MythCreatorWriter: One of these days I'll get into the motion of proofreading, I'm sure of it! Just not tonight… Cause I still technically have homework to do and it's almost midnight. I know, I'm one smart cookie. How am I ever going to get into college now? Anyhow, rawr rawr rawr, in character-ness, non-character-ness, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. But hey, thanks for the review! Enjoy the chapter!

Starlight Luster: Nice! Squealing is good! I'm sure squealing prevents cancer too;) Anyways, thanks for your lovely review. Always bringing me the smiles, no doubt! Enjoy the chapter.

AmePiper: Don't worry about it, you're fine. Everyone gets busy sometimes. Like how I should be busy right now, but somehow I'm writing this chapter. I'm such a silly kid sometimes. I don't have much time myself, but I'm going to try and give you a well rounded review reply anyway. I like making a fool out of Seto; I feel like, at this point, it's got to be considered a hobby. I do it so damn much! Anyways, thanks for your reviews! They're wonderful.

Rena Redhead: Joan is annoyingly everything in this story. And she just seems to get more annoying in this chapter! Or less logical… I'm not sure which. Gosh, I should really be doing my homework… oh well, never hurt to die from lack of sleep. Did I mention I hate school? Oh yeah, you're review. Hahaha, my bad. Yeah, I;m sure they'll have enough time to dwell on Noah in the later chapters. I'm not even sure when that encounter will be happening, but whenever it does, it shall be epic! But yeah, as the ending statement, Joan makes everyone feel like an idiot. Hahaha, thanks for the review!

Chapter 5: Darkness Surrounds Us

-M-

We didn't walk for long this time, especially with Seto's inability to move for himself. Although I would admit that I didn't enjoy the fact that we had wandered right back into the forest that we seemed to always show up in after witnessing a seemingly painful memory. It gave me this feeling like we were going in circles and not really making any progress in moving forward.

Joan stopped nearby a large oak tree and prompted Seto up beside it. The minute she had released him, he had scowled at her and pushed her off whenever she would try and adjust him. I really hated how Seto was acting; he could be such a stubborn child when he wanted to be. It annoyed me.

I watched as Joan tried to examine Seto's wound, which proved to be awkward and funny all at the same time. Joan had tried lifting Seto's shirt off to take a look at the blow he received to his stomach, which caught Seto off surprise, and it might've even scared him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Seto asked in horror, thrusting his shirt back down and covering his body.

"I need to see what the damage is and if that thing's horn cut the skin or not," Joan attempted to pull up Seto's shirt once more, but Seto pulled away and fell over on his side, holding his shirt down.

"No way!"

"You're acting like a baby." Joan tried to reach in again, but Seto curled up into a tighter ball. I started laughing, I had never seen Seto act so childish before.

"No I'm not! You're acting like a child molester!" Joan glared at him.

"Yeah, except you're not a child and I'm not molesting you." Joan tried one last time, before giving up. Joan sighed loudly with frustration, "Fine, be that way. Don't come to me when you get an infection though." Seto rolled his eyes and push himself back up from the ground.

"Oh, like you know what an infection would even look like. Tell me, when did you graduate from medical school?" Joan walked over to another tree nearby by and sat by it, a couple feet away from where Seto and I were.

"Whatever, suit yourself." Seto tried to put on one of his 'I don't care if you're mad at me because I'm mad at you' face. I laughed a little bit more before walking over to Seto myself and tapping him on the shoulder. Seto looked up at me, disgruntled.

"What?"

"You sure you shouldn't let Joan take a look? I mean; what if you're hurt?" Seto rolled his eyes at me. He had a way of treating me a like a mindless child at the most random times.

"I'm fine, Mokuba, I don't see how any random duel monster can make any real assessment about my condition." Joan stirred from her resting place and eyed him.

"Are you always this annoyingly cocky or did something happen to you to make you act that way?" Joan responded. I thought she had dropped it, why did she keep trying to pick a fight? Women, I swear, I may never understand them.

"Look little miss Saint, I don't know why you're still hanging around but I suggest you shut your mouth and leave me alone. Really, it's not like you do anything useful." This was just another fight waiting to happen. I took a couple steps back, hoping that somehow I would be able to dodge their bullets as the battle began. Joan was becoming red with frustration.

"So saving your brother isn't useful? Is that what you're saying? Really, the boy should considering finding a new guardian." Joan got up from where she was sitting and began to walk off but not before giving Seto another glare. Seto didn't seem to mind, but I did. Joan leaving made me feel a little less safe in a way, so I called for her to come back.

