A quick recap….

Thieves battling thieves, a promise of an experimentation between Hiei and Kurama, Draco Malfoy under control of another's influences, and Mokuba, between turning into a Gary-Sue and being up to his usual snarkiness, manages to lose his temper in front of the Golden Trio. Goodness gracious me, where else but fanfiction would you find such turmoil?

But wait! There's more! Halloween approaches, and the exchange of letters between a certain CEO (or, more specifically, his younger brother) and Malik Ishtar result in a fatal turn of the tides – Malik, though we grieve and mourn for the sadistic blonde, dies with a smirk of triumph on his face.

The fangirls weep.

And yet, as the world tends to do in such a seemingly inappropriate manner, three days have passed.

All Hallow's Eve is upon us.

And, as always, I do not own that of which I type. Write. Whatever.

Betrayal

The entire Gryffindor Boys Dormitory woke up early on Halloween morning, eager and excited to get the day's classes over with in anticipation to the feast that evening. Mokuba found himself caught in an uncharacteristic rush for the showers, yelping as Seamus and Dean nearly ran him over.

"Sorry, Mok-accino!"

Mokuba rolled his eyes at his newest nick-name. Never, ever in his life had he ever expected to be related to a coffee product, of all things. His new friends had been trying to find a way to shorten his name for the last month, and finally, on one overly-caffeinated morning, Seamus had stared from his coffee cup to Mokuba and back again before blurting out, "Mochaccino! Mok-accino! That's your new name!"

It had, unfortunately, stuck.

The swarm of Gryffindor boys met up with Hermione and a few others in the Common Room no less than half an hour later, armed with the first load of the day's sugar. As they reached the Great Hall, even the Slytherins were sharing in the contagious glee of the day.

"Really," drawled Draco Malfoy across the Hall, "I've yet to figure out why the School Board doesn't just give us the day off." He gestured with a Sugar Quill, sweeping across the expanse of students. "It's not as if this lot'll get anything done today."

Ron grimaced at Draco's proclamation. "For once, I have to agree with the git." Several people whipped their heads in his direction, looking as if the sky had come crashing down around them. His ears quickly turned a brilliant shade of red. "Er – I – Oh, come on! You think even McGonagall can control us today?" He snorted. "As if."

Mokuba smiled and took his place at the table, taking his usual cursory search of the Professors table for his brother. Just as he had determined his brother might be having a bit of a lie-in (And, hence, Hell had frozen over), a door opened towards the left end of the table just as he looked up and his brother stalked in, an almost tangible cloud of darkness and doom lingering above his head.

Mokuba smirked to himself. Somebody's in trouble…, he said to himself in a sing-song voice.

To his surprise, the elder Kaiba did not sit down in his now usual place (that now included a large, steaming mug of coffee charmed to stay ever-warm), but stalked straight to poor Yugi, grabbing the smaller teacher by his cloak collar, and dragged him out the same door. A few professors looked as if they were going to intervene, but a smile and a look of blatant disinterest from Dumbledore restrained them.

I think I'd better follow….. Mokuba looked back to the table, only to see Dean and Seamus encouraging Ron on an exploration of just how far one could shove a straw up one's nose. He tapped Harry's shoulder. "I'll be back in a few minutes. See you in Charms, alright?"

Harry nodded, and Mokuba made his escape through the still swinging door, much to the amusement of Dumbledore who nodded to him as he passed. He quickly found the room Yugi and his brother now occupied, and molded himself to the wall next to the door, unseen by both parties.

"Kaiba, honestly, I didn't do anything! I wouldn't've owled Malik – not after you told me you didn't want me to!" Mokuba could almost feel Yugi's eyes blaze up through the door. "Don't you think I'm more trustworthy than that?"

Ouch. "And if it wasn't you, Mouto, who was it? That fool, Dumbledore? Or perhaps the owl wrote it all by itself." The younger Kaiba could imagine his brother's eyebrows shooting through his hairline. "Do you think I'm that ignorant?"

Yugi's voice came out just a hair below exasperation, and he chose to ignore the question. "Well, did you tell anyone else about this?"

Seto paused and drew in a breath, his (As long ago deemed by Mokuba himself) InstantTroubleForMokubaRadar (ITFMR for short) going into effect.

I'm in trouble.

"Mokuba Kaiba!"

He winced and stepped slowly into view. "Yes, nii-sama?"

The power of his brother's jagged blue eyes, so very rarely aimed at him, came towards the raven-haired boy in daggers. "What did you do?"

So much for being the cute, innocent, irresistible little brother.

