A/N: I'm mixing canons here from the manga and anime. Usually I rely on the manga, but for the Battle City incidents, I couldn't help but combine the versions. For those who aren't familiar: in the manga, during the battle between Yuugi and Jounouchi, Mokuba is actually being held hostage, thus giving Kaiba a more legitimate reason to act. However, in the anime, it's to help save Anzu and everyone rushes over to see how she is and they all leave while Kaiba is just standing there alone. It always struck me as odd that not a single one of them said a word, and even odder still that he didn't seem the least bit upset by it. So I kept that aspect. Oh, and that nonsense of having Shizuka jump in and save Jounouchi did not happen—I mean, why would a girl who just had her eyes operated on, jump into a salty ocean with her eyes wide open? In the manga, Kaiba actually drops the key into the water and leaves it up to Jounouchi to free himself; I like that a lot more. So I mixed and mashed until I was happy.

Ah, and the other one is that in the manga, it originally is just a table top, ordinary card game, but Yami makes them come to life in a Dark Game when he Mind Crushes Kaiba for the first time. The second time, Death-T incident occurs where he has recreated the experience through holograms, not that it does him much good. He gets Mind Crushed a second time and ends up comatose until Duelist Kingdom, but I don't really address that here. Unless you count my insistence on Yami always being at the forefront of his mind; what better proof is there than at Duelist Kingdom right before his soul gets sealed into a card, he says, "Goodbye, Mokuba. Goodbye, Yuugi," fully intending it to be his death? Why would Yuugi even be on that mental list unless the world worked like this? XD But I'll shut up and let you read the damn story now.

Chapter 11: Shuffle

That had been hours ago. Running his hand over his eyes, Kaiba sighed as he tried to refocus his mind on the work in front of him. Even though he knew he was safe for the time being since Yami was still with the others, Kaiba still found himself unable to concentrate properly. When his brother had approached him earlier that day to ask if it was okay to go over to Yuugi's place, Kaiba's initial reaction was to feel relief until he realized it meant that Mokuba would be introduced to the very source of Kaiba's vexation. Why was it that everything connected to that person was such a hassle? What would it take to return his life back to normal? He had never thought very much of his previous state of existence, but he was beginning to miss aspects of it, especially the lack of harassment and never having to deal with emotions.

Driving around earlier had helped marginally, but it still hadn't been enough. The real problem with Yami saying, "See you later," was that Kaiba didn't know when later was. Did that refer to real life or in dreams? Either way, it was highly infuriating, because anytime they met up later, no matter how much Kaiba resisted, things always ended up heading in that certain direction. What would it take for him to get the upper hand in this situation? He already was a distinct disadvantage since it was Yami who had initiated everything, but there had to be something he could do, but once again, all Kaiba was doing was drawing a blank. It would behoove him to preplan a revenge against Yami, but with a sinking feeling, he realized that nothing he could do would work. How could it be considered revenge when the other person enjoyed it too much? And withholding anything was pointless since Yami would just take action and do what he wanted anyway.

This illusion of control that Kaiba had been granted was what angered him the most about it; he wanted complete control and he did not want to be playing right into Yami's plan. He was beginning to think that there was no way around it, but Kaiba would not give up just yet. There had to be something, some way for him to be the victor in this situation. He just wasn't sure what that was yet, but he was determined to find it.

Kaiba wasn't even sure when he had relinquished control to Yami. Had it been their first duel or did it come later? Previously, Kaiba had never had much reason to give it any thought, but now it seemed like it could be important. It was true that throughout the years, many people had caused Kaiba to experience feelings that he didn't want to—people like Pegasus, the Big Five, and even his stepfather—but in all of those situations, Kaiba had always maintained control. The others might have seemed to have all of the power, and it was true that they made him feel anger, but ultimately he was the one in control and he defeated them as a result. But with Yami it was different. Somehow Yami had worked his way under Kaiba's guard; no one else could get him to him quite the way that Yami could. Looking at the situation objectively, Kaiba couldn't help but be begrudgingly impressed by the effortlessness of such an accomplishment.

