Pairing: (if you squint) Rivalshipping, Seto x Yuugi
Premise: What if Yuugi had taken time to stop - to make him see? What if Seto not only wanted to know, but took the steps to acquire that knowledge?
Summary: "I understand." These words can mean so much. But they will always mean more when Seto says them.
Continuity: As usual for my standalone fics, somewhere in the middle between the anime and the manga. Since Seto had nothing to do with "Millennium World" in the manga, and it directly followed the "Battle City" arc, I had to blend the details together to make it fit.
Notes: The YGO fanfiction contest is up and running again! Feel free to head over to the forums to check them out and see all of the other wonderful fics written for this round, and Rivalshipping, if you happen to especially be a fan of it!
This story got away from me a little bit, because anything with Seto requires a lot of attention and build from me. I think it came around to having a point somewhere down the line, so be sure to let me know what you think of it.
Warnings: SHAMELESS NAMING COINCIDENCES BECAUSE I'M A DORK. I do think it fits, though. There's also a time-skip in here, so I'm warning you a bit early.
Yuugi could only feel a sense of determination as he hurried through the museum and to the Tablet of Lost Memories. There had been nothing in the news that implied he should be worried about it being missing, but with his luck he wouldn't be surprised. His footsteps echoed on the marble tile as he practically marched his way to the exhibit. Fingers clutched around the ancient box that had once held the pieces of the puzzle. Now it held most of Millennium Items.
Months of grueling duels, encountering unsavory villains and putting his friends' lives in danger were all for this moment. Bakura had told him outright that a gate to the spirit world existed in the tablet, and it could only be unlocked using the Egyptian God Cards, which he possessed. They were so close to figuring out answers to the questions that they'd both had since the beginning. If beating Bakura at another game was all it took to make it happen, he and Yami both were ready to accept the challenge.
Getting Yami back to where he belonged was a priority for Yuugi. No one had asked if he wanted to be involved with this crazy magic stuff, but he was sure that he couldn't have been stuck with a better companion. While it was sad to think that, as a result, Yami could be permanently gone from his life, they had learned so much together and it truly was an honor. Yuugi had never been special, never been anything more than just a quiet kid at the back of the classroom before all of this. Things were so different now; he felt like a different person and that was a good thing.
He couldn't have stood losing a friend before, because he didn't have many in the first place. But that passion that had driven him to protect them had transformed into something else - a sense of justice that was much greater than his selfishness. Yami had changed him for the better.
"Hey there! Yuugi!"
The shout was jarring and he stopped in his tracks. Two blinks later and he was surrounded: Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda and Otogi had stepped out from around a corner, smirks and smiles in place.
But after they caught him, Anzu frowned. "You didn't think you were going to go restore Yami's memories without us, did you?"
Even Yami, tucked away in his mind, seemed surprised to see them. There was no doubt between the two of them. They didn't want any of them to get hurt, and they didn't know what to expect. Anything involving Bakura couldn't possibly hold a good outcome. They would be fighting of that Yuugi was sure, and bring anyone who could be used as a pawn would be dangerous. Bakura had more than proven his ability to take others hostage and use them for his own ends.
So Yuugi did his best to explain it to them. "I—I didn't want you to get hurt!"
"That's a terrible reason!" Jounouchi told him. "Yami's our friend, too. We wanna see 'em get back just as bad as you do!"
Honda stepped closer. "He's done a lot for us. It's the least we can do in return. So how about it? We won't take no for an answer!"
"He did a lot for me, too," Otogi added.
Yuugi wasn't sure whether to tell them yes or no. Honestly, neither he nor Yami knew what would be in store for them once they opened the gate. He could always use his friends' support, but was it worth the risk?
"Besides," Anzu added, looking sullen. "I don't—" she shuffled from one foot to the other. "I don't want Yami to forget about us, once he gets all of his memories back. We don't want him to feel alone again."
"Let me talk to them," Yami asked.
A small touch of the eye of Wadjet, and his wish was granted. Yami looked them all in the eye, turning in a circle as he did so. Yuugi could feel that the decision was made. They would go together.
"You really think I could forget you guys?"
Jounouchi grinned, grasping Honda around the shoulders. "Stupid, of course he won't forget! Because all of us will be friends forever!"
"R-right!" Anzu agreed, but it still felt like she was worried.
Yuugi wanted to comfort her. Though Jou was enthusiastic as usual, he could hear the concern in his voice as well.
"So what do we do?" Honda asked. "There's still people around."
Otogi took a guess. "Wait, I think."
Luckily, Yami and Yuugi had thought about this already, and Yami nodded in agreement. "The museum will close in a few minutes. We'll wait until then." The building was already emptying. People passed them left and right, annoyed that the group was planted right in the middle of the hall.
Anzu seemed to have realized that they couldn't just stand the whole time. "Maybe we should sit on one of the benches."
Together, they waited, passing the time with jokes and laughter. Yuugi was content to leave them with Yami for the time they had left. He didn't have the heart to tell them that he didn't think Yami would be coming back from this. It wasn't a fact, he couldn't explain it, but it wouldn't make sense for them to come this far, for Yami to finally find out what happened to him and still be around. When he thought of their link together, of the labyrinth in his mind that was Yami's home - that was no way to live. He couldn't picture it.
The announcements sounded overhead, alerting everyone that the museum was now closed. A few stragglers left behind jogged past them towards the exit.
"Hey, kids." Out of one of the corridors came a curator, dressed in trademark blazer and slacks. "We're closed."
Jounouchi leapt to his feet, ready to fight. Otogi was ready to hold him back.
"He's with me."
Without any hesitation, rounding the corner right behind the museum worker was none other than Seto Kaiba, pointing a single finger at Yami. Though he couldn't be heard, Yuugi gasped. That was the last person he expected to see. And even more surprising, in his hand he held the Millennium Eye. Where had he gotten it? Last he knew, Bakura had—
What if Bakura is trying to pit us against each other to stop me from going?
