Umi woke to someone stroking her head. As she returned to consciousness, she realized that she was laying in someone's lap, their bony leg filling the curve of her neck. But she also knew that the lap did not belong to the one she wanted.

"Where's Seto?" She looked up to meet her brother's worried gaze. She had been surprised to see her beloved when she walked through the house. Though, she thought, that is not quite accurate. She had felt him far sooner than she had seen him-his arms around her, his body supporting her, but mostly, his presence. She could always tell when he was near because she was overcome by the song of her soul. She realized now that it was the vibration of their souls, the superposition of their wavelengths strengthening and amplifying the other to which she had first been drawn so long ago in the lobby of Industrial Illusions. She had seen him, sure, and she would have been hard pressed to say she did not find him visually appealing. But the way her spirit had reacted to him then, and now every time she is with him had done far more to stitch them together than any mere physical attraction.

But now he was gone. She was alone. She had Yugi, of course, who looked down on her with concern in his brotherly way. She was grateful, at least at times, to be rid of both Atem and Neferet. Their presence had made their relationship difficult. She needed her brother now, and just her brother, not the remnants of a strained marriage of some long dead couple.

"He had to leave." Yugi helped her sit up. Umi yawned. "Tired?" Yugi asked, the lines on his face growing deeper as he furrowed his brow.

Umi nodded.

"I just can't seem to get enough sleep lately."

"And going out with Kaiba last night didn't help. Grandpa still has a few choice words for you about it."

"I'm sure he does."

"Umi?"

"Yeah."

"Are you OK?"

"I'm fine."

"No, I mean really. Are you OK?" The look he gave her was so earnest Umi felt her heart melt.

"Yugi, you are too good for this world."

"Don't change the subject. I'm worried about you. Kaiba's worried about you. And as far as I can tell, he only worries about Mokuba."

Umi looked down at the ring she refused to take off. She took a deep breath before looking back to her brother.

"I'm fine, Yugi." she smiled. "Just tired." But she felt hollow and fake, and he could tell.

"I don't believe you." He stood up from the couch where she had been sleeping since before Kaiba had left. "But if you don't want to be honest with me, or with yourself, fine." He stormed off to his room, a tiny ball of anger and frustration.

The voices that had propagated within her head in recent weeks, since Neferet's departure swirled through her thoughts once more. Men's voices calling her a slut, whore, piece of trash fuck toy; woman's voices telling her she was weak, stupid, worthless., selfish. Umi pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the voices within, but the darkness only seemed to make them more powerful.

The sunlight was bright through her window, waking her with an annoying brilliance and optimism. Umi pulled the blanket over her head. Only once she was safely entombed in the darkness did she question how she got to her bed in the first place. She closed her eyes, hoping once more for the comfort and security of sleep, but the weight and thickness of the blanket over her head began to suffocate her. She grunted in frustration as she pushed the blanket away from her face.

A knock sounded at her door.

"Umi?" Ms. Takanada asked through the panel. "It's time for school."

Umi lay looking at the ceiling, the sunlight still offensive to her exhausted eyes. She should get up, she knew. She had a great deal of work to do at school as well as after school work to help her catch up on the subjects in which she was lacking. She needed to get up because she wanted to go to physics and calculus. She wanted to know her scores on the test from yesterday.

But her body was leaden.

"Umi?" the older woman called once more.

"I'm not feeling well, Ms. Takanada," she called back.

"May I come in?"

Umi felt her stomach clench and her heart race at the thought. She did not want anyone to see her right now, not like this, when she could barely move. She felt fine, physically. But she could not bring herself to do anything. Every movement seemed to trigger an avalanche of thoughts that pulled her closer to the abyss.

"I guess." she answered after Ms. Takanada requested entry once more.

The door opened slowly, tentatively and the older woman shuffled across the room with tiny steps in her house slippers. She placed a hand on Umi's forehead, checking for fever.

"Your temperature seems fine."

"It's, um, It's my stomach." Umi lied. What was truly bothering Umi was her mind, but she did not think Ms. Takanada would believe her. She knew her grandfather would not. She had hope that Yugi would, but she had little faith in his ability to help her solve the problem. The woman who had become part aunt, part grandmother to Umi looked at her skeptically. Umi wondered if Yugi had told her what had happened at school the day before as the skepticism in her face turned to compassion.

"I guess if you aren't feeling well, I'll let you rest." She brushed her hand over Umi's head. "Anything I can bring you?"

Umi shook her head. The only thing she wanted right now was sleep. The older woman nodded in understanding and quietly closed the door behind her as she left. Umi pulled the blanket back over her head and tried to close her eyes. After some time, Umi found the sweet spot and felt herself drift into the oblivion of a dreamless sleep.

