A/N: Sorry for the delay. My granddaddy diedlast Sunday and I've been dealing with the aftermath of that plus work, school, hw, and a project I've been working on wit my prof and presenting at a conference tomorrow. -_-; That said, I hope this is satisfactory. Enjoy and goodnight.

Chapter summary: In which Kaiba is keeping secrets and taking charge, something which does and does not sit well with the group.

Forceful Opinions and Omens

He was disoriented and, though he was loath to admit it, terrified. It felt like someone or something was trying to rip his soul from his body. Kisara's shadowy body currently wrapped around his own helped ground him and Seth's soul clinging to him helped hold him firmly in place. He clung to Seth as tightly as he could while Kisara's heat embraced both half souls.

Was this what the Pharaoh had felt when Yugi's soul had been ripped from him by the Seal of Orichalcos? Dear Ra above. No wonder he been so broken up and lashed out so viciously at Weevil when the idiot tricked Yami into thinking Yugi was dead. Seto dug his nails into Seth's back, holding him close while the Shadows whirled around them like coiled ropes, tying them in place. If whatever the force was managed to take him or Seth, whoever would be left behind would destroy the source with the same viciousness the Pharaoh had.

A hand touched his shoulder and he lashed out with his Shadows before he had the chance to recognize the hand's owner. But to his surprise, the Shadows that were and were not his stopped the attack and dragged the whole group through the darkness. The Shadows were initiating a Travel on their own? How? Why? Since when could they do that?

Then the darkness was gone, replaced by blinding light and deafening noise. Seto squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head in Seth's neck trying to block out the overstimulation. Hands grabbed him, shook him, and tried to separate him from Seth. He would not be separated from his ba!

"Kaiba!"

Kohai?

Seto opened his eyes and lifted his head quickly, immediately regretting it when dizziness blurred his vision and he felt heavy and tingly from disorientation and lightheadedness. It felt like he was experiencing everything from outside his body, observing from somewhere else. He closed his eyes and felt his body go limp, his skin tingling from the attack and his muscles twitching from holding on to Seth so tightly.

"Kaiba! Come on, wake up!"

Damn it, he was awake.

"Open your eyes, hon."

Mai? Why...? How did she get here so fast?

"Alright, alright, hold on." Lantern. "Back up. Give them some room to breathe." Them? "Arrow, keep those crowds back. Shaadi, see if you can find a place to hide out for a while. Mai, give me a hand here."

Lantern certainly knew how to take control, Kaiba thought absently.

"EMTs comin' over," Arrow called.

"We can't let them take him," Mai said quickly, her voice sounding like she was to Kaiba's right. Sounded? Why could he not feel her?

"I understand that, but if he's seriously injured, he may need the kind of help a hospital can give," Lantern argued.

"No," Kaiba groaned, forcing his eyes to open to blurred sight. "No hospitals."

"Kaiba," Lantern said, sounding relieved. "Stay awake. I need you to keep your eyes open and talking. Can you do that?"

Kaiba cursed and felt his head fall back, heavy and fuzzy as if it was filled with clouds. "Seth..."

"You haven't let go of him since you got here," Lantern said.

Haven't let go...? Kaiba opened his bleary eyes and stared in the general direction of the warm weight he felt pressing against him and was greeted by the sight of tan skin, closed eyes, and long brown hair just a shade or so darker than Seth's skin.

Seth was still here. He had not been taken. Neither of them had. The feeling of foreboding was gone which meant the attack was over. They were safe for the time being. Which meant they had to move. They were running short on time. Mokuba. He had to find Mokuba.

Forcing himself to loosen his hold on Seth, he struggled to sit up. A hand grasped his shoulder and helped pull him up so he could sit in an upright position. Seth stirred at the movement and loss of heat and weight. His eyes flew open and he snatched Kaiba's arm, ready to fight against another attack.

