I give up trying to edit this chapter. For some reason it just keeps frustrating me, so I'm leaving it as is before I mess it up further!


Chapter 13

Crippled By Guilt.

Unbolting the door, Ryou pulled it open and was met with three grinning faces. He could tell by how false their grins were that they were more than just a little wary of him.

As always, Yugi stood centre front with Anzu at his side, while Honda stood as rear guard. There was a huge glaring hole on Yugi's other flank where Jonouchi would normally stand, making Ryou feel sad that he was the reason the blonde was missing.

"Hey Bakura!" Said Yugi, with forced cheerfulness.

Gesturing wearily for them to enter, Ryou clung forlornly to the door, watching, as they entered his apartment and kicked off their shoes.

"How are you feeling now Bakura?" Anzu gently enquired.

"Yeah, man!" Honda cut in, a little less gently. "We were worried when you didn't come to school! We thought something might have happened to you."

"So, we came to see if there was anything we can do to help?" Yugi added on.

"It's okay Yugi, I woke up feeling sick." That was no lie. The anxiety the Ring caused him made him feel sick to the core quite often.

"You do look very pale Bakura," said Anzu, her concern growing tenfold.

"I haven't eaten all day," he confessed.

"Would you like me to make you something?" She offered.

He nodded slowly. "I suppose I should try and eat." He lead them to the kitchen, where Anzu put the kettle on to boil for some tea, along with a pan for some noodles.

While they were waiting, Yugi decided to bring up the subject of Goro.

"Did you do something to Goro and his friends, Bakura?" Not wishing to spark any nasty reaction from the Ring, he asked as politely as he could.

When Ryou did not answer, Honda added. "Yeah, they weren't at school. Apparently, they were found unconscious near the arcade."

"Please, tell us the truth Ryou? We want to help you," Anzu smiled as kindly and supportively as she could.

"Why are you all accusing me?" Ryou sniffed, tears brimming his eyes. "It's not fair that these things keep happening and everyone blames ME! Why does no one ever say anything about the things that Yugi has done?" His sounded desperate, maybe even a touch envious.

Yugi was not sure how to respond and glanced at his friends sheepishly – they knew very little about the Shadow Games he had started.

But before any of them could say anything, Bakura became more malicious. When he spoke his voice was like ice sliding down their backs. "Have you never questioned the mental breakdowns that occurred before I arrived at the school?" He was met with blank looks from Anzu and Honda. "No, I thought not." He gave Yugi a dark, knowing look. "Did you feel a rush of pleasure when you crushed Seto Kaiba's mind... Yugi?"

As well as the change in voice, Yugi did not fail to notice the hint of dark shadow, that swirled and glinted inside those icy lavender irises, for a split second. He could feel his other Self requesting to take control but denied his request. They could not risk another confrontation.

"Kaiba deserved it!" Anzu snapped, in defense of her friend. "Yugi had no choice! kaiba tried to kill us!"

"Yeah, Bakura! At least Yugi doesn't deliberately hurt his friends!" Honda snapped, angry at Bakura's attempt to divert them from his own dirty deeds and instead point the accusing finger at Yugi.

Sensing that the nameless Pharaoh was not coming out to play, Yami Bakura withdrew, leaving Ryou to deal with the awkward situation he had just caused.

"I'm sorry." Feeling ashamed, Ryou looked at the floor. "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything Yugi. It was Him. He forces his own will on me and makes me say things. I can't stop him."

"It's okay Bakura," said Yugi, softly. "We're not angry with you. The other Me admits that he did challenge one or two bullies and subject them to Penalty Games. But he never hurt anyone or stole their soul just for fun. He did it to protect me and my friends, and he always gives the bad guys the chance to redeem themselves."

Ryou was a little surprised that Yugi seemed so nonchalant about the injuries and illness caused by the other Yugi's Shadow Games. He would have thought that since Yugi was a kind and sensitive soul – much like himself – he would have been a little more upset about it. But it was almost like he didn't care.

