A/N: So, I have come to the realization that no matter how much I plan, my characters will continually do their own thing whether I like it or not. I'm...not sure how I feel about this. I'll edit it tomorrow after I've recovered from this. Oh, and I'm sorry ahead of time. ...please don't kill me...

Chapter summary: In which Court is short, pillow talk happens, girl talk is serious business, and much more than a battle is lost.

Lullaby and Goodnight

"How far have they gotten?"

"That's it?" Mai demanded. "That's all you have to say? No 'hi, how are you? How has everything gone? Did you miss me?' Anything?"

"It's alright, Mai," Ishizu said, waving the Sorceress back. "I anticipated this." The Priestess turned back to her Regent and said calmly, "My clan has effectively cut the dig off from any communication or trade with the outside and confused anyone brave enough to approach. Already, there are rumors spreading of a curse."

"Encouraged by your people, I assume," Kaiba said.

Ishizu nodded. "Many of them were started by us. If this works, no one will dare approach this place again."

"That still leaves the small problem of there being people there now," Mai grumbled.

"Yes," Ishizu said morosely. "Despite our efforts, Mr. Hall and Mr. Bakura have-"

"Mr. Bakura?" Kaiba gasped.

"Ryou's estranged father, yes," Ishizu said. "He is here and apparently backing Mr. Hall up with the dig. The Thief gave him a good tongue lashing as did Ryou, surprisingly enough. But he appears generally unmoved by the show. He and Carter both refuse to back down."

"Commendable, except in this case," Kaiba muttered, pressing two fingers to his temple and rubbing. "I assume that's what Flash meant when he said you 'may have' revealed the Shadow Court's existence."

"It is," Ishizu said unrepentantly. "I'd rather you be alive to yell at me than be dead."

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but he held his tongue. Now was not the time for infighting. "And the King and Pharaoh," he said." "Did they give you any advance warning before leaving?"

"They did. I encouraged them," she said, earning herself a glare from her Regent. Unruffled by the glare, she continued. "They have gone to speak to a Pegasus from another reality."

"Pegasus?" Shaadi gasped.

"After everything he did to us," Kaiba snarled, "you would dare ask that godforsaken dead bastard for help?"

"Yes."

"Why?!" Kaiba demanded furiously.

"Because we need him," Ishizu said plainly. "You were only able to create one card and the King and Pharaoh were unable to make any." Her dark blue eyes narrowed. "We need more cards if we are ever going to continue protecting the Shadow Realm and stay on top of what is happening in the Duel Monsters world." One of her finely trimmed eyebrows lifted in a perfect arch. "We wouldn't want the Duel Monsters fad to fade, now would we?"

Reluctantly, Kaiba admitted to himself that no, he did not want it to end. He could not afford for it to end. It was his kingdom, his favorite pastime, and one of his main sources of revenue. Duel Monsters had to continue, which meant he had to stop all of these crazy shenanigans and get back to brainstorming ideas to keep it interesting, produce those ideas, and sell them effectively. But still...

"He's a snake," Kaiba hissed. "Considering they did it without telling me while I was gone implies they went behind my back. In some cases, that could be considered a betrayal of trust."

"A necessary act, I assure you," Ishizu insisted.

She dismissed Kaiba who growled, incensed, and focused on Shaadi. She smiled gently and reached out her hand, inviting him to take it. The Advisor took her hand tenderly and blushed, the slightest smile tugging at his lips.

"I'm glad you're home," she said gently.

"As am I," he replied.

"Aww," Mai purred.

"Ew, gross," Mokuba squealed, covering his eyes and hiding behind his big brother's pants.

"Oh hush," the Sorceress said, waving a dismissive hand at the little Keeper.

"Use a phone," Kaiba snapped. "I don't have much time and Court is neither the time nor the place for this."

Ishizu rested her forehead against Shaadi's briefly before stepping back and folding her hands. "However much I hate it, you're right," she said.

"I'm glad we agree on something," Kaiba said sarcastically.

"They've removed the seal on the tomb."

"They've- what?" The Regent's eyes grew large and Seth materialized next to him, his dark face equally disturbed.

