The next day after school Yugi raced home. Thoroughly exhausted after the day and the run, he plopped down on his desk chair and pulled out his schoolbooks. Once all three books he needed were before him, he stared at them blankly. He sighed and picked up a piece of paper, intending to start writing an essay. He noticed, slightly annoyed, that the paper wasn't lined. Still, his hand holding the pencil drifted to the page and began to draw. He worked furiously for a half hour, drawing, erasing and drawing again. After he was satisfied, he worked for another quarter hour coloring it in, shading it properly. When he was finally finished he taped it up against his desk and with a sigh started his homework.
What is this?
Yugi jumped and turned around. "Yami! I didn't hear you come in!"
I know... He looked at the picture closely. "I ask again: What is this?"
Yugi looked at it again, as though with new eyes. "I don't know... I practically don't remember drawing it!"
Yami surveyed the picture again. "It is good though, his black cloak wraps around him well– and the helmet is an interesting touch. It reminds me of the Blue-Eyes, with a couple other dragon type monsters thrown in."
Yugi looked up from his books, his proud smile quickly replaced by a mix of horror and realization. "Did you say dragon-type?"
"Yes, why?"
"That must be the Dragonkeeper!"
"But how do you know what he looks like?"
"I don't know– but I don't. His helmet hides his face."
"True..." Yami's gaze fixed on a round crystal hanging around the Dragonkeeper's neck by a silver chain. "I only have one more question. What is that?" His finger pointed shakily at the crystal and Yugi stared at it. He had never heard Yami use that tone before... and it scared him.
"I don't know... it just sort of drew itself there."
"If that is what I think it is," he whispered, "then things are much more serious than we thought." Yugi stared at the picture in horror. "What do you think it is?" he whispered back.
"I think... that crystal is the Formless Reality Crystal of Suez."
"The Formless Reality Crystal? What's that?"
"When it chooses a duelist slave, it takes that person's favorite type and makes them real in duels. If the Dragonkeeper does have the Formless Reality Crystal of Suez... then best-case he might kill someone he duels..." Yami trailed off into silence.
"Wait, 'best-case'? What's worst-case?"
"Worst-case... the dragons resist his orders and wreak havoc on the world. The Crystal of Suez holds an ancient spirit bent on destruction. I don't know a lot about it, it was before my time."
The two fell into deep silence for long minutes. Finally Yugi spoke up. "We really need to find out what happened to Rian. If it turns out we're wrong and Rian's safe, then the Dragonkeeper is someone we don't know."
"True. But for now, you really need to finish your schoolwork..." Yami pointed at the books still on the desk. "I guess I'll leave you to it." He left the room, Yugi turning back to the books with an annoyed sigh.
Over the next week Yugi asked everyone he knew about Rian, but no one could tell him anything. He finally decided to visit Rian's house and ask Rian's parents what they knew. If there was anyone who could give him some clues about Rian's whereabouts, surely it would be them?
Mokuba had decided to accompany him, and when they got to the house and rang the doorbell, Mokuba fidgeted while they waited.
"What if they don't know anything either?"
"It'll be fine, Mokuba. Trust me."
At that moment the door creaked open a crack. "Hello?" came a whisper.
Yugi leaned in close to the door to answer. "Good evening. I'm Yugi Moto– I go to your son's school. Could I talk to you for a little while?" The person behind the door nodded stiffly and opened the door the rest of the way. The two boys entered, looking around in curiosity.
The person outside was now revealed to be a bent, gnarled old man. "What do you need to know? I assume you want to know where Rian is. Am I right?" Yugi stared in shock. "Y-yes," he spluttered.
"Well... I don't know what I can tell you," Yugi sighed. "But I can show you something you might find interesting, I don't know."
Yugi and Mokuba both nodded and the old man led them back to what appeared to be the door of a bedroom. "This used to be Rian's room. But he hasn't been back home for about a month!"
Yugi stopped dead and looked at the man, violet eyes wide. "You mean, you don't know where he is? He isn't in an exchange program or anything?" The man shook his head. "No. He disappeared one night. My wife and I had raced to his door when we heard him scream, but the door was locked. By the time we got the door open, the window was smashed and he was gone, along with his dueling disk and his deck."
"Huh."
"What is it Yugi?" Mokuba asked.
"That's interesting. Would you mind if we took a look around?"
