A/N: I'm so freakin' tired right now, it's not even funny. I should be doing my hw that's over 5 weeks worth of stuff that's due Thursday which I haven't started, my group is presenting out film for our Italian group project tomorrow morning at 8am, I'm gotta start/work on my Atmospheric Hazards group project even though at least one member of the group hasn't shown up for class the past two weeks, I've gotta write letters requesting profs write letters of recommending for me to attend grad school and so much more.

...I'm dying and still wrote this long chapter for y'all cuz I skipped yesterday. Now, bed.

Chapter 46 summary: In which the Regent wakes up twice and makes a horrifying discovery or two.

Wakefulness and Horror

Kaiba came out of the trance and immediately slumped, rubbing his eyelids as exhaustion crushed him. He felt like the world was pressing down on him with punishing force. There was an ache in his chest near his heart and his head throbbed near his temples. Mokuba had long since fallen asleep in his lap and Kaiba felt incredibly guilty for having to wake his little brother but his legs were cramping and tingling from staying in the same position for over an hour at least.

He exhaled slowly, focusing on relaxing each muscle one at a time until his entire body twitched. Taking a moment to gather his wits about him, he nudged Mokuba awake, feeling his lips quirk at the adorable way Mokuba gazed up blearily at him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on his little brother's head, snuffling the soft black hair.

"Forgive me, Mokuba," he whispered in soft Japanese. "But I need to get up."

Mokuba groaned and crawled sleepily out of his lap. Kaiba again felt guilty and mussed his cute little brother's hair as he stretched out his legs with a sigh of relief. He stood, surprised when his legs wobbled uncertainly. He flailed an arm out for balance and grabbed the first thing he touched closing his eyes to ease the nausea brought on by a sudden severe bought of vertigo. A smaller pair of arms looped around his waist to help support him and his other hand grabbed Mokuba's shoulder. He leaned heavily against the people supporting him until the dark tunneling on the edges of his vision faded from his sight and he felt less top heavy.

Hesitantly, when he could finally see clearly, he stood tall and looked over his shoulder slowly to his supporter, surprised to see it was Oliver. His mouth felt dry and scratchy and his breathing was still too heavy and uneven. It confused Kaiba as to why this was. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the lack of sleep and strain from the last few days finally hitting him harder than he anticipated or maybe his argument with Seth had drained him. Either way, this was unacceptable with other people present to witness it.

He drew himself up and forced a calm to drape over him like an old, familiar blanket. He nodded his thanks to Oliver but did not release his hold on the vigilante. Mokuba stared up at him, worry lighting up his dark gray eyes.

"Ni-sama?" he called softly.

Kaiba tried to give his brother a reassuring smile but he must have failed because Mokuba's eyes only grew more concerned. Even Oliver shifted his hold so Kaiba was forced to look over to his kohai.

"Hey," the vigilante said quietly. "You look awful."

It was a testament to how tired Kaiba truly was that he did not respond to that particular comment in any way. He just blinked slowly and allowed his head to droop. He felt horrible. "Ineedtosleep," he mumbled incoherently.

"What?" Oliver asked.

Kaiba took a deep breath and focused. "I need to sleep," he repeated, over-enunciating every word to be sure he was understood. He felt like he was completely drunk and he could feel another bout of vertigo coming on. He was already starting to sway again.

Thankfully, Oliver understood and helped him stumble a few feet away from the couch before handing him off to someone. Kaiba vaguely recognized the cologne Roland always wore and slumped in his bodyguard's arms. He was barely aware of Roland picking him up and holding him in a bridal hold. Normally, he would have protested this degrading treatment vehemently, but he could not find the strength to even argue it. He felt so heavy and tired.

He never noticed when he closed his eyes and his head lolled weakly against Roland's shoulder, but he did notice he had to fight to open his eyes again when something soft replaced Roland's arms beneath him. He mumbled incoherently, a hand weakly clinging to Roland's suit sleeve. After a second of hesitation, Roland sat down by Kaiba's side, causing the mattress to sink.

Another person crawled over to Kaiba's other side, snuggling under his arm to be as close as he could. Mokuba. That was Kaiba's last coherent thought before he lost consciousness.

Oliver stood back and watched Kaiba sleeping on the daybed with open concern. "Is he normally like that after holding Court?" he asked Yami and Yuugi who had come up to stand next to him.

