Dear Ra I am VERY sorry to get this out so late. Been what… almost two months? I'm so sorry, I swear! I had a huge writer's block for a month and a half and right when I was about to get over it, I had last-minute exams and then finals (one of which I bombed). And I just found out I have six books to read, two essays to write, 11 chapters to read out of a textbook and a very long packet (with various assignments) to do over the summer for AP classes. (SIGH) Plus I'm gone for July (should warn you). So much for working on fanfics and fanarts over the summer… Don't worry, I'll try anyways. Hopefully I can manage Ch. 7 out before I leave. I'll be gone July 9 - 28 to Australia (WHEE!) so just in case my plane crashes and dies, you'll know. Ra, I hate flying…

A big, giant thanks to everyone that emailed me with ideas for this chapter. I regret that I wasn't able to use many of them, but I really do appreciate the effort. It shows a lot of people care, and that makes me feel very loved. Thanks guys! You're always welcome to help! (HUGE THANKS to two of my betas, Kagemihari and Soraki, for taking the time to nitpit at this chapter and get all grammar right. THANK YOU! And I apologize to Moonlitspire cuz I didn't get to use her. X-/ Again, sorry!)

Also, obviously, thank you guys SO much for all the praises last chapter. I LOVE YOU GUYS!! (tear) All the reviews and the hugs and the compliments made me really really happy, and I swear, I'll stop calling my chapters crap from now on. I'm so glad you guys liked the story so far. And a giant hello to all new fans of CWM that happen to stumble on to the story's sequel. Hope I'm not disappointing you! (KEMETLOVER - Thank you for the wonderful praise! You're my most recent fan and also the most curious, apparently. You seem to have... quite a lot of questions. :-p I'd be glad to answer them all --not here-- on an email or something; feel free to email me any time at alquawen88yahoo.com. And yes, as for the fourth chapter or so, that was Seto, not Mahado)

One last thing; someone asked if Seto was a virgin before this story. (sweatdrop) Er... I was actually hoping to avoid that question. I don't really know... The idea of Seto being a total, first-time virgin doesn't appeal to me as much as it appeals to some people, but I don't like the idea of him having a lot of one-night flings with co-workers or something. Actually, I don't like the idea of him sleeping without anyone besides Yami at all. TT So I don't know... Is it possible for someone to be experienced without sleeping with anyone? (sweatdrop)

CHAPTER DISCLAIMERS

I know I'm really behind the time (and probably don't have good taste in some people's eyes) but I'm still a big fan of this old song by Christina Aguilera, Obvious. The lyrics make so much sense and the melody is beautiful, at least in my opinion. OBVIOUS BELONGS TO CHRISTINA AGUILERA AND WHOEVER MADE THE SONG.

/.../ = mindlink connection (between aibou's and yami's)

'...' = personal thoughts

... = translated ancient Egyptian

...= thought speak (for gods only; assumed to be Egyptian but understood by all)

"..." = spoken dialogue (if in English, assumed to be Japanese)

lots of italics = dreams/flashbacks/visions

bold = songs

[ ] = footnotes

AN = author's note

Chapter 6: Temptation

Freedom.

Finally!

Eyes... Vision... Color...

Where was he? A strange room... White, but not the white of a temple. And not made of stone... How very strange.

There...!!

A mortal! A boy! Across the room! No matter, he was sleeping. Sleep; heh, such a time-wasting habit.

Could this body stand? Yes. Yes, it could.

Wait...

He's here... He is here! He is close... Must find him!

Ryou jerked awake, suddenly aware of the loud din of banging and clanging from downstairs that filled the air. Groggily, the hikari rubbed his eyes, fumbling for the alarm clock. 'Four thirty? Oh god, what now...?'

He kicked off the covers and rushed out of bed, taking only a second to shiver before he fumbled for the door. He stumbled around the corridor and down the stairs, alarmed. "Yami? Yami, what the bloody hell are you doing?"

He spotted Bakura at the end of the hall, still in his sleeping T-shirt and fumbling wildly with the door and the various locks on the sides. Vases and picture frames lay destroyed and tossed haphazardly around, seemingly knocked from their stands. The sofa was on its back and one of the windows was smashed beyond recognition, a cold morning breeze flapping through the curtains.

'What the...?!' "Bakura!" Panic rose in Ryou's throat and his body went rigid, unable to move.

At the sound of his name, Bakura stiffened, turning slowly.

Ryou gasped. 'Those aren't Bakura's eyes...'

Bakura's normally fiery brilliant amber eyes were now a near reddish-brown, foggy, and dark. They blinked groggily at him, squinting as if he was terribly nearsighted.

Feeling hunted and terrified, Ryou froze at the bottom of the stairs, flattened against the wall. Unable to do anything else, he trembled like a lamb, shuddering under the intensity of his yami's strange glare.

This wasn't Bakura...

"W-Where...?" Bakura's voice was gruff normally, but now it was almost hissing, warped and garbled as if his mouth was half paralyzed. He seemed to be having great difficulty forming the words, even more so than before. "Where...?!?"

Ryou's mouth worked wordlessly for a good few seconds. "Where what?" he croaked finally, cowering. "Where what?!"

The boy was useless... Pathetic thing he was, this mortal... Should kill; might be doing the boy a favor...

Bakura's body started forward awkwardly, like some freak zombie or one of those aliens-impersonating-humans that hadn't quite fit into its own disguise. Fingers were bent like claws, reaching out for the smaller youth, their malevolent intention clear... The Egyptian's eyes were sinister and cold, revealing little but a strange red glint.

Ryou screamed as his yami approached, managing to regain feeling over his body long enough to scramble up a few stairs. Still, a strong hand clawed at his ankle, dragging him down with violence and strength that surpassed even Bakura's normal temperament.

Ryou cried out in pain as he slammed down into the stairs, pulled brutally down a few feet until his yami towered over him, a frightening and sadistic grin upon his face. His eyes didn't even blink.

"Bakura! Stop, please!" cried Ryou, tears of pain and fear running down his cheeks. He clawed at Bakura's hands. "BAKURA! PLEASE!"

The host... Host is fighting him... Why?

"Bakura!" sobbed Ryou, arms flung around himself, head bowed as if accepting or dreading the oncoming violence. "Why are you doing this?!"

Host is screaming... Tired... Too hard to maintain connection... Perhaps try... again... later...

Bakura came to suddenly, mind and balance spinning as he realized where he was. He stood at the base of the stairs over Ryou, whose shirt and ankle was now clenched within the tomb robber's grip. There were growing bruises on Ryou's trembling arms and bleeding cuts all over his leg, presumably from Bakura himself. The boy still cowered under him, curled up in a protective ball, shaking from fright.

"What the--" Bakura fell awkwardly to his rear, clutching his head and trying to steady his wavering vision. He felt woozy and weak, his body filled with a strange chill. 'Ra... So tired... What happened?!' He recalled a nice dream about slaughtered bunnies or something, but after that-- How the hell did he get up? No wait, he remembered something... vaguely... Himself screaming... yelling... trapped... helpless... But where or why? It was all too blurred... Jumbled up. Maybe another dream? Hell, he could have imagined it all...

Bakura shook his head to clear it and found Ryou watching himself fearfully from behind trembling hands. After a few seconds, the yami found his voice and was surprised to it raspier than normal. "Yo, twerp, what the hell did I--"

"Stay away from me!" shrieked Ryou as Bakura started to approach, bolting upstairs with impressive speed, slamming and locking his bedroom door with every bolt he had.

Bakura blinked. "Huh?"

Ryou cried long and hard. It took him a good half an hour to stop shaking, and even so, his knees refused to work and he found himself collapsed in the corner of his room, huddled in a pathetic ball. 'Oh god, oh god, oh god...'

He thought this had ended a long time ago. God, he dared to hope it had... Bakura hadn't touched him for so long, so long that Ryou had almost forgotten... He had almost forgotten the terrifying fear every time his yami raised a hand to him, or the instant panic that shot through him with every hit. Those horrible months of abuse were the worst and longest of his life, and everywhere he went he had carried rows upon rows of painful scars, some that had barely healed.

Even the other hikaris could not understand. Yugi's yami was calm and reserved, with an impressively intact sense of morals for a being locked away in darkness for some three millennia. Malik and his yami were both equally insane, and thus loved and tolerated each other's company. But Bakura...

Ryou didn't know what to make of his yami. The tomb robber seemed to linger somewhere between Marik's insanity and Yami's honor. He could be just as cruel and bloodthirsty as Malik, but just as wary and witty as the Pharaoh. So perhaps, in a sense, he was worse than either of them. He was dangerous, yes, but smart as well, with a sharp, calculating mind...

Perhaps that was why Ryou was in awe of him.

Bakura was everything the boy ever wanted to be. Handsome, fierce, powerful... While Ryou was timid at best, Bakura was out there against the world and loving every moment of it. He did not fear pain, death, or blood, and Ra be damned if anyone thought otherwise. And pity, too. Bakura hated pity with a passion, almost as much as he hated kindness. Which was, perhaps, why he never understood Ryou. And when Bakura didn't understand things, he reacted impulsively --usually with anger, aloofness, or even violence.

And in his own strange way... Ryou loved him. He loved him for his beauty, his strength, his no-crap attitude... The boy knew Bakura needed someone to care for him, since no one else was obviously willing. Perhaps there was a thin line between fear, hate, and love, but in his world where the only show of affection was a punch to the face, Ryou didn't know the difference.

God, he knew it wasn't right. He knew that, of all people, Bakura was probably not the best partner for a relationship. But there didn't seem to be anyone else as fascinating, nor as confusing...

And sometimes... Sometimes Ryou could have sworn he saw Bakura smiling at him... Smiling at him simply because he knew that Ryou, unlike the rest of the world, wouldn't laugh at him if he did. Smiling because, perhaps, he felt safe for the first time in three thousand years. Smiling because, perhaps, he realized that Ryou was the first person to care.

But Bakura rarely smiled.

Still, one couldn't help but wonder... Maybe Bakura did care. It was just that... perhaps he just didn't know how. In his own way, Bakura was just as protective of a yami as the Pharaoh, though instead of acting like a guardian he acted like a trainer, beating Ryou out of the hope that perhaps the boy will grow a backbone.

But the beating hurt. Perhaps Bakura didn't even realize it, but it hurt like hell. And it scared Ryou. Many times the boy considered throwing the damned Ring out into the ocean, or even committing suicide to escape his yami's cackling in the back of his head, but something always held him back... Almost as if, despite the abuse, he couldn't live without Bakura.

Yami explained it once to Yugi, and Ryou overhead it as clear as if the Pharaoh had spoken directly to him. Yamis and hikaris were each their own soul, with their own being and personality, but they were tied to each other like two halves of the same soul, even more so with the Items and their shared bodies. That was why it hurt being away from each other. That was why not even Bakura could resist running back to Ryou when the situation allowed it.

Ryou shuddered against his arms, his tears soaking his pajama sleeves. He couldn't escape, it seemed. He hated the beating, but he couldn't live without it. He hated the Ring, but he wouldn't throw it away. He hated Bakura, but he couldn't live without him.

It wasn't fair...! What did he do to deserve this?!

Seconds dragged on. Minutes passed. Then hours. The night lifted slowly as dawn approached silently. A lone bird dared to chirp outside, and a fierce wind rattled the windows. Ryou's sobs subsided and then faded all together. He slumped against the corner, head limp, teary eyes closed in dreamless, exhausted sleep.

