Okay, I admit that I'm a slacker. No worries there, right? Well, this is as slack as it comes. So ashamed that I didn't post this sooner! Ah well, what can you do, right? Forgot. Simply and utterly forgot (while reading HP . . . ehehehehe.)

But here it is! The next installment!

And if anyone can recognize the unimaginative title from another anime, I'll give you a cookie. :P

In the Company of Wealth
Chapter 9 --- To Challenge the Sun

Yugi, pacing from nervousness, drove circles around Ryou who calmly stood in front of the Kaiba mansion, arms crossed and eyes closed. A sole finger tapped on his arm. Celene and Shaun had raced into the mansion a few minutes ago, but Bakura could already tell Ryou that there wasn't a soul in the household. When both parents emerged from the front door downhearted and sulky, Ryou knew that his yami's assumption had been correct. Yugi halted his steady track around Ryou and worriedly glanced to the grown-ups.

Shaun exited the gates with a heavy sigh, then he smiled brightly. "Well, at least we know that they aren't here!"

"Oh Shaun," Celene breathed, "stop your charade. This isn't something to smile about. Where could they be?"

Yugi shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "I dunno. Maybe, Mrs. Celene, they are on their way to . . . no." He frowned. "I really don't know, and neither does Yami. Seto wouldn't have taken Mokuba into harms way."

"He would have if Seto knew that Mokuba would be in danger anywhere he went," Shaun corrected. "If he's like what I think he's like, he'll protect Mokuba until he truly does die, and that would be a fight I care to attend."

Celene sighed, "But where? Where did they go?"

A long pause followed, until they noticed that Ryou had been abnormally quiet, or normal quiet when he shouldn't have been. Either way, he would have put his two cents in unless he wasn't listen, or he wasn't there. Yugi blinked, "Ryou?"

There was another moment, and then Bakura lifted his head, the Ring glowing dully as an arrow pointed west, down the asphalt road towards the heart of Domino. His dark eyes flashed to the parents. "I might know exactly where our little crusaders are. And naughty are they, acting as if they would challenge the sun."

The first demon came, on leather wings and mangled haunches, clawing its way through the highest ventilation system of Veracity Inc. Its jaws with set rows full of sharp teeth snapped greedily as it tore down the pipe, dagger-like claws puncturing and scraping the metal. It created horrid sounds, like nails down a chalk board. Then with its long tail, it closed the shaft up again and continued with hungry eyes.

The first of many to come.

Inching. Closer and closer it drew to its target, quietly, as if on the wind itself. Hideous, like the nightmare in a child's dream. Blood coursed through its mind. The warm silken taste and feel of blood. The crimson wine.

Then it reached the first hallway, and it watched through barred vision. A lady clipped by briskly on high stilettos, slender and health. The demon's tongue oozed from its mouth and hung, droplets of saliva catching on the vent in long strings, dripping onto the white tile. The woman halted at a desk, and turned to watch the clear spittle syrup to the ground. On impulse, she looked up.

And the demon pounced. It claimed its first human victim.

The spiteful continuation to a war between light and darkness, started over a millennia ago.

Mokuba snuggled into the seat, arms wrapped around him as he watched his brother steer, jaws clenched and throbbing. Seto was thinking. Of what, Mokuba could only guess. The youth sighed and closed his eyes, then opened them again. "Seto?"

"Hmm?" came the distant reply. The elder's mind was far, far away.

"What was Mom like? I . . . can't remember her."

Seto's eyes focused, he glanced over to his little brother, then into the rear-view mirror to Noah and Joey. "She was pretty," he mumbled. Telling his brother that he had forgotten about him up there would have been utterly stupid. To say that he was consumed within her warm smile would have been selfish. Mokuba wouldn't know her warm smile, even if he had seen it. "She's . . . nice."