The Shadow monarchs shook their heads with identical looks of worry. "No, it isn't," Yuugi said, violet eyes gazing at his Regent in concern. "It...he..." Yuugi bit his lip and held Yami close, violet eyes never leaving Kaiba's unnaturally still form.

"He looks like he did when Pegasus and Dartz stole his soul," Yami finished.

"Stole his soul?" Wonder Woman turned to the Pharaoh and the King in shock. "Something like that can actually be stolen?" she asked in awe.

"It happens all the time figuratively," Yuugi said. "By changing your loyalty from one pantheon to another, you are essentially giving your soul over to the new pantheon. The gods you once served may view that as the other pantheon stealing your soul from them."

The Amazon nodded but her sky blue eyes were narrowed. "I understand that, but I think you meant something other than that."

"We did," Yami said with a sigh. "One of the abilities of the Millennium Eye Pegasus wielded for a time and Akhenadin originally wielded was the ability to perceive and remove souls. Pegasus was never able to completely access the Eye's full power, but Akhenadin, as the original holder, may still have those abilities. Dartz, however... He was just insane and had access to a power that was not of this world." Yuugi pressed himself closer at the mention of the mad king and Yami wisely fell silent.

The Amazon gazed at Kaiba with concern. "Has his soul been stolen now, do you think?" she asked.

Yami shook his head. "No," he said firmly, "however..." He pulled away from Yuugi and approached the daybed with Roland's silent permission. He pressed a hand to Kaiba's chest then forehead.

"What is he doing?" Wonder Woman asked Oliver softly.

"Checking for Kaiba's soul," the vigilante replied quietly. "It...You can feel it over the heart or the forehead. I'm not exactly sure why that is but I'm guessing because the heart and the brain or the mind are traditionally focal points for a person's life or existence or emotion."

The Amazon princess nodded. "Yes, that would make sense. My people believe something similar." Her brows drew close together in worry. "But why is he feeling for Kaiba's soul if it wasn't stolen?"

"Because it is gone," Yami said, standing. Mokuba stiffened, eyes wide with fear and Yami quickly corrected himself. "Or half of it is. It's not gone as in stolen but it is...locked away." His sighed in frustration. "I can perceive the Shadows in many ways to various degrees, but not strongly all in one way like the majority of my Court and most other Shadow users. Oliver," he said, turning to the vigilante, "you can perceive the Shadows visually much better than I can. What do you see?"

Oliver focused on his Regent and drew in his Shadows. They came to him in a steady stream of darkness that filled him with the familiar feeling he associated with the peace before he released an arrow from his bow. He took a deep breath and opened his Shadow sight.

At first, he could not see anything. But then he realized that was exactly what he was seeing, nothing. He squinted into the darkness surrounding Kaiba and finally noticed a faint impression of a doorway. It was ancient wood that was beginning to rot around the edges but the bolts were polished and strong. He gently knocked on the door with his Shadows, but received no response.

He reached out and touched Kaiba's Shadows with his own and was greeted by the familiar sight of the horizon of power. But instead of seeing the Regent standing tall and bold in the center where the sunrise-sunset met the dawn-dusk, Kaiba was slouching and looked every bit like a thoroughly defeated opponent. It rubbed the vigilante the wrong way. This was not the Seto Kaiba he had come to know and respect.

Just to be sure, he grabbed the nearest Shadow with his own to assure himself this was Kaiba and not Seth. It was the Regent's, but it felt strange; lost, lonely, depressed, desolate, sickly even. He pulled out of that miserable place and blinked back to reality.

He met Yami's concerned gaze with his own and shook his head. "I saw a locked door. It was wood and rotting at the edges but the locks looked brand new. Also, the horizon of power was...weaker than it usually is."

"Horizon of power?" Yami asked curiously.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders self-consciously. "It's what the Regent's Shadows look like. A huge field with a rising or setting sun on the right and dawn or dust on the left."

"Can you tell whether the sun is rising or setting?"

The vigilante shook his head. "Both and neither. It just holds that position." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "But it gets darker when your Shadows have the most influence," he added after a moment. "I'm assuming the opposite happens when Yuugi has more influence."

The Pharaoh nodded slowly, his crimson eyes glittering with interest. "And my Shadows?" he asked. "What do they look like?"

"They're dark," Oliver said seriously. "Very dark, almost impenetrable. It..." The vigilante shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like it."

