There's more to life than Duel Monsters

by golden-sprite

RyouMalik, BakuraMarik, AnzuMai, HondaShizuka. The launch of Yugi's carreer. An irritated Seto with people issues. Ryou's life a nightmare. A happily insane Malik skipped country. A little yaoi. Ok a little calmer, must continue... need to complete!

13. Nostalgia

There's more to life than Duel Monsters.

Ch13: Nostalgia.

Disclaimer: I don't own the cast or story from Yu Gi Oh so please don't sue me. Oh, and as this is my story, all rights reserved.

Really, really sorry about the delay! And please feel free to comment on anything that you want explained in the story. I'll try to make it as clear as possible, but there are some complicated ideas up ahead, so bear with me.

Thankyou to the few people who do give me feedback. I don't know what you guys think unless you tell me. J I am going to try to write several chapters in a short space of time which is new for me, so I can catch up to my schedule which was ruined by exams. Grrr. But don't let me keep you from the story…

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F L A S H B A C K

Eight years ago, Sunday night

Kaiba Mansion

Seto surveyed the huge, dark room with a practical eye. He considered that he was too old for most of the toys in this room, but the dragon costume had potential, as did the sword and cape.

Both he and Mokuba would have considered it demeaning to play the damsel, and Seto did not want to pit them against each other in an epic duel, but the story could always be twisted into the adventures of a knight and his friend the dragon, or his brother who was enchanted to be a dragon, or some such.

Seto glanced at his baby brother, and found Mokuba staring wide eyed at the room. Since their arrival, and throughout their now month-long exploration of the 'Kaiba Castle', as Mokuba called it, Seto could feel his brother almost completely hiding behind him, firmly holding his hand.

Gozaburo scared Mokuba, which amused the former, and made Seto despise his new foster father even more than he had after their fist meeting in the orphanage. Then Seto had beaten Gozaburo at chess so the latter would adopt both brothers instead of just Seto.

The material point was that Gozaburo was, as evidenced by this room, extremely rich, powerful, and childless. Seto could put up with anything as long as he could be sure that his brother would have every material advantage. He had sworn to keep Gozaburo from Mokuba as much as he could.

This turned out to be easier than Seto had anticipated. As he had suspected, the man was a workaholic, but Seto had not thought that Gozaburo would only spend Sunday dinner with his new 'family'. This was the only time Gozaburo ever noticed Mokuba's existence, as he would, without fail, invite other businessmen over to watch the Kaibas play 'happy families'.

But something was different this week. Gozaburo had not come into their room Sunday morning as usual to warn Seto, in the presence of his brother, that he should keep Mokuba on his best behaviour, if either of them wanted to remain here.

Regardless, Seto pulled Mokuba back from the dusty pile of toys the latter had been itching to get his hands into, so their clothes could remain spotless and as much as was humanly possible, wrinkle free. Seto walked down to the dining room early as usual, and waited for the bell to sound and announce that dinner was ready.

This time, as always, there was someone in the lit room already, and Seto stayed out of the bright line of golden light that escaped the gap in the sliding doors and threw itself across the floor of the dark and gloomy hall.

What was unusual was the thin veil of smoke sneaking out from the top of the gap in the door, and only two voices coming from within, along with a clink of what Seto knew were glasses of very fine whiskey. Neither the Cuban cigars, nor the whiskey ever came out before dinner, and Gozaburo never invited only one person.

The idea that Gozaburo may have gone out and left his guests inside was soon dispelled by the resuming conversation, which had been stopped by a burst of laughter, when Seto and Mokuba had come down the stairs.

Gozaburo's voice was still tinged with mirth, and that was the first time Seto had ever heard the man really laugh or indeed sound happy. His voice was different when he was pretending. "You are one crazy son of a bitch." Gozaburo stated darkly.

Seto looked down at Mokuba, and then, making a decision, took his brother to the kitchen, asking the butler, who was having dinner there, how many guests had come. "But one young sir. A Mister Maxemillion Pegasus."

"Are we expected?"

The butler smiled kindly, an expression Seto had vowed he would never put up with again after the funeral of his parents. "I do not think so. The master usually does not like to be disturbed when Mr Pegasus visits. If I may be so bold sir, you are welcome to eat here."

Seto considered the offer but a moment. He was curious about this new guest, and had eaten an early dinner in front of his computer as a precaution, because he was forced to talk a lot by Gozaburo at family dinners, and almost never had time to eat anything.

Dinner or no, I won't sit here and be pitied by the staff. Being adopted by HIM was a sound business decision. But Mokuba may appreciate the company, the staff have all been vetted with extreme care and they know they will have to answer to me when Gozaburo goes. I can keep a watch on the dining room, so Mokuba should be safe here. I don't want him exposed to HIM being HIMSELF.

Seto nodded, and pulled Mokuba forward, letting go of his brother's hand. "Mokuba's hungry."

Mokuba looked back at Seto with concerned blue eyes. "What about you big brother?"

"I already ate." Just as Mokuba was about to protest, the cook – a robust, cheerful woman built like a brick house – entered the kitchen with a sprig of parsley and a burst of cold air, happily shutting the door to the herb garden behind her. She gave directions to her helpers and the maids who came into the kitchen, and told the lounging waiters to stop sulking and start serving the entrées.

As soon as she spied Mokuba, there was a great exclamation, and without needing any explanation, the boy was soon being fussed over by the maids, sitting at the table, and getting first pick of every dish prepared for the staff, with a promise of 'a little treat' for desert.

Seto departed as soon as Mokuba was settled, lest the cook turn her attentions on him and insist that he was too thin and had to eat something. He made his way through the dark Mansion to the door of the dining room.

As he approached, he was privy to another burst of laughter. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He heard Gozaburo say breathless with laughter, the sound of a fist pounding on the table.

"Ah," Came the silvery voice, sparkling with laughter that had to belong to Maxemillion Pegasus, "But you have not heard the end of it yet. I said…"

"And I said SHUT UP!" Interrupted Gozaburo. There was a moment's pause, and Gozaburo again exploded with laughter.

"Manners, Buro. Manners! I find your manner extremely offensive." Came a chiding, teary reply.

"And I… find… it extremely… offensive that… you're trying to… kill me… you… bastard." Gozaburo managed before exploding into another fit of laughter.

Is this guy for real? Seto thought, surprised by both the way Pegasus expressed himself and that he and Gozaburo seemed to be the best of friends. Seto had never thought that Gozaburo could have friends.

Finally the laughter subsided. Gozaburo sighed. "Just tell me how it ended."

"Humph!" Came the offended reply. "I thought you didn't want to hear."

"I don't want to hear, Max, I just want to know. If you can manage to sully your mouth with the bare facts for once."

"Buro, the bare facts are so boring. I hate being boring." Pegasus whined.

Gozaburo sighed. "You can be a prissy, manipulative, evil, sadistic, masochistic and so on, prick, but the one thing you could never manage is boring."

"Well in that case, Harvey died, and I came here expecting to meet your new prodigy." Pegasus stated, adding, "Ooo, dinner," when a waiter walked past Seto with a tray, opening the sliding doors.

Gozaburo was slouching in his chair like the prehistoric man he resembled when at ease, hulking over the table, both elbows on it, in his work shirt, slightly unbuttoned, black tie askew. A glass of whiskey was in his hands, a lit cigar in his mouth, ash falling onto the tablecloth beside the half- empty bottle. He turned his black eyes to glower at Seto, his mouth spreading into a grin, speaking around his cigar. "Here he is. Seto Kaiba, meet Mr. Maxemillion Pegasus."

Seto suppressed a shudder and schooled his features into a calm façade, so that his disgust at the sight would not show. It was well he did take control of himself, for had he not he would have stared as he turned to regard Pegasus, and Gozaburo hated when Seto was impolite.

Maxemillion Pegasus was lounging back in his chair which he balanced on two back legs, his feet resting on the chair next to him. As he was at an angle to the table, sitting opposite Gozaburo, Seto had full view of his immaculate silver tuxedo, and golden cravat, golden boots sitting under his chair on the floor. Pegasus' ridiculously long silver hair was held back in a ponytail with a golden ribbon. He put his lit cigar into the only ashtray on the table, and rested his arms on his stomach, his glass of whiskey within easy reach.

"Good evening," he said, nodding to Seto, reddish-brown eyes glancing briefly over him. "Kaiba-boy." Pegasus added, as an afterthought, breaking into a grin of pearly white.

Seto shuddered inwardly at the nickname and extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you." He said schooling his voice to be as neutral as possible, though it still came out cold.

Maxemillion Pegasus smiled, and set his chair down carefully before rising and shaking the boy's hand. Then he resumed his previous position, as the waiters brought in dinner.