The ringing of her phone was distant, as Umi turned away from the horizon into which she had been staring. A chasm separated her from Neferet, but she could see the ancient spirit's face clearly, as clearly as if she were looking in a mirror. The expression on the young queen's face was one of sadness and guilt. She could see the lips of her other self moving as if trying to tell her something. The incessant ringing grew louder and blocked out all other sound, even the wind that howled through the desert. Umi glared at the source of the intrusion as the light of the screen of the phone seemed to grow closer and brighter.

Umi opened her eyes. She reached for the spot on her nightstand where the phone typically lay while she slept but it was not there. She sat up and looked around for the device. The bright, flashing, ringing device lay on her desk across the small room. She had not remembered putting it there. Reluctantly she slipped from the warmth of the blanket.

"How are you?" a voice asked as she pressed the phone to her ear. "Are you alright? Why haven't you texted me back?"

"Hi Seto." she yawned. "I'm fine, just tired."

"Tired?"

"Yeah. I've been sleeping. And isn't it a school day? What are you doing texting me during school?"

"Umi, how long have you been sleeping?"

"I don't know, a couple of hours maybe?"

"Check the time."

Umi looked at the clock on her phone.

"Shit, it's almost five in the evening? I slept the whole day?" She wondered aloud. What she did not share was her curiosity as to why she was still so tired. "How did I sleep so long?"

"Maybe because you're depressed and your grief is finally catching up to you?" He replied, knowing full well that she meant the question rhetorically.

She glanced at her message notifications and the numerous texts that he had sent her, each slightly more worried than the last.

"Maybe. Sorry I didn't call you back earlier."

"It's alright. I'm just, after yesterday, I'm a little worried about you."

"You don't need to be. I'm fine." She could hear him snort his disagreement over the phone. "Anyway, how did you know? I mean, why did you come over yesterday?"

She could hear him breathing through the phone, but he was otherwise silent.

"Seto?"

"I don't really know." He replied at last. "I had a feeling that something was wrong. I tried to ignore it, but it grew worse, more insistent. All I could think about was seeing you, making sure that you were alright." His voice wavered as if he were uncomfortable with the idea.

She smiled at his words.

"I'm glad you did. No one else puts me at ease like you do."

"Well, your grandfather still doesn't appreciate it. Though the woman who lives there, she's... nice."

"A rare complement from Seto Kaiba about a commoner? What is the world coming to!" She replied with faux surprise.

"Stop it." His embarrassment carried through the phone. Umi could picture him blushing just a touch. She giggled at the image forming in her head.

"Aww. I'm sorry." She teased.

"You sound better." He noted. "Can I see you?"

"It's too late tonight."

"I know that. I meant tomorrow."

"Sure, what me to come by after school."

"Yeah, sounds good. Good night."

"Good night, Seto."

The phone went silent in her hand and Umi yawned. She looked at the clock and noted how short the conversation was. Yet she was drained, exhausted. She knew that he did not entirely believe that she was fine. He was, in fact, more skeptical about her supposed 'fineness' than even Yugi was. His skepticism did not surprise her. Seto was surprisingly observant for someone who was so focused on his own little world. He was exceedingly perceptive of minor changes in her.

She placed the phone on the charger and crawled back under the blankets, ignoring the knocks at the door informing her about dinner.

Umi dreamed of Neferet once more, still standing on the other side of a rocky chasm in the desert. The distance between them seemed to grow. The widening of the chasm was imperceptible at first but the longer she was in the dream, the faster Umi felt the distance increasing. She tried calling out to the ancient spirit, but her voice was lost on the howling wind. She squinted at the other face in the distance; Neferet's lips were moving as if she were trying to speak, but her voice, too, was lost. Before long, the distance between them was so great that Neferet was but a speck on the horizon to Umi. The wind rose into an all-consuming howl that stirred up the sand around her feet. The sand in the wind bit at her flesh. Umi wanted to scream, but knew screaming would lead to only more suffering. She bit her lip to keep silent despite the pain as the sand slicing into her skin was replaced with sharp, jagged fingernails dragging themselves over her soft flesh. The howling wind morphed into laughter and voices-familiar voices that grunted and filled her ears with obscene descriptions of her body and what they would do to her if she wasn't a good girl. The grabbing hands of the wind held her tightly, digging into her arms and legs, as other fingers traced her skin, touching her thighs, her breasts, her sex. Her mouth was forced open and filled, not with sand as she had once feared, but with the stench of manhood as she choked at the pressure on the back of her throat. Other appendages, be it fingers or cocks, she could not tell, forced their way inside her vulva and her anus. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run, but she was held fast. All she could do was let the tears come as she succumbed to the onslaught of what had once been simply wind.

Yugi stood at his sister's doorway in the middle of the night. The house was silent except for the whimpering on the other side of the door. He felt that she was struck once more, that she was being pulled under by something, some memory either real or imagined. He knocked at the door in an effort to rouse her.

The whimpering continued unabated.

Yugi was reluctant to invade her privacy, but her fear was too great and he could not sleep for her terrified spirit buffering his mind. He pushed the door opened and peeked through the crack.

