Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Cursed	By : AtomBunny Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Crossovers Views: 3721 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh! or Ranma 1/2. Those belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Rumiko Takahashi respectively. this is just for FUN and I'm not making any money from this story

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh! or Ranma 1/2. Those belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Rumiko Takahashi respectively. This is a product of my warped mind wanting to cross EVERYTHING over with Ranma 1/2 and actually writing it down this time. Of course, this is just for FUN and I'm not making any money out of this, so please do not sue me.

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Several days soon passed by, turning into weeks. There was no sign of the water arriving yet, but Cologne had said that everything was fine and that she would be in touch as soon as anything changed. And everything was fine until one afternoon when Nabiki came running into Kaiba's office, flustered like Seto had never seen her before.

"Miss Tendo, what is so important that you must burst in like this?" he demanded.

"My apologies Mr. Kaiba," she said, still a little out of puff. "I have been given some… bad news." She took a few more deep breaths as Kaiba waited patiently for her to continue. "Someone has… informed your board of directors about the curse and the legal circumstances surrounding it and they are starting the process to have you removed."

"What?" Seto paled. "But how? We've been so careful..."

"I'm not completely sure," she replied, "but I've heard rumours of an unusual pink haired Chinese girl who was seen out with one of them."

"La-Na!" Seto exclaimed. "She must still be sore over losing her claim on Yugi. So I suppose she must have decided to stir up trouble."

"For what it is worth, Mr. Kaiba," Nabiki said, more calmly now that she had her breath back, "I don't think Cologne had anything to do with this. It's not really her style and she knows that the Amazons have a lot to lose if it were to go wrong. However, I cannot speak for the other Elders."

"I see. So what do you suggest, Miss Tendo?" he asked her, knowing what the answer was likely to be, but wanting her input in case she had some kind of alternative.

"Barring the water arriving soon," she said seriously, "and unless you want to drag this through the courts, I can only suggest that you prepare Mokuba to take over the position of CEO for the foreseeable future." She froze for a moment, half convinced that he was either going to snap her head off or fire her – or both, but his expression suddenly softened to a kind of muted despair as he dropped his head into his hands.

"That... is exactly what I was expecting you to say," Seto said with a heavy sigh. "I was hoping that you would have a different option for me."

"I'm sorry Mr Kaiba..."

"No, it's not your fault. I've only got as far as I have with your help." He stood up slowly. "I think that I am going to head home for now. I need to think about this and I think it would be best to do so away from here so I won't be so easily disturbed."

Nabiki looked at him sympathetically. "Is there anything you would like me to do, Mr. Kaiba?" she asked.

"Contact Cologne and get her to retrieve her wayward Amazon," he said. "Other than that just keep your ear to the ground and let me know the moment something happens. Oh, and remind Cologne that I still have the 'other means' at my disposal despite this development, just in case she thinks she has an opportunity to drag us off to China now." He shook her hand, "Thank you for everything, Miss Tendo."

"Y…yes sir," she said, taken aback by his change in demeanour and the fact that it was almost like he was saying goodbye. She watched as he left the room, hoping that Jonouchi could snap him out of it, then she turned her attention to the phone. "Cologne," she said as the matriarch answered her call, "I need to tell you what La-Na has been up to…"

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Seto stepped out from the entrance to the Kaiba Corporation building and looked up at the expanse of glass as he thought about what he would be losing. He really hadn't wanted to expose Mokuba to the cut throat world of business, wanting to give his brother the chance to remain a child for at least a little while longer, but unfortunately it looked as though this was no longer an option. He sighed as he sat in the back of the limo and the car moved off to take him back to the Kaiba Mansion.

/Seto,/ Jou said, /I am so sorry./

/It's not your fault Katsuya,/ Seto replied. /After all, it's only thanks to you that I am here at all./

/So you are not going to take this to court then?/ Jou asked.