After getting a frown from Gozaburo, a waiter set a place for Seto and the boy sat down at the table. Dinner passed in pleasant conversation, Gozaburo remaining silent, just watching and eating as Pegasus enquired about how Seto was settling in, his grades and the like. The only comment Gozaburo made during the entire meal was to tell Seto that he always worked through the holidays, usually with several trips abroad.

After dinner was over and cleared away, the three of them the only ones left in the dining room, Pegasus looked over at Gozaburo and smiled in a pleasant, offhand way. "Kaiba–boy certainly is a find, Buro. But explain to me why you don't like my idea."

Gozaburo groaned. "Because it's stupid. What shit-for-brains came up with the idea that making little children happy would make me happy I want to know?"

Pegasus looked down on the table. "Tactful, very tactful. I think making little children happy could make you a lot more money than making little children dead is all. Making money makes you happy." Pegasus looked up at the last, eyes enquiring.

"But at what cost?" Exclaimed Gozaburo frowning. "And no fucking dandy's gonna lecture me," he glanced warningly at Pegasus, the latter nodding, "But they'll say I've gone soft and you don't go back on the contacts I have without losing an arm even if they think you're bloody concrete."

Gozaburo punctuated every point by tapping his finger on the table hard enough to make the whiskey he put down during dinner jump in its glass. "The only damn machines I want anything to do with are those that blow things and people to smithereens. I have more desire to get up the snotty noses of those whining greenie and human rights mother fuckers by littering their fields of vision with tiny corpses than I have for making a buck."

Then Gozaburo seemed to calm down, picking up his cigar that had gone on the table during dinner, ruining the fine tablecloth. He added, smirking. "Shit Max, why even ask?"

"It isn't the Cold War anymore Buro," said Pegasus gently, calmly and with the tone of repeating facts to a person who should know them well already, that is a slightly bored tone. "Politics are going to be against you, the government is just going to come down harder and harder so you'll have to change to survive and as you are the best survivor I have ever encountered…"

Gozaburo smirked at Pegasus. "Leave boy." Seto did not have to be told twice, and quickly left the room, stopping outside, out of the light. Gozaburo's voice, getting darker and more vehement, continued. "I'll survive the way I always have Max, my way. The hypocrisy of those dickhead politicians isn't gonna make me change my mind.

"Don't you play nice Max; I know what's in your head." Here his voice rose in pitch as he mocked Pegasus's manner of expressing himself. Being a consummate actor, Gozaburo's parody was very good. "'The poor bastard is trying to show the whole fucking world that human rights start at home, the violations of which no shit for brains government sees when it happens in their own country, and I can use him to my advantage.'"

"I wouldn't have put it quite like that." It took a few moments for Seto to realize that he had just heard Pegasus reply.

"You are the most deluded, pompous fuck that ever walked the earth, you know that?" There was a pause and the dark words, warm with anger seemed to echo in the silence. Gozaburo continued, in the lecturing tone Seto became used to hearing after Gozaburo took it upon himself to teach Seto about running Kaiba Corp. "Let me elucidate my philosophy. Profit, power and damage. Hell would have to freeze before something I do makes someone else happier than it makes me. You know what made me really happy ever since I was a kid?"

"The tears and fear that you elicit from other people. You told me once." Pegasus chimed in, in his own lecturing tone.

"Well I'll be fucked. You remembered." Gozaburo sounded surprised and pleased.

"I remember a lot more than people think." Pegasus said happily.

Gozaburo replied in a tone that grew more and more annoyed. "And you think a lot more than people remember, and make everything… about…. you." Here Gozaburo's tone turned darker and nastier than Seto had ever heard it before. "Well remember this. Seto is not for you to screw around with. That kid is my legacy. He is what I leave to all the fuckers out there."

"Why should I remember that?" Pegasus asked pompously, sounding bored.

"Coz. you're his godfather." Seto felt a shiver run down his spine at the satisfied tone, and heard one chair creak, undeniably Gozaburo's as Pegasus's chair was probably still precariously balanced.

"In the mafia sense of the word?" Pegasus asked excitedly after a pause, neither arguing nor sounding surprised, and Gozaburo chuckled.

"Yeah, like that deal in Tashkent was art in the Jack the Ripper sense of the word." Here both men slowly started laughing again, building up to a full roar, the tension from before fading away, a dull thump indicating that Pegasus's chair returned to its natural position.

"And then… if I remember correctly… you commissioned me a portrait!" Pegasus said, barely able to speak for laughing.

"I'm such a… patron… of the arts." Gozaburo added, fuelling the laughter.

"Such a good pick of painters too, if I remember, you ended up with a landscape." Pegasus added in a silvery tone, laughter tinging his voice.

"I call it the Calais massacre!" Both men chorused, and then burst into laughter once more.

Seto was jogged out of his reverie by Mokuba tugging on his sleeve, offering a bowl of lollies. Seto shook his head, smiling inwardly in the dark, and felt Mokuba's hand as it slipped into his.

Seto led his little brother back upstairs, sure in the knowledge that Mokuba had six Gozaburo-free days ahead of him, had no reason to ever meet Maxemillion Pegasus and that the holidays were coming up very soon and there was a dragon costume in the toy room.

F L A S H B A C K

---

Yugi Moto studied the card in his hands as he walked with his grandfather who had recently come home from the hospital. It was a card that Pegasus had given him for winning the tournament, aside from all the other prizes. It was called the 'Ties of Friendship' and was one of a kind. Funnily enough, Pegasus forgot to mention what the card did, and in the chaos of departure, Yugi had not had an opportunity to ask.

It's not the best beginning for the King of Games.

Yugi smiled, incapable of feeling any emotion apart from happiness. He was here, walking with his grandfather and all of his friends, except for Malik, who had some family issues to sort out. Yugi had, after a bit of thought told Malik that if he wanted to spend Christmas with his family, he'd understand, but Malik had just laughed and said the Nile would freeze first. He was going to break the news to them today, he'd told Yugi on Honda's mobile phone today.

On the topic of family, Yugi turned to look worriedly at his grandfather. It seemed to Yugi that his grandfather was probably tired, and he waited for an opportunity to say so.

It took some time; because Yugi's friends were busy telling Mr. Moto all about the tournament, often arguing about the details, each having remembered events differently. Yugi personally thought they would argue less if Mai wasn't constantly interrupting Jounochi with funny, if slightly mean remarks, but his grandfather's health came first.

Sugoroku Moto smiled at his grandson's concern, saying that he was 'as fit as a fiddle', and stretched to prove it, almost putting out his back.

Needless to say, Yugi was far from convinced, and much entreating ensued from Yugi, Shizuka and Anzu, who backed him up. Jounochi argued against them, until Mai said that his opinion didn't count because he was stupid, and Jounochi, who didn't hit girls, couldn't come up with a reply except to call Mai names, ending with prissy superficial barby wannabe. To this Honda pointed out that Jounochi had better watch his mouth in front of his little sister, and a scuffle broke out.

At length, Grandpa agreed, and they were about to turn around to walk back to the store, when a little girl walked up and blocked their path, telling Yugi that he had really freaky hair, that she knew boys spiked their hair nowadays, which she thought was stupid, but his was ridiculous, and that pink, black and yellow clashed anyway.

Jounochi asked her if she had a point, and she said she did, asking if Yugi's Grandpa was Sugoroku Moto.

"I am, little girl." Yugi's Grandfather replied.

"And I am Rebecca. I came from America to find you. You have my Blue Eyes White Dragon and I want it back right now!" The girl said, stomping her foot. Then she turned to her teddy bear, asking if he agreed, and then talked for the teddy bear while moving its mouth that yes, he certainly agreed.

Rebecca looked very young. She had blond hair in two ponytails and clear blue eyes, was dressed in a pink jumper and short dark red skirt, black school shoes and white socks. With one hand she hugged a brown teddy bear to herself.

Yugi's Grandpa smiled and said that he did have a Blue Eyes White Dragon, but that there was a problem, but before he could say what the problem was, the girl interrupted.

"God dammit! I don't care. Don't you know who I am? I'm the American Dueling Champion," here she paused to be backed up by the teddy bear, "That card belongs to me, not some potty old man!" Once again, the teddy agreed.

"How old are you?" Asked Honda.

"Twelve." Rebecca replied proudly.

Jounochi said something and Rebecca replied, but it was completely lost on Yugi, who suddenly remembered an article he'd read before going to Duelist Kingdom, which talked about the best duelists in the world, one of which was the American Champion, a dueling prodigy, who also happened to be a little girl.

Yugi looked at his grandpa and nodded, for some reason, beside him; Honda was holding an angry Jounochi back.

Grandpa smiled at Rebecca. "Why do you think the Blue Eyes belongs to you?" He asked, kindly.

Rebecca frowned. "God damn! You stole it from me Sugoroku Moto!" Again the teddy agreed. "You stole it and if you won't give it back, I will duel you for it."

