Please read and review! In addition to just plain loving reviews, I find them helpful in terms of structuring the rest of the story.

CARD NOTE: Before Yami's duel with Malk at Alcatraz, Kaiba throws him a card, asking if Yami trusts him enough to put it in his deck. Without looking at it, Yami does. The card is Devil's Sactuary. It shields Yami from the first attack of the Winged Dragon of Ra – and enables him to survive long enough to win.

MANGA NOTE: After Death-T, Kaiba is in a coma for months. What I've always found interesting is that when his soul is depicted, you see a 10 year-old boy sitting in darkness putting a puzzle together – and he looks both peaceful and happy. Anyway, Kaiba only comes back to the real world during the Duelist's Kingdom arc, after hearing Yami calling to him.

ANIME REMINDER: In the DOMA arc, during a duel with Rafael, Yami is given a card that will bring out his dark (as in evil) side. Despite Yugi's objections, Yami is convinced that he will be able to control the card, and that it is the only way to win the duel and save and his friends. Of course playing the card seals his defeat. Since this was a kind of Shadow Game, his soul was supposed to be sealed in a stone tile as a punishment for losing. But Yugi pushes him out of the way and allows his own soul to be trapped instead – leaving a guilt-ridden and grief-stricken Yami in sole possession of their body.

CHAPTER 14: HEART OF DARKNESS

KAIBA'S POV

It was late, but not quite late enough for Yami to join me. I was in Mokuba's room, waiting for him to fall asleep. Seeing my brother so content in my presence, perversely reminded me of the time just after Gozaburo's death.

I had thought I could go back to being the person I was before my arrival at the mansion. As if I could just highlight and click, to delete the last six years, to erase their effect. But, every time I had hit Mokuba, had pushed him aside, had pretended to Gozaburo that I was the cause of his nightmares, another piece of me… of Seto… had disappeared. Until there was nothing left to hold on to. Not even Mokuba.

I had inherited a Kaiba Corporation as deeply stained as my own soul. It was a fitting prize. I don't know why the first thing I did was to change its nature, as I could no longer change my own. Why I had tried to change the meaning of its very name from associations of death and destruction – to games – whose promise of joy I no longer believed in. I would like to think I was able to hang onto some last remnant of my dreams, but I will readily concede it's far more likely I was simply continuing my battle with Gozaburo, still trying to prove that I had finally won. Although I suppose the "whys" don't matter. It's the one thing I did that I'm proud of.

My shame is much closer to home. I would look at Mokuba and feel nothing beyond a faint surprise that this make inu had ever been important to me. Except, much as I wanted to deny it; much as I wanted to be free; I felt, deeply buried, the tether that bound us. A tie that I could not undo, no matter how hard I tried. And that was when I began to feel something beyond disdain for Mokuba… when I began to hate him in earnest. Because he kept some small shard of my heart alive, when I would have drowned it in darkness. Because he had faith in me, when I had lost faith in everything but the vileness of men. Because he looked at me and saw the brother I had been, rather than the stranger I had become.

The truth was, I had demolished my heart long before Yami had ever crossed my path. All he had broken was an empty shell.

I don't know why Yami didn't kill me at Death-T. I had deserved it. He had been angry enough. I had made sure of that. Instead he had given me a double-edged present – a second chance I neither wanted nor deserved. Somehow, within the darkness he provided, I was able to do what I could not accomplish alone. I was able to piece together the fragments of the heart I had deliberately shattered.

It was a long time before I was able to forgive his presumption in trying to save me. He had promised me death, twice. He had never asked me if I wanted to live with the knowledge of what I had become. But in the end, he had given me back something more precious than my life. He had given me back Mokuba.

As I stared at Mokuba, he opened his eyes again. I was relieved at an excuse to leave my thoughts behind. I hoped that Seto's arrival wasn't upsetting him, but he was starting to sleep almost as little as I. Just as when he was younger, he needed me next to him before he could fall asleep. I smiled. I probably should have been upset he hadn't outgrown his need for me to chase away his nightmares, but I liked laying here in the dark, holding him… knowing that I was the one who made him feel safe… that I was what stood between him and the world.

