Oh my, I've been becoming busier and busier by the minute. I might fly off to the Philippines next week. It'll be my first time in Manila so I'm quite ecstatic. :D Much of my readers are from the Philippines so I'm excited to visit your country!

Anyway, I already know how this fiction will end so it means it'll be easier for me to write this down—just need to find the time to write. :D It's one of my priority fictions at the moment. Other fics are on a halt until I get ideas. SORRY! But please do rate and review this one! From now on, I'm using Seto's first name in the narration.

TheElegantFaerie: I'm glad you like how I'd developing your story! This fic is really kinda nostalgic for me so I want to put a lot of effort into this. Thanks for the support!

ThePinkMartini: I'm not very familiar with Seto's character too but I hope I'm not swaying away from his real character. :D Oh, and I've made the age wrong in the previous chapter. Seto will be 18 in this fiction—I've finally decided on that.

Disclaimer: FY and YGO are not mine.

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Lovers Reunited

By Slavedriver2008

The class bell rung and Seto annoyingly looked up from the book. He wanted to finish reading the book quickly; from what he remembered from the incident he saw, the priestesses can come back only after the story has ended. He eyed the thick blank pages and sighed. He would be unable to finish the book if he stayed in school but it was still too early to go home. It would attract attention if he leaves now.

Likewise, the principal will surely look for the two girls and telling her they disappeared inside a book would make him a perfect epitome of a madman. Too much was at stake—his name, reputation, Yui's life. What? He erased the last phrase out. For now, he shall keep the book and read it in secrecy. It might lead him to clues on why he was connected to the girl and why his body was reacting to her.

Seto disregarded the possibility of sharing an unexplainable intimate bond. He never got close to anyone before, only to his brother. He never entertained the countless female admirers he had and could not understand why such a skinny girl would occupy his thoughts. Well, he thought, she's pretty. But he wasn't admitting to anything.

The only thing that mattered to him was technology and power. He wanted to control the world and the easiest way was by the use of technology. All nations depend on technology for growth. It was the means and the end. There was nothing beyond machines and encrypted data and transformation. Humans were made to create machines. His vision was a humanless future with machines ruling the world, nothing more, nothing less.

But the book intrigued him. The book, he clarified in his head, not the girl. If such an ancient thing can bridge two worlds and he could decipher how it was done, then his path to ruling the world would be easier. Such a discovery could permanently place Kaiba Corporation at the top of the world. The Duel Monster cards has the ability to bring monsters from an alternate universe but it was only temporary and through the use of machines to stabilize the connection. But this book, this dinosaur chunky book was capable of establishing not just a connection but a portal to another world.

The image of the girl appeared, once again, in his thoughts. What was in her that made it easy to cross the worlds? The other girl was the one who reopened the portal but Yui had likewise been able to jump into it. Further, the book had been mentioning her side of the story. How important was Yui in the book?

Nothing made sense. But Seto knew one thing: He had to know. He just had to. With another sigh, Seto set down the book and activated the encoder. He shall think about her when everything is over. For now, he shall read and watch the scenes unfold from each blank space. The left portion of the book started to draw images and Seto saw Yui sitting on the bed, wrapped in bandages, dressed in a white robe.

The priestess of Seiryuu woke up, body still in pain. She lined the bandages on her arms and as she traced the edges, her attention caught the image of an old scar. She thumbed the almost inconspicuous sinuous line, remembering the night she slashed her wrist and the events that triggered it. The scenario was the same; but instead of pitying herself, she thought of the man who saved her. The power was too familiar to be placed as somebody else. It was the shogun, she thought. The shogun had saved her from the heavens. The door of the room slowly parted and the priestess turned to find her friend running toward her.

"YUI!" Miaka embraced her tight. Yui was too weak to hold the girl back and she smiled instead. At least there was a familiar figure with her in the book. "How are you feeling now?"

"I feel better. I'm a little hungry, though." Miaka laughed lightly and she stood from the bed.

"I'm hungry too! I waited for you to wake up. I'll ask the servants to prepare a meal for you!" Before Yui could say anything more, Miaka was already out of the room, leaving the door open behind her.