Yami nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. I'm too dark for you, so your Shadows reject it giving the impression of discomfort. It is natural; there's no need to embarrassed about it." His gaze returned to Kaiba in silence. "I can guess the door you saw was of Seth's making. He must have locked himself in his soul room." The normally fierce gaze softened into something much more gentle and worried. "Kaiba must have rejected him," he murmured just loud enough to be heard.

"Rejected him?" Wonder Woman asked. "Why?"

Yami remained silent, choosing instead to reach out and pat Mokuba's shoulder comfortingly. He said something in quiet Japanese to which the younger Kaiba responded. Isono Roland chuckled at whatever Mokuba said and even Yami grinned and nodded. Isono Fuguta joined the group and said something to which Mokuba replied with a silent nod. Fuguta then sat on Mokuba's side of the bed and Yami walked away, leaving them in peace.

"I suggest you two join your comrades and rest," Yami said to Oliver and Wonder Woman. "Something tells me it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Diana," Wonder Woman said.

Yami blinked. "Pardon?"

"My name, it's Diana," Wonder Woman clarified.

Yami's eyes widened then he laughed softly and extended his hand. "Well met, Lady Diana. You are a fine warrior and while I do not condone your earlier actions against my Regent," his eyes darkened, "I would like to count you as my friend."

The Amazon princess smiled and shook Yami's hand firmly, impressed to feel him return the shake just as firmly. He respected her and would not treat her differently because of her gender. "I as well," she said. "And to start, I think I will take your advice and rest." Her sky blue eyes rested on Kaiba's once more. "Will he be alright tomorrow?"

Yami shook his head grimly. "He will insist that he is, though I doubt he actually will be. However, I know Kaiba's heart, and he will not stand to be left out of something as important as this. H truly cares for those close to him, he just shows it differently then the average person."

"And Seth?" Oliver interjected.

Yami grimaced. "I do not know."

With that thought tumbling endlessly in his head, Oliver fell into a fitful sleep on a spare mat rolled out on the floor.

It was another one of those rare days with deep blue skies and bright sunshine outside but a crisp, cool breeze blew in from the northwest forcing everyone to break out their light coats for the early morning. Yami and Yuugi had risen early and gone out with Diggle and Jounouchi to pick up some Starbucks coffee and Dunkin' Doughnuts for everyone. Superman had called in from the Watchtower to confirm their plans for the day and make sure everything was going smoothly. Batman was finishing up his shift on watch from the roof of the Verdant and Flash was catching some sleep after his last shift on watch.

Diana and J'onn were helping Oliver roll up the spare matts and stuff them back into the storage closet. Shaadi had refused to wander far from his still sleeping Regent's side and Mai had settled on the mattress between Fuguta and Roland running a motherly hand through Mokuba's messy bedhead. Bakura had made himself scarce leaving Ryou and Marik to talk with Green Lantern who was simultaneously disconcerted and intrigued by the conversation.

"So you were the one who stopped him?" Ryou asked referring to the now infamous Shadow Thief.

"Hawkgirl and I both did," Green Lantern said. "He did not seem too inclined to fight us."

"Why do you say that?" Marik asked resting against Ryou's back with his arms looped possessively around the Scribe's shoulders.

The superhero shrugged. "It's hard to explain. He seemed to be holding his punches and reverted to hiding and dodging blows rather than giving them. It was the same when we faced him at the hotel room yesterday. It was almost insulting."

"I can see why," Marik grumbled. "I hate it when I feel slighted during a duel of any kind."

The dark superhero pinched his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure he was insulting us so much as trying to avoid us. It seemed like he was more interested in escape the time in the tomb and talking in the hotel."

"If he had just stolen something from the tomb," Ryou said, resting his head against Marik's, "then he was probably afraid of being caught."

"That's just it," Green Lantern muttered in frustration. "I'm not sure if he stole anything or now. We could never prove it, only that he had raided the tomb without permission from the proper authorities."

"But we know he stole the dagger from my sister's exhibit," Marik countered. "And we also know that dagger came from the very same tomb as the one you caught him in. The coincidence is astounding." He smirked. "But then, I think we're beyond assuming this is all coincidence."

"I'll say," Green Lantern mumbled.

