Konnichiwa, peoples! Who here has heard about the new Gravitation DVD series? -watches hands raise- SQUEE! I can't wait. And it's cool that it comes out not long after the last manga came out, so it's all cool... And I get to see more EIRI YUKI! -faints in excitement- Anyway, here I am with another chapter, and sorry if the wait was long, but I think it'll be worth it. So here it is- the next chapter! Yaaaaay. XD

Only one review last chapter... That's saddening. T-T People have lost interest? Maybe I should just stop bothering with updating altogether... But I won't. (Is it because I don't update more? I apologize, forgive me!) I will go on, no matter what, until the epilogue is up! Why? -smile- I like defying my parents. -giggles-

... Screw the disclaimer. I've done it enough for you to get the point.

... There're no warnings for this chapter. The next one won't come up until next chapter.

... I think I'll get on with the story now.

Teian no Kokoro- Chapter Nine: Truth

'After that kiss, I just stared as he walked away. Why was he leaving so soon? Why was he leaving me? Don't get me wrong, he's a damn good kisser. Like I said before, I didn't want it to stop. Gosh, I can't stop thinking about it! Was he embarrased that he kissed me- a guy? He had asked me if I was embarrased- Hell yeah! I could feel that my face was beet red. Of course I was blushing- I had just kissed a guy!

'But... Even though Seto is a guy, ... I think I'm in love with him. I almost told him that while we were just sitting there, but he... sorta cut me off, ya know...? But oh well, I don't mind that he did. I guess I'll just tell him eventually.'

ixi

Seto Kaiba was laying on his couch, blankly staring at the ceiling. The TV wasn't on, no stereos were on, the computers were all off, Mokuba wasn't home... It was in every way quiet. The teen's hands were behind his head to serve as a pillow.

'I have to find him, but where do I start? There won't be any records of Marik, because he knows I'd search by computer. He'd wipe away any traces of himself. On foot is pointless, because he'd be hiding himself well, and there'd be no signs of him on the street...' He flipped over onto his left side. 'But I need to go find him. I swore I would two days ago...'

"So why haven't you started?"

Kaiba sat up, glaring around at the room. "Marik..." he growled. "Where is he!"

Marik laughed. "Why should I tell you? I thought you were so smart and that you'd find him without my help..." He laughed agian at his silence. "Has it just tortured you, not knowing where he his, if he's alive or not..."

"He better be..."

"Oh, he is... Heh heh. Fine, I'll give you a hint- it's where you and he shared you first kiss... How sickening. Well, I'll see you around, Kaiba..."

The connection was cut, leaving Kaiba in silence again. After just sitting still for a minute, he quickly got up and went for the door.

iii

He paced around in his office. HIs normal black shirt and jeans were on, but the white trenchcoat was missing. It was on the chair beside Joey's green jacket that had been abandoned in the alley where Joey had been taken.

'What should I do?' he asked himself as he paced around. 'Just charge into Domino Pier and onto his boat? He's expecting me, since he told me where Joey is... No harm had better come to him.' He closed his eyes and stopped walking, his fists clenched. 'It's my fault he's gone...'

He was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts by the door being thrown open. Only a second later, he found himself being held up by the collar of his shirt.

"What'd you do with Joey!" Tristan spat.

"Tristan!" Yugi ran into the room and tugged hard on Tristan's trench coat. "Come on... Don't jump to conclusions...!"

Kaiba smirked. "Yes, listen yo your friend, Tristan..."

Tristan strted raising Kaiba off the ground. It was a little challenging, since both teens were about the same size. "Fuck you, Kaiba! He's been gone for two days, and his jacket is in your chair! Now what did you do with him!"

Kaiba was beginning to feel uneasy being halfway off the ground. "Put me down and I'll tell." tristan glared but obliged. He looked down to straighten his shirt, then looked right at Tristan. "He was kidnapped."

Tristan looked angrier. Yugi gaped with wide eyes. "W-What?" Kaiba merely nodded.

"Who took 'im...?" Tristan asked grimly.

"Take a guess," said Kaiba.

"How the hell should I know!" Tristan outburst. "I just know that he said that he couldn't come to my house the night he disappeared because he had to be with you! He never even came home, and now I find his coat's here! I think you kidnapped him!"

"Kaiba," Yugi said calmly, "tell us where Joey is if you know. We'll go and-"

"No," said Kaiba, cutting him off. A deep sadness went upon his features, and he turned his head so they couldn't see. "It's my fault the Rare Hunters took him. I'll go get him."

"Rare Hunters!" yelled Yugi.

"Your fault!" Tristan yelled at the same time.

Kaiba nodded, his eyes going to the ground. He leaned back and supported himself against the desk. "I watched him. He was on his way here, and I was watching him come closer..." His voice began to get weaker, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "It happened so quick, and I was only able to find his jacket..."

Yugi slowly inched his way to Kaiba's side. "Kaiba...?" he questioned.

