Okay... I'll warn you right now. This fic is pretty much pure fluff, and there is OOCness. Oh, and Seto really likes eggs... I don't really take it that seriously; it's just for fun, okay? Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter 1

Yugi had disappeared.

One moment he was asleep in his bed while I rested in the confines of my soul room, shut securely in the Sennen Puzzle; and the next I opened my eyes, only to find myself in Yugi's bed, with no sign of him anywhere. He was simply gone, as if someone had taken him during the night.

And I was the prime suspect.

"You have to know where he is, Yami, the two of you shared a body!" Anzu cried the next morning. Her eyes filled with tears, which immediately slipped down her cheeks in torrents as she stared at me.

"Yeah, man, isn't he inside the Sennen Puzzle if you're out here?" Jou asked hopefully.

I shook my head slowly, unsure of how to respond, when a harsh voice from behind me laughed sarcastically.

"They each have their own bodies now," Bakura commented as he suddenly walked up to us, smirking. "I've seen to that." He gestured grandly at the angelic Ryou, who stood a few paces behind him and looked shyly at us through his thick, snow-white hair.

"Tomb Robber! What have you done?" I growled. Bakura merely inspected his fingernails, humming. "Bakura!" I pressed warningly.

"Just a spell. Simple, really. I wanted to be able to separate from my sweet little hikari here," he said, stroking Ryou's hair. Ryou blushed and looked away. "Anyway, the spell ended up working for you, too. Good thing that crazy Malik's not around anymore, or his psychotic other half would probably be around with his own body, too," Bakura added, sighing theatrically.

"But where is Yugi?" Anzu wailed, tears now streaming from her face.

"Yami did something with him. My spell wouldn't make him disappear," Bakura said indifferently. "See? Ryou's right here, and just fine. Yami probably killed him. Of course, maybe it was an accident..." Bakura trailed off idly.

I stared at him in shock. "That's rid...ic...u...lous..." I forgot what I was saying as I caught the looks of suspicion and disbelief on the others' faces. But they looked suspicious of me!

"YAMI, WHAT DID YOU DO TO YUGI?" Anzu, Jou, and Honda suddenly shouted as one.

"Nothing," I protested weakly, but they all just glared at me. Jou and Honda clenched their fists, and Anzu whipped out her cell phone.

"You'd better run," Ryou whispered.

I ran.

Two days later, I had strayed far into the countryside, but I kept running, on and on, though my sides ached and my breathing had reduced to desperate, ragged gasps. I pushed through bracken along the side of the road, following the highway but keeping out of sight. I had no destination in mind, no reason to keep moving forward. But still I ran.

Pushing aside the blonde bangs from my sweaty face, I swiped a grimy arm across my eyes, obscuring my vision for a brief second as I wiped the sweat away from my eyes.

So I didn't see the patch of mud on top of a steep hill.

My feet slid out from under me and I rolled, unable to slow my acceleration on the slippery earth; so I curled into a ball, tucking my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around my head as branches and rocks thumped against my skin. I gritted my teeth in pain but refused to cry out, and eventually I slowed and came to a halt against something hard and narrow. Figuring it was a tree trunk; I uncurled my aching limbs and grabbed it for support.

It reached down and grabbed my other arm.

I gasped, yanking my arm out of the thing's grasp, and carefully rubbed the mud out of my eyes as my heart pounded in shock. "I was just trying to help you stand; that fall could've killed you," a cold, irritated voice told me. It sounded oddly familiar.

I opened my now mud-free eyes and stared into ice-blue eyes that snapped fiercely under soft brown bangs. The tall, lean figure gave me an annoyed glare and crossed his arms impatiently.

It was Seto Kaiba.

"Kaiba?" I gasped. "What are you doing here?"

He stared at me a moment longer until his eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Yugi. I didn't recognize you under all the mud," he smirked.