Perhaps everything had really started with that first duel after all. He had spent all of his free time reading in class, completely ignoring the insignificant lives of the people who surround him. He had only been vaguely aware of Yuugi's existence prior to that and it wasn't until the Blue Eyes White Dragon incident that Kaiba paid him just enough attention to get what he wanted, nothing more. It was only when the other Yuugi, the one he came to know as Yami, challenged him to that first battle that he felt the stirrings of something. He had been trained to smother all useless emotions, so it had come as a complete shock to him, but along with his rage, he felt a small amount of amazement at the way the cards had come to life before his eyes with Yami's supposed powers. Wasn't that the original reason he had created the Solid Vision system? In order to try and recapture that experience, much as it haunted him? To show the other that he could make the impossible become a tangible reality through scientific means? It had been worth it when he had seen the shocked expression on Yami's face during their next duel, though, even if he was defeated during it.

It was strange, though. Kaiba only believed in examining the past so long as it helped overcome a previous failure; otherwise, he had very little use for it. He was determined to forge ahead with his own future and not be chained down by such a trivial thing as a past. But he was always talking about the road to his and Yami's destined battle—wasn't that just the same shackle in a different time? He was bound by it, constrained to that singular fate, and yet even with that knowledge, it didn't stop the rush of blood, the flood of excitement he felt at the prospect of their duel. Had he always been this full of contradictions? And so it was that he allowed himself a rare trip through his memories, realizing that he had been tied to Yami in more ways than he had previously thought, disregarding that bullshit ancient Egyptian nonsense Yami was always carrying on about, of course.

Other than Mokuba, no one else had ever come close to mattering in Kaiba's life, and yet hadn't his eyes always been searching for Yami? True, he had always been calling him Yuugi then, but much as it pained him to admit it—and he would never do so out loud to anyone—he had noticed the difference early on in their association with each other. Yuugi himself had very little to offer Kaiba; it was the other Yuugi that Kaiba was drawn to. Perhaps there was some merit in Yami claiming that Kaiba was a masochist—wasn't the initial reason he continually sought Yami out was because he had been the only one to defeat Kaiba? It wasn't that he was looking to be defeated by the other again, though; it was just the opposite, really. When was the last time Kaiba had felt the need to prove himself to anyone? And yet, wasn't that what he was trying to do with Yami?

It brought to mind the Battle City tournament and even now there was a lingering emotion about it, despite the passing of time. He had originally shown up at the fight between Yami and one of Marik's puppets in order to see the Osiris God card, but instead he found Yami on the ground, bowing before the other. It was a sight that disgusted him and he had called out to the other to stand up, giving a speech that was about as close to a pep talk as Kaiba Seto got. Only he could defeat Yami and this was something that he still believed in; and yet after Yami's eventual victory, the fight between them was postponed. Kaiba had been incensed when Yami had declined a battle in order to save his friends and he had followed the other…why?

Even now, Kaiba still wasn't entirely sure. At the time, he probably thought that he could find a way to change Yami's mind, but all Kaiba ended up doing was entering into battle along side of him in that back alley. Although it was less about fighting together at that time and more about showing Yami that he alone was enough to defeat their two weak opponents. It had been one of his most impressive opening turns, managing to summon all three Blue Eyes White Dragons and his Diamond Dragon as a result of Lord of Dragon and it's Dragon Pipes. He followed it up by sacrificing them all in order to summon Obelisk on his second turn, soundly defeating their enemies, and yet all Yami had cared about was finding out where Jounouchi was from them.

Looking back, it almost seemed embarrassingly childish, the way he was trying to gain the other's attention. Having failed to do so through means of his dueling strength, he relented and offered the use of his technology to find the bastard. At that time, Kaiba had thought the faster they found the brat, the quicker it meant he and Yami could duel, but now he couldn't help but wonder if there hadn't been some ulterior motive on his part. After all, once they had found Mokuba, hadn't he continued to help the other find his friends? Although it made him realize that the first time this Pharaoh stuff was discussed was around that same period.