Marik groaned. "You know something?" he asked in a mock annoyed fashion. "I know your real name and think I'm just going to start calling you that." Green Lantern blinked at the Priest's sudden non-sequitur comment. "I'm tired of calling you some glowing orb of green that happens to be tied to a cheep ring I could get a mock up of from a gum ball machine."

A black eyebrow lifted. "Oh-kay," Green Lantern said slowly. "If you really know my name, then you can call me that I suppose. Just keep it on the down low when in public."

Marik waved. "Of course, of course. I'm a member of a powerful secret society of Shadow magic users who have existed for millennia and managed to keep secret. Believe me, I understand the importance of keeping certain information quiet."

Despite himself, Green Lantern could agree with that statement. "Alright then."

"Good. I'll call you John," Marik said with a grin reminiscent of the infamous Cheshire Cat.

"And I'll call you Mr. Stewart," Ryou said happily.

"Please," John said. "So, we know Shadow Thief makes the lot of you sick to your stomachs when he gets near," he said. "That'll give us a warning if he tries to catch us by surprise. But if he attacks us, what do you think will happen?"

"Honestly," Ryou said reluctantly, "I'm not sure. I haven't been in his presence before, I've only heard stories. But," his soft brown eyes hardened, "I've been in the presence of pure evil before and survived. I think I can face someone who was that greater's evil's servant fairly easily."

"Not to mention," Bakura chimed in, appearing next to his Scribe and leaning casually on the Priest, "I have a few things to thank him for, personally." His grin seemed innocent enough on the surface, but the way he said the words gave the phrasing a much more sinister feel.

"I agree," a new voice said. "John looked over to see Shaadi approach their little group. "You are not the only one who owes him a few...gifts shall we say."

Bakura snickered. "That's right. He did kill your last incarnation, didn't he? I look forward to your witness statement in the Judgment Game."

"As do I," Shaadi said, unearthly pale-brown eyes narrowed.

"You all should have been in theatre," Mai called from her place by the daybed.

She laughed at the disgruntled looks she received in response to her comment before standing and waiting from Kaiba to finish waking up. The Regent's eyes hesitantly opened before dropping closed again. This was highly unusual for her Regent who was typically the first one up and about in the mornings. She bit her lip in worry but wisely said nothing.

Kaiba slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and rubbed his face in an effort to force back his exhaustion. Mokuba sat up with him, large heartfelt dark gray eyes stared at their big brother in worry. Noticing the gaze, Kaiba leaned over and rested his forehead against Mokuba's and did something incredibly unusal. He breathed in soft Japanese, "Ohayou Moki."

Mokuba burst into a bright smile at the nickname and promptly hugged his big brother. "You spoke to me!" he cheered in the same language. "And you didn't even have coffee yet."

Kaiba smiled and held his brother close, ignoring the world around them. When he did lift his head to look around the room, his smile fell and his body stiffened, alert and aware. He gently eased Mokuba back and slid off the daybed. The way Roland and Fuguta eyed him carefully sent pinpricks of annoyance through Kaiba's system. He deliberately glared at his Sorceress, silently demanding to know why she had not woken him earlier.

"What? No soft words to whisper to me?" she asked in mock offense. Kaiba's glare darkened but Mai remained intimidated. "You were tired," she said with a causal shrug. "We weren't exactly being quiet, you know," she said, examining her fingernails with interest. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a pair of nail clippers and expertly clipped away a few stray hangnails. "The fact you slept through our racket was proof enough you better left asleep."

Kaiba bristled with fury but knew she was right. He clearly remembered feeling strange and fuzzy last night, and he could still feel the vestiges of that now. He did not feel completely one hundred percent but it was close enough to satisfy him for the moment. He would be able to function acceptably which was good enough. He glanced at his watch and grimaced at the time. It was already 9:30 in the morning. He had wanted to be at the park scoping out the potential hiding places by now.

"Don't worry," Mai said. "Yami and Yuugi went to get coffee and doughnuts that just happen to be in a place by the park. They should be back any minute now."

Kaiba's eyes widened and he whirled back to the room, startlingly clear blue eyes darting around the room. He reached out with his Shadows and confirmed that, yes, the Pharaoh and the King were not in the vicinity. He felt worry and frustration build up inside him at fellow monarchs' deliberate slip insecurity.

"What's wrong?" Mai asked, genuinely curious.

