DARK SIDE OF DIMENSIONS NOTE: In "Transcend Game," the manga prequel to the movie, Kaiba is developing a system that will allow duelists to link their collective consciousness. While testing it and attempting to leave our dimension, he sees a vision of Atem and tries to follow it. He also sees a vision of Kisara. Mokuba stops the project before Kaiba dies in his attempt to cross into Atem's dimension.
In "The Dark Side of Dimensions," the antagonist, Diva, uses a mystical cube to travel between dimensions, and boasts that Kaiba would be unable to figure out how it works. But it's always risky to underestimate Kaiba!
CHAPTER 2: THE UNKNOWN ORPHEUS
DENIAL: Orpheus was an ancient Greek rock star. And as with any celebrity, part of his life is written neon bright… how he went to the after-life to free his wife, how he looked back too soon, how he lost her forever. But as with any celebrity, so much more remains in shadow. We all know Eurydice's fate… she gets dragged back to the underworld. But what about Orpheus? What happened to him after his not-so-triumphant return? As it turns out, plenty, although the details vary with the version. He became a hermit, he never loved again, he never looked at another woman but men were a different story, he became a follower of Apollo. He was ripped to shreds by jealous wives or the worshippers of a jealous god. His disembodied head kept singing and possibly became an oracle until Apollo asked him to stop revealing the future to anyone who would listen. That's a lot of life to get conveniently kicked under the rug in the pause between, "and then he got back from the underworld," to "and then he died."
MORAL: There's plenty of life left even after visiting the after-life. The trick is deciding what to do with it.
Kaiba strode from the palace after his victory. His only goal was to put as much distance as possible between himself and Atem before he vanished in a puff of smoke like a third-rate villain in a fourth-rate video game. The dark particles rising from his body billowed behind him like a swirling, shifting shadow before escaping back to his world. Kaiba picked up the pace. Something flew overhead; it was large enough to cast a shadow over both Kaiba and his surroundings. He looked up and smiled when he saw a dragon – no, when he saw his dragon – flying directly above. His grin turned incredulous as she turned, swooped and then glided to a landing in front of him.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Kaiba had expected his dragon to sound fierce or angry or threatening. And yet somehow, this quiet voice that echoed in his head felt right.
"Anywhere. As far from the palace as I can get before I disappear," he answered.
She inclined her head. "You could go farther if we flew."
Kaiba hesitated; it was one dream too many to hold in his hands. He'd fought and schemed to get to Atem, and now a second wish was being offered freely, without his even asking. "You would permit me… you would let…"
"Yes," she said, breaking into his disjointed words.
They were aloft instantly, the ascent closer to a vertical lift than anything except a rocket had managed. As Kisara spiraled upwards through the air, Kaiba threw back his head and laughed. Kisara leveled their path. Kaiba stretched out his arms; the rush of the wind pummeled his body as they raced through the sky.
"Night after night… I dreamed of this." The wind snatched the words from his mouth as he uttered them. Kisara heard them nonetheless.
"Does reality match?" she asked.
"It's even better."
"I'm glad."
Kaiba shook his head. "The whole time I was figuring out how to get here, I never dared hope you'd be here as well… I never thought that…"
"You never thought, period," she interrupted, "or you would not have attempted such a foolish thing as coming to the Netherworld."
"But I did it!" Kaiba protested. "Diva told me I'd never figure out how the cube worked." Kaiba snorted. "He should have known – there's nothing I can't hack. But I didn't need his cube. I went back to my original prototype."
"The one that almost killed you the first time you tried to reach this Netherworld?"
"Yeah, but it didn't!" Kaiba boasted. He paused, then added, "I thought I saw something… a girl… the shadow of a dragon…"
"I was trying to warn you to go back."
"I did go back," Kaiba pointed out, conveniently overlooking the fact that his brother had been the one to stop his first attempt to reach the Netherworld before it killed him. "Once I knew that traveling between dimensions was possible, once I studied the Millennium Cube, I knew I could recreate the same effect with my own technology. I had been on the wrong track, the first time, but not by much. And then I got distracted, I tried to drag the pharaoh to me. I should have known that wouldn't work, that if I wanted to see… uh… that if I wanted a duel, I'd have to come here. But the whole nonsense with Diva wasn't a total waste of time. That's when I knew I had to adapt the initial idea for the pods into a Dimensional Canon…" Kaiba stopped short – aware that, for the first time since he'd tried to explain to Gozaburo why games were important – he was babbling.