Closing his eyes, he found that he didn't so much remember the battle as he did the emotions attached to it. His brother had been standing safely by his side and yet he had been uneasy as they watched from the edge of the dock. He had become frustrated when Marik had overruled his authority and hadn't he almost laughed when Anzu cried out that no one should worry about her? Sure, it had been a noble sentiment, but who cared about her? It was only when the severity of the situation revealed itself that Kaiba actually became nervous. It wasn't that he doubted Yami's ability to get out of the situation alive, but there was still some inexplicable anxiousness that increased as the battle continued, as the timer continued counting down rapidly. But hadn't he relaxed slightly when he realized that Yuugi had taken over during the duel? It wasn't because he had more faith in Yuugi's abilities, but it was because it was Yuugi going through it and not Yami that made the difference to him, even if he didn't fully understand why.

And didn't the worry return tenfold and mutate into fear when he thought that Jounouchi was going to throw a piece of the Millennium Puzzle into the sea? Kaiba could only guess at the consequences then, but he remembered the fleeting thought that even if he had to invent something to find the damn thing at the bottom of the ocean, he would. The absurdity of the thought was enough to distract him until it became evident that Yuugi was going to lose. He had hated the image of Yuugi taking off his Duel Disk and just lying there; it was too much like giving up, too much like accepted defeat and consequently, death. It had bothered him more than seeing Yami on his knees before Osiris, perhaps because there was more of a finality to it. Wasn't that why he recklessly acted in order to do anything to affect the outcome?

He hadn't even felt anger or resentment when it was his Blue Eyes White Dragon card that became slightly marred as a result of his rescue. No, Kaiba had felt a certain level of pride over it, a certain level of relief at his success. It was why he hadn't been the least bit upset when the Yuugi-tachi had ignored him even after what he had done; it wasn't like he did it for them anyway. Just like he hadn't saved Jounouchi because he cared about him—he only did that because of Yami, because Kaiba couldn't let his and Yuugi's efforts be wasted in such a distasteful manner. It would have meant a victory for Marik, anyway.

Opening his eyes with a sigh, he stared blankly at his monitor, still lost in thought. He had waited around, had lingered on the edge of the group unnoticed as they all made sure everyone was safe and unharmed. All he was looking for was some sign that Yami had been okay after the piece had been removed and replaced from the pyramid, but there was none, even after Jounouchi had returned the puzzle to Yuugi. It was then that he decided to leave, then when he realized that he would actually have a reaction, regardless of whether the other had made it through in tact or not. He didn't want any of them to see his look of disappoint at the realization that his greatest rival had permanently disappeared, nor did he want to show his relief at the fact that his ultimate opponent was fine. Thus he had walked away, even after Yuugi had called out to him, presumably to convince him not to leave. And stupidly, he had actually told Yuugi to pass along his thoughts to, "the other you," before he walked away without looking back, his brother trotting behind him. Even if he admitted that it was a result of being shaken by the event, it didn't make things any better, because Kaiba Seto shouldn't have cared.

Leaning back in his chair with a groan, Kaiba was quickly remembering why he strongly disliked these types of thoughts. It made him feel weak, vulnerable even. Hadn't he told himself that he would never trust anyone again? But Yami had earned it by coming through time and time again for him, even saving Kaiba and his brother on numerous occasions. He didn't like feeling indebted to another, but didn't the fact that Kaiba could leave Mokuba with them without any qualms or bodyguards show just how far his trust went?

How had it come to be that during a crisis, Yami was always at the forefront of his mind, coming second only to Mokuba when he was present? Half the time he wasn't even aware of the fact that he was saying the other's name, especially since no one else in the Yuugi-tachi had ever been taken note of, save for mocking the loser dog whenever he was being particularly obnoxious. Wasn't Yami the only one Kaiba would trust enough to work together with in order to achieve whatever needed to be done? How had that happened?

It was becoming clear to Kaiba that his attempt to distract himself from all of this by throwing himself into his work again had failed miserably. He really wanted to banish such thoughts, but at the same time, there was a hope that if he properly dealt with it then it would truly go away. But Kaiba didn't even have terms for half of the emotions that he was experiencing, so how could he properly sort through them?

A knock on the door caused him to look up expectantly, wondering if his brother had finally returned. "Come in," he called out, trying not to frown when he saw Isono enter with a bow. If he was here, that could only mean one thing, and Kaiba wasn't sure if he was actually prepared for it at all. "What is it?"

"Yuugi has returned and asked to speak with you again, Seto-sama."

It was exactly as he had suspected. "Did he arrive with Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, holding back a sigh.