Unfortunately, the nap did not last.

RING RING RING RING RING RING RI--

Ryou jerked awake, cursing colorfully as his head hit the wall. He stumbled across his room, half blind with sleep. After a few tries, he managed to turn off his alarm clock and fall back into his own bed, hissing as his head spun.

"We have to go to school."

The voice was soft and flat, entirely unfamiliar.

Ryou was wide awake in an instant, sitting up and scrambling backwards against the wall, knees bent protectively before him. His eyes were wide and panicked, his fingers clenching so tightly his nails almost drew blood.

Bakura sat across from him on the second bed, silent and ever watchful. He just... sat there, numbly, unmoving, eyeing Ryou's every move. His eyes were strangely vacant, tired and almost dull. His body, usually held so taunt and proud, sagged beneath his shirt, and his normally copper-tone body was abnormally pale around the cheeks.

He looked ill.

Ryou squeaked, his heart rising into his throat. "What do you want?" he croaked desperately, cursing with all his heart the tomb robber's stealth.

For a long moment neither of them spoke, amber eyes meeting and clashing across the room. Bakura's gaze drifted downward after a moment, across the scratches on Ryou's arms and legs. Something akin to guilt flickered across them, but it was gone in a moment.

Then, finally, the Egyptian looked back up, eyes unreadable. "It wasn't me," he murmured quietly, softly.

Ryou was silent, heart pounding loudly in his ears. For a long moment he said nothing, bewildered, teary eyes darting about and frantic.

Silence.

Ryou's breathing was harsh and near frantic.

Bakura shifted uneasily, a brief flinch crossing his fair face.

Then, eyes watery, Ryou smiled a brilliant smile. His voice was tiny but relieved. "I know it wasn't."

Something wasn't right.

Kaiba looked around, bewildered. He was not familiar with this place.

He was somewhere old, so old that he could feel the age in the depth of his bones. Darkness surrounded him; from above, the sides, below... All around. Close. Dark. Suffocating. But it wasn't pitch black. It was more like shadow, billowing with swirls of faint, weak hues. It breezed by and around him, teasingly, under his arm, through his hair, across his cheek...

'Cold...' observed Kaiba warily, hugging himself lightly. Despite his efforts, his teeth began to chatter. 'So cold...'

The chill was like daggers of ice, prickling and stabbing every inch of his skin, stealing his breath before he could even utter a curse. He felt like he had run straight into a wall; it was so deathly cold it was painful.

He couldn't breathe.

The darkness was closing in on him now, tearing at his body, squeezing painfully at his flesh.

It felt like death.

Kaiba's breathing got shallower and faster. He was too disoriented to panic, though he was pretty damn close to doing so. Many times he had been inches away from freefalling from his helicopter and just as many times, simply a pace away from the bullets of hired assassins. And yet in those instances he barely even flinched.

But this...

He felt like he was dying.

'So cold...'

Where was his angel? Where were those beautiful eyes and those slender arms? Where was he?

"Angel...?"

No answer. He didn't really expect one.

Kaiba knew he should well be panicking right now. He wanted to... but he couldn't. His mind was sluggish, slowing, puzzled... His body wouldn't move, despite all that he tried. And it was too damn cold to think of anything else.

"Angel...?" he tried again, a little worried.

If anything, the cold tightened its grip on him.

Kaiba fought it off as much as he could, but it was so nightmarishly tight. He wanted to scream... Scream in anger... in confusion... and in helplessness. Lord, what the hell was going on? He was lost, confused, and cornered, one moment sleeping, the next here fighting for his life against this dreadful cold.

"No...!" His voice was choked, swamped by this deathly mist. His words died the moment they left his lips, his precious breath leaving with it. "No, damnit... Get off of me!"

But he was fighting a losing battle. The darkness had almost consumed him now, wrapped around his body like a second skin, squeezing the life out of him, stealing the air out of his lungs. He struggled, yes, but in vain; the more he did so, the more tired he felt.

'Oh god...' he thought dazedly, '...I never said goodbye to Mokuba.'

Time seemed immeasurable here. It might have been seconds since that last thought. It might have been hours, days even. He floated about in nothing, eyes half-mast and vacant, breathing deep and slow, limbs numb and unmoving. Perhaps he was dead already, he couldn't tell.

But inside he was squirming, refusing to go down without a fight. He was losing badly, but he wasn't going down without a fight. He had to fight. But fight for what? His pride? Mokuba? For the life that seemed little better than this hellhole? For his angel that was nothing but a figment of imagination?

'Keep talking,' he told himself, desperately, 'Say something. Anything.' It took him many seconds to find his voice, almost as if he couldn't call upon the effort needed to speak and form words. "Someone..." he croaked finally, with the last of his strength. His voice was soft, choked and dry. He only had a few more seconds, he could feel... Just a few more precious seconds... "Please..."

Yes, the great Seto Kaiba was begging for help. Pride be damned, he was beyond caring at this point. Mokuba... KaibaCorp... He wasn't going to give them up without a fight, and if that involved begging, so be it. He knew he would regret this later, but oh well.

"Someone..." he whispered, mind struggling valiantly against fatigue to form those words. "Angel...?"

He heard it then.

It was not a voice. It did not use words.

And yet it still spoke to him in a language of brilliant pictures and images, filled with age, wisdom and strength.

I am coming...

Kaiba stirred, squirming, desperate to bring life back to his failing limbs. "W-Who...?" he mumbled, fighting the bitter cold with all that he had left. He didn't dare hope... but what...? Just what if...?

Fight it.

"I'm trying..."

I am coming...

Kaiba wanted to sob. He was losing... going... and going fast. "Hurry..."

Hang on, Master...

Kaiba's eyes fluttered dangerously, trying with all their might to ignore his protests and just close. He was tired, beaten and sleepy... and it was so very hard to stay awake...

And yet, through the infinite darkness, he could see something... Some distant point of light steadily approaching him through the misty fog. Some strange beast, it seemed, long, twisting and looping like a snake. Yes, like a snake... A very large snake...and sparkling white-silver in color. And with... wings?

Master...

Kaiba wanted to blink. The creature looked so familiar... So. Goddamn. FAMILIAR.

It was closer now, clear in shape even to Kaiba's blurred vision. It was almost like a dinosaur of some kind, with muscular, clawed limbs, a long graceful neck and an extensive, whip-like tail. The creature moved and twisted like fluid water, huge, bat-like wings propelling it gracefully through the darkness like some angel from heaven. From its huge, elegantly-built body came a shower of brilliant white light, bathing the fallen CEO in welcomed warmth and shimmering sparkles.

And its eyes...! They were a dark, deep sapphire, shining like a starry night. God, they looked like his own...

A large, bulbous head lowered down from high above as the creature approached slowly, its demeanor serene and submissive, its presence blinding and reassuring. From behind rows of fearful fangs, those beautiful blue eyes smiled as if they had a life of their own.

Master...

'Good God...' Kaiba's breath caught in his throat. "B-Blue-Eyes...?" he whispered, voice choked, eyes suddenly stinging with something not too unlike tears.

He must be dreaming... He must be! Either that or he was already dead.

But it didn't matter.

Shaking with the effort, Kaiba reached out tentatively and brushed Blue-Eyes's muzzle with one trembling hand. He inhaled sharply in disbelief. The scales under his fingers felt cold, smooth and metallic, simply made for stroking. The dragon made an odd, cat-like purr in the back of its throat and cuddled up to the hand, nudging it playfully with its large head like a playful puppy. Kaiba wanted to laugh and to cry at the sheer bizarreness of this situation, but he could not.

He let out a shaky breath of awe. "...Are you real...?" he dared to whisper, not willing to believe but want to so badly.

This was like... like some weird childhood dream come true. Many times in his short and distant childhood, he used to tell Mokuba that he wanted a very special pet; not a puppy, not a kitten, but a Blue-Eyes White Dragon! He would wish for it every Christmas and wish for it with every first robin and first snow flake.

As if he would ever get one.

Even Mokuba knew that it was hopeless.

Eventually Kaiba got over it. He grew up, got smarter, got older. They were adopted and he ended up fighting for both his life and his brother's. And then KaibaCorp got tossed into the whole deal, and at least for a while, Kaiba contented himself with mountain-high loads of work and three rare Blue-Eyes cards that he wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

But now...

Now Kaiba had to wonder. Favorite cards or not, did he ever get over wishing for a live Blue-Eyes of his own?

"Help me..." he whispered, pressing his palms and cheek against the cool scales of his dragon friend, "I'm so cold... Take me away from here..."

He really hadn't expected the dragon to understand. For a long moment, it just stood there with huge, blinking eyes full of wonder and something akin to innocence. Then those same eyes flashed and warmed, and --unless Kaiba imagined it-- that large head bobbed up and down once.

I will, Master...

Kaiba blinked, unsure he had heard right.

Then, in an instant, he found himself behind the dragon's head, clutching to its neck scales for dear life. They were flying now, the dragon's body held taunt and horizontal as it sailed effortlessly through the dark world. Shadow whizzed passed them in flashes of darkness and color, tearing at Kaiba's skin and stealing his breath from his lungs, but it could hardly keep its cold grip on him.

Kaiba felt a bit overwhelmed, fear, confusion and giddiness swirling around in a confusing mess in his head. He shuddered and held on to Blue-Eyes a little tighter. "Where are you taking me?" he demanded over the howling wind.

He could almost sense the dragon smiling.

Somewhere safe.

Yami suddenly sat up in bed, wide awake and tense.

"Yami?" came a sleepy mumble from above. A short while later, Yugi's bushy head popped up next to Yami's bed. The boy's eyes were red from lack of sleep but were quite wide. "W-What is it? Did you have a bad dream?"

Yami turned to him, silent. His eyes were glowing an eerie scarlet in the darkness.

Yugi shuddered. "Yami, what--"

"Blue-Eyes is gone," Yami suddenly stated, flatly. He blinked, looking down at the Puzzle.

It was glowing.

"Blue-Eyes?" echoed Yugi, "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon? The dragon?!" His voice rose shrilly. "Whadaya mean 'it's gone'?!" His violet eyes widened even more.

From what Shadi and Ishizu had told him, Yami died three thousand years ago sealing the Shadow Monsters into the Shadow Realm. However, Ishizu and Shadi recently discovered that the Shadow Realm was more 'locked' than 'sealed' away. The keys to opening it were, predictably, the Millennium Items, the very objects that locked away the Shadow in the first place; therefore, a holder of any of the seven Items would be able to manipulate --if they knew how-- the powers and monsters of the Shadow. That meant that even though there are now few openings to the Shadow Realm compared to Yami's time, potential danger still lurked around the corner if any of the Items fell into the wrong hands.

Even more recently, Yugi and Shadi had learned that Yami did more than just leave openings to the Shadow Realm; though the spirit himself wasn't even aware of this, he had loved some monsters enough to seal a part of their essence with him in the Puzzle. Ishizu thought the Pharaoh had done this to keep an eye on some of the stronger monsters so they wouldn't wreck havoc on the Shadow Realm... but Yugi had a feeling it had more to do with sentimental love than anything else.