Kaiba ignored her and stalked off to Shaadi, grabbing him by the sleeve and jerking him around so their faces met. He did not have to speak a word, Shaadi just lifted an eyebrow and spoke in his lilting Arabic accent, enunciating every word with care.

"I would not have let them go had I suspected they were in any danger, my Regent," he said. "Akhenadin," Kaiba flinched subtly at the name, "is already aware of the King's presence." Near orange eyes seemed to glow with a dark inner fire. "He is, however, unaware of the Pharaoh's."

Kaiba blinked, leaning back to show his interest in his Advisor's words. He lowered his chin in permission for Shaadi to continue.

"When Shadow Thief first appeared and made off with the Priest," Shaadi said calmly, tugging his sleeve free from Kaiba's grip and slipping his arms into his sleeves, "he called Yuugi the Pharaoh and seemed oblivious to the fact the Pharaoh and the King are currently two different people. Yami is accompanying Yuugi within his body to keep up appearances." The Egyptian's lips quirked ever so slightly upwards. "It would make sense to assume that if Shadow Thief does not know the Pharaoh and the King are separate individuals, he does not know you and Seth ware separate individuals."

Kaiba released his hold on Shaadi and pondered those words carefully. If that was true, then the Shadow Court had the advantage beyond just the home field courtesy of Arrow, the vigilante of Starling City, now being a Shadow user. And since Arrow was under his command... Yes, Kaiba could work with this. He knew Seth would not be eager to meet the Traitor face to face but if Kaiba could keep the man's attention, then Seth and perhaps even the Pharaoh could use their influence to help subdue him.

That still left Shadow Thief as a dangerous variable. The Thief's very presence would weaken the Court, distorting their Shadows and making it difficult to focus and think clearly enough to negotiate let alone attack or defend. They would have to be at the top of their game which, Kaiba was hesitant to admit, he was not.

"What's the matter, Regent? Are you unwell?" Bakura asked in mock concern when Kaiba remained silent with a pensive look on his face. "Cat got your tongue? Or should I say drago-"

Kaiba snagged the Thief's ear and yanked him close so their faces were within inches of each other and glared at him like the dragon Bakura had the misfortune of bringing up. The Thief merely snickered in the face of the Regent's fury. "Did I hit too close to the mark Regent?"

Instead of throwing Bakura against the wall like everyone seemed to expect and Kaiba's face suggested he truly wanted to do, the Regent calmed. He released his hold of Bakura's ear and leaned back with an unreadable expression on his face. He stared at the confused Thief silently, then he grinned. Bakura had just enough time to figure out what Kaiba had planned before he gasped, all the air punched out of his stomach by a powerful fist planted solidly in his gut.

Kaiba just stood there and let the breathless Thief slip to the floor where Ryou quickly checked to see if he was okay. Kaiba absently popped his knuckles and walked away rolling his shoulders as he went. Green Lantern stared after the young CEO impressed.

"I think I'm starting to like him," he said out loud to no one in particular.

Kaiba smirked when he heard the comment and walked over to his own duffel bag pulling out a fresh set of clothes as well as two small bottles of shampoo and conditioner and a bar of soap. He was going to take a shower if it was the last thing he did. He stood and strode deliberately to the bathroom glaring down anyone who even remotely looked like they were going there first. He may not be able to speak without his morning coffee, minus that one instance earlier this morning, but his eyes spoke loudly enough to be understood.

He pushed the bathroom door open and was about to close it when he noticed a streak of black dart past him. He almost flipped out in fury until he noticed it was just Mokuba. He sighed and nodded, kicking the door shut behind them and locking it. Mokuba grinned and turned the shower spigot to hot and began stripping. Kaiba, with his severe case of brother complex, was unable to resist Mokuba's pleading eyes and handed his toiletries over to his younger brother to borrow. Mokuba giggled and hopped into the shower, closing the translucent glass door behind him with a click.

Kaiba groaned and began working his boots off. He had fallen asleep fully clothed again, an unfortunate and annoying habit of his. He could not stop the inadvertent sigh of relief when he pulled his combat boots off. They were heavy duty and protected his feet from any 'damage' he might suffer. But they were not easy on the feet when slept in.

He was just in the process of removing his shirt when he realized he had not sensed anything from Seth all day. The spirit had been unusually quiescent. Kaiba had not felt a single thread of emotion, catch of a thought, or brush on his Shadows since he woke up. It was as if Seth had gone, vanished from his mind completely. Disturbed by that thought, Kaiba hurriedly finished undressing and brushing his teeth to he was ready when Mokuba stepped out of the shower.