Tristan finally showed signs of calming down. "So... What're we gonna do?"

"I'm going," said Kaiba. It was then that he realized how shaky he had become, and his palms were sweaty.

"Alone? I don't think so, Kaiba," said Yugi. "This is Marik we're talking about. We should go together."

"Yeah, Kaiba," Tristan sneered.

Kaiba glared at Tristan. "Don't push me. Instead of fighting, I should be going to help Joey. I was just here so that I could think."

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked, "Um, you seem like you're hiding something. Something about Joey..."

Tristan started stroking his chin with his right hand. "Yeah, he's right... How come you wanna go alone? And since when have you started calling him by his name? What's there to hide? I mean, you looked pretty sad when you were telling us what happened..."

Kaiba tensed up. 'Oh no... Too perceptive...'

"I have no time for this," he said, starting to walk past Tristan.

Before he passed, Tristan pushed him back. "Marik won't hurt Joey if he's bait. Now, what're you hiding? Hell, Joey's been acting strange lately, too, just like you are now. Why is he the bait, and not Mokuba?"

Kaiba's eyes went to the ground once more. He glimpsed at Yugi, who was looking expectantly at him. He stayed silent.

Yugi took a small step torward Tristan. "Lay off Tristan. He isn't gonna tell us. He's pretty set on going alone, so let's just let him-"

"No!" Tristan yelled, "I'm not trusting him to save my best friend alone! If he screws up, Marik'll have Joey dead!"

Kaiba finally looked up and directly at Tristan.He looked the angriest he had been the whole time they were there. "You think I'd just standby and let that bastard hurt the one I love?"

Both Tristan's and Yugi's eyes widened in surprise at this piece of news. They took a step back and stared. "You... love Joey...?" Tristan asked uncertainly.

Kaiba's eyesa closed as he took a quick deep breath. "Yes. That's why Marik took him and not my brother." He opened his eyes, and they coldly fixed onthe taller teen. "You got your answer. There's the secret, it's out. Now let me go."

He walked past them, his eyes still looked on Tristan. They glared at each other until Kaiba was past him. He could feel eyes watching him as he headed for the doorway. Stopping right before he turned the corner, he looked at them with one eye. "I'll let you come, since you're his friends. But stay out of my way.

ixi

"So is that his boat?" Tristan asked, his head peeking out over a box to see.

"Yeah, I think so," said Yugi.

"He said he'd be exactly in this spot, so it has to be," said Kaiba.

All three teens were slouched down behind a pile of boxes that were in view of Marik's boat. "He actually said this spot?" Tristan asked. Kaiba nodded. "Hm. Okay..." They were silent, until Tristan spoke again. "Sooo... Does Joey know how you feel?"

"Normally, kissing gets that point across," Kaiba said smartly, wearing a smirk.

Tristan's eyes widened in horror. "You... kissed! That's SICK!" he yelled. The last bit was muffled, however, by Yugi covering his mouth tightly.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Oh, spare me. I've seen the way you gawk at that Devlin guy..."

Tristan turned pink and looked away. "Shut up," he said quietly.

Yugi looked quite horrified. "Am I the only straight one anymore...?"

Tristan recovered and folded his arms. "Apparently... But you can fix that! Maybe you should hook up with Mokuba. You're about the same height, and maybe homosexuality runs in the genes..." He finished with a large smirk.

"That is NOT something to joke about!" Kaiba yelled, getting to his feet to tower over Tristan.

"TRISTAN!" Yugi yelled, looking angry as well.

Tristan snickered as he pulled Kaiba back down. "Kidding, kidding, geez..."

Kaiba huffed for a moment before composing himself. "Right. Enough chatting about our taste in lovers. We need to get in that yacht and get Joey out alive."

"Any plans genius?" Tristan asked.

Kaiba peered over the box that he was leaning on to look over at Marik's off-yellow yacht. "Two guards, and there's probably one on the other side..." A smirk went to his face. "Let's see what kinds of noise annoy them..."

END CHAPTER NINE

A/N: Kaiba's So OOC. I'm so sorry...! T-T And there hasn't been any humor for a while so I couldn't resist. I tend to write funny things if it gets too angsty. -shrug- After all, I DID start out writing humor fanfics... Oh, and to WARN YOU: From here on out, it's going to get a little... weird... It's seems like it to me anyway, now that I reread the next chapter... But we'll see.

And now, for a quote. (Does anyone even read these! Oh well.) This one comes from another non-anime, actually coming from Queen of the Damned, by Anne Rice. "You're five hundred years old and you can't use a telephone? Read the directions. What are you, an immortal idiot?" That was Daniel Molloy, talking to the vampire, Armand. ...There're directions on a phone? Where? -laughs- Sorry, that just cracks me up.

ANYWAY! PLEASE review. Tell your friends about this story, and make sure they tell their friends. Well... if you think it's good, anyway. But make sure they review too! I like reviews. What author doesn't? ... I think I'm done ranting now. XD