Disclaimer: See chapters 1-18. It's there in every single one.

Chapter 32

Yami walked home, considering his options. Ryou did have a point--Kenshin had just been trying to protect himself by keeping the location of the Mask secret. It explained why he was so against them looking for it, and relieved when they said they would stop. Yami wasn't sure how to approach this subject with Kenshin. Then again, it all depended on who was in control at the time--Kenshin or Battousai. Upon arriving at the game shop, Yami made his way up to Yugi's room to consider the matter further until Kenshin got home.

~*~

After he practiced, Battousai felt considerably better. It had allowed him to release all of the stress that had built up over worrying about Kenshin. It did by no means solve the current problem, but it did allow him to focus on it from a more perspective point of view.

Upon arriving home, he immediately headed for the bathroom. He first removed the contacts from his eyes and placed them in the cleaning solution, setting the case on the counter. Then, he undressed and stepped into the shower. He let the hot warm cascade over his body as he pondered his options. I suppose I'll have to wait and talk to Kaiba tomorrow during school, he thought.

Once he had finished with his shower, he dried off and wrapped the towel around himself. He collected his clothes, and went into his room to get dressed.

Yami had heard Kenshin get in the shower and was waiting for him to get out before talking to him. Upon hearing Kenshin close the door, Yami figured he was finished and knocked on Kenshin's door.

"Hai?" came the muffled reply.

"Kenshin, I need to talk to you," Yami said, as he started to open the door.

"Yami?! Can you at least wait until I put my clothes on?!" Battousai cried as he hastened to wrap the towel around himself, amber eyes glaring at the intruder.

Yami, for his part, looked a little surprised. He quickly closed the door, failing to notice the color of Kenshin's eyes. "Gomen, Kenshin! I thought you had changed in the bathroom! I'm sorry!" he apologized through the now closed door. He looked towards the bathroom and noticed Kenshin had left the light on. He walked over to turn it off when something on the counter caught his eye. He walked over a picked it up, examining it.

\\Aibou, what is this?\\ he asked, turning the object over in his hand.

\Oh, that's just a contact carrying case,\ Yugi replied, dismissing it.

\\Contacts? What are those?\\ Yami inquired.

\It's something you can wear in place of glasses to help you see better,/ Yugi explained.

\\Dose Grandpa wear contacts?\\

\No, he prefers his glasses.\

\\Then what are these doing here?\\

Yugi paused. What are these doing here? he asked himself, silently. Yami, upon not getting a response from Yugi, decided to open them and see if anything was inside. \\Are these the contacts, aibou?\\ Yami asked.

\Oh, they're colored contacts,\ Yugi commented.

\\Colored contacts?\\

\Yeah, you put them in your eyes and they will change the color. These ones, for example, will make your eyes purple,\ Yugi explained.

\\The same color as Kenshin's eyes,\\ Yami noted. He was beginning to suspect who had left them there.

\Well, yeah, but why would Kenshin need to--Oh! Battousai! Do you think he has been using these so we can't tell when he takes over Kenshin's body?!\ Yugi asked, a little apprehensively.

\\Didn't you say Kenshin was acting more like Battousai? I think that Battousai may have been the one in control at the time,\\ Yami confirmed. He screwed the lids back on the container and slipped it into his pocket. Kenshin should be finished getting dressed by now, he thought as he walked over Kenshin's door again. He knocked, this time waiting for a response before letting himself in.

"Kenshin? Are you finished?" Yami inquired.

"Yes, Yami. You can come in now," Kenshin replied, still sounding annoyed. Yami walked in and was greeted with an amber glare. He returned the gaze, coolly.

"I would like to speak with Kenshin," Yami repeated.

"So speak," Battousai said, not realizing that he didn't have the contacts in.

"I would rather speak to him face to face. I know you have the Mask, and even if I hadn't known that before, your eyes give you away," Yami remarked, watching Battousai's reaction.

"What are you-" Battousai cut himself off, realizing he had left the contacts in the bathroom. "Excuse me," he said, brushing past Yami and heading towards the bathroom.

"They're not there," Yami replied, taking a seat by the desk.

Battousai stopped and looked at Yami. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

"I assume you're looking for these?" Yami said nonchalantly, holding up the contacts case in his hand. "You left these sitting on the counter. Why don't you just let Kenshin come out? I only wish to speak with him," Yami said.

Battousai narrowed his eyes. "If you wish to speak, then speak. Kenshin can not come out right now," Battousai said, guardedly. Yami had apparently found out about the Mask somehow, and Battousai had stupidly left his contacts in the bathroom. He wasn't going to give away any more information unintentionally.

