Disclaimer: I don't own anything of importance in this story.

Chapter 30

Kenshin and Kaiba faced off, both once again waiting for the other to move first. Kaiba still had an annoyingly superior smirk on his face, while Kenshin's was devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Kaiba was starting to find that just the tiniest bit unnerving. So, he continued to smirk, hiding this weakness.

Kenshin, who seemed almost to be a mannequin for his lack of emotion, was in pain. His shoulder cried out in protest at being forced to hold his stance. Kenshin longed to release his sword and cradle the injured arm to his body, but he ignored this impulse, showing nothing of what he was feeling on his face. He had underestimated Kaiba once in this match already. The pain in his shoulder reminded him not to do so again. He would let Kaiba see no weakness from him.

Kenshin watched as Kaiba fell into the stance for battoujutsu, and mirrored his movements. So, he wishes to end this quickly, does he? Even so, I do not wish to kill him... Kenshin's thoughts trailed off as Kaiba sprang forward. Rushing to meet him using his full speed, Kenshin did not notice the sword in his hand change slightly. Kaiba was too slow, and was in the act of pulling his sword from his sheath when Kenshin's attack hit. At the last instant, Kenshin changed the course of his attack, aiming to incapacitate rather than kill Kaiba, bringing his blade to meet Kaiba's right arm instead of his side. Expecting his sword to slice through Kaiba's arm and continue going, Kenshin was surprised when he felt its momentum stopped. He looked up and saw that his sword, while having crushed Kaiba's elbow, had not even broken the skin. Astonished at this, he pulled back slightly, to assess the situation. He looked at Kaiba's arm, and then at his sword. This should have-- wait! Sakabato?! Why am I holding a sakabato?! What happened to my katana?! Kenshin thought, confused.

Thus engaged in staring at his sword, he did not realize that Kaiba had recovered from the blow and was attacking again. Kenshin felt his ki spike and managed to dodge the clumsy attack from Kaiba's katana (who now had to hold it in his left hand), but was hit by Kaiba's kick on his injured shoulder. Kenshin gasped in pain, but managed to hit Kaiba's injured arm before jumping away, reflexively clutching his injured shoulder. Much to his amazement, Kaiba just brushed off Kenshin's hit and advanced again.

How does he not feel the pain?! That blow would be crippling to the strongest member of the Shinsengumi! Kenshin thought to himself. He sensed foul play. "Are you that insecure that you would go to such low lengths to win, Kaiba?!" Kenshin demanded, furious.

Kaiba actually stopped, and blinked. "What are you talking about?" Kaiba said, a little confused.

Kenshin didn't buy his act. "How much lower can you stoop?! I feel the pain from my wounds, but you are obviously immune to yours!" Kenshin yelled, heatedly. Kenshin had a very strict code of honor, and the thing he hated most were dishonorable fighters. That was why he hated most ninjas and respected the Shinsengumi. Ninjas were willing to go to any lengths to win, even if they had to use innocent people to do it. The Shinsengumi, on the other hand, had a very strict code of honor, possibly stricter then even Kenshin's, and had won his respect as consequence. Kenshin had thought Kaiba like them, but quickly revised his opinion.

Kaiba for his part was confused, but quickly became annoyed. "Kenshin, it is impossible to feel pain in here. Any pain you would experience would come from your body, and I can assure you that my assistants are making sure that nothing happens to our bodies in the real world," Kaiba explained. He thought Kenshin was trying to get him to lower his guard. Well, he wasn't buying it.

Kenshin slowly stood, wincing only slightly. "Well then, Kaiba, why don't you go and make sure of that?" Kenshin asked, his voice soft and deadly. His face was once again emotionless, but something about him caused Kaiba to suppress a shudder. Kaiba was actually afraid.

