Almost finished now; just one chapter left... Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter 8

"I love you," I whispered.

Seto drew in a sharp breath and I felt his limbs freeze under me. "W-what?" he stuttered. "You don't – do you? But we've only… It's only… I know we… but…"

I was torn between disappointment and the inappropriate desire to laugh at the sight of the brilliant CEO reduced to incoherent stutters, but eventually the humor won out and I let out a short bark of nervous laughter when, a full minute later, Seto still hadn't managed to form a complete sentence.

Big mistake.

Seto leapt to his feet, sending me tumbling from his lap onto the grainy sand, and stalked off angrily along the deserted beach, his furious strides kicking up a small cloud of white sand behind him. He paused a good distance away, just in front of the water, and buried his face in the palms of his hands while I stared at him in amazement from my seat atop the cold, damp sand.

"Seto?" I called softly after a moment, rising slowly to my feet, but he didn't respond; just stood there stock-still with his back to me, his face hidden in his hands. Hesitantly I approached him, wrapping my arms tightly around my chest as a shield from the fierce wind, which seemed even colder and more forbidding after Seto's warm embrace. I stopped when I reached his side, the ocean's freezing waves inches from my feet, and laid a hand on his arm. He jerked away from me.

"Seto, say something," I pleaded. "Are you upset because I laughed? I… I just didn't know what else to do…"

His stance relaxed slightly and he shook his head, but he looked away from me, toward where the restaurant windows sat glittering against the black sky. "We should go," Seto finally said. "It's cold."

With that, he turned and began trudging through the deep sand, this time away from the ocean, once again leaving me behind gaping in wonder. But as I watched him walk away, sand clinging to his tall, slim form and clumping in his thick, dark hair, a strange tight ache rose up from somewhere deep in my chest. It wasn't like when he had run away from me the first time, when I was sure my heart was broken; this ache was different, harsher somehow…

For a moment I felt like a red haze descended over my eyes, and that was when I realized the difference. I wasn't heartbroken; I was angry. Furious. In all my life I'd never felt even a fraction of the blind fury that swept over me in that instant – because I knew Seto loved me. He did! It was so obvious – and I wasn't going to let him walk away from me and pretend like he never felt anything just because he didn't want to say it.

I raced after Seto, stumbling as my feet sank into the deep sand, and caught up with him before he'd reached the middle of the beach. I ran in front of him and braced both of my palms against his chest, stopping him in his tracks, and before he could sidle away from me I stared up into his face and determinedly met his gaze. "Stop," I ordered.

Seto looked down at me through eyes heavily shaded by thick bangs – though they would have been hard to read in the darkness, anyway – but the grim set of his jaw was easy enough to see. "What is it, Yami?" he muttered.

That haze briefly descended once again and I shoved Seto harshly with the palms still pressed against his chest, causing him to stumble slightly and take a step backward. I stepped with him. "Why won't you just admit it?" I demanded. "What's so hard? How can you treat me the way that you do – like you CARE about me – but then run away the moment you might have to actually say what you feel? Or is it me? Is there something about me that you suddenly decided you didn't like? Or maybe you just don't believe me? Well, like it or not, it's true. I love you; I love you so much, Seto…"

Frustrated tears spilled down my cheeks but I brushed them away with annoyance and leaned forward against Seto's chest, tilting my face up enough to give him an impatient kiss on the lips. I felt him sigh against my mouth as he gently kissed me back, wrapping his arms around my waist and drawing me flush against him for a few glorious seconds – but then he let go and stepped backward once again.

"It's not that, Yami… You wouldn't understand…" he mumbled.

I sighed. "What wouldn't I understand?"

Seto met my gaze once more; and, to my shock, I saw tears brimming brightly in his eyes. "It's not that I didn't like hearing you say you loved me – it was wonderful. But… when you say that… or the way you say my name sometimes; it's just like it was…" Seto shook his head vehemently. "No! It can't be real!"

"What? What are you talking about, Seto?" I asked, thoroughly befuddled. "What can't be real?"

The tears welled up so thick in his eyes that it was a miracle none spilled down his cheeks as he gazed at me seriously. "The memories," he answered.

The blood drained from my face in a dizzying rush as I stared at the sobbing woman in front of me. "Did you say…? Did you say Mahado…?" I choked, unable to finish the horrible sentence. "Isis… What happened?"

"It was Bakura," she replied between shuddering sobs. "I don't know what happened –everything went so dark – and then Mahado was… he…" With that, Isis broke down completely and Shimon rushed to her side, wrapping his arms consolingly around the dark haired woman as she buried her tearstained face in his shoulder.

"Isis, where did Bakura go?" Seto spoke up, but by now she was far too upset to form a coherent reply. So, after cupping my cheek in his palm for a brief instant, Seto turned and suddenly rushed from the room at top speed, his robes billowing behind him as he bypassed Shimon and Isis, who barely noticed him.

