(I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh)
~Chapter One- The Light and the Glass~
"Big brother, come on!" I sighed at the sound of Mokuba's shrill begging.
"Mokuba, I'm working." He turned to me. No, Mokuba. Don't give me that look...
"B-but you promised you'd hang out with me..." I could already feel my resolve weakening. He was good at getting what he wanted.
"That was before I knew what we would actually be doing." There was no way I wanted to spend the afternoon to their stupid, utterly pointless conversations.
"But you promised, Seto. Y-you promised!" How could I refuse those sad eyes? I couldn't, and he knew it. I never had been able to.
"Fine. But I'm not going to have fun." I knew I sounded childish, but I didn't care. There was no point in lying, pretending that I wouldn't be absolutely miserable.
"Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!!!" Well, maybe Mokuba would make things less horrible. If he was there, I might have a little fun, or at least not be totally bored.
Okay, so I lied. Even Mokuba's presence couldn't ease the pain of being around those morons, and especially not on their home turf. This was why I refused to take another step when I realized where we were.
"Absolutely not. No. I am not going in that damn game shop."
"But Seeetooo, we're getting Yugi and Yami!"
"Yeah. Tell them to come out here, because I'm standing right here."
"So you're gonna stand there for an hour?" What.
"What do you mean an hour?"
"That's when they get off of work." So the midget had a job? He probably sucked at it. Not that I was bitter or anything like that.
"Why on earth are we here an hour early?" I was doing a pretty good job of sounding calm. I thought so, anyway, but Mokuba was giving me that look again.
"B-Because, I wanted to get some stuff..."
"Why not just order what you want online?" He sighed and shook his head.
"Because, Seto," he said with patience, as if explaining something very simple to someone incredibly stupid- he probably got a lot of practice doing that, hanging out with this group. "That isn't fun." Oh, why didn't I think of that?
"Yeah. Because being in this dump is so much more fun." He glared at me. I should have shut up right then, but... "not to mention the fact that you have to put up with them and their stupid-"
"HEY!!!" I was taken aback by Mokuba's sudden outburst. "You promised to be nice to them." Why the hell had I promised that?
"Perhaps, and I will be nice to them. That entails nothing, however, stating that I have to speak nicely about them."
"Yeah, well you're coming in with me, whether you want to or not." Like hell I would... oh shit. There's the midget now.
"Mokuba!" His eyes widened even more (how is that possible?) when he saw me. "Kaiba! Come on in, you guys!"
"Actually, I would rather stay here." Mokuba kicked me sharply in the shin. "Ouch! What was that for?!"
"I told you to be nice! Come inside and stop being a jerk!" Aright, that did it. I wouldn't embarrass him in front of his friends, but when we got home, he would be in serious trouble. And I mean serious trouble.
Luckily for me, that annoying old man wasn't anywhere to be seen. The tall Yugi- no, Yami- just nodded at me, as he was speaking with a customer. I will admit that he is one of the more intelligent members of their group. Still irritating as hell, but smarter than the rest of them and less psycho than that Bakura freak. And less gay than the little Bakura (Ryou, I think? Who cares.), although that's not saying much.
"So... how are you two?" Yugi looked a little nervous that I was there. Good.
"Good! I convinced Seto to come!"
"Obviously..." I muttered. Well, I was mad about the kicking. It hurt.
"Well, I'm glad you decided to come with us!"
"I'm not." Mokuba kicked me again.
"Big brother, be nice!" I glared at him with all my might, but it was totally ineffective. Damn kid...
"Hello." Yami had finished with the customer he had been helping, coming over to join us. I once again nodded curtly to him, while Mokuba practically attacked the guy.
"Yami! What's up?!" I was about to scold Mokuba when Yami laughed.
"Hey, Mokuba. We got that new game you wanted! I saved a copy for you."
"You did? Thank you soooo much!" Yami laughed at my brother's energy. I couldn't help smiling also; Mokuba acts like such a child sometimes. At least one of us had been allowed a childhood... no, couldn't think like that. Not here, in front of people. I was already angry enough.
"Hey, it's no problem. I'll be right back with it." He ducked into the backroom, returning a few moments later with a small box. It looked like a DS game, or something utterly pointless that Mokuba, for whatever reason, loves.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!" He jumped on Yami, hugging him tightly. Hey... he's my brother, dammit!
"Mokuba, I could have gotten that for you weeks ago," I told him, trying to get his attention.
"But Kaiba, that's illegal!" Yugi piped up. Of course he would, the little twerp. "It just came out yesterday!" I glared at the runt.
