A/N: So I originally planned for short daily updates leading up to Christmas, but that didn't happen. Instead, I am dragging this one out. Still, happy holidays, everyone. Just continuing the Christmas tradition of second chances, life and death, and love during this time of year. Happy reading!

December 1

His vision was blurred white when he came to. He blinked several times and found himself in the Kaiba Corp. board room. The voices were muffled, but he could start making out faces. Maybe he blacked out. Maybe he had been overworking himself since Christmas was just around the corner. That must have been it. He hadn't died. How could he? It was all just a ridiculous dream that he could brush to the side like any other dream. He glanced around the room, noting the attentive eyes of the five board members. All were directed at him.

"Mr. Kaiba, your thoughts?"

He remembered his dream about the strange woman, how out of sorts he seemed and acted. He was not going to let that happen now. Even though he had no idea what they were talking about. Putting on the most irritated look on his face that he could muster, he looked at his watch and said, "Write a memo and get it to me. I don't have time for this right now."

And he decisively stood and walked out of the room. The board member that had originally spoke rushed after him.

"But we need an answer tonight."

Kaiba stopped in his place and pivoted to face him. He glared down at him and said, "Then make it short and quick."

He walked out of the room, down the hallway, and into the elevator. He pressed the button for his floor and leaned against the lift, shutting his eyes. The events leading up to the board room meeting returned to him, including-he cringed at the thought-how he had to cancel lunch plans with Mokuba for the third time this week. It had not been received very well. Kaiba sighed. He'd make it up to him somehow. He always did. Nervously, he checked his watch. He couldn't remove the feeling of urgency that his dream had created. Kaiba put a hand over his watch, resolving to not look at it again. To distract himself, he thought about what he needed to do for the rest of the day.

There was a fundraiser that he still needed to rsvp for. It had been sitting for a few weeks, and he wasn't sure if his schedule allowed for it now. He paused. No, Kanna had already done that for him; they had to restructure his schedule for the day before Christmas Eve, but they had managed it, even if it was tedious. It was yet another disappointment for Mokuba.

The elevator dinged and opened. Kanna sat at her desk. She sat up straight.

"Mr. Kaiba, we need to talk about the Yule Fundraiser-"

"Are we still going on about that?" Kaiba was halfway to his office.

"I'm sorry?"

"We've already talked about this. I don't understand what else you need."

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm sorry, but we haven't spoken about this." Kanna walked to him, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. She pulled up his calendar on her tablet. And there it was, his schedule as it was before he RSVPed. "See? Your schedule is booked."

Kaiba bristled. If it were anyone else, he would say that they weren't doing their job. But this was Kanna. The middle-aged woman was a veteran employee of his. She knew his expectations. Maybe it was just a lapse in his memory. Maybe he was overworking himself. He composed himself, then looked at his watch. He returned his gaze to the calendar. There were meetings all day, and the evening of the fundraiser, Kaiba was supposed to meet Makluba's girlfriend of six months and relax for once during this ridiculous season. The fundraiser, however, needed some representative of Kaiba Corp. He felt like he had had this internal battle before. He smashed the feeling, and with nimble fingers, deleted the event with Mokuba and two other meetings for that evening, and then he added the fundraiser. Wordlessly, he walked to his office knowing he'd get a visit from Mokuba-he checked his watch-in about 30 minutes about the cancellation. Kaiba sat at his desk, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the image of his raven-haired brother with his coat still on and sitting across from him and looking irritated.

"You could have found someone else to go…...You could have RSVPed sooner so that our plans could work around it, but no. You had to make this decision without even talking to me about it…...No, Seta. We can't. Remember? She and I are going to her family for Christmas Eve. Then you and I are spending Christmas together unless you manage to cancel that…...You know what's not fair? That I can't rely on you to focus more on your personal and family life. We hardly get to see each other anymore. I know Kaiba Corp. is important to you, but aren't there other important things in your life anymore…"

Suddenly, the shadow of Mokuba stood and stormed out, leaving Kaiba staring off into space in shock. What had he just witnessed? He looked around. There was no other indication of Mokuba being there instead of what he had just witnessed. He hadn't even heard the door slam.

