Atem entered the room sheepishly where Yugi's friends had gathered. From the looks on their faces, they were angry.

"Oh, look who finally decided to join us?" Joey glared at the newcomer.

"I am sorry I have not been able to spend the time with you that I would like."

"But you had no problem letting Kaiba in on the planning."

"Joey, I'm sure there are reasons." Tea looked to the young pharaoh for an explanation

"Kaiba forces his way where he wants. I had little choice but to accept his help. But it does not matter. The attack failed." Atem landed heavily on the chair across the table from Yugi's friends.

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked joining them from the garden outside. A black kitten sat curled up on his shoulder.

"We could not rescue Neferet. Something happened and she and Umi split in two. We don't know if Neferet still has her power over the God Cards or not, nor do we know if Umi shares her power."

"Yeah, we know that." Joey leaned forward. "Is that all that's eating you up?"

"Right." Atem rubbed his hand over his face. "I've failed."

"No you haven't. You still have us. Besides, Umi may be able to stand against Neferet's powers." Tea started.

"Thank you. But it is not that. I have failed my people. I had one task, to protect them, and I allowed myself to ignore their plight for my own satisfaction. If I had not sent Neferet away in the first place..."

"You can't know that, Atem. You can't see the possibilities. Sure, maybe things would be different had you taken a different path, maybe they would be better. Or maybe they would be worse. The point is that you can't know. All you can do is move forward." Joey fixed him with a hard stare.

"He's right. We can't change the past. We can only do what we can now to atone for mistakes we've made. There's no point in wallowing in self-pity." Tea reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "And you will have us with you the whole way. If you want."

Atem looked at the faces staring at him. He had always thought of them as Yugi's friends, but seeing them now, his heart swelled with love for these three, as well as for the one within. They were a team and together, they could face anything.

"Thank you. I promise that I will not keep you in the dark anymore. We need to stop this threat before it can bleed over into your world as well."

"So can we leave this room yet?" Tristan asked. Joey nodded.

"Yeah, we've been cooped up since we got here. We've only been able to go to the garden and the bathroom."

Atem looked at them confused.

"Of course. Who told you that you could not?"

"That guy who looks like Grandpa." Joey explained.

Atem sighed.

Umi and the others relayed what happened at the temple to the gathered group, including those from her own world. Kaiba held her hand as she explained, to the best of her ability what she remembered. Seto and Siamon filled in the blanks, including the information about Umi being pregnant with a child of darkness. Tea looked at her in shock which quickly melted into pity and compassion. Umi could tell from her face that the other girl was wondering how it could have happened. Umi had been asking herself the same question since she learned the news.

"We cannot let this child be born." Seto explained, relaying the message from the goddess. Around the room, those from this world of memories agreed.

Atem sat quietly, contemplating. He seemed in congress with his other self.

"Should that not be Umi's decision?" He said finally. When he looked at her, he seemed conflicted. "Yugi is adamant that it is your decision. It is your body after all. I am not sure that I agree. The stakes are too high. But he will not accept that. He says that you will make the best decision, the necessary decision, but that you should choose."

"What?" Seto and Mahad said simultaneously. They looked at their pharaoh incredulously.

"You cannot be serious, my Pharaoh." Mahad said. "She is the vessel of darkness. If that child is born, it will spell doom for us all. Perhaps even for their own world."

"Sometimes the good of the many outweigh the good of the one, Atem." Seto added.

"Is that why your father saw fit to sacrifice an entire town?" Atem responded. "Besides, if it was Neferet, would you say the same?"

Seto's eyes narrowed.

"It was Neferet's decision that put her in this position in the first place." Seto said through gritted teeth. Umi watched the debate distantly. Everyone was so caught up in the discussion that she was able to slip from the room unnoticed. Only Kaiba knew she had left as she squeezed his hand. She needed time to think. She sat on the edge of a fountain and trailed her hand in the water that fed the garden, making patterns of ripples in the surface. The patterns mesmerized her so that she was startled when Tea sat next to her.