And strangely enough, when Shadi and Yugi traveled deep inside Yami's soul and the Puzzle, they found not only tablets of the monsters and their guardian --the spirit of the Dark Magician-- but also the dormant spirit of the mythological Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Neither Shadi nor Yugi gave any real thought to it at the time, seeing that the Dark Magician was ready to slaughter them; but when Yugi asked much later on, Ishizu reasoned --yet again-- that it must be because Blue-Eyes was very dangerous to both worlds and therefore Yami had thought it would be wise to keep it trapped in the Puzzle with him.

But even so, no monster but the Magician was fully trapped in the Puzzle. Yami had recently grown aware that, if awakened, any monster under his wing only needed a little effort to escape into the Shadow Realm.

Fortunately, very little could disturb the monsters in the first place.

However, now it seemed that Blue-Eyes had simply... slipped out of the Puzzle. Which was strange, considering it had been sleeping quietly and peacefully ever since Yami died all those years ago.

Yugi seemed panicked, moving around blindly for the phone. "Yami, geez, we gotta tell Ishizu and--"

"No... No, wait..." Yami frowned, eyes closing, focusing deep within his Shadow powers. Like some human beacon, he did a quick, sonar-like sweep of the Shadow Realm.

He found something quickly. There was a line of ripples in the Shadow Realm... A disturbance of some sort, moving and moving fast. So fast that Yami had no time to feel alarmed.

Then it was gone.

Simply gone.

Silence.

Yami hesitantly opened his eyes, brow furrowing in the dark. The Shadow Realm settled down, innocent as it will ever be. Any trace of the monster or the 'blip' was gone, almost as if it never existed in the first place.

Yugi watched him intently, worriedly.

Finally, Yami sighed and rubbed his arms, pulling the covers back over him. He would think about it in the morning. His new body didn't seem to like him very much for awakening in the middle of the night. "It was nothing, aibou." He leaned back, sighing blissfully as his hand sank into the soft pillow. "Go back to sleep."

"Where's the dragon?" demanded Yugi, still holding the phone.

Yami remained silent, pondering the same thing.

It happened quickly. Very quickly. They breeched some kind of invisible barrier and in an instant, they passed from one world to another. There was no longer dark fog around them but quiet, ancient emptiness, blacker than the blackest of nights.

The dragon shuddered under Kaiba's legs, and the CEO stiffened, eyes widening in disbelief. One minute the dragon was there but the next...it wasn't. It was simply gone. Without time to even scream, Kaiba suddenly fell into a deep, dark abyss, nothing around him but open air. The cold and the pain were gone now, but they were replaced by a strange, buzzing sort of energy strumming with the quiet murmurings of a world long gone. That same energy now surged through him, filling Kaiba with such vibrant power and force that it was nearly painful.

Images came now, so fast that they flashed before his eyes and were gone before his brain could comprehend them. And with them came sounds and feelings of a strange land with strange people that... did not seem too unfamiliar.

And suddenly, he was no longer the CEO of KaibaCorp, but someone else entirely...

Mahado, you are pathetic.

Its --ugh-- harder than it looks. I'd like to see you try!

Fine. I will. Move aside, you wimp.

Um, I don't think this is a good idea...

Oh, c'mon, where's your sense of fun?

A sigh. You boys are SO immature.

Stay out of this, Ishizu.

Whatever. I'm telling!

Telling to who? My father's gone, as is the Pharaoh and the other priests!

I'll... uh... tell the Prince!

Oooooh, I'm scared. What's the little guy gunna do, cry?

Be good, son. I'll be back in a few days.

But Papa, where are you going? You said you'd help me with...

I know, but its Pharaoh's orders, little one. I have to go. Its only a scouting errand with the cavalry, I assure you.

...Fine.

Ah, don't look so glum, Seto.

But I'll be stuck here with the Prince and those losers--

--They are your fellow trainees and you are to treat them with RESPECT. The Prince especially. And don't let me catch you setting any more Palace wings on fire.

A sigh. Yes, Papa.

The neighing of a horse. The crashing of waves.

It was cold... and it was raining.

Are you mad?! You can't cross the river!

Watch me!

Desperation. Charging. A jump. A fall.

Get off of me!

Sorry; I'm overriding that command for now!

Mud. Water. Lightening.

Those beautiful red eyes, flashing with anger, grief and pain. They were crying. I have to do this for Mahado!!

Stop this madness! STOP IT!

GET OFF!

Then came the kiss. A feverish, wet kiss of desperation.

Desperation... and passion.

Kaiba awoke in a rather unpleasant way, banging his forehead against the side of his drawer. With a colorful curse, he sat up and clutched his brow, his head spinning with more than just pain.

Lord, that had to be one of the most confusing dreams he'd had yet. It had all been just flashes of images and fragments of conversations, all of it overlapping and twisting into a giant mess. And he was pretty sure they weren't speaking in English. And come to think of it, how the hell did he understand it all in the first place?

'Prince'?! 'Mahado'? 'Papa'? And what the hell was Ishizu doing in the mix?

"Someone up there has it in for me..." mumbled Kaiba, stumbling blindly over to his bathroom and fumbling around for a glass, hissing as his feet came into contact with the cold floor tiles. Taking a few gulps of cold tap water, he dumped the rest of the water out and leaned over the sink, the sound of running water from the faucet soothing his senses.

His head hurt.

Badly.

He took a long, shuddering breath before it promptly froze in his throat. Red eyes... Those eyes...! His angel had visited him tonight... but in a rather violent, strange way. And he spoke. Geez, up until now, Kaiba had figured the boy was mute.

The CEO shook his head, running a hand through his sweaty hair while a bitter, giddy chuckle rose out of his throat. God, he was going insane. First he falls in love not with one of those gorgeous supermodels that constantly fight on national TV over him, but with a made-up figment of his own imagination. Then his 3000-some-odd-years-old dead rival had to appear and look too cute for his own good. And now he was dreaming in a totally unknown language about Ishizu and princes and fathers he never knew.

'Mokuba was right. It must be all the work,' Kaiba reasoned, willingly acting in denial to save what was left of his dignity and sanity. He thought for a moment. 'I should fire some more people tomorrow.'

Feeling distinctly better at this thought, Kaiba meandered through the large backroom and made it back to the doorway. Only there did he realize something he hadn't observed before.

His room was freezing.

And it was dark. Too dark. In fact, he could have sworn that shadow just moved.

To top it all off, the Rod was glowing in the corner. He had abandoned it on his table after the little 'incident' with Yami, but now it was refusing to be ignored. Its light was faint and irregular, lighting up one little corner of Kaiba's room and leaving what it couldn't reach to the eerie shadows.

Kaiba blinked once. Then again. The strange state of his room didn't change. Too tired to care, he glared drowsily at the Rod. "Stop it," he mumbled half heartedly.

Surprisingly, the Item stopped glowing immediately. The shadows lifted a bit and the room filled with normal shades and sparkling silver moonlight. The room temperature returned to a reasonable chill, and the air conditioning blasted from the ceiling vent.

Kaiba blinked once more and shook his head as if to clear it. 'I am insane,' he concluded. And with that, he tossed himself back into bed and fell into deep, dreamless sleep.

"This is so humiliating," mumbled Yami for the last time, half-heartedly dodging behind Jou. He managed to retain a dignified and calm air for most of the walk to school, but now that they were on school grounds, he was growing increasingly antsy. Every eye was turned to him no matter where he went, each stare filled with their own mix of curiosity, wonder and something much like hunger.

And they weren't just from the girls.

"Aw, c'mon, its not all that bad," Jou said with a grin, jerking his head to the school. "The classes suck dirt, I admit, but it's not all bad."

"Name one good thing," challenged Yami, shifting nervously toward Honda when a large jocky passed him with a raised naughty eyebrow.

Jou's eyes crossed. "Er..."

"Don't listen to him," offered Anzu. "He's failing his classes anyhow."

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Jou.

"Well, we did get those new computers..." murmured Honda thoughtfully.

"--which died--" added Jou.

"--and the new gym floor--"

"--which sends everyone flying into walls--"

"--and that new transfer student from France."

Jou grinned like an idiot. "Oh yeah. Man, she is hot!"

Anzu rolled her eyes helplessly.

"Look, Yami, we'll be there to help, so don't worry," said Yugi for the millionth time, fixing Yami's backpack like a fussing mother. "Geez, Yami, you're wearing it upside down again."

Mechanically and unenthusiastically flipping around the bag, Yami looked around somewhat irritably at the sea of unfamiliar faces and blue uniforms. "What are we waiting for?"

"First bell," answered Jou with a shrug, stretching out on the bench and therefore squishing everyone to one side. "No one wants to go in that hell-hole before it's absolutely necessary."

Yami frowned. He half wished they were in school right now. Most of the students of Domino High were all here in the front lot; valley girls rushing about to greet friends that they haven't seen since, oh, say Friday; jocks picking on nerds; valedictorians --and Otogi-- flirting shamelessly with girls; a few stragglers struggling desperately to copy last-minute homework, and a few oddballs that sat there and glared at everyone. Of course, there was always the occasional prank trick or hot visitor that would get instant attention.

And right now, Yami found himself in the middle of it all.

Many pairs of unfamiliar eyes passed over him, some from passers by, others openly staring.

"Oh god, is he new...?"

"Maybe a transfer student, you think...?"

"Hell, he can transfer here ANYtime!"

"Dude, I love his hair...! Heh heh!"

"Ohhhh, he's going to need SO much help getting around, you know what I mean?"

"God, he's so cute...!"

Yami shifted uneasily, sitting rather stiffly as if ready to flee. A permanent blush was darkening on his cheeks.

Jou and Yugi exchanged smug grins.

"See? Told you," Yugi poked Yami sharply in the ribs, making him yelp.

"I have a feeling you're going to be liked here," remarked Honda rather dryly, waving at a fellow jock who seemed more fascinated by Yami than him.

Yami protested weakly, his words dying away in a choke when a group of girls giggled and waved flirtatiously at him as they walked by.

Jou watched them wistfully. "Yami, if you become my new best friend, will you let me steal some of those girls?"

"Er..."

Yami didn't have a chance to answer since a wave of squeals from the fangirls stormed past them, large enough to challenge the one that greeted him. He looked around curiously, a bit nervously.

"Ah, that'd be ol' Money-bags," explained Jou bitterly without changing his gaze from where he was watching a pretty blond cheerleader.

Yami briefly felt his heart flutter. Very briefly. Ahem.

"Whoa," Honda commented suddenly, "Dude, check out his CAR."

Yami turned and his heart jumped again. Hey, he may be 3000 years old, but he was a boy after all and he knew a cool car when he saw one.

Beyond the fences surrounding school property, he could see the half-filled parking lot and a beautiful, midnight-blue and silver-lined convertible that glided through it. The driver --Kaiba, judging by the hair-- skillfully parked with one smooth movement and stepped out gracefully, carrying his traditional silver briefcase and looking unnaturally good even in the bland blue uniform. Without so much as blinking, he ran a hand through his hair to smooth it and clicked a little remote on his belt; the car beeped and locked itself, flashing its lights once as if to salute its owner.

An appreciated "Ooooh...!" went up from some guys.

The girls just sighed happily.

"The bastard," mumbled Jou as Kaiba approached, "Always shows up and makes such a goddamn big entrance."