"Go ahead." The man opened the door and left.
When the two boys entered the room, they found it in a state of chaos. It almost looked like Rian had been fighting with someone in the room before he left. The desk was knocked over, a lamp was broken, small crashed objects were strewn everywhere. The most common thing they discovered, however, was drawings. Some were normal– as far as them being depictions of Duel Monsters. Some weren't. For instance, one picture depicted Seto Kaiba in the foreground standing in front of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon with a smug look. Others depicted the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon demolishing other monsters, most commonly Egyptian God cards. However, Yugi had picked up a potentially particularly disturbing picture when Mokuba interrupted him. "Look," he whispered, handing Yugi a picture. Yugi eyed it for only a moment before nearly dropping it. It was a red-haired boy holding a gun on Seto Kaiba, who was holding what appeared to be a noose. "And look at this..." Mokuba whispered after a moment, handing Yugi a framed picture –whose glass cover had been cracked– of Rian holding up his deck and duel disk in triumph, a Duel Monsters Tournament Finals poster behind him.
Rian, Yugi noticed, had red hair.
With a grim smile and a comforting hug for Mokuba he looked again at the picture he had just picked up. It was yet another drawing, this time of Rian holding in his right hand a blueprint of some sort of elaborate helmet, a black cloak pinned at his neck and flaring out around his legs. Yugi painfully recognized it as the cloak he had drawn on the Dragonkeeper; it had a silver pin on the lapel in the shape of a claw. The other hand was raised triumphantly over his head, a duel disk strapped to his arm and holding his deck. In his hand was the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon card, and the way his arm was held Yugi could see that his only monster 'on the field' was the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Most disturbing, however, was the round crystal hanging around Rian's neck by a silver chain.
That night Mokuba had to return to KaibaCORP, so Yugi trudged home carrying a small stack of pictures. When he finally trudged through the door of the Game Shop he looked around dully. He noticed Yami was cleaning up so he switched the OPEN sign to CLOSED. He trudged upstairs calling out, "Grampa?! Grampa!" A quiet shout drifted up to him.
"He's at a convention, remember?!"
Yugi leaned over the railing to look down at Yami. "Oh yeah," he giggled. "I forgot." He started to turn away, but then whisked back to the edge. "When you're finished I have some things to show you. Yami looked up, confusion thick in their link.
Really?
I think you'll find it interesting. If not scary.
I don't like the sound of that...
No, you prob'ly won't.
Yami felt Yugi's grim apprehension roll down the link in a wave. Yami shuddered at the feeling. The few times he had felt such a feeling from Yugi the results had not been pretty. Yami sighed and finished closing up before heading upstairs.
When he got to Yugi's bedroom he entered quietly. Yugi was nearly falling asleep as he sat on his bed, the pictures he had taken from Rian's room spread over the bed before him. Yami sat down beside him, putting one arm halfway around him and rubbing his back with a soothing, comforting hand. Yugi sighed in relief.
They sat this way for a while. Without warning to Yugi Yami's movements became jerky and stilted as he realized what some of the drawings meant, namely the connection between the picture of Rian at the tournament and the drawing of Rian threatening Kaiba. When Yami looked out the window across the room Yugi sighed.
There's one more... he began quietly.
Yami swallowed and nodded, signaling to show him. Yugi pulled out the drawing of Rian with the cloak, the duel disk, the two cards and the crystal. Yami looked over it numbly. He did not notice the crystal at first.
Huh.
Did you see...? Yugi asked, confused. He had expected more of a reaction than that.
What? Yugi pointed at the crystal.
Yami's breath caught in his throat. He made a bizarre noise, like a cross between a growl, a gasp and a whine. Yugi quivered at the strange noise he made as Yami began to shake.
No-no-no-no-no-no-no- Yami whispered repeatedly into the link. As it reached the force of a mantra Yugi shook him.
Yami, what is it? Tell me! Yugi looked up into scarlet eyes and tried to draw the taller one's gaze as his concern and love filled his own scarlet ones. Yami dropped the drawing and numbly shuffled through the first stack of drawings, taking the picture at the tournament.
Look, he whispered. He pointed at the eyes of each Rian with trembling fingers. Yugi looked down reluctantly, hesitantly breaking his attempted gaze. He studied the two pictures, finally guessing that what had Yami all worked up was that in the picture Rian's eyes were the same sapphire color as his beloved dragons. But in the drawing... in the drawing they were black, faintly tinted with blue. They were also about twice the size in the drawing than in the picture.
