Finishing this chapter was hard enough. I don't have the energy to write much here unlike before.

Because of all the fantastic reviews I chose to post today as well as on Friday. Nice, aren't I?! Review me a plenty and I will be very happy. Another update on Friday.

Oh, I do make use of Bakura's deliciously evil ways to play head-games so all you Bakura lovers out there don't hate me if you prefer him being non-git-ish. I like the evil one. Long chapter so appreciate it.

Chapter 11: Resolve

"Shouldn't there be emergency lighting?" Seto questioned starting to sound worried. He moved through the darkness back to Yami, standing at her shoulder and re-taking her hand reassuringly.

"I think that that's only in the emergency sections. You might need to set fire to something to see if we're going to see again. Another one; hang on."

Squeezing her hand in return this time, Seto waited to feel her trembling cease before moving reluctantly to the door and glancing up and down the corridor. Everything was pitch-black, evident that emergency lighting didn't actually exist in this section. Older hospitals never had actually planned ahead during their construction.

Hearing running footsteps, he turned his head to the sound and hissed when he saw that it wasn't a collection of medical staff, like he'd hoped, but the entire group. Obviously they were concerned as to what was going on, moreso now that Joey had told them that he'd knocked out the doctor and that the power was out.

Filing inside ignoring the barrage of questions, Joey took out a box of matches, lit one and dropped it into the waste-paper basket. Now with at least a dim, flickering light in the room they could see each other. Mai and Tea were hovering nervously near the doorway with Honda just behind them, Joey standing beside the fire in the bin. Seto was on one side of Yami with Yugi on the other, both with a hand on either her shoulder or encased in one of hers.

"Um, Ryou is on his way here now. He says that he won't let Bakura come near to cause any problems," Yugi stated trying to overshadow the concern in his voice with factual information. Failing miserably.

"Good, because I'm taking just about what I can handle now. Oh Ra, here comes another one. Any sign of a doctor?" Yami hissed out, squinting in the dim light at the trio stood in the doorway.

Honda turned and gave the dark hallway a quick glance, confirming Seto's earlier assessment that they were on their own. "It's deserted. All the staff must be dealing with emergency patients and stuff."

//Like this isn't an emergency! I'm getting ripped in two here!//

"Alright, I'll go look around for someone to help," Joey assured already moving to door. He stopped in his tracks at Yami's pained shout, her entire body curling into itself this time.

"Damnit! Too late now. He's coming and I can't exactly hold him in," she muttered through clenched teeth, seriously wishing that she had accepted that injection thing earlier to take the edge off the pain. There was something about sticking a needle into her spine that bothered her enough to refuse it though.

"Alright," Seto said trying to take control. This was ridiculous! He could negotiate multi-million deals without ruffling a hair, face down a duelist four times his size and manage accounts whilst looking after Mokuba alone, but he could not do anything about a woman giving birth. "Does anyone know what to do? Has anybody taken a course or something?"

Tea rose a shaky hand and Yugi lifted his own slightly. "Tea and I got a few lessons about it after school but I don't really remember too much about it," he explained sheepishly.

"I've been brushing up over the last month or so because they re-opened the course so I have an idea of how to handle it," Tea spoke up a little more confidently.

Nodding in genuine appreciation at the pair, he lowered his face over Yami's and waited for her eyes to come back into focus before speaking. "Who would you feel more comfortable to have do this?" he asked with a softness that even surprised him.

//Do I actually look like I'm in a position to be picky?//

Tipping her head to stare up with crimson orbs at the more startling shade of purple in her Aibou's eyes, she gave the request relatively unspoken. "If it doesn't bother you," she said quietly, knowing that likely Yugi would be a bit squeamish but seriously preferring to have someone who was essentially herself helping her.

"Alright, Tea you help Yugi. Honda, Mai, go find some extra towels. They should be in here somewhere. Joey, I'd feed that fire so it doesn't die on us," he ordered, the others seemingly grateful to be given something to do.

Once those tasks had been accomplished, Seto took charge entirely and practically threw them out of the room, stating that Ryou was probably wandering around the hospital completely lost by now. It was too crowded in there and they needed the space to move. Now it was just the four of them and Yami didn't seem to be faring well.

