Greetings and Happy Holidays! I hope that all of you who celebrate the holidays had a wonderful time. I was blessed with a wonderful Christmas that I will remember for a long time to come!

To celebrate, which is ironic, since this story is anything but happy, here is the next chapter. One of my readers for No Kinen Ni mentioned that since it'd been such a long time since I posted I should have a little summary at the top of the chapter to remind everyone about what happened last time, and I think that's a wonderful idea. Thanks for bringing it up.

Summary: Yugi, Kaiba, and Yami returned back their time, while Mokuba struggled to come to grips with his encounter with Gozaburo. Priest Seto handled the renegade priest that looks just like Gozaburo Kaiba and Gozaburo poked around the Millennium Puzzle with his newfound abilities.

A few people had asked if we'd seen the last of Priest Seto and Pharaoh Yami. I'm happy to say that no, we haven't seen the last of them. They'll be back. Someone else also corrected my use of 'Pharaoh Yami' instead of the pharaoh's real name. I do know what the pharaoh's name is, having watched through the ending of the series. However, I chose not to use the name in this story when I began writing it, and I will continue to use Pharaoh Yami. To everyone else that replied and urged me to continue: thank you so much! I'll try to write and post as much as I can while I'm on Winter break.

Warning: Kaiba flashbacks. They're not graphic, but they are somewhat disturbing, so read with caution.

Enjoy!

Part 25: Mind's Eye

"Gozaburo has the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi."

When Yugi had woken up, it had taken him a while to realize that he was in his own bed, in his own home. When it had finally sunk in, he'd felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It had been an effort to digest everything he'd been through and adjust to yet another change, but he'd put his reservations aside and gotten out of bed. As he'd stumbled out of his room, he'd heard Joey yelling. What he'd been yelling about hadn't become clear until Mokuba had said something about Kaiba. That had reminded Yugi the state in which they'd left things before their trip to Ancient Egypt. He'd rushed out of his room in time to see Mokuba fling open the door to the bathroom and throw himself into Joey's arms. The fact that Mokuba's face was bruised and bloodied alerted Yugi to the fact that a lot had happened while they'd been gone, and a little of the weight had returned to his shoulders. Now that he'd been told that he no longer had possession of the puzzle, he felt completely weighed down again.

"What do you mean, Gozaburo has the puzzle?" Yugi asked, his voice coming out hoarse. "How did he take it?"

Joey and Mokuba both looked at him guiltily, but it was Joey that finally spoke.

"Gozaburo broke in to Ryou's house, where we were staying at the time," he explained. "Mokuba and I weren't there, and Gozaburo attacked Ryou and your grandfather, and then took you. When we broke into the Kaiba mansion to get you back, Gozaburo already had the puzzle. He must have taken it while you were with him."

What could Gozaburo possibly want with the Millennium Puzzle? He couldn't use it, so what use would it be to him? Unless he knew that Kaiba's soul was trapped in the puzzle and planned to get rid of it somehow. Maybe it was worse than that, maybe Gozaburo know about the Millennium Items. If that was the case, then Yami was in as much danger as Kaiba was.

"Did Gozaburo take the Millennium Ring as well when he attacked Ryou?" Yugi asked, looking from Joey to Mokuba's bruised face. He was almost afraid of the answer, almost afraid that their situation had just been complicated even more than it had been before.

"No, Yugi," Mokuba said. "We found the ring in the room with you, but the puzzle was gone. I don't know what Gozaburo wants it for, but my brother is in there. We have to get it back."

Yugi suddenly felt lightheaded. He swayed and would have fallen if two strong arms hadn't held him upright. Yugi turned to thank the person and found himself staring at one of his most recent nightmares. Yugi pushed the white-haired teen away and lost his balance. He stumbled and fell against the wall with a soft cry. His instincts raged at him and he tried to get away from the threat, but his legs wouldn't hold him up, so he ended up sliding down the wall. He pulled his knees up to his chest and closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the memories of lying in the sand, his body broken, as Bakura stood a few feet away and taunted him.

"Yugi, what's wrong?"

Joey's soft, concerned voice did little to calm Yugi's racing heart. He hugged his knees to his chest and buried his face in them, willing the memories to go away. People were speaking around him, but Yugi tuned them out. He reached for a dark corner of his mind where he could hide, where no one could get to him, where nothing would matter anymore. He had almost reached it when a kind, familiar voice caught his attention.