:Seto!:

:It's over,: Kaiba said quickly. :It's over. We need to leave.:

:Where?:

Kaiba looked around, trying to get his bearings and realized Lantern was holding him steady and Mai was hovering over Seth debating whether or not to risk touching him. :We have to find Mokuba,: he replied. :He's my priority.:

Seth narrowed his eyes. "As it is mine," he said aloud before vanishing back to Kaiba's soul room. :But we will speak of this,: he added, his mental voice seething in anger. :You will explain your actions. Do not think I will forget.:

Kaiba harumphed and straightened. "We'll see," he muttered. He turned back to Lantern a nodded, indicating he could stand on his own. "We'll discuss this once we've gotten out of here."

"We'd better," Mai said. "You scared the shit out of us. What the hell kind of stunt was that?"

"Later," Kaiba snapped. "Iron Man knows we're here."

"There is an evacuated level of a building not far from here," Shaadi said. "It is damaged so it is unlikely that people will return there anytime soon."

"Good enough."

"Incoming!" Arrow called The moment he noticed a familiar flash of red and gold streak around a corner.

Kaiba, Lantern, and Mai raced to Arrow's side and together they grabbed Shaadi's extended hand and they vanished. When they reappeared, it was in a drafty, heavily damaged room. The south wall and floor was completely gone, probably blown apart by those robotic dogs.

"This should be good for the time being," Arrow said, striding up to the edge and scanning the area. "We've got a good view of the south end from here. That should be Stark Tower," he said, pointing towards the distinct building with a stylized 'A' near the top level. "If the Avengers return, we should see them. Iron Man is anything but subtle."

"Indeed," Shaadi said, walking up to stand next to the archer.

"Hey," Lantern said, stepping up so he stood next to the vigilante who crouched down to get a better look at the ground far below. "Anyone notice something missing from this?"

"How so?" Shaadi asked, stepping up to join the metahuman. Mai joined him as did Kaiba as they looked around for something obviously missing.

Arrow took a good long look at the skyline and stiffened. "He's right," he gasped. "The Twin Towers. They're gone."

"The what now?" Mai asked.

"The World Trade Center Towers," Arrow clarified. "They're not there. They're supposed to be there. They're very distinct."

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," the Sorceress said in confusion.

"Shaadi and Kaiba I understand, but you Mai?" Lantern said in surprise.

Mai raised her hands in self defense. "Hey, I'm not a big city girl unless it's for the nightlife. Give me the open road or a duel arena and I'm at home, but this isn't really my thing. Besides, I've only been to New York once before."

"You never watched anything like Oliver and Company, Sleepless in Seattle, or Castle?" Lantern asked.

"Yeah."

"Remember those two buildings that looked like almost carbon cpies of each other near the tip of Manhattan Island?" Arrow asked. "They're tall and boxy, without a distinct top like the Chrysler Building or the Empire State."

"Yeah, kinda, not that I think about it."

The vigilante gestured towards where the two buildings should have been. "They should be right there." His hand dropped. "But they're not."

"Another difference between our worlds, I guess," Kaiba said.

"Perhaps," Shaadi said. "Hopefully for the best."

Mai hummed thoughtfully. "Let's hope." She clearing her throat and said sternly, "Now." The group turned to the Sorceress, surprised by her furious voice. "Care to tell the class what the hell happened back there?" she all but yelled at Kaiba. She stomped right up to the Regent and stabbed his chest with a stiff index finger accusingly. "First you run off on your own, then you summon Blue Eyes, then you vanish. Something happened. Your Shadows changed. It felt like you were disappearing. Spill!"

"When you're done," Kaiba said calmly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"It was an attack," Seth said, startling Lantern by materializing next to hm. "It caught us off guard while we were in the middle of a parlay with the Avengers and Doctor Strange." He cast the superhero an apologetic look. "I apologize for startling you."

"Ah... No. It's fine," the man replied.

"Who now?" Mai asked.

"The guy who tried to keep us out of this world," Arrow said. "I could recognize him but I couldn't make out much of what was said from my vantage point. He's apparently an ally of the Avengers. To an extent, anyway."

"He's the Sorcerer Supreme of this Earth," Kaiba said, glaring at Seth who met it cooly without flinching. "It's his duty to protect this world from anyone and anything from other realities and dimensions."

"So basically, he's a god," Lantern said.