Kenshin fell into a battoujutsu stance once again, this time with every intention to kill Kaiba. Dishonorable fighters deserved no less than death, even if it wasn't permanent in this illusory world. Kaiba mirrored his stance, and this time Kenshin noticed the weight in his sword shift very slightly. Ignoring it, he rushed toward Kaiba, faster than the human eye could follow. Kaiba didn't even have time to put his sword up. Kenshin felt his sword hit home as his momentum carried him past the startled Kaiba. Kenshin stayed where he had ended up after he finished the attack, until he heard Kaiba's body hit the floor. The turned to survey his work, but found that it had disappeared.

He must have gone back to his body, Kenshin thought. He didn't really care one way or the other. Kenshin reached into his sleeve out of habit, looking for some bandages that he had always carried with him during the Bakumatsu. It wasn't until after he had pulled them out that he realized they shouldn't have been there. As if remembering something, Kenshin lifted his sword and inspected it. It was no longer a sakabato, but a katana he held in his hand. Kenshin found that there was no blood on it, all of Kaiba's blood having disappeared with him. Kenshin shrugged, immediately regretting the action as his shoulder informed him that it was a bad idea. He decided that he should tend to his wound first and foremost.

Oh, shoulder wounds are so hard to bandage, Kenshin complained to himself. I wish Soseki were here to do it for me. Too bad I left him back in the Bakumatsu, ne? Kenshin thought, referring to one of the young doctors who had helped the Ishin Shishi.

Just then, Kenshin heard something on the other side of the dojo wall. What is that? he wondered, as he walked to the door of the dojo. The door opened and Kenshin stepped outside. He had not gotten more than a few feet when he stopped in his tracks. No. It can't be. That's impossible... ~*~

Kaiba awoke lying on the hard table. "So that's it. I lost..." he mumbled, a bit forlornly. The next thing he knew, his assistants were hovering over him, making sure that he didn't have any ill effects from the virtual reality. Once they were satisfied, they started removing all the wires attached to him. Kaiba just sat there, oblivious as he replayed the fight in his mind.

I can't believe his speed! I didn't even see that last attack coming! He was just toying with me at the tournament and in my virtual world! Kaiba's thought, feeling the beginnings of anger. It was gone just as quickly as it had come, replaced with reluctant acceptance. Let's face it. I can never match him in speed, and it's not a real fight unless we both use all of our abilities to their full extent. Come to think of it, with Kenshin's abilities, he wouldn't need to catch me off-guard. So, perhaps he wasn't lying about the pain. It could be a glitch in the system... Kaiba decided to ask Kenshin about it, and waved off his assistants. They stood and waited for his orders.

"Bring Kenshin out of the virtual reality system," Kaiba said, sitting up. His assistants looked over and noticed, for the first time, that Kenshin wasn't there. One ran over and checked a screen that displayed the inside of the dojo where Kenshin and Kaiba had fought. It was empty, but the aid failed to notice the open door. "Sir, he's gone," he informed Kaiba.

"What?!" Kaiba looked over to the table Kenshin had been lying on. Sure enough, it was empty, and the wires looked like they had been pulled off in haste. It looks like I'll have to wait to talk to him until Monday, Kaiba thought as he swung his legs over the side of the table. He got up and left the room, leaving instructions to check the system for glitches that would have caused Kenshin to feel the pain. Brooding over his most recent defeat, he went back into his office and sat behind the desk, thinking.

A little while later, Mokuba walked in. "Hey Seto! How did you virtual reality test go?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba grunted.

"It could have been better," he replied.

Mokuba looked a little confused. "So, who won?" he asked.

Kaiba sighed. "Kenshin did, Mokuba," he replied.

Mokuba looked a little surprised. "Really? You never would have guessed it from the way he was acting," Mokuba said. That caught Kaiba's attention.

"What do you mean? When did you see Kenshin?" Kaiba inquired.

"I saw him awhile ago. He got lost and I showed him the way out. I asked him about the virtual world, but he didn't seem to pleased about it. It's weird, though. He didn't look at me once the entire time," Mokuba said, thinking back on the events earlier in the day. He shook his head. "Well, Seto, you tested it out. Can I try it now?" Mokuba asked. He had been wanting to try out Kaiba's virtual reality system ever since Kaiba had started plans for creating it. Kaiba had told him that he could, after the test run was performed.

"Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow," Kaiba replied.

"Okay. Anyway, I came to tell you dinner is ready," Mokuba said, turning to go.

"Thank you, Mokuba. I'll be down shortly," Kaiba said. Mokuba disappeared through the door. Kaiba sat there for a little while longer, before he joined his younger brother. ~*~

The next day, Kenshin seemed to be in a bad mood, so Yugi wisely decided to stay out of his way. Instead, the young boy opted to pay Ryou a visit. Reaching Ryou's house, Yugi knocked on the door. He heard the sound of someone coming to answer it.

"Yes?" Ryou asked as he opened the door. "Yugi? What are you doing here?" Ryou asked, a little surprised.

"Ryou, we have a favor to ask of you," Yami said, taking control of Yugi.

Ryou looked mildly startled. He had always been a little uncomfortable around the pharaoh because of Bakura. "How may I help you?" Ryou asked, shuffling his feet a little bit.

Yami didn't notice his discomfort. "Tell me, do you know how to control the Millennium Ring?" Yami inquired, looking at Ryou seriously.

Ryou was a bit taken back by the question. "No, not really. Bakura had no reason to teach me," he admitted.

Yami nodded as if Ryou had confirmed his thoughts. "Would you mind lending us the Ring?" Yami asked.

Ryou's curiosity got the better of him. He cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

"Well, we had hoped to use it to find the Millennium Mask, so we could return it to Kenshin. Not having the Mask is having an adverse effect on Kenshin. He needs it more than he realizes and he won't admit it, but he misses Battousai. If you knew how to control the Ring, then I would have asked for your assistance, but since you don't I was hoping you would be willing to let us borrow it to find the Mask," Yami explained. "You may come with us, if you would like," he added, as an afterthought.

Ryou looked amazed. "I had forgotten about the Ring! Do you think you can control it?!" he asked, excitedly, forgetting his discomfort at the prospect of being able to help Kenshin.

Yami smiled at his excitement. "Well, we won't know for sure until I try, but I believe so," he responded. "May I borrow it?"

"Yes, let me go get it," Ryou said, gesturing for Yami to come in. Yami entered and sat on the couch while Ryou went up to his room. Moments later, he returned with the Ring in his hand.

"Here it is," he said, handing the item to Yami. Yami felt power course strongly through the Ring as he took the proffered item from Ryou. The Puzzle surged in response, before both powers went back down. That was almost as if the Items recognized each other. If that is the case, then I should be able to control the Ring, Yami thought to himself. Neither Yugi nor Ryou had noticed anything, so Yami decided to put his theory to the test. He held the Ring by the gold band at the top, away from the spikes. He stretched out his arm to its full extent, away from his body.

"Ring, guide me to the Millennium Puzzle," he commanded in an authoritative voice. Immediately all the spikes all flew up, pointing toward the Puzzle hanging around his neck. Satisfied, he gave it another command.

"Ring, guide me to the Millennium Mask!"

Obediently, the spikes turned, pointing towards Ryou's front door, and out of the house. Yami looked a little surprised at this. "Apparently, Bakura did not hide the Mask here. It seems we will have to go searching for it," Yami commented. He turned to look at Ryou. "Would you like to come along?" he inquired.

Ryou nodded. "If it's not too much trouble," he said.

Yami shook his head. "None at all," he replied. They exited the house, and began the search. ~*~

Battousai had been civil to Grandpa and Yugi, but his patience was wearing thin. He had remembered to remove his contacts and place them in the cleaning solution and had replaced them in his eyes in the morning. His disguise was complete. It was just his attitude that might give him away.