"Yami are you pushing like I told you?" Tea asked from the bottom of the bed, looking up with concern to her.

"Yes. It' just too. Damn. Hard."

"Are you sure there isn't a problem?" Seto asked worry now extremely evident in his voice. The progression to this stage had been extremely quick but now the final part seemed to be taking forever.

"I don't know! I'm not a qualified midwife or anything," Tea replied in frustration. Setto was not helping right now and she was very close to telling him to leave but she knew what effect that would have on Yami so she chose to remain silent.

"Whoa! Tea, is there supposed to be blood?" Yugi asked in a quieter voice, Yami's keen hearing picking up on it right away.

//Aibou, you're scaring me.//

//I'm sorry Yami but this is all happening really fast.//

"A little is normal. Okay, you're just about crowning now so it should get easier in a bit," she assured, not glancing up this time as she knew that she needed to remain focussed.

Feeling immensely relieved at the prospect of the constant agony being over soon, Yami grit her teeth and dealt with the pain silently as her muscles clenched with little warning once again. A quiet curse from Tea had her worried again though; Tea rarely swore so colorfully.

//Aibou, what's happening?//

//Don't get scared, Yami.//

//Tell me why I might.//

"It's okay Yami, you're just breaching," Tea informed them, the information doing little to ease her mind. She looked up at Seto questioningly, her hand still clamped around his.

"He's upside down. It's alright it'll just be a bit harder."

//Great.//

//Stay calm Yami, you're doing beautifully.//

//I've got an entirely different perspective from here, Aibou. I suddenly love my mother a whole lot though.//

"Okay he's just about through. One more should do it," Tea announced, already pulling a towel closer to her with her single free hand.

Yami was sat up completely now, absently surprised that she wasn't breaking Seto's hand and absently surprised that she wasn't dead either. That last contraction hurt ten times more than the others but the wailing that started up a few seconds later shoved all that to the back of her mind instantly.

The parents could only stare dumbfounded at the bloody, squirming, noisy little thing that Yugi lifted up, wrapping it in a fluffy white towel with an absurd amount of care. Handing it to Seto, the shorter teen watched with unbridled glee as he watched him smile genuinely at the little life, all but cooing at it.

Yami watched the pair before frowning, another contraction rippling through her abdomen. "Tea? Why is that still happening? And do not tell me there's another baby in there."

Tea shook her head, averting her eyes from Seto briefly. "It's just the afterbirth. It shouldn't hurt anywhere near as much."

Nodding and seemingly satisfied, Yami looked up above her shoulder again and lifted her hands when Seto lowered the squirming bundle down to her. Marveling at the perfection there, she pulled back the towel and arched a slender brow in surprise. "He's a she," she stated flatly, mildly amused at this turn out.

Yugi frowned slightly. "That means Pegasus-"

"Is a lying bastard, yes I know," Yami replied with mirth, albeit tiredly.

"Well then, hello Kiara and welcome to the world," Tea said with a bright smile as she stood and came round to stand at Yami's shoulder, Seto and Yugi opposite her also beaming.

With chocolate brown hair and a curled golden fringe, Kiara was the prefect blend of her parents. The biggest surprise were her eyes; all baby's eyes were blue at birth, but Kiara's were a lively shade of violet, an exact duplicate of Yugi's. Seto believed that it was probably a throwback over the generations, Yami being Yugi's ancestor. Or a big universal joke.

"Yes, and I can assure you now that your life is going to be one of the most interesting experiences anyone will ever face," Yami murmured, already starting to feel exhaustion kicking in. When was the last time she'd slept?

"I'll take her. You should rest," Seto said already relieving Yami of his daughter's weight as he saw her eyelids dip dangerously. "And you can come with me and meet everyone."

Yami crinkled her nose at the display of affection, watching him walk towards the door holding the squirming bundle carefully. Pausing at the door, he seemed to pause in a moment of indecision before turning to face Tea and Yugi.

"Thank you, for what you've done," he said genuinely before stepping out entirely.

There was silence in the room until Yami barked a laugh, the pair turning to look at her fearing that something had gone in her head through all of that pain. "That just goes to show that even the best of us can eat our words," she explained simply.

"Yugi, why don't you go out and see the others whilst I help Yami," Tea suggested when the laughter had died down.

