/Text/ Spirit to host

/Text/ Host to spirit

Chapter 3: Delivery

"Seto, open your eyes!" Mokuba cried as he nudged his brother's shoulder. "Seto!"

Yami knelt down next to him. "I…your brother will be fine, Mokuba."

Mokuba whirled around. "Did you know this was going to happen when you gave that to him?"

Yami put his hands up in front of him. "You have to believe me, Mokuba. I had no idea. From what I understand, the Millennium Items are drawn to their destined owners. Your brother held the Millennium Rod in the past, just as I held the Puzzle."

Mokuba frowned. "I know you had good intentions, Yugi. And I know my brother doesn't believe in any of the stuff you've been telling him. But…I thought…" he looked down, "…I thought that maybe…just maybe, if he did believe…he would lighten up a little bit, and maybe wouldn't be so hard on everyone, or himself." His eyes hardened and he glared at Yami. "But how do you know Seto will be okay? You didn't even know this was going to happen to him in the first place!"

Yami gave him a faint smile. "I believe the Millennium Rod is testing him. I think Pegasus mentioned something similar once when he received the Millennium Eye. And we both know your brother has risen above every challenge set in front of him. I don't see this being any different."

"Well he hasn't beaten you yet," said Mokuba dryly, "But as far as everything else goes…I suppose that's true." He walked around his brother to one of the filing cabinets along the wall and pulled out a first aid kit. Coming back to rest at his brother's side again, he reached for the Millennium Rod. It glowed for just an instant and Mokuba yanked his hand back as if someone had slapped it away. "Ow!"

"Mokuba! Are you alright?"

"It…zapped me!"

With one hand on the Puzzle, Yami drew the other closer to the still-smoking Millennium Rod. "I can feel the energy surrounding it, not to mention the heat. I don't think we'll be able to remove the Rod from his hand for the time being without injuring ourselves. While I'd like to help your brother, I believe he would murder me if I got you hurt as well."

Knowing he was right, Mokuba dropped the first aid kit onto the nearest chair, frustrated. "So now what do we do?"

Yami looked behind him to one of the office sofas. "Well, we can start by getting him up off of the floor..."

Mokuba pulled a face. Even with Yugi helping him, that wasn't going to be easy. "Yeah? And then what?"

Yami sighed. "We wait. There is nothing else we can do until he wakes."

Eyes slowly opened, squinting not against the harsh Egyptian sun, but the office lights running across the ceiling. As he sat up slowly from his spot stretched out on the office couch, his eyes took in the room, from the sleek furniture to the shining metropolis that was through the window. His feet found the floor and he stood, a moment on shaky legs before finding his balance.

Only once he was upright did he take in his appearance reflecting in the glass wall in front of him. Gone was the familiar weight of his headdress or the swirling robes he had worn; in its place layers of black and white that accentuated his long, slim frame. The throbbing radiating out of his right hand took his attention next, glancing for a moment at the bloodstained Millennium Rod locked in his grip.

He closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. "It's about time."

"Seto! You're awake!" He froze as someone half his height grabbed him around his middle in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay! You had us worried!"

Who is this?

When his hug was not reciprocated back, Mokuba looked up. Seto looked…for a lack of better words, downright confused. He didn't respond to his cry with any sort of recognition, and was scanning the room as if he was just seeing his office for the first time.

"Kaiba," said a voice from the other side of the room, and thank the Gods at least that one was familiar, although he hadn't the faintest idea what a 'Kaiba' was. He detached himself from the boy and turned. The new face in front him was dressed in the weirdest combination of blues and blacks, with the oddest accessories adorning his neck and wrists, but the spiky hair and golden pyramid dangling from a chain around his neck was unmistakable.

"My Pharaoh!" he cried, dropping to his knee and bowing his head. "I have returned to serve you once again."

Mokuba looked from his brother to Yami and back again. "Uh…Seto? Are you okay?"

His brother looked at him with eyes that didn't quite seem his. He opened his mouth but Yami cut him off.

"Uh – it's okay, Kaiba. You can get up now."

If Mokuba could be relieved about any of this, it was that Yami seemed just as baffled at his brother's behavior as he was.

Kaiba. Is that the name of the body I've taken….

Yami cleared his throat and looked at his rival. He looked the same…but there was something slightly off in his eyes. If he hadn't spent so much time with Kaiba saving the world and dueling, he may not have been able to notice…but his eyes seemed brighter. His height and posture…all else seemed the same. Except perhaps the hair...Yami noted that it did look a slight shade of lighter brown than his rival's.