"How?" Seth asked. "We felt nothing."

"Because they didn't break it," Ishizu said. "They literally removed it. The seal itself is now in one of the tents, probably tagged and being prepped for storage. They've entered the main chamber." She bowed her head. "It seems more of the Spells and Traps inside are defunct than we thought. I'm sorry."

"What about the Justice League's pet bird?" Kaiba demanded. "Hasn't she been helping?"

"She has been," Ishizu insisted. "She has refrained from outright attacking the people because she does still represent the Justice League even if she's acting on her own. She was able to speak to Carter Hall but..." She shook her head incredulously. "Kaiba, he thinks he's helping you."

The Regent and his ba flinched. "Helping us?" Seth breathed. "How?"

"He's not...sane," the Priestess admitted. "He thinks by opening your tomb, he'll bring knowledge of yours and Atem's reign in predynastic Egypt to the modern academic world. He wants the world to acknowledge and worship Set. He thinks this will make that happen."

"That ridiculous!" Kaiba exclaimed fiercely.

"Yes," Ishizu said coldly. "I'm well aware. But as I said, I do not believe Carter is sane. He may very well be completely insane."

"And Mr. Bakura's presence isn't helping anyone, I bet," Mai said coldly, crossing her arms.

"Agreed," Ishizu muttered. "He stands by Carter in every way. It's been since he arrived that most of the advances have occurred. It's possible he may be the one behind this whole mess. From what I and Shayera have been able to understand, Carter seems driven to find the burial chamber and it would make sense if Mr. Bakura was Carter's backer in more ways than one."

Kaiba sighed and massaged his temples. "I don't need this right now," he muttered.

Seth rested a hand on Kaiba's shoulder in a comforting manner, wincing when he felt the growing headache pulsing in his ka's mind. "Have they slowed down work for tonight?" he asked.

Ishizu nodded. "From what we can see, yes," she said. "But the Shadows in the tomb won't allow us entrance by Shadow Travel. That part of the Spells still works it seems. Bakura and Ryou are currently keeping an eye on Carter and Mr. Bakura the old fashioned way. They will alert me if anything changes." She took in Kaiba's exhausted countenance and sighed. "Rest for tonight," she said gently. "We need you at full power."

"We may not get that chance," Seth said. "We received a visit from someone calling himself the Holly King."

"Holly King?" Ishizu repeated curiously.

"He is the King of the Unseelie," Shaadi said. "From what he said, he is both immortal and invulnerable."

"A god then," the Priestess murmured.

"Of sorts," Mai said. "I've read some fantasy books after all," she said with a wink, "and while I have absolutely no idea what a 'Holly King' is, I do know what the Unseelie are. They're more commonly called the Dark Court. They're Dark Fey mostly from British and generally European mythologies. They're usually depicted as evil in fantasies but generally the definition of 'evil' varies with them. Even the Seelie, or Light Court, are known for causing problems."

"So it is more of an orientation like the Dark, Light, and Balance we have?" Seth inquired curiously.

"Kind of. Mostly, it varies depending the book or the person you ask," Mai said shrugging. "But generally the Unseelie are just a bunch of Fey who are a little darker in attitude, powers, and appearance than the Seelie. The Courts sometimes get along with each other and sometimes don't."

"The Holly King said we had the backing of both his Unseelie Court as well as the Seelie Court," Seth said.

"They were protecting Selene while we had Helios," Mokuba said, speaking up. "He also said the Japanese pantheon was supporting us, too. Maybe even the Norse."

Ishizu's eyes grew round. "That's..." She was silent for several moments trying to understand everything that she had been told. "Do you think the Fey could lend us a hand with the tomb?" she asked carefully. "I know little of the Fey except that they are known for being mischievous. Quite honestly, some mischief wouldn't be a bad thing right now."

"I'll ask," Kaiba said, grimacing at his growing headache. "First, I need Tylenol."

Ishizu's eyes gentled in sympathy. "Rest. I'll alert you immediately if anything changes. And Kaiba," she added when she felt the Court began to dissolve, "I'm glad you're back. I was worried."

