"What are you working on, Seto?" Mokuba asked a goggled Kaiba with a blowtorch.
"I've told you, Mokuba, I want it to take less time to play games."
"But, Big Brother, that's part of the fun of Duel Monsters."
"I know. So I'm trying to find a way for it to feel like it took a long time, but then when it's over and you turn your Duel Disk off, it's only been a little while. So far I've only been able to shave off about five minutes, but by the end of today, I'm hoping to have halved the time."
"Really, that far already?"
"Well… not with Duel Monsters… right now I'm working on the virtual reality games, our minds are much easier to manipulate there, but once I complete the process, it will only be a few weeks to have the same tech compatible with the Duel Disks."
"Do you ever think maybe you should pay other people do this research… or at least have someone help?" Mokuba asked picking up a sheet of calculations.
"Other people just get in the way. Besides, only I can have the credit."
"Ah… Seto… These aren't your calculations for the changes to the virtual reality game are they?"
"They are."
"Aren't these hypothetical equations?"
"In a way, but I plan to prove that─"
"You can't just start messing with machinery when your research isn't sound!"
"Mokuba… You're twelve… I wouldn't expect you to understand."
"You were twelve when you took over a multimillion dollar company. I think I can spot some faulty equations. Look here." Mokuba pointed to a place on the paper but Kaiba didn't look up from his blowtorch. "You're going to add another bolt to account for the fact that this 2 should be a 4? You should've reworked the whole problem… and and AND this looks like you're trying to transfer your whole body into the game."
"Yeah."
"While trying to lengthen time…"
"Yeah."
"Don't mess with space-time, Seto. Come on, everybody knows that!"
"Mokuba." Kaiba shut off the blowtorch and turned to him, lifting his goggles to look him in the eye. "It's okay. I'll be careful. This is simple physics."
"It's like… meta-physics, Seto."
"You're over reacting." He put a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "I'm just making some tweaks to a game system. It's not a trip to the moon."
Mokuba sighed. "Okay… whatever. Be careful please."
"I will."
And with that, Mokuba left the room and Kaiba to his tinkering.
Before long, it was ready for him to go in manually. He had created a small arch that was big enough for him to crawl into, that kept the wires from being all out in the open, should certain little boys come looking in his lab again. But it was also convenient because he could sit inside of it which helped with the mind over matter aspect which he had neglected to fully account for in his calculations. He glanced at the paper one last time before pressing a series of buttons and beginning to feel his head spin as it felt as though he was moving in slow motion.
"It's okay," he thought. "It's normal that in the beginning it may be a little disorienting. I'll fix it in the next trial."
Suddenly he felt like his body was being lifted. Again, he believed it to be normal. These were all imaginary sensations brought on by feeling like he was actually being transported into the game, which of course he was not. He decided to close his eyes and imagine himself going there. Landing softly and feeling fine. This helped his headache go away for a moment before he felt like he was thrust forward and he heard what sounded like a small explosion.
"Oh no!" His eyes shot open. "The extra bolt! Did I remember to put it on?" There was another crash and he crawled out quickly, afraid that his machine was going to burst. But once he was out he found his body to be utterly exhausted. He turned over to lie on his back and at that moment, Mokuba ran into the room with a worried look on his face.
"Seto, are you okay?" He'd expected it to be his brother, but it was a different voice. He looked from his brother, to the person on the other side of him, to find the unholy image of his archrival Yugi Muto…
"Yugi?" Kaiba whispered.
Yugi kneeled down beside him. "Oh Seto, are you hurt?"
"I told him to stop messing with this stuff. He never listens," Mokuba whined.
"I shoulda' been watching." Yugi replied. "I didn't even know he was here."
"Me neither."
"Seto, I thought you were in Florida." Yugi said looking back down to Kaiba. "You said you'd be there for the next month making preparations for the new KaibaWorld."
"Wh… Why do you keep calling me Seto?"
"Oh god we've lost him," Mokuba said bluntly.
"You don't think he has amnesia do you?"
"No," Kaiba muttered. "No, I don't have amnesia. What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry, I was just over, checking on Mokuba, since I thought you were out of town."
"That trip… that trip was last month."
"Oh… We must have miscommunicated."
"I don't remember telling you about it…" Kaiba whispered more to himself than anyone else.
"Come on, Big Brother, let's go down stairs," Mokuba said soothingly trying to pull Kaiba from the floor. Kaiba took that as a cue to stand, but was almost knocked off his feet again when he felt Yugi's hand on his back, just gingerly rubbing up and down.
"Yeah, I'll make you a cup of tea," Yugi said gently.
They walked down stairs and sat Kaiba down on the couch while Yugi went into the kitchen to make some tea. Kaiba tried to protest, saying he had people for that. But Yugi assured him he didn't mind and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Mokuba asked sitting down next to Kaiba.
Kaiba took a deep breath before answering. "Mm, I don't know if 'sure' is the right word… I'm confident I will be okay… Why is Yugi acting like this? I mean he always tries to be nice but this…"
"He's just worried about you, Seto."
"But why?–"
"Here you are," Yugi said breaking the conversation as he walked into the room with two mugs.