I glanced down at my brown, sodden clothes and sighed. Maybe I could rinse them in a river or something. "Not Yugi," I muttered. "My name is Yami."

"Yami? I always just thought of you as the other Yugi, the real one," Kaiba mused, and my heart lifted in spite of myself. The real one? Then Kaiba continued, and my heart fell crashing to the earth again. "So, where is Yugi then? Inside that necklace?"

"Puzzle. And no," I replied dejectedly, gesturing at my bare neck. "He disappeared, and the Puzzle disappeared with him."

"He ran away, then," Kaiba said disinterestedly, and began walking.

I followed him.

"Yugi-tachi think I killed him, or kidnapped him," I told Kaiba. He laughed snidely. He laughed. "What in the world is so funny?" I snapped, and stopped in my tracks. Kaiba paused as well, studying me.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Although, the cheerleaders aren't exactly known for their intelligence," Kaiba replied nonchalantly.

I grinned a little for the first time since Yugi had disappeared; Kaiba's rudeness was actually pretty funny sometimes. Even though he was still a complete jerk, of course. "Well, actually Bakura somehow convinced them that I did it. I think Anzu was about two seconds from calling the police when I ran from them," I sighed.

"Your fault. You should've run from them a long time ago," Kaiba retorted dryly, and I laughed out loud in spite of myself. A slight smile lingered on my face after the short laugh faded, and we continued walking in silence.

We came to a halt at the edge of the forest, where a simple but well-kept lawn stretched to a medium-sized brick house, covered on one side with an ivy trellis. The house seemed warm and inviting, the kind of residence for old women who love to bake chocolate-chip cookies. I studied it curiously until I noticed Kaiba pulling keys from his pocket.

"Do you live here?" I gasped in surprise.

"Country house," he answered simply, striding to the door. "Mokuba is out here for a summer school program, and I wanted to be close to him." I followed him to the door, shifting my feet uncertainly.

"Oh. Well, tell him I said hello, then. It was good to see you," I told Kaiba, and began walking down the long, paved driveway toward the street. Kaiba groaned loudly.

"Just come in," he grumbled. I turned around, studying him, but shook my head.

"You don't have to help me. It's against your nature," I laughed mirthlessly. "Besides, I don't want your charity. Once I get far enough from Domino City, I'll find some sort of job."

Kaiba thought for a moment. "Well, do you want a job then? You're already a hundred miles from the city," he said.

"Doing what? Being your maid?" I asked sarcastically.

He grinned. "As amusing as that would be, no. I don't need someone to pick up after me," Kaiba replied. He was silent for a long moment, and I could tell he was trying desperately to think of something for me to do. Frankly, it annoyed me a little, since I didn't like knowing he was doing me a favor. But, I couldn't help feeling intrigued, as well- I wondered why Kaiba would bother to help me.

Of course, it didn't really matter, since he would never think of a job for me to do.

Finally he gave me a questioning glance. "I don't suppose you can cook?"

Okay, so he got lucky. How could he possibly have known that I...? My face lit up automatically and I nodded, beaming at Kaiba. I actually loved to cook- Yugi generally let me take over at mealtimes, and I would cook for Yugi and Jiichan. I felt a brief pang in my heart at the thought of Yugi, until Kaiba gestured for me to come inside, grinning once more.

"This I've got to see," he said dryly.

After making me remove my muddy shoes by the door, Kaiba showed me around the quaint country home. It was spacious, but seemed little used, except for Kaiba's study. "Working during your vacation, hmm?" I asked wryly, observing the stacks of files and papers piled around Kaiba's computer.

"Who said I was on vacation?" Kaiba drawled. He motioned for me to follow him out of the room, and I strolled behind him through the hallway, my mud-caked clothes drying uncomfortably on my skin. "There are three bedrooms. This one is mine," he said, pointing to a closed door, "and this one can be yours." He pushed open the door to the room next to his.