"You did well," Kisara said.
Kaiba ducked his head. "He didn't think so,"
"Didn't he? Hasn't he always?"
Kaiba thought for a moment. Atem's praise rang in his ears. "I guess you're right."
Kisara gave a low rumble of approval. "I'm a dragon with 3,000 years of experience. I'm used to being right."
The black particles were streaming off Kaiba faster now, almost hiding his form. "I'd like to see your face before I return," Kaiba said. "I don't want to just disappear without a word… without even saying a real good-bye."
Kisara began her descent. Kaiba stood up and leapt from her back while she was still airborne. He straightened up, put his hands on his hips and laughed. "I've always wanted to do that. Jump from a dragon for real."
He was little more than a swirling shadow. Soon, not trace would be left, no hint that he'd ever come into this world, that he'd ever dueled its king.
He hadn't spoken aloud, but Kisara answered him anyway. "Not quite. I'll remember. So will the pharaoh. Your presence will echo here as long as memory lasts."
"I wish… I wish I could take you back with me," he said, his voice almost unbearably young.
"You know that cannot be. But the walls between our worlds have thinned. Your presence here is proof of that. The next time you summon me to your side, look closely and you will know that I am with you, wherever you reside."
"Do you have… What's your name?"
"Kisara."
"Kisara, " he repeated. Kaiba came forward and stroked the underside of her jaw, glad that he could still feel. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For everything. I've been chasing my future for so long."
"And now you've caught it." She exhaled softly, but her breath ruffled his hair, brushing it off his forehead.
For the second time he ducked his head awkwardly; it took a dragon to make Seto Kaiba look like an unfledged teenager. "What happens next?" he asked.
"What do you want to happen?" she replied.
It took Kaiba a moment to realize that her question was her answer to his. "What…" Kaiba paused. He had no idea how to finish his own sentence. He opened his mouth again, but before he could figure it out, he disappeared.
He came back to consciousness in his space station, as if he'd never shot himself through dimensions, as if he'd never fought a duel with a pharaoh and won, as if he'd never ridden through the sky on his dragon's back. Kaiba shook his head, orienting himself. He looked around his space station, then walked to the window to stare at the stars. Atem… Kisara… the Netherworld… they were all out there, somewhere. Kaiba drew in a breath and turned his back on the view. He headed for his space elevator. He'd gotten his duel. He'd won. He had a business to run and a brother to raise.
He touched the KC pin on the front of his coat. "I'm back at the space station. I'll be downstairs soon." He thought he heard Mokuba sobbing, but he had clicked off too soon to be sure. He frowned. His plan had worked. It wasn't like Mokuba to get upset over nothing. The ride down seemed endless. He checked his watch. He'd only been gone for a few hours.
The elevator doors finally opened. He took a step forward and was knocked backwards when Mokuba barrelled into him. Kaiba managed to leave the elevator half carrying Mokuba along with him.
"You're back!" Mokuba yelled. He was hugging Kaiba so tightly, Kaiba's arms were pinned against his side.
"Yes." Kaiba waited. Mokuba didn't let go.
"I was so scared! I didn't know what was going to happen! I was afraid… I was afraid I'd lose you for good this time."
"You would have been okay, Mokuba. I'd never leave you in the lurch. You would have been financially secure with your interests protected. I planned for every contingency."
"I don't want a plan! I want you! And you didn't even promise to come back." Mokuba sobbed and buried his face in Kaiba's chest.
It had only been a few hours, just long enough for a walk and a duel, but in that time Mokuba had seen his entire life stretching out ahead of him, alone and brotherless. Kaiba managed to free an arm. He rested his hand on his brother's hair. Mokuba's shoulders finally stopped shaking. He wiped his nose against his brother's shirt. Mokuba didn't release his grip, but he managed to loosen it enough to look up at Kaiba. "What was it like?"