Grandpa sighed. "I didn't steal it, but I can't give it to you anyway."

"Then duel me, thief!"

Yugi had had enough, and his grandfather was looking more tired than before. "My Grandpa is no thief, but he is not well, I will duel you."

Rebecca looked at her teddy, who shrugged. "Sure." she replied, and led the way inside the shopping centre Yugi and his friends had walked to, down the familiar path to the arcade.

What this is all about? How did Grandpa get that Blue Eyes? It's not playable now that it's torn but why can't he give it to the girl? Were the questions that ran though Yugi's head as he felt his deck in one pocket and his new card in the other.

The arcade looked very different today, and much fuller than usual. It seemed like there were not only more players to admire the new décor, but also more staff, all busy going somewhere and doing something, all following the directions of the beefy manager, everyone just knew as Ludo.

In the middle of all this movement, stood Otogi, arms crossed. Rebecca made her way to him and asked if the arena was ready, and he nodded. When he saw Yugi and the gang he smiled and greeted them, annoying Jounochi by bowing to Shizuka, whose blindfold had been removed not long ago, to reveal kind brown eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Jounochi grumpily.

Otogi smiled, casually stretching. "I own this place Jounochi."

As Jounochi seemed dumbfounded by the reply, Otogi laughed and clarified. "Only for a year. Kaiba Corp. is helping me launch my new game."

Rebecca looked impatiently at Yugi and the others, then disappeared into the crowd. Grandpa followed her, and one by one, Yugi's friends streamed after him. Yugi lingered only long enough to remind Otogi that they had agreed to duel, to which Otogi replied that he hadn't forgotten, that he'd let Yugi know when and that Yugi should go because everybody would be waiting for him.

Yugi smiled and nodded, then left to go to the dueling arena in the back of the arcade, where he usually dueled his friends in his spare time.

---

Seto Kaiba, when home was usually an early riser. But, today he came downstairs later than usual, dressed in casual black because he expected that Otogi was going to the arcade and that he, Seto, could spend at least one day in the foreseeable future completely Otogi-free.

From Otogi, Seto's mind naturally went to Pegasus and from the latter, to the events at Duellist Kingdom. It was easy for Seto to rationally explain the strange things he saw – he must have fallen unconscious after losing the duel to Pegasus, no matter how much he did not like to admit it.

In my defence I had not eaten or drunk anything that day or the one before, had been awake all night, was under physical strain the day before, not to mention my duel with Yugi Moto. There was also Pegasus trying to psyche me out by knocking Mokuba out and showing me that card. That could have been done a hundred different ways.

Seto thought that everything after he lost consciousness must therefore logically have been a dream, and the fact that the outcome of the duel he saw in his dream between Pegasus and Yugi Moto was the same as that of the actual duel between those two, only meant that people who were unconscious really did know what was going on around them regardless of their state.

Seto had not asked Mokuba or Mr. Moto for their version of events because even the thought of doing so sounded stupid, bothersome and beyond crazy in his head. The last thing he needed was people thinking he wasn't in his right mind. The Big Five would have a field day!

Besides which, Seto thought that the most important thing was that he got Mokuba back, though he had not been able to prove Otogi's part in it, as Mokuba did not remember anything until he awoke in the castle dungeon. Seto was also going to pay the price of being indebted to someone else for Mokuba's safe return – he was forced to promise Mokuba he would be at Yugi Moto's for Christmas along with his brother and no doubt a host of Yugi's friends.

Seto intended to spend the day forgetting about the upcoming torture by introducing Mokuba to the virtual reality game he had been developing, and all had been made ready beforehand for a quiet getaway to Seto's secret lab.

Unfortunately, as Seto had often observed, Otogi seemed to try to resemble his idol, Pegasus, in every way he could, stopping short at fashion. The one thing that Otogi seemed to have acquired completely was Pegasus' habit of throwing a wrench in the works of any plan Seto made relating to him.

Seto groaned inwardly as, upon walking into the downstairs play-station room, he saw Otogi comforting a distraught looking Mokuba. The sight of Mokuba on the verge of tears was one Seto had not witnessed since his loss in the little local tournament. It took an extreme effort on Seto's part not to walk over and ask what had upset his little brother, but to focus instead on the most annoying person Seto had ever met, Otogi.

Otogi was listening to Mokuba, nodding occasionally, a sad smile on his face, looking relaxed as always. Seto was divided as to a plan of action.

It's my house, and I have the right to go anywhere I like in it without being announced. That was true. It was also true that Mokuba had not long ago been granted the privilege of having people knock and get permission before they came into his room. Seto had not been able to argue with pleading blue eyes and 'don't you trust me big brother?'

Mokuba is growing up and does deserve to have his privacy respected even by me. I won't have it like in the days when Gozaburo used to walk into our room unannounced.

So Seto, arms crossed and deeply annoyed, waited for either Otogi or Mokuba to notice his presence.

I hope that git upset Mokuba. It would give me great pleasure to toss him out onto the street.

"Still here?" Seto asked finally, his patience worn out.

"I see someone never learned how to knock." Said Otogi calmly, not looking up from Mokuba.

So he knew I was here. Seto felt the day could not start any worse. The guy Seto took in because he had nowhere else to go was lecturing Seto in Seto's house, on not having respect for privacy, a word that Otogi did not know the meaning of because it was conspicuously missing from his vocabulary.

"It's all right Otogi." Mokuba said, smiling teary-eyed at Seto, "you should go to the arcade."

What's more, he seems to be protecting Mokuba, my job, from the last person in the world that would hurt him, me!

"No rush." Otogi replied happily.

Seto wanted to yell that it was his house, and his brother. But though Seto was seething inwardly, smouldering with anger, his much practiced control did not slip, allowing him to come back with a cold question instead, the answer to which he knew would be to his advantage. "Did you?"

Otogi did look up this time, smirking. "On the other hand, I should let you two bond. It must be ages since you last had the chance." And with that biting reply, the meaning of which Mokuba seemed to miss entirely, nodding in agreement, Otogi leisurely got up and strolled past Seto, in the direction of the front door.

As he had wished, Seto was left alone with his brother, though there was some residual annoyance at Otogi, who didn't know what he was talking about.

I have to work overtime; otherwise the Big Five would run the company, with all the free time they needed to get rid of me. Then Mokuba would have much bigger things to worry about than spending enough time with his big brother.

Seto smirked, looking in the direction Otogi had gone, satisfied that the boy knew nothing about his life.

"Big brother?" asked Mokuba, tears in his voice, interrupting Seto's train of thought.

Seto walked into the room and closed the door, knowing that the servants always knocked, and that Otogi would do the same after Seto's question.

He picked up a box of tissues and walked over to where Mokuba sat, kneeling in front of his brother, handing over the box.

"Seto." was all Mokuba said before tears spilled down his face and he jumped into his brother's arms, ignoring the box. Seto put it down, and then put his arms around his crying brother.

"What's wrong?" He asked, cool, calm and controlling his emotions.

The sight of his brother's tears never failed to make Seto either angry, if there was something he could do about the problem or want to burst into tears himself if he could not help. Right now, his emotions hung precariously between the two states.

Mokuba's reply was somewhat muffled by Seto's matt black, now moist woollen top. "Rebecca'sgoingaway! It'snotlikeshewasgoingtobehereforever, she was only here on exchange, butSetoIwassohappywhenIfoundoutshewascomingandnowshesaidshehastogo coz. her grandpa is going back. Shecan'tevenseemeonherlastday, coz. she said she had something very important to do and that she can't duel with me watching. You can duel when I watch, can't you, big brother?" Here Mokuba pulled away, to look at Seto.

Seto had barely had time to process the torrent of words, and the lack of clarity did not make it any easier. He decided to first reassure his brother, and then start getting to the root of the actual problem.

The older he gets, the less sense he makes. I just hope it isn't like that time he couldn't get past a puzzle in a game for three months and woke me up in the middle of the night in tears saying he was stupid.

Keeping all traces of bewildered amusement from his voice, Seto replied. "I can," adding before the tears that built up in Mokuba's eyes spilled, "I'm a professional."

This was the wrong thing to say as tears once again ran down Mokuba's face, and Seto let him go to sit on the couch and blow his nose with a tissue.

"So is she." Mokuba managed to explain.

Seto looked down, letting his brother compose himself, thinking on the problem. Obviously, this Rebecca did not live in Domino and was the girl Mokuba was dating. Assuming she was around Mokuba's age, there was only one professional duellist that fitted that description: the current Duel Monsters American Champion, Rebecca Hopkins.

The girl was reputedly a duelling genius and this year competed for the first time in the World Duelling Championship that Seto had won second time running. Given that not every country in the world had a national champion to enter in the championship that year; it was still impressive that she finished in the top sixteen. Seto had personally just missed out on duelling her, for he had to duel the winner of her match in the quarter-finals.

