A/N: YES! A K rated KaiYami one-shot from me! Can you believe it? From the two characters that REEK not-suitable-for-all-audiences-ness, here's something that actually is suitable for all ages. So it's lightly-mildly written and not very descriptive for easier understanding to the kiddies. At least I'd like to think so... aheh...
I can hear it now... "Mooommmy... what do cerise and phantasm meeeeaaan?" "Uhh they're WORDS, honey"
A/N: This story was inspired by a story my friend Nay wrote for me YEAAARRRRRS ago about Seto flying over Battle City in his helicopter, upset with Yami, but upon seeing him walking around he just HAD to have a confrontation with him. They bantered, Kaiba left, and Yami smiled to himself, knowing they would continue to cross paths again. And he awaited it. I really admired how she captured them both and didn't go into any detail of "THEY MUST BE SECRET LOVERS!" lol So I wanted to go for a take similar to that.
A/N: And Yami doesn't have a name right now because Atem hasn't been discovered yet. So wheee
OoO
Do You Believe in Nonsense?
OoO
"Kaiba?" the deep authoritative vocals drifted from the spirit of the puzzle. He had just offered Seto a previous inquiry, but did not yet receive an result, save for silence. Expectant for any kind of verbal answer, he lifted his warm-hued eyes over to the proud form of Seto Kaiba beside him. The taller male didn't bother to meet his rival's gaze. Instead, he scowled and rolled his frigid eyes in annoyance, "If you ask me about believing in having some crazy ancient past together with you one more time, I'll leave you to search for your friends alone. Without my technology and without me."
"I apologize," the former ruler replied plainly shifting his attention back to the city roads before them, "but, you may leave me whenever you decide, Kaiba. I already appreciate your help."
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. The sooner we find those dweebs the faster we can get back to our duel."
"Yes, I am aware..."
For the past 15 minutes, the two of them were roaming the bustling streets of the former Battle City tournament, looking for the spirit's friends. This wasn't an urgent situation, however, it was quite the contrary. The finals had long ended and Dartz had been bested. As celebration before they helped the Pharaoh reclaim his name and memories, his friends insisted they meet at an eatery in the city that started much for them and their adventures. On the way there, the spirit personally met with Kaiba in his office first and the two of them engaged in a spectacular duel. After it had concluded, they both had lost track of time and the spirit was late. With much arguing and bantering tossed between the two males, the victor finally managed to leave Kaiba Corp and dashed for the restaurant. But when he arrived, his friends were nowhere to be found. He knew that Yūgi would be disappointed most of all if he didn't meet with them at all, so he began searching for them. He didn't manage to make much progress when Seto approached him with smug advice on his lips and sharp sarcasm on his tongue. The proud CEO had used his technology to locate his rival's whereabouts. He insisted that he help the spirit find his worthless friends so that the two of them could continue their battle. He found Seto's help valuable, of course, but he would go off on his own to find his friends alone if need be. Yet, there was no rush to do so at the moment. The regal eidolon enjoyed and appreciated Kaiba's company. And because of that, he could not stop himself from speculating about their entwined pasts together.
"..." Seto gave an uninterested sound and kept his eyes ahead of him. Although he gave his rival a hard time about their pasts and dismissed the frivolous thought of destiny, there was also a slither of acceptance, but of the spirit only. But regardless of that, Seto's focus was in this life, in this moment, with his intellectual counterpart. Ever since Duelist Kingdom, the spirit had become Seto's main focus and he became fond of his presence and determination. There was a mutual bond between them that neither of them could breathe into words, but only fully accept.
"However, Kaiba," the spirit began, scanning over a group of people before him for any familiar faces, "there is one thing I do not understand. You can forgive me for thinking of our lives if you wish, but while you say you do not believe in such things, here we both are. We have our own goals and lives and we share a common interest."
"Do I really have to listen to this...?"
"You haven't denied what I just said," he joked with a playful smirk. Seto glanced out the corner of his eye to this remark, but his dead-pan expression did not change, "Your point?"
"Don't you believe in me, Kaiba?" he candidly asked. There was a pinch of allure immersed within those honest words that Seto wasn't sure were accidental or not. Yet, there were many times his rival's words were enunciated with opulent smoothness, it was difficult to tell just how taunting he willed to be. With a trademark Kaiba sound, he half-frowned, "I believe you're being annoying."
"Oh?" the spirit quirked a brow and gave Seto his full visual attention. His light bangs fluttered over his face and cast his features in an inquisitive light. If this were another example of his possible taunting, Seto's piqued interest let them both know of its effectiveness. "You know, Kaiba, you're not so docile or acquiescent yourself. But that's part of what makes you interesting."
"You sound like you're trying to flatter me to get something..."
