Stepping Stones

Warning: Shonen-ai, possibly progressing to yaoi (though that'll be only on affnet~). This is an eventual prideship (SetoxYami) but it starts out as puzzle (YamixYuugi).
Disclaimer: YGO is not mine. I've taken a couple of lines from Loveless as well, which does not belong to me either. I make no money of fanficcing these.
Background: Not all bg info is placed out in the open...but the basic idea is that Mokuba Kaiba is dead (killed by Jounouchi) and that Seto has invited Yami and Yuugi to live with him because they cannot afford payments on their old apartment. Yami and Yuugi are lovers at present.
Dedication: To bahen and Shadow, both of whom know exactly how and when to kick me.

Do you want me to kill him? Or do you want the truth?

When was the last time you smiled, brother? Really smiled. A smirk doesn't count. Neither does a triumphant, blood-thirsty grin. Tell me, Seto. When was the last time your beautiful face was more than a mask of perfect ice? Can you remember? It has been too long… I've begun to forget.

Internet databases were odd, Kaiba had decided. The rational, mechanical part of his mind had taken control and now controlled every click the mouse made. He was looking for one particular blond duelist. The young man had no name, no identity outside the dog he was, but he had been infamous enough once.

Kaiba sneered at the hits the search pulled up. The first three sites were dedicated to " The Mutt" himself. Perhaps fan-based, though the derogatory titling made Kaiba doubt such a possibility. He scrolled down a bit. More sites, some heaping praise on the blond, other making comments on his deck and dueling strategies. Kaiba visited one out of curiosity.

There hadn't been posts in the forums for some time. The newest one was dated more than a year before the Mutt had finally gone off circuit. The smirk tightened into a grimace. Nothing useful; he'd hoped a rabid, brainless fan might have posted all contact information. (It had happened several times to him before; perhaps the Mutt wasn't good enough for stalkers.) Regretfully, Kaiba moved onto the less-mentally demanding task of initiating a simple census search. The only downside was that somewhere along the line, there would be an inquiry sent to KaibaCorp, asking why a company computer had been recorded digging into nation data files.

Kaiba copied what he needed and closed off the computer system. His eyes darted to the wall clock just as it began to toll the hour. He nodded and stood. He'd spent only a few hours on his project. That was perfectly acceptable. Now, though…

Kaiba picked up the paper he'd scrawled across in his partly-loopy handwriting. A frown creased his face once more.

You will pay.

His hand tightened slightly. The paper wrinkled in his grip. Kaiba merely grinned.

*~*~*~*~*

The garden isn't as bright as it once was. I can remember when there used to be roses in it, and carnations…violets. Do you remember, Seto? The beautiful flowers with the sun shining on them. Snow roses in winter. I guess… I guess you never thought much about those. There was a time when I didn't either. But looking back, aren't they the strangest things? Roses aren't meant to bloom in the frost; it's unnatural. And yet…they're beautiful, aren't they?

A few sharp laughs were all that it took for Yami to find Yuugi. The violet-eyed male was 'hidden' (quite a loose term where Yuugi was concerned) behind a failing bush of green. Yami caught sight of him, but purposefully held off a few moments before actually going to tag him. Yuugi squealed indignantly, then dissolved into peals of laughter.

Yami couldn't help but smile, albeit perhaps a touch more tiredly than in prior days. The nightmares…the dreams, were staring to get to him. He woke unrested repeatedly.

There was never an absolute memory; Yami knew there was fire, and there were screams. Sometimes he fancied there had been someone important he had been fighting. A one-on-one battle for something grand and significant, if the fate of mankind qualified. He knew there was something in memory he could not quite recover. He hated the feeling. It was too much like reliance, understanding that perhaps he needed someone to teach him how to dream…to interpret his dreams.

There had been someone once, who had told him in no uncertain terms that a dream itself was utterly without importance. That meanings came from interpretation. Maybe there was some truth to that.

Yuugi hugged Yami tightly. The taller rand a hand affectionately through the shorter's hair.

"Kaiba-kun hasn't been around," Yuugi observed suddenly, and with a solemnity Yami had almost forgotten the violet-eyed male possessed. Those same eyes met Yami's. "Have you seen Kaiba-kun, Yami?"