Mokuba took a deep breath, sidling his way towards Yugi. A faithful friend was always welcome when facing down his brother's wrath. "I…may have owled Malik a response." His brother's eyes flashed again, dangerously, and the elder Kaiba took a menacing step forward. Mokuba thought fast. "But, really, Seto, he would have just kept mailing you if you didn't respond, and I made it quite clear to him that you didn't hold with this magic stuff, that you didn't even believe him, really. Just….that you were in a mood to humor someone, and see if it came out to your benefit. And it could come out to your benefit, nii-sama, really, I swear!" Seto blinked and looked at him in a disbelieving manner. Mokuba bit his lip. "Alright, fine, I'm not sure how it would, exactly, but it could."

"He's right, Kaiba-kun," said Yugi, his voice coming from somewhere behind and to the right of Mokuba. "I mean, you know as well as I do that Malik, if nothing else, is certainly determined. He'd've kept after you until he got a response."

Seto began to look less menacing and more as if someone had shoved a lemon taped to a brick down his throat. "Fine. That's….true, I suppose." He rounded back to Mokuba. "But you, Mokuba, have to swear to me that you will never, ever answer for me again. Got it?" His fingers twitched slightly. "Especially to that no-good bastard Malik."

Mokuba nodded slowly, drawing his crossed fingers up behind his back. "Promise, nii-sama."

"No contacting him as yourself, either, alright?"

"….Promise."

"And," continued Seto, his gaze expanding to include Yugi as well, "You will not force me to contact him. Ever. I have no wish to address him, and I'd rather you respect that." Seto spat out the words with the ferocity that had won him title after title.

Yugi jumped forward immediately, both Mokuba and he verbalizing their thoughts at the same time.

"Now, see here Kaiba –"

"Nii-sama, that's not fair and you know it –"

Suddenly, they both stopped, frozen by the newly revived look of hatred on Seto's face, though it was not directed at them.

It was directed at the doorway. Or, rather, the person standing in its frame. Atemu took control of his host's body, leaving Yugi to float harmlessly in an astral form.

"You'll not have to worry about that, Kaiba," Bakura spat out from the darkness. "Though I dare say you'll be able to blackmail our dear Pharaoh for the rest of his unnatural life." His hands trembled, clutched around a thick piece of parchment. Throwing it towards Atemu, he sneered as the Pharaoh fumbled in catching it. "This came for you during breakfast, my liege," he said sarcastically, sweeping into a mocking bow.

Standing straight again, he managed to lock eyes with all three of them at once. "I've read it. I know everything, you bastards. And I'd just like you all to know that I hold each and every one of you responsible." He clutched the doorframe as if it were a life-support. "He's dead, Pharaoh. Strike two." (1)

He strode away, cloak whipping around him, an aura of utmost fury surrounding his form.

Mokuba watched Atemu's shaking hands unfold the parchment. "Atemu? What does it say?"

Atemu looked up, eyes widened with distress. "It's….it's from Isis. Malik was attacked….probably just as he sent your return letter, Kaiba. The Rod's gone….and Malik is…dead."

The look on Atemu's face was enough to convince Mokuba that this wasn't someone's idea of a cruel joke. Mokuba ran to his brother, finding comfort in a familiar stature as Yugi's astral tears seeped through the yellowed page.

Ryou, from the depths of his soulroom, cried out to his other self. /Bakura! Bakura, what are you doing? You can't leave!/

A derisive snort filtered itself through the mindlink.

/Alright, maybe you can, but I can't! These people need us, 'Kura, can't you see that? And since wherever you go, I go…/ He threw a figurine picked randomly from the shelves of his soulroom at the opposite wall. /Why are you doing this?/

Suddenly, he was shoved out of the comforts of his mind and into the room provided for them during their stay at the school. He shuddered – he'd never get used to being able to see the fine woodwork of the room through his very hand.

/I am doing this, omote, because I am sick and tired of playing lapdog to the Pharaoh./ Lightning flashed in his eyes, and he regarded his other half calmly. /Don't you feel the least bit betrayed?/

"Of course I do, Bakura, but that's hardly reason to just up and leave! I told you, we're needed here!"

Another derisive snort, and several trinket-like items were thrown into a backpack. "The Almighty Son of Ra," intoned Bakura in a contemptuous voice, "Has never, and more importantly, will never need me."

Ryou floated down to rest on the bed next to the backpack that was still being crammed with objects. "Bakura, please stay? You don't even know where you're going!"

A slow smirk spread across the Thief King's face, though he looked a bit less confident. "That, ahou, is where you are wrong. I know exactly where I'm going." He swung the backpack over his shoulders and headed towards the door. "I'm going away from here."