Though still unsure of whether Mokuba was upset about the fact that Rebecca was going away, couldn't duel with him present, was not spending her last day in Domino with him, or some other reason, Seto did know something to reassure his brother.

Seto looked up at the now slightly more composed Mokuba. "Rebecca Hopkins doesn't duel with anybody she knows in the audience. They say emotions put her off."

Mokuba nodded, tearing up again. "I want to go see her. This duel is important, she said so, if she loses..."

"Then go." Seto stated.

"Where big brother?" Mokuba asked, looking at Seto with now dry, concerned blue eyes.

Seto sighed inwardly. I will shoot myself if I ever get this thick because of some girl.

"Where is the best place to duel?"

"The arcade! OhandIcanwatchtheduelwithoutbeingintheaudience! Thanksbigbrother!" Said a now excited Mokuba, hugged Seto, then jumped up, and ran to the door, opened it, narrowly avoided colliding with Pegasus who was standing right behind it, then took off down the corridor, exclaiming "helloMr.Pegasus!" as he looked over his shoulder.

Seto turned to Pegasus and the latter raised a hand. "You might want to get her something!" He called down the corridor when Mokuba came rushing past in the opposite direction, dressed for going out.

"WhyMr.Pegasus?" Called Mokuba from the hall, where he was no doubt putting on his shoes.

"If you're going to go against a person's wishes, it's best to soothe their ego as you go!" Pegasus replied, then offside to Seto he said, "At least that is what I find."

"ThanksMr.PegasusIwill,byebigbrother!" Called Mokuba, and then with a bang of the front door was gone.

It looks like my plans will have to wait till tomorrow. A good thing I have three cars with drivers now. Otherwise at this rate, I would have had to walk everywhere.

Seto stood, raising an eyebrow at Pegasus.

Maxemillion Pegasus, formally attired in a familiar silver tuxedo and gold boots smiled at Seto, his golden eye flashing in the sunlight streaming in through the window. "They grow up so quickly."

---

Ryou Bakura looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, having washed the knife and put it back in the cupboard.

He had given it time to work, but strangely the new way he used to focus his mind was not helping him at all today. His thoughts were in about as much turmoil as they had been when he woke up.

For some time now, the only clarity he could get was in studying, and there was only so much of that he could do before it became ridiculous; the new knowledge pushing out the old.

Alright, I am sure I can sort this out if I just take some time.

Ryou's head was a mess, it had been like that to some extent ever since his father had given him the Senn Ring, but then the only mystery had been the other presence in his life. That was solved now, and he knew about Bakura, and kinda liked him in a weird way.

Back in those days I must admit, I was pretty freaked out a lot of the time. Ryou smiled. It seems silly now. And I am determined, never to go there again!

But other issues had popped up since then, plaguing his mind. He had started having nightmares about Bandit Keith, and that added to his other worries, and didn't let him get much sleep. Keith had wanted his Millennium Item, had stolen it and now that Ryou had it back, the thought of Keith maybe coming back for it was unnerving. When he wasn't worried about that, there were the issues of his new friends to consider.

Otogi was, Ryou supposed, his friend now, in a way, but Ryou found it hard to be comfortable around him. It was hard to know what Otogi was going to make fun of next, and his inquisitiveness bothered Ryou as he was a private person.

There was Maxemillion Pegasus, who Ryou knew through Otogi. He had learnt first through Otogi, then through little signs from Pegasus himself that Bakura had some kind of understanding with the man. Ryou wasn't too worried about that, rather the fact that Pegasus did not seem to know that Ryou wasn't Bakura occasionally troubled him.

Yugi Moto. Yugi had invited Ryou over for Christmas and Ryou had known him and his friends for a while now in an official sort of way. They were nicer than most of the groups at school and always stopped to say hello if they saw him, but never pried into his life.

Rashid Ishtar. That strange man, Malik's adopted older brother, who Ryou was admittedly, afraid of. They had formed a sort of strange connection through their worry over Malik when he'd been unconscious, but Ryou tried to avoid him as much as he could. Ryou suspected Rashid was a Rare Hunter, belonging to the same strange group that had assaulted him, and tried unsuccessfully to take a card that he still had. Ryou was worried they may try again.

Sounds strangely familiar.

His of thought now brought Ryou to the biggest conundrum in his life – Malik. They were friends, officially, but the agreement between them was new and so would take a little getting used to. They didn't hang out together at school, either. Ryou was usually tagging along with Otogi, and Malik was with Yugi and his friends.

Ryou found he was very uncomfortable around Malik, and they met frequently in the strangest circumstances, which didn't help. In fact since the usually bumped into each other in Ryou's flat, Ryou was sure the boy had something going with Bakura. Ryou had to admit felt kind of strange about it, almost jealous.

But of course it makes no sense to be jealous because he's really me in a way.

Then, there was also Namu, Malik's alter ego, who had complicated things by getting very interested in Ryou. He had taken to visiting, ever since Duellist Kingdom, in the middle of the night, and well, Ryou still occasionally got bruises, but nothing like the first time, and not intentionally anymore.

Well, at least not in a premeditated way, I'm sure some of them were intentional it's that look he gets…

Namu was very intense. He obviously cared a lot about everything, and he terrified Ryou quite often. But then, Namu also seemed to care intensely about Ryou, in a strange 'nobody can hurt him but me' kind of way. Ryou had no idea if Namu loved him or hated him, but there was definitely something there.

I'm probably just stressed about my first real Christmas since mum died. Ryou thought, closing the medicine cabinet.

He couldn't help adding, that and whether people are coming after me, to take my stuff. Padded cell, here I come!

---

Malik Ishtar's resident swore, and it echoed in the steamy bathroom.

It was the first weekend he could take a long morning shower as he wasn't working overtime at the arcade with Honda. A while ago Ludo announced that the arcade was going to a new owner for a year. It meant that everyone had to come in to work as much as was humanly possible to help redecorate, inventory everything, watch the electricians and other workmen look over the premises and make repairs where needed.

On the up side, the new staffroom was much more comfortable although the new décor would not have been out of place in a vampire movie. The entire room was painted black, with neon red lights and a new black mini fridge, outlined with neon red lights. The drinks dispenser had been replaced with a water cooler, or what Honda – who had overseen the delivery – said was a water cooler, though nobody could be sure because it fit into the room so well that the liquid inside looked red. Mind, the brave few that drank from it invariably said that it was indeed water. However nobody ruled out the idea that there was something suss about that 'water' and consequently about everyone who drank it. The couch was new, velvet red and shaped like a cross, and the roster was black with glowing red writing, a special pen glowing beside it.

Funnily enough, though the new staffroom was more comfortable, it did not encourage people to spend any more time in it than the old one. It did something to people's eyes if they spent too long in there. The décor outside was a bit less extreme. The basic theme did change from blue, black and silver to black, deep red and green but that was about all. There was a rumour going around that they were going to trial a new game but the only way to know for sure was to wait and see because nobody wanted to ask Ludo.

Malik Ishtar's resident swore again.

In the process of examining the boy's memory of Duellist Kingdom, he had come across a fact that would have amused Bakura for hours on end no doubt, had he been privy to it. However, Marik did not find this fact amusing AT ALL!

It turned out that Malik had had possession of the Senn Puzzle twice for brief periods of time when Marik had been too busy interpreting dreams and being angry with Bakura to notice. As far as he could tell, the Puzzle was now back with Bakura.

Marik thought of the most suitable curse he could, among the many now dead languages he liked to swear in. It was his way of keeping intact a little piece from each of his most distant past lives. The only down side he could see to reincarnation was the inevitable development of what he liked to call 'old man syndrome'.

Ah, things were much simpler back then, mostly because people questioned things less and there were less things, and indeed people. Of course in most places, the lack of hygiene was… In retrospect, it is amazing what I have been forced to put up with. Mind, in some places the most atrocious conditions remain. How ironic; the one thing from my past lives or to be more precise, deaths, that I want to forget is the only thing that has been preserved in various forms all over the world.

Marik's take on 'death' was a point of contention between himself and Bakura. The breaks in between their lives were of indeterminate length. Both of them spent these breaks locked in their respective Millennium Items, in absolute darkness until the items were once again reunited with their vessels.

Marik had long ago learnt from a Malik much like his present host, that the items were destined for the vessels and so theoretically found their own way into the destined hands if they possibly could.

Once items were reunited with their vessels, Marik, and here he had compared notes with Bakura, who had agreed that they were 'awakened'. Furthermore, once 'awakened', if the items became separated from the vessel, they were both locked inside but for as long as the vessel lived, both could 'reside' in the body and mind of anyone who carried the items about their person.

