Seto’s eyes snapped open. He had never been prone to nightmares, although he wasn’t sure if these dreams classified as such. They were just bizarre.

While he had all the respect in the world for Yami as a duelist, he had never thought of him the way his dreams were suggesting he did. And they seemed to take place in another time, long away from the present. Was Ishisu’s rant correct? Had he known Yami in a previous life?

His dreams were even starting to affect his work. At times they were so intense, they haunted his daily routine as well as his sleep. ‘Something /has/ to be done about this,’ Seto decided. ‘But what?’  While his brain entertained different paths to take, he drifted back to sleep.

Newly fifteen year old Seth is opening birthday presents. Twelve year old Yami rushes into the room, carrying a hurriedly-wrapped present.

“Happy Birthday Seth!” he greets his cousin happily.

“Thank you Yami,” he replies. Carefully, he unwraps the gift, reveling a beautiful clay statue of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. “Yami, it’s beautiful,” he says.

“Mum helped me,” the young pharaoh admits. “But it was /my/ idea! Since you’ll be guarding it someday, I though you’d like it.”

“It’s from you,” Seth laughs. “How could I not?”

This dream was not as erotic as some of the others, so Seto slept relatively sound for the rest of the night. But he continued to think of his dreams the next day. Being distracted at work was not good.

“Mr. Kaiba? Mr. Kaiba?”

“What?” Seto snapped.

“I have the information you requested.” He held out his hand for it. The man handed it to him and left.

“Yugi Mutou,” he read. It looked as if his men had only found information on the boy, not his alter ego. He had specifically told them to find out about the spirit, not the boy. He threw the papers onto his desk.

“Mr. Kaiba?” His secretary’s voice came over the intercom. “There’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?” Seto demanded.

“He won’t say, only that it’s important.”

Seto rolled his eyes. Importance was in the ears of the listener. “Let him in.”

The doorknob slowly turned. As the door opened, Seto saw the source of all his recent sleep loss. “Hello Kaiba. I hope I am not interrupting.”

“What do you want?”

Yami’s crimson eyes waved past the desk. “Ah. I see you are investigating us.”

“What do you want?” the CEO repeated.

“Fine, then. How have you been sleeping?”

“What? Why are you asking?”

“Because I have been lead to think that perhaps the memories from yor previous life are resurfacing.”

“Previous life.”

“I know you live in denial of it, but those are not just dreams you’re having. They are memories… Seth.”

Seto’s eyes widened. “Get out… of my office… NOW!” he yelled. Yami calmly did so, and without complaint. Seto couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Yami had called him by the same name the young pharaoh did in his dreams. Where they honestly one and the same?

He suddenly felt quite dizzy and sat down. Thousands of thoughts whirled in his head, and among them another memory surfaced.

Seth was clearly distraught. He had been held up in his chambers all day. Someone knocked on the door, but he didn’t answer. The worried person came in. Yami.

“Seth, you can not continue in this way,” he told his high priest.

“And why not?”

“It’s not healthy, or natural. You must overcome your grief.”

“Nothing matters anymore.”

“Not even your best friend?”

Seth seemed dazed. “You would survive. You fight to find the meaning in living.”

The young pharaoh knelt in front of his friend to meet his sky blue eyes. “You used to as well. You are not the first or only man to lose his love. It has happened before, and the people left have survived the pain.”

Tears stung the man’s eyes. “Yami, you don’t know what it’s like to love someone like that.”

“Yes I do.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve never had a lover.”

“But I have loved. The love has yet to be returned.”

“You should tell the person. Before it’s too late.”

The pharaoh looked thoughtful. “Yes. I should.” He looked at Seth and leaned forward until his lips met the other’s. Then he eased back.

“Me?” Seth asked. “How can you love such a wreck?”

Seto couldn’t take it anymore. He began yelling and throwing things, just out of frustration and hoping it might make him feel better. No such luck. He just kept thinking of Yami’s words. 'They are memories… Seth.’

He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Why does Yami want me to remember?” he asked himself out loud. “What does he want from me? What he got from Seth? He’s not getting /that/ from me.” He glanced around his office. It suddenly seemed quite small. “I have to get out of here,” he stated, grabbing his white trench coat and exiting the office. He walked past his secretary and out of Kaiba Corp.

Once out of the building, he just kept walking. Nowhere particular, he just felt he had to keep walking. This continued late into the night. He finally looked up to find he had no clue where he was.

“Damn it,” Seto cursed. He called his limo driver to come pick him up. A familiar figure left one of the houses.

“Good evening, Seto,” Yami greeted him. “A bit out of your neighborhood,

isn’t this?”

Seto arched an eyebrow. “Is there something you want?”

“Not at the moment,” the pharaoh replied. “I just saw you out here. And without your limo. I thought perhaps your sanity was in jeopardy.”

“My driver will be here shortly,” the CEO replied.

“Of course. Can’t let a man like you stay out in the streets for too long.”

“Any other words you’d like to pelt me with?”

“Actually, yes, since you can’t kick me out of your office.”

“More senseless ranting?”

“That was hardly so, and you know it.”

“Why is it so important to you that these ‘memories’ surface?”

“To hopefully prevent history from repeating itself.”

“What?”

“I know Ishisu told you what happened long ago in Egypt. Such evil should not be allowed present itself again.”

“And I’m the evil?”

“Perhaps not at heart, but your ambition is driving you there. Why do you continue to deny your past, even when it is so obvious?”

“I don’t know what you want from me Yami-“

He was cut off. “If it’s because of the relationship between Seth and myself, know that I bear no attraction to you in this life.”

“Good to know.” At that time, Seto’s driver arrived. The teen took no hesitation to let himself in and order the driver back to the mansion. Yami sighed and let Yugi regain control of his body to go back inside.

“Do you think you reached him?” the boy asked the spirit.

“I am unsure, Yugi,” he replied. “We can only hope for the best.”

Later that night, Seto pulled the covers over himself and tried to sleep. He did think about Yami’s words, but not too highly or with much regard. But a stray thought cut off all the others. ‘What if he’s right?’ He shuddered at the statement his brain had the nerve to concoct. ‘But what if he is?’ His brain continued to torment him. ‘What if I’m allowing some evil to be born? Ugh. What am I thinking?’ He rolled over and let sleep gradually take its hold.

The newborn prince is placed carefully into his sitting cousin’s young arms. His mother continues to support her son’s arms as he holds him.

“He’s so little,” the future high priest states.

“Yes,” his mother agrees. “You were this little once too.”

“I was not!” the boy protested.

“Yes, you were. But you’ve grown up quite a bit. One day, you’ll be taller than me, I’m sure!”

“Taller than you? Wow.”

**********************************

“How does it feel to have fallen so far?” the high priest challenged his former pharaoh.

“You will never win this battle, Seth.”

Seto’s eyes snapped wide open before the dream could progress any further. “They were in love? But he turned against him…” He shook his head. “Even if it is true, why is it my problem? All I want is to maintain my title as the greatest duelist in the world!” He fell backwards back on to his pillows. Eventually, his thoughts lead him back to Yami. “Maybe I should go see him. Maybe even listen to what he has to say. But it seems like such garbage!!!” But his brain yelled at him once more.

“Would it really kill you to waste a few hours?”