/No, I don't think that would be a wise thing to do under the circumstances,/ Seto said. /I can't expose us to that kind of intrusion, especially as the odds would be against us winning. I have no choice really but to hand the reins over to Mokuba, at least for now, but I'm sure that the board will have planned for it and I'm also sure that they see him as an easy target./

/Well, he's not going to be on his own is he?/ Jou pointed out. /You'll still be there for him won't you?/

/That is true,/ Seto said perking up a little, mind beginning to scope out the possibilities /I suppose it's not ideal, but the board have no say in who the CEO hires as personal staff and that will still hold true even if Mokuba takes over, so if he were to hire you as a personal assistant and keep Nabiki on…/

/That's the spirit Seto,/ Jou replied. /It'll almost be like nothing has changed. And Mokuba can handle it, I'm sure. The kid has quite a deep ruthless streak in him when he needs it./

/Thank you Katsuya,/ Seto said wholeheartedly. /You've really helped to put things into perspective./

/Anytime Seto,/ Jou replied with a mental smile as they pulled into the drive of the Kaiba estate.

/We also have to bear in mind that it's not forever as it will only be the case until the water arrives and we are separated,/ Seto added. Jou didn't reply to that, but with the new possibilities occupying his thoughts, Seto didn't think anything of it.

When he entered the large house, Seto went to straight to his room, not saying a word to anyone on the way. Once there, he threw himself onto the bed and stepped into his Soul Room. The place he needed to be right now was in his soul mate's arms and Jou was more than happy to oblige, guiding Seto to the bed and simply holding him until he felt a little better. Later would bring a whole new set of problems, but for this one moment, Seto Kaiba was at peace.

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Seto was sitting quietly in his study the next morning, getting on with some work that would make the transition to a new CEO easier. He'd informed Mokuba about what was happening the previous evening after he'd calmed down a bit and the boy had taken everything in his stride, stating that he would do his best to make his brother proud. He'd suggested all on his own that he should hire Katsuya Jonouchi as a personal assistant so that he could have Seto close and he'd also surmised that he would probably have to re-hire Nabiki Tendo as his advisor if the board of directors declared that her position was invalid as Seto hadn't legally existed when he had originally promoted her.

Mokuba had also been handling any phone calls this morning so that Seto could get a head start on this work. Thinking of which, Seto hadn't heard anything from Mokuba for a while. He decided to go and check on him as Mokuba's signature would be needed on some of the paperwork shortly, but he had only just got up from his chair when the door opened and Mokuba entered, closely followed by Yugi and Doctor Kenn.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed, "We just got word from Cologne. The water has arrived!"

"That's great," Seto said as he stood up, walking across the room to gather his brother in a hug. "How long will it be until it gets here?"

"She knows about the situation with Kaiba Corp, so she's bringing it as soon as she can," Mokuba replied. "I knew you were busy, so I took the liberty of calling Yugi and Doctor Kenn as I thought that it might be a good idea for them to be here, just in case."

"Thank you Mokuba, that was exactly the right thing to do," Seto said. "Thank you for coming on such short notice Yugi, Doctor Kenn."

Yugi simply nodded nervously as Yami stayed hidden inside his host, unsure of the strange man for the moment.

"While it is good that you may have a solution to this," Doctor Kenn said, "I need to ask if Jonouchi is OK with this. There are risks involved, after all." The doctor had to ask this, knowing that, under the circumstances, Jonouchi would probably go along with just about anything if it made Seto happy.

/Jou?/ Seto asked his soul mate, realising for the first time that Jou had been unusually quiet lately, especially when there was mention of the cursed water. A worried expression crossed his face as he did not receive a reply, only a repressed sense of anxiety and fear. "Excuse me for a moment," Seto said as he crossed to his chair, closed his eyes and reached inside himself to step into his soul room.

"Jou?" Seto called out as he looked around his soul room, finding no trace of the blond haired teen. "Katsuya, where are you?" He crossed to Jou's soul room to find him curled up and shaking on his bed. "Katsuya," Seto said gently as he sank to his knees beside the bed and reached out towards the blond. "What's wrong?"

Jou didn't answer, just curled up tighter and began shaking harder. Seto rose slightly, then sank down onto the bed beside Jou. "Tell me what is wrong. We can't fix it if you don't tell me."

"I…" Jou's voice was shaky and muffled. "I don't want you to hate me."

"Katsuya, I don't think that there is anything you could say to me that would make me hate you," Seto said as he gathered the shaking form to him and began to stroke the hair of the distraught teen in a soothing way.

"I… I'm just scared that once we get separate bodies you will hate me again like you used to; that I'll be thrown to one side and I'll never see you again." Jou slumped against Seto as he continued, "I'd rather stay the way we are than have that happen."