"No shit. I said I could have gotten it weeks ago." Wisely, the brat shut up. Mokuba looked at me strangely, and then hugged me. That was better.
"It's okay, Seto. Don't be jealous." What? How dare he-?
"What the hell are you even talking about?" He looked at me the way he does when he thinks I'm being stupid. I say thinks I'm being stupid, because I am never stupid.
"Never mind, Seto. Never mind." Okay, what the hell was that supposed to mean?! Yami shifted a little uncomfortably, putting his ridiculous hair back in a ponytail. It looked a little less absurd like that; maybe his shorter version should try the same.
"Hey, Mokuba. Why don't you try out your game?"
"Alright! Here, I'll pay for it now." He pulled out his Pokemon wallet (yeah, he's sixteen. Don't ask.) and paid for it, then almost ripped the box open.
"Mokuba, be patient!" I told him, probably a little more sharply than was strictly necessary, but he stuck his tongue out at me without even looking up from the package.
"This is so cool," he said when he had it on. He and Yugi sat down- yes, right there in the middle of the floor- to play, Yugi watching over his shoulder.
"Mokuba, don't get your clothes dirty," I tried to tell him.
"Whatever you say, Seto." He wasn't paying any attention to what I had just said. I sighed. He was hopeless. I walked over to one of the large glass display cases where they had some of the more expensive games. They used to just be a card and board game shop, but had expanded into a larger store that included video games as well. With my business advice, of course. Oh, how that killed the old man, to take advice from me (not literally, of course- unfortunately). I wasn't really interested in these games, but I was bored. Suddenly, Yami was next to me. How does he do that? I swear to god, he's like a ghost... oh. Wait. According to these freaks, he sort of is. Bullshit.
"Kaiba," He greeted me politely. That was one of the things that pissed me off about him; he was always so damn polite.
"Hello. Can I help you?" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Kaiba, are you alright?" Well, that wasn't what I was expecting...
"What on earth do you mean by that?" Maybe I could get rid of him.
"You're acting strangely."
"I'm strange. What can I say?" He shook his head.
"No. You're acting different than you usually do." How the hell would he know what I was like normally? "You've been snapping at Mokuba more than usual, and you seem... preoccupied." Shit, the pharaoh was perceptive...
"If I'm preoccupied, it's only because I have a business to run. Which, I might add, I should be doing right now instead of being here, wasting my time." There. Maybe he would leave me alone.
"I don't believe that. You've always had a business to run. The last few times I've seen you, though, you seem... troubled about something." Or, maybe he wouldn't leave me alone.
"Thank you, but my personal thoughts are no business of yours." He didn't look upset at my rudeness. That was unfortunate. I could always try harder... "So I would appreciate if you would fuck off about it." He smiled. What? Why the fuck would he smile. That was ridiculous. "What's so damn funny?"
"You," he said, shaking his head. I was getting really pissed by this point. I didn't know what he meant by that, but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him anything, one way or another. "You never change, do you, Seto?" Okay, now he was using my first name? That was not okay with me. I gave him my most dangerous "Kaiba" glare.
"Yami, if you know what is good for you, shut the hell up." He looked... sad. Whatever. So I'd hurt his feelings. Good.
"Do you remember anything, Seth?"
"Of course I remember things, you moron, and what the hell did you just call me?" He shook his head.
"Not what I meant. I mean... do you remember anything about Egypt?"
"I've never been to Egypt. That's you, remember?" I said, as snobbishly as I could. He sighed.
"Well, I remember..." He said nothing else. Finally, he'd shut up. But Seth... why did that name sound so familiar? Maybe I knew someone named Seth. It's a common enough name, after all. Or maybe it was just that it was close to my own name... Yeah, that was probably it.
I paced around that dump for close to forty-five minutes, using the idle time to make some phone calls. God, people were stupid.
"Listen, I don't care! Just find it and get it sent!" I snapped my phone shut, spinning to see if those morons were done with work. I was in a very bad mood now. More than before, that is... "Hey! When are we leaving?" Mokuba looked at me, concerned.
"Seto, what's the matter?"
"Nothing, Mokuba. But I am bored of standing here, doing absolutely nothing."
"Nothing but yelling at people..." I spun around to find the weird white-haired freaks. The creepier one, Bakura, was the one who had spoken, and he stood there with a very disconcerting smirk on his face. "Not like that's anything new for the priest, though. Right, pharaoh?" Goddammit, not that shit again.