Kaiba did not answer aloud, but the softening around his eyes and the infinitesimal nod were answer enough. He closed his eyes and relaxed his grip on the power. When he opened his eyes again, he was leaning back against his bedrest in his own bedroom in his own mansion. Mokuba was curled up next to him, pressing up against his side. Shaadi, Mai, and Oliver were in the guest rooms, safe, and the Green Lantern had returned to the Watchtower with Flash.

It was against every fiber of his being to sleep when there were still things to be done, but even Kaiba knew when his reserves were all but empty. He was tired physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He was thoroughly exhausted. Even calling Court had been draining which was why it had not lasted as long as he knew it should have.

He shifted down so he actually lay on the bed, rolled over on his side and wrapped an arm around his little brother so Mokuba was nestled safely against his chest. Then he closed his eyes and opened them again.

"You really are tired," Seth murmured.

The ba sat next to Kaiba who lay on the futon in their now shared soul room. Seth leaned over Kaiba trailing his fingers gently down the ka's cheek. Seth tilted his head to the side and pressed his palm against Kaiba's jaw, spreading his fingers out so they brushed the ka's neck.

"You fell asleep almost immediately," he said softly.

His crystalline eyes glowed in the dark room lit only by streams of moonlight from the windows lining the room. The gentle sound of rain and the rumble of distant thunder filtered in through the open Japanese window. A breath of air blew the paper charm on the tiny chime, ringing it, and rippled Seth's unbound hair.

Seth wore a short, white shendyt that was pleated and gathered in the front and held up by a simple gold belt. A translucent, linen shawl was draped around his shoulders and tied over his chest. He wore no jewelry save the gold bands he always wore around his arms and ankles and his golden ankh earrings. The khol that usually lined his eyes was gone and most of his face was in shadow, save for his clear blue eyes.

"You owe me an explanation," he said, still speaking a low tone, "for why you keep pushing me away. I deserve to know." His gaze became hooded and dropped from Kaiba's eyes. "Was it something I did?" he asked, lifting his eyes once more. "Does it have something to do with what's happening to us?"

Kaiba sighed heavily in the ensuing silence. "No," he said, just as softly, "it's not you."

A grumbled like distant thunder reverberated through their soul room and Seth's lips twitched in a small smile. "It appears I am not the only one who wishes to know your reasoning," he said.

Kaiba's forehead creased hearing Kisara's rumbling voice but he said nothing. Seth's eyes saddened and he wilted.

"Why won't you open yourself to me?" Seth asked. "We were beginning to have a rapport. Now is when we must be closer and rely on each other, not force the other away." He placed his other hand on Kaiba's other cheek and gazed pleadingly into his ka's eyes. "Seto," he breathed, "let me help. Do not push me away."

Again, Kaiba said nothing and Seth's shoulders drooped. "It hurts," he said, sitting back, letting his hands trail away from Kaiba's face. "When you separate yourself from me, it hurts. I feel alone and it is silent and oppressive." He released a shaking breath and whispered, "And it terrifies me."

Kaiba lifted his hands up to clasp Seth's, never taking his eyes away from his ba. "That was never my intent," he said.

"I doubt it was," Seth agreed, the faintest smile visible in the watery moonlight. "But that has been the result."

Neither soul said a word to break the following silence. They just listened to the quiet rain falling in the illusory 'outside.'

"I can feel it pulling you away from me," Kaiba said finally, drawing Seth's gaze to his. "The...force or whatever it is that jackass is causing, I can feel it trying to rip you from me. So I cut you off," he said, eyes narrowed in determination. "I would rather they take me than you."

"That is foolish nonsense," Seth said. "This is not my body it is yours. I cannot control this body anywhere near as well as you can. If you were taken, you would leave me behind." He gripped Kaiba's hands tightly. "And I do not have the strength or power needed to maintain your body for any extended period of time like the Pharaoh can."

"No," Kaiba admitted. "But you can keep me alive."

"But not for long," Seth insisted. He leaned back down, shifting so he could lay on Kaiba's chest, resting his cheek just above Kaiba's heartbeat. "I am not strong enough." He curled closer. "And I do not wish to be alone again."

