Imaginary
Chapter One : A Boy Meets The Man.
by
Cathy-Bloom

Disclaimer: I really, really don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! .. Really. This is a post-series AU, which discounts the final chapter of the show in which the Pharaoh regains his memories and the whole world turns to puppies and kittens.. Seriously. Future extracts of yaoi, you've been warned.
AN: If you're reading this, you'll probably realise that some serious revision has happened to this chapter. The most notable changes being the switch from a first person point of view to a third person point of view, the second being an attempt to de-emofy the quality of the writing and perhaps remove some of the OOCness of Kaiba's character. I've been considering rewriting this story for a while now, being that I was terribly unhappy with how it was but didn't feel right about just deleting it. For a long time it's been left with the tag, discontinued but a sudden decision to try revising it has given me hope that maybe, one day it will be completed. Which, considering I lost the outline of the plot with my old computer, is quite a challenge. Wish me luck.

The morning is grey and dull, an ominous rolling of dismal grey clouds tumbling overhead that threaten rain sometime in the near future. All of this was, however, completely irrelevant to the occupant of an immaculately polished black stretch limousine who was supposedly reading over the business section of the newspaper.

Slender fingers reached mechanically for his eyes to compensate for the insistent slip of wire frames that had reached halfway down the bridge of his nose before they are caught. Readjusting the thin wire frames with a slight grumble of frustration, Seto realised that even after two years of the damn 'reading glasses' he was still unable to get used to them. They were just one of the many sure signs that he had spent too much of his 'young life' reading over towering piles of paper-work and staring at a computer screen.

One of the many perils of being a teen aged CEO.

Swatting irritably at the hints of a carefully disordered mess that were lingering teasingly in the edges of his vision and making the task that he was attempting to do nearly impossible. To think, he mused to himself with just a hint of a smirk touching his lips, that the 22 year old wonder of the technological world, the genius of the Duel Monsters phenomena and the person in sole charge of Kaiba Corporation, Seto bloody Kaiba, can't even concentrate on reading the stock exchange.

A black briefcase has already been tossed carelessly aside, brimming with documents urgently in need of signing and endless stacks of paper work and proposals that had been ignored already for too long and would have taken most of the day to complete, but now are threatening to extend right into the night due to this decidedly pointless sidetrack. All because of the insistent nagging of a secretary that, Kaiba was certain, had been planted in his office by someone with a massive grudge against him.

Charity work. The very idea of it gave Seto chilling visions of a sea of snotty-nosed children holding out their worthless cards for him to sign, squealing Kaiba! in their nauseatingly sweet little voices through gappy, toothless grins. Again he would be forced to acknowledge another Worthy Cause, donate a sizable sum of money and have his picture taken while some nameless, nauseating do-gooder head of said Worthy Cause greased and slobbered all over him. Ugh.

With some effort he managed to turn his mind from the disturbing images that arose from the words Charity and work and noticed with a faint trace of satisfaction that Kaiba Corp stock had risen a few points over night and, with a decidedly unhealthy stirring of amusement, that Industrial Illusions stock had dropped.

Seto raised his head to glance out the window as the driver slowed and found, with a grimace, that he was only stopping for a traffic light.

Turning his attention back to the paper now resting, unwanted, in his lap he folded it and set it aside, aimlessly allowing blue eyes to wander toward the god-forsaken briefcase. Almost mechanically he reached for it, with a grim resolve to get at least a little work done before he was dragged on yet another mind-numbing tour of whatever this months Worthy Cause was before handing them a sizable sum of cash in exchange. Seto was fairly certain that they were getting the better deal.

Habitually adjusting the wire frames that insistently slid down the bridge of his nose, he reached for the document resting on the very top of the pile and take it in both hands to read over. Immediately he felt the urge to slam the briefcase shut again and toss it out the window as yet another proposal about installing more water coolers on the third floor of Kaiba Land danced tauntingly in front of his eyes. Not again.

Expression as stormy as the weather outside he hurriedly placed the document back on top of the others and took a long, calming deep breath. I will fire her, he decided with a surprising amount of calm, I will get through this absurd day and then I will fire her.

Slamming the briefcase shut over top of it, he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being able to cut himself off from the mountain of paperwork so easily. Rubbing at the corners of his eyes, he sighed. A seemingly endless stream of paperwork and pointless bureaucracy had left him feeling drained, it had been such a long time since he'd done anything other than the mindless tasks of the CEO. He hadn't even duelled in months.