"Are you alright?" The other girl asked.

Umi shook her head, sighing.

"I don't want this child." She admitted. "But I also hate people making my decisions for me. I am tired of people thinking my body is theirs to command, to control. From Derek and his ilk, to Neferet, and being possessed by a goddess, and now this? I'm just tired of it. I just want to be left alone for once, to do what I want to do for a change. I thought when I moved back that I would be able to just be myself, but apparently not."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't even know how I could get pregnant. I've been on the pill since I started having my period."

"I was wondering about that."

"And then I wonder how they can be so certain that this child will be as bad as they say. Even the goddesses that spoke to me while Isis was channeling through me seemed certain. But it's a child. Don't they all start out innocent?"

"I would tend to agree, but is it possible this is not a normal child?" Tea asked.

"I guess."

"Besides, you did say that you don't want it."

Umi sighed and made more patterns in the water. She looked back to the doorway and the crammed room beyond. Kaiba was watching her from the opening, but her turned back to the discussion when she looked at him.

"I just want things to be normal." She sighed turning her attention back to the water. "Having this child would definitely assure that the craziness would continue. It might be different craziness than right now, and it might not be as bad as they all assume, but it would still be craziness that I do not want."

She glanced back at Kaiba's tall form. She was not ready to be a mother, but if she were to become one, she only wanted one person to be the father. And she had not even been able to bring herself to consummate a physical relationship with him.

"Can you get Isis?" Umi asked Tea, who nodded and scurried off to find the priestess.

A few minutes later, the priestess handed Umi a steaming cup of beer infused with herbs. She told Umi that the herbs would make her womb too harsh for the child within and that soon her body would reject the child. Umi forced down the thick, bitter liquid.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Umi asked after she drained the cup.

"You will need to drink that for the next three days, three times a day. It takes time to work."

"But it will work, right?"

"It usually does."

"You don't seem sure."

"If the child was created by the dark god as we fear, it may not."

"Is there anything else I can do?"

Isis shook her head.

"Nothing that won't scar you permanently." Isis said sadly, her eyes drifting to the ever-present, ever-on-watch Kaiba. Umi followed her gaze and met his eyes. She gave him what she thought was a brave smile, but she felt so scared inside. Sensing that the conversation between the two women was over, he walked over to her. He slipped his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"You don't have to be brave." He whispered to her as he kissed her cheek. She felt herself swoon as the beer went to her head. His hand on her waist steadied her. "Are you alright?"

"Just a little woozy. Wanna lay down?" She leaned against his chest. He still smelled of the incense and oils of the temple, which stirred deep memories and desires. His arms slid down her back.

"Are you telling or asking?"

She smiled up at him, her lower lip pinched between her teeth.

"Don't wanna let go, Seto." She murmured as she nestled her head against his chest once more. His sudden movement as he scooped her up into his arms made her squeal.

"Well, then. Let's go lay down."

She laid her head against his shoulder as he carried her to one of the bedrooms. She grinned up at him as he laid her down on the narrow wooden bed and sat on the floor next to her. She propped herself on her elbow and looked over at him.

"Not going to join me?" she pouted. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and kissed her gently.

"I'm fine right here." He took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. "You need to rest."

"I'll rest better with you."

He looked at her pleading eyes and sighed.

"Bed's too small." He pointed out, to which she scooted as far over in the bed as she could and patted the empty space next to her. He smiled and shook his head, realizing that this was a battle he was not going to win. He crawled into the narrow bed and she nestled her back against his chest. He slid an arm under her head and his other arm wrapped around her waist. He inhaled deeply, relishing in the heady scent of her mixed with the rich herbs and resins from the temple's incense. The smell spurred his arousal and he found himself at war with his desire once more. He rubbed his face into her hair as her presence overwhelmed his senses.

"Why?" he asked, his voice soft and hesitant.

"Why what?"

"You said you love me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Umi was quiet for a long time.