"Yes, but it still doesn't make it right Yugi," he scolded. "Our Millennium items possess the power to use us however they wish, to inflict punishment onto others. How many of the people your Puzzle has punished have died or been permanently maimed as a result of Shadow Games conducted by your alter ego?"

Yugi could not deny that people had died as a result of his other Self challenging them. Of course, it was unfortunate that they died. But one was a convicted murderer; who would have killed him and harmed Anzu if his other Self had not been so proactive and foolhardy. Yugi could hardly blame his other Self for the criminal setting himself on fire!

The only death he felt really sad about was his classmate, Imori. Yugi had pleaded with him not to remove the seal from that jar, but Imori had been so blinded by his greed that he had not listened.

Yugi had been left with no choice but to fight for his soul in a game he had no idea how to play! It was just fortunate that he was a fast learner and had two souls to wager!

Yugi could feel his other self pushing again – the spirit was getting angry with Bakura for forcing Yugi to relive these traumatic experiences, but Yugi remained calm. He knew that if he let his own emotions surface, the spirit would take over and threaten Bakura.

"I unwittingly put us in some dangerous situations," he stated, matter of factly. "I left the other Me with no other alternative. If anyone was hurt, then it is just as much my fault for relying on him too much."

"Yugi!" Anzu sighed sadly, placing a loving hand on his upper arm. "Neither of you have ever been at fault! You were brave to put yourself in so much danger to protect your friends." She frowned as she remembered how irresponsible she had been when she deliberately put herself in a dangerous situation at the theme park, just to bring out her 'mystery man' after learning he might be Yugi.

But he was her knight in shining armour, who had rescued her from a deranged murderer, so she was blinded by her crush on him.

All of a sudden, another memory was coming back to her. How could she have completely forgotten that he had also saved her from Kukorano?! The only thing she recalled from that event was the sexy voice saying 'let's play a game'.

Maybe those were the key words that made her forget?

All of a sudden, it was like a fog was lifting as the details came flooding back to her: She remembered being startled by Kukorano. He had wrapped his repulsive arms around her and groped at her breasts. She tried to fight him off but he stuffed a rag over her face that had made her feel strange and light headed. Everything went blurry and then moments before passing out, she heard the voice of her sexy man. She remembered nothing else until coming around on the soft grass underneath a tree in the school gardens, feeling sick. Yugi was sitting with her, holding her hand. He had said something about her fainting as they left the school to go to the mall for their date.

She suddenly gasped at the realisation that Yugi must have carried her all the way from the classroom, along the corridor, out through the doors and along the path that lead to the garden.

She blushed when her friends all looked at her.

"Is everything okay Anzu?" Yugi looked slightly puzzled by her sudden gasp.

"Oh!" She tried not to cringe. "Yes, I just remembered something that I had totally forgotten about."

"Oh, okay!" He responded innocently enough, but looked at her strangely.

Anzu remembered him saying, that before he knew about his other Self he had suffered lapses in his memories. Did he even remember that incident? He must, because he had also mentioned that he now remembered everything that had happened since solving the Puzzle.

She hesitated a moment, before asking: "Yugi?! Did the people who were involved in the Shadow Games with the other Yugi... lose their memories?"

Sensing Yugi was unsure about answering, Yami Yugi surfaced. This time, Yugi willingly let him take control. "The rules of a Shadow Game may vary according to the individual and the circumstances, but I have always thought it better to suppress the memories of those I involve. I think it is especially important that anyone who has been made to pay a 'penalty' does not remember anything, in order to protect us from reprisals."

"Well, that makes sense," Honda concluded. "Don't worry dude, your secrets are safe with us," he winked. "Same goes for you Bakura. We won't tell."