"Jou… Katsuya… look at me," Seto said, then waited for Jou to lift watery brown eyes to meet his own blue ones. "I don't want to let you go," he said, "I won't send you away and I will not hate you." Seeing the insecurity that was still present in Jonouchi's features despite his best efforts to hide it, Seto decided to offer the ultimate sacrifice to convince his significant other that he was deadly serious. "If it will make you feel better," he said slowly, "we don't have to use the water."

"But your company... Mokuba... what about…?" Jou said in amazement that Seto could find it in himself to offer such a thing.

Seto pressed a finger to Jou's lips. "You and your well-being are far more important to me than a faceless company," he said, "and like you said, Mokuba is more than capable of running things whilst we assist from the sidelines."

Jou could hear the sincerity in every word and for the first time he truly accepted that Seto meant exactly what he said, just as Seto was finally accepting that Jou was truly the most important part of his life.

If anyone with the sight had been present in the room, they would have seen the black smudge that was the marker of the shadow magic glow and lift away, throwing the Jusenkyo Curse off as it disappeared. As it was, those assembled in Seto's study were stunned as Seto began to glow, changing back into Jonouchi without the use of any water.

"What's happening?" Mokuba asked with a little fear.

"I don't know," Doctor Kenn replied, worry evident on his features.

Mokuba tried to run towards Jonouchi, only to be held back by Doctor Kenn. "Best stay back for now," he said to the struggling boy.

"But what about Seto... I don't want to lose my brother!" Mokuba had tears in his eyes, showing that this was his deepest fear.

"Just wait Mokuba," Yugi said with a smile. "I think that everything is going to be alright."

The glow around Jonouchi intensified until those in the room had to cover their eyes and avert their faces, then once the glow finally died down, they were stunned to see Jonouchi sitting in the chair with Seto kneeling on the floor beside him.

"Seto!" Mokuba was once again about to throw himself across the room to embrace his brother, but this time Yugi held him back.

"Hold on a moment," Yugi whispered into Mokuba's ear, "Yami says to wait… that this is an important moment for both of them." Mokuba wanted to get to Seto to make sure that he was alright, but he held himself in check and waited by Yugi to see what would happen next.

Even as Yugi finished speaking, Seto's eyes finally flickered open. Noting the blond sat on the chair next to him, he stood and turned the chair to face him, leaning over the blond who kept his eyes shut. "Jou? Katsuya?" he said. "Look at me."

"I… I don't want to open my eyes," Jou replied. "I'm scared it's not going to be real."

"It's real, Jou," Seto said with a gentle smile as he moved his hand to caress Jou's face. "We are back to normal." He lowered his head and kissed Jonouchi gently, causing the blond's eyes to open wide in shock, before they slid closed again and he snaked his arms up to pull Seto closer to him.

"Mmm, yeah it's real," Jou said. "You were right, this is much better in person." Before they could kiss again, their attention was dragged away by Doctor Kenn pointedly clearing his throat.

"If you two can tear yourselves away from each other for a moment," he said, "I think it would be best if I examined the pair of you just to make sure that everything is as it should be."

"Yes, of course," Seto said in a business-like manner as he stood, pulling Jonouchi into a standing position beside him. Before he could move, he was thoroughly glomped by Mokuba and Jou was tackled by a relieved Yugi.

"Seto, you're alright!" the black haired boy exclaimed.

"It seems that way, Mokie," Seto replied.

"I'm happy for you Jou," Yugi said as he hugged his best friend.

"Thanks Yug'," he said as he returned the hug, "but we'd better go and get ourselves checked out by the doctor here."

"We'll go to my bedroom." Seto said, "We'll be able to have some privacy there."

Once the couple had left the room along with the doctor, Yugi turned to Mokuba. "So, what happens with the water now that it's not needed?" he asked.

"I don't know," Mokuba replied. "I suppose I'd better try to contact Cologne." He crossed to Seto's desk, looking up the number of her recently acquired cellphone and dialling it quickly. "Damn, it must be out of range or switched off," he said as the answer phone message started playing.

"We'll just have to discuss it with her when she arrives then," Yugi said.

"No other choice, I guess," Mokuba sighed. "While we wait, do you want to go and play some video games?" he asked.