"Easy," Yami said aloud, but it was meant for him.
Yuugi's feelings on Seto were ambivalent. It was hard having a rival who refused to see what was in front of him. The Items, the tournaments and the evil they'd faced was apparent but Seto was content to dismiss them as holograms, tech, and even when an explanation couldn't be reached the occurrences would be denied outright.
On the other hand, Seto could be counted on once he'd given his word, and even though he claimed to not know protection and friendship he cared fiercely for his brother. Maybe he didn't count Yuugi and the others are friends, but he was capable of feeling that way towards others, even if he lied about it to save face. After a while even Yami accepted Seto as a good person (though it had taken a little longer).
Yuugi felt that it was admirable, to stand on your own without the support of others. It was something that until recently he had never been able to do. Growing up the way Seto Kaiba did seemed impossible to him. A miracle or sorts.
And although he was much awarded for his business, Yuugi had a feeling that no one had ever congratulated him for dealing with such awful circumstances. Seto Kaiba, the orphan, didn't matter to anyone.
It mattered to Yuugi, though, and it was more than disappointing that Seto didn't trust him.
"Yuugi," he said. A grunt was all that escaped to acknowledge the others.
Jounouchi seemed even more riled up at the sight of him. "So you think you're gonna stop us with your fancy henchman - stop Yuugi from doing what he needs to? You're gonna have to go through me first."
Blue eyes stayed fixed on Yami as he said. "This doesn't concern you, mutt." He turned to the curator. "Or you. Your managers have my instructions. Go ask them. I won't repeat myself."
"Ah, yes, sir!" the man acknowledged and then scurried away.
The two parties, a group of friends and an army of one, stared at each other for several moments before anyone moved or made a sound.
Yami spoke first. "I don't know what you're playing at, Kaiba—"
"Not whatever you're thinking," Seto cut him off.
Internally, Yuugi thought about whether he should take over. The tension between the two of them wouldn't do much but slow them down in the end. Neither of them could spare the energy for a clash of will here. Bakura was a much formidable foe, and for as much as Yuugi enjoyed his duels with Seto it would be a waste of time. Dueling his rival wouldn't prevent the end of the world. So it would have to wait.
Seto extended his hand. In it was the Millennium Eye. "Not that I trust him, but Bakura told me I could find the truth here, with this. So I thought I'd look for myself. Debunk your stupid stories once and for all."
That scowl he sported looked pained, and Yuugi worried for him. "Please, ask him if he's okay. Make sure Bakura didn't do anything to him."
Yami didn't approve of the idea, but he did it anyway. "Did Bakura do anything to you?"
A sort of choked sound forced its way out of Kaiba, but he quickly regained his composure. "Like he could do anything worthwhile to or for me," was the answer.
Yuugi didn't believe it for a minute.
"Seto Kaiba, what are you doing here?"
More people, more voices. This time, the Ishtar siblings, all collected together at the end of the hall. None of them looked happy to see Seto.
Ishizu spoke for them. "You are no longer a part of this story, and are unnecessary here." She touched her necklace, almost as though to commune with it, to make sure that nothing had changed. Then, disregarding him, she turned to Yami. "Pharaoh, we've taken care of everything. The glass has been removed from the Tablet."
But Seto would not be dismissed so easily. "No one tells me whether or not I'm 'necessary'. Remember - you once predicted my loss, Ishizu - and you were wrong. And your brother almost cost me my Blimp. I don't even know why he's here."
Ishizu didn't reply, speaking only to Yami. "Are you ready to face the trials before you?"
Marik stood there, silent, not meeting Yami's eyes. He was still embarrassed about his role in Battle City apparently. Jounouchi, Anzu and Honda all stared at him in discomfort, the former looking back at Seto every few seconds. Trying to assess which one was the biggest threat, Yuugi was sure.
"I'm not finished yet," Seto declared. "We're still speaking."
Patiently, Ishizu and her family waited for Yami's answer.
"I think we should talk to him," Yuugi decided. "You won't get a chance to, after this, after all. It's the last time we'll have to try and convince him."
Yami's thoughts expressed an extreme lack of regard as to whether or not Kaiba understood, but he acquiesced. It wouldn't do much more harm to try one more time. If they grew too annoyed, they could always just walk away.
"Lead the others there," he replied. "I wish to speak with Kaiba. I will catch up in a moment."
Rishid shook his head. "We will direct, but that is all. Another one of our clan will be leading you through to the designated World of Memory. We will wait here."
World of Memory… Yami thought, but Yuugi tried to keep him focused. They were here, in the museum, and even the Ishtars were here in front of them. The tablet wasn't going anywhere and talking with Seto wouldn't take all day.
"Go," he added, to Jounouchi and the others. "I'll meet you there."
Ishizu kindly gave them the instructions (they were only a few halls away), and waited silently.
"I'm not dueling you, Kaiba," were the first words out of Yami's mouth, when their friends were out of sight.
Seto rolled his eyes, defiant as ever. "You said these visions were real, Yuugi. Show me." He looked impatient, like a child promised a reward.
But Yami folded his arms. "For what? So that you can deny it, like you always do? I myself am seeking the answers and I will not waste my time - or Yuugi's time - coddling you. Personally, I don't see why he's so involved in your journey, or why he cares about you. All we need is for you to get out of our way, and stay there."
"Don't be so mean to him!" Yuugi cried out.
"I don't know what this is about, but it's dumb. Talking about yourself in the third person makes no sense. None of this makes any sense, and that's why I'll never believe it." Fingers closed around the Eye and Seto withdrew.