The color– and the size– there's something important about that... I know there is. But I can't remember!
Yami's fear seemed like a dark shroud wrapped around their link.
It means that he is being possessed by the crystal's spirit, confirming without a doubt that the crystal he bears is the Formless Reality Crystal of Suez. You might recall that when Marik possessed Joey, Joey's eyes were large and solid gold in color. Very different than normal, wouldn't you say? Yugi... this is a problem. If you look very closely at the crystal, you will see reflected in its surface Rian's face. It is Rian– and he's not sad or angry at what's going on. He's smiling. Yugi examined the drawing as Yami spoke. He is doing this. Even if it didn't start that way, he is cooperating now. This will make the eradication of the spirit and the crystal very, very difficult.
Yugi swallowed.
Yugi... I don't know what we can do for him.
Yugi looked up at Yami in horror. Crimson and amethyst eyes locked together as Yami let out his held breath in a light hiss.
I don't know if we can even get rid of the Dragonkeeper without getting rid of Rian as well. Rian may be doomed. He paused. If he's not already lost to us.
Their gaze still locked, one pair of amethyst eyes widened.
The next few days passed in a blur, the fateful day of the duel finally approaching. Yugi left the house in the morning after a brief conversation with his grandfather. Yami still had no idea what they could do for Rian, so they left the house armed only with truth and Yugi's deck. As Yugi walked down the street approaching Joey's house, his thoughts drifted to the morning's conversation.
"Yugi," his grandfather said, "Next week I'll be flying out to Egypt, in the Suez region. Would you like to come along?" Yugi had been deep in thought, and merely replied, "Sure. When is it again?" The man nodded his head in gratitude and answered, "Next week. We'll be gone for four days." "'Kay," Yugi had mumbled as he trudged out the door, hoping to meet up with Joey on the way to school.
Just as he started up the front walk to Joey's house he heard shouting from inside. He couldn't quite hear or understand, but in seconds Joey came pelting out the door and down the walk like a bat out of hell. As Joey breezed past him Yugi cleared his throat. Joey saw him and whipped back to look at the door. Something he saw apparently bothered him cuz he grabbed Yugi by the scruff of the neck and yanked him around the hedge of his neighbor's yard. Yugi gasped for breath as what sounded like glass smashed into the sidewalk where he'd been standing like a bombshell. "What was that?!" he breathed. Joey chuckled nervously and said, "Nuthin'. C'mon," and began to walk to school. Yugi shrugged and tore after him, practically needing two steps to match Joey's one. "So how've things been in your world Yug'?" Yugi sighed, making a split second decision not to bring Joey into this Dragonkeeper business. "Oh, nothing much..." he mumbled. "You?" Joey looked back for a moment in the direction of his house before saying, "Nuthin', really."
By the time they got to school Yugi was really getting nervous about the duel that afternoon. But he supposed that it would be all right and that he and Yami would get by just like they always did. Yugi's classes that day seemed to crawl by at a pace never before imagined. Each of his classes seemed more boring than ever. Lunch was a blur, and the last classes of the day were a slog. Finally afternoon came and he raced out to the back lot behind Room 23. As he ran he hurriedly strapped on the duel disk he still retained, pulling out his deck from the pouch on his belt and holding it in one hand. As he ran Yami took control, his stride lengthening as he approached the lot. When he arrived at the gate, he found a cloaked figure sitting on the top of the fence, his face hidden by a long helmet, identical to the one Yugi had drawn unknowingly and the blueprint the drawn Rian had held. He was wrapped in the black cloak, and from around his neck a bright light filtered through the dark folds of cloth.
"Dragonkeeper!" Yami called in frustration.
"Ah, Yugi. So glad you could make it." Mentally Yugi took a figurative step back. Rian's voice had deepened drastically, to the point that it was a haggard gravelly rumble. The once kind and energetic vocals were now laced with long festering hatred. He jumped down before the gate, not more than three yards from Yami. Now Yami could see that the once healthy young man was gaunt and thin, his back bent like a willow branch. To the untrained eye it merely seemed he had bad posture– but to Yami he clearly could see that the Formless Reality Crystal was weighing him down.