"What is it, Kouma?" I murmured. I had almost forgotten that I used to call him that; was surprised it had slipped out now. I wondered if he allowed it because he wanted the reassurance that nothing had changed between us since we had been Seto and Kouma, or because he knew that I did.

"Why do they have to go back, Nisama? Why can't they stay here?"

I didn't know what to say, or how to get the words out beyond the sudden lump in my throat. The plain, unvarnished truth was that they had to go back because this timeline was the only one that guaranteed Mokuba's safety. If we changed the past, who knew what might happen… would Mokuba even exist?

Even if he survived into a new timeline, I could hear Gozaburo's words in my head – and I was willing to bet that Akunadin had no more interest in his continued existence – would come to look on him as just as much of an obstacle.

But I couldn't tell Mokuba that I was sacrificing Seto, again, to protect him. It was my decision, and I could not be swayed. But I had no right to make him endorse it, nor to burden him with its knowledge.

I searched for something I could say… something he might believe in its place.

"You told me to let go of my anger and bitterness, didn't you?"

"Yes," he agreed warily.

"So don't you think that doing what I know is right… refusing to screw up time for everyone else just to make our past easier… is a step in the right direction?"

He looked at me – no, he looked right through me. I met his stare. It was harder than holding Gozaburo's eyes had ever been.

"Kouma," I said a little desperately, "I promised, didn't I?"

He nodded.

"I'm trying, aren't I?"

Another nod.

"Then trust me on this… please?"

Then he was in my arms, hugging me – and at last I was released from his searching gaze.

"But it's not fair!" he burst out.

He must really have been upset. He knew as well as I that life is seldom fair, and didn't usually waste time commenting on the obvious.

"I mean…" he went on, "Why are you always the one who has to…"

Had he been about to say "sacrifice yourself?" I had always pretended that the life I had gotten was exactly the life I wanted. It was partly true. I liked being the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, I needed to be in control, I loved knowing Mokuba was safe and happy.

So, I strode through life as though my decisions had all been made for my benefit. I would have sworn that Mokuba believed me. Now, I wondered which of us was the bigger liar.

I knew, if I asked, he would tell me, but I was a coward. I wondered how much he knew about those years. More than I wanted, probably. At the time, knowing that he knew, that he had been saddened by it, would have hurt worse than anything that Gozaburo could have done. Even now, I felt the weight of his knowledge and the pain it must have caused him, settle on me like a new failure. I wondered for how long he had been faking ignorance to protect me. If I had been his knight, before – he was mine, now.

I knew that if I told him that what Seto was going to have to return to wasn't so bad, he'd accept it – or pretend to. But suddenly, that was too big a lie. So I said into his hair, "We survived once, together. We can survive again."

"Together…" he mumbled as he fell asleep.

When I returned to my room and shut the door, Yami was waiting. I was glad. For once, I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. I wanted the presence of someone I neither had to protect nor was able to destroy. I joined him at the window. We looked out at the shrouded grounds in silence.

"There are times when all you see is darkness," he said.

"Well, it is night," I replied. "Or did you mean Darkness, with a capital D?"

He sighed. I don't know why I went on. A little left over honesty from Mokuba, perhaps.

"Every time we have dueled, I have known you for who you are. I see you. I have always seen you," I reminded him.

"I was without form; a shadow… as insubstantial as one of your holograms. You saw through me."

"No. You have always been real."

"To you."

"Who else's opinion matters?" I asked irritably, "Besides mine, and yours…"

"And Yugi's," he finished. "And when Yugi looks at me, what else can he see, but darkness?"

"There's darkness and Darkness. There was the darkness I let into my heart. The evil that destroyed it. And there's the Darkness that sheltered me as I rebuilt it."

I paused. It meant revealing a weakness. And I had never told anyone this, not even Mokuba.

"It was peaceful, you know. This big, comforting darkness – no anger, no pain – except the pain of hurting Mokuba. I could have stayed there forever, holding the pieces of my heart. But my dragons were waiting, Mokuba needed me… and you called my name. I heard you."

"I remember," he said. "It was the first time we touched each other. The first time we reached that place where good friends and rivals are one."

Were we friends? I couldn't tell, and the word sat oddly on my tongue. It was like a card that is almost, but not quite, the one you want; the one you've been waiting for. So I fell back on what I knew for certain.

