Hey guys...me again...I'm glad everyone is liking the story so far .I'm happy with the way its going too but I must tell you all that this chapter is not as good as the others. (I'm having some MAJOR writer's block and finding it hard to get things to connect the way I want them to.) Hopefully I will recover and be back into my creative streak as I did before. Please read & review to let me know what you think about this chapter.
Special Shout Outs:

Lady Sephrioth- I just wanted to go out of my way to thank you for all your supportive reviews. I'm glad you liked my other story as well. (I read that lovely review you wrote...::laughs slightly::) If you want, when 'The Fall of Seto Kaiba' is complete, I can help you write one of your stories...only if you would want me to and are willing to accept me as a co-author...(if you think I'm good enough...::laughs slightly::....)

Anyways, ENJOY!

Disclaimer: (you know the drill)
Chapter Seven: Dust to Dust

"Sydney?" A voice whispered softly.

She turned her head slightly and looked at the figure that was clutched to her arm. The boy was in tears, his hair combed neatly and his suit fixed perfectly. Sydney raised a hand and gingerly touched his shoulder, trying to bring some sort of comfort to his current emotional breakdown. She knew how he felt. They had been standing in the rain, as Kaiba's funeral ceremony honored him. A casket stood before them on the ground, flowers lying across the cover. There had been no body so this was the closest they could do to still give him a proper farewell. Mokuba's body began to shake and Sydney raised her other arm, drawing the child against her as the priest continued his speech on the mysterious man known as Seto Kaiba.

"All those who have known Mr. Kaiba, know that he is not particularly an affectionate man. He was successful, will-powered and did what it took to keep Kaiba Corp from meeting its end. Most would think him as cold, heartless, and arrogant, but those who truly know him, deal him as the opposite."

Sydney raised her gaze and looked around at the crowd surrounding the ceremony. They had all been invited. She had arranged for everyone in Domino City to be given an invitation to the ceremony but as she had expected, only about sixty people had actually arrived. Most of his fellow students attended earlier but had left, realizing they had no reason or right to attend such an occasion of a person who took no consideration to their existence. Sydney scoffed at the idea.

'They don't even know him...'

"You will be greatly missed," The priest had been going on with his speech,"May you rest in peace, Seto Kaiba."

***********************

"Are you ready to go, Mokuba?" Sydney asked the dark haired boy as he continued to stare down at his brother's tombstone. Etched across the granite was Kaiba's name and the words, 'Former CEO of Kaiba Corp and beloved brother' underneath.

Mokuba remained silent as he stared down at the rock, still trying to process the whole idea of Kaiba not being along side him. Sydney watched the boy and slowly approached him, staring downward at the rock and kneeling in front of the tombstone.

"Seto," She whispered as Mokuba watched her,"You'd think people wouldn't care wouldn't you? Many people came today, if only you were here to see. People care about you..."

"Hey guys," Joey's voice cut into their mourning,"How are ya holding up?"

Sydney looked over her shoulder to see Yugi and his whole group of friends, walking towards them. They had attended the ceremony and had each said a word of departure to the casket. Sydney forced a small smile and slowly rose off of the ground.

"We're trying..." She replied as she slowly walked toward them, stopping to rest a hand on Mokuba's shoulder as he continued to stare at the stone,"We've learned to deal with it."

"Your brother was a great man," Yugi spoke as he looked at Mokuba's back,"He was a great duelist."

Joey, not wanting to admit it but did so out of respect,"He was a better duelist than I would ever be."

Tea smiled warmly at Sydney and took her hand suddenly,"I'm really sorry, Sydney. I heard a couple days ago that you and Kaiba...well...."

Sydney's brow raised suddenly,"What?"

"You know....were...involved..." Tea trailed out,"He must have really cared about you to leave everything to you."

Sydney didn't feel like arguing with her,"I wouldn't call us 'involved' but-"

Mokuba turned to her suddenly, tugging on her arm,"You were! Sydney, just stop denying it! He loved you!"

