Chao- It's time to concentrate on stuff that matters.

YChao- Like skool?

Chao- Psh, no, like writing fan fics!

"Talking."

"Thinking."

/Yami and Yugi mind link./

Chapter 4: History

"What should we do?" Tea asked with anxiety after Yami passed out.

"Let's move him to a couch where he can relax and recover." Tristan suggested.

The two, taller teens maneuvered their way through the stairs in order to cause the least amount of vibrating. Tristan was at the top end while Joey was at the bottom. The boy with brown hair managed to get a tight grip around the pharaoh's upper body while the boy with blonde hair grabbed the body's lower legs.

"On the count of three, we'll lift him up." Tristan instructed.

"Three!" the two teens chanted as they carefully lifted the physique up and slowly moved it down the steps. The two boys then gently placed Yami down on a green couch within the nearest room available. They all decided to wait and see what Yami had to say about the situation and what next steps to take.

"What do you think happened?" Joey asked no one in particular.

"Who knows," Tristan replied, "We're just going to have to wait for him to wake up."

Tea shut her eyes. She was grief stricken as a result of all the events that happened recently.

"First Yugi was acting differently and now he's gone! Not only that, but now the pharaoh is unconscious… can things get any worse?"Although she was gloomy, Tea shook her head and told herself to be strong. She glanced down at her other friend as he slept.

She was worried about him and hoped he would wake up soon so they could rescue Yugi and Mokuba. She, and the other two teens, were ready to take on whatever evil force was behind this. The group stood along side Yugi and the former pharaoh in times of crisis before and they were prepared to do it once more.

Time passed by and Yami slowly regain consciousness. Although he could not open his eyes yet due to being low on energy, his mind was starting to wake up. The first thing he tried to do was contact his partner.

/Yu… gi?/ he attempted to call out weakly. However, Yami was not getting a respond. He then remembered what happened just a few moments ago. His friend had been captured by an unknown force.

"Yugi!" Yami screamed as he realized his situation. He tried to move but he had very little stability. His entire form was still weak and could not move even an inch.

He could not believe it.

He could no longer feel the presence of his partner and friend. He hated it. He was afraid something terrible might happen to his light. He did not want a repeat of what happened at Duelist Kingdom when the Shadows took him.

Yugi sacrificed himself to save his Grandpa as well as the Kaiba brothers. Just moments before, the brave soul came by the creepy mansion in order to keep Kaiba from experiencing the same pain of almost losing someone. Yami remembered back to the time just before Duelist Kingdom.

Even though he knew little about his new partner, Yami was unsure of what to do but he wanted to help anyway possible. Because the two were connected by the Puzzle, and Yugi was unaware of Yami being able to hear and feel what he was going through, Yami also went through and felt some of the same angst Yugi felt.

Yami remembered seeing his new host sitting alone in his room deciding what to do about the situation of his grandpa's soul being taken. Yami also remembered how sad, lonely, and torn the young teen felt of being told by the doctors his grandparent was in a coma and due to his age, the odds of waking up were slim.

The spirit could sense Yugi was crushed. The boy acted brave on the outside but on the inside, he was afraid. Yami only wanted to help his new host by any means necessary but was unsure why anyone would want to cause harm to someone as pure as Yugi.

"Yugi!" Yami bellowed as he tossed a little whileon the sofa. His mind was repeatedly bombarded with questions about where Yugi was. Was he alright? Is the new villain torturing him? Or worse… Yami said himself a soul could be locked anywhere in the world. This could take even more time to find the soul of innocent teen.

"Yu… gi…" Yami whispered. The act caught the attention of his friends that were surrounding him.

"I think he's starting to wake up." Tea noted with hope. Gradually, Yami started to open his eyes. When his vision was clear, he was able to see everyone.

"How do you feel?" Tea asked. Joey and Tristan assisted their friend into sitting up against the couch.

"Fine." Yami replied after regaining some strength. He tried to stand up as he stated, "We need to rescue Yugi!"

The two males grabbed hold of Yami and placed his back down on the couch.

"We do," Tristan agreed, "But first you need to gain back some energy."

