Part II: Why Now?
Kaiba scowled as he looked around the packed banquet hall, the sounds of loud music and shuffling feet already getting on his nerves. His tolerance was lower than usual because he had been on edge all day, waiting for the bastard who was calling himself Atem to reveal his identity. The fact that the better part of the past two days had been filled with old thoughts that had returned from exile just compounded his already terrible mood. At this point, Kaiba didn't care how petty or unprofessional his punishment to the student was; the bastard was going to suffer for humiliating him in such a personal and painful way.
Pushing such thoughts aside, Kaiba's eyes continued roaming over the mass of moving students. The annual Halloween party had originally been Mokuba's idea and the students seemed to love the excuse to dress up as their favorite Duel Monsters or duelists—both from the past and the present. No one had yet to dare dress up as him, but Kaiba had seen quite a few dress up as Yuugi over the years, complete with the Millennium Puzzle that never failed to pain him. Thankfully no one seemed to have chosen Yuugi as an inspiration this year, which suited Kaiba just fine. He'd rather not spend the remainder of the night wondering if each kid dressed up as Yuugi was really Atem in disguise.
Suddenly he heard a silken female voice purr from behind him, "Would it kill you to dress up for once?"
"Yes," he deadpanned, groaning on the inside when he realized who he was being subjected to. He disliked coming to such functions, but more than that, he hated having to put up with women like the one who came to stand before him. The woman known as Miranda-sensei was currently dressed up as a really whorish Injection Fairy Lily, which was a vast improvement over last year when he sent her home for dressing up as a Harpy. Does the woman not understand she works at a school with hormonally frustrated teenagers? he wondered with a disapproving look at her particularly revealing outfit. Or maybe that's the point?
"And they say you don't have a sense of humor," Miranda teased as she drew closer to him, lightly resting her hand on one of his arms. "So where's your girlfriend?"
Kaiba wondered how the persistent woman would react if he answered, "In my freezer," or something equally as shocking, but it wasn't worth the drama. Then again, if that was the only way to shake the woman off, Kaiba was not above such a tactic. "That is an inappropriate question and is none of your concern," he coolly informed her, ignoring her full lipped pout. "I would suggest that you leave before I—"
Miranda interrupted with a borderline whiney, "You're no fun!"
"I'm not supposed to be fun—I'm your boss and you would do well to remember that fact."
Before the situation could deteriorate further, Yuugi appeared and intervened on his friend's behalf. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Watanabe-sensei is looking for you, Miranda-sensei."
Pouting in protest, Miranda left with a few muttered complaints. "Thanks," Kaiba said, genuinely grateful to be rid of the annoying woman.
"She certainly is…persistent, isn't she?" Yuugi commented as the female teacher weaved her way through the ocean of swaying students.
"Funny, I think, 'skanky,' or, 'slutty, ' would be a much better description," Rebecca quipped as she finally made herself known.
Chuckling in genuine amusement, Kaiba couldn't help but retort, "This coming from the woman in the Black Magician Girl costume?" It was an annual tradition for the couple to come dressed up as the Black Magician and his apprentice, but the saccharine sweetness of the duo could gag Kaiba on a good day.
Taking the dig in stride, Rebecca giggled as she struck a suggestive pose. "Hn! She just wishes she could pull this off!" Rebecca arrogantly exclaimed. "I'd like to see her have a baby and still make this look good!"
"I don't think any of us would want to see her in that or with a child," Yuugi pointed out with a laugh as he linked his arm through Rebecca's. "We'd all be scarred for life."
"Not to mention the kid," Kaiba added, having no doubt that the woman would be a terrible mother.
"Why have you not fired that insufferable woman?" Rebecca questioned with a slight huff. "Are you that much of a glutton for punishment?"
Some days, he answered in his mind, but to her he explained, "She's tenured."
Snorting at the answer, Rebecca challenged, "And in all your brilliance, you can't find a single valid reason for dismissal?"