If the vessel had the item upon death, both Marik and Bakura were forced to be present at the event and then got locked in their items until their next lives. Marik had once, just for fun, when Bakura had died on him, tested what would happen if the item was in somebody else's hands when the vessel died.

The only difference it seemed to make was that Marik watched his vessel's death from a third person perspective, then got locked in the item. He had then repeated the process and found that the distance of the item from the vessel, for instance, being on the other side of the world, increased the distance from the dramatic spectacle logarithmically. The maximum he had ever been able to make it was ten meters. Marik was waiting for interstellar travel before he would resume.

Marik grinned at the steamed up glass shower door and drew a smiley face on it, then switched off the water, got out, dried himself and put on Rashid's giant furry blue bathrobe.

Rashid put down the phone just as he came into the living room, and Marik looked at his hand, then showed it to his brother. "Look I'm a prune."

Rashid smirked as the two of them lived there alone and gestured to steaming pancakes on the kitchen table. "Food is ready Master."

Marik grinned and walked over, the bottom of the robe dragging on the floor. He felt more relaxed than he had in ages, having come home late, or rather early, slept in, then had a very long shower. "You want to know why I was out so late, or rather want to tell me not to do it so much."

Rashid sat down at the table and sat down, answering only when Marik was also seated at the table. "As protector I worry," he looked across the table, meeting Marik's eyes, "as a brother, I worry."

Marik grinned, as memories of the night before threatened to spoil the perfect morning of a lord at leisure, making him unable to eat his delicious looking breakfast. They were attempting to make him want something slightly different.

"I want to talk about something else."

Rashid nodded, and waited for Marik to start eating before starting himself. "Certainly, master, there is an issue I need to bring to your attention."

Marik sighed. "I don't want to talk about work this early in the morning."

"Master it is after noon." Rashid corrected, looking at the clock.

Marik was unfazed, "this early in the afternoon." he amended.

"Then you will be glad to know that it was Ishizu on the phone."

Marik groaned. "Did you tell her that Malik has an engagement to keep at Christmas and New Year's Eve?"

"Yes." Said Rashid and thoughtfully put some butter onto a pancake. Marik could see there was a 'but' coming, and knowing Ishizu…

"Darling sister is coming over, determined she can make me change my mind?" Marik guessed, grinning when Rashid nodded. Marik twisted a pancake dripping with syrup so the entire thing fit on his fork. "Well, she'll have to take that up with Malik, you tell him when I'm gone."

Rashid looked up from his meal, Marik knew his protector knew him well, so he waited for the question. "You are not usually so patient Master, is there something more important on your mind?"

Marik looked down at his plate and pushed it away. Breakfast was ruined already anyway, and the memories from the night before wouldn't go away.

"Where do you think a person resides? To be a person, does someone have to own a single physical body, or brain, or do you think it's more the soul? Or is a person the sum of their memories?" Marik studied Rashid as the latter cut his pancake into quarters.

"Most people would say the brain. Even those that are religious have to admit a person can exist without a soul, otherwise how could one sell it or lose it? Memories would mean you're a different person every second of every day, and the idea that a person is less of a person because they've for instance, lost a leg is no longer socially acceptable."

Here Rashid looked up from his plate and straight at Marik. "On this one thing, I agree with Ishizu, master. You and Malik are both equally parts of my brother."

"Only she thinks I'm some kind of possessing spirit." Marik said bitterly, smiling all the while. He had considered the thought himself once or twice, but it was so demeaning to think of yourself as a body snatching spirit, that he rejected the idea.

Besides, it doesn't explain why I seem to be attached to this vessel, unless that's the fault of the item…

Rashid shrugged. "Ishizu thinks what she thinks. I say you are my brother. Perhaps she does not want to accept that she has a brother like you, Master."

Marik grinned, because it sounded like the sort of thing Ishizu would do. "Perhaps, though you're skating on thin ice there."

Rashid smiled and bowed. "A brother who has it in him to take the power of the pharaoh, something he truly deserves, may Ra give me heatstroke and deny me water in the desert if I am mistaken."

Marik laughed. "Then I will see that you are not wrong."

Rashid ate thoughtfully for a while, then spoke. "What brought this on, Master?"

Marik, who was watching him, eyes sparkling with mirth, grinned. "Just thinking. I lost an ally, a lover, a close friend and a business partner, all in a very short space of time. I am wondering if I was wrong to dismiss them."

"What did they do?"

"The business partner stole from me, the lover betrayed me, and I got angry at everybody else. Admittedly, I discovered the theft last, mainly due to the lover's betrayal."

"With who?"

"My other half, while I was away."

"I see. I assume the lover knew." Marik grinned, nodding. He had made that mistake before. "Then," continued Rashid, "It is my duty to remind my master that he is never wrong. An ally should have prevented these things from occurring unless they were in the dark, the lover is wrong unless they take certain views on what a person is, the close friend should have been there to explain events and support you, and the business partner should never take what rightfully belongs to you."

Marik had started smiling at the beginning of the speech, and was now chuckling. "A nice summation, Rashid. The ally was in the dark, the lover probably subscribes to certain views, the close friend was dismissed before they could help and the business partner took what belonged more to them than to me."

"But they crossed your plans, Master."

"Mmm. And that makes them wrong, but I can't fix it."

Rashid stood to clear away the plates. "No, Master Marik. It is impossible to fix something without being able to get close to it."

Marik shook his head. "Enough. Oh, I know, I know you asked. This is the way my thoughts have been bending, and there's no point really, they are going the way of that Australian boomerang. It will just take time for them to come back, and meanwhile I waste perfectly good days thinking."

Again, it was that lull before action was possible that aggravated Marik. Last night, Bakura had 'accidentally' taken hold of Ryou, and Marik had not said anything. It was just a matter of time until red-eyes made his move.

Marik looked at his brother to find Rashid looking expectantly at him, hands in the sink.

"What?" Marik enquired, happily.

"I asked if you had considered that this thinking might be preparing you for your reply when they come back." Rashid repeated, going back to rinsing the dishes.

Marik laughed. "That is a point. Yeah! I think therefore I am a brilliantly evil genius!"

Just then there was a knock on the door and the phone rang. Marik looked from one to the other, and chose the phone, it being closer. As Marik made his way slowly over to the phone, Rashid set the dishes to dry and cleared the rest of the table, then going to answer the door.

Marik sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted, and annoyed. Why is it the one day I decide to play lord at leisure, everybody decides they desperately have to talk to me?

"Yes?" Marik asked, dejectedly as at the same time Rashid admitted Ishizu and Shadi, looking strange in winter coats. There was no time to warn Malik, it looked like he had to deal with Malik's darling sister himself.

---

Yugi had a challenging duel. When it began, any time Yugi destroyed a monster of Rebecca's she had called him mean. She also tended to converse with her teddy in between turns.

Meanwhile, offside, Yugi's grandpa had said that her playing style was very familiar.

As the duel progressed, and Yugi found himself in deep trouble, Rebecca dropped the little girl act, completely ignoring her toy and talking between turns only to reply to other people.

This she did several times, first when Jounochi said that she must have been taught by somebody as good as Yugi's Grandpa, who was solely responsible for Jounochi's rapid improvement prior to his first official tournament. Rebecca had replied something Yugi didn't quite catch, as he was concentrating on the game.

He did catch her reply when his Grandpa asked her what her last name was. She said she was Rebecca Hopkins, and that her grandfather was Arthur Hopkins the man whose Blue Eyes Yugi's grandpa stole.

Yugi interjected on his grandfather's behalf, but it was no use, and she insisted that Sugoroku Moto was a thief and that Yugi was either a thief as well or very stupid to defend him. Yugi again stood up for his grandfather and she said that the Blue Eyes was her grandfather's favorite card, that he would not have parted with it for anything and the only way Yugi's grandpa could have gotten it was to steal it.

Yugi could not argue with that, and turned to his grandpa, who smiled and told everyone of how he met Arthur Hopkins in Egypt, years ago on an archeological dig. He said that he had gone to Egypt because he was interested in Duel Monsters, which wasn't very well known back then and they said that that was where the idea for the game had originated. He had not counted on it being so hot, and had run out of water, Professor Hopkins had helped him out and they became friends.

They had also become friends because Sugoroku Moto had believed him on a point very dear to his heart. Arthur Hopkins was convinced that Duel Monsters had existed in Ancient Egypt, as he kept finding references to it, along with the word 'game' in different sources. There was a fragment of evidence that the monsters might have been used in battle with enemies, and another that the cards may have been used to predict the future. These fantastic theories were the reason that he was laughed at in archeological circles despite being a brilliant archeologist.