"The scenery was boring. Atem was…" Kaiba paused. He smiled as he thought of Atem, of the way his eyes had flashed with familiar fire as he'd summoned his monsters, of the pride and acknowledgement in them as he'd assured Kaiba that he was his equal. "Atem was the same as always. Preachy as ever and still into friendship speeches. He looked a bit different, even less like Yugi than ever, although I don't know how anyone could have ever confused them."
Kaiba paused, then added, "I met her. My dragon. The Blue Eyes White Dragon. She said her name was Kisara."
"You did what?" Mokuba's eyebrows disappeared even farther into his bangs.
Kaiba smiled. "I flew on her back."
Mokuba stared at his brother a moment longer, his face scrunched up in puzzlement. Then he shrugged to himself. His brother had just gone to an unimaginable dimension. Why shouldn't there be a dragon there?
"What was it like flying on a real live Blue Eyes White Dragon?" Mokuba asked.
"It was something." Kaiba paused. "I wish you'd been there."
Mokuba nodded. He wished he'd been there too. "Someone had to mind the shop."
Kaiba frowned. That was his job – or it should have been. And now that he considered the matter, the thought of his brother hurtling through dimensions, of his small body disintegrating before Kaiba's eyes… "Anyway, the Dimensional Cannon burned up on the launch." Kaiba shrugged. "It served its purpose."
Mokuba beamed up at his brother. He'd been almost afraid to ask. "Great! So that means you won!"
Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Of course."
Mokuba finally let go of Kaiba to punch the air. He jumped up and down. "You did it! You beat him, Nisama!"
Kaiba's cocky smirk returned to his face for the first time since his return. "I can do anything I set my mind to."
Everyone had thought he'd fail, that he was crazy for trying. Yugi Mutou, self-appointed expert on all things regarding Atem, had told him to move on, to give in, to give up. But he'd done it. He'd stood before Atem and demanded a duel. He'd defied fate, he'd defied common sense, he'd defied physics, reality, and the god damned definitions of time and space, of life and death itself. And he'd won. He'd shown this world and the next that he was Seto Kaiba and nobody else's rules could keep him in line. Kaiba threw back his head and laughed. There was no better feeling.
Mokuba beamed up at him, his face finally relaxed. "Good. I'm glad it's over."
Kaiba didn't answer. But Mokuba was used to not getting one.
He was also used to watching his brother. In the days that followed it was clear that the manic energy that had led to the tournament and to Kaiba jumping into an untested prototype in pursuit of his rival was gone. But nothing seemed to have replaced it. Kaiba went through the motions of running his company and monitoring his city as efficiently as ever. But the passion for doing both was gone.
"Have you talked to Yugi?" Mokuba finally asked.
"Why? What would there be to say?"
"You could tell him that you actually made it to the Netherworld!"
"That was between Atem and me." Kaiba frowned at the idea of sharing it with Yugi.
"How about that you saw Atem on his home turf and beat him!"
Kaiba shrugged. That had been personal as well.
"I don't get it. I thought you'd want to rub it in everyone's face!"
Kaiba frowned. Telling Yugi would mean admitting something the runt already knew and was too polite to mention: that Kaiba had wanted some kind of acknowledgement from a dead man badly enough to chase him all the way to another dimension to get it. Telling Yugi would mean losing all over again… not to an opponent but to the realization even after his victory, he still missed Atem. If the goal now was moving on, Kaiba wasn't about to lose the race by standing still.
"There's no point. Yugi already said his goodbyes," Kaiba said.
"And you got to say yours, too," Mokuba reminded him.
Kaiba smiled. "Yes. I did. And I won. That's something."
Mokuba's face scrunched up until he looked like a cartoon baby animal. "Something? I thought that was everything!"
Kaiba nodded.
It was. It should have been.
It bothered Kaiba, the way Mokuba watched him. Mokuba had refused to go to school for a week; he'd spent the time in Kaiba's office. Kaiba had indulged him. He'd gone off to the Netherworld, leaving Mokuba in charge of Kaiba Corporation on what he had to admit was a personal quest. Giving Mokuba the week off seemed fair enough.
He drove Mokuba to school on Monday. Mokuba sat in the car when they reached the building, making no move to leave.
"I don't see why I have to go to school. You didn't." Mokuba pouted.
"I was home-schooled."
