Summary: Flashbacks, headaches, and an obligatory love of Eragon.

"It's a date" turned out to just be a pretty figure of speech, as a hysterically laughing Bakura pointed out when he eavesdropped on Yugi and Atem conversing quietly in the kitchen once Atem had finished work. Ryou had promptly thrown a paint-laden brush at the back of Bakura's head, which then led into a rather messy scuffle that made Atem infinitely grateful that Ryou had had the good idea to spread out a tarpaulin before they started painting their game board.

Atem didn't see Kahina at all the next morning – he could only assume she'd been herded into a neighbouring carriage – but that was fine; it gave him a little headspace to think their conversation over. Once it came to his work, however, he found his concentration wandering, and more than once caught himself simply staring at his fingers lying slack atop his computer keyboard.

What on earth is wrong with me today?

By the time evening rolled around, Atem had flung aside half his wardrobe, turning his bedroom into something resembling Yugi's as a teenager, and he sat, scowling, at the mess he'd made. How could picking clothes be so confusing?

Ryou popped his head round the door, presumably roused by the racket Atem had been making. "Oh, dear," he laughed. "What's all this?"

Atem sighed. "I've no fashion sense, Ryou. What do you usually wear if you're going out for a drink?"

"You're assuming I'm integrated enough in society to go out drinking," grinned Ryou. "Mind you, that being said…hmmm…" He knelt on the carpet and picked up a few discarded items of clothing, tilting them back and forth like a jeweller inspecting a diamond. "Just throw on some clean jeans and a nice shirt, maybe? You've got a red one hanging about somewhere, haven't you?"

"I think so..." Atem hopped off the bed and rummaged in a drawer, eventually pulling out a rather wrinkled ball of crimson cotton. "It, uh, looks like it might need an iron."

"That's for sure," Ryou laughed. "I'll iron it for you - and you can tidy all this up."

"Yes, mother," Atem grinned, and Ryou stuck out his tongue playfully as he snagged the shirt from Atem's hands and left the room to seek out their seldom-used iron.

Am I over thinking this? Should I be wanting to put in this much effort with my appearance? It's just a drink, right?

Thirty minutes later, Atem left the apartment with his shirt freshly ironed, eyes outlined with a thin sweep of kohl, and a dab of cologne on his wrists and throat, but with no less confusion than before. Luckily, he was too intent on not getting lost on the way to…wherever he was going…to dwell on matters much.

It turned out to be a British-style bar, which made Atem feel a little more at ease; there seemed to be so many rules in Japan, so much etiquette, and he was glad that there wouldn't be much expected of him in this sort of establishment. Kahina was already inside by the time Atem stepped over the threshold. Only half her face could be seen over the top of her book, but she looked up and gave him a cheery wave, evidently looking out for him. A slim glass of dark liquid sat on the table before her.

Atem ordered a small glass of spritzer at the counter – the strength of most modern alcohol was something he wasn't used to – then took the seat opposite Kahina and grinned at her. "Hey there."

Kahina put her book down, beaming. "Hi, Atem! Did you get here okay?"

"Mm. I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"No, I only just got here myself. How are you?"

"Oh, uh...a bit nervous, if truth be told."

"Something I said?"

"No, it isn't you at all, just...I suppose I'm not used to meeting with people like this."

"You don't get out much, huh?"

"I play a lot of video games."

Kahina threw her head back and laughed merrily. Atem laughed with her, marvelling once more how easy it was to speak with her.

Their conversation flowed like wine at a dinner party, rich and full of life. Kahina chatted away about the wonderful projects her pupils were working on, and how tedious marking essays could be. Atem fondly remembered watching Yugi putting all his heart and soul into his own schoolwork all those years ago, and nodded along with Kahina's words, allowing himself to be swept away by her gentle timbre.

Atem spoke, with details redacted, of the boy with dissociative identity disorder that he had had a meeting with earlier in the day. He'd been on his caseload for some time, and the meeting was just a check-in, really, but they'd both ended up playing on the boy's GameBoy instead. Kahina snorted with amusement, calling Atem typical, "but isn't it counter-productive to be pandering to him like that?" she added.

"Quite the contrary," Atem replied. "The console is his coping outlet and how he grounds himself if he feels himself disconnecting. At the time, it was the best way to maintain his wellbeing."

"Wow, you must be incredibly versatile to work in such an area."