"If he were on our world, then he would be, yes," Seth said. "But I believe we can safely say gods in this world are nothing like those on our homeworld."

"Or the Shadow Realm," Shaadi said earning a nod from Seth.

"interestingly enough," Kaba added thoughtfully, "he made it a point to say I was from a different dimension in front of the Avengers even though he is well aware we're all from another reality."

"So an ally of the Avengers but not necessarily a friend," Arrow said, his forehead creased in interest.

"Or perhaps an ally of the Avengers but not necessarily of SHIELD," Seth said, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, other than Doctor Strange, who else did you meet?" Lantern asked.

"Only Iron Man, Captain America, and Falcon," Kaiba said.

"Iron Man is arrogant," Shaadi said simply, tucking his arms into his sleeves. "Although his technology is impressive. He reminds me of a certain young Regent before he began to master his Shadow powers."

"I'll overlook that comment since your one of mine," Kaiba said.

"He's an asshole," Arrow said, standing. "But he's a slightly amusing asshole. He was able to track us before we found Loki."

"Yes, you mentioned him," Mai said. "The mage who knew Sif and the bitch."

"Is that what we're calling her now?" Lantern asked.

"All in favor say 'aye,'" Mai said. A chorus of 'aye's' answered her and she shrugged. "Yes, that's what we're calling her now."

"I agree his technology is fascinating," Seth said, "but Stark as a person is..." He trailed away, struggling to find an appropriate word to describe the Avenger when Kaiba said something in hieratic that had Shaadi clearing his throat and looking away awkwardly. Seth just heaved a sigh, shoulders drooping and blushing. "I...yes," he said hesitantly. "That."

"I'm not going to ask," Lantern said. "What about this Captain America person?"

"Very much like your Superman," Kaiba said, "with the exception of him being human." He paused considering. "I say that, but he is so incredibly bright that I doubt he could ever use the Shadows even if he managed to get himself into a position to use them. I doubt even the King would accept him. My Shadows wouldn't go anywhere near him."

"That's...rare," Mai murmured.

"He is loyal to SHIELD, however," Kaiba said, "and seemed driven to bring me in to answer for my crimes."

"So a true law abiding citizen," Mai said. "That could be a good thing and a bad thing."

"It's annoying," Kaiba said.

"Then again, you could argue you're a law abiding citizen," Lantern said, crossing his arms. "You just follow the laws of your Court, not the laws of a specific country or nation like this Captain does. I could even argue the idea of you being a law enforcement officer."

"Don't."

"He's got a point," Arrow said, swallowing a chuckle when he noticed Kaiba's eyebrow twitch.

"And Falcon?"

"His wings are truly fascinating," Seth said. "A technological wonder."

"Mechanical wings?" Lantern asked. "Sounds cool."

"It is indeed," Seth agreed, nodding. "I believe I speak for both Seto and myself when I say we would not mind having a pair of our own."

"Kisara may argue she is our wings," Kaiba said, the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

"They're regrouping," Arrow called from his perch near the destroyed side of the room drawing the other's attention. "They're heading back to the tower."

"How many?" Kaiba demanded.

"I see Iron Man and Falcon, both are carrying someone, but it's too far to see who," Arrow replied.

Kaiba hummed thoughtfully. "We'll leave them for now. I gave them my reply. I won't go to them as a prisoner," he said, glacial blue eyes sharp as icicles. "We need to find Mokuba and I need to find out what by Ra caused that attack."

"What if they found your grave?" Arrow asked softly.

Kaiba did not reply immediately. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the Avengers Tower. "I hear the Avengers have an archer in their league," he said, speaking finally as he turned to the vigilante. "Perhaps you should have a talk with him, kohai."

"Friendly or no?"

"Preferably friendly," Kaiba said. "While you do that, I want Shaadi and Mai to look into this Doctor Strange."

"And me?" Lantern asked.

"You're with me," Kaiba said. "There is something north of here that's blocking my senses. Mokuba is nearby, I know it." Seth placed a hand on Kaiba's shoulder soothingly. "I know it," Kaiba repeated more quietly. "But for the life of me, I can't find out where."