"I'm…glad you remember me," said Yami carefully, "But I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I must ask that you identify yourself, if not just for my sake, but for Mokuba." He gestured to the younger Kaiba. "It is his older brother's body you seem to have taken for your own. So tell me…are you a spirit from within the Millennium Rod?"

The man bowed his head before standing back up, and put his hand over his heart. "Of course. Your sacrifice to stop the darkness before had taken all of your memories. I had forgotten. I am Set, High Priest of your royal court and Sacred Guardian of the Millennium Rod."

A small tug at his jacket sleeve stole his attention. "Uh…Mr. Set? What happened to Seto?"

Set looked down at Mokuba. "Seto? You mean my vessel?" His eyes glazed over a moment. "He is still resting. I believe that this was his first time tapping into the power of a Millennium Item, and it seemed to have overtaxed him. He will wake soon. Do not worry."

Yami nodded. "Yugi – the boy whose body I inhabit – had a similar experience in a shadow game. I wouldn't fret, Mokuba. Kaiba will be fine, although I can't say he will be pleased when he wakes."

Mokuba grimaced.

"Oh?" said Set.

"Let's just say that Seto Kaiba, who does not believe in the power of the Millennium Items, or fate, or destiny, will not be happy to learn that everything we have been trying to tell him over the past year or so is not only true, but that he now will have to share his body with his ancient counterpart."

"Yeah," said Mokuba. "My brother is…kind of a control freak."

Set chuckled. "I see. Well then. You will have to tell me all about my descendant, and this world. It is very different than Egypt."

Seto groaned as he forced his eyes open. He didn't remember taking a nap on the office couch. He did remember Yugi trying to pawn off Marik's Millennium Rod onto him. He shook his head, rubbing his temples with his right hand as he sat up.

Wait.

He moved his hand back and gawked, dumbfounded. The Millennium Rod was no longer trying to disfigure him. It wasn't even in his hand, which was burn-free and looked completely fine, although he could still feel it throbbing. That certainly didn't make any sense.

The Rod wasn't on his desk either. But that couldn't possible – he could vividly remember the damn thing stuck in his grip and burning into his skin!

What is going on?

Seto looked around. In fact, the Millennium Rod wasn't even in his office. Neither were Yugi or Mokuba. Getting to his feet, he staggered around to the other side of his desk and sank into his office chair. He reached for the "KC" emblem on his suit's lapel – a duplicate of the one stitched into the collar of his white trench coat – to call for Roland, but his fingers were met with only the fabric of his jacket. Looking down, he realized his communicator was gone. It took him another moment to realize the top of his desk was completely clear. The phone and laptop were missing, and he knew that they were there when Yugi was trying once again to convince him of a destiny that didn't exist. Even the paperwork had vanished.

Maybe Mokuba led Yugi out, and he took his hunk of gold with him. But to take his phone and his computer too? Mokuba wouldn't have to do that – he has his own in the office next door. And no one in their right mind would have walked off with the various budgets and proposals waiting for his approval.

Something wasn't right, and it was about time he got to the bottom of things.

Seto stood back up, stalked off towards the office door and threw it open. Somehow, in a nagging part of his mind, he knew the corridor he had walked down only minutes before wouldn't be there, so he wasn't sure why he was so surprised to now find a completely different hallway in its place.

He stepped out into the odd corridor and looked around. The door he just walked through looked exactly like his office door, down to the "S. Kaiba, CEO" nameplate. The wall and floor around it matched the real counterpart in Kaiba Corp.

But the other half of the hallway looked like something out of one of Ishizu Ishtar's exhibits. The floor and walls on that half were made of stone. A large door stood opposite his office. Where his had his office nameplate, this other one had the same eye that decorated all of the Millennium Items, surrounded by other strange Egyptian symbols. It was the odd sort of sight he would have expected on the wall of a tomb, not across from his office.

Even stranger, the weird corridor didn't seem to go anywhere. It just…ended.

"…You have nothing to fear, little one. I am not your enemy," Seto heard, and he put a hand on his forehead. That was his voice, but he didn't say those words.

"My role…I believe, is to aid the Pharaoh…" said Seto's voice again. "Although the Gods' plan is not quite clear to me. Many of my past memories are also clouded, and I am not quite sure why my spirit was sealed into my Millennium Rod, but I will do what I must to help you fight evil once again."