"Sure thing Mokuba," Yugi replied as he followed the black haired boy towards the game room. Truth be told he wasn't in the mood for video games and he suspected that Mokuba wasn't either, but if it helped to distract them for the moment then so much the better.

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Doctor Kenn stood up and away from Jonouchi as Seto watched the older man undertake his examination. "Well, I cannot see anything wrong with either of you," he said. "You both seem to be in perfect health." He paused for a moment and then added, "I think that Doctor Tofu or that Amazon woman… what was her name again?"

"Cologne," Seto informed him.

"Oh yes, Cologne. I should have known that," he mumbled to himself. "Well, I think that you should let her take a look at you to be sure that everything is fine on the… non-medical side."

"We will Doc," Jonouchi said.

"Thank you Doctor Kenn," Seto said as he walked over to the man and shook his hand. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to talk to Jonouchi alone for a while."

"Oh, yes, I understand," the man said with a hint of colour on his cheeks as he realised what said 'talking' probably entailed. "I'll go and find Master Mokuba."

"He's probably in the games room with Yugi," Jonouchi supplied helpfully.

"He's the little guy with the strange hair?" Doctor Kenn enquired.

"Yeah, that's the one," Jou grinned.

"Is that hair natural?" he had to ask.

"Completely," Seto said. Jou smiled as he recalled how he'd had to convince Seto of that fact.

"He reminds me of someone... although I can't think who right now," the doctor mused. "Still, that hair is very odd. I'll have to ask him about it." He finally turned to leave. "I'll see you two a bit later on then," He said as he left the room.

Seto saw the doctor out and locked the door behind him, then crossed over towards the bed where Jonouchi was still sitting with his shirt off. As Jou noticed Seto approaching, he stood up and opened his arms to the tall brunet. "Hey Seto," he said softly.

"Hey Katsuya," Seto replied as he stepped into the offered embrace. He buried his face into Jonouchi's hair as he enjoyed his first real hug with the smaller male. "You do know that I'm not going to cast you aside now, don't you?"

"Yes, Seto," Jou replied. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

Seto leaned back to look Jonouchi in the eye. "No, you had every right to doubt me after the way I treated you for all that time," he replied. "I promise that I will never treat you that way again."

"Thanks Seto," Jou said as he leaned up and caught Seto's lips in a gentle kiss. The kiss may have started out innocently, but neither teen was prepared for the bolt of desire that coursed through their bodies like a lightning bolt. Jou groaned, opening his mouth slightly in an invitation. Seto wasted no time in accepting, slipping his tongue into the other's mouth and mapping out the confines of that moist cavern until he felt that he knew it intimately. He groaned in response as Jou then returned the favour.

"Mmm, Katsuya," Seto murmured as he pulled back from the kiss, only to let out a small whine as the Jou then latched onto his neck, nibbling and sucking in turn as he marked Seto as his. Jou had to stifle a moan as he realised that Seto was hard, the evidence of his arousal poking into his stomach even as his own erection lay turgid against Seto's thigh.

"Oh, God, Jou," Seto breathed into his ear, "I've wanted to be able to touch you like this for the longest time."

"Me too, Seto," Jou said as he leaned into the other teen, "me too."

Seto smirked into Jou's hair. "Don't you think you are a little overdressed?" he asked as he ran his hands down Jou's back before encountering the barrier of the trousers he was wearing. He wanted to get Jou naked as soon as possible.

"Look who's talking," Jou replied, looking up into Seto's face with a smirk, "I'm not the one who still has his shirt on." Jou looked oddly at Seto for a moment. "What are you wearing anyway?" He was curious because Seto hadn't appeared next to him wearing the same clothes that Jou was, or, as he'd thought would be more likely, naked. So where had the clothes come from?

"These are the clothes I was wearing when I fell into Jusenkyo," Seto replied. He wrinkled his nose a little, "Maybe I should take a bath."

"Oh, OK," Jou said with a little disappointment showing in his voice as Seto stepped away from him as he'd really wanted to continue what they had been doing.

"Hmm, this will be the first hot bath I'll have been able to enjoy for months thanks to that damned curse," Seto mused to himself, only to stop when he realised that Jou had sounded quite… saddened and had flomped down onto the bed. Seto realised what was wrong instantly. "Don't be silly," he said fondly, "It may be the first bath I've been able to take in a while, but I wouldn't feel right unless you were there with me. There's plenty of room for two you know."