I raced after Seto – still feeling the warm pressure of his palm against my skin – and caught up with him just as he ran through the door to one of the palace battlements. "Seto! Where are you going?" I cried, scrabbling to catch his sleeve before he rushed up the stairs. "What are you doing?"

He paused and I caught a glimpse of blue eyes fraught with fear before Seto quickly pulled from my grasp and went back to climbing the stairs. I followed him. "We have to find the tomb robber. We can see most of the country from here," Seto finally answered as we emerged atop the tower. "Look for any shadows. They may hide the thief but we'll know he's there, since there won't be any natural darkness at this time of day," he explained.

With that, Seto stretched to his full height and began scanning the landscape for any glimpse of the thief. I looked around as well, but my gaze kept returning involuntarily to the tall, lean figure whose dark hair whipped around his face in the desert wind, and my heart twisted from an emotion wholly different from the fear and grief that had assaulted it over the past few minutes.

I couldn't let this moment pass.

"Seto," I murmured, stepping closer and taking his hand in mine as his cerulean eyes continued sweeping across the countryside. "I have to tell you… I wanted you to know…"

"Yami, now is not the time," Seto cut me off brusquely. But he squeezed my hand in an affectionate way and a tiny, wistful smile crept over his face as he went back to searching for the thief.

I let go of his hand and turned around, scanning the palace grounds. From here I could barely make out the pharaohs' tombs in the distance; my father's among them… And then I saw it. The tiny dark spot.

"Seto, look!"

He turned, drawing in a sharp breath when he saw where I was pointing. As we watched the spot grew, stretching from the flat plain all the way to the sky and sweeping forward like an uncontrollable black tsunami. "What do we do?" I cried, unable to tear my eyes from the horrible darkness as it kept rushing forward, faster and faster, until the entire horizon was filled with shadows.

"Yami, put one hand on your Puzzle and stretch out the other in front of you," Seto said in a strained voice, laced with fear. I immediately obeyed and he mimicked the action, and light began pouring from both of our Items in a yellow glow that shot toward the thick wall of shadows. For a long, heart-stopping moment the black wall froze in its path; then it slowly, painfully inched backward, lightening as it retreated until it became a smoky gray haze.

But then it turned back to blackness, and the shadows rushed toward us again faster than ever.

Sweat poured from Seto's brow as he stood beside me with his arm outstretched, fighting to keep the shadows at bay, but the two of us just weren't enough. We needed the other priests; but Isis had been reduced to a hysterical, sobbing mess on the floor, and the others had vanished to Ra knows where – maybe Bakura had gotten to them.

And Mahado was dead.

I dropped my hand and sank to my knees in despair. Seto lowered his hand as well, gazing at me in concern even in the middle of all this chaos. I desperately wished that I had paid more attention to Shimon when he had tried to teach me about the Sennen Items; then, maybe, I would have known some way to stop this. But then again, maybe there was no way to stop it, except…

I rose to my feet and looked straight into Seto's perfect, gorgeous eyes. Then, standing on my tiptoes, I planted a furious, desperate kiss on his soft lips even as the shadows converged around us until we were standing in the only patch of light in the dark world. I stepped back.

"I love you," I whispered, placing a hand on either side of the Puzzle.

With that, I saw no more.

"Memories? What… Seto, do you mean memories of Egypt?" I breathed, my eyes widening in amazement.

"What does it matter? It's not real anyway…" he muttered. He looked down, causing his heavy bangs to fall over his face and shade his eyes, but I didn't need to read his gaze to know what he was thinking. It hit me suddenly, in an incredible burst of insight; with those two words – 'the memories' – I instantly understood why Seto had been acting the way he had.

"You've been seeing them for a while, haven't you?" I asked knowingly. "Ever since that day when you found me on the sidewalk; because that's when I…"

But Seto was shaking his head. "No; the memories – or hallucinations – started a little while before that. Sometimes I couldn't get them out of my head, and I'd have to go for walks, in the city, or the wharfs… But it doesn't matter, because they're not real," he repeated.

"They are!" I protested, grabbing his face with both my hands and forcing him to look at me. "I remember it, too, Seto! I remember you. I loved you so much – and I still do."

With that, as I stared fervently into his eyes willing him to believe me, the tears finally slipped down Seto's cheeks. I shouldn't have been surprised, since they had been brimming in his eyes for a long time, but when they fell a stab of pain jolted through my heart. Seeing him cry was the most horrible, heartwrenching experience I had ever known – and I felt somehow like it was my fault.

"No… Seto, don't! I know it's frightening having those flashbacks, but don't you want to remember? To know we felt as strongly about each other thousands of years ago as we do now?" I pleaded and leaned forward a little, gently brushing my lips against his.

But this time he didn't return my kiss. Seto broke away from me, letting out a slight snort of derisive laughter. "Why would I want to know that?" he spat bitterly. "Are you sure you remember, Yami? That you feel the same way as you did then?"