"Shut the fuck up. I'm not a priest, and I never was. Okay?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"What do you say, pharaoh?" He hissed. I'd forgotten; those two hate each other even more than I hate them all combined. I don't really know all the details of it, but it has something to do with the fact that they think they knew each other in a past life... whatever. Yami's expression was strange... "Eh?"
"Bakura, please. Not now." I could tell that there was no way Bakura would have backed off, if his miniature hadn't stepped in.
"Come on, Bakura. Let's go see what Yugi's doing." Bakura shot Yami a nasty look before turning to follow his... what did they always call their less evil versions? Hikari? Yeah, his hikari. I couldn't help but notice the way the pharaoh's face paled a few shades. I didn't really blame him; the guy was scary. Whatever. Now that they were here, we could go. Where we were going, I don't know, but it would have to be better than being stuck here.
Not soon enough, Malik and Marik (stupid names) joined us along with that stupid bitch Anzu, pointy-haired-Honda, and the stupid mutt, so we got out of there, and walked to.... the aquarium. Well, that wasn't too bad, I guess. It could have been somewhere stupid. I don't know where they spend their time, and I don't plan on spending enough time with them to find out. Mokuba walked between Yugi and me, and the rest of them walked in a big crowd. Yami sort of lagged behind the rest of us, walking almost by himself. Probably trying to get away from Anzu throwing herself at him. I actually kind of liked the aquarium. I hadn't been in... I can't even remember how long. I don't think Mokuba had ever gone before this.
It was dark in the vast majority of the building, the only light coming from the fish tanks and a few dim lights along the walkways, so that people didn't fall and die- that would be a liability. I tried to put as much distance between myself and the group as I possibly could, lagging a few rooms behind them.
"Hey, Kaiba..." Dammit, who was it now?
"Oh. Hello." Damn pharaoh again. Well, I suppose I could try to be cordial... "Enjoying yourself?"
"No." Well, that was blunt.
"Why not? Your friends are all here."
"Yugi's friends."
"They're your friends, too." He shook his head, smiling sadly as we watched a cowfish smashing into the glass, over and over again.
"They sort of are... but basically, they're friends with me because Yugi wants them to be." That was depressing...
"Well, you've always got Anzu," I joked. He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, thanks." He glanced at me, and his expression startled me. He looked... tired. Exhausted, actually. It was a look that I had grown used to; staying up for days on end for company business takes its toll on a person. "I know they don't like me that much... Well, obviously Bakura hates my guts, and he's rubbed off on Ryou a little bit. I freak Malik out, which makes no sense, because Marik is a total psychopath." He shrugged. "Sorry. Just ignore me; I'm rambling."
"Yeah, you are." We laughed. This was weird. Just weird. "It's okay, though." He smiled at me gratefully. What was I thinking? I don't know. Every now and then, I get the urge to be a decent human being. Sometimes. It's very rare. "Are you alright?" The words felt and sounded strange in my voice. I don't say such things to anyone except Mokuba. He glanced at me sadly.
"Not really, but it doesn't matter. I'll survive." We stood there for a moment, awkwardly.
"We should probably catch up to them."
"Yeah, we probably should." Neither of us made any move to do so, though. "I didn't really want to come," I told him. "I'm pretty much only here because Mokuba guilted me into it." He smiled ruefully.
"I'd kinda figured as much. I like the aquarium... I'd never seen anything like it before. The only fish I ever saw were river fish. Catfish, and that kind of thing. As much as I love the Nile, the fish species weren't exactly exciting." He looked sad again.
"Do you miss Egypt?" He nodded.
"Yeah... I miss the sun, and the sand, and the way the breeze felt at sunset coming off of the river. Some rivers are dangerous and unpredictable, but the Nile... it's constant. It floods its banks, the same time every year, and you can rely on it. I miss the people; I miss Mahad, and Mana, and..." he trailed off.
"And?"
"Never mind." He shook his head, and I didn't press the issue. If he didn't want to talk, I wasn't going to force him. I didn't really care that much, anyway, but talking to him beat talking to the rest of the moronic group. Besides, at least ancient Egypt was somewhat interesting, as opposed to talking about friendship and all that nonsense.
"Yo, Kaiba! Yami! What're you guys doin' back here?" Ugh. It was the stupid, blond mutt.
"What do you want?" I snapped, and he glared at me.
"We're just looking, Jounouchi," Yami told him softly.
"Well hurry up! We're gonna watch the dolphin show thing! They got 'em trained, and everything!"
"You guys go ahead. Thanks for telling us." Yami's patience astounded me. I wanted nothing more than to smack the mutt. Said mutt shrugged.