Not that he'd mention this to anyone else of course, he had learned his lesson from the Big Five very well.

When the limousine began to slow again he lifted his head to peer out of the tinted windows, catching a glimpse of the looming structure of Domino South Hospital ahead he realised that they were finally arriving.

"We have arrived Kaiba, Sir," the driver announced in a dull monotone that suggests he'd been quite successful in turning himself into a machine-like entity.

Must remember to give him a pay raise, Seto mused with a twitch of his lips.

At last the skies opened up and with soft splattering rain began to pelt the roof of the limousine, spilling down over the tinted windows in tiny overlapping rivulets as the limousine pulled into the main entrance of the giant hospital and slowed to a halt before the great glass doors. With a sense of ritual that was all too familiar to him Seto waited as the bodyguard who had been sitting in the front passenger seat slid out of his own seat to open the door for him. Nodding briefly to the man as he slid out of the limousine he walked determinedly towards the doors, ignoring the spill of raindrops as they slid down his face and dripped over the black leather of his newest coat. The door slammed shut behind him and he heard the pounding footsteps of his bodyguard as he hurried along behind him.

Seto Kaiba had always been one to dress for the occasion and today's ensemble was nothing less than appropriate (at least in his eyes). From head to toe he was decked out in black, from the pristine, new leather coat that had been tailor made to perfection, to the soft black button down shirt beneath, equally well tailored black slacks and shining, buckled black boots. He looked as if he were attending a funeral rather than donating to a charity. He found it oddly appropriate.

Domino South was one of the biggest hospitals in the city, even when compared with the monolith of central Domino that was Kaiba Corp, it was an impressive structure. Seto found himself wondering why, of all the local hospitals, this one had been nominated as their latest charity case.

Saving such thoughts for later Seto steeled his face as he was hit with a blast of central heating and the doors rolled open before him. Even at this time of the morning the main foyer of the hospital was buzzing with activity, patients and visitors alike crowding the admissions desk. From his vantage point Seto could already glimpse the gift shop as it began opening, the doors to the emergency department which were constantly sliding open and shut and the crowded waiting area full of wailing children, pained expressions and worried faces. With the his bodyguard fading into a shadow at his side. Seto swept into the building with the force of personality that had made him such a powerful player in the business world over the years, blue eyes already scouting faces for the inevitable media presence that covered these events. Odd, he realised with a touch of a frown, nothing.

Undaunted he stayed well clear of the crowded admissions desk and strode towards the comparatively quiet information desk, the receptionist lifting her head with a false pasted-on smile which slipped briefly the second she caught sight of who was approaching her.

"Good morning, Mister Kaiba," she declared in a bright, clear voice which was strongly reminiscent of Yuugi Motou. Negative one point for the receptionist.

"We've been expecting you," she continued her obviously well-rehearsed greeting as she rose to her feet and swept around the desk to guide him in the suitable direction.

Her heels made brisk, efficient clicks across the spotless floor as she led him towards a pair of innocuous wooden double-doors tucked away around the corner from the information desk. Curiosity peaked at the distinct lack of ceremony Seto conceded to follow, the shadow of his body-guard following swiftly behind as they passed through the doors and into a largely empty room. Housing a long polished wood table surrounded by comfortable leather chairs, Seto was surprised to find only two other people inside.

A tall, greying man with a worn face and thick-lensed glasses stood at the other end of the room, speaking in a low, hushed voice to a younger, considerably more vibrant man who had to be the Chair of the Board. Stranger and stranger, Seto mused as he strode towards the pair.

"Mister Kaiba," the younger greets with a well-used, charming smile as he extends a hand towards mine.

How very Western of him, Seto mused as he shook the mans hand.

"I am Doctor Takashi Kato, the Chairman of the Hospital Board. I can't tell you how much we appreciate your very generous donation," the man rattled off, "This is Doctor Akemi Satou, the head of our Psychiatric Department, his is the department that your donation will be going towards."

The older man gave a worn stretched sort of smile as though he found it a trial to do so and bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

"Well, I expect you are a very busy man Mister Kaiba, so let's get this business over and done with, shall we?" the younger declares, suddenly all business now that the initial pleasantries are over with.

One eyebrow rising Seto found that, in spite of himself, he was becoming more and more interested. Usually the slobbering and thank-yous go on for alot longer than this.

Seto had always had an uncanny sense for when people were hiding things from him, it had been a ability well-honed by years of sussing out other Duelist's trap cards and had served him well in the often treacherous dealings of the business world. Right now, that sense was telling him to be cautious and Seto had learned to trust his instincts.