Jou turned an interesting shade of red, but didn't object as Seto led him into the bathroom and started to run the water into the large bathtub. "I do hope that Yugi won't mind waiting," Seto said, "but I fully intend to take my time with this." It was clear that Seto was talking about more than just the bath and a shiver went down Jou's spine at the tone in his voice. Once the bath was filled to Seto's satisfaction, he turned back to his now nervous looking boyfriend. No, scratch that, Jou meant so much more to him than a mere boyfriend.

"What's wrong, Jou?" Seto asked. "There's no need to be this nervous you know."

"I know," Jou replied, "It's just that… I've never taken a bath with anyone before, well, apart from my sister when we were really little, but this just isn't the same."

Seto looked at Jou with a small smile. "It won't be the first time for us though," he said. "We used to bathe together all the time back when…" he stopped suddenly as a bolt of pain shot through him, the memory of all the time spent alone in his previous life coming to the fore.

"Seto?" Jou said with concern as he stepped towards his soul mate.

"Oh Katsuya," Seto said as he pulled Jou into a desperate embrace. "Please don't leave me alone again. I don't think I could stand to go through another lifetime without you."

Jonouchi wrapped his arms around Seto, pulling him close. "I will do my very best to stay with you," he said. "Now come on, this bath will be getting cold if we stand here for much longer." He was still nervous, but that was fading now and he knew that Seto needed the distraction.

"Thank you," Seto said, realising instantly what Jou was trying to do. He started to undress, smiling as he noted that Jou was following suit. He was disappointed, however, when Jou finished stripping very quickly and jumped into the bath before Seto had even started on his trousers.

"Well, are you going to join me?" Jou said with more confidence in his voice than he was currently feeling.

Seto simply gave him an evil grin and began to undo his trousers slowly, deliberately playing it up for his audience, who was currently staring as though he couldn't tear his eyes away, a blush covering his features.

"Wh… what are you doing, Seto?" Jou said with an audible gulp.

"I'm giving you a show," Seto said slowly. "Should I stop?" He raised an eyebrow as he slowly worked the zipper down.

Jou mutely shook his head, unable to form words at that moment. Seto smirked again and began to work the trousers down his legs, before finally kicking them to one side. Then he was just stood there in his boxers – which left absolutely nothing to the imagination, showing off his impressive erection.

Seto sauntered over to the edge of the bathtub, then dropped his boxers, got in and sat down opposite, the foam from the bubble bath he had used covering all evidence of his, and he assumed Jou's, arousal.

"There, that's not so bad now, is it?" Seto said with a little satisfaction as Jou began to visibly relax.

"No, it isn't" Jou replied. "it's just that I'm… I'm…" he began to tense up again then sighed. "I guess I'm just worried that I'm going to do something wrong or disappoint you or something. Face it, I usually manage to stuff things up somehow."

Seto's heart lurched in his chest. Jonouchi really was insecure, and who could blame him, what with the home life he'd had and Seto unwittingly reinforcing all those negative feelings for such a long time. "Jonouchi… Katsuya… please trust me," he said gently. "You won't 'stuff it up'. I won't let you." He got onto his knees and worked his way between Jou's legs. "I promise," he said as he leaned over Jou and kissed him soundly, once again slipping his tongue in between Jou's lips and mentally smirking as the other finally responded.

Jou, suddenly feeling a lot less nervous, reached up to wrap his arms around Seto's torso and pulled the taller boy down on top of him. Both boys groaned aloud at the skin on skin contact.

"Seto," Jou said as he held the other close to him.

"Yes Katsuya," Seto replied.

"I… I love ya, ya know?" Jou hid his face in Seto's shoulder, embarrassed and fearful of rejection after laying his heart on the line. After all, even if they were soul mates, that was no guarantee that Seto had to love him.

"Seto pulled back from Jou a little, "Even after everything I've done to you, you still love me?" he asked with some surprise, having not expected to hear the words so soon, or even at all. "I really don't deserve you, and," he waited as as Jou finally turned nervous and fearful eyes onto him, "I love you too." he said it with true feeling, leaving Jou in no doubt of the sincerity of his words. Seto began to lean down to kiss Jou again, only to find the other boy meeting him halfway enthusiastically.