"Can't, or you won't let him?" Yami said, his eyes meeting Battousai's. "You've been in control of his body all day today, haven't you?"

"What does it matter who's in control? When did you find out about the Mask?" Battousai asked. He didn't expect an answer, but it might help to take the conversation in a different direction.

Yami shrugged. It wouldn't matter if Battousai knew or not. "During your practice, actually. Yugi and I had decided that it would be best for Kenshin if he had the Mask back. We thought that not having it was making him become more like you. Now realize that it was you, but I digress. We went over to Ryou's and used the powers of the Millennium Ring to find the Mask. It led us to you. You were just starting your practice, and happened to knocked the Mask out from under your shirt," Yami explained. He hoped that by answering Battousai's question, Battousai would feel obliged to answer Yami's. "Now, why will you not release your hold on Kenshin's body?" Yami demanded, a little more forcefully.

He was right, Battousai did feel obligated to answer Yami's question--at least, partially. After all, Yami had given him the information he had asked for, so Battousai had to give up some information in return. "I can't," Battousai replied, no emotion showing on his face.

Yami hadn't expected that. "What? What do you mean, you can't?"

"I can't release my hold on this body any more than Yugi can release his hold on the body you're in. He can retreat to his soul room, like he has right now, but he cannot leave the body," Battousai said, evenly.

Yami clearly did not believe him. "Explain yourself," Yami demanded. Battousai decided to comply, if only to see Yami's reaction.

"True or false: A spirit residing within a Millennium Item cannot stay in control of the host's body if the Item is taken from the host," Battousai asked.

"True," Yami replied, a little uncertainly. What is Battousai getting at? Yami wondered.

Slowly, Battousai removed the Mask from under his shirt. He then removed the cord from around his neck, holding the Mask in his hand. Suddenly, he tossed it to Yami.

Surprised, Yami barely managed to catch it, accidentally dropping the contact case to the floor. He looked back up, expecting to be met by Kenshin's warm lavender eyes. He was startled to still be staring into Battousai's hard amber eyes. "But, how-" Yami said, having trouble articulating his thoughts.

Battousai walked over and took the Mask from Yami's hand, replacing it around his neck. "That is none of your concern. All you need to know is that Kenshin can't talk to you right now, so if you have anything to say, you need to say it to me," Battousai said, waiting for a response. He didn't get one, so he walked out of his room, leaving a very confused Yami in his wake.

\But what happened to Kenshin?! Did Battousai banish him to the Shadow Realm?!\ Yugi asked, almost frantically.

\\He couldn't have. He doesn't have any shadow powers,\\ Yami answered.

\Then what happened? Was Kenshin inside the Mask? Did he and Battousai somehow switch places?\

\\I don't think so. I didn't sense anyone inside the Mask when Battousai tossed it to me,\\ Yami replied, staring at the floor.

\Then, where's Kenshin?!\ Yugi asked, a little apprehensively.

\\I don't know, Yugi. I truly don't know.\\

~*~

Battousai walked out of his room and down the stairs before he realized he didn't have anywhere else to go. He turned to walk back up to the privacy of his room, but realized that Yami was still sitting there, letting the information he had just given him sink in.

Blast! Battousai thought angrily to himself, I don't feel like being interrogated anymore, but I don't have anywhere else to go, he thought, irritated. Just then, he heard the bell on the door of the game shop, signaling the entrance of a customer. Kenshin would probably go and see if Grandpa needs any help. I don't want Grandpa to figure out I'm not Kenshin, so I guess I'd better go help. It's not like I've got anything better to do anyway, he thought grudgingly as he walked toward the shop.

He could hear Grandpa talking to someone as he neared the door.

"Yes, he was released from the hospital last Thursday," Grandpa said.

"Last Thursday?! Kinzo, why weren't we notified?!" Battousai's hearing picked out the shrill voice of one female asking a question among a myriad of similar questions.

"I don't know, the hospital said he wouldn't be released until today!" Battousai wasn't sure if this 'Kinzo' was the one who answered, but all the replies were along those lines. A new voice asked out another question.

"Well, is he here right now? Can we speak to him?" Battousai had figured out by the little bit of conversations he'd overheard that they were talking about him. Normally, he'd hide somewhere out of sight and observe until he figured out what was going on, but Kenshin would walk right in. Unfortunately, it was Kenshin's actions that he was performing so, against his better judgment, he walked into the room preparing to be confronted by several people.

