The next two days seemed to go slower after Mokuba left, Seto slept with Mokuba's blue-eyes white dragon. He'd snap at anyone and everyone. He just basically shut down. He barely spoke to anyone including Yami without almost literally biting their head off! Two days of searching had confirmed that Mokuba was indeed with Ryo. It was a good thing and bad thing all at the same time. If you even mentioned Ryo's name you'd be lucky if Seto didn't strangle you! They were able to track them till they left their kingdom beyond that they couldn't go any further. Realization that Mokuba might never return had finally made themselves concreted in Seto's mind. No matter what anyone said or did, it didn't change his mind. Mokuba was gone. Remembering the necklace that connected and knowing Mokuba bought a new one told Seto then that Mokuba was moving on preparing to bond with Ryo the way he had with them.

However, whenever he thought about this he'd start crying when he was alone in his room or Mokuba's room. He didn't dare do it in public, he had to maintain a certain amount of respect and breaking down and crying in public would only give the other big five members cause to try to remove him claiming he's incompetent. When it hit and he was in public, he could control the emotion by turning it into rage and anger by starting to yell, scream and fire people.

Hearing a crashing sound Yami cautiously knocked on Seto's door. "Seto, are you okay?"

"Fine!"

"Can I come in?"

"Do I have a choice?" Seto snapped.

Yami was hurt by Seto's harsh tone. "I miss him too, Seto. But they've already left our kingdom, there's not much we can do about it."

"You don't think I know this!"

"Seto, please let me in." Yami sighed when no answer came. "Seto it's not your fault we both screwed up. Mokuba counted on us to give him love and support and we failed him! We should have known that he would feel abandoned if we neglected him. He just came from a home where the way they showed they cared was by feeding him. He obviously felt we betrayed him and Ryo was there to comfort him when we just left him."

Suddenly the door opened. "Don't mention that name! He convinced Mokuba to run away with him! He had no right to take Mokuba away!"

"Seto, Mokuba left on his own. Ryo didn't force him. If at any time Mokuba didn't want to go or changed his mind, he could have returned. It's clear that Mokuba was on his own and Ryo was nowhere near him. But you said it yourself, Ryo loves him, he'll take care of him, he'll look after him."

"I know that! That's not the point! The point is…" Seto sighed and moved into the room and sat down on the bed. "The point is I knew he was sensitive, I knew that one false move, one wrong word could mean the difference between him trusting me or rejecting me. I knew that but yet I was so blinded by a stupid letter! I believed the big five when they told me that Mokie had been found after all these years, that they had been talking to the person who supposedly had our brother! How could I have been so blind and stupid!"

"Seto don't be so hard on yourself you wanted to believe! We both did… It's true that we shouldn't have trusted them and been more cautious when it came to Mokuba's feelings. We both should…"

"No!" Seto interrupted. "My brother was taken from me and now Mokuba! There's nothing more to say about anything! My father felt I didn't deserve my brother and he would only get in my way. Now in an attempt to get me off the throne the big five chase off Mokuba! My father, the big five it seems everyone would prefer it if I was an emotionless robot! Fine if that's the way they want it then they shall have it!"

"Seto what are you saying? Don't I matter anymore? When did it become your brother? I've never heard you say that. I said it once after he was born but you said he was our brother and you never let me forget that. You never once claimed Mokie was anything but our brother! As for Mokuba I thought we were going to raise him as our brother, not just yours." Yami said, on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry if I forgot my place MY KING but I thought I meant more to you than just an advisor. I thought Mokuba meant more to you than just a kid off the street. But I guess we were both wrong."

Seto was a little shocked by what Yami said. But when he didn't say anything Yami turned and left. He couldn't believe Seto was shutting him out.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

He sat down on a bench outside when Yugi on his way to town spotted him.

"Hey Master Yami, is everything all right?"

"No, Yugi it's not."

"What's wrong?"

"I need you to contact Mazaki."

"Mazaki, why? He only comes around to help the king out when you're sick or have to go away on a long business trip. I wouldn't have thought well with everything that's happened with Mokuba that you'd leave on a business trip."

"It's not business Yugi. It's personal. Seto's decided to shut everyone who matters to him out of his life. In a way he pushed Mokuba away, well we both did actually when we were so caught up thinking we'd found our brother we forgot about him. Now Seto's saying that it was his fault 'his' brother was taken away and Mokuba ran away."

Yugi blinked in confusion. "But I've never heard the king say that the boy was only his brother. I mean we all know that by birthright he's his brother, but, but the kings always swore and yelled at anyone who said that he wasn't your brother as well. He's always said that the two of you were brothers as well."

"I always believed that. But now I don't know anymore."

"There's a spell you can try. It's a truth spell. It'll make him tell what he really thinks and feels about whatever you ask him!" Yugi said.

"Thank you Yugi but no. No Seto and I have always been honest with each other. Mokuba's disappearance has hit him hard. I guess we just need time apart. I just need you to talk to Mazaki and get him to cover for me. He knows how to handle business calls and what to do with the paperwork that needs to be done."

"Are you sure you really want to leave?"