Though she was silent during the exchange, Ishizu chose this moment to speak. "That doesn't belong to you!" She stepped forward, against the advice of Rishid's expression, moving until she was only inches from Seto. "You have no right! You rebuke the Items, their purpose, yet you come here demanding answers? You speak to the Pharaoh as though you are worthy of him and doubt his words though you've done nothing but lost. There is no honor, no respect in your poise. I will never get why the Blue Eyes had chosen you. You are a disgrace to your heritage. Seto Kaiba, you say that you do not believe in the Items. Then let it go. Give it back to the rightful owner. That has never been you. You will never wield an Item."
"I don't need your made-up magic Items," he snapped back. "Or your approval, false prophet. I came here to have a question answered, and if I recall correctly I didn't ask you." He took a step back, to create space between them. His focus went back to Yami. "Did you stage this? Because this seems like a joke to me. A farce. Give me one reason why I shouldn't believe it."
Yuugi encouraged him to try, fed the words to him through their thoughts.
"Because," Yami repeated, "if you ignored the signs of betrayal the same way you did these 'coincidences', you would have lost your company and your brother in Duelist Kingdom, even if you managed to get to Pegasus down. The Big Five would have taken it from you. How is it that you can believe in something so strange as men trying to download their minds into the bodies of others - but this is so hard to wrap your head around?"
The last bit hadn't been Yuugi's idea, but it made sense nonetheless. Seto seemed to agree. Though he was silent, Yuugi could tell he was thinking.
"My father made that tech with his own hands."
"And I've held the magic within this Item in mine. You've seen it happen, Kaiba. Why would Jounouchi duel me with the condition to kill himself? You may not think much of him, but he would never do that. And even with him as an exception, why would he risk Anzu? Why wouldn't she try to get away?"
One of the few cases where Kaiba was useful, Yami reflected.
But that wasn't true. "He's done more than that!" Yuugi defended.
"Yuugi and I are separate, and you can choose to believe that, or not. We simply exist in the same body, because of this." Together, with conviction, they held up the chain sporting the Millennium Puzzle.
"I'll speak to him, then," Seto said. "Since you're not Yuugi Mutou, let me talk to him."
"Fine." The switch was instantaneous. Yami was growing tired of talking anyway.
"Do you not feel the difference?" Ishizu asked. "The height, the voice, the eyes - this person still looks the same to you?"
Seto didn't hesitate. "He still looks like Yuugi, if that's what you're asking."
"Ishizu, please," Yuugi said. But that answer was not encouraging. To look at the transformation straight on and not notice a thing made him feel that, for all of his optimism, this wasn't going to work out.
In that moment, the main lights flickered off and now there was one illuminating the floor every few feet. Ishizu shuffled back to her place at the end of the hall, underneath one of the lights.
"I don't know how else to prove this to you, Seto" he continued. "But I don't have time for this. Right now we're about to enter the last game, the one that will settle everything between us and Bakura."
Brown eyebrows met in the center of Seto's face. "You were calling me 'Kaiba' until now. Why did you change?"
"Because I'm not—" Yuugi pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head - a habit he picked up from Yami. "We're not the same, and I don't think it's worth saying it again. He was right. You won't listen to anyone but yourself. Just give me the Eye and you can go. You don't care about this. So just go home and we'll never have to talk again. You've said it before, that you don't see me as a friend. So you have no reason to believe me."
Seto crossed his arms. "Because you're not explaining anything. You say this and that about belief but there's nothing to believe. So I'm supposed to connect a bunch of dots that don't have anything to do with each other so far as I know."
Yuugi shut his eyes, hard. "You saw the vision with Yami. Of Egypt. That's closer than even I've come of seeing proof. I'll say this once, and I'm not going to say anything else. You're going to give me the Eye and that's it. I'm through trying."
Though he was silent, Seto did not look as though that fazed him at all.
"From what I know the Items were made a long time ago, and so were the cards - that can at least be confirmed. You know that because you talked to Pegasus and you know the origin of the game. Bakura wants us to go back for some reason, so that can't be good and we need to stop him from doing whatever he thinks he's going to do. You saw the tablet. We don't know what he did. Or you, since you're on the tablet too. That part of the story isn't on there and Yami's memory is gone.
"I want to help him find it. These Items do crazy things and you've seen that. Pegasus thought they would help him bring back Cyndia. Then Marik was supposed to help protect the Items but other people from his clan have their own ideas, and he started hating his job because of other things. Bakura is trying to use us to bring that evil back and we have to stop it and I have to help Yami find his memory and solve this mess."
There was a pause, for just a moment, and Yuugi extended his hand. He had tried. No matter how admirable Seto may have been, there was no way they could take any longer to explain things.
A derisive chuckle made the verdict clear.
"I'm sorry, Yuugi."
No, Yuugi was the one who was sorry, for wasting Yami's precious time.
Offering the Millennium Eye, Seto shook his head. "And somehow it's not obvious why I can't—"
As their hands touched, there was a flash of light. It enveloped the both of them. Normally, Yuugi could see through the light of the Items, unless he was being taken somewhere. When it faded, the two of them were still connected, fingers touching - though Seto's hand was empty - standing on golden, bricked floors. Behind them stretched walls of stairs made from the same material. It stretched on forever, a chasm of endless maze.
They were inside the Puzzle.
"What in the—where is this?" Seto seemed frozen in time, eyes darting to and fro. He settled on Yuugi. "What did you do?"
In turn, Yuugi realized they were still holding hands and he withdrew, blushing. "I didn't do this!"
"I did." Out from one of the doors stepped Yami. "It seemed the quickest way to 'show' you as you demanded. Not that you deserve it. But Yuugi wants to win you over for some reason. He cares. And time passes much more slowly here. So your friends won't be waiting." He locked eyes with Yuugi. "So I'll leave you two alone here."
"No, wait - who are you?" Seto glanced between the two of them, back and forth, eyes pinballs on his face. "How did you do this? We're in the museum."
