He was typing relentlessly on his laptop, every hour he told himself silently, Just one more minute. Despite his brother's pleas for Seto to just rest in bed, to heed his exhaustion, and let his tired eyes receive some much deserved sleep. He promised he would in a little while, but deep down he knew this small promise would be broken. It had been three months since the incident with the pharaoh leaving and his mind had gone haywire. Kaiba's brain shifted from caring a little bit about those morons to shutting them out from his life. Often when Kaiba was working they'd call and ask for him, but he'd be too busy and Mokuba would talk to them.
Another hour passed and the workaholic was still jabbing away at the keys on the computer. Pausing momentarily, he stared at the screen before him and sighed. He could hardly see what the screen said. Closing the machine and pushing himself away from his desk, he stood from his office like chair and stretched, satisfied when he heard the cracking of his back and not so happy when he felt his knee pop, causing it to buckle under his weight and he fell to his left knee. Standing back up, not caring how degrading it was to kneel, his weak legs had carried him to his king sized bed where the large dark blue silk sheets were showing and the sky blue comforter was pulled back, waiting for Kaiba's inevitable arrival.
As he lay down, he looked at his clock. Where did the time go? Not long ago it was only ten and now it's five in the morning. He let out an annoyed snort. The brown tresses fell around his face; his bangs never seemed to grow. His eye lids seemed to weigh a ton all of a sudden as he noticed his tiredness for the first time in a while. Soon enough, he drifted into a dreamful slumber.
He was falling into darkness. Falling, falling and never landing. His scream echoed off of the invisible walls, shattering the silence as he fell. His hair was flailing around his face and his blue eyes were wide as he suddenly saw where he would land. His blue eyes saw was glittering sand. He landed with a loud thud on his stomach and chest. He briefly wondered why the wind hadn't been knocked out of him before shrugging it off; he had more important things to consider. Like where the hell he was; his second thought going to make sure that he was in a presentable state. His white trench coat flowed behind him, and his body covered in black and two dark blue belts on each appendage. He brushed his annoying bangs out of his eyes before he began his search for civilization.
Hours seemed to roll by before he found any evidence of being near people, but the sign of human life isn't exactly what he was hoping for in this hot sandy desert. Kaiba groaned as he saw the carvings on the walls of this town… city… village… thing. Ancient Egyptian crap again. He thought he was freed of that when he was rid of that bloody pharaoh. At that thought though, he felt an unusual frown of discontent reign over his features as well as feeling a string on his heart being pulled at sharply and painfully.
He continued on; Egypt wasn't as he was taught it was in history classes. Then again, they never mentioned a pharaoh with the name of Atemu, or a nameless pharaoh so he supposed it was all with good cause. Following his path to the palace, he noticed the strange looks the people in dress like clothing of Egypt gave him. Every person he mildly glanced at quickly looked away and hurried away or they were gawking as though they'd never seen anything like Kaiba before; or perhaps it was because they had seen someone like him…? He shrugged and walked up the steps, the guards also staring in disbelief.
"Guards." He said as though this had happened before. "I'm here to visit the pharaoh. If you must inform him who is wishing to see him, tell him Kaiba; he'll know who you're talking about." As he'd bossed his maids, butlers and all his employees around in his commanding cold voice, he was natural at giving commands.
One nodded and took off inside while the other, who resembled too closely to that mutt, stood guard. Kaiba shook his head. There was no freaking way; was everyone going to be in this nightmare? So far he hadn't seen anyone he truly recognized other than an overly tan version of Joey, but he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach it was going to be one of those dreams.
"Mutt…" Kaiba couldn't help the glare creeping over his face as he muttered the word. He noted the reaction of this Joey was much quieter then the blond brat he knew, but he also made sure to notice the familiar glare that he received as though the other was constantly called this here as well. Kaiba rolled his eyes and smirked, running a hang through his band and back… his eyes widened. When did he let his hair grow that long? It was past his shoulders even!
The guard who did not hold a memorable face came back. "Follow me, Kaiba." No formalities? He must be in ancient Egypt. The guard walked back again and Kaiba followed him silently. He noticed how precise everything was, and how surprisingly clean it was. Well… clean for an ancient civilization. The man stopped in front of two very large doors, turned and looked at Kaiba. "He's through here, with high priest Seth."
Well this was going to be interesting. He was supposedly going to meet himself three thousand years ago. Interesting indeed. He walked in, his smug look never disappearing from his face. He'd amuse himself with such nonsense only when asleep, though he still didn't believe any of this 'you lived three thousand years ago as a priest who summoned monsters which are now known as duel monsters' crap.
He walked up and stood at the bottom of the stair at the throne. "Pharaoh," he stated, arms crossed. He heard a shuffling and saw the man whose face was veiled in darkness stand and began descending down the stairs towards him. He couldn't control his body though and he felt his heart rate pick up and his palms began to sweat as he curled his fingers into making a fist.