"Yugi, I'm here. You're safe now."

At first, Yugi was so caught up in his memories that he couldn't believe he was actually hearing his grandfather's voice.

"Look at me, Yugi. Don't block us out, please. Let us help you with whatever it is."

Yugi wasn't sure whether he should do as the voice said. He wanted to; he wanted to take comfort from his grandfather, let the elder man shoulder his burdens for a little while, but was afraid to. What if it was an illusion? What if it was another trick? What if he opened his eyes and instead of seeing his grandfather, he saw that he was back in Ancient Egypt, or worse, back with Bakura?

"Yugi, please look at me."

His grandfather sounded so real, so sincere, that Yugi decided to take a chance. He raised his head slowly, expecting the worst, and was surprised when all he saw was his grandfather's kind, worried face staring back at him. The elder man's eyes shone with unshed tears, which made Yugi's eyes burn with tears of his own.

"Grandpa?" Yugi asked tentatively.

His grandfather smiled. "Yes, my boy, I'm here."

That was all the confirmation Yugi needed. He threw himself into his grandfather's arms and held onto him as if the man were the only thing anchoring him to reality. His grandfather's arms wrapped around him tightly and for the first time in a long time Yugi felt safe.

"We'll get through this, Yugi. I don't know how or when, but we will. I promise."

Hearing the heartfelt promise behind the words broke down the last of Yugi's resistance and his tears began to fall. His grandfather held him, and Yugi took the opportunity to cry for all of the things that he had experienced, the horrors he had seen and would never be able to tell anyone about.

Joey stood to one side with his arm around Mokuba's shaking shoulders as Mr. Moto comforted his grandson. Yugi was sobbing so hard that his entire body shook. The raw emotion in the sound brought tears to Joey's own eyes and he tightened his hold on Mokuba to give the boy comfort as much as to receive it. Ryou still sat on the floor, slightly to the right of Yugi and his grandfather, where he'd landed after Yugi had pushed him away. The white-haired teen looked at the pair with a pained, as well as confused, expression on his face. His face went blank momentarily, signifying that he was talking to the spirit of the ring. When his face returned to normal, Ryou looked even more confused.

"It's okay, Yugi," Mr. Moto whispered to the shaking boy, "let it out."

Mr. Moto's soft voice carried to them all and Joey could only imagine how hard it must be for the elder man to keep his own fears, frustrations, and emotions at bay for the sake of his grandson. Joey looked down at Mokuba who looked paler and more scared than he had earlier.

"It's okay, kid," Joey said so that only Mokuba could hear. The younger Kaiba nodded, but Joey could tell that the words hadn't comforted him all that much.

Yugi's sobs eventually died down and the young man released his grandfather. He wiped at his face, before looking around the room and giving them all an embarrassed and watery smile.

"I'm sorry," Yugi said softly, "I didn't mean to lose it like that."

"No sweat, Yugi," Joey replied, "we all need a good cry every once in a while."

Mr. Moto ruffled Yugi's hair and the two helped each other up. Mr. Moto discreetly wiped at his eyes and smiled a tired, sad smile. Yugi turned to Ryou and his cheeks colored a bit more than they already had from all the crying.

"I'm very sorry, Ryou. I shouldn't have pushed you away like that."

Joey smiled at the apology, because it was so typical of Yugi to worry about others before he worried about himself. Joey's smile faded slightly, however, when he noticed that even though Yugi was smiling, his posture was tense and he stood well away from Ryou's reach. Ryou must have noticed as well, because his face was troubled even as he smiled in return.

"Don't worry about it, Yugi, I'm fine."

Ryou picked himself up and made no move to get closer to Yugi or to anyone else. It looked like Ryou was drawing into himself, separating himself from the rest of them like he had when they'd first met him, before they knew about the spirit of the ring. His thoughts on the matter were interrupted when Mokuba stepped away from him.

"How is my brother?" the young Kaiba asked.

Panic quickly crossed Yugi's face at the question. Mokuba must have caught the look as well, because he got even closer to Yugi, his shoulders immediately tensing.

"What it is? What happened to my brother?"