"Alright, I'll see you later Yami. If you need anything just call," he said in all seriousness. In Yami's eyes it was creepy when he was like that; she was so used to seeing him acting like a child. Being serious was her job.

"I'll be sure to do that. Just do me a favor and make sure Joey doesn't drop her. Or if Bakura's there he doesn't touch her at all."

*****

"Hey, shouldn't you be handing out cigars now?" Honda asked, shifting the light weight in his arms marginally as he looked up at Seto who was watching him like a hawk. The intensity in those eyes was actually quite scary.

The power had return a few minutes ago, the doctors slowly spreading to the other parts of the hospital as they left the emergency sections where they had been needed to keep the patients alive. Yami's doctor had yet to regain consciousness, something that Joey was still squirming uncomfortably about, but he had amended himself in finding a nurse the second the lights were back. Yami was asleep now, everyone in the waiting room cooing over the newest addition to the group.

"Well, due to the fact that none of you smoke I decided against that," Seto replied evenly.

"We could have sold them," Bakura grumbled from where Ryou had sat him, the only instruction he had been given being not to move from that chair. Well, he followed it for a whole ten minutes so he could start ignoring his Light half about now.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mai asked, a firm hand coming to his arm, one that was abruptly wrenched away at the contact.

He turned shadowed eyes onto her, glaring at her with a sneer. "I'm going to make sure the little pharaoh is still in one piece. Having that come out of someone can have its effects," he snarled at her with a motion to Kiara before stalking off down the corridor.

Yugi and Seto exchanged looks before they both began to follow only stopping when Ryou shouted out to them. "He won't do anything. I promise," he said softly, large brown eyes watching them certainly.

Seto's eyes turned into slits at him, not quite sure what to make of that. "And how can you be so sure? He isn't exactly the most trust-worthy creature, is he?"

Ryou barely faltered under that piercing stare. "I just know. Yami-Yugi's safe."

Seto remained unconvinced but Yugi had faith in the platinum haired boy. "Alright, but I'll wake her up so she knows he's coming."

Dipping into their link, Yugi was mildly surprised to find that Yami was already awake. Furthermore, she reached out to him before he could even form a sentence.

//Aibou, what the hell is Bakura doing here?//

//He just wanted to see you. Is he doing anything?//

//I don't know yet. I can just sense him, my eyes are still closed. I want to see what he does.//

//Alright, just be careful.//

//Always. Well, nearly always anyway.//

****

Bakura regarded the dozing woman silently in the dim light, sharp eyes picking up every stirring and motion that she made in sleep. Seeing her eyelids twitch he then knew for a fact that she was awake, obviously monitoring his movements mentally.

Striding to the side of the bed, he knelt down beside her ear and hissed in a low voice, "I know you're awake, little pharaoh."

Sighing mentally at the nickname she knew would stick forever, she snapped open crimson eyes to stare into his freezing blue ones. "Why did you come?"

Bakura tipped his head to the side slightly, his bangs shifting to the side as a result of the movement, drifting hypnotically over his eyes before settling. It seemed as if he wasn't quite sure why he had felt compelled to come in here himself. "Curiosity. I find it intriguing that you tolerated such a thing in your body for so long. My pathetic host and myself only found out yesterday so I wanted to see if to confirm it for myself as soon as possible."

"Well, now you know. And I found the experience most wondrous, aside from the last part, so you have no further need to be curious about my levels of tolerance," she replied firmly, eyes narrowing minutely to relay a hidden point in the later part of that speech.

The Tomb Raider seemed to get the hidden message and smiled cruelly. "What I do is of no concern of yours."

"Ryou isn't deserving of something like you," Yami muttered darkly.

Bakura seemed quite amused by that. "I tend to agree. Let us discuss being deserving, shall we? I'm also quite fascinated by this relationship that you and Kaiba are forming."

"Don't even start on that topic. That's our business and I don't want your opinion."

He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "In my opinion he had only stood by you because you are the mother of his child. I have a mild respect for his loyalty to others, mostly for that pipsqueak of a brother, and I believe that he has only remained with you because of loyalty to that child of his."

Leaning close to her face again now, he continued in smooth tones. "What makes you think that he won't take her from you? He could raise her so much better than you, being financially secure and all. He is not a creature of the dark either; he isn't evil. Maybe she would be safer with him, hmm?"