"Joan, hold up. Don't go!" I yelled.

"Let her go, Mokuba. We're better off by ourselves anyway."

"Nii-sama, stop it. Joan's my friend, I don't want her to leave like that," I started running towards her, "Joan! Wait!" I reached out with my hand and grabbed her armored shoulder. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned towards me. There was this strange feeling that suddenly came over me, and all had become quiet.

"Hey Mokuba," Joan said with no emotion, but loud enough for Seto to hear even from where he was sitting, "Do you remember those dogs that came at you?" My eyes were wide, and my mouth began to quiver with fear. What was happening to me? What was going on? Joan reached down and pulled up the sleeve of my shirt, revealing one of the scars I had gotten from the event.

"If I were you, I'd watch my back. The world's out to get you." I was frozen, I couldn't move. Her hand was still gripping my arm and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Those dogs… I could still hear their barks; I could see their snarling teeth. They were going to come after me, they were thirsty for blood!

"Get OFF of my brother!" Seto yelled, pushing Joan off of me. I was instantly snapped out of my trance and came back to the real world just in time to see my brother and Joan at it once more. What was up with these two and their fights? And what the heck had just happened to me?

"It would be better if you just left, Joan, you're presence can't help us at this point in time." Seto was standing beside me, holding his body up by leaning against a nearby tree. Either way, he looked ready to fight, even if he was immobile at the moment.

"If that's what you have to make yourself believe to fall asleep at night, then so be it." Seto's eyes narrowed and he stared at her intently.

"I don't sleep," Seto stated in a dark tone. Joan shrugged and turned away once more.

"Suit yourself. See ya around Mokuba." I opened my mouth to call out to her again, but then the eerie feeling came back to me. Something was wrong. Flashes from my past started coming back to me out of my control. I saw dungeons and darkness, the tower, my escape and my epic fall to the ground. Then I saw Kemo… the look on his face was more frightening than the grin on Pegasus's face when he had assured me he would get those papers signed. When he had told me my brother was dead.

My legs started to shake and I started to loose feeling in them slowly. Seto suddenly had caught on to my odd behavior and was asking me what was wrong. His words only echoed in my mind, but I could no longer see him beside me. All I could see was the locket in my hand. Instead of him shaking me, all I could feel was the emptiness in my stomach, and the food that had been forced all across my face.

I had to be the most miserable looking thing I ever did see. I looked down and saw dried blood everywhere. The walls of the dungeon started to move, and then I saw the introductory video to the Shadow Realm. I fell through the hole and I had seen Joan once again.

I began to pull on my hair, shouting and screaming. What was happening to me? Why wouldn't this stop? I had trained myself to stop thinking about what had happened. I had been able to repress all memories from those days in captivity. Why were they coming back now? What was making this happen to me?

At some point I had completely lost balance and had fallen to the ground. I began to roll back and forth in a rhythmic motion, hoping it would stop the memories from coming back. Hoping my mind would finally be at piece, but instead I saw darkness.

-S-

I didn't know what was going on with him, but when he fell to the ground it seemed like my strength had returned to me and my wound had no longer hurt. I was on the ground beside my brother soon afterwards, placing my hands on him to keep him from rolling continuously. But he just kept screaming, then he began kicking and punching the air in all directions.

"Mokuba… Mokuba! Calm down!" I yelled, but it was no use. Mokuba was having some sort of episode, and it was apparent he couldn't hear me. Much less be aware of what was going on. I had to bring him back before he went completely mad. I had to bring him back to reality. I grabbed each of his hands and held them tightly in order to restrain him. He continued to try and fight me off.

"I'LL NEVER GIVE YOU KAIBA CORP. PEGASUS!" Mokuba yelled at the top of his lungs. I stopped and stared at him.

"Pegasus?"

"I don't care if you have to kill me, you'll never get me to sign those papers!" Mokuba yelled once more in a very high pitched tone. I winced at the sound, but the words themselves confused me. Why was Mokuba talking about Pegasus, and Kaiba Corp.? Could it be that this was some sort of… memory, from Duelist Kingdom?

"I'm not Pegasus, Mokuba, it's me. Your brother!" Mokuba tried to yank his right arm out of my grasp but I was too quick and re-tightened my hold on him. He was still thrashing about, I wonder if he was ever going to get tired. His legs were back in the air soon enough, unfortunately for me, he landed a kick right where I had gotten hit.