The sudden outburst caught all of them by surprise. After being silent and unmoving, Mokuba had suddenly exploded into the conversation. Syndey looked at the ground and removed her arm from his grasp and moved her hand away from Tea,"Excuse me, I'm going to leave now. Mokuba, I'll be in the car."

Without another word, she walked away from them, not bothering to look back at them. They all looked at her strangely but didn't make a move to stop her. She raised a hand and gripped her shirt tightly, trying to fight back the tears until she arrived at the car. Once she reached the lot and flung the door open, she sat in the seat and closed the door, bursting into tears. She knew he loved her-she knew, but how can she just act like she didn't care?

'Because that's what Seto wanted....'

He wanted her to be strong. She had to, for now she had Mokuba and a company to take care of. She couldn't spend all her time mourning his death- she just couldn't. She also had a board full of officials to worry about. She didn't know if she'd be the next target. So she always had to be prepared for anything, but at this moment it didn't matter. She cried, and cried, letting out all the pain she had held in the past couple days. She was tired of holding her feelings in anymore.

"I loved you!" She suddenly yelled,"You stupid bastard! I loved you and you had to die! Why, why, why, why?!!!!"

She let her head fall against the steering wheel and let out a deep sigh as she let the new flow of tears make their way down her damp cheeks. She wanted him alive again, she wanted things the way they used to be, even if it meant him keeping his feelings a secret. If it brought him back, she didn't care what it took.

"What's wrong with Sydney?" Joey asked Mokuba curiously,"It's like she's turnin' into Kaiba or somethin'."

Mokuba didn't know how to reply. Joey scratched his head and suddenly felt a hard nudge in his side. He yelped and realized Tea had elbowed him. She glared at him for saying such a thing and smiled warmly at Mokuba the best she could.

"They were involved weren't they?"

Mokuba nodded,"My brother...they found a tape..."

"A tape?" Yugi asked.

"He made a tape before he...before he...." Mokuba paused than spoke again,"He told her everything, telling her how he felt and how he wished he had told her that morning... I know he loved her...I knew it the moment he let her start babysitting me.."

Tristan raised his brow,"Kaiba? In love? Is anyone else confused?"

"I have to agree with Tristan," Yugi spoke up,"It's not like Kaiba to really care about someone else besides you, Mokuba."

Mokuba looked at the group,"But he did....I know he did...."

**************************

"Yugi," Yami spoke through his connection,"An evil force is behind this."

Yugi was walking along with the rest of the group to the game shop after the funeral ceremony had ended. Tea walked beside him, paying attention to the fight going on between Joey and Tristan over who would win in a duel against one another. Yugi didn't pay attention. He seemed to walk distractedly, aimlessly shuffling his feet as the rest of the group continued their conversation without him.

"An evil force?" Yugi had answered the pharoah,"What do you mean an evil force?"

His mind suddenly flooded and he found himself in his soul room again, Yami standing before him wearing a serious expression and his hands buried deep into his pockets.

"I sensed it at the funeral," Yami told him as he took a step closer to Yugi, "Whoever was after Kaiba is still out there."

Yugi's face soon turned into a worried expression,"Why would anyone want to go after Kaiba? It doesn't make sense."

Yami slowly removed his hands from his pockets and crossed them in front of him,"Kaiba was indeed a strong man but he's no match for such an evil force. He's easy prey to the likes of evil whose determined to achieve his deck."

"Prey?"

Yami nodded,"I have sensed this force before. I'm sure it is as old as I am, dating back as far as when I myself, was a pharoah, but it has been so long and I cannot remember the person behind it."

Yugi looked at Yami and took another step toward him,"We have to stop it! It got to Kaiba and it might get to us! And they'll try to take the Millenium Puzzle!"

Yami nodded,"I agree."