A soft, tan carpet massaged my bare feet as I entered the room. In one corner sat a king-sized bed with yellow coverlets, and matching curtains hung on the windows. There was no other furniture except for a desk with a high-backed, rolling chair. The overall effect was openness and comfort.

"It's not a big room, but it's the best bedroom here, aside from mine of course," Kaiba told me, lifting his chin cockily. "And we'll have to share a bathroom. Clean up after yourself and do your own laundry," he raised an eyebrow at my muddy outfit, "and we shouldn't bother each other too much. Maybe you can go back to town as soon as Yugi comes back."

"Thanks so much, Kaiba," I told him gratefully, and he gazed at me intently. After a moment, I felt a little awkward under his scrutinizing blue stare, and I cleared my throat. "Er, I should probably shower now," I commented. He nodded and swept out of the room.

"I'll get you something to wear."

Thirty minutes later, my clothes were spinning in the washing machine and I was rummaging around the kitchen, wearing Kaiba's oversized black T-shirt and a pair of his gray cotton pants that I had rolled up several times so they wouldn't drag the floor. I absently tugged on the waistline of the pants and stared into the refrigerator, wondering what I could cook with Kaiba's limited groceries. He obviously wasn't used to buying his own food; I'd have to make him a grocery list.

Finally, I pulled out an egg carton, some green peppers from the vegetable drawer, cheese, and leftover ham (I prayed the ham wasn't too old), deciding to make omelets. As I chopped the peppers with a sharp knife, Kaiba wandered into the kitchen.

"What are you making?" he asked, leaning against the far side of the counter.

"Spanish omelets. They shouldn't take long," I replied, now chopping the ham into tiny cubes. I turned on the stove and began stirring the eggs as he idly watched.

"Sounds good. Smells good, too," Kaiba finally commented, as I flipped the concoction in the pan and added cheese.

"Well, see if it tastes good," I smirked slightly, and tossed the eggs onto a plate and handed it to him. I turned away and busied myself making another omelet. "You don't have many groceries. I'll make you a list and you can go to the grocery store; or maybe I can go if you think it's safe. I don't know if Yugi-tachi ever called the police, or... Kaiba? What's wrong?"

I interrupted myself when I saw his wide-eyed expression. He'd only taken one bite of his eggs, and he stared at me with a shocked expression planted on his usually impassive face. "Kaiba? Is it not good? I was afraid that ham was bad; I'll make you something else," I sighed, and reached for his plate.

He jerked it from my gasp, scowling, and quickly shoved more eggs in his mouth. "NO! I want them!" he mumbled with his mouth full.

I sighed and lifted my eggs from the pan before they could burn. Shutting the stove off, I told him, "You don't have to patronize me. If something doesn't taste good, you can tell me. I won't be offended. Besides, I didn't have much to work with in your refrigerator." I turned back to my plate, but it had disappeared. "What the? I thought I put it right there," I muttered to myself. "Kaiba, do you see my food anywhere?"

"No," he mumbled. It sounded strangely muffled, and I glanced up at him curiously. He swallowed guiltily. Then I noticed the two empty plates in the sink beside him and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. I guess they were okay, then."

That evening I relaxed luxuriantly into the soft bed. It was the first time in days I'd slept anywhere but the mosquito-infested ground, and I was grateful; but the lack of physical discomfort merely provided an opening for torture of a different sort. A vivid nightmare visited me as soon as I drifted into sleep, as though it had been waiting for me for days.

"Yami, what did you do to him?" Anzu cried.

"He's dead!" Jounouchi shouted, lifting Yugi's motionless form from the sidewalk. Blood trickled from the side of Yugi's mouth, and an imprint in the shape of the Sennen Puzzle stood out on Yugi's temple, a bright red against his unnaturally pale face. I reached out to trace the pattern with a shaking finger, but Jou slapped my hand away.

"Don't touch him! Look what you've done already!" Jou growled angrily.

"I didn't! I would never hurt him! I wouldn't!" I cried. Just then, the pale and lifeless Yugi snapped open his eyes.