He yanked off his pants and stepped into the still running water, closing the shower door behind him. He washed his hair quickly then leaned against side of the shower stall so his forehead pressed against the cool wall and the hot water ran down his back. Closing his eyes, the Regent turned his focus inwards and retreated to his soul room.

He was immediate struck by two things upon arriving in his soul room. First, it was cold. The colors seemed muted like on a cloudy day that promised snow and the air was colder than usual. Not a breath of air stirred the stillness or disturbed the calm atmosphere until Kaiba exhaled. He started when he realized he could see his breath escape his mouth in a puff of warm air. Something was very wrong.

He strode quickly up to his soul room door which was cracked open indicating he was in control of his body. None of the locks had been tampered with although the thinnest layer of frost glittered on the metallic surfaces. He looked to his right and saw nothing amiss with the personalized mockup of his office from KaibaCorp Tower back in Domino, even the view appeared normal and unaffected. But just in case, he walked up to the large wall of windows overlooking the cityscape and carefully pressed a hand against the glass.

Cold! He flinched back in surprise. What was going on? He turned around and rushed to his proxy bedroom. He knelt by the futon and pressed, eyes growing large when he heard the distinct sound of frost cracking. He clamored over the crackling futon to the window and was stunned to see the small koi pond projected outside his room still with a thin layer of frost slowly creeping over its surface.

The faintest twinges of horror began to sink their claws into his heart. Literally. Kaiba pressed his hand over his heart and felt it beating slowly, much slower than it should have been given his heightened state of awareness. The adrenaline was already pumping through his veins and his breathing was quick and shallow but his heart remained slow and unhurried.

Biting back his panic, Kaiba crawled across the floor on his hands and knees feeling the frost beneath his hands. He stared at the mosaic of Kisara and the Blue Eyes White Dragon with horror growing in his heart. The mosaic was whole again after his and Seth's efforts to repair it from the damage done to it by the psychological Shadow Game but now it was frosted over. This was wrong, so very wrong.

He raised his head and stared at the Egyptian wall, scrambling up to his feet when he noticed the frost was creeping up the stone walls and door there too. He blinked when he noticed something he had not before. The door to Seth's soul room was shut. It was never shut. It was always at least cracked.

Slowly, Kaiba moved towards the Egyptian wall never taking his eyes off of Seth's closed door. Now that he was looking at it directly, he noticed the subtle damage to the edges. They seemed old, rotted away by age, water damage, and even chipped away by something sharp; an ax perhaps?

He stepped up to the door uncertain of what to expect. He pressed a hand against the wood and felt the same cold he had experienced everywhere else in his room. But this time, he also felt a beating under his fingers. It thumped like heartbeat but it was unsteady and fluttered weakly. It was worrisome.

Unnerved, Kaiba pressed against the door. It did not budge. He pushed harder and the door slowly swung open with an audible squeak. The other room was dark, the torches, normally burning bright and vibrantly were dim and guttering. Several had even gone out entirely leaving the room in a sea of meekly flickering Shadows. Seth was nowhere to be seen.

Kaiba hesitantly stepped into the room, freezing when he felt a slight give and heard the subtle sound of something crumbling. He looked down and saw the stone floor he stood on had aged. It no longer looked like the steady support he had grown used to. Now, it resembled the ruins frequented by modern archaeologists in Egypt.

Chestnut eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Kaiba lifted his eyes and squinted into the room trying to see something, anything in the darkness. He could not see anything. It was like an old, abandoned tomb. That thought gave Kaiba pause. A tomb implied death. Did Seth not say something about vanishing into oblivion if Kaiba continued to reject him last night?

Steeling himself, Kaiba purposefully stepped beyond the reach of the feeble light filtering in from his own soul room and into the impenetrable darkness in Seth's room. He opened his mouth to call out for the spirit but was reminded of his lack of ability to speak without his morning coffee. He winced and rubbed his throat. He could not force sound from his throat but theoretically he could whisper or breathe the words. He had managed that this morning to Mokuba. It worked then with Mokuba so close, but here in this decrepit soul room that seemed to devour the very sound of his own footsteps, Kaiba doubted he would be heard. Nevertheless, it was worth a try.