Ryou was grateful, but still did not think it would make any difference to the way his vicious alter ego would treat his friends. His Ring had a vendetta against Yugi's Puzzle, and as much as he liked Yugi, he did not think that he would do anything to try and stop his alter ego from seeking his much desired 'revenge' when the time came. The other Yugi might be confident in his ability to defeat the Ring now, but Ryou did not sense any fear from the Spirit of the Ring, only mocking indifference.

Warning Yugi of the danger to come was probably the right thing to do, but it was not in his interest to, so he should stay quiet.

"You are far too nice Ryou...That evil spirit doesn't deserve someone like you," he heard Anzu saying. If only she knew the dark secrets he was hiding.

"Shh..Anzu!" Honda frowned at her. "We can't risk upsetting someone," he hissed quietly, through gritted teeth, as though it would prevent the spirit that resided in the Ring from hearing.

"I want him to hear," Anzu huffed indignantly. "Maybe it will teach him to treat Ryou better."

Ryou frowned sadly. "I appreciate your concern Anzu, but I'm afraid your concern is wasted. He already knows that I hate him, but he also knows that I will not escape him, nor him me. For some reason we are are drawn together and cannot part until our destiny has been played out. Yugi knows what I mean, don't you Yugi?"

Yami Yugi nodded "Yes, I think I do." He cupped the Puzzle in his hands and looked into it's eye searchingly. Who, why, where, how? All these questions burned deep within his soul, but he kept those thoughts compartmentalised and hidden, even from Yugi. But there would come a time...

He snapped himself out of it before arousing Yugi's suspicions. "Unfortunately, many things are still a mystery to me." The frustration of his dilemma made him frown.

"Bakura?!" Anzu suddenly asked. "Do you remember anything when the Ring takes over?" Given the things the other Bakura had done, she kind of hoped he did not.

"I usually suffer blackouts and memory loss..." Ryou looked pained. "Unless, of course, he decides that something is horrific and depraved enough that I should remember." The bitterness in his voice did not try to hide the fact that he had witnessed his body being used to do some terrible things. The implications of this in his tone made Anzu and Honda shudder. Yami Yugi showed no reaction. He had also been plucked from the darkness and knew about the horror a corrupted soul could inflict upon the living.

"Well, I think that Yugi's Puzzle is nowhere near as bad as the Ring," said Anzu, defensively. "Both Yugi's get on well, and they work together as a team. They protect each other and their friends. And the other Yugi has learned the difference between right and wrong... The other Bakura..." She was cut off by Ryou suddenly morphing into his alter ego.

"So, you think I am a demon do you girl? If I release Goro and his twinks, do you think you can forgive Me as willingly as you have the Spirit of the Puzzle?" He was careful not to give away that the spirit was a Pharaoh – just yet. He shot her a disarming grin, which given that his canines were sharp and glistening, was anything but reassuring. "After all, I am your friend. I wish you no harm." For now. He was fast learning that it was better to keep them on his side and fool them into being friendly and relaxed around him. The Millennium items would eventually come to him, or Yugi, and then he could reawaken his master, Lord Zorc.

"Would it be too much trouble if you could reverse the spell on Katsu, too?" Anzu asked, sweetly.

"You mean that foo... friend Jonouchi? I am afraid that it not possible. I am being honest with you when I say that I do not know how. It really is a one way spell."

Anzu opened her mouth to protest but Yami Yugi placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head, mouthing "No."

Anzu acknowledged him with a minute shake of the head. Yugi was right that they should not question Bakura. It would probably only result in him tearing the cards that housed their school colleagues souls, killing them.

Bakura clamped his hands together and beamed. "But first! Are those noodles ready yet? I'm starving."

Anzu remembered that she had not even put them in the pan yet!

After cooking the noodles for Bakura and making a pot of tea, the friends sat and drank their tea, watching with amusement, as Bakura crammed beef ramen into his mouth like a wolf that had not been fed for a week. Once he had finished slurping, he belched and wiped his arm across his chin to remove the sauce that had dribbled onto his chin and then licked it.