"Why do you love me?" he asked. His voice quivered with uncertainty.

She turned in the small bed so that she could face him. His body was flush against hers, their legs intertwined before she answered him.

"Because no matter what, you have always come to my rescue. Because you are kinder than you know. Because you have never seen me as an object. Because I can talk to you for hours about science or technology or whatever, and you never think I'm stupid for loving those things. But mostly because you understand in a way that even Yugi can't. You know what it's like to suffer and you have never thought less of me for what I have suffered." She brushed his face and looked into his eyes.

"Seto, it would be easier for me to list the reasons I shouldn't love you than to explain why I do."

"And what reasons would those be?"

"My grandfather doesn't like you." She thought for a moment longer. "You're kind of arrogant at times." She considered further. "And maybe you're a little too obsessed with dragons. That's it. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I don't care what my grandfather thinks. You can back up most of your arrogance. And I think dragons are pretty fucking sweet too."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"You're wrong."

"About what?"

"About me being kind. I'm a real asshole." He explained. "And I'm not worthy of you."

Umi kissed him gently.

"Let me be the judge of that, ok?"

He licked his lips as he eyes slid closed. He relished the memory of the light brush of her lips on his.

"Alright."

She kissed him again. He brushed her hair back from her face and traced the length of her neck as she pushed him onto his back and straddled him. She pressed her body against his as she kissed him with increasing urgency. His hands trailed along her spine and over her buttocks and hips.

"Do you want me?" she asked against his lips. He released a trembling breath as he allowed himself to feel the full extent of his desire. He gripped the backs of her thighs tightly through the thin fabric of her dress. The native wrapped skirt was pulled tightly against her skin and crept up her thighs as she moved against him. She sucked in a breath as his hand slid over her skin and beneath the thin fabric.

"You know I do." His voice was raw and husky. His fingers slid up further and further until they brushed her sex. She gasped as they stroked her before his lips captured hers once more in a kiss that was more demanding and desperate than he had ever given her before. When she broke for oxygen, his dilated eyes roamed over her face.

"I want to know every inch of you, Umi." He brushed one hand through her hair and stroked her sex with the other. "I want to taste you, to hear the sounds that you make as I touch every part of you. I want to find the spots that make you squeal with delight."

She whimpered as his touch sent shivers through her body. She could barely breath as he found just the right spot to push her to the edge and then sent her sailing over it. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, kissing and sucking at the tender skin there in an effort to return to him a fraction of what he was giving her. He inhaled sharply as she nipped at him, his fingers stilled against her mound, but then slipped inside of her in revenge. She jumped at the sudden change in his touch. He chuckled at her reaction. His fingers were long and dexterous, moving in a concerted effort to bring her to climax. At his command, her body did not disappoint.

"Oh God, Seto." She breathed as she rode the last waves of pleasure back to him. His fingers traced a slick path over her thigh and back up her back as her breathing steadied.

"You liked that?" He questioned, the timidity he only ever showed her replacing his earlier confidence. His voice was a soft purr in her ear.

"That was amazing."

She could feel his smile in his sigh as she nestled next to him. Her hand slid over his chest and around his waist.

"I've never done that before." He admitted hesitantly. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him skeptically.

"Somehow I don't believe you." She was still breathless from his sweet torment of her body. He chuckled.

"I've never had much reason to."

"I know you're not a virgin, so..." She trailed off, begging the question. Kaiba shrugged.

"Sex was always more a business transaction than anything else. I paid for a service and those who provided it were compensated quite well. But I never thought about how to give them pleasure. Reciprocation never even crossed my mind." He admitted.

"So I am the first." She chewed on her lip as a grin spread over her face. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "The first you ever cared about."

"Yeah. Yeah you are." He brushed her hair back from her face. "You're the first I've ever wanted. The only one I've ever wanted."

Her hand traveled down his body, over his chest and down to his crotch. She could feel him straining for release as she brushed his hard cock pushing against his trousers. His eyelids fluttered shut at the touch. She fiddled with his belt buckle.