"You won't be," Kaiba said firmly.

"I will be if you do not let help you," Seth said, pulling Kaiba's hand still clasped in his left close to his face, pressing his lips to it. "Let me help you fight."

"If you're taken," Kaiba said slowly, "you'll probably wither away before I can reach you. But I've had my soul taken more than once and survived. I'm better equipped for something like this. I have more experience."

"That may be but-"

"I can live without a body," Kaiba said firmly. "You can't. That's just our nature."

Seth said nothing, wishing he had a descent argument to that statement. The silence stretched for several minutes before Kaiba spoke again. "I'm not sure how to stop them," he admitted reluctantly, "besides outright killing them. And even then, I'm not sure that will stop what's already been started."

"We may have to kill them," Seth said softly. "And we still have to get Helios back as well."

"At least we have the Unseelie or whatever the hell Arawn is," Kaiba said.

Seth listened, brows furrowing in confusion. He pushed himself up so he leaned over Kaiba's face and met his ka's eyes. "That is what bothers you," he murmured in quiet comprehension. "With the Pharaoh and the King gone, you worry about how you will deal with this."

"I can deal with it myself just fine," Kaiba ground out.

"But you will not emerge unscathed," Seth said and Kaiba offered no counter argument. "Perhaps this Pegasus is not the enemy we remember him to be. He is from an alternate reality. It is possible he became an ally in that world."

"That doesn't change anything," Kaiba snapped.

"I will never say it does," Seth said calmly. "But that is what bothers you, is it not?"

Kaiba sighed, looking away to the round window on the wall to his right sulking. "I know my limits," he muttered. "There is so much I have to do and so little time or energy to do it."

Seth nodded. The list was indeed extensive and daunting even for someone as familiar with seemingly never ending to-do lists as the KaibaCorp CEO was. Kisara rumbled like distant thunder, offering her support an encouragement. It brought a small smile to Seth's lips and the slightest softening of Kaiba's forehead.

"Sleep," Seth whispered. He freed his right hand and cupped Kaiba's cheek, his fingers brushing the short brown strands of hair. He leaned down slowly and kissed Kaiba slowly, gently, just the soft movement of lips against lips. "We'll deal with this in the morning."

The last coherent thought Kaiba had was to vaguely wonder how the moonlight through the window could be so bright even though it was raining.

Mai removed her bra and pants, kicking off her socks before falling back heavily on the guest bed. Court had been interesting but she was tired. She yawned, gasping when her phone suddenly rang. She recognized the ringtone as Ishizu's and was intrigued. What could Ishizu possibly want? They had just finished Court so whatever the Priestess had to say, she could have said then. Unless she did not want Kaiba to know.

Cautiously, Mai picked up the phone and answered it. "What'd you forget?" she asked half teasingly.

"Mai," Ishizu said seriously. "I need you to tell me honestly, is Kaiba well?"

The Sorceress hummed in thought. "He'd say yes, but I'd say he's hanging in there out of sheer force of will."

"Then you sensed it too," the Priestess murmured.

"Sensed my ass," Mai said, rolling her eyes. "He hasn't been doing well and he knows it. He's just too proud to admit it."

"Maybe not to us, but perhaps to Seth," Ishizu said.

"Let's hope." Mai rolled over on her stomach, kicking her legs up in the air behind her. "So what'd you really want?"

Ishizu huffed. "I've told the other Traids," she began, "but I haven't been able to tell any of you yet. It's changed slightly, but the premise is the same. I had another vision and...it's not...the outcome I would prefer," she said diplomatically.

"Nice try, sweetheart," Mai said. "Now try again."

"I saw Mokuba die," Ishizu said bluntly, causing Mai to freeze. "Kaiba saw it and all but self destructed, just like Set did 5,000 years ago. Nothing, not even Obelisk could stop him from killing himself."

"How?" Mai demanded.

"It changes every time," Ishizu said with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes the changes are minor like the location or the method; but other time they're major, like Mokuba surviving and only Kaiba dying, or both surviving and the world being destroyed around them."

"What can we do?"

