Yami was sitting outside on a boulder under an overhang, looking up at the raining sky when Krystyn approached him.

"Is something wrong? You're not worried about this fight are you?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing."

"Well don't keep me in suspense, spill!"

"Even if everything works out in this battle I can't stop worrying about my future visions."

"You're worried that even if you return immediately after the battle that Mokuba won't want to be around you."

"The kid, well he's had a hard way to go and made an immediate attachment to Ryo. He was the first person to show the boy that someone could care for him and not hate him. Then when Seto came he felt an immediate sense of safety. I'm sure the moment we met all he felt was terror."

"I don't believe that. I'm sure he felt safe with you too."

"Maybe a little but I was so angry that day. First the council that was appointed as secondary advisors tried to take over the kingdom..."

"Wait, if they were council why are they advisors?"

"The late Master King didn't trust many people. For some reason he put a lot more trust in them than he should have. He put a revision in his will that stated when Seto became king they were to be secondary advisors. He never totally liked me. I recently learned he was my biological father. I guess that might have been part of the reason. He was afraid since Seto and I were close and I'm sure he knew we thought of each other as brothers, he thought that would cloud my judgment on some things. It wouldn't but it's the only reason I can think of."

"I see what's the second reason."

"I was worried sick that Seto had been hurt or killed. Then I get a letter saying he'll be home in a day or two. Two weeks later, he shows up! Then he tells me that not only did he bring home some stray kid who helped him but that he kidnapped him from his old home. I was furious! I couldn't believe it! I had also just learned that Seto's accident had been an attempt to kill him! I was thankful Mokuba found him and took care of him but the very idea that Seto would just kidnap someone. He did tell me about Mokuba's abuse; but all I could think at that; time was it was a lie. It wasn't real; it was only something that he told Seto to get sympathy. He was poor and wanted a better life and to get revenge on his parents cause he was angry. There were a thousand different reasons why I felt it was a lie. I also saw that the boy resembled Seto's mother a little. His mother had long hair down to her waist. It wasn't out of this world like Mokuba's, it was straight and fine. I'm not sure where the unruly part of his hair came from but that's what made me think that his resemblance was the real reason Seto brought him home."

"What changed your mind?"

"I met Noah."

"Whose that?"

"Mokuba's stepbrother in his old home. At first I felt guilty sending the boy back there. I couldn't understand why. I mean I wanted to send the boy back home. But the look of fear and terror on the boy's face made me wonder. There were other things too; things that I don't know just didn't look right. I never had a younger sibling so it was hard to judge."

"You said the king was your brother."

"He is, but he's only a year younger than I am. So I couldn't go by that."

"No I don't guess so. Well something told you that your brother had his reasons for doing what he did. Did you learn what those reasons were?"

"A part of me wished I hadn't but yes, I did."

Krystyn quickly got the feeling he wasn't going to elaborate so she asked, "Now that you were beginning to understand those reasons, what did you do about it?"

"I told Noah never to come near Mokuba again. I was in shock over what I discovered. I left him alone without a word to get my horse and he was gone when I returned. I caught up with him about the same time Noah did. I got rid of Noah, but soon realized after trying to talk with the boy that any trust I could earn was gone. He never spoke a word to me for the longest I didn't think he could speak."

"How did you gain his trust?"

Yami smiled. "Well when we went to town the poor thing was scared out of his mind, he looked to me for comfort."

"So not all hope was lost. You did eventually get him to talk and earned more trust over time, didn't you?"

"Well yes, even though I thought he hated him for a while."

"Do you think he still does?"

Yami sighed and stared at the sky. "I don't think so. But you never can tell with him. When I first heard he hated me, I was shocked."

"Has he ever told you that he loves you or anything?"

Yami sighed. "Not that I remember. But I did ask him and he swore he didn't hate me."

"Who gave you your necklace?"

Yami lifted his necklace. "He did. He has one that connects to mine and Seto's."

"Why are you afraid of returning home then? Grandfather told me that the boy cried out and you went to him and saved him. How did he respond to you?"

Again, Yami smiled. "He begged me to save him. But..." Yami sighed and looked down. "I think he would have been happy if anyone saved him at that point."

"Stop this self-pity now!"

Yami looked at her in surprise.

"You say he would have accepted anyone. Was he happy to see you?"

"Well it was more like surprised."

"Did he hug you?"

"Well yes...but..."

"But what? When I talked to him, all he could talk about was how he had the best big brother's in the world, they both loved and cared for him. He told me that your fighting with each other sometimes scares him. He confessed that he's afraid that you all are going to abandon him. His old family would often threaten that if he didn't straighten up they wouldn't beat him anymore they'd abandon him."

"I don't believe they would do that. They seemed to like having someone to torture."

Krystyn shook her head. "He told me they did it once."

"What? He never told us that." Yami then glared at her. "What did you do to him? He's rarely that open with us. Why would he just openly talk to you, a total stranger?"

Krystyn was slightly taken back. "Um... ... um..." Krystyn gulped. She hadn't realized the child was that shy and quiet even around them.

"Tell me!" Yami said in a low and dangerous tone. It was one thing to learn new facts about Mokuba and he wanted to know all he could. But it was a different story if she forced him or placed a spell making him tell.

"It was a harmless little spell. He was a little reluctant to come into my room and play a simple little board game. I meant no harm; it was just to loosen him up some. I'd ask him questions and he told me. Is that your real fear? That you've been gone almost 3 months and you fear the child has bonded with the king to the point that there's not room for you? That there's no room left in his heart for you?"

Yami didn't answer, he just looked away.

"Perhaps, when you return home you could cast a new spell."

Yami was angry. "I am not placing a spell on Mokuba, to get him to bond with me! If he's going to bond or respond to me at all I want it to be because he wants to not because a spell is forcing him too!"

"That's not what I meant honestly! I meant to cast a spell around the castle and the town."

"What good would that do me?"

"Simple no one could go in or out of the town while you're gone?"

"You're making no sense."

"You and the king take little Mokuba somewhere far away for a couple of months and spend some long good quality time with him! Then when you return you can un-cast the spell and if you've been gone for three months then to the townspeople only 3 days have gone by."

"That's wrong. I couldn't do that to them."

"Suit yourself. But the longer you dwell on whether or not the child truly loves you the harder this fight will be. If you continue to wrestle with your heart you might forget what you're fighting for."

"I won't forget what I'm fighting for! Even if I have to live with my second vision of Mokuba's past being rewritten and forgetting me or my third where he knows me but hates me..." Yami started sadly. "Even if one of them has to come true, I'll still fight for him. I love him! If in the end I can't be with him then so be it! He'll be alive and well that's all I can ask for."

"Well it's your choice but I don't think you could live with either of those realities." Krystyn said leaving.

Yami looked at the sky. "Maybe she's right. But I will protect you Mokuba, that's a promise!"