I nodded slowly. I wasn't sure why Seto was getting so upset – I would think he'd be happy that I loved him; that I had always loved him…

He laughed harshly once more and new, thick tears fell down his cheeks. "Then I guess you'll be leaving now."

"WHAT!"

"It's what you did before."

"Seto… I sealed my soul away because I had to! I did it to save Egypt! To save you!"

He glared at me, not bothering to wipe away the shining tear tracks that had collected on his pale cheeks. "Maybe. You didn't really give me much of a choice, though, did you? You just decided to kill yourself right there in front of me, right after you profess your 'love'! How is it 'saving me' to leave me there to live without you?"

I was speechless. My jaw dropped, only to click shut again when I realized I couldn't form any words. "But… You would have died…" I finally managed.

"I would rather have died," he replied bitterly. Then Seto gave me a long, tired glance, and as he stared contemplatively into my eyes his countenance slowly changed. A wry, bitter smile twisted his lips, but his eyes were tender as he reached out and gently brushed the bangs from my face, letting his slender fingers linger against my skin. I leaned into his touch. "At least then we would be together in the afterlife, if it even exists, that is…"

"Seto…" I began, but he interrupted me.

"Don't start, Yami. Like it or not, you took the easy way out. It's a lot easier to sacrifice yourself than to keep living the rest of your life, getting old, fat and senile and knowing that the only reason your worthless body takes another breath of air is because the person you love most in the world gave it to you."

"Seto, please! I wanted you to…"

"I know. And you wanted to save your people. A brave pharaoh." The wry smile twisted a little more.

I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to say; didn't know what to do; just stood there staring at the bright, wet tracks glistening on Seto's cheeks and knowing that I put them there. I made him cry. I made him suffer. I couldn't fix that. So instead of trying to find some empty words or tiresome platitudes that would never make things better, I just rushed forward and hugged my weeping Seto, burying my face in his chest and letting my own tears dampen his shirt while I clutched at him. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," I murmured helplessly against the wet cloth. Then slowly, cautiously, Seto's arms snaked around my shoulders. I sniffled once, the sound slightly muffled by his chest, and Seto's arms tightened around me until he was really holding me, embracing me with the careful tenderness of a worried lover.

That was when I knew things would turn out all right.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured again as he held me, lightly stroking my back with his perfect, slender fingers. He didn't answer, but I felt his arms tighten almost imperceptibly around me and he rested his chin on top of my head. We remained in this pose for long, silent minutes afterwards, our combined body heat banishing the freezing ocean wind, since for a long time neither of us dared to move from the fear that this tentative peace would be broken if either of us spoke even one word or moved a single inch from the other's protective embrace.

But eventually it had to end. I took a step backward, slipping from under Seto's arm, though I immediately grasped his hand and twined our fingers together. "It doesn't have to be the same," I said softly. "Things aren't the same as they were then."

Seto smiled that wry, bitter smile once again and stretched out his free hand to thread gently through my bangs. "They are, Yami. They're so similar it's hard not to expect to see you wearing all your gold jewelry and that skimpy little robe." I flushed slightly at this, but he immediately continued. "When I dreamed that I saved your life, it was so real that I had to go out and find you – and you really were in danger. I remembered how you used to look at me – as if you wanted to kiss me, to be with me – and then you showed up at my office and looked at me exactly the same way. You say my name the same way, too. And… and Bakura is still here."

I squeezed his hand tightly in both of mine. "It doesn't matter, Seto. Of course things are similar, but they're not the same. I'm not a pharaoh, you're not a priest, and though Bakura's still a thief, he's not out to kill me anymore."

Seto snorted. I took that as a good sign. "Seto… I love you so much. I'll never leave you. Never again," I promised. With that, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, stretching upward to taste the familiar tang of his soft, supple lips.

This time, he kissed me back. Seto's arms crept around me, cautiously at first, but then they quickly tightened, pressing me almost unbearably close to his deliciously warm frame as the kiss grew more passionate. His tongue snaked through my teeth to wrap around my own, and I relaxed and let him dominate the kiss, feeling his need to convince himself that I was his. So, Seto kept kissing me, gradually sucking the air from my lungs until I felt dizzy and my knees gave way, my only support the arms clasped desperately around Seto's neck.

He didn't bother trying to hold me up. Instead, Seto dropped to his knees and slowly lowered me onto the sandy beach for the second time that evening. I let go of his neck, gazing up at Seto through hazy, lust-ridden eyes as he started gently removing my clothes. His dark, silky bangs hung in his eyes. I lifted a hand to brush them away, but Seto caught it before I reached his face and, pausing in his effort to undress me, grasped my hand in both of his and planted a soft kiss on my palm. I smiled.

Then Seto looked me directly in the eyes and said those words, those sweet words I had been craving since the moment I saw him standing on the pier, staring at the ocean through eyes a thousand times bluer than its crystal waters. Or, really, even before that – since the first time I set my eyes on a young priest, beautiful and brilliant, who called his pharaoh by name the first time they spoke.

"I love you, Yami," he whispered.