"How do you intend to spend the money?"

Both doctors seemed taken aback by the decidedly blunt question and Seto wasn't about to make any apologies. Blue eyes surveyed each face coolly, calmly in search of the tell that would give up their game. What are you hiding?

"We plan to update the facilities in the psychiatric wing," the younger doctor replied, suddenly wary of the youth that stood before him.

An odd smile crossed Seto's lips as an idea came to mind, ignoring the decidedly generic answer in favour of asking another question.

"How about a tour of these facilities then?"

Doctor Akemi Satou wasn't a particularly pleasant man.

This didn't particularly bother Seto, he had never cared much for pleasantries anyway. It did, however, mean that while he wasn't denying Seto a tour of his domain, he certainly wasn't happy about it.

With a scowl on his face that Seto was almost impressed by, Satou stood silently in the elevator as it rose through the floors. Seto was vaguely amused at the fact that the younger doctor had allowed such an obviously unobliging man to be alone with their benefactor for any amount of time. He obviously wasn't worried about Seto withdrawing his donation any time soon.

Usually heads of department would be prattling on about what the money would be spent on and just how helpful it was, hoping to secure future donations for their department. This one, however, merely scowled as the elevator doors sprung open with a cheerful, 'ding!' that announced their arrival on the seventh level of the hospital.

He stalked out of the elevator, leaving Seto to follow him with the barest narrowing of his eyes as he realised that the doctor honestly did believe he was superior to him.

"This is the Lloyd Psychiatric Wing," Satou announced with a sharp, encompassing gesture of his hand.

The hall was dimly lit and painted a pale shade of cream, the floors obviously having been washed for the occasion were still wet and a strong smell of disinfectant permeated the air. A golden embossed plaque set into the wall next to the elevators was the only acknowledgement of the 'Lloyd' who had sponsored the wing to be built, beyond that rows of closed wooden doorways stretched the breadth of the corridor. But, more unnerving than the sparseness of the place, was the complete and utter silence.

"Where are your patients?"

The question had left Seto's mouth before he'd even realised what he was intending to say, so surprised was he by the emptiness of the floor in comparison to the bustling business of the rest of the hospital.

"In their rooms I suspect," was the cold reply as he resumed his quick pace down the hallway, leaving Seto and his bodyguard to walk behind him.

Irritation beginning to rise at the man's attitude, Seto found himself striding down the corridor after the doctor, arms crossed over his chest and eyes processing label after label of names as they streamed passed him. Every room of any significance (none of which seem to host any patients) was announced in a sharp, irritable tone as they walked passed it. The only sign Seto had seen that they actually had any patients at all was when they strode passed a room where a few patients stared blankly at a television screen playing an old black and white film.

This was perhaps why Seto was so surprised when one of the long line of doors ahead of them creaked open. His eyes lifted with unashamed curiosity and found, to their surprise, that the person on the other side of that stare was someone he recognised.

Shocking white hair that fell in soft messy spikes around his chin, a tall, thin frame and positively giant warm brown eyes with an odd vacant smile.

"Bakura."

Seto Kaiba was a hard man to surprise, but it was safe to say that he had not been expecting that.

"Kaiba-kun," he replied in a soft polite voice that Seto only vaguely remembered from his school days.

Seto didn't even notice as the doctor swept back up the corridor towards them, his eyes narrowed with irritation. He was too busy staring at the bewildering sight of his former classmate as he hovered, uncertainly in the doorway of the room he had just opened.

"What are you doing here?"

The odd smile that twitched on the other boy's lips drew the elder Kaiba brother's attention to the plain clothes he was wearing. Hospital issue. Oh.

"Bakura-kun is a patient here," was the sharp reply from Satou as he moved to stand halfway between the pair, effectively separating them, "Do you know him?"

"We went to the same school," Bakura replied, his huge brown eyes turning slowly between the doctor and Seto himself.

His head tilts to the side, silver strands of hair that were cropped shorter than Seto remembered shifting across his face as he stared with a frank, open curiosity at the elder Kaiba brother. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them as the white-haired boy stared.

A flash of gold caught Seto's eye, drawing his eyes towards the barest glimpse of what could only be that cursed ring the white-haired boy had always worn, hidden beneath his shirt. Seto felt his stomach clench briefly at the memories that awoke at the thought of that ring.

He remembered the golden items all too well and certainly hadn't lamented the loss of them from his life, apparently Ryou Bakura hadn't had the same luck.