Yugi shifted his attention to Mokuba and his expression changed. It was as if a mask had clicked into place, leaving Yugi's normally expressive face blank and cold. Joey was stunned into silence at the change. He had seen a similar transformation many times on Kaiba, but never on Yugi. It looked right on Kaiba, because they were all used to Kaiba's cold and indifferent attitude, but the expressionless face looked very wrong on Yugi. What the hell had happened to them?

"Kaiba is probably just as shocked as I am by everything that happened," Yugi said his voice betraying nothing of what he was thinking or feeling. "Why don't we go to the living room so I can catch you all up on what happened? I have a feeling you all have a lot of things to tell me as well."

Joey could only nod his agreement, wondering where his best friend had gone and who this new stranger in front of him was.

When Yami awoke, he was on the floor of his soul room. At first, he didn't know whether to be relieved to be back in the puzzle, presumably back in his own time, or to be disappointed that he was no longer in Ancient Egypt. The disappointment won out for a moment, and Yami wished that he'd had more time to explore the past. He felt an ache in his chest over the lost opportunity and wondered if he'd ever be able to recall his past on his own. He sighed. It was better to be back, if only for Yugi and Kaiba's sakes. Yami shivered as he remembered the feeling of utter helplessness when he'd held Yugi's dead body in his arms. He hoped to never experience that again.

He sighed, but didn't get up. He lay there, arms and legs outstretched, and closed his eyes. He looked for the thread that connected him to Yugi, to make sure that the young man was with him and doing well. When he didn't find it, Yami's eyes shot open and he sat up. He tried to find Yugi again, but came upon a barrier. Something was blocking his connection with Yugi, but Yami had no idea what it could be.

Yami got up and walked to the door that led to the hallway between soul rooms. He had his hand on the door's handle when something occurred to him. Since something was blocking his connection to Yugi, did that mean that he was blocked from Kaiba as well? Yami had sworn to Yugi that he would block the link he shared with Kaiba, but he had to open it now. This was an emergency, after all.

In the same way he'd done earlier, Yami closed his eyes and looked for the thread that bound him to Seto Kaiba. He found it a few moments later, a faint, glimmering thread at the back of his mind. Tentatively, Yami reached for it and was unprepared for the wave of emotion that hit him as soon as he touched it. He sank into the swirling emotions like a rock sinking to the bottom of the sea. Each emotion hit him so fast that he'd barely had time to recognize one before it was replaced by another. He held onto his own mind, his own thoughts, by sheer will, separating himself from the chaos around him as best he could.

When he had his thoughts under control, he found himself at the edge of a dark cloud. The cloud swirled in time with the emotions, folding in on itself over and over like a nest of snakes. He was standing on the inner edge and could not help but watch in fascination as the cloud swirled and surged around him. Blood red lightning struck every few moments, illuminating the darkness within the cloud. Before long, Yami began to hear voices all around him. They echoed from every direction, some closer than others. Screams could be heard as well, and if Yami listened very carefully, he could also hear sobbing. He was being pulled inwards, towards the center, and the more he stood there the harder it became to fight the force pulling him. It would probably be better to go willingly than to be pulled as he'd been pulled inside this cloud, so before he could change his mind, Yami took a deep breath and headed towards the center.

As he got closer to the center of the cloud, the atmosphere around him thickened and the emotions began to weigh down on him more. The screams got louder, making Yami wince at the piercing sound of the lone voice. The voice was low and rich, clearly that of a man, but panicked and desperate. It bounced back from the edges of the cloud so hard that for a moment, Yami wondered if he were hearing multiple voices. He was finally able to push through the thick atmosphere to the center, where he found a sight he hadn't expected.

Seto Kaiba lay on the ground in a fetal position. His knees had been brought up to his chest and his arms were wrapped protectively around his legs. He was not wearing his white coat, so the black of his shirt and slacks blended in with the surroundings so that only his face, his hands, and his bare feet were visible. Yami was stunned at the sight. He looked closely at Kaiba's face but it was slack, as if in sleep. Kaiba himself wasn't the one screaming, but now that Yami had seen him, he had no doubt that the voice he heard belonged to Kaiba. Yami looked away from Kaiba and focused on the cloud once again. It took him a while to realize that what he was seeing, hearing, and feeling was a physical manifestation of Kaiba's own thoughts and feelings. Kaiba probably was not aware that his emotions were being manifested or that Yami was present to witness them. Yami hesitated, torn between leaving what was a very private, and very emotional, part of Kaiba's soul and the need to find out why he couldn't connect with Yugi if he could obviously connect with Kaiba. Logic won out and Yami stepped forward and kneeled beside Kaiba. He'd deal with Kaiba's outburst at the intrusion later.