Kaiba shook his head, then checked his watch. He was just imagining things. And he was probably just nervous about how Mokuba would react. And knowing Mokuba he would be there soon. Still, the dream from earlier...It had felt more real than whatever that was.

Christmas Day. The day he was supposedly dying. Kaiba scoffed at the thought. He rarely had much concern for his dreams. They were either made up or remixes of memories, and it was easy to treat it that way.

Kaiba resolved to get his work done in the meantime.

Unfortunately, all the work sitting on his computer and inbox were things he had already done. Or at least he thought he had done it. He ignored the feeling and finished numerous projects before Mokuba, irritated, entered his office. Mokuba sat on a chair, and he waited for Kaiba to finish up what he was doing. Something told Kaiba to stop immediately, but he wasn't sure what he was going to say about the cancellation.

"I know why you're here. I'm sorry."

He looked up to see, not Mokuba, but the woman from his dream, bundled up and looking again like she held a stench in her nose. Kaiba jumped at seeing her.

"How did you get in my office?" he hissed. His heart pounded. This was probably another one of his...he didn't even know what to call them.

"You're not heeding my words, Seto. You've wasted half a day already."

This woman was hitting the alarms that Ishizu Ishtar did when he first met her. Soon she'd be talking about his destiny and magic and other ridiculous notions. Not to mention that she was appearing out of nowhere. Kaiba could feel tension in his shoulders. He caught himself and consciously made himself breathe steadily. There was no sense in losing it over some hallucinations. That's what he would call them. Hallucinations. And if that were the case, then it was best to just ignore them, ignore this strange woman, and pretend that life was going just as normal. He checked his watch, and then realized how obsessed with time he was being today. How many times had he checked in the past hour? He brushed the thought aside and reached for his office phone.

"I'm giving you to the count of three to leave or I'm calling security-"

There was a knock on his office door, and his eyes flicked up to the door and shot back to an empty chair. He balked. He was losing it. He dropped the phone back into the receiver, and he said, "Come in."

The door opened and Mokuba entered the office. His brother wore a black wool coat with a scarf around his neck. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he walked up to Kaiba's desk wordlessly. Kaiba saw a storm brewing in Mokuba's expression, and something inside him told him this wasn't the first time he had given him that look lately. Mokuba sat in front of him, crossing his legs and then his arms across his chest.

Kaiba's chest tightened as Mokuba opened his mouth to speak.

"You promised, Seto. You promised that the evening before Christmas Eve wasn't going to be touched."

Anxiety deflated in his chest.

"Mokuba, we need to have some representative from Kaiba Corp."

"You could have found someone else to go," Mokuba said. Kaiba's anxiety flared up. "You could have RSVPed sooner so that our plans could work around it, but no. You had to make this decision without even talking to me about it."

Kaiba opened his mouth to respond, but he remembered. No, Seto. We can't. Remember? She and I are going to her family for Christmas Eve. Then you and I are spending Christmas together unless you manage to cancel that…...You know what's not fair? That I can't rely on you to focus more on your personal and family life. We hardly get to see each other anymore. I know Kaiba Corp. is important to you, but aren't there other important things in your life anymore…"

He didn't want to walk into that. What was he supposed to say though? He caught Mokuba looking at him curiously.

"You're not saying anything. You usually have something to say," he said to Kaiba.

Kaiba cleared his throat. "Then who would you propose then? Not many people are willing to drop holiday plans last minute for an event."

Mokuba's mouth snapped shut, and Kaiba couldn't help but feel gratified by his brother's inability to come up with an answer. "Do we have any sponsored duelists that would be willing?"

"They're a mixed bag, Mokuba. If one of them are going, I have to make sure they're vetted. I don't want any embarrassments because a duelist managed to make an idiot of themselves." Kaiba saw Mokuba's frown deepen, a look of hurt crossing his face. He inhaled. "This is very important to you…"

"Yes."