"No," Isono answered succinctly.

"No?" Kaiba repeated, raising an eyebrow at the answer. Now that he had not been expecting. How had Yami managed to make it to the mansion before Mokuba? The only answer Kaiba could come up with was that once the meeting was over, Mokuba had gone to Kaiba Land after all. "Where is Ya—Yuugi now?" He really had to quit doing that, Kaiba told himself, annoyed.

Revealing none of his confusion over the slip, Isono replied, "He's still waiting in the foyer, sir."

Hesitating for a moment, Kaiba tried to decide what would be his best course of action. Failing to find one, he decided that he would bide his time and judge how the other was behaving. Besides, at least now he could quit wasting his time reminiscing about things that didn't matter. Dismissing Isono with a, "That'll be all," Kaiba stood up and left the sanctuary of his room to head downstairs to meet Yami.

As Kaiba descended the staircase, Yami looked up at him with a grin, but somehow Kaiba didn't feel particularly threatened by it. "So you've shown yourself at last," Kaiba announced, letting his fingers trail along the banister as he continued to approach the other.

"Thought I would wait until later tonight?" Yami asked as he crossed his arms across his chest with an amused looked. "You should know well enough by now that I'm too impatient for that."

Gesturing for Yami to follow him, Kaiba led the way to the kitchen, figuring it was as safe a place as any for a conversation. "I would have thought your little friends wouldn't have let you go so easily."

Chuckling to himself, Yami couldn't help but feel equally pleased and guilty for his actions. His aibou had understood, but Yami got the impression that he hadn't exactly been happy about it. "I managed to get around it," Yami said with a shrug, taking a seat at the island counter.

"How?" Kaiba asked, genuinely curious. "It couldn't have been easy. Water?"

Taking the proffered bottle, Yami thanked him before explaining, "They started talking about going to the arcade or Kaiba Land and I figured it was as good a chance as any."

"So they finally got to you," Kaiba said with a laugh, taking a bottle of water for himself from the fridge.

"It was getting to be a little much," Yami admitted, causing Kaiba to snort in amusement. "I'm surprised you didn't hear Jounouchi-kun's reaction from here."

"Who's to say that I didn't? I thought I heard a dog howling some time ago," Kaiba said with a vicious grin.

"You're terrible, you know that?"

"Yes, and?"

Ignoring the bait, Yami continued, "I was getting a little tired of being poked and prodded to see if I was actually real."

"Imagine that," Kaiba said sarcastically as he leaned against the counter.

Yami wanted to gauge Kaiba's reaction so he casually mentioned, "Anzu was actually worse than Jounouchi-kun."

He might have given her slightly more credit than the others in that group since she had saved Mokuba before and had no problems standing up and defending what she believed in, but that didn't mean Kaiba liked her. "Oh?" was all Kaiba said, his eyes narrowing in distaste. It was obvious to everyone but Yuugi that she was interested in him, but it was also apparent that she had an interest in Yami as well, something which did not sit well with Kaiba at all. What did that useless woman have to offer except an annoying voice from the sideline?

That look told Yami everything he needed to know. "Jealous?" he questioned with a knowing smirk, having been around Kaiba long enough to understand what that glare meant. It was usually reserved for Jounouchi whenever he got too close to Yami, but apparently it could apply to anyone now. Yami doubted that Kaiba knew that, though.

Sniffing in disdain, Kaiba was dismissive as he haughtily replied, "As if I had a reason to be jealous."

Pausing before taking a sip of water, Yami couldn't help but provoke Kaiba a little further. "And if I said that you did?"

"I'd say that you're full of shit."

"Why's that?"

"Because this Kaiba Seto has nothing to fear from the likes of someone like her," he answered confidently.

"Is that so?" Yami asked with a laugh.

"Yes," Kaiba affirmed without any hesitation. Despite his assured manner, he wanted to change topics. "So how did you manage to escape?"

Anzu actually was part of the reason he had managed to leave. He was getting annoyed with her extra attention and he could tell it was upsetting his aibou, so he had decided on his plan to leave. He cared deeply for his friends, but after that many hours of being fawned over, it had given him a headache and a strong urge to get some fresh air. "I might have told them that I could only maintain a physical body for a certain amount of time before I had to return to the Millennium Puzzle," Yami said with an impish grin.

