Peneia Teke: (peers around a corner) Let me just say that if you're compelled to kill me for such a long delay… um, you'll never find out what happens. Yeah! That's it!

Note: Bakura refers to Ryou as a 'container' because that's what Yugi and Ryou are sometimes called in the Japanese version, and I prefer that term over 'hikari', which isn't really used in either version.

/Bakura talking to Ryou/

Disclaimer: Okay, I'll admit. I'm the soul creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! Yep… Hey look! A pig just flew by!

Chapter Nine
Kaiba slowly opened his eyes where he lay on the cold, wood floor of his office. He groaned and glanced around in a daze, unable to remember the events of the pass few hours. His head felt like it was being split in two, and he had to blink several times in order to clear his slightly blurred vision. It probably didn't help that the room was dark and the light outside had faded. Was I drunk?

He touched a sore spot on the back of his head gingerly with his fingertips but pain caused him to flinch, and he pulled back with a curse. What the hell happened? He slowly pulled himself off the floor but had to use the wall for support when the room began spinning dangerously around him. A sudden image of Tea being thrown to the ground played itself out in his head and caused his entire body to stiffen with realization. He hadn't been able to save her. She'd called to him for help, but he hadn't gotten there in time. He couldn't do a damn thing.

After Kaiba had gained enough stability to move properly on his own he stepped out into the hall and began walking toward the nearest staircase. There was no way he'd let Yuko get away with this. He'd rather die than let the mad man hurt Tea just for his sick, twisted amusement. The bastard was taking the coward's way out, hiding behind innocent bystanders that shouldn't have even been dragged into the whole ordeal in the first place.

The house was dark and quiet as Kaiba made his way downstairs, and it gave him an unsettling feeling. "Mokuba?" he called. His voice echoed throughout the empty mansion, receiving no answer. "Mokuba, where are you?" he tried again, louder. Again, only the silence rang out.

His head began pounding with an extra ferocity, and he groaned, putting a hand to his temple. His vision blurred, and the sound of blood rushing to his ears was deafening. Cursing under his breath, Kaiba staggered down the stairs and fumbled for a light switch. The sudden brightness made him wince but also helped him snap out of his stupor.

He opened the door to the garage and stepped out into the cool darkness, quickly noting the limo wasn't in its proper place. Kaiba paused. He knew Roland had left immediately to pick Mokuba up after leaving the mansion, but he should have been home by now-long ago. His wrist watch told him it was well passed one.

The sudden shrill ring of his cell phone made him twitch in surprise, and he shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve it. He flipped it open and brought it to his ear. "Kaiba," he snapped coldly.

"……Big brother……"

Kaiba nearly dropped his phone. "Mokuba! Where are you? Are you ok?"

Static on the other end cut off most of what Mokuba was trying to say. "I…where………man………going to…"

Kaiba held the phone close to his ear and leaned forward as if to better channel his brother's voice into his eardrum. "Mokuba? Can you hear me? Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"…… I'm scared, Seto."

The defeated tone in his voice made Kaiba's stomach drop. "No, no, no don't give up on me now, kiddo, I'm going to find you! Damn it, no! Mokuba!" There was an odd shuffling sound, and another voice came on.

"Hello, Kaiba. Sleep well?"

"Yuko," he snarled. "What the hell have you done to my little brother!?"

"Nothing, right now, but that could change in an instant," came the cold reply.

"If you so much as hurt a hair on his head, I'll-"

"Not to sound rude,"the other interrupted bemusedly,"but you're not really in a position to be dishing out threats. Of course, if you absolutely feel the need to be uncivilized, I could always snap your little girl friend's neck, right here. It wouldn't take any effort at all. She's so delicate, you see."

Tea… Kaiba had to take a deep breath to keep his flaring temper in check. "Ok. I'm listening, Yuko. What is it you want?"

"I want us to play a little game."

Kaiba made an odd sound in the back of his throat as if unbelieving of the odd demand. "What kind of a game?" he asked suspiciously.

He could hear the mad man chuckling softly in the background. "A strategic game, which I think you'll enjoy. It's called Watch Seto Kaiba Dismantle His Life with His Own Two Hands. It'll be a glorious end to all your magnificent achievements."

Kaiba blinked and stared at the phone as if it'd just grown antennae. "What? You're not making sense, Yuko. Quit your babbling and get to the point."

"I'd get to the point, if you'd stop interrupting,"the voice on the other line continued smoothly."Now... where was I? Oh, yes... You'll start by torching your mansion and watching it burn in front of you."