The realisation that the Doctor was now reprimanding the white-haired boy for wandering the corridor caused an unexplained spark of anger to arise within the elder Kaiba brother and he surprised even himself with with the snap of, "That's enough," that left his mouth.

Both the white-haired boy and his doctor jumped with surprise, turning to look at the elder Kaiba with equally bewildered expressions, though the doctor's soon turned to a frown.

"I wish to speak with Bakura," Seto found himself saying before he could stop himself, the demand falling easily from his tongue and his eyes sharp and annoyed as they pinned down the Doctor's own stare.

Seto didn't bother to wait for the man's consent, instead turning expectantly towards the white-haired boy who stared as he held the door of his room wide open. Getting perhaps more pleasure out of seeing the irritation on the Doctor's face than he should, Seto swept inside of the shoebox that was masquerading as a room and allowed his eyes to roam over the surroundings. A sharp hand-signal had his bodyguard stopping short to wait in the doorway, reservations clear in his eyes as he watched the white-haired boy follow his boss inside.

The interiors of the rooms that lined the corridors, it seemed, were as characterless as the exterior. The room was dull and dark, the walls bare except for a few photos pinned to a corkboard, a stereo resting on the bed-side table was fitted with headphones and a single, uncomfortable-looking bed.

Seto cast his eyes around and decided to remain standing, watching instead as Bakura followed him inside and sat at one end of his bed, folding his legs neatly beneath him before staring intently intently at his unexpected visitor with those eerie brown eyes.

Seto Kaiba had never been much for personal interaction, a fact that he had never really lamented until now. It probably would have made things a lot easier on him now.

"Bakura."

His head once again had tilted on an angle, curious eyes were fixed on Seto's face as though trying to decipher his thoughts. Seto wasn't exactly sure what he had been intending to say in the first place.

"I don't get many visitors," he announces abruptly, the unexpected comment providing a chance for Seto to think of something to say. "Otogi-kun comes sometimes. Usually twice a week."

"What about your family, your friends?" Seto finally managed to speak, his own curiosity pushing aside the need to figure out just why he's in there.

He stares for some time unblinking, before responding, "Otogi-kun comes sometimes."

Seto found himself wondering exactly what he'd gotten himself into as he tried again, "What about Mutou and his friends?"

A slow blink is all the response the white-haired boy gave before releasing a weak sort of giggling.

"Bu-sy," is the soft, sing-song reply before he shifts upon the bed, leaning back against the wall he drew his knees up to his chest, encircling them in pale thin arms and resting his chin atop them.

"What about your family?" Seto found himself unable to stop himself from saying.

This is morbid, he told himself firmly, even for you.

The white-haired boy just makes that strange giggling sound again.

"Dead," he declares quite seriously, a waver of sadness flickering over his face before it is hurriedly banished, "All dead."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them as the white-haired boy continued to stare and Seto found himself scratching around for something to say.

One hand clutched absently at the Sennen Ring hidden under the thin material of his t-shirt, for just a moment and his eyes close with a wince.

"Bakura?"

That momentary glimpse of pain was gone again in a flash making Seto wonder if it had ever been there in the first place. Instead those brown eyes, now tinged with amusement watch him again, "Yes, Kaiba-kun?"

He's toying with me, Seto realised with some surprise. Competent duelist Ryou Bakura may have been, but it had always been his darker side that was the game player.

"Why are you here?" Seto finds himself repeating, eyes narrowing in upon the white-haired boy to try and pin down that elusive stare as it drifted towards the ceiling.

Bakura paused, glancing somewhat dubiously toward the open door before rocking forward and whispering in a soft, hushed voice, "Mou hitori no boku."

A moment passed where Seto realised he had been holding his breath. Seto had, for a long time, denied the existence of any spirits inhabiting those damned golden trinkets, but he had not been able to deny that there had been a strange darkness that seemed to overpower the people who held them. He couldn't deny Ryou Bakura's so called, Other Self, because he had witnessed that drastic change far too many times. Alright, he mused as eyes surveyed the white-haired boys face, I'll bite.

"They brought you here because of him?"

"Locked away," he breathes aloud brightly, as though this in itself were something to be proud of, "He can't hurt anyone anymore. He isn't very happy."

That odd smile resurfaces and the amusement in those eyes shimmers.