Yami squirmed, fighting a blush. Was Jou speaking the truth? Was Kaiba really a show off or was he just extraordinarily attractive in every aspect of his life? The man had some natural gift with modeling if only he would try. But Kaiba didn't need to join --or buy, his choice-- any modeling agency anyhow; his pictures were already all over the world and he was already creating fashion trends in the first place.

"Hi, Kaiba," greeted Yugi pleasantly as Kaiba drew near them on his way to the front entrance. "What happened to your limo?"

Kaiba, towering over the boy, flicked a gaze down briefly to Yugi, his glance cold and aristocratic. It flickered quickly to Yami, who shivered under the intensity of it, but then returned to the hikari. Blue eyes narrowing, the CEO grunted some kind of response and continued on.

He had woken up again last night, unable to sleep. In desperation, he had taken one of his own cars and driven to KaibaCorp HQ, intent on cramming some work in. Along the way, he suddenly was glad he hadn't bothered to take the limo; the speed on the empty roads and the night wind blowing in his hair had done wonders for his mood. He supposed indulging in some teenage pleasures wasn't all bad, after all. Besides, he needed to think, and some time alone seemed terribly seductive.

He did, however, see a police car trying to clock his --illegal, he admitted-- speed, but after the cop recognized him, the chase was over before it even started. And surprisingly, the thrill had made Kaiba smile for the first time in months.

But Yugi didn't need to know that.

First bell rang and Yami was dismayed to find out just how crowded the school really was. Being a Pharaoh and at most a 'brother' to little Yugi, he wasn't used to brushing shoulder to shoulder with jocks, nerds, cheerleaders and fangirls every step he took. Nor was he used to the rather vulgar language of teen slang or the... er... strange things that go on in a high school, such as a couple making out again his locker right when he wanted to get to it, or boys in oversized clothing running through the hallways with some stolen article of undergarments on their heads, or some senior selling out fake copies of tests to foolish freshmen. And oh, the lockers were so not big enough.

Neither was Yugi, apparently. Sugoroku managed to get Yami into every one of Yugi's classes, but Yami was having trouble even finding his aibou in the mess of the hallways. He tried his darndest to remain calm, but every few seconds he felt like he wanted to panic. Luckily, Yugi and his friends knew their way around, and eventually found Yami just in time for first period.

Class was... embarrassing.

Not only was Yami forced to introduce himself in front of each and every class, he was also unnaturally prone to sitting in the worst seat available. For history, he ended up in the front with two OPENLY gay boys on either side blatantly trying to grope him in front of the teacher --who didn't seem to care. For science, he ended up with Jou as a lab partner, and to be expected, the lab ended with a fire in Yami's hair and a panicked Jou spilling acid over his own shoes. Yugi spent half the morning excusing Yami's behavior and half of it being very unhelpful. And it didn't help Yami's situation to have fangirls EVERYWHERE.

And then there was... gym.

"You want me to WHAT?" Yami's eyes boggled.

"Change. Your. Clothes," Honda said with infinite patience, emphasizing each word.

"Didn't you Egyptians wear skirts or walk around naked?" teased Jou. "YOU, especially. You probably had servants doting on you every minute."

"I changed myself, thank you," sniffled Yami, crossing his arms stubbornly, "And they're not skirts; they're kilts."

Jou rolled his eyes and shared a look with Honda, who was currently tugging on his shorts. "Look, Yug', why don't y-- Yug'?"

Yugi was looking around with a frown, already dressed in his T-shirt and shorts. "Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

Yugi's violet eyes were troubled as they fixed on his friends, of whom Honda was currently forcing Yami into his gym clothes. "... Where's Ryou?"

They found Ryou, actually. The boy had already changed --somehow forcing Bakura to do the same-- and was currently trying to explain to Mr. Satoshi --your typical beer-bellied and red-necked gym teacher-- that his second cousin three times removed was visiting for a year.

Yami watched this with some dismay, just waiting for Bakura to turn around and laugh at him looking all ridiculous in shorts. The Pharaoh was a bit wary of the fact that gym was not co-ed. Without the girls around to complain about nails and not being strong enough to do anything, Mr. Satoshi probably wouldn't hold back whatsoever in 'whipping' the boys into shape. Yami knew he wasn't the biggest or strongest guy around, and judging by the huge jocks that towered over him now, he felt rather fearful for his health. Plus the Pharaoh knew he was dead screwed if any modern sport came up; heck, he didn't even understand the concept of American 'football', since it had nothing to do with feet in the first place.

He did, however, make a vow to protect Yugi, who was a good foot shorter than even the medium-sized guys. And he did note with gratefulness that Jou and Honda now took it upon themselves to protect him, seeing that half the boys wanted to strangle the Pharaoh and half were eyeing him like edible meat.

Feeling a bit nervous, Yami shifted a little closer to Yugi while the rest of the boys gathered, some fooling around with typical macho-ness while the others spent the time eyeing Yami and Bakura –who glared at nothing in particular—curiously.

Mr. Satoshi was not one for introductions and simply ignored both newcomers, barking out orders loud and strict enough to make even Yami wince. "You there, sit! Derek, tuck in your shirt. And you three; stop and shut up."

'That man belongs in the military,' noted Yami, feeling a twinge of intimidation as a few football jocks snapped to attention and promptly gathered with the others.

Yugi suddenly poked him and grinned a rather demented grin, pointedly shifting his gaze to the locker room doorway.

Kaiba appeared like some glorious Adonis-reborn, dressed in the uniform jersey and shorts and doing it wonders. Angels almost seemed to be chorusing in the background as the man emerged, looking distinctly bored and far too hot for his clothes.

Yami blushed furiously. Dear Ra, that man had nice legs. Nice legs AND muscles.

Without his typical bad-ass leather outfit or his whipping trenchcoat, Kaiba looked remarkably boyish, with nothing but his cold glare and his height distinguishing him from his classmates. Still, with his arms and legs bare, one could see a body sculpted out of white limestone, long limbs slender but overlapping with fluid, lean muscles that rippled with every movement. It made Yami wonder… Who the hell would keep a body like that hidden in those bloody trenchcoats?

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba," Mr. Satoshi greeted with an arched eyebrow, scribbling something on his clipboard. "Just the man I wanted to see." Being that he was not a man to smile, the grin on his face was rather unnerving.

Kaiba crossed his arms and mirrored the eyebrow raise, fixing his typical icy glare on the shorter man. His silence spoke a thousand words.

Mr. Satoshi, on his part, didn't seem intimidated. Either that or all of Kaiba's teachers were used to his… ways. With a casual wave and another glance at his clipboard, the man pointed toward a tall tube in the middle of the gym.

Kaiba glanced over and heaved something very much like a sigh. "Oh. Right," he muttered to no one in particular. He had forgotten.

The whole class watched curiously as the tall boy made his way over to the tube and pulled out a stick of some sort, tossing it up a bit to feel it out. Pleased, he turned and balanced his weight on slightly-spaced feet, holding the stick evenly and horizontally in both hands across his thighs. He waited, looking at nothing in particular.

It was most unnerving.

Pleased, Mr. Satoshi turned to the crowd, lips pursed. "Now," he barked, "I have asked Mr. Kaiba to help me demonstrate techniques in martial arts, particularly the ancient art of kendo."

Jou snickered. The mere image of the tall, stubborn CEO waving around a stick like a maniac was enough to send anyone into fits. At least in Jou's opinion.

Kaiba glared at him with a bloody glint in his rather lovely blue eyes, shifting the stick in his hands like an unspoken threat.

"Now, who would like to volunteer to demonstrate with Mr. Kaiba?" Mr. Satoshi grinned a rather sadistic grin. "After all, students learn best when using hands-on techniques."

Blank stares.

A few gazes shifted to Kaiba briefly, some filled with horror, others with respect, others with contempt.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and shifted his weight once more, as if bored.

"Honda would!" perked up Jou suddenly, cheerfully.

Everyone looked at him.

Honda turned and stared at Jou like the boy had grown two heads. "WHAT? Are you CRAZY?" he hissed.

Jou poked him and hissed back, "Oh, c'mon, you kicked his sorry ASS in the virtual realm!"

"Maybe 'cause I was possessed and I jumped on him from a ten story building?!?"

Mr. Satoshi ignored them both and scanned his clipboard. "You," he barked, pointing to Yami, "New kid with the spiky hair." He jerked this thumb toward the middle of the gym. "Out."

Yami's eyes boggled out of his head and widened to ridiculous levels. His mouth opened meekly to protest but only a choke came out.

Bakura snickered somewhere.

Jou, Ryou, and Honda exchanged alarmed looks.

Kaiba stiffened visibly.

Yugi panicked. "Mr. Satoshi, my brother's new to Japan and he doesn't know anything about ken--"

Mr. Satoshi grinned. "Well, this is why its gym 'class'."

/Aibou, I'm going to kill you./

/Er... why? I swear I didn't--/

/I TOLD you. Pharaohs. Do. NOT. Go. To. SCHOOL./

/Hey, don't tell me you don't like the situation./

Yami eyed Kaiba warily, nervously brandishing his own kendo stick. It felt odd and unfamiliar in his hands. /The man's like two feet taller than I am, Yugi./

/That's not what I meant and you know it./

Despite his hikari's attempt to lighten him up, Yami could sense Yugi's worry for him. And it wasn't helping his own panic. Unlike in dueling tournaments, he felt out of his element here. There was little else in sports and physical combat besides fast reflexes and unrecorded levels of testosterone. Being that he was hardly considered 'coordinated' yet and dueling usually required just standing there and thinking --or at most flipping cards around-- this was what the Pharaoh called 'A Very Bad Situation'. Plus him being half Kaiba's height and weight wasn't helping matters.

Neither was Kaiba's outfit, to put it bluntly.

Yami felt heat rising on his cheeks. Oh god, even if he did know how to fight and beat a man twice his size, the gorgeous, infamously blue-eyed Seto Kaiba in shorts and a rather tight jersey was enough to make anyone want to surrender and just let the man pin them down. Yami felt his stomach twist. Mmm… Kaiba on him wasn't such a bad image…

He blushed deeper as Kaiba's blue eyes fixed on him. Ra, he could just melt under that gaze…

Can you hear it in my voice...?
Was it something I let slip...?
Does the whole world know...?
Isn't it obvious...?

/You're getting distracted,/ came his hikari's perky voice in his head.

/Yugi, you're not being helpful./

/Heh. I know./

/Advice would be nice./

/Um… Just mirror him./

'Mirror him,' echoed Yami with a wince. 'Right, easier said than done.'

Kaiba stood to his full height, feet together and hands straight at his side. He bowed formally, never once peeping a word.

Gulping and feeling a sense of doom in the pit of his gut, Yami bowed as well. He noted that his hands were shaking and cursed his traitorous body.

Kaiba stood and took a small step to the side, shifting his weight to both feet with his long legs slightly bent at the knee. He held the stick on the grip near the bottom, the rod out and near horizontal. [1]

Even to a blind man, it was the stance of a fighter.

Yami's eyes narrowed. Okay. He could do this. He was the King of Game, right? He mirrored the CEO's position, a little surprised to find his body better balanced than he thought.

Kaiba's attack came like lightning. Three quick forward bounds in succession and he reached Yami; one more to the side and he assaulted with a shoulder-height hit.

Yami didn't think. He twisted backwards, raising his own stick to blocking elegantly though with little time to spare. Kaiba's fluid strength was admirable and the shock of blocking sparked a flash of pain in Yami's elbows and shoulders. The Pharaoh let out a tiny cry and fell back a step, unprepared and unaccustomed to bodily pain.