He then got up and marched into the bathroom. As soon as his back was turned, Anzu pulled a disgusted face. Yugi and Honda had to suppress snickers. His eating habits were worse than Jonouchi's!

::::::::::::

Left alone all day in Anzu's house all day was no less boring than the last time Katsu had been too upset and nervous to even go outside. If she was Jonouchi, she would give herself a kick up the backside.

But, hey! She was Jonouchi, wasn't she?

She was starting to fear that maybe Bakura had lied when he said the spell would eventually wear off on its own. If anything, it felt like it was strengthening its hold. Because, with each day that passed, she was starting to feel further and further detached from her male identity. It almost felt as if the parts of her mind that once made Jonouchi unique, were slowly fading away into mere memories.

What if Jonouchi never came back? Would that be such a bad thing? After all, what had he ever managed to achieve? Sure, he tried hard, but always failed at most things he attempted. The only thing he had ever been good at was fighting. His biggest achievement was getting himself a criminal record!

Sure, he had found an alternative outlet in Duel Monsters. But he was still pretty useless at it, and had only ever won through to the semi final at Duelist Kingdom by dumb luck!

Maybe Katsu was a fresh start. She was well aware how attractive was! As far as she knew, she was the only girl who had ever had moneybags drooling over her.

She jumped when her phone buzzed. She picked it up. Speaking of moneybags – what did he want?

At first, she was tempted to ignore it, but at the last moment hit the green telephone receiver on the keypad. "Hey Kaiba!" On the other end of the line, she heard him clearing his throat.

"Katsu! Apologies for not calling for a couple of days. I have been busy. How are you?" He almost felt embarrassed about asking her after the funny turn she had taken following their run. Women's issues were always a bit of a mystery to him.

"Yeah, about that... It's no biggy, so let's forget about it. I'm okay." She hoped and prayed that the only period she would ever have to suffer again was Mai or Anzu's PMT! Maybe Jonouchi would be sympathetic – probably not.

She heard him asking if she was free tomorrow evening?

As hard as she tried, Katsu could not think of any excuses. "Yes, I think so. Don't think Anzu has anything planned for after school." Come to think of it, shouldn't Anzu be home from school by now?

"My driver will pick you up at seven sharp. Don't eat before hand. My private chef will be cooking for us."

"Oh! Yea...h. Okay." Any doubts she had were overridden by the offer of free food.

"Goodbye then Katsu. See you tomorrow evening." He hung up before she could say anything else.

Groaning, Katsu sagged into the sofa and slapped her forehead. Why had she said yes?

An hour later, the front door opened and Anzu walked in to find Katsu curled up on the sofa, cuddling a cushion. "You okay? Not still suffering from your migraine, I hope?"

Katsu took a deep breath and sat up straight, letting it back out again in an exasperated sigh. "If you can call Kaiba a migraine, then yeah..."

"Why? What's he done now?"

Katsu huffed and let out a little laugh. "Invited me to dinner tomorrow night and I was stupid enough to say yes!"

Anzu rolled her eyes. If there was one thing that Katsu had in common with Jonouchi, it was that she would do anything – well almost – for free food.

"Did anything much happen at school?" Katsu asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," she sighed. "It was pretty eventful!" "Bakura wasn't in and Goro and his friends are in the hospital, in comas. Guess who's responsible?"

Katsu looked horrified. "So that's why he sneaked away early? She asked, rhetorically. "To take them goons souls. Asshole!"

"Well, he's promised to released them. That's why I'm late home. We were worried about our Bakura so we went to see him. He was hiding in his apartment feeling guilty and frightened that someone may suspect him."

"Yeah, but what if Goro and his goons remember what happened?"

"He assures us they won't. It's got something to do with the magic of the Millennium items."

Katsu pouted. "Does that mean everyone will forget what happened to me?"