"That was fast," Mokuba said grinning.
"I can do lots of things fast. I just like to Duel nice and slow." He winked at Kaiba as he said this and handed him his mug, leaving him wondering if there was something in there he was supposed to understand that he didn't.
Yugi handed the other mug to Mokuba before saying, "I made you some hot chocolate."
"Thanks, Yugi!" Mokuba said as Yugi tousled the boy's hair.
"Yes, uh… Thank you…" Kaiba said sniffing the contents of his mug wondering if it was poisoned.
Yugi sat down next to him on the opposite side as Mokuba.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Yugi asked taking the other's hand in his own.
Kaiba was taken aback by this and tried lightly to pull away, "Uh-uh, um, I am─"
Mokuba giggled suddenly and said, "I think he's going to be fine. I'll be up in my room." And with that, Mokuba darted up the stairs. Kaiba watched him go, his hand still in Yugi's, wanting desperately to shout, 'No wait, don't leave me here with this lunatic!'
Yugi moved a little closer and Kaiba sat up a little straighter.
"Sorry about barging in. I'm a little surprised. I really did think you were out of town."
"Are you disappointed I'm not?" he asked wondering if all this sweetness was just a cover for some strange plan he'd wanted to execute with him away.
"What? No, I'm always glad when you're around," Yugi said lowering his voice and his eyelids. He shuffled a little closer and leaned up to Kaiba. Kaiba stiffened and winced when Yugi reached up and kissed him. He didn't throw a big fit or anything, he was just really confused.
It would've been different if he felt like Yugi was trying to pull this on him suddenly, but Yugi was acting as though this happened all the time. There was no nervousness, no shaking, no fear, not even the arrogance and nonchalance that would accompany someone's decision that they were going to take what they wanted and not put a care toward the consequences.
The only off emotion Kaiba detected was the slight frustration, Yugi was hiding, at his lack of returned affection. Yugi touched him as if he touched him this way every day of their lives.
"Tense much, Seto?"
"What are you playing at?"
"Huh? Seriously, are you okay, Seto?"
"I-I… don't know…" He blinked a few times, frowning.
"Loosen up." Yugi propped himself up on his knees and placed a hand on each of Kaiba's shoulders, shaking them back and forth. "Relax. Everything is okay." He started to rub his shoulders trying get him to let go of the stiffness in his muscles. "It's just me, just us, everything is okay. I think you should stay out of the lab for a while."
Kaiba found himself unable to disobey Yugi in that moment as he found his muscles relaxing and his eyes drooping almost like he could just fall asleep. But his mind was still racing. There was something strange going on. Was there something he was forgetting, or was he imagining the things around him? Or was something different about today than yesterday? Whatever it was, it had something to do with his technology. He needed to get up to his lab. His computer would at least tell him what went wrong. He had closed his eyes in thought as Yugi massaged his shoulders so it was unexpected once again when he felt Yugi's warm lips against his. He didn't move away, but he didn't move in. He felt Yugi move his body without moving his lips and suddenly the boy was in his lap and he felt fingers twisting in his hair. Kaiba was about to push him back, as it was all too much, when they both heard the vase of the side table fall over. The both looked over at Mokuba who said, "Sorry! I was just trying to get to the kitchen without bothering you. I'm gone, swear." He lifted the vase, which was luckily unharmed, and propped it back on the table before turning to run for the kitchen door.
"It's okay, Mokuba. I should go," Yugi said sliding off Kaiba's lap.
"No, you don't have to!" Mokuba said guiltily.
"Oh I know, but I really should get home…"
"Oh… Okay, well are we still going to the beach this weekend?"
"Yeah. Oh, Seto, we thought you were still going to be out of town. Do you want to go to the beach with us? Me and Mokuba and the rest of the gang?"
"Uh, well um─"
"Please, Seto? You could use some time out," Mokuba cut in.
"Um, we'll see."
"Okay," Yugi said content, "Keep me posted."
He took a step forward and like it was the most normal thing in the world, planted a quick kiss on Kaiba's lips, making a loud smack when he pulled away. "Love you," he said before walking over to Mokuba and doing the same to the boy's forehead, and repeating the phrase, "Love you."
"Love you too! Bye! See you Saturday!" Mokuba said enthusiastically. And in a moment, Yugi was gone.
"I'm going up to my lab." Kaiba said after a minute.
"What? No, you just got out of there."
"And now I'm going back in."
"You're going to hurt yourself."
"I just want to check some things on the computer."
On his computer that looked less like a computer and more like the operation area of a spaceship, Kaiba typed away looking at statistics and data from the test he had done earlier. There was so little for him to go on though, it was almost as if he hadn't performed the test at all. He noticed that there had been a recorded power serge previously in the day, possibly caused by the machine itself, and in order to protect itself the virtual game system had shut down. So he'd had nowhere to go, that's why it hadn't worked. But that didn't account for everything he felt or why his life was suddenly so confusing. He walked over to where he had laid after crawling out of the arch and found his calculations which he had still had in his hand at the time. Scanning over them, he started to get a sick feeling in his stomach.