The Dragonkeeper spoke, taunting Yami as he checked his watch. "You're late Yugi. I would have expected you to be on time. Punctuality is the mark of professionalism after all. How can one become King of Games with such bad timing? I would think that the great rival of Seto Kaiba could be courteous enough to be on time..." Yami cut him off then, accusing him. "You killed Kaiba, didn't you?" The Dragonkeeper stopped talking, pausing for a long second before sighing. "Yes, I did. What is it to you? You hated him, and he hated you." Yami shook with rage, now voicing Yugi's protests. "We may have disliked each other but that doesn't take highest priority! What about Mokuba? Did you think what would happen to him?" The Dragonkeeper took a step forwards threateningly. Even though his face was hidden Yami could tell he was glaring daggers at them.
"A thirteen year old boy holds no concern for me!" He snapped.
"He should! Kaiba was everything to Mokuba, and you took that away from him! How could you?"
The cloaked man snorted.
Yugi then played a card that not one of them expected. "Rian, how could you?" he said quietly. Rian went silent. A moment passed between them, Yami and Yugi waiting for his response barely patiently, and Rian dead silent. After what seemed a quarter of an hour he growled. Without warning Rian's head snapped back, his eyes wide, filled with an emotion neither of the two could name. He roared, and on the side of his neck a black X began to burn in his skin, spreading to form two parallel bands that wrapped around Rian's neck. The next time he spoke, his voice was even darker than before, something Yugi had not really thought possible.
"Yugi, you've reminded me of something I must attend to." He growled in impatience. "In four weeks time we will meet here again– and if you don't there will be severe consequences." To Yugi's surprise the Dragonkeeper picked up his deck, sifting through it until he found a particular card. When he found it he held it on top of the deck and with one hand took off the crystal. Yami and Yugi watched in helpless silence as he raised the crystal overhead before bringing it down on the top card with a earthshaking crash. A cloud of dust exploded, and when it cleared and the two could see, the Dragonkeeper was sitting astride a dragon, one Yugi recognized from the cards. "A Koumori Dragon," he whispered in awe. The Dragonkeeper kicked it into flight, calling back to Yugi, "FOUR WEEKS! THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE!" The flapping wings kicked up more dust, stinging in Yugi's eyes until it settled again. When it did, all signs of the Dragonkeeper and his living, breathing Koumori Dragon were gone.
Yugi almost decided to bail on the trip to Egypt, but his grandfather and Yami coaxed him into it. A week after the almost-duel with Rian he and his grandfather were in a plane to the Suez region. The flight was uneventful– other than Yami whispering into Yugi's mind ear that he could not believe that he was actually thousands of feet above water and land, his people would never have attempted to build something as ridiculous as a giant metal bird, etc. Yugi finally tuned him out, yet again sifting through his deck aimlessly.
The second day of the trip Yugi decided to go walking by himself along the streets of Suez city. He was on the outskirts when he heard a rough voice shouting in Japanese. He didn't hear or understand much of it, but he did get: "Please, Help me! I'm trapped– please help!" As Yugi raced off after the owner of the voice Yami sighed. Leave it to Yugi to worry about some stranger...
Finally Yugi reached a locked door behind which sounded to be the source of the cries. As he fished for a knife or a pin to pick the lock he heard the cries fade before finally giving out. At this point Yugi shoved a bobby pin into the lock as he shouted through the door: "Just a moment, I'm coming to help! Just hold on!" He rammed the pin into the lock repeatedly until he heard the comforting sound of tumblers falling into place. He turned the knob and entered the building, at first seeing only a torch on the wall shedding greasy light into the small room. There appeared to be no other doors and a window only open wide enough for a tiny amount of air to come through. Yugi had scanned the room before spying a lanky brunette lying on the floor unconscious. Yugi rushed over to him and picked him up, and at the movement the man woke, opening his eyes groggily.
When he did, Yugi's breath caught in his throat.
A moment that lasted an eternity. Later Yugi would decide that was the best way to describe the feeling he had when he looked into the man's eyes. They were ice blue, and Yugi immediately thought of the White Dragon Duel Monsters cards. The thought scared him– in the sense that he knew Kaiba was dead. He knew it. There was no way it could be otherwise. The investigators had found the body, hadn't they? Mokuba had said it himself, he was gone. So what were the chances Yugi would free a man that looked almost exactly like him? Yugi dragged his gaze from the man's eyes after a while to take in his condition, and he gasped. At the same time the annoyingly reasonable part of his brain was saying: You wouldn't even be able to tell if it wasn't Kaiba, the condition he's in.