"I believe in paying my debts. At Death-T and Duelist's Kingdom, you gave me back Mokuba. At Alcatraz, you gave me back myself. If your heart needs a Devil's Sanctuary, now – you have it."

It was his turn to pause. "I haven't let Yugi in… not really… not since DOMA. We still talk to each other like we used to, but I'm afraid to let him see me… let him see who I really am. I betrayed Yugi – just as you betrayed Mokuba."

"Yes."

"How do you learn to live with that? Or learn to live with his forgiveness?"

"If I ever figure it out, I'll let you know."

"Then how did you keep your bond with Mokuba, alive?"

"I didn't. Mokuba did. I just had to bring myself to accept it; to allow him to care about me, when I knew all I deserved was his hatred. I guess my selfishness saved me. I had broken the bond between us once. I couldn't do it again."

I laughed suddenly.

"You're playing a sucker's game, Yami. You might as well give it up now. Whatever secret you think you're keeping from Yugi – I bet he already knows it. I tried for years. It can't be done. How could I hide who I am from Mokuba, when he's a part of me? In the end, I was only fooling myself – trying to hide from Mokuba the heart he had already fathomed."

I turned from Yami; faced the darkness outside. Some things are best said and heard in solitude. My voice was low and taunting.

"What will you do now, King of Games? Will you refuse the challenge that I accepted? Will you fail the test that I mastered? Will you prove yourself, for all your talk of friendship and trust, more blind and arrogant than your rival? Prove yourself, in the only contest that matters, to be the lesser duelist?"

I felt for the first time, briefly, his hand on my shoulder. Then I heard the door shut behind me, as I was left alone with the night sky.

YUGI'S POV

It was late when Yami returned from Kaiba-kun's room. I wondered how long it would be before he finally stayed the night. I was glad I was awake to welcome him. He came over to me, took my hands, stared into my eyes – and then he was in my mind, and I was in his… just like before… without the hesitation that had dogged him ever since DOMA. I could feel him braced for my rejection of his very soul; as he finally revealed the guilt and shame that I had known he was hiding. I could see… everything… how grieved he was over his decision in that duel against Rafael… how much he regretted hurting me… how guilty he felt for enjoying the time that followed, for enjoying being simply himself… how much he had wanted to be his own person, after we had been rejoined… how ashamed he was for not being able to banish that longing.

And I would never doubt the intensity of his desire for Kaiba-kun, again.

"Thank you, Yami," I said, "Thank you for letting me back in."

"He hugged me tightly, as if we still shared a body. "No, aibou… Thank you for still wanting me… for being so patient."

"What happened?" I asked.

He spoke, as if repeating something he had memorized, had clung to… but had been afraid to believe, "I broke our bond once. I couldn't stay estranged, not if you still wanted me. I don't deserve you… or this, but I'm weak enough to need it."

"You've been hanging around with Kaiba-kun for too long," I smiled. "Friendship is a strength, not a weakness."

It was nice, for once, to be the one holding him, reassuring him that everything would be okay, that we were a team. It was nice, for once, to feel like the strong one. It was nice being the one sitting up, watching him drift off to sleep peacefully in my arms.

NAME NOTE: I know… as soon as I get everyone's names established, I gave Seto a nickname. Now I have Kaiba calling Mokuba by Kouma's name. But I was trying to show that part of him sees Mokuba and thinks of him as Kouma – as his beloved little brother.

MANGA NOTE: I've always found it interesting (as I've said probably too often) that Kaiba is the first person to realize that Yami is a separate person from Yugi. It occurred to me, that even though they were enemies at that point – that this acknowledgement of his existence might have been very precious to Yami.

POV NOTE: One thing that's fun about writing first person POVs is that everyone gets to be wrong. So Yugi can joke about Yami hanging around with Kaiba for too long – not realizing how much Kaiba has helped him, and Mokuba can think he's to blame for the mess his brother's life has become, (and we haven't even scratched the surface of all of Kaiba's misconceptions, let alone, Seto's.) The thing I like about varying the POV is that way we get to see what's going on as it filters through everyone's differing viewpoints.