Yugi realized he had kept his fists balled the entire time and slowly released the pressure on his palm. He suddenly realized the seriousness to the situation and found himself beginning to feel remorse. He let his head hang down slightly as a single tear slid down the contour of his cheek, splashing onto the darkened floor of the soul room. Yami suddenly noticed his change in mood and raised his brow.

"Yugi?"

"I may have not liked Kaiba very much," He suddenly told him,"but he didn't deserve to die. And Sydney...she's changing.....into...."

Yami kept his arms crossed,"Do not mourn, Yugi. Kaiba is still alive."

Yugi's head shot up,"He's alive? But...how do you know?!"

"I.....am not sure... I just know he is still alive. Where he is or how he managed to stay alive is beyond my knowledge, but he is indeed, very much alive."

Yugi's face brightened,"We have to tell Sydney! She has to know!"

"No, Yugi...wait!"

Yugi had already disappeared from the soulroom, leaving Yami to sweatdrop and rub the back of his neck quizzically. He just stood alone in the space, looking rather....confused.


"Yuug?"

Joey leaned into Yugi as he just stood gazing into space. He had stopped walking awhile ago after Tristan and Tea had decided to head home instead of the gameshop and Joey had tried talking to him but achieved nothing. Joey continued to wave a hand in front of the unmoved figure and leaned farther into him, trying to figure out why he had become so quiet all of a sudden.

Yugi snapped back into himself and raised a hand to the back of his neck,"Hey there, Joey, what's up?"

Joey fell over,"What just happen'd?! You've been standin' dere for ten minutes and didn't say a word!"

Yugi sweatdropped,"It's nothing....I was just....thinking that's all."

Joey dusted his suit jacket off,"Thinkin' bout what, Yuug?"

"What happened to Kaiba," Yugi responded as they began to walk again,"It doesn't make sense."

Joey nodded slightly,"I hated the guy but I didn't want him ta die! Whoever did it must have really hated him."

"Or wanted something from him."

Joey looked at Yugi suspiciously. He knew him well enough to know that there was a plan stirring in that mind of his. He had been in a daze for awhile now and Joey knew for a fact that he was thinking about something more than just Kaiba's death.

"Hey Joey?"

"Yah?"

"Let's head to the Kaiba Mansion."

"Huh?!!!" Joey exclaimed as he stopped walking,"Why?"

"I want to talk to Sydney," Yugi explained,"It's important. If you don't wanna come along-"

Yugi looked to see that Joey was already half way down the street, waving his arms for him to walk faster.

Yugi sweatdropped.

'He acts like we don't know he's got a crush on her.' Yugi thought to himself, 'Someone should really tell him.'

****************************

"She's not here."

"What do you mean she's not here? Is she at Kaiba Corp?"

Mokuba shook his head and leaned against the door,"She dropped me off after the funeral and than left. She didn't tell me where she was going or anything. I'm not sure why but I think she's just upset about my brother."

"Oh okay," Yugi replied disappointed.

"When do ya think she'll be back, Mokuba?" Joey asked the dark haired boy.

The boy shrugged,"I don't know. I hope soon though, I don't like being alone."

Joey raised a hand to his chin,"Well, I guess we can go lookin' for her but that could take the rest of the day."

"Why are you all standing outside my front door?"

The three shifted their eyes to see a very distraught Sydney, standing with her hands in her coat and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Mokuba suddenly flashed a smile and ran past the other two, encasing Sydney in a very tight and suffocating hug. Sydney placed a hand atop his shoulder and continued to glare at the other two visitors.

"Yugi wanted to talk to you Sydney," Joey told her as he tried to smile the best smile he could.

Sydney's eyes cast a look at Yugi,"What do you want."

Yugi was taken back by the tone but continued anyway,"I want to talk to you about Kaiba."