He opened his mouth and forced air to pass between his lips forming the spirit's name, "Seth?" There was no sound. Kaiba's breath was swallowed up by the intense, heavy silence. He tried again with the same result.

Worried beyond words, Kaiba sped up his search for the spirit. There was nothing, absolutely nothing here. No personal touches, no snatches of memories, no emotion, no thoughts or personality, nothing. Kaiba was so distracted with trying to orient himself in the all-consuming darkness that he did not notice the change in the floor's texture and tripped.

He flailed out catching himself against a semi-solid wall. When his adrenaline rush calmed down, he looked down to see what it was he had tripped on and was decidedly disturbed to see a thin leg. Comprehension dawned and Kaiba quickly knelt and stared in growing horror at what he vaguely recognized was Seth's soul manifestation.

Seth looked terrible. He was weak and drained almost to the point of emaciation. He lay half curled in the corner of what was the deteriorating remains of his soul room leaning against one crumbling stone wall for support. His head was leaning on his bony shoulder and his eyes, which should have been shining with a cold flame to rival Kaiba's, were closed.

Kaiba could only stare in dumbstruck alarm at the person who only last night had stood up to him with the same ferocity Kaiba exemplified during a Duel against the Pharaoh and the King. Over the course of a single night, Seth had become almost cadaverous. But how was this possible? How could Kaiba have not noticed this happening? Had it truly happened overnight? It made no sense.

He reached out and brushed his fingers gently down Seth's sunken cheek ever so lightly still trying to come to terms with what he was actually seeing. He froze when Seth shifted, eyelids fluttering open to reveal a pair of significantly dimmed blue eyes. The spirit lifted his head and stared directly at Kaiba for several silent moments incomprehensibly before growing wide, the inner light bursting forth. It should have warmed Kaiba's heart to see the renewed life return but it did not. The returning light was not welcoming, it was terrifying.

"Seto," Seth breathed, pushing himself back into the corner, pulling his thin legs up to his chest. One hand levered himself closer into the corner and further away from Kaiba while his other was fisted around something and held close to his heart. "What are you doing here?"

Kaiba could not answer, not because he had not had his morning coffee, which was still true, but because he simply could not find the words with which to form an intelligent response. Seth's haunted eyes flickered to the open door to his soul room and returned to Kaiba's eyes.

"Why are you here?" he asked. His voice sounded horrible and scratchy as if he had not drunk anything for hours. His eyes narrowed, studying Kaiba's face curiously. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He pressed himself further into the corner when Kaiba leaned forward into his personal space. "Stop. Stop looking at me like that. Kaiba. Seto."

Seth froze when fingers trailed down his cheekbone again, sticking out visibly due to his sunken cheeks. His body began shaking and the barely concealed longing in his slowly hazing blue eyes wounded Kaiba to his core. Somehow, Kaiba found the strength to force his throat to form words despite lacking what was normally required for that to happen. The words were hoarse, scratchy, and wavering reflecting Kaiba's turmoil.

"What...happened?" he breathed hesitantly.

Seth's blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked. He reached up to feel his own face, eyes never straying from Kaiba's. Thus Kaiba saw the moment Seth understood what had shocked the Regent. His eyes dilated and he paled making his already faded tan skin take on an almost deathly pallor.

"Get out," he gasped. Kaiba sat back, shocked by the command, no matter how soft it was given. Seth's eyes cleared from the clouded haze brought on by whatever malady had beset him and a strength that had not been visible mere seconds ago made itself known. "Get. Out." Kaiba hesitated again. "Get out!"

The force of Seth's command literally threw Kaiba out of the dilapidated soul room, through the rotting door which slammed shut and bolted behind him, and sent him skidding across the floor of his own soul room still in the process of freezing over. When he opened his eyes, he found he was sitting huddled in the corner of the shower stall, the steaming water still washing over him, and the muffled sounds of Mokuba brushing his teeth and dressing just out of sight of the shower door. Kaiba blinked, completely disregarding the water dribbling into, over, and around his eyes as he tried to come to terms with what just happened.

A cold stone had taken up residence in his gut and the heat of the shower no longer penetrated his skin. He felt cold and horrified and alone and his chest ached like something was crushing it and his head was pulsing with the beginnings of a probably migraine. Kaiba ran his hands through his dripping wet hair in speechless dismay. Seth was…

Seth was…

Seth was dying.