"Not at all," the spirit shook his head, bangs bouncing lightly about his face, "I just find it odd that you believe in my existence, but not our-"
"Don't. Say. It," Seto fussed, "You can believe in that fairy tale nonsense on your own. I'm not dealing with it. And keep your eyes in front of you."
The spirit didn't bother to stifle a chuckle, but he did continue searching for his friends. Pleasantly, he continued on his one-sided conversation with Kaiba, "And yet, you've never questioned the absurdity of me being here, nor living in this time."
"You're right in front of me," Seto stated dispassionately. It was obvious he wasn't too thrilled with this topic. His rival was all too aware of this, but that did not stop him. His eyes f littered over two individuals who appeared to be dating that had similar hairstyles to Joey and Anzu. As he and Seto passed the couple on the sidewalk, they turned out to just be someone else—foreigners at that. But that didn't stop him from having more to say, "And?" he added. His lucid eyes drifted over to Seto and to his amusement, he was already being stared at. A fulfilling smirk touched the phantasm's lips, then he returned his attention in front of him, " Kaiba, my... physical location isn't always significant. Take my friends for example, while I'm apart from them, they are still in my heart, as well as on my mind. The same goes for them with me."
"... You're boring me..." Seto groaned. He wasn't roaming the streets with his greatest opponent just to hear him blather on about his useless friends. The last thing he wanted to hear was about a group of people in the former ruler's life that wasn't him. The spirit caught wind of Seto's discomfort and altered the focus of the subject,"Explain your connection to the Blue Eyes, for example then. Or is that 'hocus pocus' to you, too?"
"Maybe there was a connection but the past is past. I won't let it change my present."
"And that's why you allowed those past influences to best Ishizu to gain a duel against me in the Battle City finals? If not for the influence of the past, you would not have been able to trust me, nor would you have enabled me to defeat our foes with your help. Is that not correct?"
"I helped you because there was no other choice," Seto answered unemotionally.
"I see the words 'I wanted to' are not in your current vocabulary..."
"You're spewing nonsense."
"You would say that, wouldn't you?"
"..."
At Seto's silence, the exotic male coolly glanced upto his rival and laughed lightly. It was a rich, lively sound that gained a sideways glance from Seto. The CEO paused in his steps and faced the other. His alluring rival followed suit. "What's so funny?" Seto nearly grumbled he spoke the words so flatly.
"You, Kaiba," the former ruler smiled, gazing pleasantly up into those guarded blue eyes, "Hmmm... Since believing in destiny is not something you would admit to, how about nonsense instead?"
"What..."
"Do you believe in nonsense?" the slender male smirked. There was a vivid look of gratitude and an odd sense of longing that wavered in his eyes. The look wasn't a loving one, but it did hold a potent attraction and intimacy that only they could acknowledge. The former ruler was grateful for Seto being active in his life, no matter how many times they had butted heads before. And Seto had proved that he was thankful for the same. His expressions just hardly ever revealed it. The two of them were quite the fiery pair. They complimented the other as being more than just rivals, a little more than friends and lot less than lovers. But that was fine. Time would always have its say in the matter on change. Perhaps more could blossom from even the most stubborn of sprouts.
With a snort, Seto returned the smirk, "Dealing with you, coming across nonsense is a necessity."
"Haha. So, you do listen."
"You're difficult to tune out."
"That hasn't stopped you before..." the spirit added with an charming timbre to his statement. He folded his arms over his chest and tossed his bangs back with a slight movement of his head and gave Seto a warm, and challenging, smile.
"Hmph," Seto snorted and crossed his arms as well. He even whisked the bangs out of his eyes to taunt the other in a way that almost had the shorter male thinking it was to the extent of: " I can do that better than you". And he laughed.
"Pharaoh!" Anzu's vibrant voice called. Neither Seto or the Pharaoh heard her at first until the voices of the others assimilated with hers, all calling for him. Standing a mere foot in width apart from the other, the rivaling pair took simultaneous steps to one side to catch their peers in their line of vision. It hadn't even occurred to the lithe male how close they had been standing rather comfortably in the other's shadow just now– but Seto noticed. And he didn't dare speak a word on it.
"Pharaoh! There you are!" Anzu exclaimed, waving her arms above her head as she approached the two. Joey, Honda and Yūgi jogged behind her. When Joey caught glimpse of Kaiba, he made a face, "Wut's he doin' here?"