Now that he was closer, Yami noticed that Kaiba's eyes were tightly closed and his hands were gripping his legs so tightly that his fingers were white. Yami put a hand on Kaiba's shoulder to let the teenager know that he was there. As soon as his hand touched Kaiba's body, Kaiba's eyes shot open and Yami gasped at the raw fear he saw in the blue depths. Before he could process what he'd seen, the surroundings changed. They were no longer in the middle of the chaos of the cloud. Instead, they were in a dimly lit room, the only illumination coming from a single lamp on an old, wooden table. Yami was still kneeling on the floor, but Kaiba was now standing a few feet away far from Yami's reach. Kaiba's face was back to its normal, emotionless state, even though he was still barefoot and without his white coat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kaiba growled.

The teenager stood stiffly, his hands clenched at his sides, his entire posture radiating tension, and glared at Yami.

Yami got to his feet and took a step closer to Kaiba, and was surprised when Kaiba took a step back. Yami was still reeling from what he'd just witnessed so he didn't immediately respond to Kaiba's question. How could a person whose soul was so troubled, so disjointed and in chaos, act so normal? How could Kaiba manage to shove all of the feelings Yami had just inadvertently experienced away and act as if nothing were wrong, as if his soul weren't slowly being shredded to pieces? Could Kaiba really not know what was going on in his unconscious mind, in his soul? Could he be that good at lying to himself?

"I asked you a question, damn it!"

No, Kaiba knew exactly what was going on and was using his anger, his detachment, and his cruelty to hide behind. The revelation left Yami stunned. How had he failed to realize this about Kaiba before now? How could he not have seen what Kaiba was doing, how he'd managed to survive all of these years? The anger that had instinctively flared up as soon as Kaiba had started to speak faded away like the last embers of a dying fire. He couldn't feel angry, not when he felt confused and afraid for the teenager standing in front of him.

Kaiba's anger was so tangible that Yami could feel it brushing against his skin like a soft breeze. He had no doubt that if Kaiba so desired, that same anger could hit like a sharp knife. The more he observed Kaiba, however, the more nervous the teenager became. Now he was looking at Yami as if he was expecting something to happen, something he already knew he wasn't going to like.

"I couldn't reach Yugi," Yami finally said, his voice soft in the wide space around them. "I wanted to see if I could reach you. I didn't mean to intrude."

Kaiba's right eyebrow rose. Yami could see the disbelief in Kaiba's eyes, but he could also tell that Kaiba didn't want to admit that what Yami saw had been real. Admitting it to Yami would be like admitting it to himself, and Yami was sure Kaiba didn't want to, or couldn't, do that.

"You told Yugi that you would not use this connection we have," Kaiba said. "You broke your word."

The accusation hit Yami like a slap. Kaiba was right; he had broken his vow to Yugi. Saying that he'd done it because it had been an emergency seemed foolish and trivial, so Yami kept his mouth shut. Instead, he walked away from Kaiba and looked around. There was nothing around them but empty space, not even the inky blackness that was the shadow realm. If it weren't for the single lamp, they'd be shrouded in darkness.

"Could you try to reach Yugi? It's important to know if the spell was successful in returning us to the present and Yugi is the only one that can tell us that."

Kaiba stared at him, before slowly nodding. His eyes lost their focus for a moment and his face contorted slightly as if in intense concentration. Yami was beginning to get worried about the lack or reply when Kaiba focused on him once again.

"I can't reach him. I think something is blocking me."

"That's what I thought. It is likely that Yugi is not wearing the puzzle."

Kaiba frowned. "Who has it, then?"