Mokuba frowned. "Before Noah rescued me from my dream, I remember watching you in blank whiteness. I called to you, but you didn't see me. There was a woman dressed in white with the prettiest smile I've ever seen. You seemed entranced to her." He looked Seto into the eyes, even if Seto's eyes were on the road. "Was that her?"

Seto's eyes glanced over to his brother for a moment, then back to the road. A curt "yes" was the reply.

"Did you forget about me then?"

Seto breathed in deeply. He wanted to tell Mokuba the truth, but that would have hurt more than a lie, and in front of Noah and Joey was preposterous. "Mokuba, lets talk about this later ---"

"There might not be a later!" Mokuba lowered his gaze. "This time, you might be gone forever." Tears came to his eyes. "I don't want you gone forever."

Forever. Seto thought back. "I'll still be here ---"

"Don't lie!" Mokuba shot back. "Please don't lie to me again! You promised me you'd be home that night, remember? You promised me! But you never returned . . ." He gulped back tears. "I want to know if you forgot about me then. Did you?"

Seto didn't answer. The car stopped at a stoplight, even when there were no other cars around.

"Did you!"

Joey suddenly gripped Mokuba's shoulder tightly. "Now now ---"

The youth wrenched free. "I want to know! Did you forget about me!"

"Mokuba," Joey pleaded, but Mokuba ignored.

"DID YOU!"

Seto's temples throbbed. He clenched the steering wheel as the car coasted to a stop.

"DID YOU SETO!"

"YES!" Seto shouted back. "I DID! I couldn't help myself! She was in my dreams -- she plagued them every night for as long as I could remember! She's our mother Mokuba! She was my best friend!" He leaned against the steering wheel. It was a while before he spoke again, almost hysterical, but cooler than he was. "I . . . I didn't mean to forget you. Never would I if she wasn't there. Mokuba, you're my life. You are the only person I live for. Why I forgot you, I don't know, but forgive me. Please forgive me for everything. I have been the worst brother, I know that. I've let you down more times than I care to remember and yet you still believe in me. The one important person in my life I let down. I don't want to again . . ."

Noah and Joey lowered their awkward gazes and shifted quietly. Mokuba stared to his brother, then climbed onto his seat and hugged Seto tightly. "I forgive you."

The elder's gaze snapped up to his brother in shock, but then it grew into a small smile. One Seto hadn't worn in years, not in front of company anyway. "Thank you."

Then, to both brother's surprise, Seto's chest began to glow white. He snapped his gaze down. White? Glowing? "What's happening? Noah!" His eyes darted to the aqua-haired teen who leaned over his seat. "What is it?"

Noah squinted to Seto's chest. It was like a small star shining directly in front of his chest. It was so bright, everything the light touched, it bleached white, yet it didn't hurt their eyes. Noah reached a hand down to the light, and it flickered as his fingers passed through it. He smiled and pulled his hand from the light, a trail of white drifting from his fingers like steam. "Seto?"

"You know what it is?"

"Yes, I do. Everyone has one. I guess yours just decided to rear its ugly --- well, beautiful --- head."

"That doesn't help me any."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, you're speaking in riddles."

"Am I?" Noah grinned. "I doubt it. You see, when a spirit inhabits a body, they actually inhabit everything but their soul within the body, because a body can only have one soul at a time --- thus the Pharaoh in the Millennium Puzzle and the Thief in the Ring."

Mokuba blinked in surprise. "So that's . . . your soul, Seto?"

Seto breathed out deeply, and it flickered. He cupped it into his hands to shut out the light. "Forget about it---"

Mokuba wrenched Seto's hands from his chest and stared at the star. It was beautiful. "But why isn't Joey's soul out? Why is yours?"

Seto turned to Noah, who shrugged and sat back into his seat. "I have no idea."

"Do you think God had something to do with it? Could it be a weapon of some sort?" Mokuba asked. "Or a sign?"

His brother gazed towards the light, far brighter than any star, far beautiful than any smile. "Mokuba, I'll believe in anything right about now." And he slowly wrapped his fingers around the shining star. Because he brought me back to you.

