A Monopoly Of Blue Eyes

by FeistyFox

He had refused to believe in his past, refused to be sucked into the fairytale that had been hurled at him again and again. But it appeared that his past had found him whether he wanted it or not. She was here… sitting right here in his class, this ghost from the ancient past, looking exactly as he remembered, exactly how she did in his dreams and the visions he had been shown.

30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Deferred Tax

Caught off guard by Pegasus being in his office he spat a curse out at him before any more thoughts managed to sink in. The terror of being suspended in nothing for several horrifying moments was irritatingly noticeable and he refused to submit to the feeling. He also refused to think about nearly dying, as emotions related to that were also largely unhelpful now that they were out of immediate danger. Not that the madman wasn't a constant hazard to his physical and emotional well-being, but at the moment he was sure he wasn't about to murder them. Shoving all the physiological responses back he kicked his phone away, as the cord was half tangled over his ankle, his hip letting out a sharp throb from the impact, and it hit the wall with a thud as he sent it flying. "Nii-san?" Mokuba called, his voice full of sweet worry as he rushed over to him. "What just… Are you alright?"

"Out!" He barked at Pegasus as he shoved himself up on his elbow, even more irritated to find that he was sore all over between being hurled about on the train, knocked about by the shadow realm, and generally pained by the use of so much magic, not to mention the rather rough landing they had just experienced. He was really at his limit for any and all forms of tolerance.

"How like you." Pegasus pouted down at him. "I bring you a lovely gift basket, with one of the best vintages to ever be produced, over sixty years old mind you, and all you do is rant and rave." He took another sip of the wine, not budging in the slightest. "What did Gozaburo teach you about proper social etiquette?"

He felt a vein throbbing in his forehead. "I swear to-"

"And you do realize your pretty little waif is about to go into cardiac arrest don't you?" He made an elegant motion with his free hand toward her. "Poor dear. That was quite the show stopper. I've never seen anyone rip through the fabric of two different universes at once before."

His head flew down and he saw Sarah was completely limp on the floor as he lay half over her. Her arm was outstretched, her duel disk letting off odd electrical pops which were no doubt due to the massive amount of electricity she had just produced. He was fairly surprised it hadn't caught on fire or blown up from the overload, and equally surprised he hadn't been electrocuted. Her nose was bleeding, and his white carpet was rapidly turning red as it dripped onto it. A new kind of fear filled him and he quickly turned her to her back as he forced himself to his knees. Mokuba was next to his elbow at once as he set his hand on her neck to find her pulse. He felt it fluttering erratically and no sooner did he locate it than Mokuba scared him witless. "She's not breathing, Seto!" He snapped. "Roland, call an ambulance!"

"I do love the dramatics," Pegasus remarked happily as he set his wine glass aside on the desk. "You two are so much more entertaining than even the best play." Standing up he pushed the chair back as he went down on one knee near her head.

"Do not touch her!" He snarled, his metaphorical hackles raising at the very idea of letting him near Sarah again.

"Shall I let her die then?" He asked tauntingly. "Really, you've only yourself to blame. You should be sharing your magic with her if you're going to have her doing such spectacular nonsense."

"What?" He demanded.

With a flourish, the eccentric game creator set the tips of his fingers on her forehead. Gold light began to pulse out from behind the hair covering half his face, and he gripped his millennium rod tightly as he noted that the other man had re-obtained the millennium eye. That was deeply disturbing on any number of levels, because Pegasus had caused massive disruptions with it the last time he had it, but before he could do anything Sarah sucked in a deep breath, her back arching slightly, before she went limp again. However, much to his relief, she began breathing normally and his hand flew back to her throat. He felt her heartbeat returning to normal and calmed slightly, although he was miffed that he hadn't known that sharing his magic would help her recover. He would have done that when she was in the hospital if he had been aware, and wondered how he didn't know he could do that and Pegasus did. Surely his training in his last life had been more extensive than anything Pegasus had learned. "There we are." The other man said, standing up fluidly, but he noted his shoulders had slumped ever so slightly as the drain hit him.

Mokuba glared up at him. "What did you do to her?"

"Stopped her from dying." He said, picking his wine glass back up and stepping gracefully to the window to enjoy the view. "No need for thanks." His voice was thick with sarcasm. "No bother at all."

Saying nothing for the moment he quickly took the duel disk off Sarah, leaving it on the floor in case it did decide to blow up, and slid his arms under her. Bracing himself he stood up with her, trying not to show the strain of it for appearance sake. Taking her over to the couch he laid her down, noting that Roland was standing in the middle of the office with wide, disbelieving eyes. He supposed for once he couldn't blame the man for losing his cool. "Go get water and a towel." He ordered, figuring giving him something to do for the moment might help. "And a bottle of water for me as well."