"Physically, you're still there. But this is where Yuugi and I stay when one of us is in control of the body. Though Yuugi's room is very different. The Puzzle allows us to do this. I imagine Bakura can do something similar."
It saddened Yuugi to think of Ryou trapped in a place more desolate than this one. But, he reminded himself, he was going to fix that. When he helped Yami find his name they would deal with Bakura once and for all.
"Search the bricks if you want," Yami offered. "You'll find no similarities to the museum whatsoever. The Ishtars aren't here. They cannot enter without my permission."
"And he let you in," Yuugi added.
Seto still seemed confused, still was looking between them. "So this is your proof?"
"It's all that we have." The two of them, both Yami and Yuugi, shrugged simultaneously. "The rest are answers we're still finding out. I can't tell you anything until I know more."
"The same as when we crashed on Alcatraz," Yami pointed out. "And you didn't know how Noa was carrying out his scheme."
A moment later, Seto did a full turn, looking at his surroundings. He wasn't saying much, as usual, just thinking. Then, when he opened his mouth,
"Fine. Take me back."
Yuugi frowned. "I don't… I don't know what that means." Did Seto finally believe him? Or was he dismissing things like he always did? Both were possible.
"I said 'fine'. Unless you're trying to trap me here, I'm done listening to you and your stories."
Yami tutted, "I don't know why you wasted your time, Yuugi." But he did as was asked, and in another flash of light they were just the way they were, hands in one another's.
Seto dropped the Item and backed away quickly. He turned to the Ishtars. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" Marik returned. "You being the arrogant jerk you've always been? Yes, I saw that."
"I see," he answered, muttering almost under his breath. Then he spun on his heel and fled.
"There are greater trials awaiting," Ishizu reminded Yuugi, not bothering to look after Seto at all. "Come, Pharaoh."
"She's right, Yuugi." Yami thought to him as well. Yuugi tried to clear his mind, and prepare for the journey that lay ahead.
It was hard for Yuugi to find peace after that night in the museum. The Evil of the Ring had been destroyed and Akhenaden's remains with it. All of the Items were gone now, and so was the Pharaoh. In front of everyone, they had dueled in Egypt, and he had won. Atem passed into the afterlife. Horakhty had granted them all peace.
Friends forever, they had all promised each other. But he didn't feel like a winner.
Nearly two months to the day, and Yuugi still felt alone. The lack of presence in his mind was disconcerting. He had never considered how deeply his bond with Atem had become. And they would never have time to examine it, to talk about it. Ever again.
Jounouchi and the others helped remind him that he had done the right thing. They all seemed to agree on this fact, and had since Atem had walked through the gate. In the moment, it felt right. Yuugi knew that he was doing the right thing, absolutely and without question.
But the moment was past and everything that Yuugi had aspired to be - strong, confident, and wise like Atem - that was all useless now. Courage wouldn't get him good grades in school, and with all of the abnormal occurrences done away with no one needed him to be courageous. His friends could protect themselves.
Most recently, he'd spent his free time working at the shop. Sugoroku understood the gravity of the situation and typically left him on his own. Stocking and Inventory were menial tasks that he found relaxing. It was hard to think of Atem of what he would think when he was focused on something else. The deck resting in his pocket didn't feel as heavy. Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to duel and couldn't bring himself to stop taking it with him, either. It was one of the few connections that they had left.
Connection to what? He reminded himself. He didn't know anymore. Maybe they had never been truly tied to one another - at least, not in the say that he'd once thought.
The bell on the door chimed with a new customer, and Yuugi did his best to force a smile. "Welcome!" he said, as cheerfully as he could.
When he looked up, however, he didn't see a customer. Instead, there was only Priest Set.
Yuugi blinked several times in succession, heart pounding in his chest at the very thought. That couldn't be right. It couldn't possibly—
No. He was right. Not the Priest at all. Just Seto Kaiba. Smirking, at that. The two of them hadn't seen each other since… The museum, he reminded himself. Right before it all happened.
"I see you've been hiding," he said, sounding smug as always as he made his way up to the counter. "You've been spending your time in this ...place?" The smirk faltered, but it bounced back just as quickly.
Whatever it was that had Seto excited, Yuugi wasn't in the mood for it. He didn't want any more duels, no more painful reminders of what he had lost.
"I followed the reports," Seto resumed, sounding almost happy. It was strange, and Yuugi couldn't figure out why. "About the old ruins collapsing. The same ones Pegasus and your Grandfather visited. Where the tablet was taken from."
But that was old news. "Yeah, so?" They were gone, like the Pharaoh, and they were never coming back. Yuugi tried his hardest to glare daggers into Seto's chest.
Was Seto only here to rub it in? "I looked up every scrap of footage of you in Battle City and from Duelist Kingdom."
Even if only briefly, the thought fluttered in Yuugi's heart to ask to see it. To see Atem on screen again. Being brave. Protecting his friends. Showing other the way. Dueling. The idea of recapturing those moments for even another second felt like a shining beacon in the darkness.
"I understand, Yuugi."
But that temptation was all he could take. "You don't, Kaiba," he said darkly. "I don't know why you're here, and I don't know what you came to do. But I don't have time for it."
Now Seto looked annoyed, crossing his arms. "I'm here because I believe you." He said it as though it was an important fact, something for the history books.
When Yuugi didn't reply, he continued. "And I'll tell you that I don't appreciate your tone. You're the one who has been gone. You haven't been back to the museum and you haven't been dueling; I would have known." He paused. "I assume that because you're here, whatever mission you were on was successful. I'd like to speak to ...what did you call him? Yami? I think I've heard that mutt call him 'other Yuugi' once or twice—"
No, no, Yuugi had been wrong. That was all that he could take. Tear sprung to his eyes, and at that sight, Seto's expression quickly changed from frustration to alarm and discomfort.