Seto narrowed his eyes. There was no way he would have said that.

His head was starting to pound again. Seto backed against the Kaiba Corp side of the wall and shut his eyes, grimacing as whatever conversation his voice was having with Yugi echoed through the corridor. Who the heck was Yugi talking to? When he opened his eyes again, he narrowed his gaze to the mysterious door. Whoever – or whatever – that was locking him in this odd space and stealing his voice had to be behind that door, and it was about time they learned that they weren't welcome.

It didn't surprise him to see this room decorated roughly the same as its half of the hallway. The chamber was made of stone. Hieroglyphic tapestries hung from the wall. A table covered in scrolls sat in the corner. A large canopied bed stood opposite a balcony overlooking an ancient city. Next to it was a small stone statue of a warrior-like monster. Seto half expected to find the large stone carving of the Blue Eyes White Dragon here, but it was nowhere to be seen.

What he did find, was the same man he kept seeing in Ishizu's visions, from his golden headdress and long blue and white robes, to the Millennium Rod in his hand. If it weren't for the tanned skin, they could have been twins.

Seto's double turned from his spot at the balcony to look at him, and folded his arms across his chest. "I see you're awake."

Seto walked into the middle of the room and mimicked the other's stance. "I don't know who you think you are, but I suggest you let me out of here before I really get angry."

The other man laughed and gestured to the two large cushions near one of the tables. "I see what they said of you is true. Come, sit. I am sure you have a great many questions, and we have much to discuss."

"My role…I believe, is to aid the Pharaoh…" said Set. "Although the Gods' plan is not quite clear to me. Many of my past memories are also clouded, and I am not quite sure why my spirit was sealed into the Millennium Rod, but I will do what I must to help you fight evil once again."

"You believe?" asked Yami. "You mean to say you don't know? Did something happen after I sealed myself away in the Millennium Puzzle?"

Set did not answer.

"Set?" Yami looked closely. Set had gone rigidly still, and his eyes had glazed over. He made no notion that he had even heard him.

"Set?" asked Mokuba. "Seto? Anyone in there?" He climbed up onto the back of the couch and tried to wave a hand in front of his brother's eyes. Still no reaction. "Freaky…"

"I wonder if this is what Yugi is like when we are talking to each other," said Yami. "Perhaps he and Kaiba are having a conversation."

Mokuba turned to look at him. "If that's the case, then maybe my brother is okay in there after all, and that's a good sign. I've noticed you space out sometimes, but usually you were in the middle of dueling and I just figured you were taking a long time to plan out your turn."

"Hm. I wonder if Yugi's friends had noticed."

Mokuba shrugged. "If they did, they don't say anything. Or they just assumed that you two are talking to each other and they let it go."

Seto suddenly blinked and backed away a step from Mokuba's waving hand. He reached for his "KC" lapel pin, and didn't even bother to hide the almost-sigh of relief to feel the cool metal under his fingertips. "Roland, cancel the rest of my appointments for the day. I am not to be disturbed, is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir. Although there is something – "

"I don't care. It can wait."

"…Of course, Mr. Kaiba." Mokuba could have sworn he could hear Roland sighing on the other end of the line. He slid off of the couch and moved to stand next to Yami. "Seto? A-are you okay?"

Seto cast a quick glance around the room, his eyes traveling over Mokuba, the laptop and phone on the desk, to the Millennium Rod still clenched in his fist, and finally to Yami. His eyes narrowed. "Muto."

Yami matched his glare. "Kaiba – hey!" Seto had grabbed his upper arm, dragged him around the room and tossed him unceremoniously into the chair behind his desk. He looked up at his rival and his next words died in his throat. Forget however irritated Seto had been with him in the past. The dueling losses of course made him angry, and he was downright livid when Raphael had beaten him and taken Yugi's soul…but today? Seto Kaiba looked murderous towering over him.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Muto."

"Kaiba, I –"

"No. You kept coming to me ranting about fate and the past. I told you time and time again that I didn't believe in that nonsense. Despite our differences, I thought you would have respected my opinion on the subject, considering how many times I had to repeat it. But of course not, because you don't listen to anyone that isn't in your direct little circle of friends. As it is, I've had to tell you this today twice."

"I –"

"And then, because you listen so goddamn well, what's the first thing you do? Harp on the same bull that took over my Battle City tournament, and that's all I continue to hear from you since. You knew I wanted nothing to do with your little Egyptian fairytale, but I suppose what I want doesn't matter because of some old carving on a rock."