"Y-yes." Roland agreed, quickly leaving the room as he forgot to call him Mr. Kaiba for the first time in their entire relationship. He pulled the door shut behind him with more force than necessary, but he ignored that as well. Even he knew that everyone, even the most professional and controlled, had limits. And as he hated magic as much as anyone he wasn't surprised Roland was having a rather extreme reaction to the unexpected display, at least extreme for him at any rate. Putting a pillow under Sarah's head quickly he turned her face so she wouldn't be bleeding in a downward direction, which would be back into her throat. His custodial staff could deal with the stains later.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded once he was assured Sarah was relatively fine for the moment, although he stayed beside her, unwilling to move away with her so clearly vulnerable. His brother had retreated a few feet, keeping the desk between himself and Pegasus, his arms crossed angrily over his chest. "And how did you get the millennium eye back?"

"Don't ask simple questions." Pegasus drawled. "You're so much more entertaining than that."

He refused to be baited, but supposed that getting to the point would be more efficient. "Why would Ishizu give it to you again, old man?" He threw back. "She has to know what you did with it last time."

"I'm hardly the only one with sin in this room, Kaiba boy, do watch how loosely you throw around accusations of wrongdoing." He took a sip of the wine. "And you would have to ask her. It showed up at my home two weeks ago with a note telling me what a perfect time of year it was to visit Japan. Isn't she always so thoughtful?"

He huffed, as thoughtful was not the way he would describe any of the Ishtars. Mokuba darted a look toward him before speaking to Pegasus. "You stole from us." His brother stated. "Return all the duel disks and I'll consider dropping charges."

"All of them?" Pegasus asked, turning his head with one eyebrow raised. "My, my. Is there more than the one I have gone? How interesting."

"Either leave or tell me what it is you actually want." He interjected, his hunch about Pegasus not being the one that had the millennium scale confirmed. Not that the man wouldn't lie, but he was far too interested in that information for it to be feigned. It was clear the other man had come here at Ishizu's prompt, and likely his own compulsion to cause havoc at any given opportunity. The millennium eye just made it that much easier for him. "I honestly don't care how you got it or how you got into my office, although I could hazard a fairly good guess." He looked pointedly at the millennium eye.

"Why I've simply come to enjoy the tournament you've put on." He replied, a mischievous twinkle in his one real eye. "You were so rude to exclude me from your last one and we never get the chance to chat." He crossed his own arms and waited, sending him an impatient stare. "Oh, fine, you eternal stick in the mud. I'll have you know Yugi asked me to attend, no doubt thinking I had been invited as I'm the creator of duel monsters and highly ranked among even the best duelists in the world." He rolled his eyes at that statement, thinking that reading other duelists minds to win didn't really say much about his actual skills as a duelist, only as a cheater. "He seemed to have some concerns about a rogue millennium item running loose and thought I could help. His magic isn't what it once was as I'm sure you know."

"Yugi asked you to come?" Mokuba demanded, clearly outraged by this information. He, on the other hand, didn't know why he was remotely surprised that Motou would do the most irritating and idiotic thing imaginable in an effort to 'help'. He was also sure he had mentioned to his brother that involving Yugi or his nerd herd was a horrible idea. Inviting Pegasus here was like throwing a firework, or a factory full of them, onto a wildfire. Pegasus was about as stable as an avalanche, and even more destructive. If anything this was only going to add chaos to a situation that he already didn't have control over. It was utterly infuriating. He had been wrong yesterday, he was sure now that Yugi deserved Wheeler in every way.

"Clearly, as good as any of his ideas." He deadpanned, hiding his frustration with yet another dangerous complication.

Pegasus pouted at him again. "You never allow me any fun, Kaiba boy. I assure you my intentions are noble."

"Yeah right." Mokuba huffed.

Maximillion ignored this. "While I'll be the first to admit being the villain was really very satisfying in every way, I fear I've fully indulged in that particular role. Really, where else is there to go after narrowly being bested from taking over the world and casting at least thirty people into the shadow realm?"

"There is something very wrong with you." He told the other man.

"I'd very much like to branch out and try this hero business." Mokuba's face scrunched up in horrified disbelief. "Being the victim was hardly fun at all, and I suppose I did venture into the antihero spot for a month or so, but alas, that wasn't for me at all. Far too much brooding and neediness for my taste." Pegasus took a sip of his wine, appearing thoughtful for a few moments before continuing with his insane rant. "But I feel I've made a rather good start so far-"

"By breaking into my company, stealing my newest product, and destroying my tracking system?" He asked dryly.