Ryou sighed and retreated to the Ring with an accompanying flash of light. /Right behind you, 'Kura-kun./

/Don't call me that./

/….Did you at least grab an extra cloak? Money? Anything of value?/

The elder spirit laughed. /Cloak, yes. Money, no. You, my little light, will soon be living the life of a thief. With, I might add, the best of any imaginable teachers./

Ryou's pouting tone came through Bakura's end of the link. /I hate you./

/I'm sure you do./

"What do you mean, he's left? We can leave? Willingly?" Yusuke narrowly avoided slamming his fist into the beautifully carved desk in front of him. "That's completely unfair."

"If you'd bothered listening to him, Detective, I'm sure you would have figured that out." The vertically challenged demon sat calmly in a nearby armchair. "You may also have deduced exactly why we're here."

"Professor Hiei, not all of us possess you level of brilliant intuition," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "I myself am rather poor in that area of expertise. However, the situation still stands. A certain Professor Bakura has chosen to leave the school, and, Professor Urameshi, we are in dire need of a replacement for his position."

Hiei smirked. Yusuke blinked.

"You can't expect me to teach Divination, can you?" Yusuke looked rather bewildered. "I don't know anything about it! Kicking a guy's ass, sure, that I can do. But I've heard kids talking about this class, and let me tell you right now, tea leaves and crystal balls just aren't my thing!"

Dumbledore smiled an infuriatingly untelling smile. "No, Mr. Urameshi, I do not. However, seeing as your class currently possesses two perfectly capable teachers, I was hoping that one of you might consent to take over the class. Would you be interested, Professor Hiei?"

Hiei's lip curled into a half smile that spoke of soon-to-be terrified wizarding children. "I would."

"Thank you," replied Dumbledore. "Now, to the next order of business." He swung open the door to his office with a flick of his wand, allowing Botan to stumble in. She had obviously been leaning up against the door in an eavesdropping position, and her face was graced with a small blush. Atemu, Seto, and Kurama followed in a more sedate pattern. All four took seats in front of the imposing oak desk, refusing offers of lemon drops before they could even be made.

"I have called each of you here today for the simple fact that you seem to have been Mr. Ryou Bakura's closest confidants. I was informed by Professor Mouto that one of his dearest friends," Dumbledore watched as Seto choked back a surge of laughter, "Had been murdered in what I would deduce to be a Death Eater attack." Dumbledore paused, looking to each of them in grave seriousness. "If the attack was launched by Voldemort's followers, I would say it is safe to assume he will be coming after those Mister Ishtar has known and trusted. It is also safe to assume that Mr. Bakura may be in danger from them."

Atemu fingered the collar of his cloak. "We need to find him immediately."

Seto let out a derisive noise. "Why? If the idiot wants to go and get himself killed – or, better yet, caught by this pathetic English Ministry, that's his business. I, for one, am not about to interfere. Besides," he drawled, "Isn't Bakura your own personal little enemy? I thought you hated him."

Atemu's eyes narrowed to catlike slits. "Ryou," he said, stressing the word, "Is not my enemy. In fact, I feel rather responsible for him. I'm not about to let him be killed in the middle of London – not when he has no idea what he's even up against!"

Botan frowned. "But….didn't he tell us this was his hometown?"

Yusuke nodded. "So he'll know his way around, at least. And may I point out that none of us are from around here." He looked Dumbledore in the eye. "We don't know our way around here, whereas he will. You," in which he obviously meant the society of wizards the Japanese group now lived in, "Don't know how he thinks. We're both handicapped."

An uncomfortable silence stretched across the group, Dumbledore toying with a silver trinket on his desk. Kurama finally broke the intolerable quiet, standing up quickly.

"Then it's up to me, I suppose." Hiei scowled at Kurama as he made for the exit and looked as though he might protest what he knew was coming next. "It'll take a thief to catch a thief, especially in his own homeland." He smiled and waved in an almost jolly manner as he reached the door. "See you all….later, I hope."

The door clicked shut, and Yusuke let out a sudden moan.

"Who're we gonna get to cover Herbology?"

(1): Strike one? That would be Kuru Eruna, Bakura's hometown that was destroyed for the making of the Millennium Items. It was actually Atemu's father that did the damage, but Bakura wasn't exactly privy to that knowledge – and by the time he did run across it, he didn't believe a word of it.

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Thanks to….

PenPusherM, Dreammistress Jade, Yamisgirl13, Setoglomper, Crazy Hyper Lady, Chaos Guardian Sethros, Starlet36, Peeka-chan, No!MalikIsDead!, KamiKaze no Kage, Yllom21, Kenmeishouri, Bluemoon4Sphinx, Chelley Angel, Akira Tosiyama, ComputerFreak101, DBZ Warrior1, Latin 101, and PrepMassacre.