A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! Yes, I thought I would write a story where Yugi gets to kick a little butt and Yami gets a break. All these stories where Yugi is weak and helpless get a bit tiresome. I love them to bits, but I sometimes feel a little sorry that Yami is always depicted as the 'bad guy'. Also, by the end of the Yugioh series, Yami quite literally tells Yugi he is stronger then Yami.
This chapter has an interlude in the POV of Seto Kaiba. This section is quite a crucial part to the story, so if you don't like Kaiba (why you ever wouldn't I cannot understand) please read anyway. Thanks!
Summary: Yami has always been Yugi's protector, his other half. How would Yugi cope if, suddenly, their roles are reversed?
Disclaimer: …Not mine.
Rating: PG13 American, 12 English.
Role Reversal
Seto Kaiba wrapped long fingers around a wide brimmed cup of scalding coffee, and downed half of it in one swallow. He didn't wince at it burnt his throat and slid uncomfortably through his chest, but rather welcomed the warmth. He was always cold these days. He ran one hand through his hair, pushing it irritably out of the way, and drank the second half with equal lack of concern for his physical health.
He slammed it down on his desk, ignoring the ominous creaking he heard from the china base, and smiled slightly. Not a real smile, of course. He could barely remember how to really smile, but one of small contentment. After all, coffee was the water of life.
Stretching his arms up above his head, he winced as he felt the stiff muscles protesting as hours of straight backed work in front of a desk came back to slap him in the face. He strode quickly over to the large, plain door, and stepped out into the corridor, repressing a shiver as the cool night air which was being quickly dispelled by the light of morning bombarded him with cold once again.
He reached the top of the stairway where the banister began, and meticulously scanned the surrounding area. There was not a living soul in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly clambered sideways onto the side of the smooth polished banister, and slid down it within seconds. He jumped off the end and checked again for any observers.
Seto Kaiba was not a man who liked to show emotion, but in the case of efficiency (supposedly) he resorted to any means to get where he needed to go quickly. Besides…although he would never admit it, sliding down the banister in his mansion was one of the small and few joys left in his life.
Once Mokuba had nearly caught him at it, and he had to claim he had tripped over the last step. He had a feeling Mokuba didn't quite believe him, but he had been very careful to check for onlookers first after that incident.
Feeling slightly exhilarated by the rush of cool air past his face, he continued on across the carpeted floor of the main lower hall and towards the kitchens, bare feet making light slapping sounds on the tiled floor of the corridors as he entered.
Kaiba entered the kitchen, to find Syao, the elderly and kindly cook, had already left his second morning coffee on the table as usual, along with any post she had received from the secretary. Syao had been at the mansion since Kaiba had first been adopted by Gozaburo, and had sneaked him food when he had been forced to starve as punishment. She was one of the few members of staff Kaiba had kept on after his father's death.
Or so called death.
"Oh, Master Seto, you startled me!"
Syao entered the kitchen, carrying a large wicker basket of shopping bags, and set it down on the kitchen counter and bobbing a small curtsey. Kaiba nodded in return and reached for the pile of letters on the table, which sat next to a brown paper parcel which looked a little like a shoebox.
"The parcel was delivered straight to the doorstep and left, Master Seto. I had it checked with the security board and brought it over myself."
She began to unpack the shopping, moving around the kitchen with deadly precision. Kaiba flipped open the first letter and muttered a distracted thanks, and didn't see the old woman pause to smile fondly at him as she continued with the shopping.
'Blah blah blah grovel, new shipment arrived as ordered one day late, blah grovel blah blah…"
Kaiba chucked the letter unfinished into the small wastepaper bin and moved onto the next. Within minutes all six letters were at least half read and disposed of. Kaiba lifted the parcel from the table, tested the weight and frowned. It was heavy. He resolved to open it in the privacy of his own room, and tucked it under his arm, turning o leave.
"Master Seto sir, you haven't eaten anything."
It was perfectly presented, a mere statement of fact in which only the tone betrayed a reprimand. Kaiba turned to the elderly cook, face impassive.
"I don't have-"
"Time?"
She finished, shaking her head with a small smile making her cheeks wrinkle, as she placed a saucepan on the cooker and began to chop vegetables on a wooden board.
"Mr Kaiba, I an sure your brother will not appreciate you starving yourself. I didn't risk life and limb under the reign of your father to keep you healthy for nothing, you know."
Any other subordinate would, of course, be fired and out of the building by now, but Kaiba knew full well that Syao was only saying this because she cared. And Kaiba knew the old woman spoke the truth, though he would never admit it. She did not grovel and squirm even on the worst of days, but rather treated him like a member of her own family, even when he was an unchecked whippersnapper, as she had once so eloquently put it.
"Syao, are you blackmailing me?"
Syao looked delighted he had caught on to this concept so quickly.
"Why, yes sir, I suppose I am."