"I've…seen a lot of trauma in young people over the years. Had a hand in some of it myself. That's why I want to help those same people now. I couldn't see myself anywhere else."

They lapsed into a short, comfortable silence as they raised their glasses to their lips and smiled at each other. Atem took that moment to really look at Kahina, taking in her appearance. She had tied her hair back into a messy bun, runaway strands framing her face, and she wore a copper-coloured vest top, black cardigan, and dark blue jeans. Atem couldn't help but think the colour of her vest complimented her skin tone wonderfully.

"You look lovely, Kahina," he commented, and Kahina burst into blushing giggles. "I wasn't sure what to wear for this, in all honesty."

"Aw, did you think you needed to dress up?" Kahina teased. "You're so cute!"

"Well, like I said...video games."

"True, true!" Kahina set her glass down, still chuckling to herself. "You're not looking so bad yourself, though. That shirt really brings out the colour of your eyes."

It was Atem's turn to blush now, and he searched for a way to change the subject. The cover of Kahina's book made him think - he'd seen the book before, in Ryou's hand, he knew he had. "How far in are you?" he asked, tapping the book for emphasis.

"I'm near the finish now," Kahina smiled. "It's amazing how talented the author is - he was only fifteen when he started writing it! Dragons and magic and all things supernatural…I love losing myself in fantasy and old history..."

Her eyes glazed over a moment, as if cognitive thought left her entirely, but with a jerk, she returned. "Hey...can I tell you something super weird and totally not possible?"

"Of course you may." Atem ran his finger up the side of his glass to catch a bead of condensation.

The blush on Kahina's cheeks lit up again, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as if deep in thought. "See, I look back on stuff," she said, "and I'm so convinced I had this…ah…Atem, do you ever get that sense that something has happened before? Not like Déjà vu, but like...oh, I can't explain it without sounding like a total nutcase."

"No, no…please, go on." Atem's heart began to pound in his chest from the anticipation.

"Um…well, sometimes I wonder if it's possible to have lived a past life. I know some faiths believe this, and talk of reincarnation and such. Maybe it was some odd dream I had as a kid, or some silly thought, but..." Kahina's brow furrowed. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

"Take your time. I'm in no rush for you to collect your words together."

"Okay then. Hmm…how to put it…sometimes I have these little flashbacks of a sort, I guess? I'll be doing something menial and then whoosh, there goes my brain connecting it to something I feel I did a long, long time ago." Kahina fiddled with the worn cork coaster underneath her glass. "Like, just the other day I was feeding my cats, and suddenly I started remembering something to do with ancient funerary rites for the poor things when they died…but I've never done anything like that before. Oh, and every time I see a certain Duel Monsters card, my head goes all fuzzy…"

"It wouldn't be Black Magician Girl, by any chance?"

"A-Atem!" Kahina held a hand to her mouth. "That was a very accurate guess. How did you know?"

He shrugged, feeling it best not to answer honestly for now. "Just lucky."

"You must think I'm so strange."

"Not at all," Atem smiled. "You're very interesting, Kahina."

Kahina tapped her fingers in a fragmented rhythm over the front cover of her book. "It's strange, I…I never thought I'd feel comfortable telling someone about these flashbacks. Maybe it's because you work within mental health…I don't know…"

"I can assure you, this has nothing to do with your mental health, Kahina," Atem replied softly. "I might be able to – ah, Kahina? Are you…?"

Atem frowned. Kahina's eyes had become unfocused again, the colour draining from her face in a sickly-looking pallor. "Kahina? Are you okay?"

"My head hurts," she mumbled, rubbing her temples, breath coming in pained groans.

She isn't drunk. What could be happening to her?

"We'd best get you home." Atem slipped out from his seat, not quite knowing how to approach the situation now. Would it be appropriate to help her stand?

In the end, he settled for awkwardly tugging on Kahina's hand, encouraging her to get up, which she did with a low moan and a few curses muttered under her breath.

"God, what the hell is this…oh! Atem, the book – "

"Way ahead of you." Atem held her book up in his hand, using the other to brace Kahina's shoulders. "You said your apartment was just round the corner, didn't you? Are you able to direct us?"

"Yeah. Gods, I'm sorry, Atem."

"You have nothing to apologise for. I just want to get you someplace safe if you're unwell."

She managed a weak smile at that. "Well, aren't you the perfect gentleman."