She lay on her bed, curled up in a tight ball. Her face was pinched, screwed up in agony. She muttered "No, Stop." over and over. Sometimes she said it softly, other times she practically yelled. Yugi was amazed that she had not disturbed their grandfather's sleep, or that Ms. Takanada had not yet come to check on her.

He tip-toed across the room and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Umi!" he whispered, leaning over her and shaking her slightly. She grabbed his hand and pushed him away as hard as she could as she bolted up. Her eyes were open, but Yugi could tell she did not see him. He looked up at her from the floor as she scuttled back across the bed until her back hit the wall.

"Leave me alone!" Her voice broke as she cried out.

"Umi, no one is going to hurt you." His voice was soft, as gentle as he could make it. He reached for her once more, with both his hand and his mind, sending his love to her through their bond. He touched her hand and this time she did not back away.

"Yugi?" Her voice was barely audible as she awoke and met his eyes in the dim moonlight that streamed through the window.

"No one is going to hurt you, Umi. I promise." He took a risk and joined her on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, inviting her into the place of comfort and union they had shared since before they were born. Umi laid back down on the bed and Yugi stretched out with her, holding her tightly as they had held each other in the womb.

Her breathing slowed as she once again drifted to sleep. Yugi listened to her steady breathing, realizing that Kaiba was right. She needed more help than he could give.

Umi forced herself to get up the next day. She shook Yugi awake upon realizing that he had crawled in bed with her.

"Ow." he whined as he sat up. "My arm's asleep." He clenched and relaxed his hand in an effort to stimulate the blood flow to his fingers.

"Sorry." Umi rubbed her head. "If it's any consolation, your arm doesn't make that good of a pillow."

"Why would that be a consolation?"

"I don't know. Because we're both in pain?"

Yugi chuckled as he wriggled out of her bed and stretched. She followed suit, arching her back in an identical gesture.

"You seem in better spirits." He noted.

"I need to go to school today."

"Another test?"

"No, well, not that I know of." She glanced at him, wondering if he had forgotten to tell her anything important about the classes they shared. "I feel like I'm so behind already with some of the subjects. I don't want to risk getting too far behind." While her ability to read had improved drastically the last few months, Umi still was overwhelmed by the pace of the Japanese school.

Yugi nodded his head in understanding.

"See you downstairs then." He tossed a wave over his shoulder as he left the room. He listened to the sounds of her getting ready for the day for a moment before returning to his own room to start his routine.

When he reached the kitchen, Umi was no where to be found. Neither was her bag. When he asked, he was told that she had already left. Yugi glanced at the clock, wondering if he had taken too long himself, but everything was operating right on schedule. He furrowed his brow as he sat down for a quick breakfast.

The morning was crisp with the promise of a warm afternoon in the clear blue sky as Umi took to the streets toward school. She had every intention of getting to class early with hopes of talking about her absence the day prior with her teachers. She was curious about her grade on her recent tests as well.

But when she reached a crossroad that lead into the city center, she stopped. She knew she should turn left. Another block or two and she would reach the top of the hill. The school was at the bottom.

But something pulled her attention to the right.

It was not movement, or a noise as the street was still fairly quite in the early morning. A black cat scurried across the nearly empty street as Umi looked toward the city center. The cat stopped on the sidewalk and looked at her, its golden eyes blazing in the morning light. The creature meowed once before it darted up the street. Umi looked back down the path that would take her to school once before turning to follow the cat.

"I am going to get in so much trouble." she muttered to herself as her feet carried her toward the center of town. Despite the worry in her mind, however, Umi's heart sang joyfully with each step. Before she realized how long she had been walking, Umi found herself staring up at the edifice that was the headquarters of Kaiba Corporation.

She thought back to the last time she had seen her beloved, and how distraught she had been. He had nothing to do with why she had been so upset, but she still felt guilty that any of their time together had been marred by her inability to control her memories and their effect on her. She wanted to make it up to him.

She rummaged through her bag as she climbed the steps to the building's entrance, searching for the identification card he had procured for her. She sighed in relief as she found the small white card buried beneath her books. When she flashed the card at the guard keeping watch on the door, the older man simply smiled and nodded and waved her through. She felt a few pairs of eyes staring at her as she made her way across the large lobby to the elevator, but no one questioned her as she got into the elevator and swiped the card giving her access to the top floor and Seto Kaiba's office.

The antechamber was surprisingly empty. Even Seto's assistant was not yet in the office, which she thought was odd. Umi breezed through the doors.