Battousai was vexed. Not only could he not retreat back into the Mask, he now knew something was seriously wrong with Kenshin. Kaiba had done something that removed his soul, and Battousai was now stuck in the body alone. Also, he was worried about what had become of his hikari. He had not been able to contact Kenshin, and that alone worried him. However, he was not one to show his worry, so he covered it up with anger. He believed that Yami and/or Yugi suspected something was wrong, but he didn't much care at this point. He had considered asking Yami for help, but that went against his principles. One, he never asked anyone for help because there was no obstacle large enough that he could not handle (previous events of a few days ago notwithstanding. That never would have happened had Kenshin not left him at home). Second, Kenshin hadn't told Yami he had the Mask. In fact, he had gone out of his way to make sure Yami didn't know it was back in his possession. And third, Battousai didn't fully trust Yami. Kenshin trusted Yami more than Battousai, but obviously not enough to tell about the Mask. If Kenshin had not trusted him enough to reveal the Mask's location, then Battousai sure wasn't about to give up any information concerning it.

This led back to the current problem: how to get Kenshin back. Battousai didn't want to go back into Kaiba's mansion (enemy territory). He wouldn't even know what to look for if he did. It wasn't like he was rescuing a captured solider from an enemy base camp-- he was trying to find Kenshin's soul. Battousai wasn't even sure what had happened. Kaiba had not used any shadow magic, so the possibility of a Millennium Item being used was ruled out. But, aside from death, what other way is there to separate a soul from its body? Battousai wondered. Unless it was the death of the soul. Kaiba had better not have hurt Kenshin in any way... Battousai's thought trailed off into a feral growl at the thought of anyone harming his hikari. He sighed, closing his eyes. His thoughts were just going in circles, and it was giving him a headache. What he needed was to get out and clear his head. He needed to be able to relax, to focus on the problem at hand with a clear mind. He needed-- to practice. Deciding on that course of action, Battousai walked downstairs, and told Grandpa that he was going for a walk. Quickly exiting the building, he headed for the dojo. ~*~

Yami and Ryou were walking at a normal pace, following the direction the Ring pointed them in. As they walked, the Ring started to pull Yami's hand harder, signaling they were getting closer. Much to their surprise, the Mask seemed to be moving.

"We'd better hurry. Someone may have found it!" Yami said as he started to run. Ryou followed suit. They had run for a few minutes when the Ring almost jerked itself out of Yami's hand. They had found the Mask. Yami looked up...and saw Kenshin enter the gates to the dojo where he went to practice. He looked down at the Ring. The spikes pointed toward the dojo wall, slowly moving to the side as if following someone walking inside.

Yami and Ryou walked over and let themselves in the gate. They followed Kenshin to the main dojo, making sure not to be seen, and waited a few moments before opening the door and peaking inside. Kenshin had started his warm-up exercises, oblivious to their presence. Yami watched as one violent strike caused a heavy object attached to a cord around Kenshin's neck to fly out from under his shirt. It glinted in the light of the dojo, and the Ring gave a violent jerk. Kenshin didn't seem to notice, and continued with his practice while Yami and Ryou quietly made their way out of the dojo compound. Once outside, Yami handed the Millennium Ring back to Ryou.

"Well, on the bright side, we don't have to worry about returning the Mask to Kenshin," Ryou said, a bit unsure of himself.

Yami nodded. "Yes, the only problem now is the fact that Kenshin lied to us. He got it back and then lied about it," Yami said, a little upset.

"Well, it makes sense if you think about it. Bakura has given Kenshin nothing but trouble when he knew about the Mask being in Kenshin's possession. I'm sorry, but he probably thought the same might happen if you knew. He's just trying to protect himself," Ryou said, coming to Kenshin's defense.

Yami shook his head. "Yugi just said the same thing. It would appear that I have been out-voted. All right, I won't hold this against him. But I am going to confront him about it," Yami said, turning and starting to walk home.

Ryou stared after him, wondering if Yami's injured pride as an ex-pharaoh would help the situation or make the ex-hitokiri even more untrusting of them than before. ~*~