"Kaiba…? That's truly you, isn't it? How are you here?" Atemu was presented, much darker then what Kaiba remembered, but he needed to use his brain to think of his answers rather then what physical changes he saw in the man. "How did you know where to find me?"
Kaiba snorted and rolled his eyes. "Honestly Atemu, don't you give me any credit at all? I think I'm here in a dream. I've been working myself a little bit too hard I think. And I found you because I always can find you in these weird dreams I have about ancient Egypt. Without fail. Though most the time, I'm in that Priest's dress thing. It's kind of good to be able to wear pants and my own clothing instead of that person who coincidently looked like me in the past."
It took a moment for all this to register in the pharaoh's brain, then he looked up, crimson eyes gleaming in smugness, excitement and pride. "You've had dreams about me before…?"
Kaiba hadn't even realized he'd said that and wanted to slam his head into something hard, but refused to let the other see him having made a mistake. "Yes," was his simple answer, telling Atemu nothing
"What were they about?" Atemu couldn't help his curiosity, though he knew if priest Seth were still in the room, which he'd be back in just a moment, he'd be seething with jealousy.
Kaiba coughed into his hand, and it didn't go unnoticed by Atemu that a small dusting of pink raised across his pale face. "What have you been doing since you came back? What's it like to rule over an entire country?" He was horrible at switching subjects. Atemu briefly wondered if Kaiba knew this.
Atemu raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Did Kaiba really think that would work? "Kaiba… answer for an answer. I'll give you my answers when you give me mine."
Kaiba sighed, running his fingers through his bangs again, brushing them back only for them to spring back into place. He knew he had been speaking Atemu's native language, so in order to avoid as much embarrassment as he could; he began speaking Japanese, which he knew Atemu could speak as well. "Not that it's really any of your business, but you were in my dreams… doing things." He averted his eyes to the moving beaded curtain located, while looking at the throne, on the left hand side of the throne. In came that Priest who resembled him so much, people said that it was him in a past life.
"My pharaoh, I have returned…." Seth said in his voice, though it was laced with confusing warmth which Kaiba didn't understand. For some reason though, it made him angry though, but he only showed it through a glare at the other. "You must be that… Kaiba who is visiting the Pharaoh," my pharaoh, Seth added as an after thought.
Atemu blinked his ruby optics; suddenly the air was filled with a tension only caused by Jealousy. He rolled his eyes and sigh shaking his head. "Only you could possibly be jealous of yourself…"
Though both of them looked at the pharaoh and glared with the same icy blue eyes. "I am not jealous!" their unison was more funny then anything else.
Kaiba scoffed. "What do I need to be jealous over? Being in a dress? I'll pass."
Seth smirked and crossed his arms. "And I know I don't have to be jealous, as does the pharaoh."
Atemu rolled his eyes again. "You guys are being childish. Knock it off."
Seth's reaction was to immediately be defiant and protest, but as soon as he saw his duplicate begin to open his mouth, he smirked. Atemu said it was like he was talking to a mirror… well if this man really was him from the future; let's make him look at himself as a willing slave of the pharaoh. A personal slave mind you. Seth's head bowed slightly and he put his left hand over his chest. "My apologies, my Pharaoh," His eyes looked up and challenged that of Seto's, cobalt against sapphire in an epic battle of win over the pharaoh's heart, little did poor Kaiba know going into it as he accepted the challenge with a smirk.
"I won't knock it off, because I'm not being childish. I never particularly liked dressing as a female for someone else's amusement." Kaiba shot a hot glare at his mirror image. Your move, Baka.
Kaiba didn't notice but he'd set himself up for a small onslaught; and Seth would work it to his advantage. "So you've dressed as a woman to amuse someone even though you didn't like the idea? How sad. I dress like this because it holds honor and nobility. I do it because I want to, not because of any other reason." Seth smirked, crossing his arms feeling triumphant.
Atemu shook his head. Seth and Seto were seriously competing with one another… it was pretty pathetic, yet slightly amusing. It was like Kaiba was fighting with the mirror and losing. Ahhh amusement at it's finest. Soon enough though, Atemu grew tired of the two bickering and looked outside as it began to turn dark. "Kaiba, Seth, if you continue to bicker, I'm throwing you out. Now if you wish to spend more time in here, Seth, I suggest you stop. And Kaiba if you want answers to questions, I have them so both of you shut up. You're giving me a headache.
Seth and Kaiba both shut up but glared at each other anyway. Seth bared his teeth and said through his clenched jaw, "He's mine…" but only Seto could hear him.
For a second, Kaiba didn't quite understand where the possessiveness of the tri colored pharaoh, but suddenly it hit him. Seth wanted Atemu as a lover. Seto had never backed out of a challenge, but he wasn't sure this is one he wanted to take part in and if he did, what happened if he lost? More over, what happened when he won?