In the end, Hopkins found a tenuous link between the game, and a set of 'Millennium Items', and a place called the 'Shadow Realm', where using the items and monsters, a group of powerful men battled each other for extremely high stakes. Each item supposedly had amazing powers, and were someone to gather them all…He also believed that there was a special set of cards called 'God Cards', that were so powerful, that combined, they rivaled the strength of the items. If a person gathered all the God Cards, or Millennium Items, or both, they would be powerful enough to rule the world.

After a pause, Grandpa coughed and clarified that there was no conclusive proof for any of this, and nobody really believed it beyond perhaps himself and Hopkins. He also added that the old scriptures tended to be dramatic, that to the Ancient Egyptians, the whole civilized world was Egypt, and that they evidently thought highly of those who won these Shadow Duels, so to rule the world, or really Egypt, all one probably had to do was to beat the pharaoh in a Shadow Duel.

Anzu was the first to cut in after Grandpa had finished his story, all of Yugi's friends being used to the way his grandpa tended to digress into reminiscences, forgetting to explain the crucial point everybody was interested in. "Did he give you the card Mr. Moto?"

"Oh!" Yugi's grandpa was suddenly recalled to the present, "Yes, that's right."

The bored voice of Rebecca interrupted saying that Grandpa was a liar, that her grandfather would never have given away his Blue Eyes.

Grandpa frowned at the girl, probably coming to the end of his patience. "Listen and you may learn something." he replied and continued with his story. One time, the two of them, he and Hopkins had gotten trapped in a tomb because the entrance had caved in. They lit a lamp and waited for rescue. They soon ate all the remaining food and only had enough water for one person. They played for it…

Here, Rebecca interrupted saying that Grandpa was just making things up and that it was Yugi's turn already. Jounochi told her to be quiet and stop being a brat, but Grandpa agreed they had paused for too long.

After the turn, Rebecca was down to 200 life points as Yugi had managed to turn the duel around. She threw a tantrum, swearing to defeat Yugi, and destroyed every monster he had out with one car, discarding her hand and drawing a new one, then summoning Shadow Ghoul, a monster that gained 100 attack points for each of the eleven monsters in her graveyard, added to the points it already had, it became a very powerful 2700.

Yugi didn't hear the comments made offside by his friends; he was suddenly feeling sad for all the monsters that she so happily discarded.

Each monster deserves respect because it fights for you. You can't just discard it like it was nothing!

Yugi told her as much, but Rebecca just replied that hair jell must have leaked into his skull, that a family of thieves can't know anything about dueling. It was all a game, about winning through skill and tactics. Her strategies were those she learned from her grandfather, and anyway, duel monster's weren't real, and why should anyone respect painted pieces of paper?

"Then you have never found the heart of the cards." Yugi said with feeling, sure now that he had to and would win the game, if only so she would be kinder to her cards in the future.

There were some comments offside, but he didn't hear them and the duel progressed, culminating in Yugi drawing the card he needed to win the game. He looked at the card, and then at the girl, who looked so determined to win at any cost, then put a hand on his deck, to show his surrender.

The duel was over.

His friends were shocked, Rebecca was ecstatic and ran up to Grandpa to demand her Blue Eyes. Everybody was shocked to see Sugoroku Moto take the card out of his pocket, completely unusable as it had been torn in two and mended with sticky tape.

Rebecca threw another tantrum, but stopped as soon as a voice coming from the entrance to the arena told her to 'behave herself'. Everybody looked up to see an elderly gentleman walk over and greet Grandpa warmly.

"We've just been replaying a bit of history here, Hopkins." Said Grandpa cryptically.

The man, who must have been Arthur Hopkins, smiled. "Yes I saw." He turned to Rebecca and said, "Do you know you lost the duel?" Seeing she was surprised, he smiled and proceeded to explain. "You were playing the exact same duel Moto and I played for a flask of water a while ago. If I am not mistaken, you drew the card you needed to win, didn't you Yugi?"

Yugi blushed and nodded, and Rebecca asked him why he surrendered.

Here Professor Hopkins said what Yugi was reluctant to. "He was trying to show you that dueling is more than winning or losing I expect, that the way to the heart of the cards is through your heart." Here he pointed at Rebecca's hear, while she looked at him, surprised. "Just like when Moto lost on purpose so that I could have the water, because I needed it more than him and because I would not have accepted it if I got it through pity. Mind you, I did honor my monsters before sending them to the graveyard, and I respected my opponents. But you started the story, Moto, you should finish it."

Grandpa smiled. "There's not much more to tell really, soon after we were rescued, and you gave me the Blue Eyes, but had I known how much it meant to you I would not have taken it."

Professor Hopkins smiled. "I know, that's why I didn't tell you. You saved my life, Moto, something I treasure, I thought it only fitting that you keep my other treasure safe too."

"He didn't do a very good job!" Commented Rebecca, holding up the card.

Professor Hopkins laughed, and waved away Grandpa's apology. "You kept it as a sign of our friendship, that's what matters," here he took it from Rebecca and gave it back to Grandpa. "I think we'll survive a couple of tears."

Sugoroku Moto tucked the card away and smiled. Professor Hopkins turned to Rebecca, "You know, dueling can be the basis of a great friendship."

Rebecca blushed and turned to Yugi, bowing and apologizing.

Yugi smiled, slightly embarrassed. "It's alright," was all he could think of as a reply. "Here," and by a flash of inspiration, Yugi gave Rebecca the first card he ever won in a tournament, Ties of Friendship.

"It's so cute!" Exclaimed Rebecca, grinning at Yugi, and putting the card away.

"Just be nicer to your monsters." Yugi added.

Rebecca smiled. "Sure."

"You know, Hopkins, it's been a long time since we dueled." Grandpa said reflectively, looking over at the Arena.

"Yes, Moto, I think it's time for a rematch! Let's show these youngsters how it's done."

"This I gotta see!" exclaimed Jounochi, "Dueling grandpas!"

Everybody laughed, as the two men walked out onto the platforms, and got ready.

Just then, a cry of "Becky!" was heard, and Yugi saw Mokuba run into the arena, enveloping Rebecca in a hug.

She pushed him away, and he studied her face, looking concerned. "God damn!" Here a cautioning 'Rebecca' could be heard from Arthur Hopkins, while the girl continued, oblivious, looking annoyed but happy at the same time. "No wonder I lost, if you and Grandpa were both watching!"

"Sorry, I got worried." said a concerned Mokuba, looking at the ground.

"Just…" started Rebecca, biting her lip, but evidently couldn't think of a solution to the predicament. "Oh forget it!" She sighed, and took Mokuba's hand as looked up, smiling.

Both looked over to the duel, which had already started.

Yugi was still looking at Mokuba, who frowned, suddenly serious. "But, it's a problem isn't it, if I want to watch you play and you don't like anyone to."

Rebecca smiled at him. "Not for much longer, I'm going back to America, and you don't get our tournaments on your TVs. The world Championship's in two years so I'm sure well have it figured out by then."

"I assume that that's the young man you were talking about before." Professor Hopkins called out from the arena, as he wasted two of Grandpa's monsters.

Mokuba blushed, and Rebecca grinned, nodding. "Yessir! Can he come to dinner?"

"Certainly," said the Professor, "If you two will shush and let us play without distractions."

This made Rebecca laugh and make shushing gestures at Mokuba, who looked a little strange, probably on account of feeling embarrassed, concerned and happy all at once, thought Yugi, as he had been keeping track of the emotions playing on Mokuba's face, waiting for the boy to greet them.

"What's going on?" Whispered Jounochi, leaning over to Yugi and pointing at Mokuba.

"I think Mokuba is dating Rebecca." Whispered Yugi in reply, smiling as his grandpa made a brilliant move.

"But she lives in America." objected Jounochi.

"I suppose it's a long distance thing." Honda clarified, rolling his eyes, as he had been close enough to hear their entire conversation.

Jounochi looked at Mokuba, then back to the duel. "Poor bastard," he sighed, "I'd hate to be writin' letters all the time."

Yugi and Honda shared a smile and waited for it to occur to Jounochi that technology had advanced significantly since the invention of letters, especially for a top duellist like her and the heir of Kaiba Corp., but Jounochi seemed to have left it at that, focusing now on the duel.

Yugi smiled as Honda rolled his eyes again, and looked over to Mokuba, who nodded greeting to him, looking much more composed now that everyone was focused on the duel.

---

Seto sat down in the living room, more comfortable now that he had his blue trench coat on. While he had been gone, the tea had been brought, and Pegasus was now pouring it as he approached.

Neither of the two had broken the silence that had descended between them after Pegasus had suggested that he would be more comfortable explaining his visit in the living room over tea and Seto rang and ordered tea to the living room.

As Seto sat down, Pegasus took a sip of his tea and sighed, putting it back down. Seto looked at his cup and then at Pegasus, who smiled happily and switched their cups, picking up and repeating the procedure with his new tea.

"Ah. There is nothing better than a hot cup of tea in this cold weather."