Refusing to get his hopes up about the matter, Kaiba questioned, "I take it that this isn't true?"

"It was at first, but not anymore," Yami answered. "Aibou and I went upstairs to our room and I left through the window."

"What?" Kaiba asked incredulously, trying to picture that. There weren't any trees around to aid his descent and he sincerely doubted that the other had much experience in climbing out of second story windows. "How?"

Laughing, Yami said, "Very carefully," still surprised that he had managed to do it without injuring himself or drawing any unwanted attention. It had seemed like such a good idea until he was halfway out and realized he didn't have a clue as how to get down successfully without some good luck factoring into it, but it had worked out okay in the end.

"And so you decided to come here," Kaiba stated, finishing most of his water before setting the bottle on the counter behind him.

"And so I decided to come here," Yami repeated, folding his arms on the countertop and laying his head on them as he watched Kaiba.

"You at least look a little more like Yuugi today," Kaiba commented, although he wasn't sure if he liked that. The black sleeveless shirt and leather collar were both things that he identified with Yuugi, but for some reason the presence of the choker on Yami was bothering Kaiba. "So what did Mokuba have to say about all of this?"

"He took it a lot better than you."

"That's because you weren't trying to molest him at the same time," Kaiba shot back, scowling.

Yami could only grin at that. "I was glad that you told me ahead of time that he saw me, though. He started to mention that he had seen me last night, but he quickly covered it up, so they didn't suspect anything."

Even though he hadn't been there to deal with the consequences himself, Kaiba couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved about that piece of information. "And?"

"I managed to pull him aside for a few minutes to talk before I left, so that helped."

Hoping that this didn't result in him having to lie to his brother, Kaiba asked with some amount of trepidation, "And what did you tell him?"

"That it was me," Yami said, but it failed to earn him a response from Kaiba, so he continued. "I told him that I went to talk to you about it last night since there was no way that you would join us today. I also said that I asked you to keep it a secret so that he could fully enjoy the surprise, so I don't think you'll have to worry about Mokuba's reaction once he gets home."

It was better than Kaiba had expected and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't grateful for the way Yami had handled the situation. "Well that's one less thing for me to have to worry about," Kaiba finally decided out loud, running his fingers through his bangs. "Any idea when he'll be returning?"

Straightening up in the chair, Yami smiled perversely as he rested his chin in his hand. "If you're asking if we have enough time before he gets back, the answer would be yes," he said with a laugh that infuriated Kaiba.

"That wasn't what I was asking, you fucking pervert!" Kaiba exclaimed, realizing that it had been too much to hope for things to remain the way they were.

"If I asked aibou, I'm sure he could convince Mokuba to spend the night…"

Gritting his teeth, Kaiba couldn't tell if that was meant to be a threat or a suggestion. "Why do I get the feeling that you've already had that conversation with him?" he muttered, once again hating the duality it was causing him to experience. At least if Mokuba was staying at Yuugi's it meant that his younger brother wouldn't walk into an awkward situation when he got home, but it also meant that there was more chance for said awkward situation to arise as a result. "I guess I should just be thankful that you've waited this long to reveal your true intentions."

"Whatever could you mean, Kaiba?" Yami asked, a picture of perfect innocence that Kaiba knew better than to believe.

It really was like a duel, he thought. Each and every move had to be carefully calculated in order to achieve the desired result and it was important to set trap cards to defend yourself when all else failed. So what would his next move be? Would he attack or continue to guard while he tried to figure out his opponent's tactics?

"Please excuse the interruption, Seto-sama," Isono suddenly announced, causing both of them to turn in surprise.

Wondering just how much of his conversation his employee had heard, Kaiba frowned at him. "What?"

With a slight bow, Isono explained, "It's Mokuba-sama, sir," and he held out a phone for Kaiba to take.

He wasn't really sure if this could be considered a save, but he'd take what he could get since the previous conversation seemed to be heading in a direction that Kaiba was most definitely trying to avoid at the moment. Walking over to Isono, Kaiba accepted the phone and dismissed his employee with a curt nod. "Mokuba?"

"Ah, Nii-sama!" Mokuba exclaimed happily on the other end.