"You're the only one I've ever wanted too." she purred as she freed his throbbing dick and caressed it. He moaned as she stroked him and gasped as she slid down in the bed and licked the tip before taking the full length of him into her mouth. She sucked and kissed and teased with her tongue. She found all of the most sensitive and delicate spots. He felt himself bucking into her as she worked her magic upon him. As her lips touched the root of his cock, she found herself wanting more. Her mind fought against her desire, trying to remind her of all the pain, the humiliation, the lack of control as others used and abused her body for their own pleasure, but with each thought, the intensity of his eyes gazing into hers or the feel of his hands on her skin, his lips against hers burned them away. She wanted him. She needed him. And as she sucked, kissed, licked at his hard cock, she realized just how much he needed her as well. He came quickly, more quickly than she would have liked, under her careful ministrations. His ejaculate filled her mouth and dripped down her throat. It was warm as she swallowed it. She slid her lips up the length of his manhood before crawling back up his body.

"You're delicious." She said, kissing him roughly. He chuckled against her lips.

"Sorry about that. It's been a while."

"And I'm just that good." She said, arrogantly.

"That too." He flipped her over onto her back. He pulled at the thin dress that covered her body, slipping the fabric this way or that in an effort to free her pert breasts. He cupped them in his hands as she struggled with his tight shirt.

"Take this off." she groaned when she realized her short arms could not get the offending article off of his lanky body. He sat up on his knees, her legs spread wide on either side of him as he yanked the black turtleneck over his head. She gasped as he dove into her lips once more. His mouth traveled the length of her neck and over each breast. She squirmed beneath him as his tongue flicked each of her nipples in turn.

"Should I come back later?" A voice asked from the open doorway. They both turned to see Isis standing there with a steaming cup of beer. "It is time for your second dose, Umi."

Umi wiggled out from under Kaiba as she sat up and took the offered medicine. She drained the bitter cup quickly and felt a cramp in her belly. She winced from the pain. Kaiba looked at her concerned.

"I will let you get back to doing... whatever it was you were about to do." The priestess said with a small knowing smile. She looked at Kaiba directly. "Though you should do it quickly, before the herbs start doing their job."

Kaiba captured Umi's lips once more as she slipped back beneath him. He slowly kissed all over her face and down her neck.

"I will take my damn time if I want to." he murmured as his lips and tongue found the spot where her neck met her shoulder that made her cry out. His hands rubbed her bare skin and his fingers teased her nipples before he figured out how to fully free her body from the fabric that had separated them. He looked over her entire length now laid bare beneath him. Her cheeks were flush with passion, her hair-though short, was splayed beneath her. Her breasts seemed larger and her nipples were contracted and hard. Her green eyes beckoned him. He could feel himself growing hard once more as he looked at her.

"If you want to stop." He breathed.

"I don't."

"If you change your mind, just tell me."

"I will."

He slid his hands over her thighs once more and kissed her breasts. His lips slid down her tight belly and over the soft skin of her thighs before his tongue dove into the light covering of hair that blanketed her sex. The taste of her was salty and strong with the acrid tang of blood dancing on the tip of his tongue. Her scent overwhelmed his senses and he could feel himself throbbing for release. She moaned and bucked her hips against him making the narrow wooden bed creak beneath her as his tongue and lips pressed against her organ. She cried out as he flicked the tip of his tongue over her sensitive nub before plunging it deep into her. She latched her legs around the back of his neck and gripped the side of the bed as he sent her careening for the edge of pleasure once more. He grinned against her as she cried out for him with a guttural, incoherent moan. She shuddered against him and eventually lay still. The room was filled with her heavy, ragged breathing. He crawled back up her body and kissed her deeply, pressing his hips against hers. His face was slick with her wetness as he looked down on her. He searched her eyes and was met with desire that matched his own. She shifted beneath him and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in toward her. She gasped and then sighed as he found his way into her. With each gentle thrust, her eyes threatened to drift closed, but she fought to keep her eyes on his. Umi's hands caressed his bare skin and pulled him toward her lips. She relished the feel of him against her, within her. The feeling was both new and old. She had never given herself to someone so completely; she had never wanted to. But the feel of him cemented everything she had experienced with him since their first meeting. She felt like she was home, only that home was not a place to which she could return. Her spirit swelled in a way she could not explain, and all of the broken places within her slowly knitted together. She felt whole for the first time ever, and she was surprised to realize that she had been so broken and empty before.