"We all have to make tough decisions at some point, and I started months ago, before I even knew about your difficulty with this intriguingly mysterious malefactor." His jaw ticked at the reminder of him bring Sarah into this. He was fully outraged by the interference with both her and his company. While he was more than happy that Sarah was now fully financially stable, and that it had nothing to do with him directly which kept him out of trouble with her, he was not at all happy with how it happened. And while what he told her was true, having ten percent of Kaiba Corp in her possession did give him a very sizable margin of error, it also put her at risk. As if her association with him and her magic weren't enough, she was now worth a very real, very substantial fortune. It also chaffed him horribly, no matter how much he cared for her or how strong their friendship was, that she had such an influence over him and his business now. He might know that she would never use it against him, but all his hatred of being controlled and manipulated had roared to life at this information, which had resulted in him saying several things he hadn't meant and now felt annoyingly guilty over. Having never had a real fight with her he found it unexpectedly unsettling and unpleasant. And while he didn't hold it against her, as she had been an unwilling recipient, he had no trouble at all placing the blame squarely where it should be, which was squarely on this madman's shoulders. At his icy silence, the head of Industrial Illusions smirked. "And I so wanted to be there when she told you. Were you surprised, shocked, appalled? I need details."

Mokuba glanced between them in confusion. "Get out." He snapped again. "It becomes clearer to me by the day that you have a death wish. If you're so interested in joining Cecilia then, by all means, go play with this mage."

For the first time in years, he saw Pegasus' mask of insane playfulness crack. His one brown eye flashed in anger and his fingers tightened noticeable on the stem of his wine glass at the mention of his dead wife. "Watch your words." He warned, his voice strained at the clearly painful reminder.

He felt satisfaction licking at him at finally getting under the other man's skin, even if what did it was as cruel a way as he'd ever found. Still, Pegasus had instigated all of this. If he thought he would get through with no repercussions he was even madder than he believed. "I told you not to involve her." He stated, his words icy. "And yet you did so with great delight, putting her in a very awkward and uncomfortable position."

"Are you berating me for taking care of-"

He overrode him at once. "You have no right to assume any responsibility toward her." He snapped. "Sarah has no need to be taken care of by you, or to be interfered with. I made that very clear."

"I'm rather afraid she interfered with me first," Pegasus stated. "Under the circumstances, I think I was more than forgiving, even generous."

"What does that mean?" He demanded. "The first time she met you was when your flunkies kidnapped her."

Pegasus opened his mouth and then paused. He saw him begin to calculate and didn't like that in the slightest. "Ah, Kaiba boy, you really aren't using that impressive intellect of yours at all are you?" His gaze flicked to Sarah for a moment before returning to him, studying him. He had no idea what he was referring to, and honestly didn't care. In all likelihood, Pegasus was simply trying to regain control of the situation.

Before anything else could be said the door opened and Roland came back in with the requested items. He took them and made an indication toward Pegasus as he crouched down and pressed the towel to Sarah's nose, which was still bleeding. "Escort him out." He ordered. "No need to be gentle."

Pegasus shrugged, letting his disturbing intensity slide away and replacing it with his insane posturing yet again. "Now, now, no need to wrinkle my suit." He finished the wine and left the empty glass on his desk as if his office were a bar. "I'll be happy to finish this conversation the day after tomorrow at the finals. Goodbye, my sweets. I do look forward to our next visit." With that, he sauntered out, with Roland following after him at a safe distance when he made a sharp motion toward him.

The door shut again and Mokuba glared at it for a few moments before speaking. "What is going on, Seto?" His brother demanded. "How did you get here? And where have you been for the last half an hour? You both just vanished off the tracking system and all I could get from your camera was a still of you dueling some guy in a suit down in the subway system, which didn't make any sense because you didn't show up on any of the cameras when I hacked into the cities security system to find you. I couldn't match the other man to anyone in the tournament either."

"We got pulled into a shadow duel." He told him, most of his attention on Sarah. He was starting to worry about how much blood she was losing. "Whoever has the scale sent two of his henchmen after us. At least two of the stolen duel disks are destroyed now."

Mokuba sent Sarah a worried look. "Did they hurt her again?" He asked unhappily.

"No, but she used her magic." He told his brother honestly, seeing no reason to lie about it now.

Mokuba sent him a penetrating look, but didn't push for more details at the moment. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." He told him.

"Nii-san, you're kind of a wreck." He glanced down at himself as he kept the towel against her nose. After even the briefest glance he had to admit his brother was right. He was filthy, his clothes covered in dust, grime, and small spatters of Sarah's blood. His shirt was sweat soaked and he was sure his hair was all out of sorts as well. He certainly wasn't in his normally clean and put together state. He realized he needed to go clean up, if only because of all the press everywhere. It would bring up too many questions if anyone saw him like this.