"Miaka never changed…" she noted and stood up, still slightly weak. She walked toward the door and stepped outside. The view of the beautiful palace garden caught her attention and she smiled, walking toward the threshold, devouring the view of blooming cherry blossoms.

"Beautiful…" a voice came from her left and Yui turned to find a handsome young man staring at her. He was dressed in rich Chinese clothes of red hues. Deep hazel eyes looked at her face and she smiled.

"Yes, the garden looks amazing from here," she replied, turning to look at the garden again. The lad walked closer and stood beside her, making Yui realize he was a head taller. "My name is Yui Hongou. What's your name?"

The young man was slightly surprised at her question but smiled in response. "You can call me Boshin," he told her very softly. "Your name suits you, Yui-sama." Yui blushed and looked at him. "And your face is far more beautiful than the cherry blossoms."

Yui's heart palpitated wildly. "How old are you?" she asked.

"Eighteen. I am old enough to choose a wife," he told her and she blushed more. "How old are you?" he asked, slightly leaning down to get a good view of her face.

"Sixteen," she whispered and Boshin smiled wider. She looked at him quizzically, face still pink. A handsome man never flirted with her before. Their eyes met and she felt warm. A handsome man never made her feel warm before too.

"You are old enough to be my wife, Yui-sama," he said and Yui gasped, eyes widening. She wanted to faint. Boshin stroke her cheek and was about to lean down to plant a kiss on her lips when someone called behind them.

"Ouji-sama!" a man's voice called and they both turned to find a smiling monk walking toward them. "Ah, you've met the Seiryuu no miko, no da."

"Seiryuu no miko?" Surprise registered over Boshin's handsome face and he immediately stepped back.

"Ouji-sama?" Yui asked. Wait, who was this guy? They stared at each other for a long time until the monk reached them and spoke again.

"This is Konan's Crowned Prince, Boshin. He will be Emperor soon, no da." Yui gasped and blinked at him repeatedly, couldn't believe the future Emperor flirted with her. "Both your expressions are priceless. What were you telling the priestess earlier, ouji-sama?"

"Nothing. I merely greeted the palace's most important guest." The prince smiled gloomily and turned away. "I shall be going ahead, then. If you need anything, please say so and I will provide you with what I can give," he said in a formal cold voice. He turned away and Yui was slightly disappointed. He retaliated the moment he found out who she was. It was her curse, to be forever damned in this world.

"I am Chichiri, Seiryuu no miko," the monk told her and she smiled. He was older than when she last saw him. It seemed that time moved quickly in the Land of the Four Gods than in her world.

"Please just call me Yui. It had been a long time since I was the Seiryuu no miko, Chichiri-san." She turned again to where the prince left and frowned. "I wonder where Miaka ran off to? She said she will ask the servants to bring food."

"She's probably lost. Should we go and look for her, no da?" the monk asked and Yui nodded. Her strength was coming back. They walked toward the other side and Yui debated with herself whether to ask about the prince or not. "The prince is in your thoughts, ne?"

Yui flushed. "It's not what you're thinking. I'm just… He seemed lonely…"

The monk nodded and smiled wider. "He grew up without a father. I believe that there is a spot that will forever be hollow in his heart, no da." Yui watched the floor they were treading. It was her fault Boshin grew up with a big responsibility and a brokenness. It was her wish that killed his father.

"He must hate me for what I did. I couldn't blame him. I hated myself at some point too."

"Hate? I believe it was the other way around, no da," he told her and Yui's brow creased. "I was told that the prince had not shown any interest in the women of the harem, much like his father. Remembering the look on his face, I could say that he was…every bit besotted by you, no da."

Redness spread through Yui's cheeks, making the monk laugh loud. They reached a slightly opened door and before Yui could speak to refute what he said, she heard Miaka and Tamahome's voices inside. They were about to walk away when the two spoke. Yui ended up eavesdropping against her will.

"You haven't change a bit, Miaka. You've only grown a year," Tamahome said in a deep loving voice. "I am an old man now. I'm no longer young enough to stand beside you."

"Tamahome…" Miaka called him in a soft voice. "No matter how old you are, my heart will always belong with you." She leaned to his chest and smiled. "I missed you very much. Not a day passed that I didn't think of you."