Seto gasped suddenly as the star streamed across his hand like a glove, wrapping up his arm like a vine then vanished. In its place was a pure silver wire which wrapped around his hand and arm just as the light had done. On his hand's face was the carved sign of a cross, and on his palm was a beautiful sapphire gem --- the color of the Blue Eyes White Dragon's scales. It shimmered in nonexistent light magically. For a long moment, he admired it, then found that Joey's green jacket, to the elbow, had been ripped to shreds. (Joey himself pouted about his beautiful green jacket for a moment before Seto gave him a quick glare which wiped away any existing tears.)

"Let's . . . keep going," Seto finally said and with his gloved hand he set the car into gear again (stick-shifts are tricky), and found that he didn't even notice the glove was there.

Soon the once famed Kaiba Corporation building stood before them, now renamed Veracity Inc.. Firstly, Seto noticed the employee parking which had been reserved for employees only (thus the name) was now overflowing with trailers of all types and limos of all colors of the rainbow. There wasn't a regular car in sight for miles. Then did he notice the change in color to the building. It was a cherry red now rather than the pristine dark blue that Seto had loved. Large, bulky letters covered the front side of his beautiful building.

The BMW roadster coasted to a stop at the front automatic doors. Seto flipped a switch on the dashboard and the leather roof raised and folded back to give them a clear view of the building.

"Well, at least it can't be mistaken now!" Joey said lightly. Noah elbowed him in the ribs and glared. "What? A new coat 'a paint and it'll be as good as new!"

Seto stared at his once beautiful building. "I . . . am . . . mortified." Mokuba could only nod in shocking terror.

Behind, someone called for Joey and both Seto and the mutt turned to find Yugi racing up to the car. He stopped by Seto, who he had mistaken to be Joey, partly because he was in Joey's body, and leaned against the car window, panting heavily. "Joey . . . Mokuba . . . Their --- I --- Seto ---" Ryou came up and fell against the car door, clasping onto the inside handle to stay afoot. "Their --- we --- parents!" Yugi finished.

Seto blinked. "What?"

"Seto's parents are back from the dead!" Ryou finally stuttered, paling as if he was just about to faint, swayed backwards and suddenly went rigid. The hairs on his head raised slightly and Bakura opened his eyes instead, trying to calm the body's breath. "Stupid . . . mortal . . ." he gasped in-between deep breaths.

Mokuba crawled over Seto to stare closely at Yugi, "What did you say? My parents are back . . . from the dead?" Surprise covered his face, a hopeful surprise as two other figures rose from the road. The boy clasped onto his brother's jacket and stiffened. Those portraits in the dining room --- the countless pictures hidden away in the attic of a beautiful white wedding, of a wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii. Of the day at the hospital where Seto was born. Then of when Mokuba was born. Of picnics and parties in the rain. Of smiling faces and beautiful places.

That smile. Those welcoming eyes.

Mokuba stumbled to unlock the door, ultimately pushing Yugi away when he opened it, and hopped out. His hands were shaking. Cold chill bumps ran up his spine. And when the beautiful woman bent down and spread her arms wide, tears came to the young one's eyes as he shot forth and embraced his mother tightly, who hugged back with equal longing.

"Momma --- Mom!" He couldn't make up his mind on what to call her. "Mommy!" Snuggling in his head within her long brown tresses, he cried. Then the other person cleared his throat and Mokuba shot his head up. "Dad!" Like a squirrel jumping trees, he jumped from his Mom to his Dad, who lifted him with strong arms and swirled him around. "I've missed you both so much!"

Shaun smiled widely with Mokuba still in his arms. "We've missed you too, right Seto?" He winked at his older son who turned away and lowered his head.

Yugi, who had regained some of his breath, turned to Joey's body and inched closer to take another look through the shaggy blonde mane. "Joey?" Joey's head just dipped lower to his chest. He was about to ask again when 'Joey' interrupted.