It was then that he realized that his brother was probably head over heels for his current girlfriend. Especially if he was so desperate to get him to meet her. Kaiba rested his chin in his fist, thinking. He didn't want to see Mokuba so disappointed. The old woman flashed in his mind. The urgency, the feeling that he wasn't going to see him much longer clenched his throat, and the fundraiser seemed less appealing for even him. Then he had an idea. Slowly, he said, "If I could get you both spots in the gala, would you join me? We could leave early too. I just need to make an appearance."

"Isn't it too late for that?"

"They'll make exceptions."

Mokuba beamed, but he stopped, opting to look at Kaiba curiously again.

"Are you okay? You seem off."

He did feel off. He had just experienced hallucinations and deja vu in a matter of an hour. Kaiba scanned the office for any sign of the woman.

"Seto?"

"I'm f-" He stopped at the figure of the woman at the corner of his office. She tapped at her wrist watch.

"Seto!"

He jumped in his seat. She disappeared in a second.

"It looks like you've seen a ghost." Mokuba looked around the office, concerned.

Did you now see her? That's what he wanted to ask Mokuba, but that would have made him seem unhinged. He shook his head, and he said, "I think I'm just tired."

Unconvinced, Mokuba said, "Yeah. You're probably right. Maybe you should go home."

Home was Kaiba's two-bedroom condo in downtown Domino. He saw little reason to stick with the mansion once he and Mokuba stopped living together. The thought of being there and removing himself from society sounded nice. He nodded.

"I think I will."

"Good. Walk out with me? And don't bring any work." Mokuba stood from his seat.

Kaiba stopped gathering some files from his desk. Regretfully. He grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, saying, "Yessir."

The two walked out if the room and to the elevator after Kaiba told Kanna that he was leaving for the day. They stood silent in the elevator for most of the ride until Mokuba said, "This has been a fiscally successful season, Seto. Maybe for the rest of the holiday, you just sit back and relax. Everyone knows what to do. Just make the appearances you need to make and be done with it."

Something twisted inside of Kaiba. Something told him to listen to Mokuba, but he didn't want to do anything based on a feeling. It was a feeling that wouldn't leave though.

Sounding just as uncertain as he felt, Kaiba said, "I'll think about it."

"Good."

The elevator door slid open and the brothers walked out the building, opting to walk to their destinations instead of driving despite the snowy sidewalks. They parted at the metro and Kaiba was solo, feeling refreshed and free. He wasn't sure why though. He shivered and stopped at the sight of a cafe. Maybe he could warm up with a coffee for the last leg of his trip home. He stepped in, ordered black coffee with a shot of espresso, and quickly left. As he stepped out, someone rammed into him and the coffee cup scrunched in his grasp and sent hot coffee flying in the air and onto him and his assailant. Hot java juice raining upon them, they slipped on the sidewalk and landed hard. Kaiba shot a nasty look first but stopped at the sight of blond scruffy hair and broad shoulders. He felt blush trying to rush into his cheeks as the blond realized who he ran into.

"Shit. Kaiba, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-God, you're covered in coffee and everything. Let me help," Jonouchi said. He stood, looking around cautiously, and held a hand out for Kaiba to grab.

Tentatively, Kaiba took it and let himself be brought to his feet. He had no idea why he was feeling so shy, but he was starting to get an overwhelming feeling of panic that Jonouchi was in trouble. He gave Jonouchi a once over to see if he was hurt, but only saw coffee stains on his clothes.

There was another flash in his vision and briefly he saw himself caressing his face and kissing him as the other straddled him. He looked away and he heard Jonouchi say, "Kaiba? You okay? You look pale."

Kaiba shook himself from that hallucination. He didn't want to admit it, but that one brought on new yet old feelings back to his gut. Suddenly he felt himself being pulled back into the cafe and being sat at a table.

Jonouchi said, "I'll get you a new coffee and you look like you need some food. Stay put."

Not wanting to cause any trouble, Kaiba obeyed. He sat back and watched Jonouchi in line and return to the table with a croissant and a coffee cup. He noticed Jonouchi peeking out the window nervously.

"You haven't said a thing. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Kaiba blinked at Jonouchi, his heart racing. Why was he so unnerved? Why did he want more of that hallucination? He stumbled, cringing inside, "I'm fine."

"You're not mad?"