Despite his earlier foul mood, the banter was a welcome improvement over his thoughts. When they had been teenagers, he had found Rebecca to be an insufferable presence, but as she had matured over the years, he had grown accustomed to her. She was intelligent, quick witted, and one of the few people who could hold a decent conversation with him; it also helped she was a damn good cook, not to mention that her hacking skills had helped him out of a bind on more than one occasion at Kaiba Corporation. "It's being deal with," Kaiba replied, signaling the end of that conversation.
"Honestly, though! This has to be a new record," Rebecca said with mock surprise. "Normally you bolt out of here as soon as you finish your little speech. If I didn't know you any better, I'd say it almost looks like you're waiting for someone."
Damn women and their intuition, Kaiba thought darkly, not liking how close to the truth her observation was. Covering his true reasons, Kaiba retorted, "I figured I'd never hear the end of it if I left without speaking to you again."
Giggling at the memory of three years ago, Rebecca changed topics. "So when can I tell my son that his Jiji is coming to see him? 'Later,' just doesn't work with him," Rebecca requested with a playful long suffering sigh. "I swear, the next time I hear, 'No! Jiji now! Jiji, Jiiijiiii,' I'm dropping him off at your place."
It was a complete mystery to Kaiba why their kid was so fixated on him and he could only shake his head at it. "Hn, good luck with that."
"What? You think I can't hack into your security system?" Rebecca asked indignantly with a determined gleam in her eye.
Kaiba wouldn't put it past her and he temporarily wondered if he should ask Isono to tighten up his security before dismissing it as ridiculous. "I'm just saying it's pointless since I probably won't be there."
"Oh?" Rebecca hummed with interest. "Are you staying with someone now?"
Subtly nudging his wife in the side, Yuugi gently reprimanded, "Becca, enough with the questions."
"Fine, fine," she consented before asking one more. "Are you free next weekend? I've got a new recipe that I've been dying to try…"
Before he could reply, Morigawa, the math teacher who was currently being pursued by Miranda, interrupted them with a pleading look. Ever the considerate friend, Yuugi separated from them to handle the situation, leaving Kaiba and Rebecca alone. "You know I'm only going to accept one answer, right?" Rebecca said, causing Kaiba to snort in response.
"Next Saturday," Kaiba finally consented, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her overly satisfied expression.
"I'm holding you to that, you know."
"I'm well aware of that fact," Kaiba said dryly.
They fell into a companionable silence and Rebecca realized that Kaiba was once again looking out over the crowd as if he were expecting to see someone. It made her curious and she asked, "Is someone joining you tonight?"
"No, why?"
"I wasn't joking when I said it looks like you're waiting for someone," she told him with a concerned look. "You just don't seem like yourself tonight."
He brushed her off with a brusque, "I'm fine," even though he knew it wouldn't deter the woman. "There's no need to concern yourself with such things, Rebecca."
She knew that there was more going on with Kaiba than he was letting on, but she also knew that it wasn't her place to say anything. "What's it going to take to get you to call me, 'Becca?' I've only been after you for how many years about it?" she asked, changing the topic to spare them the awkward situation. Yuugi had already been concerned that he had said too much to his friend on Wednesday and she didn't want to complicate things further between the two.
"What's it going to take to get your kid to stop calling me, 'Jiji?'" he countered, easily recognizing what that woman was trying to do.
Laughing, Rebecca just shrugged and told him, "Get used to it. I think you're stuck with that for a few years."
Yuugi returned then looking a little frazzled and Rebecca lovingly kissed his cheek. "If it makes it any better, Seto agreed to come to dinner next weekend," Rebecca informed Yuugi, giggling at the way he perked up instantly.
"Really? That's great!" Yuugi exclaimed happily, smiling up at his friend. He was getting ready to say something else when Rebecca jumped with a startled noise. "Becca?"
Kaiba didn't know where or how Rebecca procured a cell phone, but it disturbed him. "Where…?"
"You should see where I keep my wallet," Rebecca said with a wink before answering her phone. "Hey, dad! Yeah, everything's fine here. How's Baby doing?"