"What the—"
"His name was Atem!" Yuugi nearly shouted. He gripped the edge of the glass counter to steady himself. "Stop talking about him. Just stop. Please go, Seto. Please." Yuugi didn't have the patience to talk about this, to break everything down and explain it to him. The tears were flowing over his cheeks, dripping down onto his fingers.
Without another word, Seto turned around and walked out of the shop. Immediately, Yuugi regretted being so rude. Even a month later, he still wasn't ready. Still couldn't face the truth. Now they were on opposite sides of that lens.
Being unprepared, however, did not stop Seto from visiting again. He caught Yuugi on the school grounds, on his way home. As soon as they locked eyes, Yuugi wished he could have disappeared or hidden. He wasn't alone, though; Jounouchi, Otogi, and Honda stepped out in front of him protectively. Ryou and Anzu stood on his sides. No one looked happy to see him.
Jou always took the lead when it came to facing off against Seto. "Whaddya want, Kaiba?"
"That isn't obvious?" was the answer.
"He doesn't want to talk to you," Otogi said.
And so far as Yuugi was concerned, there was nothing to talk about. Seto knew most of what they knew now. It didn't change anything. He was last place in a race that had already finished.
"That's fine. I'll admit I'm being persistent."
"What do you want, Seto?" Yuugi managed to ground out. He was still having a hard time not picturing the Priest, not seeing how loyal and steadfast and different they were. Not seeing the man that Atem had once called his closest friend.
What he was looking at now was much more disappointing.
"I talked to Ishizu," Seto said, expression sobering. "And she told me what happened."
"Yeah, so what?" Jounouchi started forward, rolling up his sleeves. "It don't matter what you heard. It's not like you care anyway. Never have. Why dont'cha go home'n count some money, before I come over there and do somethin'?"
Ignoring Jou, Seto sought out Yuugi's eye contact between the tangle of limbs and bodies. He even stooped down, to make sure that he could be seen and even tilted his head. The posture looked strange on him - Seto Kaiba had never done anything but look down at everyone except his brother. If it was that important, how could Yuugi do anything but look?
After they had been staring at each other for a few seconds, Seto said. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. But it was for the best."
That stopped Jounouchi in his tracks. "What?"
Seto straightened himself up in standard fashion, turned on his heel.
But Anzu wasn't finished yet, apparently. Hands clenched at her sides, she pushed Otogi and Honda apart to get between them. "You don't get to say that!" she shouted loudly, and Yuugi could feel her passion. The two of them seemed to be the most affected by Atem's departure, though on the whole, Anzu was thankful that they got to give him a proper goodbye.
Though he didn't turn around, Seto did stop to listen to her.
"He was like family to us," she said. Although her eyes filled with tears, she stood her ground. "We were friends, so you don't get to talk to us like you know what was happening or why! You weren't there! He counted on you and you didn't do anything but talk down to him and tell him he wasn't real. I don't know what your little apology is about, but we don't forgive you because we don't have to. Atem was really and we - I - loved him! Say whatever you want, but I'm going to tell you what you told us for weeks: your words are imaginary. And I don't believe you."
Seto walked away.
After that, Yuugi didn't see him for a while, but his presence was felt. After dealing with Duelist King and Battle City, Yuugi could tell when he was being watched. So it was no surprise when, a few weeks later, Sugoroku pointed out that an odd man in black had been seen loitering around the shop - not all the time, only once or twice, Grandpa had told him, but that was enough to know. The pattern was always more than what could be seen.
The apology had been general, and despite racking his brain Yuugi couldn't associate with anything else besides what he'd said. Seto had talked to Ishizu. And he was sorry to hear about Atem's departure.
That last part didn't sound right at all.
After having the men pointed out to him, Yuugi began to notice them all the time. Helping to manicure the school grounds while he was studying, poking their heads out of buildings and he and the others were hanging out, driving casually by the store, picking of trash and other small things. They were surreptitious, and they couldn't be told apart aside from their sunglasses. His guess was, of course, that they were some sort of KaibaCorp technology that he couldn't remove.
It was annoying, and more than a bit strange. Everyone else felt the same.
"Ewww, Yuugi, he's watching you?" Anzu crooned before finishing her drink. They were currently sitting in the Burger World. Though Yuugi had looked around at all sides for suspicious sunglasses, he hadn't seen any. "That is disgusting. What does he want with you?"
"Probably a business deal," Otogi said. Ever the practical one. "He probably needs you for a promo or something and he wants you to feel like he cares so you'll say yes."
"That fucking prick," Jounouchi added, slamming his fist on the table.
Honda looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should ambush 'im. Put a fist in his face and see if he'll stop."
Anzu looked angrier than anything. "Whatever the case, it can't be legal. You should go to the police."
"That'd be a scandal," Otogi said, but didn't seem to feel bad about it. He smiled mischievously. "Bet he'd leave you alone after that."
After hearing them all out, Yuugi sighed. "Maybe I should hear him out. Whatever he wants to talk about, he must want to pretty bad, right? He was nice to me before, so ...maybe I should."
"If Atem were here," Anzu said, voice fading, "he'd go talk to Kaiba." If a single conversation was all it took to stop this, maybe that was the best solution.
Jounouchi grinned. "Maybe challenge him to a duel!" A fist pumped triumphantly in the air.
"Yeah," Honda agreed. "Win condition is he leaves you alone."
But it wasn't that simple. "I don't want to duel anyone," Yuugi told them, and that was the end of that suggestion.
Much later, that duel, those cards still felt fresh in his mind and in his heart. He still occasionally played out that duel, examined other avenues. If things hadn't gone exactly like that, would he have lost? Would Atem still be here with him? It wasn't meant to be, and yet, he wanted it to. Selfish and needy was what he was, but that didn't stop him from wanting it. Yuugi wasn't ready for another duel to replace that yet. He wasn't sure that he ever would be.