"Did you really think I'd break my promise and go to the office?"

"No, I know that my Nii-sama would never break his promise!" Mokuba reassured his older brother vehemently. "But you didn't answer your cell phone, so I called the house instead."

Reaching into his front pocket, Kaiba realized that he had in fact left his phone upstairs on his desk. "Sorry," Kaiba apologized, removing his hand from his pocket. "Do you need me to come pick you up?"

"It's okay for me to stay a little longer, right?" Mokuba asked hopefully, not wanting to leave just yet. "We're all waiting for him to come back!"

Kaiba turned around to face the person he assumed was in question, only to discover that Yami was no longer seated at the counter, but was standing right before him with a mischievous expression. Showing none of his surprise, Kaiba continued addressing his brother. "Oh? Did the loser dog get loose?" That comment and the arrogant looked that accompanied it earned him a sharp jab in the ribs by Yami, but Kaiba only knocked the offending hand away.

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba said, trying to sound exasperated, but he couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Or perhaps it was a stray cat?" Kaiba continued, slipping his index and middle finger under Yami's leather choker and using it to pull him closer, their bodies bumping against each other with the sudden movement. Smirking, Yami used the opportunity to run his tongue up Kaiba's neck, noticing how strange it felt when Kaiba swallowed hard at the action.

"Wait, who would be the cat?" Mokuba wondered, completely oblivious to what was going on with his brother.

"Who knows?" Kaiba said with a shrug, refusing to elaborate any further. Using his thumb, Kaiba slid the leather strap free of its buckle, removing the choker from Yami and throwing it onto the counter.

"I can't believe that was really Yami last night! I mean—"

Kaiba only half listened as his brother began talking rapidly about Yami with the occasional interruption of yelling coming from other members of the Yuugi-tachi. It wasn't that Kaiba didn't care; it was just that he was currently a little preoccupied. Running his fingers along Yami's now bare neck, he leaned close to the other's ear in order to softly tell him, "Only dogs wear collars," careful to hold the phone far enough away so that his brother didn't hear him. There were just some parts of his past that never needed to be remembered and it was best to get rid of the reminder now. He didn't give a damn about what Yuugi wore, but he wouldn't allow Yami to have one in his presence.

Scarlet eyes wide in confusion, Yami felt a shiver run through him as he tried to understand what had just happened. There was something oddly erotic about what Kaiba had just done, but Yami assumed that there was a different intention behind that action and he got the impression it had nothing to do with Jounouchi. "Kai—" he started to say, but was cut off when Kaiba put his finger over Yami's lips to silence him as he leaned back and raised the phone up to his ear. Impulsively, Yami lightly bit the tip of Kaiba's finger before licking at it with a grin, releasing it when Kaiba tried to pull away. He was quickly becoming impatient and wishing that the other would hurry up and finish his call so that they could move onto other more interesting things.

"—was funny! And then Anzu wouldn't leave Yami alone about it!" Mokuba finally concluded with a flourish, prompting Kaiba to participate in the conversation once more.

Disregarding the sounds of Anzu protesting in the background, Kaiba commented, "She's certainly prone to being persistent," regretting that he hadn't paid a little more attention to what his younger brother had been saying.

"So we all want to see what happens whenever Yami finally comes back!"

Yes, he definitely should have paid more attention, Kaiba decided as he gave Yami a questioning look. He hadn't thought sheepish was an expression the other could pull off, but somehow he had managed it. "Is that so?" Kaiba replied, although it was aimed more at Yami than his brother.

"Yeah, but Yuugi said he wasn't sure how long it would take for Yami to reappear, but he thought it might take a few hours," Mokuba told his older brother, laughing as Anzu started going after Jounouchi for something he said.

"A few hours?" Kaiba repeated, staring at Yami who was smirking once again. Being rather optimistic, isn't he? Kaiba thought with a slight sneer appearing on his face.

Placing one of his hands on Kaiba's chest for balance, Yami raised himself up to whisper in the other's ear, "I figured I'd need most of the time to convince you," before dissolving into silent laughter as he got pushed away with a stern glare.

"But since he wasn't sure, Yuugi offered to let me spend the night here so that I don't miss it when Yami finally returns. His grandfather already said it was okay!"