Eventually he spent himself in her and collapsed against her chest. She rubbed his back before pushing him off of her.

"You're heavy."

"Sorry." He slipped onto his side and she curled up with her back to him. He drifted off to sleep as he draped an arm over her chest and intertwined their fingers. "I love you." he mouthed, inaudibly.

"I love you too." She whispered, as sleep took her as well.

She woke some time later to an intense pain in her gut and the feeling of blood on her legs. She tried to crawl out of the bed without waking him, but he stirred at her every movement.

"What's wrong?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The lamp had nearly burned out and the room was cast in heavy shadows from the dying lights of the lamp and the late afternoon. She grunted in pain as she tried to sit up, another wave of agony washing over her as her entire body clenched down. She could not contain the cry that erupted from her lips. His eyes grew wide as he looked at her and the blood that now covered the bed. He scurried away from the growing stain as she doubled up in pain once more. Her agonized scream echoed through the small room. Footsteps sounded against the mosaic floor. She screamed again. Kaiba tried to keep his eyes on her face, but the way it twisted in pain made him sick to his stomach, as did the smell of blood that was now filling the room. He looked over her balled form, but the ever-widening patch of red brought bile to his throat. He wanted to hold her, to rock her through the pain, but between the smell and her screams, his head swam and his body swayed.

Isis hurried through the doorway with an ancient midwife that she had asked to be on hand. The elderly woman looked at Kaiba and ordered him from the room. Siamon and Mahad pulled the younger man from the scene as the women went to work.

Once outside, the fresh air hit Kaiba hard, but his mind was still on the scene he had left. Umi's screams echoed through the garden and Kaiba could no longer hold back the retching that he had suppressed. He leaned over and vomited on the stone tiles that lined the garden's walkways. Once his stomach had emptied its meager contents, he put his hand to his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. Umi's screams had died down but the smell of blood still lingered on the air and in his clothes.

"Sorry." he looked up at Siamon.

"It is alright. My wife miscarried several times before our daughter was born. It is a common reaction."

"I didn't expect there to be so much blood." he coughed, his throat burning from the regurgitation. "The smell was... foul."

Mahad gently guided him from where he had thrown up.

"It all varies on the person, and the pregnancy. But now we know that was the Goddess said was indeed true." Siamon helped Kaiba to a bench near the pool. He held a cup of clear water out for the young man.

"I think it is safe to say that whatever her body is expunging now was indeed a being of darkness." Mahad added. "Best to be done with it. Perhaps she will be able to unlock her power now."

Kaiba sipped on the water. His throat still burned from the acid, but his head was growing more clear with each passing moment.

"What is this power that you think she has, exactly?" The world was so different from what he knew, Kaiba could not help but to ask questions. He longed to figure out the rules of this place.

"I think she has the ability to summon the Gods themselves. From what you said happened in the temple, I believe her to be the vessel of creation, through which the Gods will act." Mahad sat next to Kaiba.

"Which is why she was so important for the bandit king to control." Siamon kicked at a small pebble.

"A vessel, like a ship?" Kaiba asked.

"Like an amphora." Siamon suggested.

"Or a womb." Mahad elaborated.

"A womb." Seto drummed his fingers on his knees and took another sip. "So he wanted her because she would what? Give birth to the world or something? Is that why he impregnated her?" His voice took on a harsh edge as he thought about Bakura forcing himself on Umi. He still wanted to murder the man.

"Perhaps. She will birth a child of darkness or a child of light. The Goddess said as much." The old man took a sip of water himself.