Kaiba barely repressed a smile and scowled instead, drawing back a chair and sitting down at the table, pulling yet another cup of strong coffee towards him. Syao chuckled.
"You're such a handsome young man, sir, you really shouldn't scowl so." Her face became a mask of mock scold "Or, are you afraid you'll get wrinkles like me, hmm?" she teased gently.
At that, Kaiba really did crack a small smile.
Once he had finished his first breakfast in many weeks, he walked briskly back towards his room, glancing at the grandfather clock by the wall as he passed the main hallway. Quarter to seven. He had thirty minutes to open the parcel, get dressed, clean himself up then get to school. Although, he wasn't entirely resentful for the lost time.
He placed the parcel on his bed and studied it for some kind of address. Finding none, he ripped off the coarse string irritably. The paper soon followed. As he had expected, there was a perfectly ordinary shoebox shaped container within the wrapping.
Sincerely hoping this was not some sort of prank, he abruptly pulled the lid off and stared. Nestled inside, surrounded by pale lilac tissue paper, was a large, heavy set rod of some kind. Kaiba narrowed his eyes, studying it. The only design or insignia was on the spherical top, which had an eye on it. He stared. He could have sworn he had seen that symbol somewhere before…
He dismissed it, and reached down to examine it more closely.
And Seto Kaiba knew no more.
&&&&&&&&&&
Yugi trudged wearily to school, his backpack seeming too heavy for him, his feet pounding as if in slow motion on the floor. He felt numb. The millennium puzzle, or the shattered pieces of it, were hidden in their golden box under his bed.
When he had gone to take it off to examine it, it had fallen to the floor and shattered as though it were made of glass. Yugi had spent hours fitting each piece back together, but it hadn't stayed stuck. It was as though it was simply…dead. There was no magic pulse, no force to keep it together the spirit inside, and all its power, had quite simply gone.
He repressed a quiet sob, and pulled himself together. Yami would not be any more inclined to return if it was to a weak, broken little fool. Besides, it was his fault Yami had left in the first place.
'Well, you asked him to. He is bound to obey.'
Yugi had no more time to dwell on his misfortune, as Joey came bounding round the corner, golden hair in disarray and uniform disheveled as ever. Yugi smiled slightly at his friend's antics, before feeling the cold despair fill the empty space in his heart once more.
"Hey Yug! Guess what! Tris' ain't here today. Says he's not feeling well."
Yugi frowned. As far as he could recall, Tristan Taylor had never been ill, or even off school for any reason at all, come to that. This day just kept getting weirder.
The walk to school was just as standard as ever; Joey babbling away angrily about hamburgers, homework, and anything else of no interest whatsoever. But Yugi sorely missed the sarcastic interjections of the spirit of the puzzle, to which Joey would mistake his laughter as appreciation of his own jokes.
Finally, they reached the school gates, with only minutes to spare. They hurried through the corridors, before reaching the classroom where, thankfully, Miss Hiritomi had not yet arrived. Joey plonked himself in the seat behind Yugi and let out a loud breath of relief.
"Phew! We last again?"
Yugi frowned as he scanned the class halfheartedly, not really caring. His eyes fell on a single empty seat, at the back on the far right.
"Not quite."
He gestured, and Joey frowned, surprised.
"Moneybags ain't here yet? That's weird."
"Yeah…he's always here at least ten minutes before us. I hope he's alright…"
Joey snorted, turning away from the offending empty seat, glaring.
"Nah. Nothing could get through that layer of ice surrounding him. Anyway, good riddance. Maybe I'll have a normal day for once."
Yugi bit his lip, and waved back to Tea and Ryou, who both greeted him with their usual morning cheer. He sighed, turning to Joey.
"Hey, Joey, I need to talk to you about something-"
"Well whatever it is can wait, Mr Mutuo. Class is starting."
Said Miss Hiritomi, as she flounced past their desk towards the front. She retrieved her clipboard and perched herself on the edge of the teachers desk, smiling toothily.
"Right, now…Sakura?"
"Hai."
"Quill?"
"Hai."
Yugi zoned out as the register was called, Joey giving him curious glances as he answered his own name morosely.
"Jounouchi?"
"Hai, Hiritomi baby!"
She sighed distractedly, and continued. She paused, however, as she noticed the empty seat at the back of the class.
"Does anyone know where Mr Kaiba is today?"
Everybody immediately broke into speculative whispers, the empty desk becoming an instant celebrity. Yugi once again wondered himself. Where was Kaiba?
He didn't have to wonder for long, as the door was suddenly kicked open, and the whole class fell immediately silent. Yugi let out a small gasp.
It was definitely Kaiba, but something was severely…off, about him. He stood in the doorway, his usual steel briefcase absent, hand on his hip and his weight shifted to one side. His shirt was untucked, the blue jacket open wide, and instead of the usual plain black shoes he wore the large, leather strapped and buckled boots he wore when dueling.
But the most prominent feature was his hair.