With those words, Kaiba realized that he had been completely ensnared in the trap. If he told his brother he had to return home, Mokuba would constantly be wondering if Yami ever reappeared, but if he let him stay at Yuugi's, there really would be no escaping from Yami tonight. Sighing, Kaiba asked, "Do you want me to send Isono over with your things?" as he realized this round went to Yami.

Cheering, Mokuba took a moment before calming down again. "Please? You're the best, Nii-sama!"

"Call me tomorrow whenever you want me to come pick you up."

"Sure. Hey, maybe you'll get to see Yami!" Mokuba exclaimed, setting Jounouchi off on a tangent about Kaiba.

"I'm sure I'll be seeing enough of that bastard as it is," Kaiba muttered, having no doubts about the truth of his own words. The fact that Yami stood there with a triumphant smirk only furthered his proof.

Mokuba's exuberance was toned down a little at the sudden shift in his brother's mood. "Nii-sama?"

"It's nothing," Kaiba reassured him, his voice softening slightly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Realizing that he was probably reading more into it than he needed, Mokuba's previous excitement returned full force. "Thanks, Nii-sama! Have a good night!"

Hanging up, he gestured for Yami to move and was pleased when he was obeyed without any questions. Once Yami was seated at the counter again, Kaiba was satisfied with the distance between them and he turned to face the doorway as he called out loudly, "Isono," knowing that his employee would be far enough away to ensure privacy, but close enough to come when asked.

He appeared moments later, bowing before saying, "Sir?"

"Mokuba will be staying at Yuugi's tonight so I will need you to ready a bag with his things and deliver it there," Kaiba instructed as he returned the phone.

"Yes, Seto-sama."

Hesitating for a moment, Kaiba finally decided that it was in his own best interest to dismiss the other for the night. "After that, I will have no further use for you this evening. You are free to return home once you've delivered Mokuba's things."

"S-Seto-sama?" Isono stuttered, hardly believing his luck. He could count on one hand the amount of times he had been allowed to leave work early!

"Go," Kaiba commanded, not interested in discussing anything further.

Bowing deeply, Isono replied, "Yes, sir!" knowing better than to thank Kaiba. Turning sharply on his heel, he hurried upstairs to ready Mokuba's overnight bag.

With that out of the way, Kaiba returned his attention to Yami who was slowly nudging the choker across the counter with his index finger. "I never talked to aibou about Mokuba staying overnight," Yami finally spoke up, looking over at Kaiba, "but you probably won't believe me."

Although he was still skeptical, Kaiba found little reason to question the other's claim. "It doesn't matter," he said with a shrug. Everything had already been decided and now it was just a matter of figuring out what to do next.

"Well, since there's no rush for time now," Yami started, earning a scowl from Kaiba, "can we get something to eat?"

"Let me guess—you're going to say you're still not used to having to feed yourself since Yuugi was always in control of the body at mealtimes?" Kaiba asked derisively with a snort. "Idiot."

"Hey!" Yami protested, hopping off of the barstool, "You try having a body for less than a week and figuring everything out!"

Kaiba shot back, "I think you've figured out plenty."

"Not that you'll let me prove it," Yami retorted with a smirk, walking back over to Kaiba.

"Look, do you want fed or not?"

"Fine, fine," Yami said a little dejectedly, backing off in the interest of getting food and soon.

Wait—was his rival pouting? Confronted with such an expression, for some reason Kaiba found himself chuckling, which caused Yami to pout even more. "What's so funny?" Yami demanded to know, but that only made Kaiba laugh harder.

Reining in his amusement and quickly composing himself, Kaiba realized that it had been awhile since the last time he had eaten as well. He didn't feel like cooking with Yami underfoot, so he decided against offering that as an option. At least if they went to a restaurant, the other would be forced to behave in an appropriate manner since they would be out in public. "We can leave after I get my phone," Kaiba finally declared, mentally running through the list of nearby places that would afford them enough privacy.

"Really?"