"Kaiba –"

"That must be why you decided to give me this." He waved the Millennium Rod dangerously in Yami's face, "Because letting it burn itself into my flesh is truly the way to get me to finally listen to you, since words weren't doing the trick. Or maybe you were hoping that some ancient doppelganger would do your dirty work for you?

Yami began to speak, but paused. "…Is it my turn now?"

"If I may cut in," said a voice from the door, effectively cutting off whatever Seto was about to say. "I'm surprised at you, Pharaoh! Causing a ruckus with the Millennium Items and you didn't even invite me to watch all the fun."

Yami rolled Seto's chair back away from the angry CEO and stood up. "Bakura! What are you doing here?"

"How did you even get up here?" asked Mokuba, "wouldn't you have run into security?"

Yami Bakura laughed, "Oh, believe me, I did, but I got tired of the chase so I eluded them through the Shadow Realm. You're lucky I was in a good mood and didn't trap any of them there while I was at it." He turned to Yami, "I sensed the changing of hands with a Millennium Item. And since you have about half of them now–urk!" He suddenly found himself pinned to the wall by an angry CEO. The hidden dagger of the Millennium Rod was out and up against his throat. Bakura could see that the Rod itself was covered in blood.

"I see you too have survived after all these years," said Kaiba, and Bakura narrowed his eyes. Seto Kaiba never would have said this sort of stuff, and he certainly hadn't done anything to antagonize Kaiba, at least not yet. "Are you still up to your tricks? I may be the only Sacred Guardian here, but I will not let you obtain the other Millennium Items, or antagonize the Pharaoh any further."

Ah. So that's what's going on here, Bakura said to himself. This changes things quite a bit.

"Seto, what are you doing?" Mokuba ran over and tried to pry his brother's arm off of Bakura. "You're going to hurt him!"

Yami Bakura sneered against the dagger at his throat. "Don't bother, half pint. That's not your brother. It seems that his Highness the High Priest is in a foul mood. What's wrong, Set? Not happy to see me after all this time?"

Mokuba tugged on Set's arm again. "Let him go. Please!"

Set's eyes darted to Mokuba for an instant before turning back to Bakura. "Back off." The Millennium Rod flashed and Mokuba was thrown into the back of the office couch.

Yami rushed around the desk as Mokuba cried out, falling to his knees and rubbing the back of his head. He helped Mokuba to his feet in time to see the Millennium Rod activate once again. One moment, Seto (or Set, it was too hard to tell which one was which from behind) looked ready to slit Bakura's throat. But once he had turned on Mokuba, his demeanor had changed just as fast as the flash of the Millennium Rod.

Seto dropped Bakura and in one fluid motion, whirled around and angrily hurled the Millennium Rod across the room, smashing it into a large art frame on the wall.

"Don't you EVER lay a hand on my brother like that again." He didn't care that he spoke it aloud instead of in his head, but so long as the spirit in his head heard him, he didn't care. The other occupants in the room by now knew better than to attack his little brother.

Mokuba hurried into Seto's side. "It's okay, Seto!" he said quickly, "I'm not hurt or anything. It's okay! I'm fine."

Seto looked down and put his clean hand reassuringly on his brother's shoulder. Now that the Millennium Rod was finally out of his grip he could finally take stock of the damage it did to his hand. It felt raw to the touch, and was completely coated in blistered burns. Some of the blood had already dried. Just thinking about how this was all done by a possessed hunk of gold was almost enough to make him sick.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bakura get up off of the floor, rubbing his neck. "How long have you been there?"

Bakura shoved his hands into his pocket and strolled into the middle of the office, seeming completely unfazed that he almost had his throat run through by a Millennium Item. "Just long enough for a very cranky spirit to try and murder me." He shrugged. "Wouldn't have been the first time. He seems a bit twitchy; probably from being stuck inside the Millennium Rod for 5,000 years, or from having to spend about ten or so of those years listening to Marik. I'd bet on both."

Yami walked over to the other side of the office and carefully picked the Millennium Rod from the glass shards covering the floor. He started to walk back over and hand it back to Seto, but paused. Mokuba had started to dig into the first aid kit. Seto looked like he was watching Mokuba tend to him, but Yami could see his eyes looked a little glazed over. If he had to bet, the CEO was verbally abusing the spirit for turning on Mokuba. And he was also quite sure that if he handed the Rod back in this moment, Seto was likely to run him through with the dagger end of it, eternal dueling rivalry be damned.