"Well sure, that was a possibility in theory, but so is friggin' magic…"
He looked back to his computer and looked up his latitude and longitude. Resent news. A picture of his I.D. Everything he could think of, but it was all normal. Yet something was slightly off about it all. He had a strange feeling, even as he did average things on his computer.
He impute his calculations into the computer and had the computer go over them again and again. He started to hyperventilate. He looked through his personal files. There were his Duel Disk schematics, a drawing Mokuba did when they were kids, a statement about Kaiba Corp. healthcare revamp, and… Pictures of himself with Yugi…
He put the equations through the computer's advanced calculator one more time, and he was convinced.
"I was transported into an alternate dimension… But not just any alternate dimension, one where Yugi Muto is not indeed my rival… but my lover."
A chill went down his spine and he found himself willingly slipping down to the floor. He shook as if he was trying to get something off his body and he stuck his tongue out making a disgusted gurgling noise. He sat there for a moment after the physical reaction passed and processed the information, then stood up saying, "Okay, I'm over it."
"Seto?"
"Huh?" Kaiba turned toward the door where he heard his brother's voice.
"I don't mean to pry, and I know you change your mind a lot and stuff but…"Oh no. He wasn't about to ask him about the way he was acting with Yugi was he? The last thing he needed was a lecture from alternate universe Mokuba about being fickle. "You said you'd be gone for a month. You did. And I've been alone here for two days… What are you doing here?"
"Oh um…" He thought as quickly as he could. Luckily schmoozing was one of his strong points. "It turned out it was going to take longer than I thought to finalize some paperwork. I didn't want to wait around for it to be finished, because it meant I would've been there even longer than I thought. Plus I already missed you. So I decided to come home and go back at a more opportune time. I got in early this morning… you were asleep. So I came up here to work on some things and I guess I lost track of time."
"Oh… Ha! To think all that time Yugi was helping me with my homework, you were up here, and we didn't even know."
"Yeah… funny…"
"So you are gonna go to the beach with us right? Cause it would be so fun with you, and I bet Joey and Tristan and Téa would like to see you."
"Really, them too eh?"
"Yeah they're going."
"Going? Oh right yes, that's what I was asking… Hey, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked coming to the door of the laboratory and putting his hands on Mokuba's shoulders to lead him out.
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell Yugi this… I don't want him to worry, but…"
"What is it, Seto?" Mokuba asked as they started down the stairs.
"I'm a little shaky on some details of my past right now… I don't know, maybe I hit my head kinda hard." Mokuba's eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows at his older brother. "Don't worry, nothing a little sleep can't fix, but I was just wondering if you would remind me of some things."
"Like what?"
"Like… How did Yugi and I meet?" Again Mokuba's eyes widened.
"I thought you were just going to ask what you had for dinner last week. Do you want me to call Dr. Slifer?"
"No, no, I'm fine, it's just everything is jumbled around in my mind, and I want to hear it from someone else." He assured him as they sat down on the couch in the living room.
"Well… er… Maybe you met at his store, or before that at school. I don't know but um… When you guys actually like started knowing each other…You wanted his grandfather's blue eyes… you couldn't get it so you uh…"
"Yes, yes okay, that's the same."
"You remember that?"
"Yeah, and then we dueled and I l…" He looked at Mokuba. A sudden thought occurred to him that maybe he had won, and maybe that was why his relationship with Yugi was different.
"You lost, and you didn't take it very well."
"Okay… and then Duelist Kingdom?"
"Uhuh."
"And Battle City."
"Uhuh."
"Atlantis?"
"That was weird."
"Agreed… Egypt?" Mokuba nodded. "Then when the heck…"
"It's nice things finally settled down after that, and you started spending time with the others."
"Oh."
"Cause like… for a while I was kinda' worried about you."
"Yeah."
"Yugi has never given up, such a good friend."
"Yeah, he's a good egg…" Kaiba said lost in thought. He wanted to know exactly how it had happened. He wanted to know when Mokuba had first seen them kiss, since it obviously wasn't today. But he didn't want to worry Mokuba anymore. It was bad enough he'd already asked how they'd met, which he had assumed would shed some light on the subject, but apparently they had the same past here as they did back home. It was like it was the same universe but split off in a different direction. Like one day, maybe Yugi thought, maybe I'll go to see Kaiba and then decided against it, and this place was created in that moment. A dimension in which he decided to go. Did that mean they were always a few meetings away from this? Or was it not a difference in Yugi or a decision or a passing meeting, but a difference in himself.
Kaiba spent the days following, until Saturday researching different dimensions and the world's theories on them. He recalculated his equations several times and he was starting to get the idea that he had one option. To reverse the machine… He just hadn't quite figured out how to do that yet. There did seem to be one other major theory to return things to normal, and that was for there to be a major disturbance in this universe, a paradox, or incorrect turn of events or something. The Universe would then try to right itself which could result in him being transferred back to his own dimension… Or, he could die. He figured he'd try to keep things as placid as possible here and just keep trying to reverse the machine. 'I'm a genius,' he told himself. 'I can figure it out, no problem. I mean, I have a few weeks before myself returns.'
