The class bell rang and Yugi sighed as he put his text book into his bag. Looking over at Kaiba’s empty seat, he was filled with worry.

/Yami, do you think he’ll be ok?\

//I don’t know aibou. Losing Mokuba to that drive-by shooting hurt worse than any defeat I’ve ever given him...\\

Yugi bit his lip. That was not reassuring in the least.

//Although, I think I could...\\

Yugi perked up. /Could what, Yami?\

//Mind you, Yugi, this is only a theory, but I think I could get inside his mind and bring him back since the coma he’s in is shock induced.\\

Yugi smiled. /Any chance is worth following, Yami.\

*---*---*---*---*

Yugi peeked and slinked silently into the beeping room. Closing the door behind him he slipped into the chair next to the bed. Looking at the occupant in the bed, Yugi shivered.

Kaiba looked like he had just went through hell. Paler than usual the dark color of his hair caused his skin to look sallow. The nutrient I.V. in his left forearm sent a trickle of iridescent liquid into him and the steady breathing and beeping of the heart monitor was just creepy but it was the blank expression in the open blue eyes that did it. The blunt fact that yes, here’s a shell but nobody’s home added to the scars from Kaiba’s abusive childhood revealed by the medical gown sent chills down Yugi’s spine.

//Alright, aibou, take his hand and concentrate on him.\\

When Yugi did so, the sennen puzzle glowed softly as the two’s souls were sent into Seto’s mind.

The dreamscape was creepy, a dark blue with moving black swirls making the walls seem alive. A crack of leather meeting flesh and a ragged scream from behind and to the left caused the two to turn around.

Silver manacles encrusted with dried blood cut into Seto’s wrists and the chains trailed off into the darkness above. His upper body was bare of clothing but was covered in blood and open wounds. His pants were tattered and blood soaked as well as the ground around him. His usually proud and haughty stance was gone as he dragged on the chains. Blood even matted his hair.

Yugi shuddered at the sight and huddled close to Yami. "Yami, who did this?" Yugi whispered in revulsion.

"I did, little hikari," came a childish voice. Stepping around the tortured and seemingly unconscious teenager was a smaller version of him, seeming to smile maliciously at the two while holding a dagger carved in the shape of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in one hand and a whip in the other.

"Who are you, and why have you done this?!" Yami shouted as he stepped between Yugi and the child.

The boy pouted and it would have looked cute if he wasn’t covered from the spray of Seto’s blood. "You don’t recognize me? Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering you left after you gave me my new power."

Yami was startled enough to back up a space. "Wha-"

"What do I mean? Why, it’s quite simple really. When you defeated Kaiba here and punished him, you gave me more power, enough to do things like this when he screws up." The child’s cherubic face went hard. "Kaiba promised to protect Mokuba. He promised to not let anything break them apart. I’m only punishing him before I send him to where Mokuba is for breaking his promises."

Yami’s eyes cleared of confusion. "I see. You’re his conscience."

Seto’s conscience smiled, but the lighting made it look demonic. "I’m only doing what needs to be done."

"But you’re killing him!" Yugi shouted in tears.

"Am I," the little boy cocked his head and stared into Yugi’s eyes, "or am I saving him?"

"Na-nani?!"

"Face it, little hikari, Kaiba has nothing to go back to now, except that damn company that eats away at his life. Mokuba was everything."

"He still has us! He still has his friends!"

The boy gave a short bark of laughter. "Kaiba has no friends! Jounouchi is a chiwawa, Honda’s a born idiot, and Anzu’s a loud mouthed bitch."

Yami smirked. "I’m noticing two names missing from that list."

The boy smirked. "Ah yes, Yugi and Yami, the two that stole away the only thing Kaiba found fun after being adopted by that bastard step-father. You two destroyed Kaiba’s last link to his childhood innocence when you beat him. Face it, how could he not hate you two after that?"

"Stop insinuating things you know are lies," came a raspy whisper from behind the little boy. "You’re supposed to be the part of me that corrects lies, not makes them."

"It’s not a lie, Kaiba. It was true."

"Was being a past tense, you little asshole."

The boy’s eyebrow twitched. "You’re already going to die soon, Kaiba. Angering me will only prolong your death and make it all the more painful," he said, turning around and looking at Kaiba’s hair shadowed face.

One of his old confident smirks was back. "I’m not a quitter like you, you little homicidal maniac. If these chains weren’t spelled, you’d be fleeing for YOUR life, you little coward."

The boy smirked again, mirroring Kaiba. "Nice try, Kaiba, but I’m not taking the chains off."

Kaiba’s smirk broadened. "Whoever said I needed you to do it?"

The conscience’s eyes widened. "Nani?!" Spinning around to face the two intruders, it was already too late.

Yami was holding a black stone sword, arcing it in a slash above the conscience’s head, sending a wave of white energy towards the chains. The energy cut through the metal like butter, and without the support Kaiba crumpled to the ground. The silver metals desolved and vanished and with a grunt Kaiba hoisted himself to his feet, the damage done by his conscience healing over at a fast pace.

Staring into the fearful eyes of his conscience, Seto raised his hand and with a quick twist of his wrist a Duel Monsters card was in his hand. "This is my mind and here I make the rules. Here I have the power. You may have caught me with my guards down, but now that I know you exist, I won’t let this happen again. It’s time to put you back where you belong! Come forth, Jisante of the Blue-Eyes White-Dragons!"

Seto threw the card face up on the ground to his right. The face glowed bright white that blinded everyone for a moment and there was a heart-stopping roar was released into the air.

Seto pointed at his smaller version. "Take him back, Jisante!" Seto’s conscience backed away, fear in his eyes as the dragon descended upon him. His form was blocked from the other’s as he gave a high pitched scream and then both dragon and apparition winked out of existence.

Yami sweat-dropped. "Jisante?"

Kaiba gave Yami a dirty look. "If you had three Dark Magician’s, how would YOU tell them apart unless you gave them names? Now scram, I need to wake up."

With that, Yami and Yugi were booted out of Seto Kaiba’s mind.

*---*---*---*---*

Yugi came back to consciousness and found himself with his head on the bed next to him. Pushing back, he released the Seto’s hand and watched as the boy blinked his blue eyes. Seto turned his head towards him.

"Thanks."

Yugi blinked. Wow, Seto Kaiba was thanking him? Hell must have frozen over. "No need to thank me. That’s what friends do, help each other out I mean. Are you ok now?"

Seto turned away and stared up at the ceiling. "No. I don’t expect I’ll ever be ok again. But things can get better, Yugi. There’s always that hope."

--Fin.