"I don't know," Ishizu said in defeat. "I've tried forcing the sight to come to me, but that's making it difficult to help stop Carter Hall."

"Migraines," Mai said, humming understandingly. "I heard Jounouchi's Red Eyes was stolen," she said, suddenly. "You think that has anything to do with this?"

"I think it may, yes," Ishizu said, seizing on the subject. "The assassin-"

"Oh, we're calling him the Bastard now, by the way," Mai chimed in.

"Hm, understandable," Ishizu said gracefully. "The Bastard stole Red Eyes directly from its card. We're not sure how or why except that in my visions, he returns with Red Eyes and several other dragons I don't recognize to attack this world and many others."

"Worlds as in planets or worlds as in-"

"Realities, yes. Also, one of the dragons I always see in his arsenal..." she added hesitantly, "Mai, it's Blue Eyes."

"Oh dear god," Mai moaned, covering her eyes with her hand. "You haven't told Kaiba, have you?"

"No, not yet."

"Good, don't," Mai said firmly. "He's hanging on by a thread right now. He needs Kisara and Seth and Mokuba. They're all that's keeping him in place." She bit her lip. "Ishizu," she said hesitantly, "he had another attack earlier today. We almost lost him."

Mai heard Ishizu release a shaky breath over the phone. "This is... I'm not sure how to deal with all of this at once."

"Helios was also taken by Ares," Mai grumbled. "That makes the list of things we gotta do that much bigger. Ishizu, what if Kaiba has another attack and we aren't there to help him? Especially with Yugi and Yami not here."

"They should be back by morning," Ishizu said. "But I hear what you're saying. I'm not sure how to answer you though."

There was a loud explosion followed by a burst of Shadow magic the Sorceress had come to identify as Kaiba summoning and Mai sat up in shock. "The hell?" she muttered, jumping out of bed and grabbing her Deck before flinging open her door.

She stared down the hall towards Kaiba's room, turning around only when she heard footsteps approaching. Shaadi wearing only his robe and Oliver wearing only a pair of pants but with his bow and a couple arrows in hand were racing towards her.

"The hell was that?" Oliver demanded.

"You got me," Mai said. She put the phone up next to her ear. "Ishizu," she said. "Something's happening here. I'm gonna put you on speaker phone, okay?"

"Please," the Priestess said, sounding tense and alert.

"Come," Shaadi said, rushing past Mai towards Kaiba's room.

They reached the door and tried to open it but it was locked.

"Damn it," Oliver muttered. He took a few steps back and commanded, "Step back."

The Advisor and Sorceress did as they were told. Once they were clear, Oliver kicked the door as hard as he could. Nothing. He did it again, still nothing. He tried again, but still nothing.

"Wait," Shaadi said suddenly. "Let me try something."

Oliver stepped aside for Shaadi who approached the door carefully, eyeing it as if it were puzzle. Then he closed his eyes and opened his hands and a large, golden ankh appearing in his hands. "The Millennium Ankh is also a key," he said. "And keys open doors. Let us hope this holds true for real doors."

"Have you ever tried doing that before?" Mai asked.

"I have not."

Before anyone could say anything more, Shaadi took hold of the Ankh, slid it into the solid wooden door, and turned it. There was an audible snick as the lock slid open and he removed the Ankh just in time for Mai to grab the doorknob and turn it.

She expected to see destruction and evidence of a battle when she opened that door. After hearing Ishizu's dire predictions followed by the explosion, she had all but anticipated an all out attack. What she found would haunt her for years to come.

There were indeed signs of a battle. The French doors leading to the balcony outside Kaiba's bedroom the brothers often used as a patio was covered in broken and hanging on their hinges. The balcony itself was covered in soot from what looked like a blast of focused energy much like a Duel Monster's attack.

Then she saw the familiar form of Jounouchi's Red Eyes Black Dragon hovering obediently behind a large, white vehicle that closely resembled a motorcycle. Except motorcycles most certainly did not fly. Red Eyes must have been commanded to blast Kaiba's doors open.