/Yami…?/ His hikari's worry was vivid through the bond.

Something tender flashed in Kaiba's eyes and he suddenly backed away, knuckles white around his stick. His stony expression flickered off briefly to reveal something akin to worry and his gaze grew unnaturally warm. The heat in those normally icy blue eyes could have melted fire itself. 'Yami…'

I'm the one who's in control...
Now I'm acting like a fool...!
Do my feelings show? Is my face aglow?
Isn't it obvious--

--that I don't know what I'm doing anymore?
I'm feeling like a little girl...
Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control...!
Isn't it obvious...?

Yami shuddered under that gaze. Ra, perhaps he was just imagining it… but was Kaiba looking at him with the same longing he himself felt? Or was that just… a strange reflection of light in the other's blue eyes and nothing more?

He snapped back into reality, suspicion in his narrowed scarlet eyes. What was this, a trick? Some sort of weird, sick joke to catch him off guard?

As if to prove that statement, Kaiba's eyes and expression hardened like ice so quickly that the tenderness in them could have simply been imagined. His second attack --this time gentler, Yami noted-- was just as fast as the first, followed by a swift third.

Yami barely parried on time, back stepping quickly. He was impressed. Despite his size, Kaiba moved with the fluid steel strength and elegance of a tiger, his large frame gliding about with grace of a man half his size. There was no doubt that he knew what he was doing.

Which Yami did not.

But suddenly, surprising even himself, the Pharaoh bounced off the balls of his feet and used the momentum and his spin to hit right back. The viciousness and speed of his assault was startling to all in the room.

The CEO as surprised as anyone, Kaiba's eyes widened noticeably. A strange shiver ran through his body, strumming with energy, and the next thing he knew, he simply reacted, blocking once up and once to the right.

Despite this elegant move, he still staggered from the unexpected aggressiveness of his opponent. For a guy so light and skinny, Yami sure packed a lot of speed, and that speed gave him just enough height in jumps and momentum to regain the upper hand.

Attack. Parry, parry. Attack. Duck. Step, step. Block, attack, block. Parry.

The clashing of their weapons echoed like sharp drum beats, followed by quick, light steps as the two worked around each other, circling like vultures for a few breath-taking seconds before clashing and backing away again in a flash.

It was like a deadly dance of cobras.

Surprisingly, Yami felt calm. His awkwardness in his new body was gone, as was his initial worry. Now he felt at peace and in control, for reasons still beyond him. Even if his mind was rather clueless, his body certainly knew a little something about combat, twisting around and springing about with flexibility and speed that impressed even himself. And he didn't need to think at all; there was no 'thinking' involved in fighting. When he saw an opening he went for it, and when that didn't work, he spent the rest of his time reacting to his opponent, matching his angle, absorbing the shock, and blocking his attacks.

He vaguely heard his friends cheering him on, but he didn't pay them much attention.

With a roar, Kaiba suddenly leapt forward like a charging lion.

With no other option, Yami sprang backwards. Or flipped was more like it. Yes, a full backflip. With only one hand, seeing that the other was currently occupied with the bloody stick.

Jou's jaw dropped.

Honda whistled admirably.

Bakura scowled.

Ryou's eyebrows raised to the heaven.

Yugi's eyes boggled.

Yami panted as he landed, crouched like a cat. On him in a second, Kaiba attacked from above and the smaller boy threw himself to the side, rolling gracefully to put more distance behind him and finally bouncing back to his feet.

/Yami... where'd you learn to do that?/

/I have absolutely no idea, Aibou./

It was only then that some sense snapped back into Yami. This wasn't kendo. The moves weren't kendo. Heck, nothing here was even anything remotely like oriental martial arts. It was lighter, quicker, and more speed-based than anything the Pharaoh recalled seeing on TV.

That left only one option. With a jolt, Yami realized he had somehow been fighting with ancient Egyptian techniques; after all, the form and the speed were characteristic of the light-footed ancient style and there was no way in the Afterlife that Yami could have known any other way to fight. Now that he thought about it, it made SENSE. As Pharaoh, he must have learned some self-defense, though he doubted this was anything lower than full out battle combat. But… how was this possible? He remembered next to nothing of his past life… and now it seemed like his body remembered more than he did.

And it was only then that Yami realized that Kaiba, as knowledgeable as the CEO was in modern fighting techniques, had blocked every one of his moves and attacked right back with equally Egyptian techniques.

Yami felt a shiver run up his spine, incredulity twisting his gut.

Impossible…

He studied the other man carefully, looking for some sort of... of TRICK, perhaps, but he was startled to find Kaiba's eyes glazed over. The CEO suddenly staggered.

The large stone chamber smelled of incense and perfume, burners smoking in every cranny. The quiet murmuring of observers filled the air, a sea of oiled bronze skin and white tunics gliding about around them. Flashes of intricate jewelry and molded weapons sparkled in the sunlight pouring in from above, rays of golden light dancing over the ocean of dark hair and dark skin below it.

Kaiba was somewhat alarmed. This wasn't the gym. And the rod in his hand was anything but a kendo stick.

A slender boy faced him, adorned with bands of gold, a near-sheer gold kilt and a white headdress covering a fearsome falcon mask. He was beautiful all over, his dark skin oiled and perfumed, his lithe body twisting like liquid metal as he shifted his weight on delicate little ankles. Needless to say, he was saying, wine-red eyes twinkling eerily under the mask as he twirled a pair of tridents in his deft fingers, I'll enjoy defeating you. His voice was a clear, flowing tenor, dripping with confidence and sarcasm.

You wish. Kaiba took a fighting stance, one foot slightly behind the other, his weight even and light. He noted vaguely that he was wearing some kind of... skirt. The thought, strangely enough, didn't really bug him.

The falcon-warrior attacked like a striking cobra. The movement was a blur to the mortal eye. Kaiba blocked so fast he wasn't even aware of his own movement.

The other boy retracted for the briefest of moments, then attacked again with even more speed. Kaiba blocked once more, jabbing his rod upward to absorb the force of the blow.

Their dance continued effortlessly, faster than the eye could follow. Attack, block. Parry, block. Block, attack, back, jump. Flip, parry, turn, parry. Jump. Block. Overhead attack, underhand block, side attack, side attack. Parry.

Then, suddenly, Kaiba jabbed his rod to the floor, the sharp clang ringing through the room. A quick flick of his wrist and his opponent went down fast, falling flat on his rear in a mess of slender limbs and gold cloth.

A gasp rose from the spectators.

The falcon-warrior scrambled backwards as Kaiba approached with an outstretched rod, grinning. The small boy glared up at him like a trapped kitten, raising his mask to reveal a startlingly fair face with narrowed scarlet eyes and a dark scowl.

Why, your highness! Kaiba laughed, You should put on your mask! Let us not scar that pretty little face.

A cry of outrage filled the air and a slim leg went arching through the air. Kaiba's rod went flying. In a flash, the boy was up and on him, tridents crossed at the taller man's neck, one drawn back.

Crimson eyes laughed down at him. "I believe... you are beheaded."

Yami's cry of alarm rang out through the gym.

Kaiba's shoulder slumped and he staggered off balance, collapsing forward like a limp bag of flour.

Yami's fingers went slack with surprise and he dropped his stick, running forward before he even knew himself what he was doing. With open arms, the Pharaoh caught Kaiba as the man fell, grunting as the CEO's heavier weight forced him to his knees and knocked the breath out of him. "Kaiba?" He felt panicked, his voice rising octaves. Kaiba was a dead weight on his shoulder and despite the Pharaoh's attempts to rouse him, the CEO didn't move. "Kaiba?!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Yami could see Mr. Satoshi and Yugi running toward them, followed closely by Jou, Honda, Ryou and Bakura.

Yami's heart pounded madly in the boy's chest, the sound ringing in his ears. 'Oh Ra...' He collapsed to his rear, his muscles weary from the fight and unused to bearing heavy loads. Ignoring the flush on his cheeks from Kaiba's close proximity, he shook the man's shoulder with desperation. "Kaiba?" he asked again, meekly this time.

Thankfully, the brunette responded. He shuddered as he was pulled violently back into consciousness, gasping for breath. He felt... cold. Cold and tired. With a groan, he rolled off Yami's shoulder and fell on his back on the cool gym floor, shakily covering his face with his hands.

'Bloody hell, what WAS that?' he demanded to himself. Dreaming at night was one thing but now... in broad daylight, when he was wide awake?! Perhaps he really was insane, no joke. But the imaged seemed so REAL... The smells, the sights, the objects and the people... He swore he could still feel the light weight of that falcon-warrior on his chest.

Opening his eyes, he found that no, it was just Yami, leaning worriedly over him with those far-too-beautiful red eyes of his.

"Are... Are you alright?" the boy asked with wide eyes, his expression far too worried.

Kaiba blinked and inhaled sharply, not noticing until now just how CLOSE Yami was... Lord, he could just reach out and touch that silky, tri-colored hair... Maybe even run his hand through the strands and stroke the boy's smooth, dark skin...

...Heavens, Yami was so beautiful... and so close...

'NO.' Kaiba closed his eyes, swallowing something that felt a lot like a lead ball. No, he was being foolish. Very very foolish.

But Lord, he was so close...

Do you see my hands? They tremble...
I know why I can't look you in the eye...!
Don't know how long I keep this inside...
Isn't it obvious...?

I don't know what I'm doing anymore...!
I'm feeling like a little girl...
Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control...!
Isn't it obvious...?

When he opened his eyes again, he could made out the painfully bright lights hanging from the ceiling and many blurry faces --Yugi and his friends among them-- peered over the Pharaoh's shoulder, all with mixed emotions of worry, horror and surprise.

Kaiba's eyes twitched. "Get off of me," he grunted, shoving Yami roughly away.

He didn't catch the hurt that flashed in the Pharaoh's eyes.

"What happ--?" demanded Mr. Satoshi.

"Nothing," was the interrupting and curt reply. "I'm fine," snarled Kaiba through gritted teeth, standing shakily and brushing himself off. His hands were trembling, but he forced them still.

Everyone backed away as Yami climbed awkwardly to his feet, his expression wounded and confused. "Kaiba--"

Ignoring him, Kaiba shoved through his classmates, all of whom immediately gave him a great deal of room to pass. With wide eyes, the startled boys watched in stunned silence as the CEO stormed through the gym, ducked into the locker room, and slammed the door behind him.

The sound echoed, a dead weight slicing through the quiet of the gym.

After a moment of silence and much to Yugi's bewilderment, Yami rushed after him.

Yugi struggled to grip Yami's shirt but failed. /Yami, Kaiba's the only student that can cut and not get in trouble for it! You, on the other hand, can't just--/

"Sorry, Mr. Satoshi, I don't feel too well!" yelled Yami over his shoulder before he disappeared into the locker room.

Everyone blinked, then turned toward Yugi with bewilderment.

The boy laughed nervously, scratching his head. "Uh... Ah, well, he's used to tropical climates so he's not... er... taking Japanese weather very well."

"Yeah, you know, hay fever season and all..." added Jou.

Though no one looked too convinced, a few boys made an "oh..." with their mouths and blinked at each other. No one noticed Bakura sneaking toward the locker room.