Yami wasn't given a chance to respond, because he was suddenly pulled out of the connection with Kaiba and shoved back into his own mind so hard that he stumbled and hit the door he'd been holding. He shook his head to clear it and looked around for Kaiba, but the teenager was nowhere around. Yami was back in his own soul room. He shook his head once again and returned his hand to the door handle. He'd just have to go to Kaiba's soul room and finish the conversation Kaiba had so rudely terminated. Determined, Yami yanked on the door and was surprised when nothing happened. He pushed the handle once again, but the door didn't budge.

"It's locked."

Kaiba opened his eyes, expecting to see the room where he'd been talking to Yami. Instead, he was lying face down on a white, tiled floor. His face was pressed against the cold tile, which made him shiver. He winced, expecting to feel the agonizing pain that had been his companion for the last few days, but felt nothing. He frowned and tensed his muscles slowly, one by one, but felt nothing but the ache that came from lying on a cold floor for an extended period of time. Kaiba slowly got to his knees and ran his hand over his chest and legs. There was no blood, no rips in his clothing, and no pain. He looked around and the first thing he saw was a growing puddle of blood on the floor. He shivered and realized that he was no longer where he'd been, but in the hot, Egyptian desert, watching the sky as his body was used and manipulated in ways he hadn't agreed to.

"NOOO!"

"Shut him up, will you? I don't want to hear him."

The assault had grown into a continuous thing, and Kaiba could no longer tell where one ended and another began. He had little strength left, but he continued to struggle. He'd broken his legs free a couple of times, but all that had earned him were more blows and more brutality. He couldn't stop fighting, though. It just wasn't in his nature to give in.

"Stop, let go!"

He had to keep yelling, even though he was rapidly losing his voice. Voicing the anguish being inflicted upon him was the only thing keeping him sane. He couldn't swallow it down as he usually did. If he swallowed the pain, the humiliation, and the agony this time, he was going to lose his mind.

"I'm kind of enjoying the yelling," someone said and jabbed Kaiba in the ribs, forcing another yell from him.

"It's my turn now and I want him to shut up."

His knees were forced apart once again and Hori's hand clamped down over his mouth, muffling, but not stopping, his screams. Kaiba yelled louder and managed to bit Hori's hand. Warm blood flowed into his mouth and almost choked him. Hori cursed, unsheathed a knife with his other hand, and placed the tip against Kaiba's throat.

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to slit your throat right here and now, and then we'll finish what we started with the little pharaoh over there."

Hori turned Kaiba's head so that he was facing the man that had Yugi by the throat and was forcing him to watch what was being done to Kaiba. Yugi's face was stained with tears and his eyes were wide with terror. When their eyes met, Yugi began to thrash around wildly in an attempt to break free. Shame flooded through Kaiba's veins at being seen in the position he was in. If they survived this, which he now hoped he didn't, Yugi would never look at him the same way again. Maybe he should disobey Hori and scream anyway. Maybe the man would slit his throat and end this nightmare for him. One more look at Yugi, however, made the decision for him.

Kaiba stopped fighting them and went still. Hori grinned and turned his head away from Yugi, but kept the knife at his throat. The attack began again and Kaiba had to bite the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood to keep from uttering a sound. Yugi began yelling, and Kaiba figured that the younger man would yell enough for both of them. He looked up at the blue, cloudless, sky and began to lose himself in the surroundings until he could no longer feel anything or hear anything. His only hope was that it would all end soon.

The pain was suddenly there once again, and Kaiba doubled over as his stomach threatened to empty itself. His breath came in short, fast gasps, and a small part of his mind knew that he was hyperventilating. He forced himself to take deep, full breaths until he regained the oxygen he'd lost. The memory slowly faded, and he was back where he'd been, staring at the white, tiled floor. Kaiba closed his eyes and continued to take deep breaths to calm his racing heart. His body may no longer have the injuries inflicted during the attack, but the incident was forever burned into his mind so that he would never forget what they felt like.

When he'd calmed down enough, he got to his feet and looked around, realizing for the first time that he was back in his soul room. The room had changed in appearance since the last time he'd been in it, but Kaiba figured that it had a lot to do with the changes that had occurred in him since what happened in the desert. Suddenly, he couldn't bear to be in the room any more. The broken and rusted computer equipment reminded him too much of how he saw himself now and he whirled around to head for the door. As he turned, he bumped into someone. He gasped, not having expected anyone else to be in the room with him, and stumbled back a few paces. When he focused once again, he was looking at Gozaburo Kaiba's sneering face.