"We also need a plan." Joey commented. Yami nodded his head. He knew if he were to rescue Yugi, he would need more stamina. He also needed time to think as to who or what was behind all this.

"So, what happened before we arrived," Tea inquired. Yami slouched down and laced his fingers in front of his face. Everyone waited patiently for Yami to recall upon the events that had taken moments before.

"Yugi and I were investigating the area we assigned ourselves," Yami began, "We then ran into Kaiba…"

"And what did he want?" Joey interrupted angrily.

"He was perplexed about what we were doing," Yami trialed off, "And then…"

"What?" Tristan asked. Yami sighed and asked, "I'm sure I wasn't the only one who had noticed Yugi's… change in attitude?"

Tea's eyes widen a bit. She, too, had taken note but was unsure of what to do. She nodded her head.

"I really didn't assume anything and was just surprised of how much leadership Yug was taking," Joey replied.

"So did I." Tristan nodded. Yami sighed once more, "He told Kaiba about the time when his own grandpa's soul was taken."

Everyone gasped.

"Why did he do that?" Tea asked.

"He didn't tell Kaiba everything." Yami informed, "But he wanted to let Kaiba know he was not alone in this situation."

Tea drew her gaze from the pharaoh to the ground. She was confused about how to feel about what was just said. She couldn't believe Yugi told Kaiba something that personal. To her, Kaiba was only interested in helping himself and not caring for anyone else, except Mokuba.

It appeared as though no matter how many times Yugi would welcome Kaiba into the group, the cold teen would decline. But worse, he would decline and add a few uncalled insults. However, she was glad she was finally informed about the actions and attitude her childhood friend was acting. She smiled as she was pleased Yugi continued to offer help and possibly friendship.

"If Kaiba ever did accept," Tea thought to herself, "Would he stop being such a cold jerk or would he still be the same? Yugi was the same after knowing and sharing a strong bond with Joey and Tristan and yet… those two had changed… I've grown as well in many ways as well… but… Yugi really changed sometime after meeting Yami… Maybe it's all of the adventures they've been through? Whatever it is… I'm glad we've been through them all and I know we can make it again."

"I, too, was glad Yugi was showing some initiative." Yami said interrupting Tea's thoughts.

"And so I allowed him to continue on with his path but then…" Yami trailed off for a moment, "Then… he started to act as though he was in pain. I took over and tried to keep out whatever was prying its way into the Puzzle but somehow…"

Yami grunted with anger after remembering he failed to protect his partner.

"It's ok." Tea comforted, "We'll get him back."

"Yeah," Joey agreed, "Now all we gotta do now is get some questions answered."

Yami nodded his head.

"We need to interview Kaiba," he instructed, "Yugi notice there was something strange about this place and I felt it awhile ago as well."

The group quickly made their way towards Mokuba's room once more to see their unfriendly host. Yami was determine to get answers he was questing in order to get his lighter half and friend back.

"Yugi! We're coming for you!"

xxx

Kaiba continued to watch his younger brother. He still was in shock about the situation Mokuba was in. This was completely different from him being kidnapped. Kaiba always had a plan to rescue his sibling back from his enemies and was prepared to deal with any events and people who were in the way of his mission to rescue Mokuba. But now, it appeared as though the kid was on his own. After scrounging the internet for options, Kaiba knew there wasn't much he could do. He felt useless. He hated it.

Money…

Power…

Fame…

Even his dueling skills could not help in this problem.

He hated knowing that. Kaiba grunted with anger. He recalled just moments ago about his conversation with his rival.

"To let you know that you're not alone in this."echoed in his mind.

"And what could he know about what I'm going through?" Kaiba tightly shut his eyes, "He doesn't know what this feels like! His grandfather is just an old man! Mokuba is still only a child! A child who has been through far much so than what normal children go through! They may have their little circle of friendship that can be broken and their fairy tales but this is all reality!"

Deep within, even though it was too painful to admit it, the only person Kaiba had was his brother… and now there was a chance Kaiba would be alone forever. The thought of the notion really upset the young CEO. He would be surrounded by people but no one who truly would care about him.