The room was dark, but for the sunlight fighting its way into the building. His chair was empty, though his desk was scattered with documents. She looked around and found him stretched out on the long couch that hid behind one of the doors. His shoes looked as if he had kicked them off in a fit of exhausted frustration before collapsing to the leather seats beneath him, but his tan suit's coat was hung carefully on the rack nearby. As he had the other night when they had fallen asleep beneath the stars, he had pillowed his head on one of his arms. The other arm lay across his chest, securing a tablet that he must have been working on. She smiled as she slipped the device from under his arm. He sighed but did not wake. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and kissed the exposed skin. Part of her screamed to leave and go to school, but the voice was silenced quickly by the sound of his voice as he muttered sleepily and incoherently at her touch. She kissed his cheek before loosening his tie-deep royal blue instead of light blue today. He muttered again, something that she couldn't make out.

Her love of touching him washed over her in a wave she could not explain. She was just so overcome sometimes by her feelings for him that it surprised her. She never imagined that she could feel so much for one person. But as she watched him sleeping, her heart swelled and consumed her. She wanted to get closer to him, to have his arms around her. She wanted to become one with him in ways that were not even physically possible.

She straddled him and ran her hands over his chest. She wondered how long it would take for him to notice if she started unbuttoning his dress shirt. She had removed his tie and gotten through one button before his free hand slid over her leg.

"What are you doing?" his voice was still groggy with sleep.

"Nothing." She tackled the second button.

"Doesn't feel like nothing." He unearthed his other arm and caressed her other knee with it before slipping the hand lazily beneath her skirt. Umi could feel his desire building as she unfastened the third button. She traced her fingers over the patch of bare skin she had exposed. He sighed at her touch and his eyes fluttered opened. She leaned toward his face, hovering inches above it. His hand wrapped around her buttocks for support as she lifted herself from his hips to lean forward.

"I want you." She whispered. He lifted his head and pressed his lips against hers before pulling her body against his.

"I always want you." He admitted. She grinned before climbing off him. She pushed the doors closed and locked them as he started to sit up. But she returned quickly and pushed him back down against the seat. He looked up at her with wide eyes and quickened breath as she bit her lip before unlatching his belt.

"Umi." The earlier sleep in his voice was replaced with surprise, excitement and worry. She unbuttoned his pants and worked the zipper down. He groaned involuntarily as her hand freed his erection and he gasped when her lips caressed it. He forced himself to sit up, fighting his deepest desires to do so.

"I want you, Seto. Now." Her eyes were frenzied as she looked up at him. "And I know you want me too." His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she stroked his throbbing cock. She leaned against his knees as she brushed her tongue against its tip, all the while her eyes watching him from her position on the floor. His breath came more raggedly with each touch.

"But like this, Umi?" he asked, forcing the words out against the most base desires of his lizard brain. He leaned forward and picked her up underneath her shoulders. He pulled her onto his lap once more. His normally brilliant blue eyes seemed as dark as the blue of his tie as the hooded orbs bored into her soul. "I do want you, but I want..." He could not find the words to describe what felt so wrong about how she had approached him.

"I thought you would, I mean, most guys seem to like being woken up this way." She looked at him. He kissed her nose before pulling her against his chest.

"It's not bad, I'll admit, but, I want something, I don't know." His fingers absently danced along her back. "A little more... consentual perhaps? Is that even the right word?"

"You want me to ask you first?" She sat back confused. "I, No one's ever."

"Hey." He took her chin in his hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "I will never be like one of them. I will never take from you. I will never force myself upon you. I guess, I just want the same courtesy." The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile as she nodded.

Umi felt a surprising sense of relief flood her, almost as surprising and sudden as the love for him that had swept over her earlier. She looked to the floor and chewed on her lip. The flesh was still caught between her teeth as she raised her eyes to him.

"So, um, do you want to," She smiled suggestively as she rubbed her hands along his thighs.

"Fuck yes." He pulled her back into his lap. "Do whatever you want to me."

"Now that I have your permission?"

"Yeah."

She giggled as she continued to strip him bare.

Before long, her naked body straddled his on the leather couch as they took mutual pleasure in the other's being. Seto's hand and lips were ravenous as they danced over her skin, touching, gripping, pinching her flesh with each rock of her hips against his until she, with some surprise at its suddenness, felt an explosion of pleasure that radiated from her sex through her limbs. He sat up and pressed her body into his as she gave herself over to the pleasing sensation rocking through her body. He sucked at her neck as her body fell limp against him.

"That was," she took a deep breath as she fought to find the words that could describe her feelings. "That was way better than I remember."

His chuckle vibrated through her body as he flipped her onto the floor and covered her body with his own. Desire was still shining in his eyes as he thrust into her. His hands wanted to continue their exploration of her body but he could not find purchase enough to do so while supporting his weight as he continued his thrusting into her wet pussy. He groaned in mounting pleasure as he quickened his pace, pushing harder, deeper, faster. She gasped and moaned with each motion.

She closed her eyes, but her entire mind was filled with him. She thought she could hear his voice, quiet, yet deep and firm, whispering his feelings to her.

"I love you," she heard him say, though she was not sure if she heard it with her ears or her entire being.