The men watched her walk away in search of a more suitable place to talk. Since Kaiba looked equal parts confused and disgusted, Yuugi voluntarily divulged the truth. "She keeps the phone in a holster on her thigh," he explained, before impishly adding, "but the wallet is a secret."
"That's more than I needed to know, thanks," Kaiba replied with a slight scowl.
Yuugi could tell that his friend was occupied with other thoughts and he tried to distract him. "Do you know if Mokuba-kun and Anzu are going to come back any time soon? I know Becca wants to see Anzu and I'd like to catch up with him."
It was still strange for Kaiba to think about his younger brother in conjunction with another person. "Maybe after the tournament?" Kaiba answered, although he wasn't really sure. "We haven't talked about it since he's been so focused on getting everything set up."
"He's almost as bad as you when it comes to that sort of stuff," Yuugi joked.
"At least he's smart enough not to land himself in the hospital over it," Kaiba commented, grateful that his little brother didn't work himself into sickness. Then again, Mokuba had a reason to go home at night; Kaiba only had an empty apartment and it was one of the many reasons he had worked himself to the point of collapse.
"I'm glad that you're not still like that," Yuugi commented. "You scared a lot of people when that happened."
"Hn, I never realized anyone gave a shit," Kaiba said flippantly. He still remembered how confused he was when he woke up to see a tearful Yuugi at his beside; it barely made sense to him now. "Besides, that was years ago. What difference does it make?"
Instead of saying something heartfelt that would be rejected outright, Yuugi settled for, "You know we're always there for you, Seto-kun."
"It's hard to take you seriously when you're wearing such a ridiculous outfit," Kaiba said, the sentiment of Yuugi's statement making him feel slightly awkward.
"That doesn't make it any less true," Yuugi replied with a smile. "But I should probably go check on Becca and make sure that everything is okay. I'll see you later, Seto-kun."
"Ah," was all Kaiba said in response before he watched Yuugi make his way toward his wife. As annoying as their inquisitive nature could be, Kaiba didn't find them to be nearly as intolerable as he made them seem. Shit, I'm getting soft, he realized with a quiet, disgruntled sigh.
Still, his mood wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before and that was a good thing for everyone. It started to worsen slightly when he realized that he was still scanning the crowd as if he expected to find Atem somewhere in the mass of costumed teenagers. He couldn't even lie to himself and say that he was looking for Yuugi because it was impossible to miss him and his oversized pointy hat. I should leave, he told himself. After all, he had stayed and talked to the lovey dovey duo and given his speech to the students earlier, so there was nothing else he needed to do tonight. Even though he knew that was what he should do, his feet stubbornly remained where they were because of the foolish whispers, "What if he comes after you leave?"
He's not fucking coming because it's not possible! he sternly reminded himself, for all the good that it did him. Kaiba couldn't afford to believe otherwise; his heart had enough wounds without adding fresh ones.
This is stupid, he thought with a scowl. Why was he waiting around like an idiot for something that would never—could never—happen? Deciding not to waste anymore time with such things, Kaiba left the crowded banquet hall and made his way to his office to collect his things before heading home.
The hallways were empty for the most part, although he could hear a few suspicious sounds in the darkness that sounded like students making out in the shadows. Kaiba knew as the principal he should stop them, but he didn't really care. As long as they weren't actively fucking each other against the walls, he couldn't be bothered to deal with such pointless teenage trifles.
He reached his office in record time and he silently let himself into his sanctuary. Quickly packing up his belongings, Kaiba swore when he realized that he was trembling slightly. Get it together! he reprimanded himself as if that would somehow make a difference. This has to stop…
Deciding that some fresh air was in order to clear his mind, Kaiba walked out onto his private balcony and leaned against the railing. He could still faintly hear the music from the dance in the distance and he leaned against the railing with a heavy sigh and a heavier heart. How could he have let himself hope for even a moment that Atem would miraculously return to him? Stupid, weak, foolishness, he continued to berate himself.