"Welcome back, Seto," the man said. "I was getting tired of waiting, and you know how much I hate to do that."

Kaiba's breath caught in his throat and he could feel his body going numb. He had not expected to find his adoptive father in this room, not when this room was supposed to be his own, inside a millennia old piece of jewelry that only a select few could manipulate. Gozaburo walked towards him until the man was invading Kaiba's personal space. Kaiba felt disgust course through him, but he could not move away.

"Surprise," Gozaburo said. "I told you I would be back to settle certain things with you."

The shock finally wore off and Kaiba stepped away from Gozaburo, but not before seeing the triumphant look in the older man's eyes. He thought about running for the door, but he refused to show weakness in front of Gozaburo. He'd beaten the man at his own game when he was barely a teenager and he was not about to back off now.

"How can you be inside the puzzle?" Kaiba asked, his voice as steady as he could make it. He could see from Gozaburo's smirk, however, that he hadn't done a very good job of it.

"It's magic," Gozaburo said, "Ancient Egyptian magic, to be exact. I had a lot of time to read while I was in the computer."

Kaiba paced slowly, wanting to channel his nervousness in a way that wouldn't be too apparent to Gozaburo. He recalled the priest he had that run in with while in Ancient Egypt: the priest that had injured Priest Seto, the man that had looked exactly like Gozaburo Kaiba. Dread settled in the pit of Kaiba's stomach at the thought that just as Yugi and Ryou, and to an extent, he himself, could manipulate magic because of their past lives, that Gozaburo would have that same privilege as well. How were they going to stop him if they had to worry about the man using magic?

"Don't you want to know why I'm here, Seto?"

Kaiba stopped pacing and faced his adoptive father. "I'm sure you'll enlighten me, Gozaburo," he said with much more bravado than he felt.

Gozaburo laughed. "I just wanted to let you know that I have this," he said and took out the locket.

Kaiba instinctively reached up to his chest and touched the one that he still wore. He was surprised to see, however, that he was no longer wearing the Millennium Puzzle.

"It's not your locket, Seto. I think Yugi still has that. This is Mokuba's locket. You'll be pleased to know that he now understands the kind of discipline I gave you while you were under my care."

Kaiba's head snapped up as fury and fear raced through his veins. He looked at Gozaburo and his panic must have shown on his face, because the man made a great show of inspecting the locket and then putting it back in his pocket. The only way Mokuba could understand how Gozaburo had disciplined him was if… Kaiba cut the thought short. He felt sick just thinking about the consequences.

"Not only does little Mokuba understand my discipline, but he know also knows what it feels like for his older brother to administer that discipline."

Kaiba's fists clenched at his side. "You beat Mokuba with my body, you son of a bitch? You had to beat up a teenage kid to prove that you were macho, is that it?"

Without thinking, Kaiba rushed Gozaburo. He punched the man so hard that he was sent flying into one of the workbenches. Kaiba rushed to pick Gozaburo up and hit him again, when he was suddenly halted in his tracks. His body would not move. Gozaburo got up from the floor, his laughter echoing eerily through the room. He approached Kaiba, wiping his bloodied nose with one hand. When he reached Kaiba, he grabbed the teen's chin hard enough to make Kaiba cry out softly. The older man's hand on his chin brought memories of other men, other hands on his body, and it took everything he had not to lose himself in the memories. It took even more of an effort to keep his expression as neutral as he could and not let Gozaburo know how much he despised the touch.

"I'm prepared for you, Seto. I control this puzzle now and as soon as I find out how to get rid of your soul, I will destroy it."

With that, Gozaburo disappeared. The force that had been holding Kaiba in place let go, which sent Kaiba to the ground. He sat there, shaking in both fear and anger. Every thought in his mind disappeared until only Mokuba's face remained. He'd worked so hard to keep Gozaburo away from his younger brother during all the years they'd been under Gozaburo's care. Kaiba hadn't wanted Mokuba to experience the violence and anger that Gozaburo lived with, and had given up his own childhood so that Mokuba could enjoy his. Now, all of that effort and sacrifice had been for nothing. Gozaburo had still been able to hurt Mokuba, and what made things worse was that he'd done it using Kaiba's own body. What would his younger brother think of him now? How could they ever have the same relationship again? Kaiba lowered his head and clutched at the locket hanging around his neck. If he lost his brother, what else was there? Would life be worth fighting for?