"Okay, whatever." I rolled my eyes as he ran off.
"He's not that bad," Yami reprimanded me.
"Not that bad? He's a moron."
"Well, yes, but he means well."
"Whatever. I have no time for morons." Yami laughed.
"Yeah, you never did." Now he was back on that again...
"What the hell are you talking about?" I wanted to know why he and Bakura kept hinting at things with me, and exactly what they meant.
"What am I talking about? About things that... you apparently don't remember."
"Don't mess with me, pharaoh. Just tell me."
"I'm talking about you, in Egypt with me."
"I told you before, I was never in Egypt," I insisted. This was really getting old.
"I know what you told me. I also know that you're wrong." What? How dare he... "Don't get upset," he implored, putting his hands up in front of him. "Just think about it for a few days. Please?" I thought about it for a moment.
"Go on..."
"Just think about it for a few days. If you don't remember anything, I'll leave you alone about it. I just... I can't just leave it like this. I have to know if there's any way that you'll remember what I remember."
"What do you remember?" Maybe if he gave me a little to go on... wait, what?! It wasn't like I actually believed this shit!
"No," he shook his head. "I don't want to influence what you may or may not remember. I don't want to plant false memories. And if you don't remember... But please, just... keep an open mind towards it."
"Fine," I sighed. "Whatever. But don't get your hopes up."
"Don't worry," he said softly. "I never do..." what the hell was that supposed to mean? And what the hell was I supposed to say to that?
"Okay. Let's catch up to the others." He said nothing in response.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We looked at fish. I mean, there really isn't much else to say about it. I couldn't help but notice that Yami looked a little more cheerful... or maybe I was imagining things. Either way, I was relieved to get home, where I could finally finish up my business for the day.
Later that night, I did what Yami had asked me to do, and just thought about Egypt in general. Nothing. Sure, there was that name, Seth, that he had called me earlier, but like I said, it's a common name, and it sounds remarkably similar to Seto. When I fell asleep, though, was a different story...
I could hear him calling me as I walked through the halls. I finally reached his quarters, and he smiled when he saw me.
"Seth!" He called, sounding pleased. "Come in!" I obeyed, trying not to look too pleased. Mahad and another one of his advisers were still standing there. "How is the day going?"
"Well. Thank you, pharaoh. And you?"
"Very well." He turned to look at Mahad. "Thank you for your assistance." They both knew that they were dismissed, although only Mahad knew the real reason for their dismissal. He gave me a warning look as he departed, although it was not necessary. When they were out of the room, Atem turned to me. "Finally, they are gone," He moaned, rubbing his eyes. "I thought I would never be rid of them!" I laughed.
"What do you want to do?" I asked him, knowing he would need to unwind.
"Play with me?" He asked, his eyes lighting up. He took my hand and pulled me over to the Senet board. I smiled at the way he could act so childish sometimes, but that was part of what attracted me to him so much.
"Of course..."
I sat up quickly when the alarm went off. What was that? It had been... Yami? And me? In Egypt? I tried telling myself that it was just because of what Yami had said earlier. Even before I got out of bed, I reached over and pulled my laptop into my bed. I searched for senet, and found... an article on senet.
"Senet was a popular board game in ancient Egypt and may possibly be one of the ancestors of Backgammon. People of all levels of ancient Egyptian society played it and some believe it had religious popularity of this game is evident from the number of sets that have been found in Egyptian tombs, from those of commoners to those of the Pharaohs. So far, almost fifty sets have been discovered, many of them in perfect condition with the pieces and "dice" (either knucklebones or sticks) still intact."
Before my dream, I'd never even heard the word. After all, I had no need to pay attention to Egypt. So if it were just a dream, I wouldn't have known the name of the game. And if it wasn't just a dream... shit.
Memories roll in; of the things you once did
and who you had shared them with is somebody thinking of you.
A/N: hey, everyone. thanks for reading this; I hope you like it so far. "Save us from sleep and what we are" is a line from the song "A Favor House Atlantic," by Coheed and Cambria (yeah, I'm a little obsessed...), but I thought it worked well for this. those last two lines are lyrics from the song "The Light and the Glass."
So I was trying to finish my TF2 fic, and I just really wanted to finish it. I sat down, all ready to write TF2 stuff, and... nothing. and then I got really excited for whatever reason, and started writing this (and then I made myself finish the other one).
~I would love it if you would review, and just tell me what you think, what needs improving, etc.
*many thanks to soundofmadness223*
Thank yoooouuuuu!
~alex~