"But you did," said a ghostly voice, a ghastly imitation of Yugi's sweet tones. "Yami, why did you kill me?" the dead Yugi asked.

I screamed.

I screamed at the top of my lungs- a cry of pure terror, of horror and regret. The chilling sound snapped me into awareness, and I knew instantly where I was and everything that had happened over the last few days. My nightmare didn't even leave me the luxury of dwelling in a hazy sleep-state for a few moments.

I sat up in the bed and drew my knees to my chest, burying my face in them, and I covered my head with my arms and tried to still my frightened tremors. Just then, the door burst open and Kaiba stumbled into the bedroom, robe hanging over one shoulder and thick brown hair rumpled attractively.

"Mokuba? I'm coming," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. I laughed at him, happy for the distraction.

"No, Kaiba, it's just me, Yami, remember?" I asked.

"Right... Mokuba's at school, and you're cooking me eggs," he mumbled, still half-asleep. I laughed again and shook my head indulgently.

"Just go back to bed, Kaiba," I told him. He nodded and climbed into bed beside me.

"Okay. Good night, Mokuba. You won't have any more nightmares while I'm here," Kaiba yawned, and I blushed hotly.

"No! Kaiba, go away!" I cried. "I'm not Mokuba, and your bedroom is next door!" I gave him a little shove. He snored.

I blinked in confusion, contemplating my options. I could try to wake him up again... I shoved him, harder this time, and he reflexively grabbed my arm, still snoring loudly. Blushing again, I carefully extracted my arm and decided to try something else.

Well, I could always leave him here and go sleep in another bedroom, but I'd have to crawl over him to get out of the bed. I sighed and gritted my teeth, carefully climbing over Kaiba without touching him. Just as I had cleared his torso, I sneezed.

Of course.

"Mokuba, I told you not to wander around at night," Kaiba muttered, and grabbed me around the waist. He pulled me back down to the bed beside him and wrapped his long, slender arms around my shoulders. Kaiba rolled onto his side, facing me, and drew me against his chest. He smelled faintly of cinnamon.

"Good night," he mumbled, not opening his eyes. I bit my lip and considered my options. I couldn't wake him up and couldn't climb over him, so I might as well...stay here. I lightly rested my forehead against his chest and closed my eyes, inhaling the scent of cinnamon.

"Good night, Seto," I replied.

The soft, snuffling sound of Kaiba's snores abruptly halted and I jerked awake at the sudden lack of noise. "What am I doing here?" Kaiba tried to snap, but a wide-mouthed yawn lessened the effect somewhat.

I sighed heavily and pushed myself farther away from him. At least we hadn't woken tangled in each other's arms (or whatever nonsensical way romance novels adore phrasing such things). "You wandered in here in the middle of the night, thinking Mokuba had a nightmare, and I couldn't get rid of you," I told him shamefacedly.

"Huh? Why would I think Mokuba had a nightmare?"

"Because...because I did. I guess you heard me scream," I admitted.

"Ah. Well, then... Go downstairs and make me some eggs," Kaiba commanded, giving me a roguish grin.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Wouldn't you rather have something else?" I hinted, and he shrugged.

"Whatever." He climbed out of the bed and disappeared from the room; I heard the bathroom door slam shut a few seconds later. I followed him out of bed, stretching widely, but I immediately had to grab the waistline of my overly large cotton pants.

"I think I'll check on my clothes now," I sighed, and padded barefoot into the laundry room, long pants dragging behind me where they had come unrolled the night before. Once downstairs, I quickly pulled my own form-fitting black pants from the dryer and slipped them on with a sigh of relief. As I followed suit with my snug black shirt, whipping off Kaiba's T-shirt and tossing it carelessly into the laundry pile, Kaiba came up behind me.

"What are you doing?" he asked, staring at me curiously.