"So," said Yami Bakura conversationally as he stopped next to him. He followed the Pharaoh's gaze to watching Kaiba. "How long has your Priest been out to play?"

"Just a few minutes. It seems that Kaiba is none too happy to have him, though I bet you and I could have guessed that would happen." Yami turned to look at the evil spirit cautiously. "Set said most of his memories are clouded too, and that makes me curious. …Do you have your memories of the ancient past?"

Bakura snorted. "I have what I need. But to answer your unasked question, I did not know that there was a spirit in the Millennium Rod. This is news to me."

"If the peanut gallery is finished over there," said Seto coldly, flexing his bandaged hand, "Then leave. I've had enough magical nonsense for one day." He walked around the desk, sat back down, opened his laptop and proceeded to ignore everyone else in the room.

/…I think Kaiba's calmed down now. You can let me come out now, Yami. I-I don't think Kaiba is going to throw me off the roof or anything./

/He'll be angry with me for a while, I'll bet, but I think you're right. I'll be here if you need me./

With a flash of the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi swapped places with Yami. He approached Seto slowly, ignoring the worried glances Mokuba was giving him. He reached over and slid the sheath of the Millennium Rod back over the dagger.

"Uh, Kaiba? Is your hand –"

"It'll heal. Eventually." Seto muttered. He leaned back in his chair and took the Millennium Item from Yugi. Turning it over in his hands, he stared at it, exhaustedly, but at least the hunk of gold wasn't trying to hurt him anymore. He'd have to get the blood cleaned off of it though. Finally, he turned his gaze back to both Yugi and Bakura, neither of whom had listened to him and made any move towards the door. "I suppose your items did something similar to you? Or am I just special?"

He looked over at Yugi, noticing that he had gotten a little shorter and his hair wasn't sticking up nearly as high.

/So this is the Pharaoh's vessel. They certainly look similar…/

Seto flinched. It was going to take time to adjust to the new voice in his head.

It wasn't Yugi who spoke, but Bakura. "The Millennium Items were born from the blood of men. It is only fitting that they form a blood bond with their destined owners." He didn't feel the need to tell him that when he bonded with Ryou, he stabbed all five points of the Millennium Ring into his chest. What a mess that was.

"Oh great," Seto muttered. "So now I'm stuck with this thing, aren't I?"

Bakura tented his fingers in front of his feral grin. "Well. You don't have to keep it, Kaiba. Sure you've got your past incarnation in your head now, but from what the Pharaoh told me, he hasn't stuck around long enough for you to be too attached to him. And if you'd really like to be rid of him, I can always take it off your hands. But, considering that there is a spirit in your Item, and you two have bonded now, I would guess if I did part you of it, he would only find its way back to you."

Seto watched the Millennium Ring suddenly flash, and Ryou trade places with his alter ego. He noticed Ryou's eyes were much softer brown and his hair didn't fan out from his head as much as the Ring's spirit.

"Sorry," Ryou said sheepishly, "He's been trying to acquire all of the Millennium Items for some time now. Try to ignore him."

Roland cleared his throat from his spot at the open door, drawing all eyes onto him. "My apologies for the intrusion, sir…."

"I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed, Roland."

"Yes, Sir, but I thought you should know. These letters were just dropped off in the main lobby just minutes ago." He stepped into the room and removed two envelopes from his suit pocket.

"What's so special about getting some mail, Roland?" asked Mokuba. "…It's…not someone trying to take us over again, right? We're still trying to recover from Dartz and the Grand Prix fiasco."

"No, sir. But the letters are addressed rather strangely. It seems whoever sent these knew that Mr. Muto would be here." He held one out to Seto. "They were also dropped off by an owl."

"An owl."

Roland reached into his suit and pulled out his cell phone. "It gave the receptionist quite a fright, all things considered. We did manage to capture a photo of it before it flew back out the front door."

"Why'd you take a picture of it?" asked Mokuba.

"Aside from seeing one flying around in broad daylight? We honestly were sure you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Of all the things to happen today," he muttered, taking a look at the snowy white owl that certainly wasn't native to Japan before handing the phone back. "You're right. I wouldn't have believed you. So, what nonsense is this?"

Roland turned, handed Yugi his letter, and moved to stand near the door.