RESPONSES TO REVIEWS

Mokuba and Anzu: (Desidera, QueenOfGames2, samurai ashes) Mokuba is often seen as being open and trusting. But that's only because he's usually being compared with Kaiba. Particularly in the beginning of the manga (or anime), he only opens up when he's under tremendous stress, and when he thinks it's necessary for his brother's safety or well-being. This usually happens when Seto's in a coma or stuck in a video game. And it's always Anzu who gets him to talk.

At Death-T, Mokuba brushes off the fact that he's saved Honda's life. It's a real pivotal moment for him – he could easily become just as distrustful, and possibly as homicidal as his brother, but Anzu leans down – and you can almost hear the softness in her voice, as she asks him to tell them why this all happened. She's the only person to look at Mokuba, and see a troubled boy who badly needs to talk. You can also sense Mokuba's relief at finally being able to tell someone about his and Seto's lives. At Duelist's Kingdom, Jounouchi and Honda are ready to beat up Mokuba to get Yugi's star chips back – and once again, it's Anzu who gets him to talk about his fears for his brother.

It struck me how rare an opportunity this must be for Mokuba. I mean, Kaiba would literally die for him. His brother is passionate, insanely loyal, and courageous – but warm and cuddly aren't the two adjectives that spring to mind. And I imagine all the important topics – like Seto almost killing him, or their life with Gozaburo – probably are never mentioned. So having someone he feels safe talking to must be especially precious. Also Mokuba's Mom died when he was born. He was raised in what looks like a boys' orphanage and then adopted by Gozaburo. It's possible that Anzu is the closest thing he's ever had to a consistently caring female in his life. So I can see Anzu becoming very important, very quickly. And as he got a little older, and hit puberty, I can see these feelings turning into a full blown, heavy duty crush. (It's funny – I've given both 13 year-old Kaiba brothers infatuations to deal with!)

Anzu: (AmunRa, AnimeFanArtemis, Crimson Winter, Desidera, Kagemihari, laura m, Lightning Sage, Mistal: The Poisoned One, Moonlitspire, QueenOfGames2, samurai ashes) Thanks. It was nice that people noticed that this is my first female POV (whew!) I'm not sure why Anzu was harder to write than anyone but Yugi! I was aware of her gender, in a way that I overlook the guys. Because so many of her qualities – being supportive and nurturing are so stereotypically "female" it was a little hard to keep those qualities, and yet make her an individual, three dimensional person in her own right. And I like Anzu, so I wanted to do her justice. I thought she would be likely to be the first to notice Yami and Kaiba's attraction – partly because of her own infatuation with Yami. I also think she's insightful enough to have a crush on Yami – and realize that's all it is.

Penalty Games: (AmunRa, Crimson Winter, Katie Torango, Lightning Sage, Moonlitspire, samurai ashes) I wanted to show how Kaiba , not only had never had the chance to play children's games for fun – but also had life or death situations turned into these twisted "games". And somehow, it seemed both more appropriate, and more chilling to have this all seen through Kouma's eyes – because he doesn't really understand what he's saying – although his audience does. Also I think Seto would have stressed the game aspect to his little brother, because he would have been desperate to keep him from realizing what was going on. The chess motif is so prevalent in Yugioh, that I started thinking about who the different pieces could represent in Seto's struggle with Gozaburo.

Mokuba and Kouma: (AmunRa, Crimson Winter, Desidera, Kagemihari, Mistal: The Poisoned One, Moonlitspire, samurai ashes) I agree – the younger pair of brothers coming forward, has given the older pair an opportunity to re-evaluate their lives, and also to bring a lot of buried emotions, memories, and feelings to the surface. I think Mokuba can't allow himself to be angry at Seto for the choices he's made – there's too much guilt involved for him to acknowledge his anger, even to himself. But, until Kouma arrived, I think he would have had almost as much trouble admitting that he also blames himself – because how could he blame the person who means the world to Seto? It's unreasonable for him to blame himself, but like his brother, he'd rather blame himself than admit there was nothing he, or Seto could have done.

In Harry Potter, Dumbledore tells Harry that being loved deeply leaves it's own mark. I think the same is true for Mokuba. I think Mokuba feels special because the person who raised him considered him precious enough to give up his soul for him. So I think that knowing how deeply he is loved is it's own protection, and gives him the strength to deal with his conflicting feelings.