"So you think he could be in the only place you can't 'see,'" Lantern said, nodding. "Makes sense. I got your back on this."

"You have our thanks," Seth said.

Kaiba clicked his tongue and muttered, "Too formal."

Seth flashed his ka a dark smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Keep withholding information from me and you shall see how formal I can be," he said.

Kaiba met Seth's eyes evenly and opened his mouth to speak when Mai interrupted. "Nice try," she said. "But he's right. If you really think you're off the hook that easily, you've got another thing coming."

Seth grinned and Kaiba released his breath in a hiss of frustration, moving his glare to the Sorceress who had the audacity to lean on one hip, cross her arms, and stare right back at him with all the haughty righteousness she could muster.

"I'm fine," the Regent growled.

"I am afraid I must disagree on this point," Shaadi said, stepping forward so he stood by Mai.

"Me too," Arrow said, standing up just in time to catch Kaiba's betrayed glance. He shrugged. "I was there," the vigilante said. "I watched you pull that stunt back there with your shadow and the Shadows themselves yanked me into a Travel. I'd say that was significant."

"The Shadows forced the Travel?" Shaadi gasped. "How?"

"What stunt with your shadow?" Mai demanded.

"I'm feeling left out," Lantern said, raising his hand.

"Seto fell into his own shadow to escape the Avengers and Doctor Strange," Seth said. "It is a dangerous and often unreliable method of escape. There are too many things that can go wrong at any given time."

"You fell into your own shadow?" Shaadi breathed. "Regent, you know the consequences if you had even slightly miscalculated."

"I am aware," Kaiba said.

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because they had me surrounded," Kaiba snapped, fury burning his eyes. "I was in full sunlight, there were three Avengers behind me, and the self proclaimed most powerful sorcerer on this Earth was standing in front of me waiting for me to try something."

"I was there," Arrow said.

"Yes, after I explicitly told you to meet back up with Mai and that I would follow," Kaiba countered.

"I sent him back because I felt you try to warn me of something," Mai said, drawing Kaiba's ire. "What did you expect me to do? Just stand there and wait for you to come back?" She harumphed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You learn slower than Jounouchi."

Kaiba downright snarled at the comment. "Take that back," he hissed.

"No," she said. "Not until you tell me what's going on. What aren't you telling us? Even Seth is out here demanding an explanation and he's intimately aware of everything about you."

"That attack was more severe than the others," Lantern said, startling the group. "I may not be a Shadow user but I was in the military and I'm no stranger to medical emergencies." The emerald glow from his ring of power gleamed deep in his dark eyes. "You should have let the EMTs at least look at you before we left."

"I don't like hospitals," Kaiba said curtly.

"You didn't have to go," Lantern said, cutting off the Regent. "I do think you should have let the medics at least look you over. I say we take you back and at least have one of them look at you if they're still there."

"No."

"That wasn't a choice," Mai said.

"Are you rebelling against me?"

"No!" she snapped, stomping up to Regent so she intruded on his personal space. "I'm trying to make sure I don't lose you!" Blue eyes noticeably widened. "God, how blind can you be?" she continued. "I'm your Sorceress. Your Sorceress. Do me a favor and respect my opinion enough to listen to me."

"I am."

"No you're not!" Her light violet eyes glittered with her fury. "You are hearing what I'm saying but you aren't listening. I saw you when you arrived. You looked like you were dying. You were pale, barely breathing, clinging to Seth like your life depended on it, and your soul wasn't where it should be. Don't you dare try denying it," she blazed forward, clobbering Kaiba's attempt to speak. "I felt it. It wasn't where it was supposed to be. It moved. Why else do you think you were so disoriented when you came to? Your scent was all wrong. It smelled like you kept coming and going in wafts, like you were guttering."

Kaiba clamped his mouth shut, staring dumbfounded at Mai. She had only screamed at him like this a few times in the past. Her words, her accusing eyes, and the eyes of everyone present including Seth burning him like flames on his skin. Deep in his mind, Kisara crooned gently reminding him she was there, calming him.

"If that's the way it was, then that's the way it was," Kaiba said firmly. "Leave it, Sorceress."