It had been parted to the side, so some strands hung longer than others, obscuring half of his face. In between the dark strands covering his left cheek, slits of blue could be seen of the hidden eye. The long tail which usually hung at his neck had been cut off, till it was as short as Joey's, and had apparently not been cut very neatly.
Even his face seemed different. It wasn't as pale as usual, and a lopsided smirk covered his usual impassive mask. There was a long silence.
Hiritomi cleared her throat. Even she didn't dare reprimand the great Seto Kaiba, and simply frowned disapprovingly as he walked slowly over to the empty seat and sat, leaning forwards and leaning his chin on his hand, propping it upright, with an uncharacteristically bored look on his face.
He flashed a glare which sent all the stunned onlookers swiveling around in their seats to face the front once again. Yugi, however, continued to stare, studying Kaiba more closely.
His hair was a different shade from the normal dark brown. It had an almost…red tint to it. His skin was not only lacking its pale white colour, but was practically tanned. Suddenly, he turned his gaze around to meet Yugi's.
They both froze. Yugi saw dozens of emotions cross his face, before, to Yugi's astonishment, Kaiba seemed to incline his head in acknowledgement and turned his attention back to the front, raising an eyebrow.
If only Yami was here…
When class was over, Joey immediately turned to Yugi, mouth wide and gaping, shooting furtive glances at Kaiba, who did not move as the torrent of students rushed past him towards the door.
"Wha…Yug…his hair…"
Joey rubbed his hands together in glee, got up and stalked over to where Kaiba was just rising to his feet.
"Yo, moneybags! What happened to you, get hit by a truck, or something?"
Kaiba seemed to stare at Joey for a second, before his eyes widened, then his face turned into a knowing smirk. To Yugi and Joey's astonishment, he reached up and patted Joey condescendingly on the head, before turning away, muttering a soft.
"Katsuya."
By way of acknowledgement, before he stopped, looming above Yugi, as Joey gaped after him, then hurried to catch up. Yugi blinked uncertainly up at him. They stayed quite still for a moment, then Kaiba bent in a slight bow, and muttered another acknowledgement.
"Per'aa."
Tea came to stand beside them as she placed her books neatly back into her bag, frowning after Kaiba's retreating back as he left the room.
"He's acting a little…strange…"
She commented, and Joey snorted derisively.
"Probably just some stupid publicity stunt."
Tea shook her head.
"No, that's not something Kaiba would do. The boots, maybe, but he would never do it to just openly defy the rules. He doesn't need to."
Yugi opened his mouth to make a second attempt of telling them about Yami, but was interrupted again as loud shouting was heard outside in the school yard. They all froze, listening.
"That sounds like Ryou!"
Tea said, aghast at the harsh tones she could hear from the normally sweet boy's voice. Yugi's eyes narrowed.
"No." he said, carefully "It's Bakura."
Joey sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes with a seeming frustration.
"The Spirit of the Ring? Oh, boy."
Yugi rose to his feet as they all hurried towards the door, readying themselves for anything. You just could never tell when the tomb robber was involved.
"This could get nasty. Better get Yami on the line, Yug."
Yugi almost tripped and fell, and said nothing. Tentatively, he searched in the emptiness within his heart for the bond, and called out as loud as he dared.
'Yami?'
The plea seemed to echo around. There was no answer. Yugi felt desperation fill him once again as he thought of the broken pieces of the puzzle under his bed at the Game shop.
When he heard a terrible, echoing scream fill the void in his heart, and doubled over in pain as he saw through a blurry haze the figures of Ryou Bakura and Seto Kaiba facing off against each other on either side of the yard.
&&&&&&&&&&
It was dark.
He was smothered in swirling, inky blackness as he wandered aimlessly, moving nowhere in time or in space. There was just one small splash of colour within the darkness, a yellow, red, blue, white, crimson, peach and purple blur far up ahead.
So he continued walking, feet pounding upon invisible solidity, feeling strangely detached from reality. His hair hung awkwardly in his eyes, and he flicked it away irritably. Since when had he had a side parting, anyway?
The blur contorted into a limp figure, lying broken on the ground. He felt no emotion at this sight; his senses were moving so sluggishly, it took him a while to fully comprehend what his eyes were telling him, and he sped up, dropping to his knees beside the limp form, hands reaching out to grasp the blue school jacket and turn the body over.
And Yami Atemu Mutuo screamed.
A/N: I know the scene with Syao wasn't vital, but I like to think that Kaiba has a motherly figure of some sort to look after him. Besides, I will need her in the rest of the story. (knowing smile)
I'm assuming you've all guessed what's up with Kaiba, but it is essential to the plot, so…I know the last scene was confusing, but it is supposed to be.
Translations:
Hai: Yes in Japanese.
Per'aa: Pharoah in Ancient Egyptian.
Next chapter, we discover what is up with 'Kaiba', where Yami might have gone, and why Bakura the King of Thieves always washes his feet.
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