He surveyed the older man, his amethyst eyes taking in recent cuts and swelling bruises. The man's face could hardly be identified, masked as it was by dried blood and bruises. The man's hair was a brown mass, yet giving hints that it had once been very well-groomed. His sapphire eyes were dull and held a seemingly permanent pained expression. His face, other than the cuts and bruises, was thin and pale. The sides of his hands were raw and bleeding from pounding on the door, and rope burns and indentations were around his wrist. His silk clothes were torn and ripped, and stained with blood and dirt. Yugi realized that it couldn't be Kaiba, as the Duel Monsters card designed locket Kaiba wore around his neck wasn't around this man's neck. Yugi's thoughts were halted however, when he noticed that the man's breathing was hard and labored, and at odd moments he gasped for breath –or in pain, Yugi wasn't sure.
"It's okay," he murmured, "I want to help. You'll be okay."
Yugi tried to pull him to his feet and he almost immediately fell back down again. Three tries and he was standing, but he was bowed over as if his back was hurting him. Yugi tried to get him to walk out into the afternoon sun so he could see him more clearly. The man walked slowly, and limped badly, making Yugi think his leg had been broken. As he walked one hand was clutched to his side, and it worried the shorter man. It took the better part of an hour to get the man to the hotel, mainly because of numerous stops they made to rest. When they finally did get back, Yugi laid the man down on a bed and ran to fetch a first-aid kit. Surprisingly, Yami had said nothing from the time that Yugi had picked the lock till reaching the hotel.
How do you know the man isn't faking it? He could be waiting to rob us blind when our back is turned.
You know what your problem is? Yugi snapped bitterly. You don't trust people.
If Yugi had truly been himself, he would have noticed that he had really hurt Yami. Yami retreated into the depths of the puzzle, a look of hurt on his ghostly face that Yugi should have been able to feel. All the same, Yugi ignored the scarlet-eyed spirit as he dealt with the less complicated wounds. He decided to call the man Seleman, at least until the man was slightly more conscious and could tell him more. He murmured soothing words to Seleman as he cleaned the cuts with antiseptics and applied ice to the worst bruises. He must really be out of it, he thought, as Seleman didn't even flinch as he applied the stinging liquids. Yugi surveyed the man again, noticing happily that the cuts were rapidly healing and the worst swelling was going down. That still left the issue of his leg and his side, which the man still had one hand clutched against. He wasn't really sure what to do, he didn't know where the hospital was.
At that moment his grandfather came into the hotel room, calling out "Yugi? You here?"
"In the bedroom!"
Within a moment the senior Moto was in the room, asking Yugi, "How was your– Yaah!" Yugi turned to look at his grandfather. "He was locked in a building in town. I got him out and fixed him up a bit, but there's something wrong with his leg and his side. Can you help?" The older Moto listened, one hand over his heart and trying to get his breath back. "Whew... I think I can help. I'll call the hospital and see if they can send someone over." He left the room to find the phone, leaving Yugi holding Seleman's hand and whispering, "See? Everything'll be fine. I promise."
Yugi's grandfather came back into the room a little bit later. "They're sending someone over right away. A doctor will be over I'd say in no more than a half-hour." Yugi sighed gratefully. "Oh good." He looked over at his new friend, smiling at the sight of the tall man flat on the bed, dozing lightly. He giggled and stood, intending to get a drink of water from the kitchenette in the room. He mumbled something to his grandfather as he passed, but just before he was out the door his knees buckled and he fell backwards. For a brief instant fear entered his mind but he fell back only six inches before two arms came into contact with his back. He looked up at his grandfather's smiling eyes and tried to grin back through a large yawn. "Tired you out, eh?" the older man asked. Through yet another yawn the short dueling prodigy nodded. The two short men walked over to the other bed, Yugi stumbling slightly as he was laid down. As his grandfather left to fetch the water he had meant to get Yugi somehow removed his boots and the blue jacket he was wearing and the leather collar until he wore only the blue uniform pants and a black sleeveless shirt. Half-asleep he wriggled under the sheets, throwing back the quilt so he wouldn't get too hot. By the time his gramps returned with the water he was fast asleep.