Mokuba frowned. He sat straighter in the seat, drawing himself up to his full, if inadequate, height. He stuck out his chin. "We both know that's not how it was."
Kaiba's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. For an instant, the car faded; he was back in the mansion; it was midnight. He could feel the dog collar tightening around his neck, the riding crop caressing the underside of his jaw. A sudden shock of rage pulsed through his veins, snapping him back to the present. It pounded in his ears, demanding release. He pressed his lips tightly together. He could count the times that he'd yelled at Mokuba since Death-T on one hand with a couple of fingers left over. He wasn't going to add to that number. He'd changed. He'd won.
Mokuba put his hand on his brother's arm. Kaiba looked down.
"I'm sorry, Nisama," Mokuba whispered.
Kaiba drew in a breath then let it out, then drew in another. When he could speak without yelling, Kaiba raised a hand from the steering wheel to smooth Mokuba's hair. "What's wrong, Mokuba? I've been back for a week."
"I was afraid of losing you forever."
"I was the one who designed the Dimensional Cannon. Do you really think I'm that incompetent?"
"Of course not!"
"You're going to have to let me out of your sight."
"I can't. I'm afraid you'll leave again, and this time it'll be for good."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you're not how I thought you'd be… all happy and gloating. I thought I'd get the brother who smiled back! I thought if I went along one more time it would finally all work out!"
Kaiba started to say, "It has," then found that he couldn't. Mokuba was right. It should be over. It was over. He'd won. He'd gotten what he'd wanted. And yet, it felt like he'd left something behind as well.
Mokuba bit his lip. "I was afraid that you'd want to stay, that you'd forget to come home."
Kaiba snorted. "The place was a dump. It didn't even have running water. And no coffee."
Mokuba grinned, gave him a final hug and got out of the car.
Kaiba sat for a moment. He leaned forward and rested his head on his hands as they gripped the steering wheel. "I thought you'd forget to come home." He closed his eyes and saw a speeding car, an icy road and a tree. When they'd brought the news of his father's death, he'd been too stunned to think. Later, he'd heard his aunt and uncle talking late into the night, whining about his father's selfishness in taking the easy way out, in burdening them with a pair of unwanted strays. He'd lain in bed, with Mokuba snoring softly at his side, and wondered: had his father been racing to get home to see them… or had he been hurtling towards a different destination?
Then his aunt and uncle had found their own way to shove their burdens onto someone else and he'd stopped caring.
Kaiba restarted the engine and pulled into traffic. Soon he was just another speeding car on another road. He gripped the steering wheel, torn between anger and guilt. Mokuba had actually thought that Kaiba would abandon him. But as Kaiba raced forwards he had to admit: it was easy to scoff at the Netherworld, to joke about its lack of plumbing, to mock the dullness of a world where the most advanced technology was the invention of the wheel. But if he hadn't been the older brother, if he hadn't had Mokuba waiting back home… if Atem had suggested a rematch….
Kaiba wasn't sure what his answer would have been.
A dimension away, Atem sat in his throne room, staring into space. A week ago, Kaiba had barged into his palace demanding a duel. A smile flickered across Atem's lips before he wrenched his thoughts back to the empty room, to the lands outside… to his domain.
It should be over. It was over. Kaiba had gotten what he'd come for. Atem had helped him as best he could. He'd owed Kaiba that. Letting go of Kaiba should be simple, as effortless as the rest of this world.
Mana bounded into his throne room, distracting him. Atem smiled. It was impossible to do anything else.
"C'mon! It's beautiful out and you're sitting in this stuffy old room!" She ran up and grabbed his hand.
"Are you daring to call my throne room stuffy?" Atem drew himself up to his full height and tried to glare at her, but his grin spoiled the effect.
"I sure am! What are you going to do about it?"
"Mana!" Mahaad said as he came into the room, turning her name into a rebuke.
Mana grinned at him as well. "Didn't you say it would be great if the pharaoh got out for some air?"
Mahaad pressed his lips together and looked away.
They walked past the courtyard, down to the river. Green fields rolled into the distance on the other side, as far as the eye could see.
Mahaad sighed in satisfaction. "Can you not feel the peace of this world in every whisper of the breeze as it rustles its way through the reeds?"
"I can indeed," Atem said.