Yugi had been telling his tale about their trip to Ancient Egypt for half and hour and Joey and Mr. Moto had been telling Yugi about what had been happening here. Yugi had told them how they'd met the pharaoh and the priest, how they'd been in the palace in ancient times and how they'd eventually gotten the spell book to get back home. The whole time Yugi had been speaking, Ryou had been only half paying attention. He'd sat away from the others, on the floor by the door to the living room, close enough to hear Yugi, but not close enough to cause him any more stress. Ryou didn't know why, but ever since Yugi had shoved him away, he'd had this bad feeling that he'd done something to Yugi to warrant that sort of reaction. Logically, he knew that was impossible, because he hadn't been with Yugi, Yami, and Kaiba when they'd been in Egypt. Just because he hadn't been there didn't mean that someone that looked just like him had not been there either.

The thought had brought a sudden rush of guilt. As unwarranted as he knew it was, he couldn't help but feel responsible for the actions of the spirit of the ring. He had, of course, tried to talk to Bakura and get some answers about what had happened in Egypt, but the spirit had refused to talk to him. Ryou knew that he couldn't force Bakura to say anything when he didn't want to, so he'd just left the ring and forced himself to listen to what Yugi was saying. He didn't miss, however, the subtle glances that Yugi sent his way when he thought Ryou wasn't paying attention. As much as he wanted to bring the situation up to Yugi, Ryou didn't think that he could do it. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to be the cause of another breakdown like the one Yugi had experienced earlier.

"Did you run into anyone else while you were there?" Joey asked and turned his attention to Ryou. "Didn't the spirit of the ring also exist during the pharaoh's time?"

Yugi turned to look at Ryou as well and then shook his head. "No, we were just in the palace for the most part. I didn't see anyone else."

Ryou didn't know Yugi as well as Tea, or even Joey, did, but even he could tell that Yugi was lying. Why, he hadn't the slightest idea, but he had a feeling that the sprit of the ring could provide some answers.

"Are you sure, Yugi?" Mr. Moto asked.

"I'm sure. I've told you all you need to know. Now what we need to do is figure out how to get the puzzle back."

Ryou tuned everyone out again and went back into the ring. He had to talk to Bakura, and if the spirit still refused to cooperate, Ryou would just have to figure out a way to make him talk.

"Why do you have to know what happened?"

Ryou jumped slightly at the unexpected voice. He turned around to find Bakura leaning against a pillar that hadn't been there a few seconds ago, looking at him intently.

"If Yugi is going to jump every time I'm around, I want to know why."

Bakura was silent for a moment. He looked as if he were debating something with himself, and Ryou had to fight the urge to tell him to hurry it up.

"Why should it matter whether Yugi feels comfortable around you? Why do you care?"

"He's my friend," Ryou stated. "If something happened in Egypt between you and him, I want to know about it."

Bakura pushed his body off the pillar and walked to Ryou. "Are you sure you want to know?

Ryou met the spirit's eyes and wondered whether he really had to know. The burning hatred he saw in Bakura's eyes made him stop for a moment and wonder if he was doing the right thing. Was ignorance really bliss? After a moment, Ryou made his decision.

"Ignorance is for fools. I need to know what happened."

Bakura shrugged and waved his arm in front of them. The scene changed and Ryou was now standing in the middle of an abandoned village in the desert. In front of him, he could see the thief, dressed in a long, red robe, standing on top of a rock. Ryou could only see the side of his face, but it was enough to see the angry scar that marred his cheek. The thief looked rougher, and a lot deadlier, than the one standing beside him now did. Yugi stood in front of the rock, dressed in a brown robe. He looked dirty and tired, but there was anger in his eyes that Ryou had never seen from his normally calm friend.

"What do you want from me?" Yugi asked. "Why did you bring me here?"

The thief shrugged. "I wanted to hold you hostage and demand ransom for you," he said. "Now, however, I don't think that's a good idea. If the pharaoh comes, he'll bring his priests, and I really don't want to deal with them. Instead, I'll make you a deal."