Yugi raced through the complex passageways of the interior of the puzzle, calling out only one word. "Yami? Yami!" He raced past staircase after staircase, not getting anywhere. He slid to a stop before one door and tried the handle, only to discover a dark empty room. With a cry of frustration he was off again, finally deciding on another door not far from the first. When he opened it a blast of sound came from through the doorway; he almost thought his eardrums would burst. He shut the door almost immediately. Finally he saw at the end of the hallway a tall form, spiked hair casting a bizarre shadow on the ground behind him. "Yami!" Yugi cried as he raced towards the man. But for each step he came closer Yami was further away. Yugi sprinted faster, desperately needing to reach the man– the one who could virtually be his twin. "YAMI!" he cried again, the other now accelerated, moving faster away until Yugi couldn't see him at all. Yugi fell forwards to his knees, his head bowed. "Yami..." he whispered as a tear leaked from his eyes.
Yugi sat up in bed with a cry. "NO, YAMI!" As he looked around the room, panting, in confusion he realized where he was and that it was just a dream. One hand reached up to his chest, and he found his black shirt to be soaked through with sweat and sticking to his thin frame. The fingers then crept up to his face, no longer under his control, and they wiped some cold sweat from his forehead. "What was that...?" he mumbled as he looked over and realized thankfully that Seleman had slept through his outburst. His grandfather had apparently left, but it seemed the doctor had been there for the man's leg was splinted and bandaged. Yugi crawled out of the bed, staggering towards the bathroom, thinking to take a shower to wind down. As the warm water ran down his back he thought back to the dream. Why wouldn't Yami stop? Why was he ignoring me? When it got too depressing he stopped thinking about it, turning his speculation to Seleman. What was his name? Where did he come from? More importantly, why was he locked in that room, and why had he been tied up and beaten?
Yugi slipped back into the bedroom, his towel wrapped around his waist and his hair lying against his back. As he slipped into a pair of jeans Seleman woke up. He didn't say anything at first, just rubbed his eyes. Yugi realized that he hadn't said a word since he found him. He had been screaming just fine for help, but hadn't said anything since he woke up in Yugi's arms. As such, Yugi was even more shocked when the man whispered, "Yugi?" The voice was low and rough, yet musical. The man's voice was also hoarse, Yugi guessed that was from the screaming. He whirled around and stared at the man. "You know me?" The man merely stared, saying "The other man called you Yugi... that is your name, isn't it?" Yugi sighed, why he didn't know. "Oh, yes. It's Yugi." Yugi wondered where the man had learned to speak so... politely. Yugi started to turn away again to pull a on shirt the man spoke again. "I dreamed..." he started hesitantly. Yugi turned around, wondering what made the man sound so darn scared. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, his shirt still held in one hand. "What about?" he said quietly.
The man's gaze focused in his lap as he spoke. "I don't remember all of it, but there was a little boy, calling for someone. He kept shouting 'Where are you?!' I walked towards him, and he glanced at me and cried out 'Seto you're okay!' He jumped towards me and hugged me. Even though I have no idea who he was, I knew him within the dream and I hugged him back." As he spoke he missed Yugi's nervous gulp. "W-What did the boy look like?" Yugi asked. Seleman didn't look up. "He had long black hair– and he wore an orange and white striped shirt. He had grey eyes, and he wore a vest." This time he didn't miss the nervous swallow. "What is it?" Yugi looked away.
It can't be. It just can't.
"Yugi?"
Can it?
"Yugi?"
He's dead! He shouldn't be showing up in Egypt...
"Yugi!"
He didn't face the man. "What's your name?" he whispered. Even thought he wasn't looking at the man he could tell he was thinking 'Huh?' "I just want to know," Yugi whispered. The man looked down. "It's– It's Seto." Yugi's reaction to his answer was something Seto did not expect. "NOOOO!" Yugi cried as he stood and tore out of the bedroom as fast as he could. "THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Seto gave him a minute, then sat up slowly, reaching for the crutches the doctor had left as soon as he was upright. He limped out of the room, looking for Yugi. He saw him standing against the sliding glass door, fists raised above his head and against the glass. "Yugi?" Seto whispered. "Nooooo..." Yugi moaned as he slid down the glass to his knees, his fisted hands leaving streaks as he kneeled down. "What's wrong?" Seto said quietly, raising in volume– but not too much.