There would no one to be waiting for him at home or encouraging him on with his work or even Duels.

There would be no one else the teen could talk to.

There would be no one else to cheer him up and remind him of his mission and dream of building a fun amusement park for children with no parents.

He hasn't shown any one else the ideas or what his motivation was for behind the very expensive project.

"Mokuba's the only person I trust."

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door open once more. He turned around and saw his opponent and crew. Although Kaiba was unsure, he felt as though the short person in front of him was different. The eyes were the same color but they seemed to be narrow and full of Duelist spark rather than the usual, cheesy kindness.

"We need to talk," the person stated. The tone of voice was also different. It was filled with determination and demanding. The voice of Yugi was usually friendly. Kaiba stood up and replied, "Yes, we do. If this is about running around my place playing games then I expect an apology."

"We were doing something important!" Yami argued, losing his temper. His emotions towards the situation were becoming filled with furry as now his friend was taken away from him again.

"I doubt it," Kaiba sneered as he sensed the negative affection coming towards him. However, the tallest teen did not mind as he was used to such activities. That would be another thing he would miss if his brother never woke up: who else would treat and see him as a real person?

Joey lifted one hand in front of the former pharaoh. Yami gazed over at his tall companion and noticed Joey's eyes were different. When looking at Kaiba, the teen's pupils are usually filled with disliking but now there were filled with determination and courage, not foolish courage but backbone for finding a solution for rescuing the small adolescent who had helped altered so many lives for the better.

"What he means is," the blonde began, "That we all know there's something funky about this place. We want answers!"

Kaiba scoffed. He, too, did not like the place as it was once owned by his step father, a man driven by power who lost his company and then killed himself. Kaiba looked away from the group and back down at his brother. He thought back to where he and Mokuba first moved into this horrid place that still reeked of greed.

Flashback

"Now that your last names are officially Kaiba," a tall man with mean eyes wearing a red suit said, "You'll be on a stricter, more sufficient learning program than that trashy way back at that crap shack."

The younger boy with black hair grabbed hold of his older brother's cream shirt. He did not want to admit it and worry his sibling, but was rather frighten of the place. The older boy did not like it there either. He could feel a chill running down his spine where ever he walked. It gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Doesn't this man pay for heat or is he too cheap for that?" the boy with brown hair thought with disgust.

"Starting today you will both be tutored by the finest instructors money can buy!" Gozoburo Kaiba laughed. The man seemed to be pleased with the idea that money and power can buy anything.

The two boys looked around the place as they continued their way down a hall. There were many paintings and statues made by the greatest artist around the world. The tall one was able to tell which statue and painting came from what era but was unhappy the man he beat at chess was full of greed.

The young boy then felt his brother squeezing his hand out of feeling uncomfortable. The older child shook his head and reminded himself that this was all for a better life. As the group went on, the tall boy thought he heard something. He turned around and saw no one else.

"It sounded like someone was giggling," he noted.

"What's wrong boy, don't your ears work?" Gozoburo mocked as he took out his cigar from his mouth and tapped it to allow the burnt edges to fall. Both children turned their focus back on the man. The brown hair boy gazed at the ashes that fell with disgust. He disliked the smell of cigars; they usually mean trouble.

"I said you'll be sleeping here and your brother will be sleeping down the hall. Unpack and soon your lessons will begin." With that, the man started to walk away.

"Is there anyone else in this place? Like any other kids," the boy asked still curious about the giggle he heard not too long ago.

"Of course not," Gozoburo answered annoyed along with his eyes turning from greed to unhappiness and bitterness, "Only servants. Children only cause disappointment."

Once the man left, the smaller boy did not want to leave his brother's side and be alone in the giant house.

"Don't worry, Mokuba," the older boy cheered up, "We'll be free from this place soon enough."

The smaller of them was relieved. He was glad to know he and his brother were on the same page. The older boy smiled and encouraged, "We'll survive this mad man and his creepy house and servants and we'll make it out together, just like we always have."

End Flashback

Kaiba turned his attention back the group of people he could not stand.