The thief hopped down and stood in front of Yugi.

"If you give me your Millennium Puzzle, I will take you back to the palace, safe and unharmed."

Yugi narrowed his eyes. "You want my puzzle?" Yugi asked, his voice soft and as cold as a glacier. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

The thief seemed confused. "How would you know what I want?"

Yugi chuckled. "You have a single track mind, Bakura. You want to gather the seven items and attain ultimate power, right? If it's not that, then it's something equally as ridiculous. You already have the ring, so now you want my puzzle, right?"

The thief's hand lashed out and caught Yugi on the side of the face, which sent him flying towards the rock the thief had been standing on. Yugi hit it with his right arm and he screamed and then let his body slide to the floor. He cradled his now useless arm against his chest as he waited for the thief to come closer. When he was within reach, Yugi kicked him in the knee. The thief's knee buckled and he howled as his leg gave out. As the thief fell, Yugi kicked with his other leg and managed to hit him in the face. A satisfying crunch could be heard above the thief's curses, and blood spurted from his nose.

Yugi pulled himself to his feet as the thief writhed on the floor. Blood covered the thief's face and white hair, but the thief was concentrating on his knee instead.

"You little brat," the thief said, his voice muffled by his broken nose. "You will pay for this."

Yugi turned and walked away. Ryou watched in horrid fascination as the thief summoned the most frightening monster Ryou had ever seen. The monster, which was half beast and half snake, moved towards Yugi, whose back was still to the theif and the monster. When Yugi finally turned around, his eyes widened at the sight and he stood still, as if he were paralyzed to the spot.

"I don't need to physically harm you, boy. My loyal servant will take care of it for me."

The monster rushed Yugi, which broke the paralysis. Yugi ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the rocky ground, but Ryou could already tell that it wasn't enough. The monster surrounded Yugi, which caused Ryou to lose sight of his friend. He could hear Yugi screaming, however, and the sound sent shivers up Ryou's spine. Suddenly, a bright flash of yellow caught his attention, and the thief's beast was thrown away from the now falling Yugi by a now visible Ra. Yugi kept falling, but managed to twist his body just before he hit the ground. His right shoulder took most of the impact, as did his right hip. Ryou heard the sickening crack of bone breaking and winced at the sound. Yugi lay on the ground, groaning in pain as tears fell down the side of his face. His breath rattled in his lungs and Ryou knew enough about medicine to know that some ribs had been broken in the fall.

Ra was floating over Yugi, protecting its young master. Ryou was in awe at the sight of the God, roaring it's discontent at the treatment his master was receiving. The thief didn't seem afraid. If anything, he seemed even angrier.


"So that's how you want to decide this," the thief said as he came to a halt beside his monster, "my monster and your god. That's fine with me, boy. Let's see whose spirit is stronger."

The images faded there, and Ryou found himself wanting to see the rest of the fight. He turned to Bakura, who had not been watching the scene play out in front of him.

"What happened, Bakura?" Ryou asked.

Bakura shrugged once again. "I won, of course."

"What do you mean, you won?"

"I won, Ryou. Yugi died and I won. Until the pharaoh and the high priest showed up, that is. I had to leave then."

Ryou frowned. Bakura's words seemed proud, almost glad of what had happened. Hadn't he just said that Yugi had died? If Yugi had died, how did he come back?

"The high priest must have revived Yugi," Bakura said, as if he'd been reading Ryou's thoughts, which Ryou supposed was entirely possible. "I don't really know or care."

"Does Yami know about this?" Ryou asked, concerned for the sprit of the ring despite everything he'd just seen.

"Yes. He was there with the pharaoh and the high priest."

Ryou shook his head. He could still hear the sound of Yugi's body hitting the ground and had a feeling it was going to be in his mind for a long time. No wonder Yugi didn't want to be anywhere near him. Why should he feel guilty, though, since he wasn't the one that had actually harmed Yugi? He supposed it didn't matter, since he was always guilty be association anyway. Ryou sighed and dropped to his knees. He put his head in his hands and sighed.

"You wanted to know, Ryou. Now that you do, what are you going to do about it?"

Next up: Yami and Kaiba come up with a plan. Ryou and Bakura have a discussion about what happened in Ancient Egypt.