Reaching out with his free hand he tapped Sarah's face. While he was more than capable of carrying her out even with as tired as he was, he was fairly certain that would draw some attention which they also didn't need at the moment. If he could get her up long enough to make it to his car he could at least drive them back to the mansion. "Sarah." He called, trying to rouse her as gently as he could. He switched to Egyptian, trying to convince himself it wasn't because Mokuba was listening and his brother wouldn't understand. "Love, wake up. I need you to open your eyes. Come on." When she didn't respond after a few more taps he reluctantly pulled out the millennium rod from where he had tucked it at the small of his back again.

Mokuba watched him with sharp eyes. "Can you really give her magic?"

"Yes." He agreed, because if Pegasus had managed he certainly could, even if he was tired. Placing the rod on her chest, with his hand over it, he silently willed it to give her magic. The item resisted, clearly disliking the idea of sharing, but he threw his will at it forcefully and a moment later soft golden light pulsed into her. Sarah let out a groan after another few moments and as her eyes fluttered open he pulled the rod away.

Her large blue eyes were disoriented and shaded with exhaustion. "We're… in your office." She stated after a moment, speaking in Japanese, her voice muffled somewhat by the towel. He supposed she wasn't as scrambled this time around.

"We are." He agreed as Mokuba leaned over the back of the couch, watching her with concern.

"Are you okay?" His brother asked.

She blinked slowly, reaching up to figure out what was on her face. He helped her sit up as he spoke. "You have a nose bleed. It's a towel."

She took control of the material and swayed, her eyes gliding over the room, and then to his hand, eying the rod warily. After a moment her attention returned to him, and he saw wary realization in her eyes. Reaching out he held her shoulder with his free hand to help her keep his balance, trying to be reassuring. He was sure she at least remembered he had used magic on her, and likely that she had somehow gotten them here. "Pegasus was here." She finally said.

"He left." He informed her, wondering what exactly was going on in her head, or what conclusions she was coming to. He knew there was a very real possibility that those conclusions might not end up making him look very good in her opinion. She hadn't been the only one keeping a secret, and his was really no less damning. "He won't be bothering you."

"For about a day," Mokuba muttered sarcastically. He sent his brother a warning look and he rolled his eyes in reply.

"How did we get here?" She asked him, her eyes lingering on the millennium rod.

He watched her sharply. "You brought us here."

"I think… I'd like to lay down for a little while." Sarah replied after a protracted moment, having no doubt gotten the confirmation she wanted.

"We'll go back to the mansion." He told her, wanting them all in the same place tonight. "We both need to clean up." He squeezed her shoulder as he turned to Mokuba. "I don't want you to leave Kaiba Corp without Roland."

Mokuba wrinkled his nose in irritation. "Nii-san-"

"Mokuba." He said firmly, refusing to budge on this issue. "We can argue about this after the tournament. Just… have him bring you home. I'm having a hard enough time leaving you here to run things, so accept that I'm letting that particular issue alone and do this for me."

Mokuba puffed his cheeks out but after a moment made a slight motion with his hand. "Fine." He replied, giving in at least marginally. "But for the record, I don't need a babysitter."

"He's not a babysitter." He said, turning his attention to Sarah. "Can you sit up alone?" When she nodded tiredly he let her go for a moment and got up to go get her deck. He didn't care much about the duel disk, he had plenty more, but her deck wasn't replaceable, especially now that he knew she had a blue eyes in it. That was a clever move by his brother, and one more generous than he thought he would have managed. As he was removing it he continued. "He's a bodyguard, one that is actually hired to keep both of us safe, not just you."

Mokuba ignored that for the moment, he thought because it made logical sense and was true, which was a solid counter to his argument. With little tact, his brother changed the subject. "Well, whatever happened it looks like you both made it to the finals." He shrugged, it was no surprise, although the last two opponents had been irritating. "Yugi, Pegasus, and Mai all have five marks, they'll no doubt be in soon too." He nodded. "Rebecca was midway through a duel for her fifth when the alarm up here went off, so I think you can assume she'll be at five now too."

"Fine." He said, uncaring at the moment as to who was getting close to the finals. With both his space and Sarah's secure there was nothing left to do but wait. "We'll talk tonight when you get home. Call me if anything even remotely out of the ordinary happens."

"What about Pegasus?" Mokuba demanded, clearly wanting something done about him, as he slid the deck in his pocket and returned to them.

"If he comes back call the police, although I doubt they can do anything to him at the moment other than keeping him busy. Use that time to leave. Otherwise, don't bother him."

"He had to be lying about Yugi," Mokuba said as he helped Sarah to her feet. "Seriously, there's no way he would do that."