The change is sudden, one moment the white-haired boy is amused, almost gloating, and then suddenly he is grimacing and grabbing at his head, a snarl erupting from his mouth as the Sennen Ring begins to glow, muted and soft, beneath the thin material of his shirt. Then just as quickly he jerked upward and soft glow of the ring fades away, his brown eyes gleaming with amusement again as he pants from the exertion, and a chiding light, "Bad mou hitori no boku," drawls from his mouth.

"He isn't used to visitors," he declares calmly, as though attempting to assure the elder Kaiba that this wasn't a normal occurrence.

May as well give it another go, Seto thought as he eyed the other boy, you haven't broken him yet.

"Bakura, why did they bring you here?"

"I told you that already, Kaiba-kun," he admonishes, brown eyes playful, before abruptly shrinking back towards the wall and dropping his head low behind his knees.

Wondering what could have inspired such a reaction, Seto turned his head to find Doctor Satou leaning in the doorway, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he scribbled something down on a scrap of paper. Seto Kaiba had had a lot of practice when it came to playing the obnoxiously rude rich kid, so it was second nature for him to sneer, "This is a private conversation," at the man.

"Patients are not allowed to have their doors closed while they have visitors," the Doctor replies, eyes raised and challenging Seto's own hard stare before Bakura rises to his feet.

Moving lightly and quickly as he slipped past both men out into the hallway. He began walking down the corridor, before pausing after several steps and turning his head to peer back at the elder Kaiba brother expectantly.

Seto followed, shouldering passed the man standing in the doorway and for the second time today found himself following as the white-haired boy navigated the labyrinthine turns of the corridors. Abruptly he turns and pushes his way through a doorway, hurrying up a small flight of steps without hesitation and pushing through the single door at the top.

Wind sent splatters of rain cascading through the doorway and Seto suddenly realised where the white-haired boy had been leading him. The footsteps of his bodyguard and Doctor Satou echoing in Seto's ears, he watched the wind toss the white-haired boy's hair wildly backwards and felt it catch the end of his trench-coat.

Bakura didn't even seem to notice the rain, however, as he stepped right out into the middle of it, the rain soaking through his clothing almost immediately and plastering his hair to his face. When he turns back to the doorway his eyes are bright with excitement. He may as well have said, I dare you.

Obligingly Seto stepped out in the rain, unable to defy even such a small challenge and the white-haired boy began to laugh. It was loud and distorted by the wind and the rain which was driving through the thinner layers of their clothing and plastering their hair against their faces. Suddenly Ryou Bakura seemed unguarded, alive and unrestricted.

The rain by now had completely soaked both of them through, only Seto's leather jacket showing any resistance at all to the downpour, it dripped over the black surface to pool at his feet.

"Kaiba-kun," he declares aloud with that same, strangely amused tone, "You look like a wet dog."

Seto fought the urge to laugh at the proclamation, instead retorting, "And you look like a drowned rat."

"I don't like it very much here," Bakura declared aloud finally, pausing as he reached the railing that surrounded the rooftop, leaning forwards against it to stare at the surrounding city shrouded in misty rain.

"Why is that?" Seto inquired, slightly unnerved by his closeness to the edge of the building.

It was definitely amusement in his eyes as the white-haired boy turned, lips curved in that same odd little smile as he replied, "They think I'm crazy."

"I'm not crazy," he confirmed, obviously seeing something on Kaiba's face that disagreed with him.

"Just misunderstood," Seto replied, the traces of sarcasm that lingered over the words being acknowledged by a faint twitch of the white-haired boy's lips.

"Misunderstood," he affirms laughingly, eyes fixed firmly on Seto's face as the rain battered down around them.

Seto couldn't help but see something of Mokuba, in the white-haired boy and maybe even something of himself had he not taken his life into his own hands. Ryou Bakura had let himself be stepped on a few too many times.

It was with surprise that Seto realised that the white-haired boy was shaking with the cold. On instinct alone he moved forward, reaching out a hand hesitantly to shake the other boys shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

When Bakura raised his eyes to meet Seto's, the elder Kaiba brother was almost overwhelmed by the sadness in those eyes.

"Please," he declared, his voice so inappropriately polite, "Call me Ryou."

It was with a sudden insight that Seto realised, that he knew exactly what was wrong with Ryou Bakura. He was lonely.

"Ryou," the elder Kaiba replied, still unbalanced by the revelation he'd just had.

A hint of a smile twitches at the other boy's lips as rain poured steadily down his face. It took a while for Seto to realise that not all the water running down his face is rain and suddenly feeling distinctly uncomfortable, he dropped his arm back to his side and turned his head toward the skyline.