That didn't make his friends wrong, though. Atem would have confronted Seto head-on, demanded answers. So Yuugi would do the same.
He decided to go that afternoon. There was no reason to drag this on any longer. Jounouchi and the rest offered to help him, and after they finished eating the group was off for a game of 'spot the agent'. Either because they were specifically looking for one, or because they noticed Yuugi and his grandfather pointing them out, the nearest one was hard to find. There were lots of people wearing sunglasses but none of them looked like the ones the Kaiba guard wore. Yuugi didn't want to just disrupt someone's day, so if they couldn't be sure, he skipped over them. In the end, they couldn't find a single person until they reached the shop.
There in the alleyway about to empty the garbage for the third time this week, was a man in overalls, a T-shirt, and those glasses that he was looking for.
" 'Ey you!" Jounouchi shouted, pointing directly at him. "We know who you are!"
Rather than run, like some of Seto's henchman had before, this one dropped the bag that he was carrying. Then he squared up, feet apart, shoulders angled down, and fists up. Yuugi didn't think that Jou fighting him was a good idea. Usually, he didn't doubt that his best friend could win, but this seemed out of everyone's league.
Jounouchi shuffled forward anyway, sniffing and thumbing his nose as he did so. He squared up, too, which was surprising to Yuugi. None of them had needed to fight anyone in such a long time.
"Wait, stop!" Yuugi said, running between them. "I just want to talk to Kaiba! Can you make that happen?" He tried his best to draw himself up and look intimidating. "I've seen you lurking around. So don't deny it. I know you've been watching me!"
Keeping his eyes on Yuugi, the man straightened up. One hand moving up to his glasses, he did a quick turn and seemed to talk to himself. There was no doubt about it now.
"Yuug'," Jounouchi asked him, "...whaddya gonna do?"
"He's not going to hurt anyone or he would've done it already, Jou. It's not like he hasn't been here all week. If he wanted to get to me or Gramps, he could've by now. Any of them could," he said. "But I don't think that's why we're here."
Honda stepped forward, too. "I'm not so sure about that."
But when the man turned back around, he nodded curtly. "I've been told that I am allowed to take you - not your companions - to see Mister Kaiba."
Yuugi sighed. Of course not. "I'll be fine," he reassured anyone.
"You go tell 'im who's boss, Yuugi!" Anzu cheered.
"A car will be pulling up in approximately one hundred and twenty-five seconds."
The ride to the Kaiba Mansion was smooth but deadly silent. That agent that they had encountered looked less than happy to have been found out, and seemed to be sulking in his corner of the car. Yuugi was escorted onto the grounds and, honestly, he couldn't ever remember seeing this place from anywhere else other than the outside. KaibaCorp offices, he had been to before - KaibaLand, he'd visited - but not this. The home looked stately and very western. Though it only had three floors, it was long and rectangular and Yuugi thought it was just the perfect place for a CEO. He wasn't sure where he'd expected Seto and his brother to live but it wasn't a place this like.
Even on the inside it was similar. The floors look perfectly waxed, shining, mostly white but with a blue tile in the center of each magic square of nine. Of course, there would even be a Blue Eyes motif on the floor. The place was outfitted with things Yuugi had only seen in movies - chandeliers, art displays against the walls and hung paintings and photos. All of them looked, old, and picked by something else. Nothing Seto liked was that old and stuffy. It must have been left over from Gozaboro.
"Hey, Yuugi!" came loud greeting echoing through the entrance hall.
It took a second to locate him, but soon enough he could see Mokuba flying down the grand staircase in the center of the house (if he could even call it that). Smile splayed across his face, he raced opened armed the entire way, enveloping Yuugi in a hug when they collided together.
Sometimes Mokuba was the only thing that reminded him that Seto did care about others, even if it was only one person.
"Hi Mokuba!" There was no reason for him to make Seto's brother feel uncomfortable. "Uhhh, do you know where…?"
Mokuba nodded, grinning as he took a step back. "He's waiting for you, actually. I'll take you!" He waved the agents away and they seemed to listen; falling behind the duo and eventually stopping.
Kaiba Mansion felt like a labyrinth with the way that they were walking. It wasn't enough to head upstairs, from where Mokuba had come; they wound corners and passed through sitting rooms as well.
"How do you live here? There's too much room," Yuugi said in half wonder, half horror.
"...sometimes," Mokuba admitted. There was a pause, and then he asked, "Yuugi, are you angry at my brother?"
Yuugi sighed. So there was no hope in keeping things between the two of them. "No, I'm not angry at him," he said, after a moment of thought. "He's just been ...bothering me. And I want him to stop. He wants to talk about things that I don't want to right now. And he won't leave me alone."
"Oh. He does that to me too. When I'm sad he pretty much watches me until I tell him. I think he gets worried I'll do something dangerous, or someone will take advantage of me. But I can stand on my own, especially after everything that's happened this summer." Mokuba stopped for a moment in one of the hallways, hands on his hips. "So just tell him straight that you got this and you just need some space. He probably won't do it but at least he'll listen. Seto can be weird sometimes."
Another turn and they were in standing in front of two large Oak doors. Mokuba knocked a few times in one of them, and then entered unceremoniously.
Seto Kaiba sat in his large chair, looking in charge even sitting in his own home. He eyed them coolly. "Thank you, Mokuba."
"It was nice seeing you, Yuugi," he said, waving before he disappeared again.
"So you wanted to see me," Seto said, smirking.
But that wasn't half of it. "I want you to tell me why you're following me - why you've been acting weird ever since I came back." He thought back to their first conversation, which wasn't as strange, and his reaction. "I was a jerk that first time you came to the shop, and I'm sorry about that. But everything else is just too much. I can't have people lurking everywhere while I'm doing things! It's creepy."