Yami knew that he was just trying to unsettle her, scare her. She knew what he was saying wasn't true but his manipulative words had already planted a seed of doubt. Not wanting to hear anything else that this atrocity had to say, she curled a hand above the sheets ready to strike him if need be. "Get out."

Expecting that and satisfied with what he'd accomplished, Bakura smirked slightly before raising to his full height, stalking back out of the room and closing the door behind him. He paused outside to allow himself a smile, one which he forced down so that it wouldn't been seen when he returned to the group of mortals he so thoroughly despised. At least that had been enjoyable.

****

Scrubbing a hand through her drying hair, Yami clenched her eyes shut against the haunting words that kept circling her head. //What if he's right? What will I do? No, he's a manipulative bastard who speaks nothing but lies and hurt. I shouldn't listed to anything he says. But still, there was a logic in his words./

Lifting the puzzle that was hanging about her neck slightly, she regarded it with contemplative eyes. //How dark am I? I tried to kill Seto once, Yugi barely stopping me. I scared him that time, I can still remember, but he trusts me now. I've changed. I'm not as cold as I was. But have I changed enough? Damnit Bakura!//

The door opened again, a strip of light casting over her face which she raised a hand against. Seto's form broke the beam until he shut the door again, stepping towards her with Kiara back in his arms. Sitting on the edge of the bed at her hip, he hand the now sleeping child to her, folding his hands in his lap as he watched them.

"What did Bakura have to say? I'd quite like an excuse to hit him."

Yami snorted a laugh before waving a single hand vaguely, not quite sure what to tell him. He rose a perfect brow at the motion, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"That bad? Don't worry about it; everything he says is to hurt or confuse. I wouldn't listen to him," he assured, reaching out a large hand and running his fingers along the crop of dark hair on Kiara's head.

Still staring at the child sleeping soundly in the crook of her arm, Yami voice her concerns in a voice that was very unlike her usual strong tones. "Are you going to take her away from me?"

His eyes widened at that, genuine shock registering on his face before anger set in. "Why in the hell would I do that? I can't believe you'd even think that. Is that the idea that Bakura stuck in your head? Right, that's an excellent excuse for me to tear his head off," he growled before standing and heading towards the door.

The rational part of his mind kicked in when he reached it though, his hand still on the cool handle as he turned his head to look at her. Yami remained still although silent, silvery tears were leaking down her cheeks. Him getting angry wasn't going to be helping that.

Trying to quell the urge to run out and grind the tomb raider into a fine powder, Seto returned to the bed and placed an arm around her shoulders, noting that her pride was still intact because she instantly brought a hand up to wipe away evidence of her misery. "Why do you think that?" he asked as calmly as he could manage.

"I don't think I deserve her. I'm evil, I tried to kill you before, she isn't -"

"Like hell you don't deserve her," Seto interrupted sharply not wanting her to continue this senseless, self-loathing crap. "You're not evil; you are what you chose to be. You chose to be a guardian and I've seen how well you look after Yugi. You love him just as much as you'll love Kiara and that makes you deserving. Yami, people have children who most certainly don't deserve them, and hundreds who do deserve them can't. I know more than most what an undeserving parent can do to a child and I have absolute faith in you that you will protect her from harm. Now stop thinking all that crap before I'm forced to hit you."

Yami turned damp but amused eyes up to him, relief evident on her face. "Just you try; I'd kick you to the Great Temples and back. Besides you wouldn't hit me. Not whilst I'm a girl anyway."

Seto smiled at that, pleased that they were falling into the old routine. Nuzzling his head into her hair, he moved his other hand to her arm, sitting almost completely behind her now. "Well you just wait. When you're up for it I'll give you exactly what you deserve."

"I bet you will."

TBC

(Blinks. Re-checks and blinks again.) Wow. This fic is nearly 70 pages long now. That's the longest fiction I have to my name. Scary. And another 'wow' goes to my reviews. I think I'm going to stick around in this fandom for a while longer!

Yaio next chapter and it's pretty much fluff and comedy as it's too hot right now to write anything serious.

Hope you've enjoyed all of this so far. Leave me a review and let me know.