He grunted as she felt him flood her with the warmth of his release and she gasped for breath as she felt the rush of pleasure wash over her once more as her sex tightened around his. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him in closer. He breathed heavily as he hung his head against her shoulder for a moment before he lay on the rough carpet next to her.

"You're right." he said as he fought to calm his burning lungs. "That was way better than I remember too."

Umi propped herself up on her elbow and watched him as he found his way back to reality. She once again was overcome by her love of him. She traced a finger across his chest and watched him smile sleepily.

"Now, if you ever want to wake me up that way again, please feel free."

"So I have your permission now?"

"Yeah."

She giggled and scooted closer to him, ignoring the stiff carpet fibers brushing against her skin. She kissed his shoulder and then his neck as her breasts pressed into his side. His arm snaked beneath her arm and around her back. Umi marveled at how intimate he was still being with her, despite having spent himself. She had always hoped for such a relationship, but her experience told her otherwise. She was far too accustomed to being used and then thrown to the side when the man was done with her.

"I'm not them, Umi. I'll never toss you away." He muttered, as if reading her thoughts. She looked at him for a long moment, wondering if he had somehow known what she had been thinking. She snuggled down next to him, nestling her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. As she took a deep breath, she could feel his thoughts and emotions. They were more diffuse than the laser precise sensations she could pick up from her brother, but she could still sense them. She decided to try an experiment. She asked, through her mind, if Seto could hear her.

"Of course I can hear you. You're laying right there." he said, not realizing that she had never spoken the words. Umi was anxious to try more questions and was trying to decide what to ask him through the apparent mind-link they had developed when a knock at the door disturbed her thoughts. She expected Seto to jump up and start to redress himself. Instead, he covered her with his body once more.

She could hear him tell her that he wanted her again as plainly in her mind as if he had spoken the words. But she knew he had not, for his mouth never moved. He pressed his cock, hard once more against her cunt before pushing it inside her once more. She wrapped her legs around him tightly allowing him in more deeply as he pressed his chest against her.

"Shh." he whispered in her ear. "Maybe they'll go away." He started a slow thrusting rhythm. Umi had to bite her lip to keep from panting as each thrust stroked her, bringing her closer to the height of climax. The knock sounded again and Seto glance up at the offending sound. He picked up the pace.

She thought she heard him complain about having to make it quick, but she was too focused on staying silent to notice if he had actually spoken. As he continued his ministrations, his pace ever quickening, his lips sucking at her neck and nipples, Umi found it more and more difficult to keep quiet. She moaned softly and as quietly as she could as he came once more within her, filling her with his hot excretions, the pumping of his muscles triggering her own climax. He captured her lips with his as she came, blocking her screams of pleasure as his tongue filled her mouth like his dick filled her pussy.

A different knock sounded on the door.

"Way better." he sighed against her lips as he reluctantly pulled himself from her.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked through the wooden barrier that separated them from the rest of the world. Seto sighed as he sat up, his eyes looking to the ceiling before he rummaged through the discarded clothing for his shirt. He tossed Umi her blouse when he found it. Umi did her best to smooth her skirt down while simultaneously searching for her undergarments.

The query came through the door once more.

"I know you're in there." the young voice said as Seto shuffled across the carpet in stocking feet as he finished buttoning his shirt. His belt and tie still lay discarded on the floor.

"What is it, Mokuba?" Umi could hear an edge of annoyance in his voice, though he tried to hide it from his younger brother.

"I need you to look at these numbers," the young boy handed Seto a tablet similar to the device he had fallen asleep with earlier. "Oh, hi Umi." He turned back to his brother. "It looks like the development team is having trouble with the rendering of these particular card designs, and..." he stopped mid-thought and looked back at Umi.

She was still sitting on the floor with her bare feet tucked beneath her and her hand tugging at her uniform skirt. She knew her hair must have looked a mess and she tried to smooth it as he turned from her back to his brother and then back to her. She gave Mokuba a small wave and a smile before he turned and looked up at his brother with the most incredulous look she had ever seen on a pre-teen boy.

"I don't believe you." Mokuba rolled his eyes and tossed his hands in the air. "No wonder you look like shit. You slept here, didn't you?"

"Maybe." Seto swiped his finger over the tablet screen, reading over the data contained within.

Umi watched the exchange in amusement. She had been certain that Mokuba was going to say something about her disheveled state. She was thankful he had not yet brought it up.

"You are a mess, Seto. Did you forget about the board meeting this afternoon?"

The elder Kaiba made a face at the mention of the meeting before shooting a look at Umi that was so filled with longing that Umi felt her own desire rise once more.

"Well, I feel great, at least I did, until you reminded me of the meeting."