The next thing she saw was the beam of white and blue light stretching from a card in Kaiba's hand to another card in the hand of who could only be the infamous Bastard. Whatever it was, it felt to her like something was being ripped away from her Regent. Kaiba himself was clutching his chest, his face contorted in agony and fear, steadfastly refusing to move.

She briefly wondered why before a cry of "Nii-sama!" made everything clear. She whirled around and saw Mokuba struggling to reach his brother but held back by the corporeal form of Seth who appeared to be suffering just as much as Kaiba.

Oliver raced to Seth's side, bow in hand. He took up a position between Mokuba still being restrained by Seth and the battle. He had just enough time to knock and draw an arrow when Kaiba suddenly gasped and convulsed. Behind him, Seth cried out and vanished just as Kaiba coughed and the beam of light from his Regent's card vanished.

Kaiba staggered and Red Eyes Black Dragon opened its mouth the strike again. Mai felt horror fill her heart. She reached for her Deck, begging it to give her the Trap card she needed. It did just as she knew it would.

"Mirror Wall!" she shrieked.

A wall of iridescent mirror materialized between Kaiba and Red Eyes. The black dragon roared as its power level was abruptly halved. Then before it could recover and continue its attack, it was viciously attacked by a purplish black Monster that resembled a twisted crocodile. The dragon roared and thrashed, its tail batting the white hovering vehicle, knocking it aside. The rider grabbed the controls and yelled something that could barely be heard through his mask and over the animalistic noises from the duel Monsters. Then Red Eyes returned to its card still in the Bastard's possession and both it and the Bastard vanished in a flash.

Oliver blinked, stunned, by the abrupt silence. Unfortunately, he did not have time to appreciate the silence because Kaiba overbalanced backwards and collapsed limply to the floor.

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba screamed, racing past the vigilante to his big brother's side.

Oliver stared at Kaiba in shock, reaching out to him with his Shadows and was disturbed when he felt...nothing. It was like seeing a hologram: he knew it was there but he could not feel it and therefore the brain could not completely comprehend what was happening.

Mai yelled something as did Shaadi, but Mokuba reached Kaiba's side first. The boy called for his big brother but there was no reply, just silence. Kaiba lay still, unmoving. Completely unmoving. Oliver felt the beginnings of terrible comprehension when he realized Kaiba's chest was not moving. Kaiba was not breathing.

He quickly dropped his weapons and knelt by the young man pressing two fingers against Kaiba's neck, trying to find a pulse. He could not find it. He pushed Mai aside, swung a leg over Kaiba's waist and began massaging the Regent's heart, pausing at even intervals to breathe into Kaiba's mouth.

He paused again and pressed a hand over Kaiba's chest, pleading to Obelisk that he could find a soul. At first he could not feel it and almost panicked. But the something, deep down, flickered. There was something there.

"Shaadi," he heard himself say, "follow me and pull it closer."

Shaadi blinked in confusion before placing his own hand next to Oliver's. His eyes grew wide then narrowed as he reached out with his Shadows, casting a net out for the fading soul. After a couple failed attempts, he finally caught and gently but firmly reeled it in, dragging it back to where it should be. Beneath their hands, Kaiba's chest stuttered in a soft gasp as his heart began beating once more.

Oliver pressed his fingers back up against Kaiba's throat and while relieved to feel a pulse, he was worried about how thin and thready it was. Either way, they had Kaiba back. He sat back in relief, glancing up at Mai. His smile faded at the look of horror on her face.

"Mai?" he asked. "Mai, what's wrong?"

Mai had covered her mouth with her hand and was visibly shaking, her light purple eyes pinned on her Regent. "He's gone," she breathed. "He's gone."

"He's back," Oliver said. "Shaadi was able to get pull him back."

Mai shook her head vigorously. "That's not Kaiba," she said frantically. Her eyes lifted to Oliver's, wide and terrified. "That's Seth. Kaiba's gone."

Oliver felt all the relief drain out of him as he turned to stare at the still, pale face of his Regent. Mokuba had gathered his big brother's head into his arms and curled around it, screaming and crying. Japanese words Oliver did not know fell from the little boy's lips like a waterfall. The only word he recognized in the rush was the one that tugged the hardest at his heart.

"Nii-sama!"