Jou clutched tightly to Seto, fighting not to dig his fingers in as their erections brushed together. It was probably because he was finally with Seto in the flesh, doing things that he hadn't even dared to dream about, but he was already embarrassingly close to coming even though they had hardly done anything. "Seto," he groaned, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to last long."

"Me either," Seto gasped out in reaction as he continued moving, building up the pleasure with that oh so delicious friction.

"Oh, Seto," Jou breathed out as he snaked a hand in between them to take both of their erections in hand, quickly adding the second hand as he realised that it was too much for one hand on its own. He bucked sharply as Seto kissed him passionately and he let out a high pitched whine as he realised that he was getting ready to come. "So… close…"

"Do it," Seto groaned out, "Come for me." With that Jou bucked hard one more time and came with a loud moan. The feel of Jou's length twitching and spasming next to his own sent Seto to follow him over the edge, groaning his release into the blond's shoulder. Both boys stayed in that position, gasping as they began to come down from their intense high.

"I'm sorry Seto," Jou said after a moment, "I think I ruined your bath."

Seto wasn't sure if Jou was joking or not. "Katsuya," he said gently, "It's true that I was kind of looking forward to a long soak, but this? This was so much better. Besides," he whispered into Jou's ear "this means that when I get to make love to you later we won't be so… on the edge." Jou blushed at that so Seto kissed him gently, putting all his feelings into it, then he pulled away. "Come on," he said, "let's get showered and go on down before Mokuba and Yugi come looking for us."

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Doctor Kenn entered the game room to find Yugi and Mokuba playing video games. He could tell that their hearts weren't really in it, so he cleared his throat to alert them to his presence. He wasn't surprised when they both instantly jumped to their feet and came towards him.

"Doctor Kenn!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Is Seto ok? And Jonouchi?" he added by way of an afterthought.

"They are both completely fine as far as I can tell," the doctor confirmed, smiling as relief spread across the faces of both Mokuba and Yugi. "Hold on," he said as Mokuba made to leave the room, "I really don't think that you should disturb them right now."

"Why not?" Mokuba demanded to know.

"Jonouchi and your brother are... getting reacquainted," the doctor explained with a small blush.

"But they've been together constantly recently," Mokuba argued. "How can they possibly need to be reacquainted?"

"Mokuba," Yugi began as it became clear that the doctor was struggling to give an explanation that wouldn't have Seto getting annoyed with him, "You have to understand that... being together spiritually is much different to being able to interact physically."

"Oh..." Mokuba deflated. "I guess if anyone should know that, it's you. I'm sorry, I'll be patient."

"What do you mean, Yugi?" Doctor Kenn asked. "How would you know about such a thing?"

Yugi looked unsure, but Mokuba made to reassure him. "It's fine Yugi. You can trust Doctor Kenn. Would Seto have him as a doctor if he couldn't be trusted?"

"You don't have to explain if it makes you uncomfortable," the doctor added.

"No, Yami says it's fine," Yugi said. Doctor Kenn's eyes widened slightly as he recalled how Jonouchi had mentioned Yami on the day that they had first met in his office, courtesy of a smashed tea set. Now maybe he would find out who this mysterious Yami person was and why Jonouchi had been so upset about mentioning him.

Yugi fixed Doctor Ken with a stare. "What we are about to tell you must not be shared with anyone else," he said seriously,

"You have my word as a member of the medical profession," the doctor replied, Yugi's use of the word 'we' not lost on him. He listened carefully, eyes widening, as Yugi gave a condensed version of the events that had split his soul and how he came to have that portion of his soul residing within him as a separate entity.

"Well, I can understand why you wouldn't want something like that getting out," Doctor Kenn said once Yugi had finished his tale. "There are those in my profession that would find you an absolutely fascinating study."

"Yes," Yugi agreed with a grimace. "Even Doctor Tofu got quite... intrusive... when Yami had to reveal himself when we visited the Tendo Dojo."

"I am sorry to hear that," Doctor Kenn said, "and at the risk of being too intrusive myself, would it be possible to meet Yami?"