If it were Mokuba, Seto would probably have let him cry on his shoulder, but then again Mokuba had never been much of a crier so Seto couldn't really say. The rest of the world would probably be told to deal with their problems on their own time, he wasn't their counsellor. Seto doubted that, that particular approach would improve the situation either.

For a while Seto stood, uncomfortably in silence before deciding he'd caused the damn problem so he'd better deal with it and awkwardly reaching out to pat him stiffly on the shoulder. Instead Seto found himself presented with a dripping bundle of white haired person clinging to his waist.

Seto stiffened awkwardly at the additional contact, arms hanging at his side as the white-haired boy sobbed. In his mind, Seto had already decided that if Ryou Bakura had been completely in control of himself that the white-haired boy wouldn't have even considered touching him, let alone hugging him. Deciding that calming him down would probably be the best option, Seto hesitantly patted him on the back with one arm, pretending he was trying to calm down a hypothetically hysterical Mokuba than one of Yugi-tachi's lackeys that was never, really part of the group.

He couldn't help but notice just how thin the white-haired boy, granted he'd always been very slender from what Seto remembered of him, but it seemed as if there was no flesh left on his figure. It was unsettling in a way that provoked Seto's suspicions about the Hospital all over again. The obvious fear with which Bakura had treated the Doctor wasn't a good sign. Seto remembered that in High School, even the toughest of bullies had given Bakura a wide berth. Seto had always assumed it was a natural sense of self-preservation, provoked by the presence of Bakura's other self.

That the white-haired boy had dealt with that darkness and yet could still show fear in the face of someone who was supposed to be helping him, was slightly worrying.

Not that Seto cared about the white-haired boy, but if the Hospital was dodgy then the donation he had just handed over could be bad for business.

Splatters of rain rolled down Seto's back and that same surge of anger that he had felt earlier began to reemerge. Seto had barely even acknowledged Ryou Bakura's existence during their entire schooling years, only during Battle City had Seto even really noticed him. The fact that it was him, Seto Kaiba, the cold-hearted bastard who didn't give a damn about anyone who didn't bear the Kaiba name, who had the kid crying into his tailor-made clothing made his blood boil. Where the hell were his friends?

Yugi-tachi had claimed him as one of their group of friends. Seto had born witness to enough of Anzu's infamous speeches about friendship to know them by heart, but when it really came down to it, where were they?

While one of their friends suffered inside the walls of a Psychiatric Department, they were busy. Who knew how long he had been in there, with only the other misfit of their little group visiting him. Seto found that his respect for the DDM-Inventor had risen considerably.

When the rain seemed to beat down with even more ferocity, striking the ground and the pair of them hard enough to actually hurt, Seto was finally convinced that they needed to return inside.

Realising that Bakura was actually trembling with the cold and was refusing to relinquish his hold, Seto tried to make his way towards the door with the other boy clinging to him. Making little process, he finally give up and swept him off of the ground as he had done with Mokuba when they were both much younger and carrying him instead. The kid was ridiculously light.

Seto pushing the door open awkwardly, wondering just what kind of psychiatric hospital would leave a doorway like that unlocked to an open rooftop. Back in the dry, warmth of the hospital Seto realised just how completely soaked they both were as water pooled behind them, leaving a nice trail of clean-up for the janitors.

Back inside, Seto set the other boy back onto his feet.

"Kaiba?" he murmurs aloud, wide brown eyes boring straight into Seto's, caught between confusion and curiosity.

He was still shaking violently, white-hair plastered to his scalp and dripping water over his face. Seto thought that perhaps he really was crazy. After all, how many sane people went out and stood in the pouring rain by choice?

Aside from yourself of course, a snide voice in the back of Seto's head reminded him.

Making a split-second decision Seto shed the only piece of clothing he had that had been largely immune to the rain, his trench-coat, and wrapped it around the white-haired boy's thin shoulders. It positively swamps his slight form making him appear even more child-like than before.

It was that final act that finally tipped Seto over the edge and with an abruptness that surprised even him he declared, "I have to go now."

Hastily Kaiba backed away, searching his pockets for the cellphone he'd been carrying, when wordlessly Ryou handed it over. It had obviously been inside his trench-coat pocket.

With that Seto turned and strode hastily back down the corridor the way they had come still able to feel those giant brown eyes on his back.

Pearls and swine bereft of me;
Long and weary my road has been.
I was lost in the cities;
Alone in the hills;
No sorrow or pity for leaving, I feel.
- I Am The Highway, Audioslave.