"You're right," was the reply.
And with the look on Seto's face, Yuugi couldn't tell which part of the statement they were agreeing on. Unless he asked, he had a feeling that he wouldn't find out.
"...so… are you going to answer my question?"
Seto seemed bored with the conversation, eyes sliding over to the laptop monitor at the edge. That was more than a little insulting. It made no sense to watch him all the time and then, when they were face to face, ignore him.
"Kaiba - I'm talking to you!" Yuugi clenched his fists.
Blue eyes snapped back towards him, and then sighed. "Yuugi, I'm going to do you a favor and tell you: You aren't making a lot of sense right now."
Yuugi nearly choked on the gasp trying to leap from his throat. "I'm not making sense? Please, explain that to me. This I gotta hear."
"You told me I didn't understand. So I made sure that I did. There was more information to be gained that I didn't have. I returned after I updated myself on things and you were still emotionally bereft. You said you wanted to be left alone. So I did."
How was this typical mode of thought for any person? "I wasn't 'alone'!. You left those scary people around." Hands wound up in his hair, and he tugged. "I—How could you think that was okay?"
"Hmm. Point taken. They shouldn't have been detectable at all. I'll have them fired."
"That's not—why are you having people follow me around in the first place? What is the deal with that? Why can't you just wait until I'm ready? Fine, look: We did what we were supposed to do. We accomplished our goal but Atem had to leave and cross over and I haven't been dealing with it well at all." Saying it out loud didn't make him feel any better about it.
Even at that admission, Seto showed no mercy. "I know that already."
For as long as could be remembered he had done nothing but make things difficult for Yuugi and everyone else. Atem, too. When they collaborated, it wasn't for anyone else's sake. They were always one detail away from being enemies and he never appreciated it when anyone was saved, when a conflict was resolved, or when he was proven to be in error. It was the complete opposite of what Yuugi and Atem had between them.
"Just answer the question! Why would you do this?"
Fingers drummed on the desk in front of him, and Seto's eyes seemed to bore into his own. "I wanted to make sure you were ...intact. Your condition was that you didn't want any visits from me. I met your conditions out of respect for your wishes. And now you're yelling at me? How disrespectful."
The next question was obvious. "Why do you care about me being - whatever?"
Seto frowned. "I told you before, in the shop. You weren't listening."
Of course Yuugi hadn't been listening, he didn't. He hadn't tried to. "I understand, Yuugi." Was what he remembered. And more than that, his blood still boiled at the implication.
Seto could have been there, if he wanted or cared. If he'd listened to Atem.
"I will say this only one more time." Arms formed a triangle on the desk, chin balanced on the back of his palms. "You told me to look for the evidence, and I did. On the video for Battle City I can see the same differences between the two of you that I saw ...wherever it was you took me. I check the museum footage, too. That moment I experienced isn't on the tape. At first I thought it was a trick. But I've studied you. There's no evidence to suggest you could accomplish something that elaborate."
He stood, lifting away from the desk. "You asked me how I could believe in the technology my father made. I didn't see him build it, and didn't know he'd successfully completed his project until we found it on Alcatraz. When he died I thought he was a fool for trying, but the events at KaibaLand made it clear that it was somewhat operational and I ignored that. I've never been able to trust that old man to do anything worthwhile, but he was consistent in his cruelty and I could always rely on that. It's the same with you. I could always rely on you to be too nice, to stand by your ...friends. Regardless of whether or not I believed you, you were consistent. Whether it be a rival, an enemy or Mokuba - those that I can count on for good or bad I keep an eye on."
The words hit him hard and heavy this time, and Yuugi wasn't sure what to make of it at all at first. Seto admitting he was wrong was a miracle in and of itself.
"This ...Yami, you said his name was - he was your Mokuba. You're not like the mutt; I know you have the power to save whoever you want. You've stood against me many times, even if now I don't know who I was facing and when. Either one of you were capable of saving your companions and each other. If he's gone it's because he chose to be. I'm not sure what I would do if Mokuba didn't choose to stay with me - no, that's not right. When he sided with you during Duelist Kingdom, I thought I was losing him in another way. And I know that's how you must be feeling. So I apologized. It was what you would have done."
All the rest made even less sense. Things were just so different now, with Atem gone. Yuugi didn't know what made sense anymore.
"Do not ask me to repeat myself again. If you don't understand it in plain explanation, you're not nearly as competent I thought. But I've been wrong more than once. I wouldn't be surprised. I'm not you. I don't give second chances as liberally as you." A smirk took over his features and he stepped closer to Yuugi.
Every feeling ever had about Seto Kaiba pooled into a messy ball in the pit of Yuugi's stomach. Atem didn't trust him at all, and seemed to think that trying to talk with him was a waste of time. Yuugi had always felt differently. In spite of being selfish, it was hard not to see how the Kaiba brothers tried to take care of each other.
"I don't have any time to waste with someone who doesn't want to talk," Seto concluded. "So don't. Talking to you while you're not at your best is worthless. It won't do either of us any good."
To be rendered useless in such a casual fashion caused his chest to tighten. Suddenly, there were lots of things he wanted to say and ask and do. The situation was simply overwhelming. Why now, of all times, did Kaiba decide to listen and consider? Memories of the past summer past before his eyes - they all could have been different.
All the times he'd wanted to compliment Seto, instead shut down by his antics; when he and Yami needed to work with Seto, together - it would have gone so much smoother. The suspicion, the insults and instigating… all could have changed with these efforts. Even that moment near the end, when Seto had delivered the Millennium Eye—
Yuugi blushed as he remembered the warmth of Seto's hand pause in time holding that position for more than a few seconds.
"I'll lay off the security for now," was the follow up, "since that's what you want."