"I'm not Joey." Cold. Detatched. Definitely not Joey. But the accent kinda sounded like him! "Joey would be in the backseat of the car Yugi. The one glowing blue."

Yugi didn't have to look to the backseat, for Yami confirmed that Joey was there --- or his soul at least. For a moment he thought, then the tri-colored hair youth blinked and spied ice blue eyes glaring through the blonde locks to him. It almost took his breath away. "S-Seto."

"Yes? What do you ---"

"SETO!" Yugi cried and hurtled over the door to hug the befuddled older teen as if he was a friend or something. "I'm so glad you're safe! Yami and I were so worried! We thought --- you were --- but you're not and --- I'm so glad you're safe!"

Seto grunted. "Why are you hugging me?"

Sheepishly, Yugi released Seto from the hug and cleared his throat, as if not sure what to say. "Because Seto . . . you're my friend. Always were and always will be."

Snorting Seto brushed a few locks of blonde hair out of his face and looked away. Yugi frowned slightly and began away when Seto turned back, gripping the clutch tightly. "Yugi," the youth turned back at the call of his name, "thank you. I would . . . like that."

Yugi beamed a smile. "And Yami says you're just a suck-up." He winced slightly from a screech that only he could hear. "He's also muttering about a dueling partner and a few Egyptian curses I'm sure you wouldn't be interested about."

For a moment Seto sat and stared, then stood from his car and straightened his jacket. Walking over to Yugi, he grabbed his shirt tightly and lifted him from the ground. Behind, Joey growled and attempted to lunge when Noah caught him. The result: both ended on top of Bakura on the cold, hard asphalt. Seto glared down to the smaller teen icily when Yami looked up to him. The brunette frowned. "I'm dead and all you're worried about is a dueling partner!"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm also quite dead." Yami retorted with a smirk as Seto let go of his collar. "I would have left you on the side of the road." Even Joey growled at this statement, Mokuba and his parents frowned. The two adversaries just glared. "That is, before I knew how much you mean to so many people." He bowed soberly. "Forgive me for thinking such a vile thing."

Seto, baffled at the spirit's apology, snorted. "Get up. A Pharaoh doesn't bow to his adversary."

"No," Yami agreed, still in a bow. "He bows to a rival that even he has missed." Then he stood straight.

Seto sighed heavily and gazed over to his brother before walking towards him and setting a hand on his head, stooping to his level. "Stay sharp and never let anything get you down, understand?"

Mokuba's eyes widened. "What do you mean Seto? Aren't we coming with you?"

Subtly, Seto sadly grinned. "I'd rather you not." For some odd reason it became harder to swallow, and his eyes grew wet. "Just remember that I'm here and here," he touched Mokuba's chest and forehead, "and nothing can take me away from you. Understand?"

The youth rung his hands. "But Seto! I don't want you to go! We can come with you---"

"This is my problem. No one else's. Not even yours."

"B-But S-Seto! We're a team!" he embraced his big brother tightly. "A team!"

Seto hugged Mokuba and kissed him on the cheek. "Together and apart." Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled his spirit from Joey's body and stepped away to only catch a glimpse of Mokuba crying into Joey's shoulder. Shaun gently patted Mokuba's head, but he just shoved his own father away and raced off, away from the building. Joey and Yami took off after him. He couldn't pick more protective people to bestow his brother upon.

As a spirit again, Seto didn't need the laws of gravity anymore, but he used them anyway to help himself realize that there were objectives weighing on his shoulders, people depending on him. Alive or not. He had always hated reality with a passion, consuming himself within something technological like computers or holographic disks. But no matter how far-out this seemed, it was the most real thing he had ever felt, or witnessed in his life --- even if he was dead.

Tada! Sappiness all around peoples! What horrors will Seto find inthe horrific retro building? And what's with Bakura? Crusaders to challenge the sun? Nonsense . . .

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

And please review! I cannot stress that enough!