Joey could tell by her expression that Yugi had brought up the wrong subject. Mokuba held an equally unpleasant expression but let his face continue to be buried in the warmth of Sydney's dark blue coat. She slowly removed Mokuba from her and placed one hand on her hip, eyeing Yugi curiously.

"Why should I talk to you about Kaiba?" She pondered,"You hated him, didn't you? What more could you possibly want to talk about?"

Yugi took a step toward her,"I didn't hate Kaiba. I hated WHAT Kaiba was turning into."

"Turning into?" Sydney asked enraged,"He wasn't turning into anything! I can't believe you would show up here to insult him. He's dead, Yugi. You should be happy and just go on with your life."

Joey was in shock and at loss for words. He couldn't believe the change that had suddenly taken place in her attitude. The longer and more time she spent being around Kaiba's place and company, the harder her personality became. Yugi was unaffected by her statement and simply sighed, turning away from her and beginning to head back down the walk way.

"I see," Yugi replied,"I will see you around than Sydney. Come on, Joey."

"Yuug," Joey countered,"Don't let her talk to you like that."

Sydney was beginning to find Joey's alliance to Yugi annoying,"Yugi can handle things himself, Joey. He doesn't need a lap dog like you to do things for him."

Joey growled angrily,"Take that back."

"Sydney."

Sydney looked down at Mokuba to find the child cowering away from her. She raised her brow slightly and was beginning to realize what was happening to her.

'I'm actually TURNING into Kaiba.'

She sighed,"Look, I appreciate both of you for attending the funeral, but I cannot talk about Kaiba anymore. He's been the only thing I've been able to think about for the past couple weeks. I cannot go on if I don't try and deal with this and just talking about him will not help my situation."

Yugi paused his advance to the entrance of the yard and turned back slightly,"Being with friends is the only way to deal with pain."

Joey nodded in agreement,"Yuug's right, Sydney. If you want to get through this than you should listen to Yugi and not push him away."

Sydney was defeated,"Fine. Follow me."

************************

"Is this some sort of joke?"

"I am not joking," Yugi pleaded with her,"I know it sounds crazy but I just know."

Sydney looked at him in disbelief and than slightly began to laugh,"Yugi, if this is some sick twisted way of trying to make things better for me-"

Yugi decided it was time to let his Yami take over. Sydney continued to talk about why she couldn't believe him as Yugi decided to let Yami talk to her instead. He was the one who knew for sure anyway, it made sense to let him explain it to her. He placed his hands atop the Millenium Puzzle and let Yami slowly shift into him and take over the conversation.

"I can't believe I actually listened to Joey and agreed to talk with you," Sydney continued shaking her head slightly,"This is a waste of my time."

"Listen Sydney," Yami spoke,"You say you know Kaiba well, than you would know in your heart that he is indeed alive."

She shook her head, trying to shield her feelings,"No..."

Yami became more persistent,"Kaiba is not one to die so easily. He would fight for those he cares for. He would find a way back to you...."

"How do you know?"

Yami studied her expression,"Because I know."

Sydney scoffed in a sarcastic tone,"Oh, now I COMPLETELY believe you."

Yami couldn't help but smirk,"You are alot like him."

"Shut up."

"I've noticed that you have taken full responsibility for all his things, and in turn have acquired his arrogant attitude."

Sydney became angry,"Arrogant?! Seto was NOT arrogant!"

Yami's smirk deepened,"Than you DO know that he is alive."

She blinked,"I do?"

"You just told me that you believe he was not arrogant," Yami elaburated,"Thus, you know he wouldn't let himself be subjected to be murdered or even held hostage."

Sydney remained silent.

'Could he really be alive?'She asked herself.'But...'

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably and lifted a hand to push a stray strand of hair from her face. She looked at Yugi as he studied her. He sat confidently, a pose she thought she'd never see on him. She suddenly sighed loudly and decided it was time she did more than just do what Seto asked her to.

"Yugi?"

"Yes?" He replied.

"Help me find him."