Yugi looked down at his envelope and gawked. What the…

Mr. Y. Muto
Seto Kaiba's Office
Kaiba Corporation Headquarters
Domino City, Japan

"Well that certainly is specific," said Ryou, looking over Yugi's shoulder.

Mokuba walked around the desk and looked at the envelope in his brother's hand.

Mr. S. Kaiba
The Executive Office
Kaiba Corporation Headquarters
Domino City, Japan

"This has to be some sort of prank," Seto snapped and turned to Yugi. "So which of your friends was it this time?"

"I-I don't think this was a prank, at least not something Joey or Tristan would be able to pull off," said Yugi, turning the envelope over. An old-fashioned wax seal held it shut. "There's at least no possible way they could get an owl to deliver this in broad daylight. They don't even know I'm here!"

/Perhaps you should read its contents before writing this off as a trick, my host. I can sense a great deal of magic coming from this letter. I assume the Pharaoh's friends you refer to are of this modern world, and therefore would not have the means to create something like this/ said Set's voice in his ear.

With a final glare at Yugi, Seto broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter inside. It, like the envelope it arrived in, was not on normal letterhead paper. It felt heavy, and both looked and felt like something that belonged in a Middle Ages exhibit. Mokuba watched his eyes narrow more and more as he read.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Kaiba,

I am writing you this letter in the hopes that you are in good health and an open mind. It is my current understanding that the idea of magic in these modern times may be foreign to you. Be that as it may, I wish to inform you that living Witches and Wizards are more than just childhood tales. Although we do not perform magic in front of those without these abilities, we do live in coexistence.

Recently, our world has entered back into war after fourteen years of peace. While I would normally not concern you with these matters, it seems that a tyrannical dark wizard has set his sights on some ancient forms of magic that we used to believe were just myth. Due to these unsettling actions by this wizard and his followers, I believe you may be in great danger.

If you would permit me, I would like to meet in person to discuss this matter. If 5:00 this evening in your office is not convenient for you, please write a new time on this letter. I will be alerted immediately to your change. There will be no need to send a reply.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore

"I suppose yours says the same thing," said Seto.

Yugi nodded. "It does. I…I don't know what to make of this."

"Five o'clock," Mokuba read, "That's less than an hour from now. What are you going to do, Seto?"

Seto crossed his arms and glared at the parchment sitting innocently on his desk. "It's quite a coincidence isn't it? You pretty much force me to believe in your Egyptian fairytale by passing off one of your Millennium Items, which just happens to have my incarnation stuck in it, and not even an hour later I'm getting a letter delivered by an owl telling me that magic is real and some nutcase I've never met is after me."

"The only connection I can make is that this has something to do in general with the Millennium Items," said Yugi. "In the letter they said that whoever this dark wizard is, he's going after something old. And the only thing that would connect the two of us would be our past from Ancient Egypt. But…" he turned to Ryou, "I would have assumed you would get a letter too, Bakura. After all, I think you've held onto the Millennium Ring longer than either of us have had our items."

Ryou frowned. "That's true. If that is the case, would it be alright if I stayed for your meeting with this Dumbledore fellow?"

"You mean if we meet this Dumbledore," said Seto irritably, "I'm still not entirely convinced this isn't some sort of trick."

"If I may, Mr. Kaiba," said Roland, and Seto's eyes snapped up. He had forgotten Roland hadn't left the room. "In my role as your tournaments' official, I have seen quite a number of things I am still not able to understand or explain. Many of those had to do with that item there on your desk," he motioned to the Millennium Rod before returning to clasping his hands behind his back again. "There can be no way that it was a trick that half of your Battle City finalists ended up in comas. Neither can we say that it was a trick that during the Paradius crisis, losing a card game without that Millennium Rod present also put duelists into comas. Monsters appeared all over the city, and we both know they were not from your holographic technology."

Seto began to speak, but Roland held up a hand. "If I also may say, sir, that in my role as your chief of security, I have noticed that many of the unexplainable things we have witnessed have in some part focused on you. And usually, in more than one instance, targeting you has also put young Mr. Kaiba in the line of fire as well. Now this letter may be nothing more than a prank. But, if it isn't, and there is someone else trying to get at you, it is not far off to assume they may also go after your brother in order to get to you. For this risk alone, you should see this meeting to its conclusion."

Mokuba crossed his arms, "Well, Seto? Are you going to listen to the voice of reason?"

"Ugh," Seto massaged his temples again. His headache was coming back. "This better be over with quick."