Anzu frowned. She still did not fully understand how it worked herself! So explaining to Katsu was not easy. "I don't know. Yugi said something about Millennium items giving the chosen wearer the power to conduct Shadow Games. If the winner of the game wishes to erase the memory of what happened, then he can take away the losers memories."

Katsu nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, like when Yugi crushed Kaiba's mind! He doesn't seem to remember any of the lessons Yugi taught him and still goes round pretending to be better than everyone else!"

The comment made Anzu laugh. "You're the one dating him! Anyway, he's not quite as bad as he was. At least he's looking after Mokuba properly now. I always felt sorry for Mokuba – he's such a sweet kid."

"Sweet?!" Katsu snorted with laughter. "He was as just as bad! We never told you this, but Mokuba kidnapped Yugi at gunpoint and threatened to cut his finger off if he didn't play Cap Mon! Yugi beat him and gave him a Penalty. Little shit still didn't change his ways. Right before Death-T, he locked us in the mansion and tried to impress Kaiba by giving me a poison meal! If Yugi hadn't won his stupid eating game and got me the antidote, I would have died."

Anzu looked shocked, but jokingly said, "And you still want to go for a meal there tomorrow night?!" The irony of which was lost on Katsu, who looked at her in confusion.

It was free food! Why wouldn't she want to go and eat the finest cuisine that money could buy? She could easily handle moneybags.

::::::::::::

The following evening, as promised the car pulled up at seven pm sharp. Katsu was not nervous this time. She had already been for a meal with him and had not disgraced herself by demonstrating the same lack of social etiquette as Jonouchi often did.

"Well, see ya later Anzu! Promise I won't be late," she grinned.

Anzu had become so used to Katsu now that it did not even cross her mind that she was Jonouchi as she gave her a hug, kissed her cheek and wished her luck.

Katsu returned her hug and gave her a little peck on the cheek, trying not to deposit lipstick on her friend's face. Not one single lewd thought ran through her mind as they embraced. It just felt the natural thing for two female friends to do when wishing each other good luck or giving comfort.

When she got into the car, she half expected Kaiba to be inside, waiting for her, but was a little surprised to see that she was alone in the back of the silver blue Rolls Royce.

The driver said nothing as he drove her to the mansion and Katsu found herself fidgeting with the gadgets in the back. Wonder what this does? She pressed a button and found her eardrums being assaulted by some very loud Tchaikovsky – not that she knew who it was. To her it was just noisy screeching of instruments she couldn't name – not exactly the thumping rock music of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath that Jonouchi's father always played.

Reaching for the knob, she turned it down so that it was just background music and decided that it was not quite as bad as she initially thought. Didn't people consider orchestral music cultured?

Yeah, I'm cultured. She smiled to herself as she sunk into the rich, soft white leather seat.

In no time at all, they reached the mansion. She climbed out of the limo as gracefully as she could and then scrunched awkwardly across the gravel driveway in her heels – how the hell did you walk on this stuff in heels?

She was greeted at the door by the new butler and given a pair of soft cotton indoor shoes - that were far more comfortable than her toe crunching, ankle twisting stilettos - and shown into the drawing room where she was offered a glass of sherry.

Intrigued by the beverage, she took the dainty crystal glass and sniffed the thick, golden brown liquid. It smelled mouth watering. She took a delicate sip and was pleasantly surprised at the warm, syrupy and yet dry texture of the drink. The hint of spice and oak was nice. This stuff must have cost a fortune in comparison to the cheap booze that Jonouchi's father guzzled.

"Good evening Katsu." She turned to see Seto Kaiba entering the room. He was dressed casually in a pair of denim jeans and a black, long sleeved silk shirt. The cuffs were fastened at the wrist but the top button of the shirt was open, making him appear relaxed.

She almost burst out laughing when she looked down and saw the pale blue slippers on his feet, with a little motif of the Blue Eyes White Dragon on each of them.