Kaiba looked back to the small room where his lover still lay. Servants had appeared out of nowhere to clean up the mess he had made. He wanted to go back to her, to apologize for his behavior. The pharaoh stood outside the doorway. As Kaiba looked more closely, the figure seemed to change subtly. The young man shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the next. As Kaiba watched, he seemed to chew on the nails of one hand, though Kaiba was not certain since he could only see his back. Still, Kaiba was fairly certain that the young man outside the door was no longer the pharaoh, but Yugi. As he watched, Yugi crossed his arms over his chest and paced before the door. His thumb flicked at the golden band that encircled his bicep and he kept peering into the dark room as the sun faded into night. Kaiba watched his double bring Yugi a small lamp with which he could maintain his vigil.

The two older men had continued to talk as Kaiba watched Yugi, but he could no longer follow the conversation. He had given up when they started an attempt to decipher the will of the gods. Kaiba knew better, that there were no gods with wills to decipher. If there were beings with supernatural powers, he thought, it did not mean they were not just as fallible as humans. He stood and walked over to Yugi. The smell of blood and vomit still hung in the air, but Kaiba was able to choke back a reprisal of his actions as he joined his lover's brother.

"She'll be alright." Kaiba glanced at the shorter young man. Yugi looked so much shorter now than the pharaoh did. Kaiba noticed his hunched shoulders and how he seemed to shrink into his spine.

"Her screams were heart-wrenching." Yugi continued to pace, his fingers tapping a cadence against his arms.

"Yeah."

"What if she's not?" Yugi asked suddenly as he stopped before Kaiba and looked up at him. Kaiba had not even entertained the possibility that something could happen to Umi, that she might indeed not be alright.

"She will be." Kaiba sounded more confident than he felt. Yugi's worry had infected him and was now gnawing at his spirit. They stood in silence, watching the dark door, waiting for the women to finish their work.

"Umi, It is alright. Umi you need to calm down." Isis had soothed as Umi saw her lover being dragged out the door.

"Seto." she cried, weakly as another spasm of pain shook her body. The old woman forced her to look her in the eyes. The old woman did not speak, but her ancient and wizened face calmed Umi. Her eyes mesmerized the young woman.

"Umi, your body is ridding itself of the child that was placed within you." Isis wiped her forehead with a cool cloth. "It will not be much longer before you will be free from the darkness. But please, try to relax."

Umi took a deep breath and let the convulsions come. With each spasm, more blood flowed from her womb, as if she were having the worst period that was ever recorded. Isis handed her another cup of warm beer. the fluid was still bitter, but it did not have the strong scent of herbs infused within it. She drank greedily, feeling the slight numbing of the pain as it came once more. The midwife examined Umi and use some tools to help speed the process. Isis kept feeding her cup after cup of beer and cooled her flesh with wet cloths. After what seemed like an eternity, the old woman nodded and packed up her tools. She and Isis helped Umi up from the bed and a servant who had been standing by began to clean the room. The women helped Umi to the bath where once more, she turned the water red with blood.

Tea helped dress Umi once more after the bath. Umi needed the help as she could barely stand on her own. She was not certain if it was because of the procedure done on her or the beer. Regardless, Umi accepted the help gratefully. Afterward, the women took her to a new room.

"You will need to stay here for the next few days, Umi." Isis explained as she joined her on the cushions that lined the floor. "Tea and I will keep you company, but you must not go out among the men."

"But Seto." she protested

"He will remain outside the room. He will not be allowed to see you until you have healed sufficiently."

"How long?"

"I told you before that it would take three days. That is the minimum. Some women take longer than others, but none recover in less time."

Umi pouted as she glared at Isis. She wanted her Seto to comfort her.

"During that time, I will do what I can to teach you about your power, assuming that the power did indeed pass to you.

Umi sat quietly. Tea helped to brush her hair and set her face in the style that the other women wore.