"Getting dressed. What does it look like?" I snapped, reddening slightly at being caught shirtless. I turned my back to Kaiba and tugged the shirt over my head.

"Won't you spill something on your clothes if you change before you cook?" Kaiba pointed out.

"No. I never do," I replied disinterestedly. I began moving toward the kitchen, and Kaiba followed me and leaned against the counter while I rummaged through the cabinets. He still wore his nightclothes- a white T-shirt and navy blue cotton pants, with a long blue robe hanging open over his shoulders. The robe reminded me of one of Kaiba's many trench coats.

I paused briefly in my search to observe him, and his blue eyes flashed under my scrutiny. "What?" he snapped in irritation.

"I was just wondering what you might like to eat. Besides eggs, that is; we're out," I replied hastily, blushing at being caught staring.

"Oh. Well, I don't care. I don't know what's in there," he replied, and busied himself making a pot of coffee.

I nodded vaguely, returning to the refrigerator. I pulled open the vegetable drawer and found several kinds of fruit shoved carelessly into the back. I examined them, muttering to myself. "Well, there are a few spots, but I could probably cut those out..." Gathering everything into my arms, I quickly rinsed the fruit and began chopping expertly, tossing away the bad parts just as Kaiba's coffee began to trickle into the pot.

I rapidly dug out a serving bowl and tongs and tossed the different kinds of fruit inside and placed them on the table. Then I gave Kaiba a little wink (he was still watching me) and mixed up sugar, flour, and a little milk into a thick white paste. As an afterthought, I added a touch of cinnamon, smiling to myself. Then I put the paste on the table and dug out bowls, and a spoon for the dip.

"There," I told Kaiba, grinning, and gestured for him to sit beside me at the table.

"What is that?" he asked, wrinkling his nose at the white paste.

"Fruit dip. Try it," I motioned. When he didn't move, I dipped a strawberry in the paste and held it in front of his lips. He merely raised an eyebrow. I wiggled the strawberry impatiently in Kaiba's face, and he scowled at me but opened his mouth and took the fruit. My fingers lightly brushed against his lips and I blushed, suddenly embarrassed by my antics.

I silently loaded fruit onto both our plates, not looking at him, until I felt my neck prickle under his contemplative gaze. When I finally glanced up into his blue eyes, Kaiba blinked and shook his head slightly. "You really weren't lying when you said you could cook," he commented.

Two hours later, I sat watching the Domino City morning news, ready to bash in the television screen with the remote. I had watched this ridiculous show for an hour and a half, hoping to hear news of Yugi, only to be encumbered by the mindless drivel these people called entertainment.

"Now, Chef Baker will show us how to make a proper soufflé," the perky announcer said, and the camera cut to a man in a stereotypical white coat and hat. This pricked my attention, until, after watching the chef for a moment I leapt off the couch in anger. "No, you idiot! That's not the way to make the crust! It'll taste like it has crackers on top of it!" I shouted at the television.

An amused snort sounded from the back of the room. "You should call in," Kaiba commented dryly, and I flushed and sat back down. He sat beside me. "Any news of Yugi?" he asked.

"No. I'd have said something if there were," I sighed, relaxing into the cushions. "Instead, I've been stuck watching this idiot make mediocre soufflés."

Kaiba laughed at me- a carefree sound of genuine amusement, and I stared incredulously. His whole countenance seemed to change, and a brilliant smile revealed his even, white teeth. "You should do a cooking show. That would be hilarious," Kaiba told me, still grinning. "I can just see you, in your tight black clothes," (he plucked at my shirt and I blushed) "whipping up something incredible in five minutes, and the audience would just stare at you in amazement. Then you'd get mad and send them all to the Shadow Realm."

Kaiba laughed that wondrous laugh once more, and a slow grin spread across my features as well. "Yes, I suppose I'm not the most patient person, hmm?" I replied, watching him chuckle. He gave another snort at that and stood, stretching out his hand for me.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk or something, I'm bored," he said.