He couldn't bring himself to be angry. He shook his head. Jonouchi looked at him in disbelief.

"Then what's wrong?"

Before Kaiba could answer, Jonouchi ducked his head, close to the table top. Kaiba glanced back to the outside and saw a trio of rough looking men near them searching the windows of local businesses. He glanced back to Jonouchi. His gut reminded him of his dream. Jonouchi was in trouble according to the woman and it just so happened to look like Jonouchi was in trouble. Clearly, he didn't want to be found. Kaiba casually shifted, making sure to interrupt the line of sight to Jonouchi, and drank at his coffee. Save two lives. Jonouchi's fate. All of this was frustrating and mind-boggling. He was questioning this dream now. Was it real? Did it have some weight to it? Dreams were just dreams, Kaiba reminded himself. But if was just a dream, why was he getting the strong sense of deja vu and familiarity? Why did he feel like his world were to fall apart if something bad happened to Jonouchi? He ripped at the croissant, removed the lid from his coffee cup, and dipped the bread into the coffee. Maybe he could follow where these feelings were taking him. At least the ones where Jonouchi needed help and Mokuba was happier with his choices. Soon, Jonouchi relaxed and stood. Kaiba jerked at the motion.

"Sorry about that. I really should get going."

"What's the hurry?" Kaiba found himself saying. He looked up at Jonouchi curiously.

Jonouchi seemed to blush at the question, and to Kaiba's surprise, his stomach did flips. He clamped down the feeling. Kaiba Seto did not get that.

"Oh, I just didn't want to keep you. I know you're busy."

"Not at the moment. Besides, wouldn't it be easier to dodge people you don't want to run into by hiding where they can't find you?"

He watched Jonouchi's eyes widen. "I'm not hiding."

Kaiba smirked into his coffee cup. "Sure looked like it to me. So, what is it? Clearly not fans of yours."

"Why should I tell you? And how do I know you won't toss me to the wolves when you get the chance?"

"I could've done that a few minutes ago. But I have room to be concerned. If something happens to you, watching Duel Monsters will be far from entertaining anymore. Yugi has his game. Mai has her television show. And there haven't been any new duelists with any potential for a long time."

Jonouchi grinned. "I'm entertaining?"

"Shove it, deadbeat. Just take the compliment and hear my concern." He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He looked around, and for a moment, he could have sworn that he heard the impending footsteps of Jonouchi's hunters in the cafe. Then, the woman stood at the corner of the cafe, dressed in black, tapping at her wristwatch. Kaiba shot to his feet and grabbed Jonouchi's wrist. His eyes searched for another exit, found it, and started toward it.

"What are you-?"

"Just move."

Behind them, as they opened the back entrance, the front door opened, and the boots echoed, and he heard a, "You look on that side. I'll be here. Hirutani wants him for dogmeat."

Kaiba gave Jonouchi a final shove, and they were out of the cafe and standing in a back alley.

Wordlessly, he called Roland, trying to ignore the shadow forming to his left. That spot was blocked off. No one could go there, but again, he shut that out of his mind.

"I need a car. I'll be at the metro with Jonouchi Katsuya. Be discrete."

Isono gave him an ETA of fifteen minutes. When Kaiba hung up, he saw her again, staring up at him, blood streaming from her eyes this time. Before Jonouchi could get a word in, Kaiba grabbed him by the coat shoulder and dragged him down the way. He had no idea why he was doing this, but something told him it was the right thing to do. When they entered the metro, Jonouchi jerked out of Kaiba's hold.

"God, you're so on edge right now. What the hell is going on?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Kaiba looked around and saw his car, Isono at the driver's seat, pulling around the corner. Desperation, and again the fear that they were being followed gripped him. He said, "I will if you come with me."

"What? No-"

"Just trust me, Jonouchi. Please, I've been having a strange day, and I am in no mood for a fight."

Jonouchi balked, but he let Kaiba push him into the backseat with him. Kaiba said to Isono, "My place. Make sure we're not followed."

He turned to Jonouchi. "We've got a problem."

A/N: Again, longer than I anticipated, but I hope it was enjoyable!

xoxo