Kaiba changed swiftly, his limbs still shaking. For a moment, he glared at his blue jacket for no reason, his breathing hard, his fists clenched. Ra, something was wrong with him... Very very wrong.

And he didn't like it when there was something wrong with him.

With a final sigh, he shook himself. He needed to go home. Go home and possibly get some rest... or better yet, get some work done and get his mind off all this nonsense. Finishing changing and with his briefcase open at his side, the CEO stuffed his gym clothing in his locker and absent-mindedly rummaged through it for anything he might have left.

With a frown, he pulled out something long, warm and heavy.

The CEO's blue eyes widened.

The Millennium Rod rested quite happily in his hands, glowing faintly and innocently.

'When the bloody hell did THIS get here?!' Kaiba swam desperately through his memories of the morning. He had gotten up early, skipped his normal cup of coffee, took the car and... took the Rod with him. Yes, he had the briefest recollection of taking this damned thing and putting it in his briefcase.

But why? He hardly remembered doing so! And he must have done it without fuss since he didn't remember anything about throwing it across the room or fighting with himself about taking it along. And strangely enough, he hadn't even thought about it since the morning... Almost as if it was second nature to have the Rod with him.

Kaiba shook his head in disbelief. He must be suffering from caffeine withdrawal or something... "Stop that," he absentmindedly scolded to the glowing Rod, and was again surprised when it obeyed. Quickly, before he thought about it too much, he stuffed the Rod in his briefcase and shut it angrily, locking it. "Once I get home, I'm going to have you melted down, made into tiny dolls and mailed separately to the most distant countries I can think of," he muttered to the briefcase.

With that, he straightened his jacket, pulled the briefcase to his side and moved for the exit. He growled about nothing in particular. 'My car better be in one piece...'

Only minutes later...

Squinting in the dimness of the locker room, Yami was a panting, trembling mess. At a total loss of what to do, he was worried, confused and rather dizzy. Now that he had so... skillfully excused himself from gym class, he had no plan whatsoever. Why had he ran after the CEO anyhow? Even if he had caught up with the guy --which he noted that he did not, seeing that the locker room was distinctly EMPTY-- what would he have done? Pamper over him? Demand to know what's wrong? Drag the man to the nurse's office? Either way, his actions would probably have seemed suspicious and he probably would have made a fool of himself by trying; after all, the CEO did not take well to pity.

"Kaiba?" he tried half-heartedly, not really expecting an answer. His voice echoed and bounced off the metal lockers, but there was no human reply.

The Pharaoh felt the back of his neck twinge and rubbed it, frowning. He sensed the lingering presence of some wild, uncontained magic... but it was very weak, the source having left the area. Feeling a tad wary, the Pharaoh snuck around a bit and poked at random lockers, finding nothing except for a few extremely dirty gym socks. Yami stood and scratched his head. Perhaps he had just imagined that little twinge... After all, he and Bakura both changed here just a while ago, and to the magical world, they were both walking beacons. He shrugged to himself, wrinkling his nose as he made his way back to his section of the locker room. 'Ra, this place smells terrible...'

Hesitantly, he unlocked his locker and changed into his school uniform, trying to think clearly as he shakily redressed himself. What was he going to do? Kaiba was gone to who-knows-where, and there was little chance Yami could catch up to him now, knowing how fast and efficiently the CEO could move. Besides, the Pharaoh didn't have a clue what he was going to do or say if he found said CEO.

Yami stuffed his gym clothes in his locker with a sigh, taking a deep breath and running a hand through his hair. His arm still shook a little, only now feeling the toll of physical combat. Stretching his cramping, complaining muscles a bit, the former spirit winced and made a mental note to ask Yugi and Ishizu about his body's odd behavior. How could someone be physically uncoordinated and still fight like a pro when he himself didn't know how to?

Something squeaked.

Jumping, Yami turned and glanced at the locker room door. There was no one there. Blinking for a moment, the boy shook his head, rubbing his eyes. He was hearing things. He straightened his jacket and fixed his neck buckle quickly.

Now back to his original question... now what? He very well couldn't go back to class, after all... Gathering speed as he fixed his Puzzle and some other accessories, Yami stuffed his extra things in his backpack and hastily swung it over his shoulder. Perhaps he could still catch up to Kaiba... What he would do if he did was still up for grabs, but it was worth a try.

What if Kaiba was really ill? What if he was somewhere in the school, fainting? Or maybe he was coughing up blood somewhere and... and... The mere mental image made Yami's new-found stomach twist painfully with panic. Ra, he had to find Kaiba NOW!

The Pharaoh turned hurriedly and nearly jumped out of his skin. "AH!"

Bakura sat on a bleacher just a few feet away, hidden in the shadows, a still as a crouching cat.

"What the-- When in the name of Ra did YOU get in here?!" demanded Yami, looking around wildly and trying to still his racing heart. He should have sensed something...!

Bakura stood slowly and Yami frowned, noticing that he seemed to be rather hunched and more off-balanced that normal.

"... Are you sick or something?" he asked hesitantly, watching the other Egyptian lurch forward out of the shadow. "Did you hurt your leg in gym?"

Suddenly, with a primal growl, the tomb robber staggered forward with surprising speed, shoving Yami back into the corner and grabbing the small boy's arms with a tight, unforgiving grip.

Yami hissed in pain as he slammed against the metal lockers, the locks digging into his back. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!?" he hissed, struggling and beating against Bakura's lithe chest. His rage rose. "What is the meaning of this? Damn you, Bakura, LET ME G--"

He choked on his own word, crimson eyes growing wide with surprise and horror.

Bakura seemed... different. Very different. His eyes were a dark, reddish-brown, hard, icy and nearly pupil-less. There was a strangely feral snarl on the man's face, a mass of tingling, vibrating energy swirled swirling around him in an invisible aura.

It raised the hair on the back of the Pharaoh's neck. Try as he might, Yami couldn't identify the energy. It wasn't any magic he knew, and it wasn't anything he could control, which was saying a lot. And the energy was very VERY powerful.

For the first time in three thousand years, Yami felt real fear; the kind that gripped you, suffocated you, and made your knees weak. His heart pounded madly in his ribcage and he swallowed hard, feeling something like lead shoot to the bottom of his stomach. 'Ra...' "What... What's gotten in to you?" he whispered in horror, squirming in Bakura's grip, "Get off of me!" His instincts screamed at him to get out, to run... but he couldn't.

Pharaoh... Bakura hissed, savoring the word. His voice was raspy and torn, making speech sound rather painful.

Yami shuddered under the intensity of that gaze. He switched to their ancient tongue. W-Who... Who are you? he demanded finally, fearfully. This wasn't Bakura, of that much he was sure. But then who bloody was it?! No normal being could possess an ancient Egyptian tomb robber, that's for sure.

'Bakura' grinned a dangerous grin, leaning in with glowing eyes. It is you... he purred, trapping Yami against the lockers as one of his hand roamed upward to grip the side of the Pharaoh's head painfully, roughly stroking the boy's cheek. The other hand slid downward, stroking the smooth skin and groping the boy's tight rear. So beautiful...

So beautiful... The being's eyes were fiery red, burning with lust. His voice was like that of a mountain's, low and rumbling, husky with desire. His large, strong hands, so dark they were nearly black, roamed over the other's skin, stroking the milky golden-bronze flesh and drawing shudders from the small body.

Ngh... The falcon-headed being whimpered, half-heartedly struggling against the larger's touch though his inexperienced, traitorous body arched toward those talented hands. Despite him fighting against the rising heat within him, his young body was already unbearably aroused and he was at a loss for how to deal with it.

The larger creature shifted him in his lap, stroking his inner thighs and making the small being tremble. One arm came up and snaked around the small one's waist, pulling them together like pieces of a puzzle. Sharp teeth nibbled at one of the boy's puckered nipples, drawing small cries from the small being.

Overwhelmed and dizzy with pleasure, the young one looked away in shame, fluffing his feathers in what his uncle has come to realize as a falcon's way of showing uncertainty and fear. The youth squirmed, making a weak attempt to escape from the elder's groping hands.

You still fight me, Horus...? the dark being whispered, his flesh muzzle brushing Horus's slender shoulder, nipping at it with sharp fangs and nearly drawing blood from the beautiful golden skin. Heh... You are your mother's son. As stubborn as a mortal donkey, Isis is.

Don't... Don't talk about my mother that way...! panted Horus, feeling his savage rage --also an inheritance from Isis-- boil within him.

Seth sucked at the boy's neck, grinning. His hands snaked under the boy's gold kilt, tearing it away. Do you want this, little one...?

Horus struggled harder, gasping and moaning. No!

Yami gasped, trying to pull away. No... Stay away...! he cried. He suddenly felt weak... Weak and growing weaker. This... This thing was sucking energy out of him, he could feel it! But despite his efforts, he couldn't break away from the being's hold.

And the thing's naughty hands felt hot... Hot and good.

Yami's head lolled back as he openly panted, a strange, unfamiliar heat spreading through his body and flooding his insides with hot, boiling lust. Ra, it had been three thousand years... Three thousand years since he had felt such arousal... since he felt another's hands roaming his body in such erotic ways... and sweet Nut, it felt good...!

That's it, love... murmured his trapper's low, husky voice, pressing against Yami's small body with his larger own, their arousal and heat rising together. He wrapped strong, encasing arms around the boy's delicate torso, one hand snaking under his tight leather shirt to play with his nipples.

The boy moaned desperately, arching to the touch and instinctively wrapping his arms around his attacker's neck, offering himself. The larger man lowered his head, sucking and nipping at the beautiful Pharaoh's lower lip as the boy panted, drawing more keening whimpers. Finally, the being pulled Yami's head back down and closed his lips over Pharaoh's, tongue occasionally dipping inside the boy's open mouth.

A desperate moan rose from the small boy's throat as his mouth was savagely ravished, his attacker's hands continuing to send waves and waves of the strange heat into his body. Yami was helpless, terribly aroused and dizzy, wrapping his slim legs around his attacker's thighs and hanging on to the man's torso for dear life.

'It's a spell...' the Pharaoh realized dazedly as he was kissed senseless, the random thought bubbling up somewhere in the back of his mind. 'The bastard's casting a spell on me...'

By Ra, it was one hell of a spell though...

Suddenly, he realized that he had someone's tongue stuck down his throat. As exciting as the thought was, it wasn't the tongue of the very someone he wanted to stick their tongue down his throat. And NO ONE stuck their tongue down the Game King's throat without his permission.

Nooo! With the last of his coherent thoughts, Yami called upon what he could reach of the Shadow Realm and threw the dark energy forward with as much power as he could muster. Granted, it wasn't even close to a good, solid attack, but it was enough. His third eye flickered and activated, its blinding glow filling the locker room. Get. Off. Of. ME!

His blast was savage, ripping through the locker room and sending burnt metal and wood flying everywhere. Despite the attack being rather weak, it still could have easily reduced a grown man to cinders. Or at least stun a spirit senseless.

Too bad it didn't happen.

Strangely unhurt, the being in Bakura's body backed away slightly, more in surprise than anything else, the blinding light momentarily distracting him.

Yami saw his opportunity. With shaky legs, he dashed past the larger man and snatched up his backpack, scrambling over fallen lockers and gym socks as fast as he could. Coughing and tearing in the burning smoke, he fought down a wave of nausea, feeling the overwhelming urge to throw up. Ra, his poor body... Two days in and he was already dragging it through hell and back. Feeling still over-heated and weak, he stumbled, fumbling around in the wretched smoke for the exit.