I took his hand hesitantly and he helped me stand; then I quickly tugged my hand out of his grip. "Don't you think we should keep watching in case anything comes on about Yugi?"

"No," Kaiba replied, already at the front door. "That would be the top story, so if it wasn't on in the first ten minutes it isn't going to be. You've been wasting your time." He gave me his traditional smirk and motioned outside with a sweeping gesture. Scowling, I strode past him, and he followed me with a hand on the small of my back. I blinked, blushing at the gesture, but Kaiba had already turned away, locking the door behind him.

"You're overreacting. He didn't mean anything by it, idiot," I muttered to myself under my breath.

"Hm? What was that?" Kaiba asked, catching up with me as I walked down the driveway.

"Nothing. I was just calling myself an idiot," I replied, smiling self-deprecatingly.

"Oh, because you watched the news for too long? You're just worried about Yugi; I would've done the same thing for Mokuba," Kaiba reassured me, but he smirked anyway. Then he glanced around and added, "This is the way to the highway. It'd be more interesting to go in the woods; let's go that way."

He pointed, guiding me again by the small of my back, and I fought down a flush. To me, that always seemed like a gesture for couples or close friends; but Kaiba wasn't really the type to date, or make friends, either, so I suppose that didn't apply to him. Besides, he was probably the best friend I had at the moment...

Kaiba led me to a wide pathway at the edge of his well-kept lawn, and I glanced up at him, taking a deep breath. "Kaiba? Thank you. For letting me stay here, and for not believing that I hurt Yugi," I said.

Kaiba pulled his hand away, crossing his arms and snorting as we walked side-by-side. "Like I'd believe anything those idiots believe," he scoffed, and gave me a tiny smile.

I suppose that was his version of "you're welcome."

I followed Kaiba to a wooden bench overlooking a scummy pond. We sat companionably close, but I made sure not to touch him. "Ugh, that green scum all over the water is disgusting. I think your pond is polluted," I told Kaiba.

"It's algae, stupid. Haven't you ever seen a pond before?" Kaiba said, rolling his eyes. At my blank expression, he explained, "It's a plant. Fish eat it. Go to school, or at least watch some nature shows."

"Ancient Egyptian spirit, remember? I lived in a Puzzle around Yugi's neck; and I didn't pay much attention when his teachers taught him about algae, if they ever did..." I drifted off sadly, thinking of Yugi.

"How did he disappear, anyway?" Kaiba asked softly. He hesitantly squeezed my shoulder, but quickly pulled his hand away again.

I smiled to myself at Kaiba's awkward comforting gesture. He actually comforted me much more by being his typical arrogant self, not that he knew that. "Well, Bakura- the tomb robber, not Ryou Bakura –did some kind of spell that separated him from Ryou and me from Yugi. One moment, we were sleeping as usual, but when I woke up both he and the Sennen Puzzle were gone." I sighed dejectedly and continued, "I never even got to see his expression when he realized we were two separate people. It would've been priceless..."

Kaiba's hand moved back to my shoulder, and I glanced at his face, trying to keep the tears shimmering in my eyes from escaping. "I...I don't know how they could think I'd do anything to him. I'm going crazy wondering if he's hurt, or dead, or if he'll ever come back!" I choked, and the tears fell, streaming down in torrents. It was the first time I'd cried over Yugi.

"Shh," Kaiba whispered, and his arm slid around my back. I leaned my face into his shoulder, trying to quiet my sobs. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably just got scared when he saw you and ran off before you woke up," Kaiba ventured.

I immediately stopped crying and sat straight up at this new idea. "Do you think so?" I gasped, hope lighting my wet features.

"Well, it was probably a shock," Kaiba shrugged. "He may have already come home."

"How would we know?" I asked thoughtfully. Kaiba grinned and stood, offering me his hand. I took it, watching him curiously, and he tugged me from the bench.

"Come on. I have an idea."