"What the...? You can't be serious!" Kaiba snapped. "I'm not setting my mansion on fire, you sick bastard! Do you even know who you're dealing with?! I swear to God when I find-"

"If you ever want to see your little brother alive again, I suggest you shut up and do damn well as I say."The threat was a soft snarl, causing Kaiba to lock his jaw in anger. He made no further attempts to interrupt. "Now, do you have a pad of paper? Because I'm going to give you some instructions."

"Just tell me," Kaiba growled. "I'll remember."

"Very well. Then listen carefully, this is what I want you to do…"

Ryou awoke to the sound of someone pounding against his front door. Confused and slightly alarmed, he glanced around, noting he was in his bed, still fully dressed but with no recollection of the last several hours. To his bewilderment his pockets were stuffed with hundred dollar bills. Automatically assuming his darker half had stolen the money, he attempted to reach out to him through their mind link.

Spirit? There was a sharp tingling at the back of his mind, which meant his darker half was either angry or extremely annoyed and neither meant good outcomes for Ryou if he wound up on Bakura's bad side. He decided to tread carefully. What's going on?

There was a long pause before he felt rather than heard the reply, though he didn't need words to know exactly what Bakura was implying. /It's best to keep out of matters that don't concern you/

Ryou flinched but decided to press on, the need for answers overpowering his fear. Please…Where did all this come from?

Deep in the recesses of his mind, he felt Bakura chuckle. /Where indeed? Perhaps, I'll leave you to decide that for yourself/

He ignored the remainder of Ryou's questions, and the white haired boy wisely dropped the topic, deciding instead to deal with the pressing matter outside. The pounding had gotten louder, and Ryou's heart began to race as he made his way down the stairs and opened the door.

"H-hello?" he asked hesitantly. He blinked and brought up a hand to shield his eyes when a light was shined directly in his face. Two policemen stood on his porch, both looking annoyed and uptight.

"…Are you Ryou Bakura?"

"Um, yes, I am," he said in confusion. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Why don't you step outside and answer a few questions for us?"

Ryou warily complied, closing the door behind him. "May I ask what this is all about?"

The policemen ignored him. "Where were you earlier this evening?"

Ryou's face went slightly pale. Where had Bakura been that evening? "I'm afraid I can't completely recall, officer, but I imagine I was here like I usually am."

The first officer eyed him skeptically. "You don't remember?" He exchanged glances with his partner. "If you can't give us more information than that, we could have a real problem."

Ryou glanced nervously from one to the other. "Why? What's going on?"

"An anonymous source reported having seen you meandering around the high school with one of the Kaiba brothers. Does the name ring a bell?"

"Mind if we take a look inside?"

Ryou took a step back, fear etching his features. God…what have you gotten us into this time, Spirit! "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he said, "…b-but I'm sorry for any inconveniences I might have caused you." They think I kidnapped, Kaiba? Am I going to jail?

/Not if they're dead…/

The thought was just barely a whisper in the crevices of his mind, but Ryou knew it couldn't be ignored. He could feel his darker half's energy growing inside of him. No! You can't! His hand went to his head and his body twitched as he struggled mentally for control. He reached behind him, groping for the door handle.

"Don't move!" one of the officers shouted, pulling his gun. "Get on the ground with your hands over your head!"

"No! Please!" Ryou gasped, "You must leave before I do something to harm you!"

"On the ground! Now!"

Suddenly, something happened that made the two men back away in fear. The white haired boy's odd ring began glowing, and he made a transformation before their eyes. He seemed to grow a few inches taller, his hair became longer and slightly jagged, and he glared at them in distaste through dark, narrowed eyes.

"He warned you," the new figure growled in a voice several octaves lower than the previous owner's. "And, unfortunately for you, I am not as forgiving as that pathetic fool. You should have run while you had the chance." His ring began glowing as the two cops pulled out their concealed weapons, and the silence of the outside was shattered by gunshots and flashes of light.

"What the hell!" one of the men yelled in panic after realizing his gun had no impact. "What are you?"

The white haired man allowed a slow smirk to spread across his face before responding, "Foolish mortals. I am the darkness and the darkness does not die." A bright eye began glowing on their foreheads. "But your fate, it seems, will be a bit different."