To that, Yami shook his head. Yuugi shrugged and went back to his careless frolicking. Yami watched.

He didn't lie to Yuugi often.

But sometimes, he felt it was just the right thing. For both of them.

What bothered him more was not knowing why he felt that way.

*~*~*~*~*

Sometimes you are utterly naïve. Seto, brother – did you honestly expect it? Twice a fool, and there times more for having gone at all! This is not where you belong.

The run-down house was mostly empty. A few boxes were stacked in the corner, smothered in dust. Cobwebs (though none so dense as in movies) matted together over nooks and crannies that dead bugs had chosen to infest. A peeling mural on one wall proclaimed a message that was only partly legible. Something about love and freedom.

Kaiba scuffed a shoe through the dirt, eyes narrowed in distaste. He could see this dirt. It wasn't invisible or silver like the taint in the mansion. It wasn't permanent. That wasn't the cause of his unhappiness, however.

The absence was.

No one had stayed long enough to leave a clue, to leave a hint as to where the thrice-damned Mutt had hied off to. Whatever sanctuary he had find, Kaiba vowed to discover. His hands balled into fists at his sides. Oh, but how he wished to close those very same hands around the blond's neck and choke the life from him.

What he had done was unforgivable.

I ask you to forgive.

He had torn everything apart.

It brought us together.

And it had taken Mokuba from him.

This is a sin for which I deserve to be punished.

*~*~*~*~*

Brother, you never expected him to stay, did you? Even dogs know when they have done wrong. Better than people, at times.

The door opened. Kaiba turned, his eyes dark with anger. A stranger entered. The tension slowly eased from the brunet's body. He regarded the strange creature with caution. It was obvious the other male was aware of his presence; the odd, sly glances he kept shooting in Kaiba's direction were proof enough of that.

"What are you doing here?" Kaiba demanded stiffly after an extended silence.

Laughter. "I could ask the same," the stranger replied. He was picking his way around the empty room as though in pursuit of some important object. "This isn't exactly your property now, is it?"

Kaiba might have offered a bluff if the male hadn't straightened up and fixed him with a wry smile. "Exactly why are you here? Who did you want dead?"

Brother –!

Blue eyes opened wide, then narrowed in suspicion. "What makes you –"

"Think you're looking for a killer?" Innocent, gentle laughter. "Simple. I am one. No one comes calling unless there's a job to be done." He raised an eyebrow and looked around the mostly-empty room. "Not that I can blame him. This side of town positively reeks." His grin invited Kaiba to share in the mirth.

Kaiba did not. He merely blinked twice, and said nothing.

"It's all right," the stranger assured him. "Transactions are always clean and name-free." A deliberate pause. "Except for the dead one, of course." Smirk. "But then, I only ask so I can taunt for a few milliseconds…before they die."

If he hadn't had his mind set on destroying the Mutt himself, Kaiba might have said yes. As it was, he considered the risks of hiring or undertaking separately and contrasted the dangers and relative safety of each option. Neither was quite appealing, but the risks of red-handed discovery should he commit the crime himself was astronomically higher than if he hired.

Then again, blackmail risks.

He shook his head. "No."

The stranger shrugged and pattered forward.

Kaiba tensed.

"Relax; here's my card…if you feel like calling again." The demonic smile was back in place.

Incredulous, Kaiba accepted the tiny business card and read the print. The name…the first name sounded familiar –

"'Ryou'?"

The creature laughed. "Only when I'm at my day job. These streets, and the ones in them know the name 'Kura.' Let's keep it that way, shall we, high and mighty?" He snickered. "Don’t want to end up like the last owner of this house."

Kaiba offered a terse nod, and left.

He thought he heard arguing behind him as he left. Arguing…in the same voice.

Callously, the brunet dismissed it. Insanity had no place here.

Maybe…maybe you haven't grown up quite so much as I had hoped, Seto. I remember the library. You took pride in it once, I remember. The childhood you never had, the adult-hood you thought you had given to me. You had it wrong, then, and I knew, but I never told you. How could I? You were so pleased that I grew beyond what was afforded you. But, Seto, I remember the confusion on your face the day you discovered children's picture books don't have guns and bombs and mathematical equations in them.