Forcing his way through the embarrassment, Yuugi smiled. This is a good thing, he told himself. Awkward as it was, it seemed that, for all of the trouble they'd been through, he was finally getting some kind of result.
"Are you saying that we're—"
"I'm saying that I have no reason not to trust you. You throw that word around too easily, and I won't be put in the same category. You won't be saving me from any psychos. I don't need your kindness. Only the consistency. If you're lucky you won't blow it."
"Thank you, Seto."
They were facing each other now, only a few feet apart. "Don't waste pleasantries on me. I don't need them and most people are lying about them, anyway. Wanna thank me? Show me you're grateful."
Yuugi supposed that made sense if he thought hard enough. In Seto's own gruff fashion, he wasn't being rude. Maybe. "And how should I do that?"
"By getting over what happened. Get yourself in better shape. That Other You was the last person you dueled, right? To send him off - that's what Ishizu said. Can you confirm it?"
A small, curt nod was his reply at first, and then, "Yes." Instinctively, he clutched at the deck in his shirt's inside pocket.
"Then I'll take you at your word. Come back when you're at your best. I want to hand you your first defeat following that ordeal. I won't accept any less for gratitude." Arms crossing, Seto sized him up. This was a real challenge. "He doesn't have to be here for me to take the title from you."
After all of this, Yuugi didn't have any desire to duel Seto. If nothing else, he wanted to understand how the man's mind worked. With everything so logical and formal, this whole situation was so difficult for him wrap his thoughts around. The two of them had traveled in circles for such a simple conclusion, when Seto could have just come out and said it from the very beginning. It made Yuugi's brain hurt.
And yet, the underlying message was genuine. It was not quite kindness, but the implication of it. The pressure to rebuild and become an even better man than Atem had seen. To surpass not only the Pharaoh himself, but his memories. Yuugi couldn't live trapped in them forever, clinging to the past. The entire summer he watched Atem do the same, and it was an awful and sometimes painful struggle. He didn't want to be like that.
"Alright, I will!" he agreed happily. The ball of tension in his stomach reflexed and released, as Yuugi decided on the next course of action decided. "But if you lose…"
Seto's hands were on his hips, now, sneering. "What? You gonna make me declare our undying friendship? Because that'll never happen."
It was a tempting idea, delicious in its normalcy: betting something normal and not on the end of the world, was relieving somehow. No one needed to be saved and no one's life was at stake. When had he last dueled for fun? Yuugi couldn't remember.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "That's too predictable."
Nothing else was said but it was clear that the moment demanded response. If Atem were there, he would have told Yuugi to go for it. Win his prize. It would be easy against Seto Kaiba. So he should ask for something he wanted.
"If I win," he declared, "I… want you to go out to dinner with me." He held his hands behind his back, one cupped in the other, rocking back and forth. "...like a normal person. None of this 'following me because you're worried' stuff. You spend all this time shouting and bossing people around. Do you even talk to anyone besides Mokuba?"
"What?" For the moment, Seto appeared taken off guard. Hands now pinned to his sides, he was shocked into little more than silence. The composure was regained quickly, though, and in a few seconds he asked, as though it was no big deal, "Who said I was worried?"
Yuugi felt bad for calling him out, but it was also satisfying to see grasping for control of a situation. "Mokuba did."
That statement was neither confirmed nor denied. Their eyes no longer met, though, so the truth was clear. "And why would you pick something so stupid?"
Luckily, Yuugi was braced for that. "I hope that's obvious," he said. "You said pleasantries are fake, and they're not. At least, mine aren't. So I'll prove it. Like everything else."
There was a pause between them before Seto answered, almost thoughtful. "An asinine choice, but whatever. I'm going to wipe the floor with you anyway. If I win..."
He couldn't remember smiling so hard, either. A giggle tumbled hard from his lips. "What?"
Now Seto looked serious, brows furrowed once again. "I want a full explanation of what happened. I have to earn it. You don't owe it to me."
The rollercoaster of emotions was something he was not fond of. Couldn't they just ...keep talking, like they were? Yuugi tried to keep up appearances, though. He didn't want Seto to think him weaker than he already was. That smile stayed locked in place.
"He took the risk. I didn't earn what the Other You showed me. And he wouldn't have done it if it weren't for you. I don't accept charity. It's never gotten me anywhere." Seto extended his hand, a floating invitation. "Do you accept the terms? You'll come back when you're ready?" Those blue eyes held expectation and promise.
When their hands met and shook, he tried to remember that moment in the museum. The sense of purpose and determination that had filled him at the time was something Yuugi wanted to feel again; use it to carry him through. At the point when Seto Kaiba worried for him, though, there was work to be done. Yuugi couldn't let himself be stuck in a rut, couldn't become unworthy of everything that had happened to him or the man that stood before him. The past and the present were equally important - both looked towards the future. And he needed to start shaping it with his own hands.
"You've got yourself a duel!"
{FIN}
K, so post-notes:
I tried to fit a variety of things in here to make this feel a bit closer to the source materials. There were a few quotes taken from the beginning of Millennium World arc, as well as references to scenes from Dawn of the Duel. I hope that they were recognizable. SO MUCH LITERAL RIVALRY PACKED IN HERE OMG.
I'm sure that you could feel my struggle with Seto with this fic. I'd definitely say that this is a bit closer to a 'set-up' or a 'one-sided' thing than a full-on pairing, but I'll be honest: I find it hard to write Seto Kaiba as romantic and yet not out of character/canon loyal. Everyone says that this is an easy pairing but I literally considered just throwing in the towel this first round and just ... not doing the contest. The struggle with Seto is that real for me. But I think I managed to mold this into something usable.
Haha. I know, I'm a crybaby. For those of you who liked this, though, I definitely think I'll following this up with some (shorter) one-shot with the nitty-gritty details of how they end up together.