"Wait here," Kaiba requested, "I'll be right back down." Not waiting for Yami's reply, Kaiba left the kitchen and went back upstairs in order to retrieve his cell phone from his room. Entering and heading straight for his desk, Kaiba half expected Yami to follow him anyway, but was pleasantly surprised whenever he was left alone. How hungry must he be that he isn't trying to capitalize on such an opportunity? Kaiba wondered to himself as he cleared the missed call from his history, heading over to his closet to get a coat. Putting it on, he called out once more to Isono as he did so, exiting his room and shutting the door behind him.

"Yes, Seto-sama?" came the prompt reply as he appeared from inside of Mokuba's room.

"Lock up when you leave."

"Yes, sir!"

Having said what he needed, Kaiba turned and made his way back to the kitchen where he found Yami looking out the window. "Ready?"

Turning around, Yami couldn't help but be amused when he saw that Kaiba was once again wearing a trench coat, although this one was different than the one he had been wearing when he had dropped Mokuba off earlier. With a pleased expression, Yami merely said, "Ah," as he followed Kaiba toward the garage.

Unable to identify the emotion he was currently experiencing, Kaiba ignored it as he hit the switch to raise the door and found himself hoping that he wasn't making a terrible mistake. Getting into the car, he tried to think of it more like a business dinner than whatever it actually was and it helped settle his mind somewhat. Once Yami was in the car, he felt the immediate gratification that came from the sound of the engine roaring to life and quickly pulled out, still not sure if he wanted to get it over with quickly or prolong the inevitable as long as possible.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Took a little more time to get into the swing of things than I thought it would. The good news is, I actually have about 12,000 words written for the future chapters (and I can guarantee that there's something for everyone to enjoy), but I need to write the connecting chapter before we can get to all of that lovely stuff. So once I get through this, onto the fun at a really regular interval with fewer days in between, hopefully. Sound good?

If you ever want proof of Yami's pouting, the episode where he is forced into going on a date with Anzu is the perfect example. He does it while she's playing DDR and it's priceless. I don't have a screencap, but trust me, he does it and he does it well.

As for Kaiba, it always has struck me as odd that for a man who talks about forging his own future, he sure talks about destiny a lot. He is so adamantly opposed to the past defining your future, and yet he has no issues with the future being controlled by a thing like fate—it sounds like something he would actively work against, which he does during the battle with Isis, but that's pretty much it. I didn't mean for the beginning to become so brooding, but I was on the plane at the time, and my mind just went there. I think it does tie into the way he deals with Yami, though, and I'm inherently fascinated by his psychology, but that probably says a lot about myself.

The thing about the collar—again, for those who haven't read the manga, since the anime edited the imagery out—is that his stepfather made him wear one while he was a young boy, held a riding whip under his chin while studying, and referred to him as a dog. Seriously demented images, all two panels of it. It makes him calling Jounouchi a loser dog a lot more psychological than most people give credit for, I think. So given that he had been thinking about the past so much, I could see him being wary of having any reminders. And he wouldn't want Yami to fall into that category, so it's almost like freeing him from it in a sense? I don't know, it made sense in my head. But it felt hyper-sexual, although I don't think that came across. It was…rather tempting to have everything set off from there, but it wasn't very realistic, I thought.

And I really didn't mean to seem like I was Anzu bashing, but it just sort of came out that way. She really is torn between the two (more so in the anime, I feel) and having Yami suddenly materialize, I think she'd be more than a little giddy and lose some of her sensitivity toward Yuugi that she normally has. And Yuugi would probably feel a little…maybe not so much threatened, but it would certainly be awkward. As for Yami ducking out and leaving Yuugi there, when you've been cooped inside of a puzzle by yourself for 3,000 years, even though he's had experiences being around the Yuugi-tachi, I think it would still be a little overwhelming to him after a point.

NEXT CHAPTER: Draw

A mysterious man appears at dinner, but what is his connection to Kaiba? Yami tries to figure it out while Kaiba tires to understand what's going on, period. Silence and questions, a red light glance— what was that sudden feeling?

Hopefully the next chapter doesn't come as too much of a surprise. It was another thing that came about from being on the plane, but hopefully it makes sense. And after that chapter, the real fun begins in the following two chapters as this thing (probably) begins winding down. I'm excited to show you guys what I've been playing with, so hopefully that'll encourage me to finish the little (ha!) bridge between the two parts.

It'll probably be another week while I put the final touches on the next chapter, though. So please check back then and let me know what you think!