Seto nodded and picked up his tea, sipping it, unable to stop himself from wondering whether Gozaburo had performed a similar ritual when drinking with Pegasus. As Seto was a person who hated to leave things unfinished when they did not have to be, he answered his own question. Probably he did.

Pegasus meanwhile had started saying something. "…only person I have ever met who seems to feel more comfortable receiving guests when he is dressed in a coat than the other way around."

Seto smirked at Pegasus. "I'm cold."

Pegasus smiled, shaking his head. "Are you always cold Kaiba boy?" Pegasus asked lightly, then looking into his tea, evidently thought better of it, adding quickly, "No, don't answer that, I've thought of something better. Do you never waste words?"

Seto drank some more tea, glad in a way that Pegasus had not wanted an answer to the loaded question, for it may well have been 'yes', and once said, Seto knew he would have to explain to Pegasus why. Among many things, it would foremost be a waste of words.

"Do you always?" Seto replied, looking at his business partner.

Pegasus had, right after Duellist Kingdom, provided Seto with a detailed report of what Industrial Illusions did, and this seemed to be nothing much apart from Duel Monsters, other graphics design jobs, takeover bids, and other normal business. There was the small aside that the company gave its employees an unheard of amount of benefits and free reign and spare time and did not ask what employees did with it. The company did monitor the building for security purposes but there was absolutely no way of legally looking at another company's security tapes.

"Point taken, and as a matter of fact, I do." Pegasus smiled. "Words are something I have plenty of and there are two ways to keep one's thoughts and doings private, one is to talk about them as little as possible and the other is to talk about everything as much as possible."

"Defensive or offensive." Seto summarised.

"The only two positions there are." Pegasus agreed, then he grinned. "You'll probably be glad to know, Kaiba boy, you are nothing like your stepfather."

Seto raised an eyebrow, and sipped some tea, deciding he needed a reply to one question before he could be glad. "So sure?"

"Yes. I knew him well enough to judge if no one else did." Pegasus smiled. "But this cold weather makes me… nostalgic."

Seto gestured at the tuxedo, and poured some more tea for himself, and Pegasus who replaced his now empty cup on the coffee table between them.

Once they both held steaming cups of tea, Pegasus replied, grinning. "Yes, it has been an age since I wore it last, before… "

"Everything." Seto stated decidedly, wishing Pegasus would come to the purpose of his visit.

Pegasus smiled. "Tsk, tsk, Kaiba boy! Neither you nor I can say that. I'm sure your part in our first joint venture started before I met you. I know mine did, and I have it on good authority that that is the opinion of the police as well."

"Police. Inspector Wong?" Seto asked, recalling the only enemy in the world Gozaburo ever complained about, being able to do little else. He was also the only person in the world that was upset by Gozaburo's death, apart from perhaps Pegasus, who had read a moving eulogy, but the jury was still out on that one.

"He's a detective now. You will remember he transferred from the Interpol division for investigating arms dealing, to our very own murder squad, to oversee the case personally. Do you know, I heard it was the ambition of his life to bring down your foster father? It was going to make his career, and when he died… Well now his ambition seems to be to find out why and exactly how your foster father met his end. I think he's just trying to blame someone for the fact that he washed out, don't you?"

Seto shrugged internally. His mind was taking an entirely different and more practical bend. "Reopening the case?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that the official position is that he has found some new evidence. I'm afraid that may be my fault; I recently demoted someone in my company in the most disturbing and highly personal at least to her, circumstances. I am sorry to say she bears me a little grudge. But I have been told it is a failing of mine to concentrate solely on myself. I do have some practical information."

Here Pegasus took a break to sip some tea. "Which is?" Seto asked after some minutes had passed.

"Oh! Information!" Pegasus replied as if he had forgotten. "Well, I have it on good authority that the case will be reopened officially on New Year's Eve. The police are of the opinion that there are three personally interested parties that they neglected to investigate fully last time. The unfeeling adopted son, the overly distraught dear friend and the shady board of directors all materially benefited from the suspicious death."

Pegasus sat back and grinned, sunnily. "It has the makings of a good thriller I think. Oh, and they're taking the conspiracy theory route this time. They think nobody could have done him in by themselves."

Seto thought a moment. "Accident?"

Pegasus shrugged. "Mmm. Go figure. The bosses seem to be ignoring that option completely this time, I think our Mr. Wong had something to do with that. And same goes for suicide, though there is evidence enough for both I'd say. Personally, I'd vote accidental suicide."

"Got a plan?" Seto studied Pegasus thoughtfully, as the latter pretended to think.

At length, he replied conspiratorially, putting his cup down and leaning across the table, Seto following his example. "As I have business overseas, I leave at Christmas and shall be gone for a while. Mr. Wong will probably waste no time in visiting you, I'd expect him on New Year's Eve, he doesn't seem to like you very much."

"I wonder why." Said Seto, sarcastically.

"I'm sure I don't know," replied Pegasus. "Though it may have something to do with that restraining order you got on him during his last investigation, and requesting a lawyer after their first question probably didn't help, refusing to answer any questions was also probably a bad move, though I agree about denying them access to Mokuba…"

"The plan." Seto interrupted before Pegasus could list any more of the reasons Mr. Wong had for disliking him, the list being very long, ranging from minor offences like making the then Inspector Wong spill hot coffee on himself at their first meeting, through never having called the man by his title, always preferring 'Mr. Wong', to being the apparently beloved son of Gozaburo Kaiba.

Pegasus smiled and sat back. "Why, my dear Kaiba boy, I thought that if you had no plans today, we might go for coffee like we used to do in the good old days, with Wong watching in the bushes. It'll be my treat."

"I have none." Seto agreed, though knew from listening to Gozaburo and Pegasus chat over coffee that the tradition had originated back when it was just the two of them. He himself had been invited when on his first holiday trip abroad with his foster father, trips that Pegasus apparently always tagged along on, often having business of his own in the same country. On days when Gozaburo found that he was being followed too closely to do any real work and decided to take a day off, in whatever country they happened to be, they would spend all day either sitting at or going through different cafes.

Seto felt that he needed a distraction today, and there was no point in working. The Big five would be kept busy by the cronies of the good detective, no doubt. And if there was one thing Pegasus was good at, it was distraction.

"Good, it has been simply ages since I had a mocha latté and the cappuccino machine at work is on the fritz again." Pegasus said, happily standing.

Seto stood as well, frowning "That's not coffee."

Pegasus laughed heartily. "Kaiba boy, you can drink as much long black slush as you choose. I fear the macho men of this world miss out on so many delightful things." He added to himself, starting to hum the tune from 'Macho Man', as he walked off to the front door.

Seto followed the glittering Pegasus out of the Kaiba Mansion and into the waiting car that would take them to the heart of the city.

Chatting with Pegasus was equivalent to playing chess with the man, a game he never played as a rule, and every time he was forced to, maintained that he had forgotten how to move the pieces, and proceeded to lose as quickly and decidedly as he could, and even though Seto had tried often to lose, Pegasus had yet to win a game.

Pegasus always gave away so much in conversation, that it was hard to find out what was important, harder still to know which of his opinions and delusions would remain the next day. Seto decided that it was about time the two of them talked about Industrial Illusions, though probably neither would gain anything concrete through so doing.

Seto smirked inwardly as a way of getting back at Otogi for ruining his plans today, presented itself. Otogi is going to die of jealousy once he finds out what I did today.

The funny thing was that Otogi would ask, it was one of the many annoying things that made Otogi, Otogi and Seto grumpy as all hell.

---

Ryou lay down on his couch, looking at the phone, tempted to call Malik, whose number he had found out was on speed dial 1, when he had accidentally pressed the wrong button while ordering takeout. Ryou wanted to ask him if Bakura knew Namu at all, because apart from clearing a few things up, it would make a lot of sense since Ryou knew Namu, Malik knew Bakura and Malik knew Ryou.

But the call was naturally out of the question. Ryou knew that Namu would have gotten home late last night and besides, it was rude to call someone, to bother them just because there was a thought in his head that bugged him…

…Bakura elegantly plucked the handset from its home and pressed speed dial one. A thought had been bugging him for fully a day now, and it was something he could not resolve on his own. The thought was that Marik was being blatantly stupid, and he knew it.

It took a while, but finally Bakura heard a dejected "Yes?"

"You're stupid." He said, with a great deal of certainty.

"I beg your pardon?" Came an offended reply.

Bakura examined his choice of words. Merde.

"You're being stupid." He corrected, his previous statement being a very grave insult for both of them.

"That's better. How do you figure?"

"You know what I did was right." Bakura insisted. He had followed the unwritten rules they had both set down for business, and the philosophical stance on what constituted a person that evolved from Marik's experiments.

"Yeah...? Doesn't mean I wasn't." Argued Marik.