"No, I won't," she said. "Ishizu said you would need me on this trip-"

"And I desperately wish I had ignored her advice and left the lot of you behind," Kaiba said fiercely. "This is my problem to handle, not yours."

"I am as much a part of this as you are," Mai yelled furiously.

Kaiba leaned back and crossed his arms. "No you aren't," he said. "You're only involved because I brought you here."

"That's what this is all about," Arrow said suddenly. "You feel responsible for this." Kaiba aimed a frigid glare at the vigilante who merely nodded; the look all the confirmation he needed. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"That's ridiculous," Mai said. "It's the Bastard's fault. I thought we decided that. Well, the Bastard's and Ares's faults. Last I checked, you didn't plant either of those bombs, shoot yourself, brainwash Arrow, or any of that."

"Just because he didn't do it doesn't mean he didn't cause it," Arrow said. "That's what you think, isn't it?" he directed at the Regent. "You're the Regent and a CEO. The leader is responsible for everyone under his charge and takes the fall for those under his watch."

Lantern's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "I get it," he said. "The need to take the consequences on yourself for mistakes that may or may not have happened, but it wasn't your fault. None of it was."

Kaiba stared at each of those present before settling on Shaadi. "Do you have anything to add?" he asked sarcastically.

"Nothing that has not been said," Shaadi said cooly. "I do, however, believe Mai's question deserves an answer."

"What question?" Kaiba asked warily.

"What happened?" Mai asked, her voice softer and more gentle than before, the reins holding her temper back in place.

Warm skin brushed his hand and Kaiba knew it was Seth. "Nothing," he said firmly, deliberately avoiding his ba's eyes. "It was just another attack."

Mai's eyes darkened and she leaned back in disappointment. Seth placed a hesitant hand on Kaiba's shoulder and stepped directly into his field of vision, meeting his gaze evenly.

"It would not have been as bad as it was," Seth said softly, "had you not taken the brunt of it. For that, I am unsure whether to strangle you or kiss you," he said to his ka who merely lifted an eyebrow at the comment. "Perhaps one after the other. I have no preferences as to the order."

"On that note," Lantern said, awkwardly, "how about we focus on the problem at hand."

"And that would be?" Mai asked.

"Splitting up and covering our bases," he replied. "Arrow, you can track Kaiba and the others with your Shadows, correct?"

"So long as they don't go too far, yeah," the vigilante said seriously.

"Good, then do what the Regent said and see if you can have a chat with the Avengers' archer," Lantern said. "If it looks like it'll go south, get out of there. Mai, Shaadi," he said, turning to the other two Shadow users, "see if you can talk to this Strange person. Kaiba, Seth," he said, turning to the Regent and his ba, "I believe we have somewhere to be."

Seth nodded, casting Kaiba one last glance through the corner of his eye before vanishing back into his ka's soul room. He could wait for a full explanation later. It was not as if Kaiba could escape him. The Regent shifted at that particularly uncomfortable thought but nodded to Lantern calmly all the same.

"Agreed. If anything happens, we'll need a base to fall back to," Kaiba said.

"This should work unless we find something better," Arrow said. "We'll let you know if that happens."

"Then let's get to it. Need a ride or are you driving?" he asked the Regent. Kaiba smirked and held out a hand to which Lantern sighed and shook his head in resignation. "I figured you'd say that," he muttered.

They vanished into the Shadows first followed closely by Mai and Shaadi. Arrow remained behind just long enough to take a good long look at the cityscape, remembering his location. He sincerely hoped the missing building that had been one of the most distinctive parts of the New York City skyline was just a small twitch and nothing as foreboding as he could not help but think it was.

Heaving a sigh, he checked his quiver to be sure he had enough arrows. He should probably head back to the ground to attempt to reclaim any of his arrows that were recoverable then track down the Avengers' archer. On the bright side, the archer was probably holed up in the Avengers Tower. Maybe if he was lucky, he could get some inside info on the team of superheroes here. At this point, any information could be remotely useful in tracking down Mokuba and getting out of here.

Facing the cityscape once more, he drew his bow and held it at his side before drawing on his Shadows and vanishing.