"I doubt he was lying." He replied. "Motou's dumb enough to call him." Mokuba looked as if he was getting a headache and he fully sympathized. He'd had that same headache for about five years now. It came on suddenly anytime Yugi showed up. "But ask if you want verbal confirmation. We both know Pegasus lies as easily as he breathes. I suppose I could be wrong." He turned them toward the door, with Sarah still holding the nose to her cloth as she listened quietly, leaning more of her weight than normal onto him, but managing to keep her feet under her. "My car's in the garage. You can lay down at as soon as we get back." Sarah nodded in tired in agreement and they left, with him fighting off the urge to drag Mokuba right along with him. Still, someone needed to stay and watch, to keep tabs on what was happening, and as hard as it was his brother had been right so many months ago now. He was no longer a child that needed constant protection. He had proved that more than once, although his reckless bravery set him on edge. But Mokuba was his own person, and that very part of him that made him so nervous also made his brother who he was. He would need to accept that, he would need to accept that sometimes Mokuba was going to make choices that he didn't agree with, choices that frightened him. He hoped he would be able to do that, because otherwise he was afraid the bond they had, the one he valued so very highly, might very well fall apart at his feet. That thought was as terrifying as letting go a little, and reluctantly he left Mokuba to take charge.

Shifting, he came slightly awake as he stretched out, his muscles stiff from the use of so much magic, but most of the ache had faded away, and reached out as he searched for warmth. His arm slid over cool sheets and he came awake groggily, missing the soft resistance Sarah was now providing in his bed. Adrenaline tore through him and his head jerked up as the fear that she had been snatched out from under his nose as he slept hit. Fortunately, that fright was eliminated as fast as it came on when he saw her standing silently in front of the ornate glass doors that lead out to his balcony, which overlooked the sea. After they got back to the mansion he had half carried her to his room as she slumped against him tiredly. She had been disturbingly quiet the whole way here, and had said nothing at all as they walked in despite having the eyes of several of his staff note them as they went upstairs together. They hadn't been expected, and more staff than were normally in view were out tidying up, as Ando tended to keep them behind the scenes. Considering she had been shy bordering on paranoid about that it only disquieted him more. He knew very well she remembered what happened down in the subway, but she made no comment about it, not even when they got to his room and he set the millennium rod down on his dresser in plain view. Deciding not to push, as he could only assume she wasn't pleased with him taking over her mind for a few minutes, he had pulled her into the bathroom with him and started the shower, intent on getting both of them clean as it was starting to drive him mad. He wasn't used to being dirty, and he wanted the filth off of him so he could think straight.

Sarah stood quietly where he left her after shutting the door to the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror intently as she swayed in place. Tossing his trench coat aside he pulled his shirt off before taking hold of her again. Sarah had allowed him to help her undress and followed him into the shower. Having been trying to work out how to get her in here for the last few weeks without her turning into a blushing mess, he found the situation much less scintillating than he'd imagined. Sarah was fading fast and it was all he could do to get them both coated in soap and washed off before she collapsed. Sarah had ended up holding onto his shoulders as her legs wobbled below her to keep herself up as he rinsed suds out of her hair, careful not to pull the wet strands. When he was done he kissed her forehead and turned the water off, quickly grabbing a towel and drying her off to an extent, although when he got her to the bed and handed her one of his t-shirts to sleep in she was still damp. Sarah hadn't cared. She had simply pulled the shirt on with heavy arms and curled up under the sheet.

Sarah had fallen asleep in seconds and he supposed no amount of magic sharing was going to keep her going for long. Clearly, she was largely going to need to recover herself. He had spent the next few hours logged onto the mainframe from his laptop watching the tournament progress as he sat in his room with her, getting comfortable sitting against his headboard. He was tired too, more than tired, and after he caught himself nodding off for the third time he gave in to his body's demands, sending Mokuba a text that he was going to bed and to wake him up if anything happened. Mokuba had agreed, telling him that nothing strange had happened since their duel this afternoon. Laying down he had curled up around Sarah before giving into the need to rest.

But she had come awake at some point and slipped away from him. She made a lovely image standing there in nothing but his shirt, soft, muted moonlight reflecting off her pale skin and hair. The navy blue fabric fell to mid thigh on her and was in stark contrast to her white hair, which was tumbling down around her shoulders. She had let it grow out since she cut it, and while it wasn't as long as it had been when she first moved here it was past her shoulder blades, growing faster than he would have thought possible, faster than any normal person's hair. He wondered if it was part of her magic, that it grew fast, or if she had somehow willed it when she got it into her head that he preferred it long. He couldn't see her face from where he was, it was too dark for any sort of reflection in the glass, and the odd stillness about her was strange to him, it seemed almost inhuman. But then, he supposed that made sense.

"Sarah?" He called tiredly.