Somewhere, he heard the faint screams of terrified students in the distance and realized vaguely that he must blown up a rather large chunk of the school. That... might explain the fire he now felt searing his skin. Reflexively, he tried to contact Yugi to see if the boy was hurt. However, their bond was blocked by the spirit-world's equivalent of static, and even trying to breach the strange obstacle made Yami feel like running into a brick wall.

For only the third time since he woke up from his millennia-long sleep, Yami felt alone. VERY alone.

He heard a growl and a few quick steps behind him and jumped, quelling a cry.

Bakura --or whatever that thing was-- was still chasing him, looking for him.

Only... for a single moment... Yami felt the old Bakura's presence, flickering in and out of the strange energy field that had rendered the Pharaoh powerless. Yami sensed that the tomb robber seemed scared. Scared, confused, and disoriented. But only for a moment.

Then the demon was back, fighting for control.

Bakura's voice came floating through the screams and the smoke, half its normal deep tone, half the raspy, savage one. The words were warped and garbled, slowly but surely dragging out in both Japanese and Egyptian. "He is coming for you..."

Though it was hard to hear or see anything through the smoke, Yami heard the declaration just fine. And despite himself, he shuddered.

Finally, surrounded by screams, flames and rubble, something kicked in that Yami hadn't felt for a good three millennia. ADRENALINE. His reborn body, weak or not, wanted OUT of there. Quite frankly, Yami was only too happy to agree.

As something like full-fledged panic replaced fear and confusion, the Pharaoh's questing fingers found a door. A locked one. A quick blast from his already abused powers and there no longer was a door. Coughing, he fell through the doorway on to cold, wet pavement.

AIR! He inhaled and panted, feeling giddy. Ra, he's never felt so happy to be alive. Especially since he's been dead up until... two days ago.

The stinging smoke and burning heat still billowed out from behind him and he scrambled up, stumbling out of school building entirely with his clothing and backpack singed but thankfully in one piece.

It was cold. And it was raining. And it was raining the type of rain shower that went on forever and soaked you through and kept you soaked. The sky was dark and evenly gray, gloomy and sagging with extra water, which the clouds quite happily dumped on him. Shivering and trying to calm himself, Yami looked around and found himself on the blacktop, surrounded by abandoned basketballs, basketball hoops and a few open fields where he briefly recalled that Honda and Jou liked to play soccer.

Pharaoh...

Yami felt something like thunder jolt through him and in an instant, before he even consciously made the choice to, his body was fleeing the scene, feet dashing madly across the concrete and soon across slippery, fresh-cut grass. He slipped once, then again, but thankfully didn't fall.

'Well, this is just dandy,' he thought bitterly to himself, 'I'm running away. Ha, me, of all people.' Not that he had a choice, he reminded himself. He could sense the strange being not far behind him, lagging and loping and obviously once again in total control of Bakura. The Pharaoh felt fresh fear run through him. Yes, since his powers had failed him, running away seemed like a very good idea. Not to mention the only selection on his pathetically short list of options.

For a long time, Yami ran and ran, adrenaline pumping through his system and keeping him going long after pain and soreness started to build in his muscles. He ran past the half-dead forest that surrounded the back of the school, leaping over logs and dodging trees with speed and grace he didn't know he had. Beyond the forest, he ran past a construction site and through an intersection, dodging speeding cars and wincing as a wall of annoyed beeping reached his sensitive ears. He reached a nice, suburban development and sped through it, scaring quite a number of pre-school kids playing in the puddles and hearing their overprotective mothers scream at him about 'crazy high school kids'.

Yami could sense the strange being following him most of the way, and the mere thought kept him going at neck-breaking speeds. He felt very cowardly for running, but still, he didn't know what the creature had done to him and considering he had been powerless to stop it, he wasn't willing to relive the experience. Now normally there wasn't a being in existence strong enough to take him out... but after what the weird demon had done, Yami found that maybe --just maybe-- there might be someone out there that no one else considered.

He knew they must be making some strange sight. At a first glance, he and 'Bakura' must seem like two high school buddies cutting class and chasing each other through the city like typical teenage boys. Which is probably why no one had reported them just yet.

Yami felt his heart race to the point of collapsing, gasping for air as he skidded down the sidewalk past an annoying pink-painted house. 'Ra, why isn't there a police car around when you needed one?!'

Eventually, reaching the heart of Domino and dragging himself into the streets of downtown, Yami slowed and finally stopped, wheezing as he leaned against a half-finished building with graffiti scribbled over the sides.

The weird thing was gone. As was Bakura. The Ring wasn't anywhere nearby, as far as Yami could tell, and it hadn't activated this whole strange episode. Which was even stranger.

Panting, Yami slumped against the wall, dropped his head back and sank to his knees, his body screaming bloody murder at him. The rain continued to pour, moisture soaking his jacket and getting under his leather shirt, zipping it to his skin. Despite the chill, however, the cool raindrops felt good plopping against skin. They felt like little explosions, tingling the nerves where they hit and trailing down his face and arms like a silky snake.

Strange... If he hadn't been chased by some demon-reborn just minutes ago, he might have noticed earlier that this was the first time in dozens of hundreds of years that he had felt real rain against his skin. The thought was comforting.

For a while, he just sat there and soaked up the rain, trying to catch his breath. Finally, shakily, he looked up and around. Above him was the crumbling structure of some old apartment building, dark and covered in cracked red paint. To the left was the edge of the development full of screaming mothers and hysterical kids. To the right was a long, empty road, and through the darkness, Yami could make out shadowed alleyways and tall, glass-covered skyscrapers reaching high into the cloudy sky.

It was then that the Pharaoh realized he was lost.

/Yami?/ The well-timed cry of his aibou's thought-spoken voice in Yami's head made the Pharaoh jump.

Relief flooded Yami's system, warm and welcoming. /Ra, Yugi? Is that you?/

/Geez, what happened?! I've been trying to contact you forever and you never answered!/

/...Sorry./ Yami winced, wisely leaving out the details --none of which he understood himself-- of why he couldn't reach his aibou.

/And what the bloody hell did you do?! Did you blow up the school?!/

Yami flinched. /Um... yeah./

/Why?/ The hikari --bless him-- sounded more worried than angry. /Did you get attacked? Are you hurt? After I couldn't reach you, I thought that you died in the explosion or something...!/

Yami checked himself over and was surprised to find that, besides being terribly sore, he seemed fine. /I'm... alright. I think./ He still felt light-headed and... well... aroused, but Ra forbid he tell his aibou.

/...Where are you?/ asked Yugi finally. /They've evacuated the school because of the blast and right now I don't see you out on the parking lot./

Yami looked around, wincing once again. /Um... I'm not sure, aibou. I think I'm where you call 'downtown'./

Silence.

He could sense Yugi's confusion and disbelief.

/DOWNTOWN? How'd you get there?! That's a good... few miles from here!/

Yami blinked. /Er... I ran?/

Again, Yugi seemed incredulous, but thankfully, he didn't question Yami's running abilities any further. /Why are you downtown, Yami?/ he asked finally, bewildered. /What happened?/

Yami hesitated, feeling the now familiar feeling of fear come on him again. Ra, what DID happen? He had been cornered, attacked, kissed and groped by someone he had thought had been Bakura, but now was pretty sure wasn't. Plus he hadn't been able to use his powers --a frightful thought-- nor contact Yugi. And yes, he had been chased half way across Domino by the same strange being, who was now thankfully, though strangely, absent. And yes, now he was lost. /I-- um.../

He didn't understand the situation. And if he didn't, than Yugi obviously wouldn't. And plus if it was something as serious as the Pharaoh being nearly raped and rendered powerless by some new enemy... perhaps it was best big-hearted little Yugi didn't know. The boy was, after all, a worry wart, and until the situation was sorted out, Yami doubted that Yugi freaking out would help matters.

The Pharaoh wracked his mind for an excuse. Yes, it seemed wise to keep this all from Yugi for now. Hell, it scared Yami himself half out of his wits. He didn't want his aibou to be even more scared. /I--um.../

A flash of thunder overhead made the Pharaoh jump, and he looked up in time to be slapped in the face by a wave of freezing rain.

/Man, its raining hard,/ commented Yugi, sounding faint from the distance between them. /Look, Yami, they're contacting our parents and shutting down the school. I don't know what you did or why, but stay where you are. Once Grandpa comes for me, we'll come looking for you, okay?/

Yami winced, shivering in the cold and wincing as his legs screamed in pain. /Aibou, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere fast./

Kaiba cursed the red light. Damn the bloody thing. He would have probably run through it if it hadn't been for the goody-too-shoes in front of him that stopped when the light was only YELLOW. As of the moment, his plan was to go to KaibaCorp HQ for some papers, then head on home to where silence, a good cup of coffee and a fast computer awaited him. And it would be nice if he got home SOON. He sighed, leaning against the wheel and feeling sourly tempted to honk.

Getting out of the school had been easy enough so he had checked briefly at Mokuba's middle school just to reassure himself the world wasn't ending. Even if he was going insane, the CEO took comfort seeing a normal scene such as his little brother leap up and down in his seat trying to answer some stupid question asked by the teacher. Thankfully the younger Kaiba brother hadn't gotten his elder's horrible school skills; Kaiba usually seated himself in the farthest, deepest corner of the room, pulled out a book or his laptop, and promptly ignored the lesson, the other students and the teacher for the rest of the class.

Kaiba was jolted out of his thoughts when a flash of lightning tore through the sky and thunder rumbled through the city. If anything, it rained harder. The man sighed again. He wasn't in the mood to get any more depressed by Domino's horrible storms.

The light turned green, and waiting briefly for the other car to turn into another street, Kaiba moved his foot and stepped on the gas.

Suddenly, a strange warm buzzing flooded his senses and he blinked, a blossom of golden light blooming before his eyes and swamping his vision.

A pair of pained, soulful green eyes looked into his, covered by long, blond bangs. "Take care of him for me..."

"SHIT!" Kaiba swerved to narrowly avoid a streetlight. He brought the car safely back into the lane, swearing colorfully and gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. He gritted his teeth, blinking madly and willing himself to focus on driving.

AGAIN, a vision. His second one today. But the second was no stranger than the first.

He shook his head, feeling a little dizzy but thankfully not any worse for wear. Well, at least he hadn't fainted like the first time. If he had, he might have ended up with more than a totaled car. 'Ha, that'd be a laugh,' he thought to himself. The great Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp, dies in a car crash from speeding down a rainy road. A typical teenage mistake, people would say. It wouldn't be how he wanted to go, Mokuba would say sadly.

Shaken, the CEO checked his mirrors and squinted through the waving windshield wipers into the rain beyond. Thankfully, the street was empty.

Kind of.

A blotch of blue against a red building stood out from the dreary gray of the storm. Kaiba saw it out of the corner of his eye and frowned, shifting lanes to get a little closer.

It was a boy. A boy of Domino High, apparently. On closer inspection, it turned out to be Yami huddled in a ball against the side of the building, his leather and school attire soaked to the skin, his once proud hair spikes drooping and dull around his shoulders. He was shivering visibly, hugging his backpack and his knees to his chest, his breath coming out in shallow, shaky exhales.