Half an hour later, Kaiba was half way to his destination. Yuko had made it clear that he'd kill Mokuba if Kaiba enlisted in any "outside help" and that he'd be checking up on him every few minutes. Kaiba had tried tracing the number Yuko had used, but its location came up as unknown. With Yuko's threat still heavy on his mind and with Kaiba being in the mood he was in it wasn't surprising that he almost missed the white haired figure that walked out in front of him. He slammed on the break, cursing under his breath and flung open the door. "What the hell were you thinking!" he shouted, storming around to the front of the car. "Do you realize how close I was to hitting you? You could have been killed! This is the reason insurance is so high today because morons like you don't know how to stay on the sidewalk!"

For an instant the figure seemed to glare at him, but then he blinked and his expression changed to one of dazed confusion. "K-Kaiba?" He staggered a bit and Kaiba reached forward to grab his arm before he could fall.

"Here's a tip. Next time you decide to get smashed at one in the morning, have a friend drive you home so you don't end up in this situation… Wait, I know you. You're one of Yugi's little pals." Kaiba remembered this kid. He was the one who'd gone crazy on his blimp during the Battle City Tournament and the one Yugi had wanted Kaiba to take to the hospital. Something about Shadow Realms and hocus pocus magic tricks...

The psycho kid wasn't listening. "Kaiba… you're here? But how… I thought you…"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

"…I thought you were gone."

He snorted. "Well, as you can see I'm standing right here, so there's no cause for alarm," he retorted sarcastically. This kid's drunker than I thought. Either that or he's got some pretty serious issues. Not that it's any of my business.

"But your limo… I found it on the side of the road…" I don't understand. I thought for sure he was the one they were referring to... This doesn't make any sense.

He felt the presence of Bakura almost before he'd finished the thought. /Use your head. I took the younger Kaiba, not this fool/

Wait… You mean, Mokuba!

/If that's the name of Kaiba's sibling, then yes/

What?!

"What?!?"

Ryou's eyes snapped back up to Kaiba's angry face. "It was t-that way…" He pointed with an index finger to annunciate the direction.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Ryou by his collar, dragging him over to the passenger side of the car. "Get in," he ordered. The shaken boy quickly complied.

They drove in silence for several minutes, but the tension made it feel like several hours. Kaiba's knuckles had turned white from gripping the wheel so hard. "It's there," Ryou said suddenly, "Pull over." He got out while Kaiba grabbed a flashlight from his dashboard.

He scanned the beam out into the darkness, nearly overlooking the tire tracks that lead off the side off the road. "Shit," Kaiba muttered. He took off into the grass toward a cluster of trees, Ryou right on his heels, and his pulse began racing as the light fell on a familiar vehicle. The entire front end of the limo was smashed up against a tree, and shattered glass and small pieces of twisted metal lay everywhere. Kaiba paid them no mind as he sprinted toward the car, flashlight pointed ahead of him. "Mokuba! Mokuba, are you there!"

Light washed over a figure slumped forward in the driver seat, revealing him to be Roland. Kaiba reached out for his throat to check for a pulse. He had one, but it was weak. Cursing, Kaiba turned and shined the light through the back passenger windows. "Mokuba! Are you in there?" He kicked through an already partly shattered window and leaned in. There was no sign of the boy anywhere.

The CEO quickly grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and began dialing a number. "What are you doing?" Ryou asked quickly.

The desperate tone in his voice caused Kaiba to glance up. "I'm calling an ambulance. Roland needs to get to a hospital."

"You can't," Ryou said quietly, grabbing his wrist.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes coldly and shoved the white haired boy away. "You idiot. There's no telling how long Roland's been out here. He needs to get to a hospital."

"I won't let you," Ryou hissed in an unnaturally dark tone.

Kaiba looked surprised for an instant; then began chuckling. "And here I thought all Yugi's friends were goodie goodies. How'd you get associated with them?"

"I'm not a friend of little Yugi's," Ryou snapped. He blinked a few times and shook his head. "I-I'm sorry. Of course, you need to call for an ambulance. I don't know what came over me."

The tall CEO was looking at him funny. "…I'm not sure what your problem is, but maybe you should get some help." He held the phone to his ear.

"I'm just scared," Ryou admitted. "I think I might have done something terrible, and now I can't go back home."

"Hn, sure," Kaiba said distractedly. "It's not my problem."

"…It has to do with Mokuba…"

"…….WHAT?"

Peneia Teke: … Yeah… Sorry about the Bakura's corny line… It reminded me of the Trix cereal commercials. "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids!"

Also, when I think of Kaiba's garage, I picture the kind of garage like at the airport or hospital or something… Well, maybe not that big, but big enough that he can fit several cars and one or two limos in it.

If anyone still actually reads this story, please send a review to let me know how I did!