Silence met his call and he forced himself to sit up, unsure if she had heard him or not. But as soon as he moved she spoke, her voice quiet and emotionless. "Who am I?" She asked him. "What am I?" He went still, his hand on the sheets, ready to push them off. He wasn't sure what to say, how to respond, because he wasn't sure what it was she wanted to hear, and had an inkling it may not be only Sarah he was speaking to right at this moment. At his silence, she went on. "The dreams are real too, aren't they? Just like everything else."

"What dreams?" He asked, as if he hadn't noticed the nightmares, his soft voice carrying easily across the quiet darkness of his bedroom.

"All of them." She replied as she stared out at the sea. "I'm the one scratching inside my own head trying to get out." He frowned, not understanding what she meant by scratching, and she went on. "And when I looked at myself in the mirror earlier it wasn't me that I saw. It's not me that I see now. My reflection isn't my own. I see someone else looking back at me, someone different the same way I see someone else in you, but there's more than another person in me." There was a longer silence as he struggled to find something to say. "Why is your dragon watching me?"

Pushing the blankets aside he got up and walked to her. Stopping behind her, his bare feet sinking into the soft carpet, he took her in. Sarah didn't move, didn't acknowledge him, although she must know he was there. Slowly, he reached around her and slid his arms around her waist, shifting forward so her back was pressed against his chest. He was still for a moment before speaking, and despite thinking about this for weeks, months if he were truly honest, he still wasn't really sure how to say it. It was clearly too late to go back, and his confession in the train car wasn't enough to satisfy her. It was never going to be enough censored the way it had been, and he was never going to turn into a kind enough person to break this gently, even if he was given all the time in the world. In fact, he wasn't sure being gentle about it would be a kindness. "You're watching yourself."

Half expecting a violent reaction of some kind, even magic, he braced himself, but she was motionless, her eyes still out on the ocean. Several long seconds ticked by before she spoke. "I remember… endless mountains of sand, and a colosseum with Mokuba, and a bedroom in a stone palace…" She lifted her arm up and put her hand on her forehead. "But it's all just flashes of the other you or white scales. How can I be human? How can I be anything else? Why does it all feel wrong?" Her voice started to waver, the emotionless facade dropping away. "And why can't I remember? Why should I remember something that never happened to me?"

Leaning his head down he kissed her neck warmly, his arms tightening around her securely as he tried to anchor her. "Come back to bed." He whispered, unable to think of any sweet or soothing words to comfort her. There was nothing, as far as he could see, for him to say to make it easier. This was simply what it was. A reality, no matter how bizarre or beyond her current understanding, and nothing he said would change any of it.

"Why won't you tell me?" She demanded quietly. "Why are you afraid of me?"

"I've never been afraid of you." He told her with firm conviction.

She began shaking then, horribly and abruptly. "I've hurt you somehow." She whispered. "I know I have, I feel… I know I did something horrible to you and I don't know what it is that I did." Her body hitched. "How could I have done that? How could I have let myself hurt you no matter what it is that I am? I could never-"

He turned her around quickly, realizing that the memories must be very close to breaking through if she was saying any of this, if she knew her death had pained him so profoundly in their last life, even if all she had was a vague foreboding of some undefinable event. Leaning down he kissed her deeply, pressing her up against the glass door as he strove to get as close to her as possible. Sarah whimpered into his mouth in an odd cross between distress and desire. Reaching up he slid his hand behind her head, holding her against him firmly, all but forcing her to arch up to meet him. Sarah moaned, pressing back into him, her hands gripping at his bare shoulders. Utterly drugged by the taste of her he shifted so he could get to more of her, sliding the hand that wasn't holding her face around her waist again and pressing her flat against him. Breathless with want he was about to drag her back to the bed when he felt warm wetness against his cheeks. Opening his eyes he pulled back slightly and saw that tears were streaking down Sarah's face. Never sure how to handle such a blatantly emotional display, and fighting off rampant lust he panted down at her. "I'm sorry." She whispered when she met his eyes, hers full of baffled guilt. "I'm sorry for whatever I did."

Some strange part of him, the quiet, vulnerable part she woke up, quivered painfully. "Don't apologize." He demanded, his voice rough. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did." She said with conviction, still shaking. "I'm sorry." She reached up to cup his face and all at once he saw what she must have been seeing for weeks now. He saw Kisara there, resting inside of her, close to the surface, as if Sarah were an outline of herself. No wonder she had been so panicked on the train, no wonder she had run from him and then demanded to know where he really was. "I'm sorry, Seto." Another tear streaked down her face. "I'm so sorry."