"Are you feeling better?" Tea asked as she drew the thick kohl lines around Umi s eyes.

"I guess. But its weird. I never wanted this child. That is true. But now that it is gone, i'm sad. Despite everything that was said about it. Despite everything that we knew it to be. I'm still sad for its loss."

Umi stared at nothing and said nothing more as Tea finished her make-up.

"Still i am happy to be free of it." She said finally.

"I do not think that is strange at all." Isis said. "While i have never carried a child because my position as priestess prohibits it, i would not imagine that the loss of any child is a call for a celebration. Even if that child is birthed in darkness."

Umi had never really thought about the possibility of having a family or giving birth to children. She was only seventeen, for crying out loud. Her only goal was to pursue her dreams. She wanted to help send people to space. That was all that had really mattered to her. She loved her robotics team but they were a means to an end. Her goal was the entire reason she had gotten involved with Derek in the first place. Which was the entire reason she was here instead of in California with her friends working to make her dream a reality. She thought about the college applications that she had left unfinished. About the opportunities that had now slipped out of her grasp. She wondered if everyone was right when they told her that she would be lucky to simply catch a good husband who could take care of her. She wanted to throw up as she forced herself to think about what life would be like as the "little woman" and stay at home mother. She knew several friends whose mothers had been content in that role. But Umi knew it was not for her. She could not give up her dreams so easily.

"I never asked for this." she wiped a tear from her face. "I don't even want a family." She admitted to herself. "Eventually all family leaves you."

"You don't believe that." Tea looked harshly at her. "Yugi will always be there for you."

"No he won't. Eventually he will find his own place and live his own life. We will grow apart."

"That doesn't mean he will forget about you."

"The ties that bind us do so for eternity, Umi."

"Then why did my parents have to die?" She looked pointedly at Isis, demanding an answer.

"I am sorry you lost your parents. But you have new bonds growing, strengthing because of their absence. Has not the bond with your brother grown stronger? And what about the bond with your... Seto?"

Umi sighed as she curled herself into a ball on the cushions. She did not answer the older woman.

"Can I be alone right now?" she said quietly. Tea and Isis looked at each other and then back to Umi. The concern they shared for her was written plainly on their faces. "I'll be fine. This was just a lot to deal with."

"As you wish." Isis stood and walked to the drape covering the doorway. "If you need us, ask the guard." The older woman motioned for Tea to join her as she held the drape open. Umi could see two large men flanking the entrance as she peaked through the opening. She sighed as she settle back against the cushions, thinking of family. A commotion outside the room drew Umi out of her contemplation.

"What do you mean, I can't see her?" The angry voice sounded muffled through the heavy cloth, but Umi smiled regardless. The response was inaudible to her. She crept to the opening to eavesdrop.

"You obviously don't know who I am." Umi pictured her Seto staring down the two guards, his hands balled into fists firmly planted on his hips. The guard mumbled something about following orders and that no man was to enter the room for the next three days. Kaiba grunted in exhasperation and Umi imagined him throwing his hands up.

"Seto." she called through the curtain, her hand slipping beneath the fabric. She heard a light thud before his hand squeezed hers. She pressed her head forward into the material, begging for it to vanish into nothingness. The drape did not obey her command, but Kaiba's hand caressed her face through the material.

"Umi." Her name was like a prayer on his lips. "They won't let me see you."

"I know. I hate it."

"I miss you already."

Umi smiled as she turned to sit on the floor. The drape swung lightly against her back as she moved. She felt Kaiba do the same and then his back press into hers. His fingers wiggled beneath the curtain and she intertwined her with them.

"I miss you too." Her head rested against his broad shoulders. He leaned his head back to rest on top of hers..

"What are you supposed to do in there for three days?"

"Damned if I know. Isis mentioned something about trying to harness my powers. Whatever that means."

"I guess that will be interesting."

"Maybe. But so far, I've been mostly thinking." She admitted.

"About what?"

"Family."

"Family?"

"Yeah."

"What about 'family'?" He asked.