"You need to change." Mokuba pointed out before calling in the young woman who acted as Seto's personal assistant. She brought in a cup of coffee, which Seto took absently as he continued to review the information Mokuba had given him. Umi watched as he fell back into his little business world. She wondered exactly what it would take to drag him out of it. She watched as he leaned on his desk, sipping the coffee with his attention laser focused on the device in his hand. She was amazed at how easily he had been able to switch between the Seto that she loved and Kaiba, the cold hearted CEO. Just as she was admiring him from a distance, his gaze left the tablet and fell upon her. His eyes begged her to stay with him the rest of the day. Umi nodded, knowing she had little chance of getting to school in a reasonable fashion at this point.

"Have Roland bring me a new suit," he ordered, his eyes still on the device as Mokuba spoke rapidly to review the data it contained. "And find her something to wear as well." He looked up at the young woman who looked to be a few years Umi's senior.

"Yes, sir. Any, um, any preferences on her attire?"

"Something like that is fine." He gestured at her outfit before beckoning Umi over. Umi did her best to remain covered as she stood and walked over to where he and Mokuba were in quiet congress. The assistant stopped her midway and asked her what size she wore. Umi pulled at her skirt nervously.

"Once you are both changed, Sir, shall I have these sent for cleaning?"

Seto waved at her dismissively. Umi looked from her lover to his assistant before stopping the young woman at the door.

"Is he always like that?" Umi asked, startling the young woman.

"Typically, yes." she nodded. "He doesn't speak much, aside from issue orders or fire people. Well, not to us common folk anyway."

"How long have you worked for him?"

"About six months."

"And he treats you like this often?"

"It's his nature."

Umi turned back frowning as she watched him scowl at the report on the screen and the information Mokuba was giving him.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work. Um, do you like blue or black better?" The assistant asked her. Umi turned back to her confused.

"Um, it doesn't matter."

"Very well, then, I will keep things neutral." She pulled the door closed behind her, leaving Umi to watch her lover from across the room.

"Umi, come here." he called without looking up. She watched him a moment longer, weighing her options. The tone of his voice was demanding, as he spoke to his employees, and she did not want him to think she was just another cog in the machine he had built. She stood there longer, forcing him to look up. She had expected anger at her disobedience but all she saw was on his face was pain and confusion.

"Umi?" his voice had softened to match the uncertainty in his eyes.

She felt his spirit tug at her heart, calling to her, begging her to come to him. Still, she hesitated.

"Please?" He asked, holding his hand to her. The tugging on her heart grew stronger and Umi could no longer resist him. She sauntered over to his desk, where he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto the arm of his chair.

"What do you make of this?" he asked, showing her the data from the research and development department's most recent tests of a new holographic display system.

She leaned and whispered in his ear.

"You really should be nicer to your employees." She said before turning her attention to the data on the screen. She felt him go rigid at her words and Mokuba's eyes on them both as the younger boy watched in confusion.

Before long, Umi had changed into the plain business-like attire Seto's assistant had brought her. She thanked the young woman profusely and was rewarded to see joy erupt on her face. When Seto reappeared, he was dressed in a fresh pinstriped suit with a dark blue shirt underneath. The sight made Umi want to rip it off of him. His eyes darted toward her quickly but then slowed down as they traveled over her curves. He licked his lips slightly as he fussed with one of his shirt cuffs. Umi could feel his desire for her from across the room. She chewed her bottom lip as he walked over to her. He brushed the sleeve of her blouse from her shoulder to her hand before slipping his fingers within hers and pulling her knuckles to his lips.

"Later." he whispered, audible enough for only her to hear. Umi glanced at Roland who was chuckling at the sight of the pair. She felt like he knew what Seto had said. If anyone did, it would be Roland.

"I made an appointment for you with my doctor. I want you to talk to him about, well, about what's been going on."

Umi was confused by the sudden change of subject.

"What do you mean?"

"The incident at school, the memories."

Umi shook her head. She did not want to talk to anyone about it, not right now.

"I don't need to talk to him. I've got you. I've got Yugi."

"But we are not professionals. Umi, I love you. You know that I do. But you can't depend on me to be all things for you. I wish I could fix all of your problems, but I can't." He leaned closer. "These aren't issues that can be fixed with a kiss." He kissed her softly. "Listen, I just want for you to be the best you can be. Alright? Please, talk to him?"

"I, I'm scared, Seto." She admitted, knowing that he was right. Since Neferet's departure, the memories the ancient spirit had blocked from her mind had begun to seep back in. She had learned the signs of depression-her school had repeatedly brought up the subject as part of their suicide prevention program-she had not noticed them in herself.

Seto's arms wrapped around her and pulled her against his chest. The suit coat's fabric was soft against her face as he held her tightly.

"It's alright. He's a good man. Gruff and to the point, but good. And a good doctor. He also doesn't shy away from these sorts of issues. And he'll meet you here, while I'm in my meeting downstairs. Alright?"

Umi nodded, and Seto stepped back, his hand's resting on her shoulders. His tears glistened as he smiled at her. He pulled her close again for a moment.

"I'm so happy that you woke me up this morning." he whispered.