"Stop it." He said gruffly, his own emotions getting the better of him. Leaning down he kissed her, roughly, as he cupped her face. He was horrified that she was apologizing to him for being murdered, as if it hadn't been his fault in every way. If he had stopped and thought, if he hadn't been so damn impulsive and sure of himself she never would never have died. It had always been him at fault, him and his damn pride, no matter how he turned it over or analyzed it. That she was here now was a twist of fate that he couldn't explain and didn't feel he deserved. He had never done anything to deserve her the first time, and had made no sacrifice or reparations in this life to warrant finding her again. "Come back to bed with me, love." She shivered against him, her grip on him tightening, and he pulled her back toward his bed. Guiding her away from the window he sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled her into his lap. When she was secure, her legs crooked up on one side of him, he wiped the tears away with his thumb as he held her in place with his left arm. She watched him silently, her large eyes filled with guilt he was sure she couldn't place. Sarah was still shaking, the vibrations refusing to stop since they began, and he made an odd shushing noise he no more recognized than knew he could make.

Her hands tightened around his shoulders for a moment. "I feel crazy." She told him. "Like someone else's emotions are running me over. Why can't I make it stop?" He stroked her face again, reassuringly, and she hitched, a harder shudder hitting her. "The story Ishizu told me was true wasn't it? The story about the priest and the white dragon."

He stroked her hair back, knowing at this point denying it would be more painful than telling her. "Yes." He admitted. "It's true."

"You knew?" She asked, her voice wavering yet again.

He kept stroking her hair back, meeting her eyes levelly. "I knew." He admitted. "I knew as soon as you looked up at me the first time in class."

She stared at him for a long moment and despite always being able to tell if she was lying, what she was feeling when he stared into her eyes, for the first time he couldn't desire anything. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked at last.

"You didn't remember." He told her. "You still don't for all you're feeling what you must have felt before." He rubbed her cheek. "I think you'll remember soon, but I've been thinking that for months." He sighed, seeing that his wish to spare her this pain was gone now. "I wanted…" He began to struggle, because what she was asking for was more than a straightforward and emotionless answer. It was messy, and emotional, and complicated. All of the things that he despised dealing with. Still, she deserved the truth if that was what she was asking for. "I wanted you to have me as I was now. I wanted to have you as you are now. I wanted it to be more than fate. We aren't bound to our last life. You aren't bound to me. If you'd wanted something else, how could I deny you that? You deserved a choice and I didn't want you to deal with this insanity the way I'd been forced to." He finished the last of it, hoping eventually relief from holding this in would come, but not optimistic enough to expect it. "You were happy as you were. That's all I wanted for you. You don't deserve to hurt anymore and this is… painful in ways I can't fully describe."

Sarah stared at him, turning that over with the calm patience that he'd grown so used to. "And now?"

"I'm a selfish man." He replied after a moment as unease at the unasked question, the question of her making a different choice, hit him. It only seemed harder now that they were sharing a bed, when only a few months ago he would have claimed that it would have been no different if she had left before or after such a thing happened. "But I won't try to deny you your freedom or decisions. You aren't mine unless that's what you decide." He tightened his arm around her unconsciously as he contemplated the loss. "I won't stop you from leaving if that's what you want, but it would be safer to wait until the tournament is over. This man will kill you if he can. I need to stop him while I know where you are. I don't know what he'll do if he managed to get you."

There was another long pause as she stared at him and he waited, feeling the odd, stomach-churning sensation of nervousness and rejection. "What if I want to stay?" She asked at last, her fingers tracing his shoulder blades gently.

Profound relief swept through him at the pointed question and he let out a low breath. "Then I'll keep you here with me until we're old and gray."

Sarah's eyes glittered, and he felt some of the tension drain out of her. "That's quite the proposal, Seto Kaiba." She remarked, and he heard in her voice that she was coming back out of the odd emotions and back into herself. "What must you be like as an old man? I mean, you're cantankerous now, how bad will it be in forty years? That's rather a lot to ask of me." With the same skill as always, she managed to cut through the tension and get him to smile, his lips twitching up at the corners.

"I realize it's a daunting task." He agreed, stroking her soft skin with renewed confidence, which felt much more like himself. "But I thought I might be able to convince you it was worth it."

"And how exactly are you going to manage that?" She challenged, her eyes twinkling, driving the fear and guilt away. "Because apparently I'm also very well off now and won't be tempted by all this finery-"

Before she could continue with her teasing he twisted them around so she was sprawled out on the bed below him. She let out a surprised giggle at the sudden move, which he quickly smothered away with a searing kiss. Sneaking his hand up under the t-shirt he quickly found her center and began to rub her firmly. A strangled moan escaped her at the sensation and he let her lips go so he could trail his way up to her ear, whispering to her seductively. "I can think of a few ways. Should I try now?" He asked as he slowly slid one of his fingers inside of her, crooking it up as he searched for that spot that got her to quiver and thrash.

Sarah arched up, trying to angle herself to make it easier for him. "I'm certainly-" She moaned. "-willing to give you a chance." She agreed.

