Despite the bustling city of Domino, Japan being the young adult's home, somehow coming back there every few months or so put a heavy weight in his heart. It was the home of so much disaster, and yet so many triumphs. It was the place where he and his brother rose to great heights; places that no one still ever touched or came close to taking down. It was also the resting place of a few great careers. And it was the graveyard of some of his worst nightmares.

Kaiba Mokuba had grown up to be the very picture of what his elder brother defined as normal. A college student doing mostly well in all his courses, a prankster, boy who still loved to grin, and (not his favorite) a lady's man. Though Kaiba would never speak a word of it to his brother, he was glad Mokuba had grown up to be such a person with all the surroundings he'd lived in for most of his life. Mokuba was glad, too. Somehow he was glad that he hadn't cracked or gone crazy. He worried most of the time that Seto might some day.

Today would not be that day, though. It was one of his visits back to the Kaiba Corporation headquarters. One of those nights where he surprised even his brother by showing up announced. The look on the other's face was always pleasing, and hugs were had before they talked about Mokuba's schedule and life- and of course his future plans. Being the VP of such a prestigious corporation must have seemed hard to other people, but to Mokuba it was just part of being a Kaiba. He loved every minute of it.

Back home in the mansion for the night, the love disappeared.

For a moment he even thought about going to a hotel, but Seto would find out most definitely. He would be ashamed if his brother ever knew how much this place frightened him. On his worst nights he was seeing visions of Gozaburo lurking around corners and hearing the cries of his older brother being whipped. Just enough warm fuzzies put him into a complacent state where he was lucky enough not to have to experience those memories for the millionth time. It lured him into a false sense of security for just a few beautiful moments.

Then he couldn't sleep anymore. The scenario always seemed the same. While he could call out for those ever present maids to fetch him a glass of water, Mokuba had never been that kind of person. He didn't feel comfortable ordering around the only women he'd grown up with anymore. He could surely get a glass of water for himself. He was almost twenty two now. He was not a child any longer.

Mokuba lit every light on his journey down the hall, down the stairs, past the halls again and into the kitchen. The house was so damnably big he was lucky he knew the layout by heart now. Getting lost on one of these nights would be the absolute worst. As he ran the water for a while to let it get cold, he turned his back on the counter. He needed to be able to see that nothing was lurking up behind him. His heart had already set to pounding.

He almost wanted to call out for Seto- as he would often after Atem had gone to the afterlife when he was still a child. Seto would always be his protector. His savior. His older brother. Somehow though some part of him felt less safe without the short duelist around. Yuugi was still there but … Yuugi had never been Atem. Something he knew his brother lamented about constantly for a long time after the experience had died down. He didn't know it then, but the feeling of terror he experienced was that of Atem not being there to stop the spirits from coming back.

A few very, very private sessions of therapy when he was older had helped him come to grips with what was going on in his head. None of it really ever seemed to work when he was home in Domino, though. He always felt like he was being watched, and not solely by the press. Those dark, insane eyes of both spirits were always staring daggers into his back. He could feel it. And as he took the long trek back to his bedroom, the sharp maniacal laugh of Malik's fracture psyhe was loud enough to cause him to jump.

It felt real. It sounded real. As if that man was in the hall with him. The glass had slipped from his hand before he even realized it. He'd whirled around defensively and then waited fearfully for a strike that never came. As he closed his eyes to will away the false vision, all he could see was that man sending his God to kill Mai, to take away her mind. His hands clutched at his forehead as a migraine set in. He just couldn't get that laugh out of his head. It rang in his ears like a fire alarm. Louder and louder with every second. He was all too sure the spirit was going to come out of the dark and drag him back there. Seto was not there to protect him. And Atem was gone forever.

A hand on his arm had him raising his own to his sudden attacker. So the spirit had finally appeared. He knew it was only too good that it had taken twelve or so years for this moment to come.

Mokuba came very close to hitting a maid.

He froze.

"M-Mokuba-sama! I heard shouting… Are you alright?"

Was he shouting? Screaming, even? He had hardly noticed over the sound in his head. He forced a smile.

"Of course I'm alright."

And without offering further explanation he turned to go back to his room, now without his prized glass of cold water. The trip had been for nothing at all. And now he was sure that maid would tell her brother. If not Seto, then she'd tell Isono. And Isono would most definitely tell Seto. How would he get out of this one? He'd been working so hard all these years to keep these attacks away from his brother.

Once his door was shut and he turned back to the bed, a cold breeze rustled in through the window curtains. It was then he wasn't sure anymore if he'd left the window open. Before he even knew what was happening a painful tremor hit the side of his neck; so powerful it brought him to his knees.

When he was able to look up, he saw the raging eyes of Ryou's spirit, just standing over him with that gleaming grin, waiting. Waiting for him to do something- waiting for him to call out-

"Nii-sama!"

His voice sounded younger. Was he truly calling out for Seto's help?

He didn't want to be taken away from his brother again. He couldn't stomach the thought; of being a helpless little child that got in the way of Seto's business.

"Kaiba's weakest spot." The spirit spoke to him.

Mokuba knew. He'd always known this to be true. He hated himself for it. Always.

When the boy tried to get up, to run, to flee anywhere but here, the spirit grabbed him back. He struggled but in the end it was inevitable. He was caught. No one would be here to save him now. He wasn't sure what the spirit wanted with his brother, but in the end it didn't matter. In the end all he knew was that he was weak.

He was weak- and just like Seto used to say, one day he would pay the price. One day, his weakness would end up being the death of him.

Mokuba was sure today was that day.

His lungs burned and he couldn't breathe anymore. His vision burned. Every time he tried to open his eyes through the tears, all he could see were both sets of eyes burning into his own with such an intense madness that he was sure by looks alone he was going to be ripped right through.

"Mokuba!"

There was a dual set of voices. One was most definitely his own. And the other… he could barely remember what Atem sounded like anymore. The other Yuugi. Was he the one calling?

Both of them? At the same time? For what purpose?

He gulped in a fresh breath of air, as if the shout for him had gone straight into his lungs.

Seto and the other Yuugi had always stood up no matter what, no matter what they were facing, they never gave in. So why all these years was he still waiting for someone to keep watch over him? Wasn't it time to stand up on his own for once?

"Enough!"

He was sure he'd never sounded so angry in his life.

Suddenly he realized he was standing on his own two feet, in his old bedroom. But he was not a child any longer, and he was certainly not helpless. The two spirits had recoiled into the farthest corner of the room, hissing in the shadows. He stared them down fearlessly.

"You have no place in my life any longer! It's finally time to look to my future and you aren't in it!"

As if he'd said the magic words, the room lit up as if the sun had come up inside it. The light was so bright he had to raise an arm to shield his eyes. He could hear the spirits dying. He reveled in the noise. It was threateningly beautiful, as if he needed more and more of it. And then as he was sure he was about to give into something he was sure could only be called lunacy-

"Mokuba?"

Seto's voice broke through the fog, and he felt him pulled once more into the safest embrace he could ever remember there being. His older brother was always there to pick up the pieces. Always. There was no doubt about that.

But just this once… just this one time, Kaiba Mokuba had been his own savior.