He spotted her smirk and glanced down, wriggling his toes. "Don't laugh! Mokuba bought them for me. He would be hurt if I didn't wear them." He accepted the glass of sherry from his butler.

"They're okay," said Katsu. She would love a pair of Black Eyes Red Dragon slippers. "Where did Mokuba get them? I'm thinking of getting some Red Eyes ones for my cousin."

"I think he had them specially made. I will ask."

Conversation faltered a little as they both stood facing each other, awkwardly sipping their drinks.

"This is nice!" Katsu suddenly blurted, blushing at her own loudness.

At first, Seto did not realise that she was referring to the sherry and looked confused. "Oh!" He said, realising, "It's just a standard Amontillado; dry and perfect as an aperitif."

"Huh!" Katsu pouted at him blankly. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Yeah, makes my mouth water," she said, dumbly.

"Exactly what it's supposed to do," he smiled.

Relieved that she must have managed to sound slightly less than ignorant, she smiled back smugly.

The new butler entered and bowed. "Mister Kaiba. Madam! Your table is ready when you are."

"Thank you Hamano." Seto gestured for Katsu to go through a set of double doors that lead to Seto's private dining room. The large dining table had been pushed against the wall and a more intimate, round table set up for them. Seto explained that they usually only used the large table, and joked that he and Mokuba had to shout from opposite ends of the table when they wanted to talk.

The small table was far more appropriate for an intimate dinner for two. The lights had been dimmed a little and a candle gently flickered in the centre of the table. There was a bucket of ice on a stand next to the table, containing a bottle of Champagne.

Katsu swallowed apprehensively as she sat down. As she did so, she noticed that a menu had been printed and placed on the table for her perusal. "Ooh! This looks tasty!" She grinned, picking it up.

Seto gave her a lopsided smirk. "That is not edible! It's the menu."

"Huh?!" She didn't quite catch the sarcastic joke. But as she lowered the menu to look at him, she accidentally allowed it to hover over the candle. The flame quickly caught the thin card alight. "Argh! Fire! Fire!" She started flapping the menu about, which only served to fan the flames and make the menu burn quicker.

Pulling herself together, she plunged the burning menu into the ice bucket to put it out. She grimaced sheepishly at Seto and at Hamano, who were both glaring at her, looking less than impressed.

"Sorry..." she cringed

"No need to apologise," Seto responded. She was lucky that he had feelings for her and was in a good mood. Anyone else, and there would be hell to pay! "It was entertaining to say the least."

Hamano cleared his throat. "Shall I serve the champagne now Sir?"

"Yes! Go ahead," Sedo gave a brief nod of his head.

Hamano opened the bottle and poured them both a glass, before leaving them alone together at the far too intimate table.

"Sorry about the menu," said Katsu, again.

Seto waved her off. "If you apologise again, then I will get annoyed."

"Yeah... it's not like I wanted to know what was for dinner anyway," she shrugged.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, before Seto, sensing her awkwardness over it, moved the conversation away from the incident with the menu. "I was not sure you would come after what happened the other evening," he admitted.

"Neither was I," Katsu replied without thinking. But at least the remark got an amused snort.

"Well, here's to a fresh start between us!" Seto raised his glass slightly. Katsu figured she should mimic the action.

"Cheers!" She forgot herself for a moment and chugged the champagne in one go. Jeez! She was really making an idiot of herself tonight.

If she thought for one moment that it might put him off, she was wrong; it was what he liked about her – no false pretenses.

A plate of Izakaya appetisers was brought in and placed on the table: Consisting of spicy edamame, teba shio (salted chicken wings), Renkon chips (fried lotus root), Agedashi Tofu, some marinated cucumber and some dipping sauce for the chicken wings.

It turned out that Kaiba was a bit of a picker and it took all of Katsu's willpower not to just pile her plate up and scoff the lot!

She could not afford to make any more idiotic slip ups...


I think I will leave them halfway through their evening, before Katsu does indeed slip up further and give her real identity away.

Please review.