the way, is the way most people would react to somebody who's treated them like crap for years-but so tolerant of Kaiba, when he's only milked this terminal illness thing to

every last tear drop. I am sympathetic to the situation, Yami. It just doesn't do anything to change the fact that Kaiba is a selish, arrogant, spoiled brat, and you seem to ignore the fact that dying isn't doing anything to change that in him."

Yami stared at Yugi, his eyes storming with some emotion that Yugi could not name, before Yami shook his head.

"I see."

Yugi sighed, and suddenly turned to Yami, with an icy glare. "No, you don't see, Yami. I respect the fact that you consider yourself to be Kaiba's friend.

I may not agree with it, but I'm not forbidding you to see him. All I'm telling you is to please, please, make sure you don't get so entangled with his drama that you lose yourself. After all, Yami, you'll have to deal with the aftermath much longer than Kaiba."

Yami winced at the nonchalant, heartless truth that Yugi had so callously introduced anew, and recoiled under Yugi's hand on his shoulder with a jerk.

"So, you won't visit him, then."

Yugi arched an eyebrow high, questioningly. "This is really eating at you, isn't it?"

Yami ran a weary hand though his hair, and sighed, before relunctantly nodding. "Yes, Yugi, it is. I know that it only comfirms everything you feared, and for that I apologize, but-"

"Yami." Yugi silenced the unpleasant flood of unwelcome words with a shake of his head, and a more typical, radiating smile of understanding.

"There's nothing wrong with having a heart, Yami. I just don't want yours to be broken in this. There's not going to be a happy ending when he dies, Yami.

I know that you know that, but I don't quite think you've accepted that, yet. And, it's Kaiba's job to work through Kaiba's issues, not yours. But..."

Yugi shrugged, before giving Yami another kind smile.

"If it really means that much to you, I'll go with you to visit Kaiba again..one more time, alright? But...only if you understand that I'm doing this for you, and you're not expecting some rosy rainbows and sunshine by mistake. Kaiba and I have never been on the best of terms, before all of this, so if you're expecting anything besides my hearing him out, I don't want you to be disappointed, alright? Besides, Mokuba is my friend, and I don't want him to have to face this alone. I know it's not much, Yami, but it's the best I can do. Agreed?"

Yami only nodded. "Thank you, Yugi. This means a lot to me."

Yugi snorted.