Straightening himself to his full height as he toyed with his cuff links, Kaiba mused with a frown about the similarities between himself and the priest. How was it possible for one person to mean so much and cause so much emotional turmoil in two lifetimes? As much as Kaiba tried to reject his preoccupation with Atem, he still stubbornly clung to it because it was all he had left of his rival. It wasn't a coincidence that the one part of his life with the most meaning was the time when Atem had driven him forward through their association. After Atem's disappearance, Kaiba had successfully started three more Kaiba Lands and several Duel Academies in various countries, but nothing had given him the same sense of fulfillment that dueling against the former pharaoh had. Even when Kaiba has lost to Atem, he had done so with everything he had; it was far more satisfying than succeeding without anything other than a concentrated effort.
The night was cooler than expected because of the gentle wind that was slowly ushering in the change of season and it was enough to bring awareness back to Kaiba. If he was going to waste time and energy with such thought, he would at least do it in the privacy and warmth of his car.
Having made his decision to leave, Kaiba was ready to go on a long drive on an abandoned road at reckless speeds and forget that the past few days had been wasted on Atem when he heard the door to his office opening quietly. He was instantly on full guard for an attack until he realized it was probably only Yuugi coming to check on him. Should have locked the damn door, Kaiba reprimanded himself, regretting that he hadn't taken such a simple precaution since his original intention was to leave quickly. Not that it would have made much of a difference since he has Rebecca with him, but still.
Taking the extra time to compose his expression back to a blank mask, Kaiba didn't react until he heard someone call out softly, "Found you."
It had not been the kind lilt of Yuugi's voice that spoke; it had been the sound of Atem's voice that had haunted him for endless lonely nights. Kaiba stubbornly refused to confront his auditory hallucination until he heard the challenging, "Kaiba," that sent a small shiver through him.
Forcing himself to turn around, Kaiba's breath caught in his throat at the sight and all of time slowed to a halt. Standing before him was the perfect image of Atem in full pharaoh regalia and Kaiba thought his heart would stop when that heated scarlet gaze met his own cool cerulean. The short linen skirt revealed lithe legs and slender hips that swayed seductively with each deliberate step. Moonlight shined off of the golden accouterments that accentuated his bronze skin that left little to the imagination—especially an imagination that had committed every inch of flesh to memory over the years.
Kaiba was completely paralyzed with the shock and his instincts were protesting against his common sense. Almost every part of Kaiba was demanding that he reach out and confirm the solidity of the being in front of him. Still, Kaiba didn't move because he was terrified—yes, it went far beyond simple fear and became a thing of terror—that he would discover that he had finally lost to his obsession.
His eyes were wide with disbelief and his heart thudded painfully in his chest with every step closer the phantom took toward him. Kaiba never backed down from anyone or anything, but it was only through sheer force of habit that he didn't take a step back to the railing and away from the approaching impossibility.
The costumed teen stopped mere inches away, smirking up at the older man in a confident and pleased manner that was so reminiscent of the gaze Kaiba had known intimately through dueling and dreams. There was a fiery passion in those red eyes and Kaiba was rapidly losing the ability to think the longer he stared into them, which was dangerous. It was too surreal to even start to process and everything changed the instant he felt the teen's hand softly caressing his cheek, mirroring the sensation he had experienced in the ancient underground dueling arena all of those years ago.
Kaiba could say nothing, could do nothing other than shiver at the warmth of the tender gesture that filled his mind with crimson tainted memories that made it hard to breathe. The name, "Atem," slipped from his lips like a sacred whisper and the teen's expression became one of desire.
"I wanted to keep my promise," the younger boy murmured as he pressed himself closer while still maintaining eye contact. "I've finally come back to you, Kaiba."
A/N: It took me a little longer to get this up, but hopefully it was worth the wait. Not a whole lot to add to this other than an apology for such a painful cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to the responses and I hope that everyone can forgive me until the next part goes up soon.
Part III: Untitled
But is it real?
I'm not really sure when the next part will go up, but I hope to keep up the one post a month minimum. Thank you for all of your support and I can promise that Part III will answer a lot of the questions that you have.
In the meantime, I'm still posting Another Lesson every Sunday!