"Oh you know, the basics. Should I ever start one? What would I lose if I did? What would I gain? Those sorts of things."

"And what have you concluded?"

Umi chuckled at his choice of words.

"Not much. I seem to be stuck in the same quandary as before."

"I see."

They sat in silence, feeling the pressure of their backs against the other.

"I wish you could come in here." She said finally.

"Me too."

"I could use a hug."

Silence fell over them again as Umi wiped her eyes.

"I never thought about having a family either." Kaiba admitted. "At least not until recently."

"Oh?"

She could feel him sigh through the curtain.

"I've never had a good role model for what a father's supposed to be like. So I don't think I would be a very good one."

"I see."

"Besides, the idea of having a child that I would then treat how Gozaburo treated me is, well, terrifying."

"Your adoptive father doesn't sound like a very pleasant man."

"He wasn't. Least of all to Mokuba and I." Kaiba sighed. "I don't want to end up like him."

"Then don't." She squeezed his hand.

Footsteps outside and Isis' sharp voice cut their conversation short.

"What are you doing?"

Kaiba snatched his hand away from Umi's.

"Nothing. We were just talking."

"She needs her rest, and it is dinner time. You should eat while you can." The curtain flipped backward as Isis nearly tripped over Umi. Umi tried to scurry away from the door to avoid an accident. Isis shoved a bowl of food at her. Umi took it with grateful hands. She was starving.

"Eat, you need to build up your strength before we can put you through the trials."

"Trials?" Umi scooped up a paste with a flat piece of bread.

"To see if you can communicate with the Gods."

Umi ate heartily but glared at the woman keeping her locked away. Isis then handed her a cup of wine.

"The midwife said you should drink this. It is supposed to help with healing." The liquid was a deep red and fragrant. It made her head spin as the beer had, but it was sweeter and went down far more easily. With a full belly and her head swimming from the wine, Umi yawned.

"Rest now. You will feel stronger in the morning. Tea will stay with you tonight." Isis wrapped her in a blanket as she laid down on the pillows that covered the floor.

"Umi?" Yugi whispered from the other side of the curtain. "Umi?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The house was quiet and dark, but a full moon shone in the courtyard casting everything in a silver glow.

"Umi." He whispered more urgently.

"Yugi?" Umi's voice was groggy as she answered.

"How are you?" He pulled the curtain back just a tad so he could peak in at her.

"Tired. Weak, but I'm feeling better than I was earlier."

"I was so worried about you. Atem wouldn't let me see you. Something about a taboo. He wouldn't explain it to me."

"Isis won't tell me why I need to be separated from everyone either. Well, I guess not everyone, just the men."

"Is Tea with you?"

"Yeah. She sleeping. Where's Seto?"

"He's asleep against the wall here."

She poked her head and looked up at her brother, her eyebrow cocked skeptically. Yugi nodded his head toward the wall. When Umi looked to her left, she saw her Seto sitting against the wall, his head tilted to the sky, his eyes shut but his mouth hanging slightly open. She wanted to kiss him, but she worried she would wake him if she tried. A small smile danced on her lips as she looked back up to her brother. Yugi smiled back at her.

"He's made a real nuisance of himself. I think his other self hates him."

Umi glanced back into the small room she was sharing with Tea. The other teen was fast asleep. Umi slipped past the curtain like a ninja.

"Well, Seto does sort of hate himself, so that isn't much of a surprise."

"Are you supposed to leave there?"

Umi grabbed Yugi's arm and pulled him to the pool at the center of the courtyard.

"Probably not."

Yugi shook his head.

"What? You expected me to do as I was told? Are you new?"

"Yugi laughed at her assessment before clamping his hands over his mouth.

"That was loud." he said softly as Umi grinned at him. Umi threw her arms around her brother and they stood embracing for a long time.

"Do you know what they want me to do? No one will tell me anything."

Yugi shook his head.

"Not really. Aside from summon the Gods." He looked at his sister. She chewed her lip in worry. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."