"Last time I checked I lived here!" Yami yelled. "Unless that's changed since I've been gone!"

"Funny, I thought you were the one that wanted nothing to do with us."

Yami sighed, "That's not it, Seto. I just…"

"Just what? Ask Mokuba if he hated you, only in the end make him think it's the other way around!"

"What? He told you he thinks I hate him."

"No, he refuses to talk to me about it, Bakura actually convinced him to talk to Ryo. Ryo's not sure what the change in attitude with him is, but he helped convince Mokuba to tell Ryo what was wrong."

"I was afraid he hated me. I never wanted to make him feel bad."

"Well you succeeded in doing just that."

"I'm sorry, Seto. But I think I know now why I had doubts."

"Why is that?"

Yami pushed Maura forward. "Seto, this is Maura. I returned to Master Dartz's place but then I wasn't in the mood to stay so I started to travel. I found her on my second night out. She'd run away from home, I believe I was meant to find her."

"So what, you brought her here? Why not take her home?"

"It's a long story. Maura, this is King Seto Kaiba."

Maura's eyes went wide. 'He's the king!' She quickly did a curtsy bow and remained bowed down till it was given the okay.

"It's a great honor to meet you, King Kaiba."

Seto smirked. "Well she's polite. It's nice to meet you too. You may rise."

'In fact she's too nice to be just a run away and that bow and remaining till it she was told okay makes me think she's no ordinary run away.'

"Seto, where are your manners? When a lady bows you're supposed to respond in kind."

Seto looked at Yami and growled, "I don't need a lecture from you on proper etiquette. If I could bow, I would. But at the moment I am so exhausted that if I attempted it, you'd be the one to help me calm Mokuba the rest of the night when I drop him!"

Yami gulped at that harshness in his tone of voice. It was only then that Yami could clearly see how much the treatment obviously took out of him. He saw it on Ryo's face too. He remembered how bad it was the first night he was there but this must have been worse. He didn't want to imagine what the poor kid felt like. He knew how bad the old stuff hurt and remembered the dragons warning that this would be worse.

"I'm sorry, Seto. I didn't realize."

'Why is he so formal with the king?' Maura wondered. The only person who was ever that formal with her father was her stepmother.

Yami dug in his pocket and brought out the cat toy he'd gotten. "I got this to try to make up with him. I was hoping maybe we could talk and work things out."

"Well I suppose it's a start." Seto said walking away.

"Seto, where are you going?"

Seto had walked over to a wall and pulled a rope. "We can't very well leave the girl here. I'll get Mai or Isis to find her something to sleep in and she can stay in one of the rooms across from Alistair and Varon. Then in the morning I expect a full detail of why we shouldn't just send her home."

"I'll help her." Yami said.

"Suit yourself." Seto said. Then he turned and started going up the stairs.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to give instructions to Mai or Isis?"

"You can do that yourself, Ryo's waiting to help put Mokuba to bed."

Yami realized now, Seto was angry that he'd rather help Maura than Mokuba. But he felt he should at least comfort her some. Just then, Mai walked in.

"Master Atemu? What are you doing here?" Mai asked.

"I decided to return home. This is a special guest. Her name is Maura. I was hoping maybe you had something she could sleep in and get her ready for bed."

"Certainly. Hello Maura, I'm Mai."

"It's a pleasure." Maura said then looked at Yami.

Mai looked at Yami. "Does the king know you're home and about her?"

"Know, yes, happy. That's another story."

"Are you sure he wont send me home? He looked awfully mad?" Maura asked.

"Don't worry little one, Seto is all bark and no bite."

Mai took Maura to her room to get her something to sleep in. Once Maura was out of sight with Mai he ran upstairs.

Ryo was just leaving when they ran into each other. "Master Atemu, you're still here?"

'Obviously Seto figures I'd just dump off Maura and leave.'

"Yes, and I plan to stay."

Ryo smiled. "Good, I think Mokuba would like that. I best get to bed, Bakura's promised a full day of training. Good night."

"Good night, Ryo."

Yami sighed and walked in to find Seto sitting on the edge of the bed watching the boy sleep.

"Where's the girl?" Seto asked not bothering to look at him.

"I'm letting Mai take care of her. Seto, I wasn't planning to dump Maura and leave, if that's what you were thinking."

"Then why did you return?"

"When I asked Maura about Christmas, she said it wouldn't be any fun because her father was dead. I realized that I'd never live with myself if I allowed that vision to come true."

"What vision?"

"I had a vision, where you allowed Mokuba and Maura to be married at 12 and then I returned 15 years later."

"What!"