Umi felt her body go limp against him. She wanted to kiss him-not the soft kiss from before, the one that he usually gave her in public, but a deep passionate kiss that would leave them both breathless and wanting more. Already, she felt the stirrings of desire within her. And now, held pressed against his body, she could feel his own desire awakening.

"You should go." She pushed him away slightly, reluctantly. She did not want him to leave, just as she did not want to talk to his doctor. But he released her with a sigh.

"Later then?" echoed in his eyes and her mind as clearly as he had spoken the words. Umi's eyes widened in surprise before she nodded. He smiled before turning to the door. He gave her the biggest grin she had ever seen on his face in a moment of pure, unadulterated, unmasked joy. Umi knew when he turned from her, his face would once again be the mask he showed the world.

Mokuba hung back for a moment and looked at her.

"The doctor is really good with emotional trauma, and sees it as valid as physical trauma." the youth said.

"What?"

"And Seto trusts him." Mokuba thrust his hands into his pockets. "He's the only person that Seto ever talks to about what happened with our fa... Gozaburo. He won't even tell me all the details." Mokuba looked at her knowingly and nodded as if what he had said was enough before hurrying after his brother.

Umi sat on the leather couch where she had awoken her lover and waited.

She did not have to wait long before the same doctor who had examined her after the ordeal with Bakura walked through the door. He looked around, confused for a moment before spotting her on the couch. Silently, before introducing himself, he walked over to the chairs near the desk and dragged one so that he could sit facing her.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" He asked as he sat down.

Umi looked at him and shrugged for a moment before she cracked beneath his gaze and the details of the last several months of her life spilled from her.

She did not know how long she had been talking when the elder doctor raised a hand to stop her.

"Umi, I want to give you the name of a therapist. You should call her. She has worked with women who have been victims of sexual abuse and has experience with victims of human trafficking. Please, call her. And if you don't like her, let me know. I will try to find someone else. But she's incredible and I think you would benefit greatly from seeing her."

Umi looked up at him through bleary eyes.

"Was I rambling?"

The doctor smiled kindly and shook his head.

"Not at all. After dealing with Seto for years, I'm used to it. I wish he would take my advice to see a therapist. It's not my field of expertise, though I'm happy to listen. But you know how stubborn he can be when he sets his mind to something."

Umi did not really know what he was talking about as she was just learning about her lover's bullheadedness first-hand.

"You said you've been sleeping a lot, right?" the doctor looked through some notes he had been taking on his tablet. Umi nodded. "How has your appetite been?"

Umi shrugged.

"Alright, I guess?"

"You don't sound sure." He looked her over. "You seem thinner since the last time I saw you."

"I haven't been that hungry, but I've tried to make myself eat."

He nodded as he scribbled something on the tablet.

"I'm going to give you a prescription for an antidepressant. Just a low dosage, just to see if it helps you feel a little better."

"I don't know if I need drugs, Doc."

"You're showing very typical signs of depression and anxiety, though I won't rule out bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, but let's see if the simplest treatment works, shall we?"

"But,"

"Umi, you've experienced extreme grief followed by significant abuse, both physical and mental. It's perfectly normal to have a difficult time dealing with all of it. And if the medicine helps, then you will be able to function normally more quickly. I'm not asking you to take them forever, just until you feel like you can do without them."

She nodded.

"I'll try. I can't have too many days like yesterday. I have too much to do."

"Seto has said the same thing, only he was waking up out of a three month coma." The doctor scribbled a bit more on his tablet. "I've sent a prescription to the pharmacy near your house."

Both of them jumped at the knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" Seto asked peeking around the wooden edge.

"It's your office." the doctor responded as he pushed the door open and then closed it behind him. "Seto said that your family doesn't think much of therapy, Umi. Is this true?"

She looked gaped mouthed in surprise from the doctor to her lover. Seto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he crossed the room and took a seat at his desk.

"I, I'm not sure. Probably not. I mean, I remember after my dad died, my mom was very sad. She could only force herself out of bed because she had to take care of my brother and I. She was like that for weeks, but my grandfather only told her to, well, suck it up essentially. He didn't use those words, but that's what he meant."

"I'm guessing he would not approve of your medication either."

"Probably not." Umi shook her head.

The doctor turned to the young man who had summoned him, but Seto cut him off.

"Anything she needs, I'll pay for." he blurted out.

"What she needs is what I've been trying to talk you into for years, son."

"I'm not your son."

The doctor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses before he walked across the room to his client. As he met Seto's eyes, the younger man stared at him defiantly before folding.

"She told me what happened." the doctor said quietly

"How much did she tell you?"

"Enough. You need to be careful, Seto. I know you're not ready for a family, and it's not her responsibility alone to make sure you don't start one."

Seto rolled his eyes before letting out a loud exhale.

"You do understand me, right?"

Seto nodded.

"Yeah. And I know better."

"Yes; you do."

Seto looked up at Umi who had been watching them from across the room. He could tell she was curious about their conversation. He tried to smile at her, but he found himself struggling with the simple act.