He was, however, a little surprised to see the shop full of people, about half of which were holding microphones while the other half had cameras. (Author's Note: It was too difficult to describe what video cameras and microphones look like from Battousai's point of view, so skipped it.) All of which turned toward him as soon as he stepped inside the shop.

"Mr. Himura!" Battousai swore he could feel the ground tremble as they all stampeded over to him.

Suddenly, there were many bright flashes of light, forcing Battousai to blink rapidly. Are they trying to make me go blind?! he thought, furiously. He longed to raise his hands and cover his eyes, but that would be a sign of weakness. These people would get no such satisfaction from him. He set his face into an emotionless Mask, eyes almost closed against the bright lights.

As if that wasn't bad enough, they all seemed to be asking questions at once and expecting him answer. He couldn't even understand what half of them said. Grandpa seemed to notice the problem and came over to stand beside him. He held up his hands to gesture for them to all settle down. Once they had all quieted (after a few minutes when it became apparent that Kenshin wasn't going to speak) Grandpa started picking on various reporters, allowing them to ask Kenshin one question before moving on to someone else.

"So, Mr. Himura, how does it feel to have fought and beaten the reigning kendo champion for the past two years running, Seto Kaiba?"

Battousai allowed himself a smile. Well, if they're going to ask questions about my fight, I suppose it's alright... he thought. "It was a very exhilarating fight. Kaiba is a strong opponent," although, not worthy of MY skills... he added silently to himself.

"Is it true that you shared a room in the hospital with Mr. Kaiba? What was it like sleeping in the same room with your opponent?"

"What difference does that make?" Battousai countered. Why did these people care? Who were these people?

It was obvious that Kenshin wasn't going to answer that question, so Grandpa went one to the next person.

"What will you spend your prize money on?"

Prize money? That's right, there was a prize for winning. Battousai thought about what he would like to buy. After all, 50,000 yen was a lot of money. "Maybe I'll buy a new katana," he said, seriously. The one he currently possessed had a lot of wear and tear on it. Kenshin had taken excellent care of it, but since he had the money he might as well buy a new one. He was considerably annoyed when everyone started laughing as if he had told a hilarious joke.

"Oh, what a great sense of humor! A katana indeed! That was a good one!" Battousai didn't see what was so funny. He opened his eyes a little more, allowing some of the amber to be seen. Sadly, no one noticed the slight warning.

"Would you be against having a rematch with Kaiba?"

"Oh, Kaiba has already extended the invitation," Battousai said, a deadly edge underlying his words. Again, the ignorant reporters failed to hear it.

"When are you planning the rematch? And where will it be held? Will tickets be sold or will it be free?"

Battousai's eyes flashed, glowing amber. The reporters all took an involuntary step back in surprise and a little bit of fear. "It will be a private event," Battousai said, his voice soft. Well, it's not exactly a rematch, but they don't need to know that, Battousai thought, very annoyed with these nosy people. Why was he answering their questions, anyway?

"Is that some new sort of colored contact you're wearing? I've never seen amber eyes before, and yours almost seem to be glowing!" someone asked from the back. At that logical explanation, everyone relaxed again and started snapping more pictures. After all, surely this was some new item out on the market that they had yet to hear of.

Battousai swore silently. Yami still has my colored contacts! he thought, angry at his oversight. Those stupid people were flashing so many pictures that the lights were starting to hurt Battousai's eyes. He decided to do something about it. Quickly, moving so fast that no one could see him, he ran and smashed the bulbs in about half the cameras before standing next to Grandpa again, and so it didn't look like he had moved. In the confusion that caused, he smashed the bulbs in the other half, ensuring no more bright lights to hurt his eyes. He allowed himself to smirk for a split second before forcing a look of bewilderment on his face.

Act like Kenshin he coached himself. He turned to Grandpa. "What happened?" he asked, obviously confused. Grandpa just shook his head. "I'm not sure," he replied, baffled. It took an extraordinary amount of self-control on Battousai's part not to laugh.

The reporters, although mystified, decided to cut the interview short due to faulty equipment. Battousai was not sorry to see them go. Deciding his work was done, he turned and re-entered the living quarters.

~*~ Yami, upon hearing all the commotion downstairs, came down to investigate. He met Battousai on the stairs. "What is going on down here?" he inquired.

Battousai just smirked and brushed past him, continuing up to his room. Yami, not quite liking Battousai's response, went down into the game shop to ask Grandpa. He walked in just as a few people left the store.

"What happened down here? I thought I heard a something from upstairs," Yami asked.