He does have a point. Bakura reluctantly had to admit that he could easily see Marik's side of things. He was cheated on and his plans were upset because Bakura stole. The entire thing was probably exacerbated by the fact that Marik was an extremely selfish bastard.

"You're an extremely selfish bastard."

"Hn. So are you." Came the low and happy reply.

"What do you suggest we do?" Asked Bakura, knowing full well it would be the same solution as always, this being not the first time this sort of thing had happened, well, if you count previous lives.

"You're the smart one." Marik came back with a cagey reply.

Bakura grinned. Both parties were in agreement, all they had to do was sign on the dotted line. Marik obviously wanted to keep him on the phone, which meant that he couldn't be still mad.

"Ah, but aren't you always saying you're an evil genius?"

"Mmm, and I stand by it, but you must have noticed the special clause."

"Evil." Bakura played along, thinking he would be much happier when every house had a video phone.

"Exactly, so you see why I am completely useless when it comes to these things."

Bakura sighed theatrically. "Alright, I do have one idea – let's forget it ever happened."

"Well, if that's the only thing you can think of…" Marik said unhappily, "I guess, that's what we'll have to do." pausing before he continued, "There is something I want to ask you, but it'll have to wait, my sister's here, and she wants to talk to me."

"About Christmas and New Year?" Bakura asked, frowning.

"Yes." Marik said happily.

"I can wait, put me on hold?" Bakura asked, preparing himself for a feast of classical music.

"I can do one better." Said Marik cryptically.

"Wait," Bakura called out, "I wanted to ask you before I forget, why do people make hold music the selection they like to listen to? I mean it's not like they often call their house only to be put on hold."

He could hear Malik chuckle. "Hmm, good point. I suppose it's the only music they have about the place. How about I pick yours and you pick mine."

"It's a date." Said Bakura before he could consider his words carefully. Merde.

"Definitely." came the reply he had least expected. "Speak to you in a bit."

Bakura was slightly stunned as he heard a click and the phone being hung up. But the music did not come on as he had expected, instead he heard Ishizu. Bakura turned the handset so he could still hear, but so his breathing couldn't be heard. That was the best he could do at such short notice. He was on speakerphone!

---

Malik Ishtar, the doting brother, played by Yami no Malik, turned to his sister, seated on the couch. Rashid and Shadi had gone off to the kitchen, probably so they could stay out of the way. This meant that they expected a fight, and with the instinct of migrating birds, flew to warmer places for the winter.

Marik decided that they wouldn't have the satisfaction, and took a seat on the couch beside Ishizu so she would not be constantly looking at the phone.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"My lawyer," said Marik, smiling because it really was true.

Ishizu's eyes widened, but she was not someone who got easily distracted. "I hear you have made plans for Christmas."

Marik nodded. "Yugi's invited all his friends and family, it's going to be brilliant."

"And have you forgotten your family?" Asked Ishizu, sounding offended.

She must have spent a long time thinking about this to get this worked up.

"We are your family, little brother, Rashid and I, and you are the head of that family now. Is it your wish that we fall apart and never see each other again? That we…"

Marik knew, from Malik's experience that he had to stop her now, or she would go on a roll, and then a rock would become an avalanche. Luckily, he quickly thought of a very easy solution.

"Of course not, sister." He said happily interrupting, putting up a hand to show he wanted to say something else. "That is why I was going to ask Yugi if you, and Rashid and Shadi could come too."

"Oh." She looked surprised, and Shadi, who must have heard the entire thing, came out of the kitchen smiling.

"They say Mr. Moto makes an extraordinary Christmas feast, very traditional, I'm sure you'll love it."

Here, Rashid also came out of the kitchen, stone faced as always.

Ishizu nodded slowly. "But… what about New Year?" she asked, latching onto the only obstacle to her happiness she could see.

But Marik knew Ishizu's weak spot. "That's a holiday you should spend with friends, and I've already made plans. I thought you would enjoy spending some time seeing the sights with Shadi. We should get snow this New Year, and the place will really be beautiful." Haring this, Shadi smiled at Marik and Ishizu couldn't think of anything to say.

She looked at Shadi, with beautiful enquiring eyes. "I had wanted to play tourist for a day or so." Shadi agreed, smiling. "It would be nice to go with a friend."

Marik grinned and before Ishizu could decide how to answer or raise another problem she had with the way Malik arranged his life, jumped up. "Well, that's all settled then, and if you don't mind I have my lawyer on hold, they charge hourly rates you know…"

Shadi smiled and helped Ishizu up, while Rashid and Malik got their coats. "Rashid, will you walk them down to their car? I'm not exactly dressed for the weather." said Marik, acting on impulse with the idea of getting some time to speak openly on the phone.

Rashid nodded, and Marik went back to the phone, all smiles. I'm on a roll. Its days like these I think I would make a brilliant pharaoh.

As the door closed behind Shadi, Ishizu and Rashid, Marik turned to the phone and took it off speaker. "I wanted to ask about the Senn Puzzle." He said, not betraying the nervousness he felt – his hands were shaking.

"Listen, believe it or not, I don't have it." Marik could imagine Bakura smirk as there was a touch of laughter in the voice.

Marik had not expected anything else. He could almost hear the unspoken addition of 'with me right now'.

"If you did…" Marik persisted.

"Then I wouldn't give it to you." Bakura finished, sounding a touch sad at having to repeat what they both already knew.

"Naturally, I'd stash it somewhere you couldn't get it and not tell you I have it." He added as an afterthought.

Marik found the matter-of-fact tone of that addition annoying. He hadn't expected anything else, but it was a strain on their relationship every time the two were at odds with each other when it came to their pursuits. It was an issue both sidestepped and ignored most of the time. Work had always been a sensitive issue and if pressed, both would and did end the relationship if it got in their way.

Bringing it up now, meant the strain was extreme, because they'd just managed to patch things up. Of course, Marik knew this and felt bad about doing it to himself and to Bakura. If he could be sure Bakura would honour it, he would have then and there called for a ban on letting work get in their way.

Always coming second was very hard for Marik, and he knew it wasn't a day on the Nile for Bakura either. The most recent indication, being the indignation he expressed when he said that Marik had not told him he had the Senn Puzzle. It was bad that they couldn't fully trust each other, and in rare moments, both talked about how great it would be if they worked together.

None of this got in the way of Marik's goals, of course; he couldn't let it. His interests came first, and he could not solve the problem that occurred, in a mutually trusting relationship if the ambition of one encroached on that of the other.

Marik tired again. "So I take it you value this Senn obsession more than me?" he asked, painfully.

His heart skipped a beat at the pause on the other end, but this hope was short lived.

"No, but you're practically immortal, so I don't have to worry about you. You want to know if I value it more than your quest for the power of the pharaoh, and I must say yes, I do." came the calm, considered reply. "Nice try Marik, and I can't blame you for it, but if the Puzzle happens to fall into my hands first, I am keeping it for myself."

"May scarabs infest your bed and mistake you for a corpse, thief." Marik replied venomously, but very quietly as Rashid had just returned.

Marik had had enough of Bakura's calm, but he was more upset at himself for having done this. He smiled, all anger gone, as he realised that he was more upset that he had failed then at what he'd actually tried to do – use Bakura.

I am indeed a very selfish creature. And I LOVE it!

Bakura did not have Marik's partiality to rubbing salt in the wounds, unless angry, and he did not seem to be that, when he said, "You have your God Cards, Marik. The Puzzle is mine."

Marik then heard a sigh, and could imagine Bakura pinching the top of his nose, like he did when Marik had been particularly trying and he was being patient. "Enough Marik?"

"Yes." Marik sighed sadly, giving way on the issue since Bakura had been patient.

"Now, it really is good to be back." Bakura said with feeling.

Marik's mood changed with the speed of lightning. He laughed. That came very close to Bakura saying he's missed him. "Mmm, I was beginning to get bored." He said lightly.

"Mind if I sub in for Ryou?" Came an interesting question, spoken in a low and warm tone.

However much Marik liked the thought, it would be giving too much ground very soon into a new go at their relationship, and consequently a new round, to agree. "Now that's pushing it."

"Too soon?"

"Just a tad. And I would appreciate it if you didn't butt in this time." Marik said, grinning at the pun.

He heard Bakura bark a laugh. "Well fuck me he noticed."

"It would be hard not to notice fucking you Bakura." Marik whispered in reply, feeling uncomfortably warm, having last seen Rashid go into the bathroom.

"Rashid?"

"Yes."

"Merde. We'll have to pick this up later." Marik grinned as Bakura swore.

"But not too soon." He reminded.

"Ever your servant, my lord." Came Bakura's reply before he hung up.

Marik replaced the handset quietly, taking a deep breath and letting it out. He then looked at the clock, which said it was almost four.

Time to get dressed I think…