"Everyone!" the pharaoh greeted in mild surprise. He didn't expect them to go looking for him in his absence to arrive, but in the same instance, it was just like them to do so. He was willing to do the same, after all. His features were radiant with blissful brilliance and he laughed pleasantly from all of them meeting up anyway. But at the same time, he felt a bit sheepish for being late because of his duel with Seto earlier. Readying himself for mitigation, he nervously lifted his hand in an apologetic gesture, "Sorry for making all of you wait," he explained while his mirthful eyes scanned over each of them one by one, " I arrived at the restaurant, but none of you were there. I thought you all left when I didn't make it on time. I set out looking for you all when I ran into Kaiba and he volunteered to help me find you."
Unknown to the pharaoh, that part was a bit of a lie. Seto only had a means of finding his location, not any of the others. The small chip that was in his deck box was still linked to Kaiba Corp's satellite system. So finding his rival was an easy task for Seto, but none of the others were still tied to the same system anymore. Seto remained silent while he observed the former ruler explain everything to his friends. The reasoning for Seto's actions earlier were obvious, but he preferred to keep that little tidbit to himself. He didn't completely understand why he insisted on walking around the town with his opponent–or rather, he just didn't want to admit to it.
Even without that extra bit of information, everyone's reaction to the Pharaoh's news was exactly the same: gaping mouths and wide eyes that all shifted on Kaiba. His arms still crossed, he glared at all of them with a piercing icy scowl. All of them, except for Joey, led their gazes elsewhere with nervous glances or rolled eyes. Joey, instead, made an unamused face and lifted a fist. Seto said nothing at the poor, flimsy scare tactic. He tilted his head to the side, causing his silken strands of burnt umber to brush across his forehead and effectively cover one eye. A cheeky grin marked his lips and the entire ensemble gave him the presumptive look of some type of vampire lord waiting for the drop of night to feast on whatever hapless prey it came across. The glare freaked Joey out and he hid behind Anzu, half-playfully. "Don't let him suck my blood, Anzu!"
"What are you going on about?" the girl sighed, placing a hand on her haunches.
"Kaiba's not a vampire, Joey!" Yūgi chirped to his friend, raising an informative finger, but wearing a bashful expression. He sounded so sincere, even Honda had to agree. "Yeah, even if Kaiba here was one, I'd be the first guy to pick up a silver stake and then give it to you to stab him with, Joey!."
"Hey! That ain't fair! You do it!" Joey shot back.
"Everyone..." the spirit smiled faintly, waving his hands to try to get their attention. But they were more absorbed in the little spat that had just broken out than his attempt at mediation. While they quibbled amongst themselves, Seto took very few, slow, predatory steps towards his rival. Wary, the eidolon turned to face his obsessive adversary with expectant eyes, "Yes?"
"Since your useless friends have been found, there's no reason for me to stay here. I want you back at Kaiba Corp in one hour to resume our duel."
"Fine, Kaiba..." the spirit complied, his tone emulating that of coaxing Kaiba into getting off his back about dueling for once, "Oh and one more thing before you leave..."
"What's that?"
With a mischievous smile, the shorter of the two beckoned with his finger for Seto to near closer to him. Seto didn't move at first, then shrugged. Why not entertain himself a little with more nonsense? Silently, he leaned down to meet the Pharaoh's height; his eyes icy.
"You haven't answered my question, Kaiba," he whispered.
"What is it, now?"
"You know what I'm referring to..." the alluring male reminded in a low, husky tone that could easily be taken into the wrong context by anyone else. At first, Seto gave no answer and just started blankly into those inviting incessant orbs of deep cerise. A smirk lined Seto's lips and he made a sarcastic sound. He neared closer to give the spirit a direct answer; his azure eyes dazzling, "Whatever."
"Shall I take that as a yes?" the spirit grinned, arching a brow.
"Take it however you like," Seto added, standing to full height, "I'll see you in an hour. Don't be late."
"I wouldn't dream of it with you, Kaiba."
"Hmph."
As he left, the proud phantasm stood staring with a vibrant smile marking his face. After Seto disappeared from his line of vision completely, the appeased spirit turned around—and caught the gawking stares of his friends eying him owlishly. All of them were thinking the same thing, but only Joey was the first to voice it, "Eyyy... What's goin' on here between you 'n Kaiba, huh?"
"Hmm?" the spirit blinked. A faint dusting of carmine brushed his cheeks but he laughed the awkwardness of the situation away. It was a slightly nervous sound of amusement that had everyone still very suspicious. When his humor subsided, he lifted his head proudly and gave his friends a playfully secretive look. The reply he gave was straight to the point and carried a coded joke that only he and Seto could understand, "What is between Kaiba and I? Why, nonsense, of course."
END
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Ok, so it's kinda silly, but I just thought one day...if Kaiba calls destiny and stuff "nonsense", would he be inclined to believe in it with that label/context instead? It seemed kind of cute so...yeah. LAUGH I SAY. DO IT. Lol jk jk
I really don't expect anyone to like this. I just... wanted to write it!
-Mel