Grandpa shook his head, as if he were not quite sure himself. "Well, some reporters came by to speak with Kenshin. Things were going fine until suddenly all of their cameras broke. It was the strangest thing. All of the bulbs were suddenly broke, as if someone had hit them. I've never seen anything like it..." Grandpa said, starting to sweep up some of the broken glass on the floor.

Yami was certain that it was Battousai that had broken the cameras. \\This is Battousai's work. You remember how fast he is,\\ Yami commented.

\Yeah. At least he didn't take out his anger on the people. I wonder what made him so mad, though?\ Yugi said, silently asking for the spirit's thoughts. Yami sighed mentally.

\\With him, it could be anything. Kenshin is the only one who really knows Battousai, and we currently don't know where he is. He could have just done it just for fun, for all we know,\\ Yami suggested, thinking back on how Battousai just smirked when he inquired as to what had happened.

\I hope we find Kenshin soon.\

\\So do I, aibou. So do I.\\

~*~

Later that day, Yami was sitting in his soul room, thinking. Battousai being on the loose with no one to control him was a bad thing. That was proved when the reporters came over earlier. Fortunately no one was hurt, but they may not be so lucky the next time. And the only person who could control Battousai appeared to be Kenshin. So, Yami was currently contemplating the best way to go about finding Kenshin. But in every search there has to be a starting place. This particular starting place had to be Battousai. Before anything else, they had to figure out whether or not Battousai had done anything to Kenshin that caused his disappearance. This was a problem; because Battousai would not share any information regarding his hikari save for the fact that he was not there. Yami could think of only one way to find out for sure if Battousai had done anything or not.

\\Aibou? Are you busy?\\ Yami called softly.

\Yami? What do you need?\ Yugi asked.

\\Well, I've been thinking about the problem with Battousai and Kenshin. First we need to decided whether or not Battousai had anything to do with Kenshin's disappearance,\\ Yami replied.

\But, how can we find that out? Battousai's not gonna tell us,\ Yugi pointed out.

\\Yes, well, there is one way...\\ Yami hesitated.

\Go on,\ Yugi urged.

\\I could challenge him to a shadow game.\\

\What?\

\\Well aibou, shadow games are a way of punishing 'evil-doers', if you will. A challenge is issued for a simple game. However, when an item holder turns it into a shadow game, all the attributes of the person's soul effect the outcome of the game,\\ Yami explained.

Yugi could only think of one thing to say. \Huh?\

Obviously still confused, so Yami tried a different approach. \\For example, aibou, when you had first completed the puzzle you had to pay the hall monitor, I forget what his name was, an outrageous amount of money for his unwanted 'services' as a body guard. And he had threatened you with death if you did not give him the money, correct? You were not aware of this at the time and I don't know if you have realized it since, but I took over your body that night and challenged him to a shadow game. The rules were simple. I had acquired double the amount of money he requested and told him he could have it all if he played a shadow game with me. He agreed, of course, and I asked him for his knife. The rules of the game were simple: place the stack of money on the back of your left hand and stab the knife into it. You could keep all the bills that stayed on the knife and you had to take more than one bill each time. Who ever had the most money at the end of the game would be the victor. If he won, I offered my life. If I won, he had to play a penalty game. After the first few rounds, he started running into problems. His greed was forcing him to use all of his strength, trying to stab through the stack of bills and his left hand. To compensate, he turning the knife on me. Expecting something of this sort, I dodged it with ease. Since he had broken the rules, that declared me the victor of the game. As a penalty game, I cast his mind into an illusion of avarice. All he could see was money. You may remember the next morning when he had horded a large pile of leaves and garbage together out in front of the school. He thought that it was all money. He is still in the mental institution, is he not?\\

Yugi was a little surprised. \\So, you mean to tell me that all those people who did something to me and then somehow went crazy—you did that? You challenged them to that shadow game and your penalty game caused them to go insane?\

\\Essentially, yes, although it is a different shadow game and a different penalty game every time,\\ Yami explained.

\And you've never lost?\ Yugi asked.

\\No.\\

\So, won't that mean that if you challenged Battousai he would he would lose no matter what?\

\\No. Please bare in mind that I only challenge those who have wronged you in some way. I create the games that would best suit each individual I am judging. The same goes for the penalty game. That is the very reason I am consulting you about this matter right now. I don't know whether or not Battousai has done anything to Kenshin. If he has, then he will lose the game. If not, then he will win and our life will be forfeit. He may choose to let us live, but he may also choose to kill us. I do not know if he is guilty or not, and this seems to be the only way to test that. Since this your body, it is your life that hangs in the balance. I will defer to your judgment concerning this matter. What would you have me do?\\

Yugi was silent for a moment, thinking. \I…\

~*~