Tamahome wrapped his arms around his beloved. "You are always in my thoughts too, Miaka. Every night, I wish to wake up with you in my arms." Tamahome cupped the brunette's face. "Are you disgusted that I am too old?"

Miaka laughed lightly, shaking her head. "In my eyes, you are still my handsome Tamahome. You still make my heart race." The warrior leaned down to kiss the girl and Yui looked away. Chichiri closed the door of the room, giving the two the privacy they deserved.

Yui clutched her hand and brought it up to cover her mouth. She was envious of them. She wanted something like that, someone to hold and kiss and say sweet nothings. Someone to love and cherish forever. Someone to miss when they were gone. She wanted to find that person. Miaka found it in Tamahome. She wanted to find her Tamahome too. She wanted to love and be loved.

"We should look for the food, no da." Chichiri smiled at her, as if reading her thoughts. Yui shook her head as they silently left the room.

"I'm not hungry, Chichiri. I think I should go back to my room and rest." Yui did not wait for the monk's response. She turned and walked back, looking down and too deep in thoughts she had not noticed that someone was following her.

Boshin silently walked behind the priestess, careful not to make any movement to make her turn. He wanted to look at her, remind himself that she was not a woman for him to marry. But it was a futile plan. The more he sees her, the more he yearned for her. It was pathetic how he had always hated her in the past and now felt otherwise. Seeing her now, broken and hurting, Boshin realized they were both scarred. And it made him wanted to wrap his arms around her and make her feel safe. He stopped the moment she entered her room and closed the door.

"It's not proper for the future Emperor to hide while following a girl, no da." Boshin turned and his face flushed when he saw Chichiri's smiling face.

Inside her room, Yui sat on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, replaying the exchange of conversation between Miaka and Tamahome. She then thought of the boy was something about him that seemed powerful. But not evil. Almost like Nakago's power. And he was kinda cute... Well, not as handsome as the Prince. Yui flushed at the thought of the two men. Why was she thinking of them? She was supposed to find a way out of the book!

Yet, Kaiba's face kept on appearing in Yui's mind. She was drawn to him for some unknown reason. Almost like the way she was drawn to Nakago. "Nakago…" she whispered his name and her body felt warm. She fingered her scar again, remembering how he saved her. There were many more instances but at that time, she doesn't care, doesn't even turn to look at him. If she had been stronger then, could she have saved him? "Nakago…"

"You called…Yui-sama?"

A cold familiar voice rung in the room and when Yui looked up, the handsome face of the shogun met her view. A smirk left his face and cold blue eyes eyed her in a familiar yet strangely new way. For the first time, Yui was both elated and afraid to see the man she loved.

The shogun appeared on the priestess's room. The priestess wanted to run to him but was stopped by something she could not define. She waited for the warrior to show her his mark, waited for the blue light to fill the room. But nothing came. And the fact made the Seiryuu no miko tremble in fear. Though they bore the same face, the man in front of her was not the same man he wanted to see.

The words blurred and the encoder suddenly erupted. Kaiba closed the book and stood up, looking around the private study. No one was around yet something shifted. He placed the book inside his coat and walked toward the door, remembering the parts of the book he had read.

Nothing much had happened, except that the lovers are reunited and Yui met the other seishi Chichiri and the future Emperor. The thought of the latter made him frown. How can Yui let a man like him touch her? He was close to kissing her and yet… He frowned further when he realized that Yui had not been hostile to the boy. As a matter of fact, she seemed to understand the prince's sentiments. Why was she kind to Boshin and was unfriendly to him, she was…

Seto shook the thought away. What was he thinking? He does not care if Yui ended up in the Prince's arms. What mattered to him was the book. He wanted to know the power of the book. That and nothing else. He was about to open the door when it opened on its own and Yui's beautiful face greeted his view.

"Kaiba-san. I've been looking all over for you," she whispered, stepping inside and then closing the door behind her. Seto's heart palpitated at the sight of her and for a brief moment, he forgot she was supposed to be inside the book.

"Yui… Why are you—" He was unable to finish the question because the moment the door closed, Yui reached for him and captured his mouth for a kiss.

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A/N: Sorry for the grammar lapses. No time to re-read and edit. I promise to make a better job on the next chapter. Will explain further on the characterization in the next chapter too. Please rate and review!