"The gods are generous. You, of all of us, deserve the serenity you did so much to preserve."
"Thank you, my friend," Atem said as they reached the river. Mahaad was right. He'd fulfilled his mission, protected his people and freed his partner to live his own life, unhindered by Atem's presence. He hadn't wavered or faltered along the way, not even to say goodbye to Kaiba. He hadn't looked back, not even for a last glimpse of Yugi. And he'd been rewarded. Everyone agreed: he deserved this place, this unendingly peaceful life. But ever since Kaiba had arrived and demanded a duel, what Atem deserved and what he wanted sometimes seemed to be two very different things.
Had Kaiba's restlessness infected him, like a virus traveling through the dimensions along with its host, reaching out to sicken Atem? Or had the discontent been there, hidden, like kindling drying unnoticed in the sun, waiting for a flame? It was easy to blame Kaiba for his own uneasy thoughts, but were they truly Kaiba's fault or had his rival simply held up a mirror and dared Atem to gaze inside?
It was so easy to close his eyes, to go back in time to Kaiba's tournament, to face Diva again with everything on the line, to be part of Yugi again, to duel again… to regret missing the chance to see Kaiba again, because regret was as much a part of life as joy. When Atem had stepped into Kaiba's stadium for that one final time, he'd tasted his old life. It had been enough to leave him hungry in a land of fulfillment, aching for a world he'd walked away from but could not leave behind.
And yet, this was his world now. It wasn't just paradise… it was home. Its green and blue beauty soothed something deep inside of him. He'd followed a path long fated, but more than duty or even destiny held him here. He had friends as dear as the ones he'd forsaken. Mahaad's stern exterior hid a heart as gentle as Yugi's; Mana's smile was just as irrepressible. Each day he learned more about the people he'd once known so well, each day they became even more precious, lighting a hearth-fire that warmed him through the night.
Atem stood staring at the river for a moment too long. Mana snuck up behind him and pushed him in. He landed with a splash that soaked her as well. She laughed and joined him in the water. The afternoon held all of the peace that Mahaad had promised. Atem played with Mana. He swam with Mahaad. He joked and talked and listened. But part of Atem was still dueling Kaiba, was still listening for his rival's snarled challenges... his heart was still beating in time with each exchange, with each turn of the cards.
This place was paradise. But it had taken Kaiba's arrival to make him feel fully alive in it.
Atem drew in a breath. Enough melancholy for one day. He was here and the sun was shining. Atem shook his head, spraying water in all directions. He grinned and dove at Mana, grabbing her ankle and dragging her back under water. They reached the surface together. He splashed at her and then turned to Mahaad. "Paradise, indeed."
They climbed out of the river, watched the sunset together, then headed home. They ate dinner. Kalim and the rest of his council joined them. They drank. It was late when Atem climbed into his bed, smiling as he closed his eyes, unsure which world he hoped to dream of.
.
Thanks to Bnomiko for betaing this chapter!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Second chapters are kind of funny because they have to do their part in setting up the story and at the same time be a worthwhile follow-up to the opening chapter. In this chapter, I thought it was necessary for both characters to try to sort out what had just happened, and why nothing – including their emotions – played out the way they expected. I also couldn't resist having Kaiba meet Kisara, and assuming that she was in the Netherworld, I couldn't imagine her passing up the chance to see him! I've always had the vague feeling that a dragon might be who Kisara is at heart. And considering how disastrous things went for Kisara as a girl, given the choice she might prefer to be a dragon. I can also see her, with 3,000 years of experience under her belt, looking at Kaiba as a young, fledgling dragon.
ANCIENT EGYPT PLUMBING NOTE: Ancient Egypt actually did have plumbing including copper pipes, mainly used in irrigation systems. However, I could see Kaiba being very disparaging about not just their plumbing but their technology in general, especially since he's trying to hold onto his disdain for everything about the world that Atem chose over this one. So, I see his comments being more about his feelings about Atem.
SOCIAL MEDIA NOTE: I am on Tumblr, Dreamwidth and Pillowfort as Nenya85. Come check me out there!
To paraphrase Louise Rosenblatt, "A story's just ink on the page until a reader comes along to give it life." This is my way of saying that I'd really like to know what you think.