Yugi didn't say anything, but simply closed his purple eyes and shifted, then Yami opened his crimson eyes and looked frankly at the doctor who was doing his best to hide his shock at the overt, yet subtle change in the young man standing before him. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance," he intoned solemnly, "and I thank you for the care of both Jonouchi and my cousin."

"Cousin?" Doctor Kenn asked, slightly taken aback.

"Yes. In Kaiba's previous incarnation he was both my cousin and High Priest," Yami explained.

"Oh yes, Jonouchi did mention something about Ancient Egypt once..." Doctor Kenn mused. "So, is it really so different to interact physically as opposed to spiritually?" he asked as much for Mokuba as for himself. "Although I suppose it would be seeing as so many emotions and feelings are based on physical responses..."

"Yes, it is quite different," Yami said with a touch of sadness. "although it is not really possible to explain it to someone that has never experienced it. Jonouchi and Kaiba will have felt the... lack... even though they have been interacting pretty much constantly since the night that Jonouchi tried to take his own life."

The conversation stilted as everyone in the room recalled how close they had come to losing both Kaiba and Jonouchi, but then Doctor Kenn spoke out. "So... is that hair natural?" he blurted out. "Seto insisted that it is."

"Yes, it is," Yugi replied, causing Doctor Kenn to blink as he realised that Yugi and Yami had changed places again. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that you remind me of someone who has similar hair, and I can't think who it could be," Doctor Kenn explained. "It's really bugging me."

"Well, the only person I know with hair like mine is Grandpa," Yugi said, "although he does keep it mostly covered with a bandanna."

"Oh yes, that's it!" Doctor Kenn exclaimed, "Old Sugoruko. So he's your Grandfather eh?" he smirked. "Make sure to tell him I said hello."

"Uh.. sure," Yugi said with a touch of confusion. Grandpa had never mentioned anyone like Doctor Kenn before. He guessed that he'd just have to ask him when he got home.

Seto and Jou then entered the games room hand in hand, finding themselves once again being glomped by Yugi and Mokuba.

"Seto, Cologne will be here soon with the water as we couldn't get in touch with her to let her know that it's not needed," Mokuba said, looking up at his brother. "What are we going to do about it now that you don't need it?"

"I think we will have to discuss that when she gets here," Seto replied.

"Sounds like it's pretty dangerous stuff to have around," Jou said. "Could you imagine the problems if, say, Seto were to be splashed?"

Seto grinned as he heard Doctor Kenn groaning at the prospect of having to deal with two Seto Kaibas. "I think that one of me is quite enough for this world," he said wryly.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Jou said with a coy look.

"Katsuya, you have a perverted mind," Seto shook his head.

"What do you mean Seto?" Jou said innocently. "All I had in mind was that you'd be able to work more and also spend more time with Mokuba and me." He gave Seto a quizzical look, "Why? What were you thinking?" Seto sputtered as he hadn't been expecting that.

"Ooh, he got you good, big brother!" Mokuba laughed.

"Yeah, I did didn't I?" Jou smiled.

Seto just shook his head, not having anything to say to that. Nobody noticed that Yugi was being unusually quiet.

/Yugi,/ Yami called his host's attention, /are you alright? You seem kind of down./

/I'm fine Yami,/ Yugi replied, /I'm happy for Jou and Seto, I really am, I just sometimes wish…/

/I know Aibou,/ Yami said in a soothing tone, /I'm just happy to be here with you at all. And Anzu of course./

/You are right,/ Yugi said. /When you consider the alternative, I'm more than happy that you are here with us./

"Yug'? Yugi?" Jou was trying to get his friend's attention.

"Huh? Jou?" Yugi said as he blinked his eyes.

"Are you alright Yugi?" the blond asked his friend, "You've been very quiet."

"Oh, I'm fine," Yugi said airily. "I was just talking to Yami, that's all."

"Alright," Jou said. "I was just trying to tell you that we're moving back to the study now. Cologne and Ranma are on their way in."

"Oh, OK," Yugi said in a slightly unenthusiastic tone. He followed Jou to Seto's study where he settled himself on a chair and waited. He would have left as he was feeling somewhat at a loss, but something was telling him that he needed to be here, so he stayed quiet and waited to see what would happen.

-------------------------------

A/N - I wonder if anyone could possibly guess what's going to happen next? LOL
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