"Want to? No, I want to stay here and comfort Seto but right now he's pushing me away and there's nothing I can do about it. I just think it's for the best that we have some time apart. Maybe we need this time apart to think things through. I didn't truly realize it till he was gone but Mokuba pulled us together. He made us a family. We've always had each other but we both felt something missing from our lives. Every year on Mokie's birthday we've always fought over what to get him."

"But you didn't even know where he was." Yugi said.

"Yeah well that didn't bother us much. It seems silly but we'd argue over what he'd like best. But in the end, we'd usually only buy one toy each, hoping that this year would be different. This year we'd find our brother. But every year it was always the same disappointment. But then Mokuba came to us. Finally, we had a kid to love, cherish, and spoil rotten. But when we had the chance, we started out great! But then, then we failed that too. Mokuba needed us, all he wanted was for us to love him and we failed."

"How do you know that he didn't think that you loved him?"

"It was all in a note he left when he ran away."

"Are you sure he wrote it?"

"What do you mean, am I sure?"

"Um nothing I just wondered." 'That's weird. I know I saw Ryo trying to teach the kid to read that one day. Because I saw Shizuka at the bookstore once helping a kid find a good book to start learning with and that was the same book I saw Ryo and Mokuba with.'

"Are you okay Yugi?"

"What? I'm fine. I promise to call Mazaki the moment I get back. I have to go into town and pick up a few things."

"That's fine." Yami said, going inside.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

As Yugi was leaving a store after buying what he needed he accidentally ran into a big man.

"Oh I'm, I'm sorry mister I didn't see you."

"Sorry, you're sorry! Sorry punk, apologizes don't work on me." The man said, picking Yugi up, making him drop his sack.

The man pulled back about to hit him, Yugi closed his eyes tight. He was about to hit Yugi when a hand grabbed his arm.

"I think you should pick on someone your own size."

Yugi opened his eyes and was shocked to see a guard from the castle standing there. He didn't know his name and they'd never actually met. All he knew was that the word around the castle was that he was the king's pet dog.

"You want to make something out of it punk?" The man said dropping Yugi.

"Yeah as a matter of fact I do, you shouldn't go around picking on people smaller than you." the guard said.

The man was so mad he swung but missed. The guard had ducked out of the way just in time then punched him in the stomach. As the man staggered backwards, the guard punched him again this time in the face. The guard then hit the man's head against the side of a building knocking him out.

"Wow, that was great. Thank you."

"Hey, no problem. Let me help you with these packages."

"I'm sorry to say I don't know your name. Only your reputation." Yugi said.

"You mean I'm famous?! What do people say about me?"

"You don't want to know."

"Tell me, already!"

"You're the king's pet dog."

"What!"

"I told you, you didn't want to know."

"Yeah, well I guess I should have known. My name's Joey, what's yours?"

"Yugi, and I really appreciate your help. Maybe I can return the favor sometime."

"Yeah well you don't have to."

"I insist."

"I'll think about it."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Later that night Seto went to apologize to Yami. But when he walked into the office, he saw Mazaki sitting at the desk instead of Yami.

"Mazaki? Where-where's Yami?"

"I don't know, sire. All I know is Yugi called and said that you needed a replacement. That Master Atemu wasn't going to be around for a while." Mazaki said.

Seto was in shock when he said that he was asked to replace Yami. He went to find Yugi.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

He found him in the doctor's office talking to Joey.

"Yugi, what's this about Mazaki replacing Yami? Did the big five or rather four now that one's lockup up; did they put you up to this?"

Yugi swallowed hard. "No, no my king. Master Yami asked me himself to do it."

"What? Why!"

"He said the two of you needed time apart. That losing Mokuba took its toll on you both and you both needed time apart."

"Where did he go? Did he say when he'd be back?"

"No my king, I'm sorry he didn't."

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Seto stormed upstairs hoping Yami would be there. When he walked into his room he was saddened when he wasn't and that there was no note, no anything he was just gone. Seto walked in and sat down on the bed.

"I can't believe this, how the hell did I manage to screw up my life so royally! First, I lost my brother to my father, then I lost Mokuba due to my own stupidity and now I've gone and lost Yami too! Was I always meant to be alone? My father would often tell me that it was wrong to get attached to anyone; they would only hurt you in the end. Was he right? Should I truly accept this fate and remain alone? I was powerless to do anything about my brother. But Mokuba and Yami. I've lost the two people who were the most important to me. Yami and I have been brothers since we were little children! Then one stupid letter and I let it ruin my life! I lost Mokuba's trust and he left me. Then I go and drive Yami away! The one person I always counted on is gone because of me! I can't blame Mokuba for leaving or for even being here to start this whole mess; if I had left him where I found him, I could have never looked at myself in the mirror again. I'd never forgiven myself. Maybe I really am meant to be alone. My father always told me not to trust Yami too much that he couldn't be trusted. I know he's wrong. Yami's the only one I ever trusted without question. Even my most trusted guards don't have my complete trust. I was even starting to open up to Mokuba but now I've got nothing, I'm all alone, maybe my father was right after all. Maybe this is the way it was meant to be, I was never meant to have anyone in my life."