"Just because I live here doesn't mean I know every single little detail let alone care about the place," he informed everyone in a tone of annoyance as he crossed his arms. However, he could see the people in front of him would not let him be until they were satisfied, which to Kaiba was rare because if not one thing then they bombard him with friendship speeches.

"As far as I'm aware of," he began, "Gozoburo Kaiba took this house after a previous family moved out. If I remember correctly, the precedent owners left after their first daughter passed away from an illness and their second daughter mysteriously vanished as she was being bullied at school."

The group was stunned at what they were told.

"I believe, however, she just ran away and never came back," the CEO mumbled.

There was a moment of silence between everyone once again. Their eyes soften up a bit with sadness. Joey, Tristan, and Tea looked at each other then back to Yami. The spirit gripped his Puzzle tightly as he shut his eyes with frustration. If this was as much information they could get, it may take even longer to rescue his lighter half.

However, there were still other questions that needed to be answered. The mysterious event that took place just before Yugi was taken needed to be investigated. The bangs on the former pharaoh's hair covered his face. He then asked, "Kaiba, by any chance, is there anyone else within the house?"

Kaiba opened his eyes only for them to have a look of annoyance. He, too, had thought he heard something and assumed it was one of the usual group members as Kaiba had ordered his employees to be silent as he hated to be disturb while working on important projects, including finding a way to beat his adversary.

"There is no one else here." Kaiba explained in his usual cold tone.

"No one?" Yami questioned, "Not even in the basement or in the attic?"

The only answered he received was another scoff.

"Then, by any chance, have you've been hearing giggles? From a voice that sounded like a young, female child?" Yami asked taking a gamble as he noticed the tall teen with brown hair was gripping his sleeves tightly out of anger and frustration at being interviewed. Yami then quickly glanced around the other teens and observed that there was no difference in their eyes or emotions.

"Perhaps they haven't heard any of the giggling then?" Yami questioned, "I suppose that's what Yugi was hearing earlier. I did not notice until it was too late… But… why was he hearing them? Why couldn't I until much later?"

Yami shut his eyes, "And if the memories of your time before Duelist Kingdom was bothering you with Kaiba, then what was giving you trouble before we came over?"

"What is with all these questions?" Kaiba wondered feeling even more suspicious, "If it's not them nor my employees making that sound, then who is? I know I haven't been sleeping that well but I know for a fact I'm not crazy."

"Hold on a minute!" Joey said confused, "You're telling me there's someone else within this huge house?"

Yami lightly shrugged and replied, "Possibly."

He really was unsure what it he was hearing. He glanced back at Kaiba and observed the teen's eyes usual icy stare was hiding a hint of surprise.

"Huh… Maybe Mokuba has a secret girlfriend or something," the blonde guessed not intending to make a joke.

Kaiba turned his glance to the amateur duelist and growled. For some reason, the tall teen did not like the idea of his brother sneaking someone behind his back. Everyone took notice of the jealousy vibe and Kaiba only closed his eyes and turned away. The CEO was confused about the theoretical notion but knew he did not want his brother to be taken advantage of because of his status.

Yami hold the Puzzle once again in his hands with a firm grip. "Yugi… hold on! Even with these small clues, we're coming for you!"

xxx

Yugi slowly opened his eyes. He found himself surrounded by darkness. His entire body was stiff and he could not move. His form was exhausted as well. Soon, he started to shiver from being cold.

He struggled to stand up but his whole build cried out in agony to stop moving. His mind started to become dizzy with memories of long ago he desired to forget about. His chest started to ache. His head was spinning around and around as the voices from the past started to grow.

"Hey kid! Give us all your money!"

"You're so annoying! Shut up!"

"You look like such a kid playing all these childish games!"

As much as Yugi had tried to repress those dreadful memories of being bullied and loneliness, his mind became over flowed. In the past, he always felt as though he was a burden. He did not tell anyone how he felt because he did not want to worry his parents, his grandparents, or even his only friend. Yugi closed his eyes in agony.

Tears started to form and cascade down his face as he whispered in defeat, "I'm sorry… everyone."

To be continued…

Chao- Hmm… What could be going on within the mansion?

YChao- A crazy author with no life.

Chao- Yep! Please review!