He looked pathetic.

Kaiba felt his throat tighten. What the hell Yami was doing all the way out here in the middle of a thunderstorm was beyond him, but all Kaiba wanted was to see that beautiful face light up with a brilliant smile and that lithe little body flushed with warmth. Without another thought, the CEO smoothly pulled the car to a stop along the curb. With the press of a button, the passenger window lowered, and sprays of rain came pouring in to the velvet and leather insides of the car. "Get in." His voice was tight but thankfully unwavering.

Yami's head snapped up at the sudden words, squinting through the rain at the strange, sleek car that had pulled up in front of him. The Pharaoh felt a little bit of fear. He had already mind crushed two bastards that tried to 'help' him by groping him --after the incident with Bakura and the two students in class, Yami wasn't too fond of groping-- and now some weird guy in a fancy car expects him to just jump in?

"You're soaking. Get. IN."

The voice was smooth, deep and flowing, ringing a bell in Yami's head. The boy choked on rainwater. "Kaiba?!"

"Don't make me repeat my words." There was a click as the door locks opened.

Yami felt his heart race. Kaiba appeared out of nowhere in this storm like a knight in shining armor --or a cool car-- and was suddenly offering him a ride? He must be dreaming...! The Pharaoh stopped himself from nearly giggling. 'Not THAT way, you dolt.' He stood shakily, grabbing his abandoned backpack and edging hesitantly toward the car. His legs were in horrible pain so he more or less limped most of the way.

"What the hell happened to you?" demanded Kaiba without small talk as Yami struggled into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him.

Yami, who had been taking the moment to enjoy the warmth and dryness inside the AWFULLY nice car, trembled at the all-too-familiar question, wincing visibly. He shuddered, rubbing his freezing arms in an effort to work some warmth back in them. "I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks flush.

Kaiba pursed his lips, frowning. Somehow, Yami's answer bugged him. He didn't like things being hid from him, and considering this must be revolving around Yami's well-being, he REALLY wanted to know. "Fine," he snorted finally, swallowing his curiosity and worry.

Rolling up the window, he absentmindedly snapped at Yami to put on his seat belt --he himself wore one out of habit to be a good example for Mokuba-- and pulled the car back into the road. [2]

Yami picked at his wet clothes, squirming in his seat. He looked at Kaiba, rather embarrassed. "I'm sorry... I'm getting your car all wet and dirty." As if to prove it, he sneezed once, then again, and coughed right after.

Without looking at him, Kaiba tossed the boy a tissue from one of the dashboard's many compartments. He rested one hand on the top of the steering wheel to drive and pressed a few more buttons on the dashboard, watching with satisfaction as the small blue screen blinked and flashed accordingly. On cue, warm air came billowing out of the car's many vents and onto its two passengers.

Yami blinked in surprise and looked around, startled.

"You need to dry off," explained Kaiba evenly. "You're already sick."

Yami felt his heart flutter. Why was Kaiba being so... nice? Er... nicer than normal, anyway. The boy sniffled against the tissue, almost cooing as the hot air blasted over his soaked clothes. "Wait..." he started suddenly, biting his lip and feeling another blush rise up his neck, "Aren't you going to be hot?"

"I'll be fine," grunted the CEO, and left it there.

Yami ducked his head shyly, shifting awkwardly in his seat and pulling at his damp clothing. This was so... weird. First Kaiba finds him in the middle of a city, offers him a ride, and now is drying him off with the most wonderful air-conditioning system ever known to modern automobiles. It was so... sweet.

/Yugi...?/ he mumbled, reaching through the bond if only for the sole purpose of distracting himself from... a certain train of thought. /Tell Sugoroku to just take you home. He doesn't have to come looking for me./

/Yami...?/ His aibou sounded frightened, fearing that Yami was declaring that he was going to commit suicide.

/It's okay, aibou./ Yami glanced at Kaiba out of the corner of his eye, then at the street. Yes, this seemed right... The streets were looking somewhat more familiar than before... /Kaiba's bringing me home./

/KAIBA?/ echoed Yugi, disbelief flooding the bond. There was silence, then a small laugh. /Oh, I see. Well then, make it home in one piece, Yami. And try not to use cars for more than one purpose at a time./ He ended the link with a giggle.

Yami blinked. 'What's THAT supposed to mean?'

The ride to the Game Shop was thankfully quiet... at least in terms of words. Yami's shivering and coughing got steadily worse, and Kaiba noted that the boy's clothing was not drying as fast as he had hoped. The Game Shop being on the outskirts of the city and them now being stuck in lunch time traffic, the CEO felt his stomach sink as the ride dragged on. If Yami wasn't terribly sick yet, he was about to be.

The Pharaoh was feeling miserable. He had forgotten what it was like to be sick and cold. And granted, he wished that he had permanently forgotten and didn't have to be reminded. 'Ra, how can mortals stand getting sick all the time?!' He fought the urge to sneeze and coughed instead, sniffling miserably as he curled up in his seat. Despite the fact that the heater was blasting, he still shivered and felt like he wasn't warm enough. He winced at the sound of his wet leather clothing squeaking on the dry seat. 'Oh dear, I'm ruining Kaiba's car...' he scolded himself. As if it wasn't enough that he was sitting beside said gorgeous brunette inside the man's beautiful car in the first place.

A blue jacket was suddenly shoved in Yami's face and the Pharaoh blinked in surprise. "What's this for?" he sniffled, glancing at Kaiba who seemed intent on staring at the road.

"Wear mine and take off yours. You'll be warmer," commanded the brunette, voice a bit gruff albeit quiet. He had stripped off his jacket down to his dark, high-necked shirt, the card locket clearly hanging around his neck. Seeing Yami hesitate, he sighed, waving the jacket closer to the boy. "It's rather hot in here anyhow," he mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed.

A cute blush colored the Pharaoh's dark cheeks as he hesitantly accepted the jacket, shrugging off his own. "Thank you," he murmured softly as he tugged the oversized jacket on, cooing in its warmth and dryness.

He didn't catch the blush on Kaiba's face.

Meanwhile...

"What-- H-How did you get home already?" shrieked Ryou in surprise. He hurriedly closed and locked the front door behind him and turned, arms crossed. "Did you have something to do with blowing up the school?!" he demanded.

Silence.

Ryou frowned.

Bakura was curled up on the couch, ignoring him completely, hugging his legs to his chest and burying his face in his knees. He was shaking.

"Bakura...?" Ryou felt something stab at his heart and he quickly approached, worried. "Are you okay? Are you sick? Hurt anywhere?" He reached out to touch his yami, then thought better of it and sat by him instead, nearly close enough to touch. "...Yami?"

Bakura looked up slightly, more at the ground than anything. He was pale. There was something inside of him, he was sure of it, and quite frankly, he didn't know if he liked it being there. His voice came out a choked whisper, heavy and tight. "Ryou... I think there's something wrong with me..."

Kaiba and Yami drove on in silence, the brunette occasionally glancing at the Pharaoh out of the corner of his eye to gauge his health. The CEO was pleased to find that the boy hadn't gotten worse and instead was resting quietly, curled up adorably inside a school jacket two sizes too large for him. Kaiba felt an itching on his cheek and fought the urge to smile. "We're here," he said suddenly, before he himself realized it.

Yami perked up, looking out the rain-streaked windows to a dreary, albeit familiar, street. "Oh... The Game Shop..." He could see the light on inside and the familiar outlines of two spiky-haired people inside. 'Sugoroku and Yugi are home...'

The thought was comforting, but not as much as he thought it would be. Quite frankly, the Pharaoh would much rather stay inside the car. It was, after all, a very nice car, all warm and toasty... Not to mention the driver was only the hottest guy alive. Plus there was a good dozen feet between the car and the Game Shop, the whole way wet, gloomy and cold.

Awkward silence settled over the car when Yami made no move to leave the car and Kaiba made no move to drive away.

"I... um... guess I should be going then. Thanks for the ride," mumbled Yami finally, summoning up his courage and opening the door to the freezing cold tempest outside. 'Good RA, its cold.'

"Wait."

A hand on his shoulder made him jump a little, and he looked back at Kaiba with a vivid blush.

The CEO seemed to be blushing himself.

Blinking, a thousand thoughts ran through Yami's mind, most of them borderline inappropriate. His heart leapt to his throat, fluttering. 'Ra, is he going to...?'

Kaiba struggled for words and in the end, he regained control of his arm, patting Yami awkwardly and quickly before retracting the limb. "Just... don't get stuck in any more rainstorms."

Oh, suddenly, these emotions are in control of my heart...
Can you see it in my eyes...?
Every glance, every smile... must give me away...!
'Cause I feel so much, I can't hide!

And I don't know what I'm doing anymore!
I'm feeling like a little girl...
Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control...!
Isn't it obvious...?

Yami blinked, cheeks still rosy. "Yeah..." he mumbled finally, a little crestfallen and bashing himself inside for getting his hopes up, "I won't." With that, he stumbled out of the car, shut the door behind him, and scrambled to the shop, hugging his jacket and book bag to himself.

The door opened before he reached it and Yugi stood leaning against the doorway, looking quite smug. The boy grinned. "I think he likes you."

[1] - I don't know SQUAT about kendo so therefore I am making everything up. Sorry if anyone is terribly offended; this is the only chapter kendo's going appear in anyhow, so you guys won't have to suffer from my lack of knowledge in martial arts.

[2] - I'm making such a big deal about Kaiba driving cuz I DROVE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS WEEK! HAHA! (I don't even have my permit but SHHHH, you don't know that!) My dad took me to a big empty parking lot and made me go around for an hour (I did get the hang of turning really well, he said, but I also forgot the blinking light thingy every time). Then he made me drive out on to the road to the library, which was a good few miles away with lots of turns and stuff. I was scared as all hell, but there wasn't really anyone on the road (someone pulled out of a driveway though) and I didn't crash or run any red lights. :-p YAY FOR ME!! (Just so you know, I THINK I'm making Kaiba older than the others --around 18-ish, just like the dubbed version-- so therefore, except for gym, he has different classes and can probably drive, while the others cannot. I don't know the driving age limit in Japan, so I'm basing it off America's, which is 16 for the permit and 17 for the license.)

AN: THERE. A long chapter. :-p Hope you guys are happy. Sorry, I kinda rushed through the whole latter half so I'm sorry if it's not very descriptive (I did like the first half though :-p). I was getting tired anyhow. And this chapter was actually a lot longer than I planned; Bakura's 'attack' was not planned and I was meaning to just plop in a very short few sentences about it, but I got carried away and tossed in Horus and groping and all the things about running across the city. (And oh yes, Kaiba's car IS still a convertible; the top just went up when it rained. :-p Just so you guys didn't think I screwed up or anything.)

Oh, I'm leaving the country (FOR AUSTRALIA!! HAHAHA!) after July 9th and I'll be back say... July 30th. Therefore, this is probably the last chapter of DC I'll update until August, and I'm very very sorry for that. Thanks for all the support so far, guys! Thanks for being so patient and just in case I don't update for a month, don't kill me!

NOTE: For those of you that haven't already, check out my new story 'Le Coeur De La Mer'! -- title's French. Anyhow, it's a Seto/Yami fic placed in France/England (Seto's a British Commodore and Yami's a prince). :-p Two chapters up so far; I'm hoping to update it one more time before I go!