"You can't be Seto. Seto's dead."
What?
"What do you mean? I'm afraid I don't understand."
Yugi turned, his eyes rimmed in red and tears falling down his face. "You can't be Seto! Seto was murdered!"
"I what?" Seto said, fear creeping into his voice.
As Yugi spoke he walked forwards. "And if you are Seto Kaiba, then you've done a terrible thing."
"I have?"
"You promised Mokuba that you'd never leave him. Never." The word came out like a hiss. "But you did. You did leave, forcing him to believe that you were dead. I don't know why you've done this and I don't really care, but you disgust me. I mean it. Where's your locket? Hmm?"
Seto looked down. "What?"
"The Duel Monsters card locket that holds a picture of your little brother Mokuba. Where is it? You never go anywhere without it. Your soul was locked in a card, but you still had it. You 'never stopped thinking about him,' remember?"
Seto's hand was on his collarbone, remembering. "I-I remember now... but what am I doing here?"
"That's what I was about to ask you. You jerk. Look." He held up a picture of the younger Kaiba, a picture that he had taken when he was asleep in the Game Shop. Seto took it, gazing at it, first in confusion, but it soon changed to fondness. "I remember..." he whispered. In a flash the memories came flooding back to him.
He had been walking down an alley with Rian, a boy from school. Rian asked him about his white dragons, wondering if he still had all of them. "Sure, why?" he mumbled. "Oh, no reason." Rian said. Kaiba's mind turned to the work he still had to do, and wondering what his pre-teen little brother was doing. Rian led him into a dark alleyway, but Seto didn't make much of it, his thoughts were still on KaibaCORP.
"Augh!" he cried, as he suddenly found his back against the damp stone, the cold barrel of a gun pressed into his neck, just below his jaw. Furious, Seto almost tried to punch the other teen's lights out. However, since Rian was the one with the gun, he thought better of it. "Why, Rian?" The fiery-headed teen merely scowled, pressing the gun in tighter. Seto made a strange choking noise as the barrel bit into his windpipe. One-handed, Rian looped a rope around Seto's hands, tightening a previously tied slip knot until the rope began to dig into his wrists. Seto gasped as the ropes tightened. He groaned, not bothering to fight the boy. Still, as the rope tightened to unbearable levels he tried to regain his signature 'Kaiba' attitude. "You'll pay for this betrayal Rian. You will. I'll track you down–" He paused and growled as Rian went into his deck pouch, removing the five White Dragon cards. "What do you think you're doing?" he cried, trying to lash out or kick the boy in the leg. Rian looked up at him, his blue eyes tinted with black and flashing with hatred. His voice was deep and rough, and laced with rage. "You're annoying me Kaiba..." Seto gnashed his teeth, growling in fury. Rian did something just beyond his vision, and with a lightning-quick, fluid motion a cloth was pressed against his nose and mouth. Rian smiled as a groan filtered through the cloth and as Seto roared his annoyance, trying to fight the narcotics. A moment passed and Seto felt the world growing dark; haze filter over his eyes. Rian laughed evilly as Seto's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground.
He looked up at Yugi when his flashback ended. To Yugi's surprise, in that moment he regained much of the Kaiba attitude. Even more to his surprise, Seto growled, a low grating sound that scared the hell out of the shorter man. "What do you know about Rian?" he growled, keeping his rage in check –barely. "R-Rian?" Yugi couldn't keep the shock from his face. Kaiba nearly roared in frustration. "Yes! Rian! You remember him, don't you?" Yugi's jaw nearly dropped. "What does Rian have to do with this?"
"He... stole... my dragons."
Yugi could almost swear a lightbulb went on over his head. "Oh my gods..." he mumbled, staggering backwards and falling into a chair. "It all makes sense now."
"WHAT MAKES SENSE?!" Yugi looked up at him, wishing Yami would come out and help, he'd always had better luck dealing with Kaiba. For a moment Yugi closed his eyes.
Yami? Are you there?
Yugi nearly gasped at the emptiness he felt, a closure on the other end of their link. Suddenly a wave of anger and terror rolled down the link, nearly drowning Yugi. He numbly waved at Kaiba to sit, mumbling "I'll explain later... just give me a couple minutes."
Yami?
When he got no answer he shouted aloud, crying "YAMI!"