He hummed in amusement, charmed by the sassy streak she tended to keep hidden most of the time. She always managed to bring it out at just the right moment to drive him to distraction. Catching her lips again he pillaged her mouth as he brought her up, pumping his hand in a steady, firm rhythm. Sarah panting against him, her hands gripping at his sides and arms as she squirmed excitedly below him. She was hot and slick, and it took most of his self-control not to replace his finger with something else, but he was intent on getting her to peak, to meet the challenge even if it had been a teasing one, and pressed a second finger into her insistently, stretching her further. That was clearly all that it took, that extra bit of stimulation, because she came apart with a cry of pleasure, pressing her hips against his hand and she pulsed around him.

Kissing her as she relaxed back into the blankets he removed his fingers and grabbed the bottom of the shirt, tugging it up insistently. Sarah wiggled out of it with his help and he quickly kicked his sweatpants off. Catching her quickly he laid over her, kissing her gently as she continued to reel from her orgasm. When she met his eyes, her hazy with lust, he spoke, surprising himself with how gentle his voice was. "I love you." Sarah jolted at the words, having not expected them at all. Pushing her hair back out of her face, as it had partially fallen over her eyes, he went on, driven by the old part of him as strongly as he'd ever been. "I've always loved you. I've loved you since I first saw you." And, he supposed, that was true both times.

Reaching up Sarah put her small hands on either side of his face and drew him down to her. "Show me." She whispered, shifting below him so he could. More than happy to comply he took the invitation happily and slid inside her, groaning against her lips as he settled, his head spinning. Sarah whimpered her approval, her hands gliding back to his shoulders, and then down his arms in an encouraging caress. Unable to keep himself still even if he had wanted to he began to rock inside of her. Sarah let out a soft sigh and he kissed her, finding an easy pace for several minutes before moving out of her abruptly, wanting something different. She made a sound of protest, which he ignored as he used the arm he had under her to flip her over. Sarah sent him an unsure glance as she ended up unsteadily on her knees, as they had only tried this position one other time since they started sleeping together. Leaning over her he kissed her cheek as he grabbed her hip to steady her. Sliding back inside of her he let out an approving grunt as she rocked forward lightly. Kissing at her shoulders he urged her silently back down, until she was flat over the bed, and hissed as the shift had her body clamping tightly around him. Sarah let out a choked cry at the new angle and he took that to mean she approved.

Shifting so he was resting on his elbows over her he began to thrust again, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head at the sensation. Sarah, at an apparent loss, began to grip at the sheets below her as she let out sharp little mewls that were getting progressively louder the longer this went on. Pleased with that, as she only raised her voice when she was very excited he strove forward, gritting his teeth to keep himself together long enough for her to come a second time. Tilting his head down he nipped at her neck on impulse, having no idea where the idea came from, and Sarah jolted all over at the unexpected sensation, coming apart at the seams with a strangled shout. As soon as her body began to tighten he let go, pressing his hips as hard against her as he could, driving her forward a few inches over the slick sheets. Bombarded by pleasure he managed a strangled praise before there was only the feeling of perfection coursing through him. Going slack after several moments he collapsed over her, trying to keep himself up on one arm, but not really succeeding as his limbs trembled.

Panting below him, Sarah's fingers slowly unclenched from around his now twisted and mangled bedding. "That was very convincing." She gasped, sounding dazed. "I suppose I'll stay, but only if we do that again."

He groaned out a tired laugh, pressing his head against her shoulder. "You'll be pleased to know we have all day tomorrow to ourselves."

"Oh." She replied intelligently. "That's lovely news." He hummed in agreement, his tired mind turning over a number of very appealing possibilities about what he could do with her in that amount of time, and disregarding that it was very unlikely that they really would be able to spend all day in bed together. "But we really need to talk about this magic business."

He wrinkled his nose but knew it was true, no matter how much he hated that. "Fine."

"I can see it's a much-liked subject." She sighed sarcastically, stretching out a little below him. "And I'm sure now I'm angry about nearly all of it as you've been keeping secrets." Grumbling, he relaxed, shifting off of her just enough that he was sure she could breathe properly. "I'll scold you tomorrow I suppose."

"Small mercies." He replied as she reached for the blanket. Grabbing a part of is as she dragged it back to them he helped cover them up. Snuggling back against him she hummed in sleepy contentment and went still. Allowing himself a small measure of relief that the worst of the revelations might be over he relaxed as well. With most of this out in the open now he saw no reason for it to get between them. Now he could spend all of his energy and attention on this madman so he could get on with what he now viewed as a very pleasant future with Sarah. Nothing was going to take that away from him this time.

Author's Note: Whelp, that took forever. I'm sorry, I had a streak of writer's block, but I think it is passed. I hope the chapter was worth the wait :)