"Oh, and congratulations."

"What?"

"On the engagement."

"She told you about that?"

"No, Mokuba did. He's really excited." The doctor turned back to his new patient. "Start the meds today and I want to see you in two weeks to check how your are doing. If we need to, we'll adjust dosages then. Just remember, it's important to take them everyday. Antidepressants aren't like aspirin, even though some people," he looked pointedly at Seto. "Seem to think they are. You don't take them for a quick fix."

"I know. I had friends who were on them."

He wrinkled his eyebrows together at the comment.

"So why the hesitation?"

"I don't know. It's just difficult to admit I need help, I guess."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"The stigma can be difficult to overcome, but you will start feeling better. And the therapy will help you cope with the memories and the trauma. And maybe one day you won't need the meds anymore."

Umi nodded.

"Let me know if you feel suicidal. Oh, and be careful with your birth control. There is some evidence that antidepressants can decrease effectiveness. It's not really solid evidence, but forewarned is forearmed, right?" He smiled.

"Better safe than sorry?" She added to his emphatic nod, which made her smile. "I will, thank you."

"And don't forget to call that therapist." He added before he pulled the door shut behind him.

Umi held a small card to her chest, which held the phone number of the therapist the doctor had recommended.

"So?" Her lover's voice echoed inquisitively across the room. Now that he was back in her presence, she felt overcome by her love of him once more. She answered him by closing the distance between them. She threw her leg over his knees and propped herself up on his desk.

"Thank you." She kissed him softly, but he responded with far more passion as he pulled her into his lap.

"You're welcome." He kissed her again. "I've been thinking about you the entire meeting." His lips grazed her jaw and neck and Umi felt herself melt against him. She hitched the knee length skirt up her thighs so she could better straddle him before she laid her head against his chest. "I hope you're not mad that I called him."

Umi sighed as his fingers stroked through her hair.

"I'm not, I just, I'm not sure how to convince my grandfather that this is a good thing."

"He doesn't need to know."

"He'll find out anyway.

"It's what is best for you." Seto said after kissing the top of her head. "He'll come around." Umi rubbed her hand over her chest. She wanted to believe him, but she was not so certain. After her talk with the doctor, however, she was certain that her grandfather was wrong. She felt better, at least a little better, and she knew it was not just because of finally overcoming her nerves about moving her relationship with Seto forward, in a physical sense. She could read the tiny shifts in his muscles as he held her, sense the intended touch before he made a move and met him half way. She knew what he wanted, but even now, he was reluctant to ask.

"Umi."

She looked up at him and his face said enough. He wanted her. But whether it was from the tears or their earlier explorations, Umi was drained. She laid her head against his chest once more, wondering how he might take her refusal.

"I'f you're not up for it, that's fine." His voice was soft, more gentle than anyone except for maybe Mokuba would give him credit for.

"I'm just tired. Who knew talking about emotions would be so exhausting?"

His chest vibrated briefly with laughter.

"Well, maybe you can help me with something else then?" Seto reached for the tablet Mokuba had brought into the office earlier. After tapping a few strokes on the screen, he handed the device to Umi as he began explaining the theory behind the new Duel Links system he was trying to prototype.

A few weeks later, Umi was feeling great as she walked into Seto's doctor's office after school. She had managed to make it to school nearly every day since she had started on the medication he had prescribed. And she had met with the therapist he had recommended a couple of times already. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

Yugi had joined her for her appointment that afternoon, having come quickly around to the idea. Their grandfather was still skeptical and called the doctor a 'quack' but he did not attempt to keep her from her appointments. The old man was also becoming more comfortable with other ideas as well, namely the idea that Umi was engaged and that Seto was not as bad a guy as he had thought.

Umi smiled as she and Yugi sat in the waiting room, not talking, yet knowing what the other was thinking. Occasionally, Yugi would smile and chuckle at something Umi had thought, which would often result in a light playful smack on his arm. She was feeling better, and Yugi knew it. He commented on it often as Umi showed more excitement for life in general and those small things that brought her joy. She had started tinkering again with various objects around the house and even fixed Tristan's motorcycle when he could not figure out what was wrong with it one day.

Umi had even made an effort to make her own friends at school and to strengthen her ties to her old friends in America. She had invited some of them to visit at the end of their school year. She had warned them that she would still be in class, but they were excited to come regardless. Terese and Christa were coming to visit in two weeks, and Umi was excited to show them her home.

She smiled a the thought. She would have never believed, a few months ago, that Japan would be home to her.

But now Umi could not imagine life anywhere else.

A/N: I feel like I rushed this last bit because I just needed to get to the conclusion without meandering all over the place. I'm good at that, not so good at finishing. So please forgive me if I seem to have glossed over anything, especially Umi's mental health. This is just the first draft of the story, well this part anyway, so I know it needs work. But I hope you have enjoyed going on this journey with me.