I released him immediately and fell backwards in pain. I had keeled over, holding my stomach before falling sideways onto the ground. That kid knew how to pack a kick when he was having an episode; that was for sure. I opened one eye and looked back at him. He continued to shake and shutter.

"Nii-sama…" Mokuba choked out, "Nii-sama, why haven't you come for me?" The pain from the previous attack disappeared and I looked back at him. I leaned onto my stomach and reached out towards the shaking child. I placed my hand on his arm, this time in a softer and more gentle manner.

"Mokuba… I'm right here… it's okay. It's going to be okay." Mokuba curled himself into a fetal position; whimpers could be heard from him.

"Why haven't you come for me…? You said you'd always be there for me. So why aren't you here? Why haven't you saved me from Pegasus??" My hand slowly lifted from Mokuba's arm and I sat up, staring at him bewildered. I suddenly knew what he was talking about. It was Duelist Kingdom. Mokuba was in some sort of state of mine where he was thinking he was in Duelist Kingdom again.

I gently took hold of the boy's upper body and pulled him over to my lap. I was shocked to see tears running down his face, the shaking had not ceased from his body, still. The soft whimpers could still be heard. My mind was running circles. Mokuba's words, his thoughts, it was all coming from what he had thought and felt back when he had been kidnapped from Pegasus. It was all started to make sense in my mind.

"Mokuba, it's going to be alright…" I said in a quiet voice, running my hand through his hair in a calming fashion, "I'm right here, you're safe."

"You didn't come for me Nii-sama…" I stopped when I noticed that Mokuba was no longer shaking and he was no longer in a mental state of confusion. He had regained control of his current state, he was normal again. Mokuba sat up and looked back at me with the coldest of eyes. "You let Pegasus kidnap me."

I shifted back at the tone of Mokuba's voice. What was going on with him? He had never sounded so angry and resentful in his life. What was happening? I tried to pull him back into a comforting hug, but he refused. He was really furious with me and I couldn't have been more confused.

"That's not true. You know I never would've let that happen."

"But you did, and that is what happened. You left me to die."

"I was confused Mokuba, I didn't know what I was doing at the time."

"So you decided to run away instead? That seemed like the logical thing to do?"
"At the time, yes!" I was beginning to get very angry with the way Mokuba was acting. He was my younger brother, and although I was not technically his parent, he hadn't the privilege to talk to me in that way. The look in his eyes weren't friendly to look at either.

"I can't believe I actually thought you were going to come for me when I was in that dungeon! I can't believe I lived through all of that crap just for you!" Mokuba got up and tried to run away but I jumped back to my feet and grabbed him by the arm. Mokuba had started crying once again, although this time it was more like sobbing. It was more uncontrollable then before. It was painful to watch because I knew he was bawling on his own, and not under the influence of any other mental state.

"What happened on Duelist Kingdom, Mokuba?" I asked him in a serious tone. Mokuba continued to sob, my heart continued to break. But I had to know, I had to find out. There must be a way to fix what had happened, I just had to know who to punish. I had to make it up to Mokuba by knowing everything I had let them do to him in my absence. "WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?!" I found myself yelling without any real control over myself.

Mokuba could only cry harder. He had fallen back onto the ground, this time burying himself within his arm and hiding his face beneath his hair. I had let go at this point and all had become silent, except for Mokuba's cries. I was breathing hard, even though I had not done any real physical labor. I was breathing this way out of desperation, out of fear.

Whatever they had done to my younger brother on that island had left a dark mark on Mokuba that may never go away. To sit there, to know I had failed him, to see that there was a darker place that I couldn't save Mokuba from; it was scary. If there had ever been any moment in my life where failure was evident, this moment would be the archetype of those moments.

I had failed my brother in more ways than one, and it seemed there was nothing else I could do except sit on the ground and watch him drown in a pit of darkness alone.

A/N: I hope you all are happy. I didn't finish my psychology or math homework to go and finish this. I felt so bad about how long it was taking to update so I decided education was for losers and write this up. I suppose I'll just have to stay up even later and try to get that done some other time. Gosh, I feel bad, but oh well. I got two chapters done in one day! Anyhow, I feel kind of odd about this chapter. I mean, this was literally something that came out of nowhere. I didn't know what I wanted to do with this chapter, and somehow this came out. Hopefully however it did come out, I hope it came out well in some aspects. Thanks again for all your reviews! See ya later!